guide:

"Normal talking"

"Spoken in foreign language"(in this case English)

'Thoughts'

Flashbacks/Memories

*Techniques*

Chapter 6- Know Your Sins


3 months and 7 notebooks later...

Izuku was sitting on his bed, books, notebooks, and all sorts of reading materials were scattered about.

Homeschool was tougher than he expected or maybe it's because of all the extra lessons he was taking which definitely weren't in the curriculum. Then again, he was under the tutelage of quite possibly the greatest minds in the world for generations.

He was scribbling down notes for what seemed like hours though that doesn't really seem out of place for the boy to do. Only that the topic of what he was focusing on was what made it somewhat outlandish. Magic.

Based on Merlin's explanation, it was the source of all the explainable and unexplainable phenomena in the world. A force that can be harnessed and controlled by all the living things in this world and it was once plentiful until a major event 2000 years ago drained most of the magic from the world, the separation of the Fairy King's forest as it's own independent realm. The task demanded a large amount of power which left the world of the humans sapped of most of the magic it had. The reason for the separation was to ensure that peace would finally prevail as all the clans finally had their own respective territories.

More so, magic was the reason why quirks exist because quirks are just the result of human's evolving to possess bodies that can once again utilize magic. Only this time, it finally became genetic. According to Merlin, the ancient humans needed to train their minds and bodies before they could possess powers unlike the other races who were born ready to harness magic.

Now, Izuku personally was a man of science having been obsessed with learning about quirks since he found out that All Might is the greatest hero, so it came as a shock when magic and also mythical beings like goddesses and fairies exist. He didn't quite believe it at first, but after a not so subtle display (full on show off) of Merlin's vast arsenal of abilities as well as the origins of the other members of the sins, his doubt was replaced by his trademark enthusiasm.

It's a dream come true for a quirk obsessed hero fanboy. All the knowledge on quirks and magic he could ever want was at his fingertips. And it was all thanks to Merlin. She was an excellent teacher that much he could tell, one who was patient and was as easily as enthusiastic as teaching as he was to learning. The amount of knowledge he has acquired form her alone in the past three months made him fill up five new notebooks all revolving on quirks and magic one of which was the one he was currently writing on. He felt a strong sense of trust toward the woman, despite her claiming to be the one responsible for his current powerlessness.

A knock on his door snapped him from his geeking session. Gowther peeked through the door and looked at the boy and the scattered reading material all over the room.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm Izuku, but you should be getting some sleep, it's past midnight already." He said with a sigh followed by a playful smile on his face making Izuku blush, slightly embarrassed at being caught pulling another all nighter.

Gowther was another person he had grown quite fond of. Where Merlin was his teacher on quirks and magic, Gowther was his teacher in literally everything else from math, sciences, human history, to traditional Japanese and English. His knowledge on human history, cultures, beliefs seemed infinite. He knew so much about so much, you could call him a talking encyclopedia, almanac, and dictionary all at once! As a teacher, his almost infinite knowledge was only matched by his ability to understand him on an emotional almost psychic level.

Izuku never asked for it nor did he want to show signs of needing it, but he would always be approached by Gowther whenever he was occasionally hurting, something he never thought he experienced from anyone aside his mother especially when he had nightmares, very specific nightmares. And for that, he was grateful. In the short time he had spent with them, he was certain he could trust these people to take care of him, to help him reach his dream.

Izuku smiled before nodding his head in agreement. A warm smile on his face as he picked up all the reading material scattered about before closing the lights and drifting off to sleep hoping to be spared from another nightmare of...that day.

"How is he?" Merlin asked Gowther from the chair she was sitting on. They were in the common room of the tavern.

"He was up and about. The usual late night note taking." He replied.

Merlin smiled at that. Honestly, that boy was truly something else. His inquisitiveness was something she found endearing. It reminded her of how she too was obsessed with attaining knowledge. It was a good and worthwhile distraction for the boy from the world's cruelty. Though she knew that he shouldn't allow himself to get too distracted. She didn't want him to end up like her. Someone who tried to fill the void in their heart with anything but love. That's what he needed most right now. A family that loves him.

