What in the hell was I thinking?

Really, deciding on a goal to work towards for the rest of my life all of the sudden. I'm usually not that impulsive, I leave that up to Natsu.

Not that it's a bad goal, not at all. This world has so much injustice around every corner, and most the nobles don't even see it. I already saw worse than anything in Fiore on my first day here. I could never just watch people being harmed and not do something about it. So, I took on the challenge.

Now, where do I even begin. I can do some small-scale work for now. Find some corrupt nobles and serve them justice as a magic knight. None of that can be a long-term solution though. Something more needs to happen. Luckily, I can now say Klaus is so much easier to be around after he came to his epiphany yesterday. If Klaus was able to change and actually change his behaviors, why not the other nobles? Of course, I already knew the answer. Klaus was influenced by watching Asta and Yuno in action, who proved everything he knew wrong. Once that first domino fell, he questioned everything else he had been taught. maybe Klaus can help me out a bit now.

Any of this plan working requires a well-liked peasant who can change the minds of the nobles through actions. Luckily, I already had one in my new friend Yuno. He's powerful yet respectful, a peasant yet can carry himself with dignity, and best of all he wants to become the wizard king to make the lives of people in the outer villages better. One thing I'll need to do is help Yuno become the wizard king, or if he can't do it, make sure Asta can. Just from knowing Yuno so far, I could tell he'd be better at handling the day-to-day political life of the wizard king a lot better than Asta could. Well, that's plan A in the books, now, to figure out what else I can do in the meantime.

We arrived back at the base without much applause. Not that surprising considering who went, but we did take out a diamond kingdom elite and stop them from claiming the loot. Of course, that wasn't good enough. No, they railed Mimosa for going down early, Klaus for poor leadership, and Yuno with me for struggling to take out the enemy early. If he's supposed to on par with the captains, no one else could do better. Well, that's the problem with joining a squad full of nobles.

"Can't they ever be nice for once?" Mimosa complained. The two of us were in a common room of the base at night, gossiping a bit over yesterday's events. "Really, is it that hard?"

"For some people it sure seems like that. I never get it myself how people can enjoy beating up anyone like that. Then again, there's a lot of messed up people in the world. I told you about some of the stories from my land, I'm sure Clover has it's own share."

"That's true but"

"Don't worry about it Mimosa, it just means we have to show kindness in their place. You're already one of the kindest people I know, it isn't that hard for you. Come on let's talk about something a bit lighter."

"Right"

They ended up chatting through most the night.

"Wow I'm tired, what are we doing today?" I asked walking into the breakfast hall.

"Lucy you should have slept earlier," Yuno mocked. "How are you going to be fine for today's missions."

"Don't even remind me."

Well, might as well find out what the plan was for today. After eating, I left the cafeteria and traversed my way to the central hall, where Vangeance gives us missions. I walked through the brightly illuminated hallways of the base, admiring the grandeur as I went. When I arrived, I found Klaus already there waiting for me. Vangeance was at the top of the long staircase standing in front of the stained glass window depicting the squad's emblem.

"Captain," I called out.

"Good you're all here. First off, great work inside the dungeon. Even if it did not go perfectly, you did everything I could have reasonably asked for. The wizard king thought so too, as he has given you three stars for a job well done. Klaus, I hear you've found new appreciation for your teammates, yes?"

"Yes, sir, I have."

"Good, finally one of my members figures out peasants can make great magic knights. I wouldn't have selected Yuno otherwise. As for today, I don't have any missions to give to you, enjoy your day. Lucy, can you stay behind for a bit."

"Yeah, sure." Of course, I didn't really know what he wanted, but I suppose I just have to find out.

Yuno, Klaus, and Mimosa left to enjoy an off day, leaving me behind. Vangeance walked down the steps and approached me. "I wanted to hear about what happened in the dungeon in your own words. None of you who went have said exactly what happened. I know there's been a lot left out."

For the next 30 minutes, I carefully relayed every detail, from my talk with Lotus to the mysterious Mars.

"This is concerning. What Lotus told you is mostly true. Clover and Diamond have been warring for centuries over a strip of land along our southern border. It's territorial expansion. That land contains natural resources Diamond needs to further their industry. As for Mars, the dual attributes scares me somewhat, but it seems like less of a big deal now that I've seen you."

"My magic doesn't really use multiple elements. I use one, celestial. That one lets me borrow the attributes of others, yes, but I still only use one. Mars was using two unrelated elements without a trick like mine. It's unnatural."

"Tell me, how much do you know about the specialties of the kingdoms in magic."

"I can't say I've been here long enough to hear about that."

"Essentially, all the kingdoms of our continent specialize in one general form of magic. Heart prioritizes nature, and thus gains benefits from natural mana at the cost of refusing to develop large cities that would tear down forests. Diamond focuses on industry and science, using their research to create artificially enhanced mages, such as Mars. In Clover, we tore down our dense forests and built cities, but never focused on science very much. this causes our kingdom to have attributes such as steel, mercury, mirror, spatial, and others that don't appear naturally in places with dominant nature. Finally, Spade is a more isolationist kingdom so I don't know very much about them, but they're said to deal in obtaining even more unnatural magics than Clover via deals with otherworldly beings. In a way, it's like your power. Mars is a result of the brutal human experimentation done by Diamond, and they must be looking for the gold land to obtain the resources to fund these projects."

