Sup everyone! I'm back! I'm not going to be updating as frequently as before, but I will still work hard to make sure that this story stays strong!

Sorry for taking so long, I really needed the break. That being said, let's begin!

BEHOLD:

Hehe? 'Te Nandayo!

...Finally a Genshin Impact Reference...

THE STORY! :D

"Nice!"= Talking

"Nice!"= Thinking/ Flashback/ Emphasizing a Word

"NICE!"=Shouting

"Nice."= Whispering

A Heroic Impact: Chapter 24

Noelle stood, bent over gloomily in the middle of headquarters as she cleaned an already-clean table with a dirty rag, close to bursting into tears. Knights clad in causal-wear from the festival that passed her giving her a pat on the back or whispering encouraging words to her, although she couldn't make out their words. She was more focused on her previous actions as she made out an owl hoot from somewhere outside through the noise and conversation of her fellow knights.

The maid felt terrible. Had she not intervened with the interaction between the woman and Jean, then she wouldn't be in this predicament! But even worse, she felt as though she had failed Jean. The woman who gave her a chance to assist the Knights of Favonius was now possibly contemplating of kicking her out. She could hardly blame the Headmaster, as it was what she deserved...

Noelle stood up straight again, blinking the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes, and looked over at the time. It was almost midnight, and yet she had not dared go to bed. The last thing she wanted right now was for Jean or any other knight to see her slacking. Another reason for her to get kicked off of the town's defenders. Maybe the Adventurer's Guild would give her a chance...?

She was interrupted from her thoughts as she heard the door open from behind her. Not bothering to look in the direction of where the noise came from, she spoke, although her voice sounded tired and worn. "Please make sure your shoes are clean before entering the headquarters-

"I heard what happened."

The lavender-haired woman froze as she heard the familiar, calm voice speak from behind her. She heard the footsteps of the person who had just spoken to her, and how they got louder with every step that they took, causing the maid to start panicking. She bit her lip harshly in response to this sudden feeling, drawing a small bit of her own blood as she dropped the rag down on the table she had just cleaned, too afraid to turn around as the footsteps stopped. She knew that the figure stood right behind her, making the maid even more nervous than before.

"Please turn around." The voice spoke simply as Noelle turned around immediately, as she was in no spot to argue or disagree with any commands. She came face-to-face with Lisa, who was staring at her curiously as many of the other knights turned to see the meeting between the two.

"M-Ms. Lisa." Noelle stuttered as she quickly remembered her manners and where she currently stood and quickly fell into a bow as many knights stood around headquarters chatting to each other, but both women knew that they were trying to listen in on them. "And h-h-how do you do on this p-pleasant evening?"

Lisa's face morphed into a sympathetic smile as she heard the maid's nervous stutters, obviously terrified of the prospect of her unemployment. The honored librarian then stood up and as she addressed the surrounding knights, her smile replaced with a more serious expression. "Could I ask all of you to move to another room for the time being?"

The surrounding knights saluted the witch in reponse as they all immediately left the room, albeit a few grumbles and mutters about what was going to happen to the maid of their group. The doors creaked open as all the knights walked out of the room respectively as the door shut behind them, leaving only the maid and the witch in the room together. Noelle now found herself much more anxious than when the librarian entered the room and dropped her head, so now she was staring at the floor rather than at the knight that stood before her.

"Just say it." The short-haired maid whispered as she continued to stare at the carpeted floors, now wanting to get the inevitable over with. She heard the knights scuffling around in the other room, shushing each other, no doubt trying to hear the conversation taking place in the room they were not allowed to enter. The owl she had heard before hooted again, this time much more clear than before since there wasn't nearly as much noise blocking it.

"Sure thing. I'll say it and get it over with." Lisa stated passively and Noelle nodded with her head still aimed at the floor as her bangs hung forward, swinging slightly with her eyes focused on the floor. The woman was now fighting the urge to cry as tears once again stung at the sides of her eyes, but she continued to stare at the ground, waiting for the inevitable. This was it, the words that would make her an ordinary citizen, nothing more or less, spending the rest of her life as a business owner or a traveler. The words that would end her dream of being a honored knight...