"Merlin, do you really think it's the right time to...return his power? I still feel like it's too soon." He asked a little uneasy.

Merlin nodded her head. "Time is running out. I have this bad feeling that soon that threat will be back and it might go after him again. The sins need all the firepower they can get." She paused slightly.

"Besides, the earlier he passes his trial, the more time we have to properly train him. If things go well, he'll be a big help in rounding up all the remaining sealed demons in this world."

"Is it worth the risk?" Gowther questioned further.

"Have faith in him." was all her reply.


Izuku awoke to sound of an alarm clock going off feeling well rested. He got up, showered, got dressed and started heading down to the common room. A room with a sofa large enough for five people, a coffee table, and a flat screen TV on the wall. The tavern was much larger than it appears to be from the outside. The place he now calls home had three floors, two kitchens, four bathrooms, a bar, a dining hall fit for forty or so people, nine guest rooms, and six other rooms. All in all, it was huge.

Upon arriving, he was greeted by the sight of a sleepy Prince floating around with no particular destination while tightly hugging his pillow.

"Good morning." Izuku was the first to greet.

"Mmm...Morning" The fairy-giant replied with a slight slur.

'Was he drunk?' Izuku thought as the the floating boy drifted further into the halls.

"Don't mind him, he's just a terrible drunk." Flaura's voice came from behind him.

"He and Lance got into another stupid drinking contest last night and ended up passing out before the third glass." She continued with an amused smile on her face making Izuku sweat drop.

"Is Lance-san awake?"

"Yup. He already made breakfast and is getting ready to open up. You should get ready, it's gonna be your first day! I'm so excited to finally have you hang out with us even if it's to just run the tavern! It's gonna be fun!" She said so excitedly bouncing around as she did, making her hair flail around before heading towards her brother[. Izuku blushed at the pretty girl's enthusiasm and also because she was a pretty girl talking to him.

Well, now he knew that today is going to be more interesting as if living here everyday wasn't already. The change from his old life to this was so fast, he could barely keep up with it all. He was grateful for the help he received, yes, but a part of him was still concerned and overwhelmed. Several gnawing questions he had been holding back were surfacing again.

'What do you mean by "the power of the demon prince?"'

'What do you mean by that power doesn't belong in this world but I did?'

He was afraid of the answer. When you hear something as ominous as demon power, it doesn't make you want to know how you came to be in possession of such. Still, he needed answers.

Burying that thought. He went with the task at hand which was to consume the steaming plate of food on the counter. An all American breakfast complete with bacon, eggs, and pancakes with generous amounts of syrup with a glass of orange juice.

He felt guilty that he was constantly served such lavish food even if he'll be satisfied with just anything simple. He wan't really in the place to choose or demand anything yet here he was being treated like a prince when it came to meals. Lance-san always gave it his all when it came to food something he admired. It's one of the reasons why he was now the official assistant chef-in-training as the tall man would put it. The other reason being him wanting to payback the man for his troubles to which the tall man accepted after some convincing.

He was glad to finally be of help to his saviors even if he's just in charge of the kitchen.

With his new home came his new schedule. In the morning, it was breakfast before he would get to his new duties right until around lunchtime, then in the afternoon it was seven hours of straight classes with Merlin and Gowther (Of course, he took it upon himself to learn as much as he could therefore leading him to spend all night reading through shelves of books), then dinner right after the dining hall closes at eight.

He remembers the first time he had dinner with them. It was an eventful night that made him feel...welcomed.

He finished up his meal making sure to wash the plate afterwards. As the new guy, he's the one in charge of keeping the kitchen clean and orderly while the main cook works. One thing that surprises him was the the number of customers they served each day compared to the number of staff. He could understand why this place was popular. Quality food at a decent price with no extra charge, a foreign theme, and a talking pig as a mascot! What more could you want?

A shadow was cast upon him and looking to his right, he saw the tall blonde standing before him in the tavern uniform which consisted of a white polo beneath a green vest that had the Boar Hat logo, and long green pants. He was also wearing an apron with the words "BOAR HAT" on it

"Ready for your first day on the job, kid?" He asked with his hands behind his back.

"Yes sir! I look forward to helping out and learning from you too."