"I have a proposal."

The words that she would remember for the rest of her life. The words that woul- Wait, what?

She raised her head so she could see Lisa's expression. Her face had taken on the look of sympathy that it had previously assumed before she had talked to the other knights. She didn't like that look too much, but her curiosity was now winning over her fear of being kicked out as Lisa took her witch's hat off her head, placing it on the table that the maid had cleaned in an endeavor to try and keep her mind off her current situation. The lightning mage then walked over to the tray that the lavender-haired female had brought into the room and took a glass off of it as she ran a hand through her soft hair. The owl hooted from outside once more.

"A-A proposal?" Noelle asked, as she quickly wiped her eyes when Lisa's back was still turned. "Aren't I going to be k-kicked off the knights?"

"Not quite. On the contrary," Lisa began, her free hand grabbing a nearby bottle of fine wine as she gave it a little shake. "We're giving you a mission. If you fail this mission, then Jean will contemplate your early retirement. If you succeed, however..."

A sudden crackling noise filled the air as Lisa still held the bottle calmly in her hand as Noelle's eyes expanded as she took a single step backwards. For a wild moment, Noelle thought that the witch was going to attack her. But instead, the cork of the bottle of the wine flew off into the air and landing perfectly with a small *clack* on a nearby table, where it spun a few times before coming to a rest. Noelle, now even more curious, turned her olive-green gaze back to Lisa, who was now pouring herself a glass of wine, albeit a few sparks were now coming off the bottle she was drinking. She looked over at Noelle and smiled.

"You'll become a knight."

Noelle froze. Was she imagining this? Was her brain playing a trick on her? This seemed so absurd, why would they give her another chance after tarnishing the reputation of the Knights of Favonius, in broad daylight at that as well! Was this her first true mission? After years of working as a maid, was this finally the moment she had been waiting for?

"Of course," Lisa started again, the maid snapping back to reality as she now hung onto every word the witch uttered as the honey-brown haired female stopped pouring the red liquid into the glass she holding on to. "You don't have to do this. If that is the case, then I'm sorry for bothering-."

"NO!" Noelle screamed as Lisa raised an eyebrow as a shuffling noise was heard from the room next door followed by a murmuring. Noelle shook her head as she grabbed Lisa's hands, despite both of them holding an object, as she gazed desperately into the witch's green eyes. "Please Ms. Lisa! I'll do it! Just tell me what it is!"

Lisa smiled, although internally she felt bad for trying to poke at the poor girl. She had added the part about her retirement in order for her to do better as well. In reality, they weren't going to get rid of Noelle. But if she were to succeed with this mission that Jean had given her, then the mage would have to keep her word...

Lisa then broke free of Noelle's grasp with a simple tug as she strode back over to the table the maid had been cleaning, bending over as she placed the wine bottle on it gently. She stood up straight once more, looking at Noelle, who seemed to be anticipating her answer. Lisa then rose the glass she held to her lips as she took a small sip of the drink.

And then, she spoke as the owl outside hooted once more, a figure standing out against the harsh light being cast from nearby windows as they stood outside the headquarters. The silhouette walked over to the door of the headquarters, pausing slightly as their hand hovered in front of the door, as though they were contemplating the action they were about to go through with.

And then, they knocked.

"And then he dodged another attack it threw! We all watched from afar in awe as he threw an earth-shattering kick at the orb, nearly breaking it completely as it was slammed against the ground!"

The crowd roared and clapped at the action of the hero that Venti was telling them about as the bard took another abnormally-large swig from his drink, his face even redder than it had been upon Izuku's arrival. He had already told the majority of the story, as Izuku seemed untalkative and only spoke up when he mixed up parts of the fight due to how much alcohol he had consumed. However both he and Izuku had also been quite pleased to see the crowd act properly at all the right parts. The gasping at Venti being attacked, the cheers of the green-haired boy's accomplishments (Which had also been told by Venti, as Izuku was much too modest to try and brag), and the gasps of shock of when Ven had been attacked, gasps of worry that made Izuku quite happy. There were also many parts which the bard changed, mostly concerning the fact that he was trying to help Izuku rather than lying on the ground in pain.