"Haha! That's the spirit!"

"Now...put this on" the man took his hands behind his back to reveal a set of clothes, the tavern uniform that's just about his size. He took it from the man and held it to him, taking a look at the uniform.

"This is...the tavern uniform. How'd you get my size?"

"It's one of Prince's uniforms. I snatched it last night from his room. I'm sure he won't mind." The man added.

Izuku nodded his head with a smile and started heading towards his room to get changed.

He at looked himself in the mirror and fiddled with the collar a bit. He looked pretty well, he supposed. The clothes were just his size, not too big and not too small. His pants seem to slightly sag though. With one last look he exited his room and got to his post, the kitchen.

Today was going to be eventful especially when he'll be around the three younger members of the sins, Lance, Prince, and Flaura

He didn't know how to describe the relationship of those three. Maybe playful would be the word? He wasn't sure. He didn't have siblings or other relatives to go from. The closest thing to a family relative for him was Kacchan and his family. They were all hybrids as Gowther said to him and they were all raised in the Fairy King's forest which is why they seem so different from the average human appearance wise or maybe it's just his first time seeing foreigners up close. Another thing which surprised him was how fluently they can speak Japanese when they choose to which was important since they run a business in Japan.

Those three seemed to get along most of the time from what he's seen so far.

Oh, well. Whatever it is those three have he'll understand eventually and it wasn't really his business to meddle.


Later that day...

9:00 P.M.

Izuku stretched his back from his chair. After hearing a pop o his bones, he relaxed his soar muscles. He had just eaten dinner with everyone and headed straight to his room after helping with the dishes. The lamp on his desk was the only source of light in his room. Running the kitchen was exhausting even if he's just the one washing dishes and helping with cooking in the morning. He's surprised that Lance manged to work solo for as long as the tavern was open. His stamina was incredible, not to mention his skills. He's glad his first day on the job went off pretty well. It felt good to be of help. A feeling of accomplishment settled in his chest making him feel warm.

Picking up his pen with an exhausted sigh, he got back to his work. Notes weren't going to write themselves.

The notebook he was writing on was labeled "Special Analysis #1." A notebook that contained only seven names.

Merlin,

Gowther,

Lancelot,

Flaura,

Prince,

Gawain, and

Hawk.

This was the notebook that contained everything he knew so far about his new companions and their powers. It also included a detailed breakdown of their stats. Their "Combat Class" as Hawk called it. He wasn't doing this behind their back or anything. Gowther new that he's taking notes on them and was more than willing to help show him some of his abilities too.

He took a moment to review his data and to question if it was actually reliable.

Merlin: Magic: 3540, Strength: 70, Spirit: 1100, Total: 4710

Gowther: Magic: 30000, Strength: 500, Spirit: 4900, Total: 35400

Lancelot: Magic: 8700, Strength: 41200 , Spirit: 4100 , Total: 54000

Flaura: Magic: 5500, Strength: 38050, Spirit: 2450, Total: 46000

Prince: Magic: 45575, Strength: 25, Spirit: 3400, Total: 49000

Gawain: Magic: 5, Strength: 15, Spirit: 10, Total: 40 (possibly much higher, unkown)

Hawk: Magic: 5, Strength: 20, Spirit: 5, Total: 30 (possibly much higher, 3000?)

Side note: All Might's total combat class back in his prime was 8500. Source of information: Hawk, further justified by Gowther.

Are they really this strong? More detailed information required for proper authentication of Combat class system...

*knock, knock*

Izuku stopped his reading at the sound of the door opening. Merlin walked in wearing what appeared to be a lab coat on top of some casual clothes.

"I hope I didn't disturb you from your busy little mind, Izuku-kun."

"N-not at all, Merlin-san. I was just taking some notes."

"Seems so, you've been quite busy with them ever since we started teaching you."

"W-well, it's a habit of mine."

Something was off. There was an always silence in the air as Merlin just stood there without directly looking into his eyes. Was he in trouble? Did he do something wrong?

"U-um, Merlin-san. Was there something you want to talk a-about?" Izuku broke the silence.

"Yes."

"What is it about?"

She finally looked at him. A contemplative expression on her face.

"It's about...your power...

You'll be getting it back tomorrow."

~End of chapter~


Bonus: "Convincing"

6 hours before the start of the chapter...

Lancelot lifted the spoon to his mouth, taking a mouthful of the food presented before him. He closed his eyes before having a thoughtful expression on his face

"Hmmm..."

Izuku was a nervous wreck as he didn't get to test the dish he cooked for his trial. He was sweating a lot and his hands were shaking. He wasn't a great cook nor was he confident in his cooking. He only cooked a few times with his mother. He didn't want to offend such a great chef with his cooking. He even used his mother's recipe for Katsudon.

"Well?..." Flaura asked with a raised eyebrow.

Lancelot opened his eyes, staring almost glaring at Izuku which didn't help ease the boy's nervousness. His piercing eyes were reaching his soul as if about to smite it with a burning blade.

"Its..."

His response was coming!

"...absolutely..."

He was getting really nervous.

"...delicious!" He continued with a boisterous laugh before taking in another spoonful.

Izuku released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

'He liked it! He liked it!' He mentally cheered.

"It can be better but this isn't bad. The taste reminds me of some homemade cooking lessons I picked up. I suppose it's settled then. You are officially my new assistant chef-in-training! We start tomorrow morning so get ready for that." The man said while he placed the bowl down.

Izuku nodded his head enthusiastically. He had a feeling of accomplishment at what he's done. He impressed a master chef with his cooking using his mother's recipe. Even when she's not beside him anymore, she still finds a way to help him.

"WAIT!!!"

Prince came flying into the dining hall and pointed an accusing finger at Lance. Said man

"How come he gets to work in the kitchen while I'm in charge of cleaning duty!? Huh?!" The floating boy whines out for everyone to hear.

Lance only rolled his eyes and gave a simple reply

"Cuz you don't know how to cook?" He said slowly with an almost questioning tone.

"Haven't we discussed this before?" Flaura interjected.

"I can totally cook. You guys just haven't given me the chance to prove it." Responded the brown-haired boy.

And with that, he rushed into the kitchen attempting to prove his accusers just how wrong they are. 'Soon you'll be shoving my delicacy into your mouths' he thought menacingly.

Izuku just sweat dropped as he and the other two waited for Prince to finish up. He could see the bored expression Flaura's face while Lance just had his hand on his chin facing the opposite direction. A few minutes later, Prince was back with a plate of...pie?

"Told yah I can cook." He said all too proudly. "Feel free to taste it now." He handed everyone a fork.

"Like hell am I gonna shove a piece of that in my mouth!" Lance said all too loudly. "It's BURNT...AND RAW!"

True to the man's words, the pie was charred on one side while doughy on the other.

"HOW THE HELL IS SOMETHING BURNT AND RAW AT THE SAME TIME?!"

Flaura sighed in exasperation at the arguing boys.

'Men.' She thought to herself while covering Izuku's ears with her two hands.

"I feel like I've seen this somewhere before." Gawain's voice came from the side.

"What do you mean?" Flaura asked the older looking man.

"A blonde chef screaming at people in the kitchen. I just can't seem to remember exactly where I've seen this."

As he said this, the bickering of the two intensified With Lance holding the floating boy's face with two slices of bread.

"WHAT ARE YOU?"

"An extremely reliable person and the next fairy ki—" *smack*

"I ASKED WHAT ARE YOU?!"

"An idiot... *sob*...sandwich." the Fairy-Giant said with comical tears running down his face.

"I've definitely seen this somewhere before." The silver-haired man rubbed his chin in thought.

"Looks like the "Four Horsemen of Hilarity" have finally come together." A new voice spoke up followed by chewing and slurping and...snorting?

...

"HAWK! WHY ARE YOU EATING THE KATSUDON?!" A certain green-haired boy yelled at the top of his lungs trying desperately to spare the hungry pig the regret of his act of cannibalism

With that, the night was filled with sounds of chaos.

SDS Narrator voice: And so, the "Four Horsemen of Hilarity" was formed. A band of legendary individuals who provide good times and laughter to all those who witness their presence. What other adventures will these people partake on? Find out soon.