Izuku looked around at the mug-filled table, although his mug was barely touched and was almost full. He had taken a sip to get on everyone's good side... and then had almost immediately spit it out. How could people drink this stuff on a regular basis? The idea seemed repulsive to the boy. He had already been hesitant to share the truth with the world, but Venti had already done that for him, alongside forcing an underage boy to drink!

Though he assumed not many would be able to remember the story Venti was telling them, as he seemed to be the only one in the building besides the listening waiters that wasn't drunk. No one also seemed to be focused on his ability too much either. That made the situation a little better...

"The orb couldn't keep up with his moves! Every attack it fired was a miss, it couldn't hit him!"

As the crowd cheered and whooped and as Venti nodded proudly, Izuku focused on the words that the braided (very drunk) bard were saying. The ability he had used to save them... how had he used it? He hadn't broken himself like before, and, as he remembered, his leg had only stung after he had used a One for All enchanced kick! It should've shattered his leg into a million pieces, and yet it only ached. He would have to focus on trying to use that ability again, but how? Did he unconsciously use Amber's advice and charge only a tiny amount of his power into his limb, rather than all of it? How did he do that? How would he do it again?

"Questions for later, I'll figure that out with Amber when we're training again!" Izuku thought to himself, unaware that a certain slightly-tipsy female in the crowd had already had similar thoughts prior to the story being told as he realized that the crowd was now staring at him, as if they were expecting him to present something before them.

"D-Did you all need something?" The green-haired boy asked, slightly nervous at the sudden attention while Venti took another swig from his mug.

Venti gulped down the remainders of the alcoholic beverage in his mouth before slamming his mug on the table, wheezing slightly. "Izuku, it's question time! That guy asked you a question! Or was it that guy? Maybe that guy? Or... that man right there?"

The red-faced curly-haired woman at the table to whom Venti had been pointing flushed an even deeper shade of red as the surrounding crowd broke into laugher at Venti's confusion. Izuku cleared his throat before addressing the crowd that was currently listening.

"Alright so... have any questions?"

The moment the question had left his mouth, Izuku wished he had never said it. The whole tavern seemed to be shouting their questions at him, so much so that he could barely make out a single one. He managed to make a few out through the sudden amount of voices.

"What was with the weird group?"

"The Outrider saved you?!"

"Where did you come from!?"

Izuku was now overwhelmed as everyone tried to shout their questions over each other. He couldn't answer all of them, some of the questions he had heard had been personal information! He wasn't ready to tell everyone about his past, or where he came from! He needed a way out of this, but how exactly...?

*BOOM!*

At that moment, Izuku nearly let out an exhale of relief as an opportunity presented itself to him. Venti had fallen out of his chair and seemed to finally be done for the night, as he was now falling in and out of consciousness. He quickly picked up now-unconscious Venti and threw him over his shoulder with relative ease, due to his harsh training with All Might. He then turned back to the crowd, all of whom were still shouting questions at him with increasing volume.

"Sorry everyone!" Izuku apologized as he bolted to where he had entered the bar, grabbing the bag of candies that he had bought previously that day. He had no time to thank the waiters who were wishing him to have a nice night as he nearly kicked open the door, desperate to get away from all of the sudden attention. Izuku bolted out of the tavern's doors into the night as people still bellowed their questions from indoors. Venti swayed slightly as Izuku ran, still slung over one of the boy's shoulders they made their way down the street, the green-haired boy trying to get as far from the tavern as he could. He was going to take no chances, just in case people were attempting to follow him for more information. Thankfully for him, there seemed to be no one in the streets, and the people who were in the streets were asleep as he ran cautiously, not wanting to cause the people to be angry from being woken up so suddenly.

The boy panted as he ran up the familiar flight of stairs, his legs and back aching slightly from having to carry the bard and from the use of his ability, despite Paimon having done most of the healing. As he finished his climb, he looked over to the side to see the place of where he began his day: the Headquarters!

Izuku groaned as he trudged over to where headquarters stood, and gently placed Venti on the steps leading up there as he almost collapsed next to him, tired and worn out from the day that felt like a lifetime. Crickets chirped as he leaned back, placing his curly green-haired head onto the step behind him, placing the bag he had managed to grab to the side of him.

"What a day." Izuku thought to himself as he looked over at the bard, who was still red-faced and seemed to be giggling slightly in his unconsciousness. He craned his neck upwards so his eyes faced the sky, only to be slightly surprised by the amount of twinkling stars he saw. He never saw this many back in Japan!

"Is it morning already? Five more minutes pleaseee..." The braided bard groaned before he once again succumbed to unconsciousness, but Izuku did not once even cast his gaze in the bard's direction. Instead, he continued to stare upwards at the dark sky, tiredness and exhaustion starting to overcome him. He wanted to move, but the steps where he sat were comfortable...

A sudden sound suddenly filled his ears. A sound which he quickly identified as approaching footsteps. Izuku moved his head back down and looked over in front of him. Jean was now approaching him and the bard, her head down in the palms of her head, looking as though she had a headache. But instead of walking over Izuku and the now-sleeping bard, she stopped right in front of them, her head still pointed directly at the stone beneath so that he couldn't see her face.

"Jean! By any chance do you know where Paimon is?" Izuku asked the blonde woman, but Jean said nothing in response to this question. Instead, she continued to keep her head down, but she had begun to sway slightly where she stood, making the green-haired boy slightly more nervous.

"J-Jean?" Izuku asked as the woman still stood before him, but did not acknowledge him or his comment about Paimon. Was she angry that he hadn't referred to her by Ms. Jean? He didn't know!

"Sorry, J- Ms. Jean, I didn't mean to- Izuku broke off, realizing Jean was now groaning from where she stood, but she still didn't say anything as she began to rub her palms on her face, although Izuku still couldn't make out her expression.

There was a creak from behind Izuku as the boy turned around in response to the noise, as though expecting someone to come out and give him an explanation of what was going on with the grandmaster. The door had opened revealing Lisa, who smiled at the sight of the green-haired boy. Behind her stood Noelle, who seemed to look much better than what she had looked like throughout the day. Her olive-green eyes locked on the green-haired boy sitting on the front steps for a moment before quickly averting her gaze and stared at the unconscious form of Venti, which caused her to giggle slightly.

"Oh cutie! I wish I was able to see you more today!" Lisa sighed as Izuku reddened in the face slightly. Lisa smiled at the adorable reaction before looking at the two people next to Izuku. One of them was the bard she had seen storytelling earlier, and the other one... was the darkness affecting her sight, or did that look like...?

Noelle's eyes lit up with fear at the sight of the Grandmaster, seemingly remembering where she stood. But then, her eyes seemed to return to their previous, impassive state and began to approach the woman, whose head still pointed at the floor.

As Noelle walked down the steps, Izuku got up and made to get out of her way, in order to be polite. Noelle paused slightly when the smiling hero did this and nodded at the green-haired boy, although her eyes still held the strange look that Izuku couldn't figure out. What was she thinking exactly?

But he had no time to ponder it, as Noelle now stood in front of Jean and bowed respectfully, apparently unaware of the grown woman's odd behavior as she finally began to speak.

"Ms. Jean. I thank you for my mission. I will make you proud, and I ask for forgiveness for my past actions!" Noelle announced, although her voice sounded slightly more miserable when mentioning the last part, as though she didn't expect the fair leader to forgive her so easily because of her past transgressions.

"Noelle..." Jean spoke for the first time, although she still kept her head in her hands, and both were still pointed at the ground. Izuku was taken aback by this, considering she had not spoken a word to him since her sudden arrival. "You are an exceptional, strong woman, so I expect you to succeed at your next mission."

Noelle nodded, but both she, Lisa, and Izuku were slightly taken aback, as Jean's voice, as it sounded as though she were in slight pain. Lisa stepped forward, but then paused, sniffing the air around her, and then leaning a little closer to Jean before doing the same. She then turned her gaze upon Izuku, who in turn flinched under the intelligent woman's slightly pressuring look, although there was still a smile on her face.

"Cutie, you by chance didn't take Jean to the tavern, did you now?" The lighting mage asked the boy, whose eyes were filled with confusion at the sudden question being asked of him. He hadn't seen her there! On top of that, wouldn't she present herself to him if she had made her appearance there? Wouldn't the crowd have dispersed?

Before Izuku could speak up and deny this sudden accusation-like question, Jean spoke up once more, but her voice sounded shaky, as though she had been caught in an act of wrongdoing. "Noelle! If anything, I should apologize to you! I made you worry for no reason all evening, and ruined the rest of your day!"

Jean finally raised her head, and to both Noelle and Lisa's horror, her usually stern face was a shade of red and her grey-blue eyes were unfocused. The most-certainly tipsy Jean stifled a hiccup as she grabbed the now terrified maid by the poor woman's decorated crimson skirt as she nearly tripped.

"M-Ms. Jean," The lavender-haired maid stuttered while taking a cautious step backwards, now apparently terrified to see Jean in a moment of apparent weakness. "Please, control your-

Jean's bottom lip quivered slightly as Venti muttered something in his sleep, shifting slightly from where he lay on the stairs as Izuku wore a startled expression, he had never seen the usually calm and controlled woman act like this. Lisa, in response to this sudden turn of events, sighed as she began to walk over to where the two women stood, Jean still desperately holding onto the petrified maid's clothes as though they would disappear at any given moment.

"I'm sorry..." Jean mumbled as Lisa continued her stride over to where they both stood. The nearly 20-year-old woman's grip weakened, as she stumbled, and then her grip gave out completely as she collapsed on the concrete below, leaving the maid standing there alone in the dark. Izuku couldn't see her face from where he sat, but it didn't take a genius to know how she currently felt, considering that the maid had turned so pale he could make her out through the darkness of the night.

Lisa stopped in front of the unconscious woman as she sighed, shaking her head which caused her hat to tip slightly to the side, revealing more of the older woman's hair. But right as she went down to pick the grandmaster off the ground, Jean sprung up again. This time, however, her face was even redder, but not from the amount she drank.

"All knights that are currently here, bed immediately! That goes for you as well, Izuku. We will discuss you and what happened starting tomorrow. And Noelle," The maid flinched as Jean turned around back towards the doors, "As I have said before, you will do well at the mission, I am sure."

The maid gasped before bowing low, the light from the nearby lanterns connected to the headquarters illuminating her figure. Jean was now walking next to Lisa as they approached headquarters, although the librarian had to grab Jean every third step to stop her from stumbling, all the while Jean murmuring words of thanks. Giving Izuku one last wink as she opened the door, the witch then ushered Jean through the door, who gratefully followed through. Noelle had gotten out of her bow and now hurried up the stairs towards the door that Lisa had opened. As the maid reached the top of the stairs, she paused, turning back towards Izuku. The boy noticed that she was still quite pale, although she looked much better than from a moment before and didn't stand out in the dark night so much anymore.

"It's best if we bring in your... companion as well." The maid stated, a note of uncertainty in her voice as she addressed Izuku for the first time since her arrival. "Please bring him inside and place him on the couch. I will take him to a guest room. Have a good night."

She then bowed once more towards the hero-in-training, although this bow was much more relaxed and less tense than her bow when facing Jean. Izuku, not wanting to seem rude, quickly got into a bow as well as he then spoke in turn to her.

"I will! I'm glad you-

But he didn't get the chance to respond before the door closed, shunting him out of the headquarters. He then sighed as he turned towards the Venti, who somehow remained asleep throughout the whole strange encounter. With a loud grunt he hoisted the bard over his shoulder once more, before turning back to the doors.

He began to ascend the stairs leading to the doors that Noelle had just closed much too tired to think about what the future might hold for him and the knights.

Wasn't he forgetting someone?

"Ugh..."

"I don't believe that was your smartest move."

Jean would've reprimanded Lisa for that comment, as she was her superior! But at that moment, her stomach began to churn again, causing the blonde-haired woman to quickly run over to the window opened to the beautiful night and heave. Had there been smarter ways to go about this? Certainly, as she could've asked Izuku what had happened in the fight, but she was unsure if Izuku would attempt to leave out details in the story he would tell her. She would then compare the two stories and-

Jean's thoughts were interrupted as pain erupted in her stomach once more as she leaned further out the window, not wanting to paint the outer walls of headquarters with her dinner. When she finished, she shakily wiped her mouth and faced the librarian again, opening her mouth to speak, but quickly closing it when another wave of pain came across her.

"You could've asked him. He seems like the honest type." Lisa commented nonchalantly, as though Jean were sitting behind her desk as usual rather than hanging on a windowsill. "I don't think he can tell a lie without being obvious, he's that kind of person."

"I needed information to comp-" Jean cut off as she clenched her teeth against another wave of pain that wracked her body. She swallowed shakily before continuing what she had previously been thinking. "I needed information to compare it to the story that he will tell me tomorrow. Just because he seems like the honest type does not mean he is." Jean shuddered a little from the pain she was currently going through as she staggered over to behind her desk to collapse in her chair in a very impolite fashion, grunting slightly as she made her landing.

"I see." Lisa mused while staring at the grandmaster in unhidden interest. "That's a good way to see if he's telling the truth. Is this around the same time that you're going to ask him of his true origins?"

"I-Indeed." Jean bit her upper lip as her stomach ached even more, but did not rush to the window this time as she continued to stare at her trusted advisor. Lisa, however, seemed to be lost in thought as she stared out the open window which Jean had left a minute prior.

"...Would you like me to record the events you heard from Izuku in the tavern?"

"Certainly, let's do it right no-"

Another wave of pain changed Jean's decision very quickly.

"-tomorrow, before we question him. Please prepare your utensils and get ready for quite a lengthy recording."

"Yes, Jean." Lisa responded, bowing her head respectfully before making her way over to the door. The librarian then opened the door, preparing herself for a sleepless night. Just before Lisa could take her leave, she turned her gaze back upon the woman of whom she had been conversing with. "And Jean?"

"Hm?"

"Do feel better. Our enemies wouldn't be afraid to make a move if they found out the grandmaster was sick."

Jean rubbed her temples as she nodded, hearing the *click* of the door behind the witch. The grandmaster was now completely alone in her room.

The woman leaned back in her chair as her hands moved to the back of her head. She removed the bow off her head, dismantling her ponytail as her gold-blonde hair fell back. She placed the back of her head on the back of her chair and sighed, the only sound in the room being the occasional chirping of crickets from outdoors and footsteps from the knights that passed by the outside of her door.

All it turn out well, this she knew. But how much trust could she put in Izuku? Why had he saved everyone there? What would he have to gain from it, especially if there were no other registered knights there to watch him at the time of the attack until Amber arrived ? Why had he done it? Was he testing himself? What were his motives?

...Her stomach still hurt and tomorrow had never seemed so far away...

DONE! Ok, wow I took a break. Never thought I would finish this chapter, lol.

I also wanted to work on the Demon Slayer story idea that I have, so I'll do that. I'll be taking longer breaks between each chapters. I'll edit some of my older chapters on occasion!

Also... JOJO PART 9! AND PART 6 ANIME! I'M EXCITED! :D

Well, that's it for now! Don't forget to-

Oh, this agai-

Will Izuku be able to convince the knights that he is trustworthy?

What is Noelle's new job?

WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE PAIMON AND KLEE?

Find out next time: on A Heroic Impact!

Ciao!