"So, are we going to do anything? After all, it sounds like they could launch an invasion whenever."

"For now we sit back unless the wizard king wishes to make a move. Their threat is there, but it's not imminent. I more wanted to hear about Klaus and how he came to change his beliefs. I'm glad it happened."

"Wait you wanted him to change. I didn't really expect that from the captain of the squad known for only taking nobles."

"I've been looking for someone to make a change for a long time. I have it through Julius, but this new magic knights class brought so many others with strong desire for justice. Even though I was born a noble, I spent most my childhood in exile living among peasants. I know their pain. Klaus was always one of the more extreme nobles in my squad, and just through two missions you changed his mind. I can only wait and see what you do next. You should get going now, I wanted to get to know my new squad members better and I think I've done that. Don't forget to relax."

"Alright captain, I'll see you around."

I left the room.

Well, I was actually a bit surprised by Vangeance not being like the other nobles. I wonder what we must have seen in his exile if my first month was as bad as it was. Well, I should probably go catch up to the others, they did say they'd be at a restaurant. I went back to my room to get changed, finally switching back to the fashion style I used to wear in Fiore. It was a bit hard to find here, and the one set of clothes I had on me on first arrival had to last a long time until I got my first income in Heart. I would need to upgrade later. For now, I'm comfortable in a familiar style, and it should be fine for today. I wasn't an on-duty magic knight today, it was finally time to relax a bit.

I left the base and made for the capital on broom, enjoying the feeling of wind against my body. That's yet another thing that was hard to get used to. Flying on my own was so, freeing. The journey was quick, and I dropped to my feet to walk the rest of the way. This actually had me walking down the same streets I wandered on day one. It's something to think about what had changed since then. I wasn't just the foreigner anymore, the cloak around my shoulders made that clear, no matter what people would whisper behind my back. I knew people still thought that, there's no way they would change, especially when they haven't seen me in action yet.

A few awkward stares later and I found myself in the restaurant with the rest of the team already there. I wasted no time in taking a seat.

"So Lucy, what did captain want with you anyways?" Yuno asked.

"Oh he just wanted all the details. Even he can't believe Klaus managed to change. Thought he was too thick for that."

"I am not thick headed, get over that thought," Klaus muttered angrily.

"See, point proven," I said.

"How dare you."

"Oh, calm down Klaus, we're supposed to be relaxing today. It's okay if you don't know how to," Mimosa said. Honestly, where did she learn to insult and look so oblivious and innocent while doing it.

"Just, you know, keep those thoughts away for now. Crack a joke or two it's not that bad," I said.

A server walked up to our table. She was pretty, with a tall figure and red hair. Wait, red hair and works at a restaurant. I was wondering when I would see my first Clover kingdom friend again.

"Can I get you all something to get started, the ..." She stumbled over her words for a second. "Lucy! You're here! And in the magic knights! I knew you could do it. I was wondering when I would see you next."

"Mind giving an introduction?" Yuno asked.

"Right. This is Rebecca Scarlet, the first friend I made on my second day in Clover. She helped me get acclimated to life here and convinced me to join the magic knights. You can thank her for me being here."

"You're giving me too much credit. I just did what anyone else would do for a traveler in need."

"No, you did much more than necessary, especially when you have a family to support. That reminds me, I still need to pay you back for my first nights."

"Uh, maybe once I'm off work. I'll finish my shift once you guys are done. talk later, kay."

Yeah, she was too nice for her own good. Doesn't hurt to accept a bit of generosity. Lunch was a fairly quiet affair where I mostly talked with Mimosa while the boys just sat there and ate. Those two really don't know how to relax and I haven't yet figured out a way to force that. When lunch was done, I left a rather generous tip for Rebecca, which she finally accepted without fuss. After we left, the boys split away to do their own thing, leaving me alone with Mimosa. I asked if there was anything else she wanted to do and got the response of a bit of shopping.

Not that I minded, I haven't gotten a wardrobe since I arrived in Clover and reusing the same two basic outfits I arrived in was really getting to me. We went off to a market street looking for the vendors.

"Do you always wear such revealing clothes. What noble does that?" She asked me.

"Nobles absolutely don't, you're right. I was forced to wear fancy dresses just to see my father as a kid. I guess I took to revealing clothes cause it made me feel pretty for one, but also cause it's a rebellion against what my father forced on me. I just took to it once I had the freedom to dress myself for the first time. Plus I think I look cute in it. Don't underestimate what guys will do for a cute girl," I said with a smirk. She didn't need to know my seduction attempts were less than successful.

"They should have clothes for you, though what you wear is a bit much, even for commoners. I can find something for you no problem. Being a royal does have its advantages."

We kept walking until we hit the fabric market. The street was bustling with shops on every side, and groups of people walking around looking to buy the latest fashion. In the end, it took twenty shops before I found something of my style, and even then Mimosa had to flex a bit of her royal powers to get them to sell. Well, it all worked out and Mimosa was now browsing for herself.

Suddenly I heard a shriek from her direction. I ran over asking, "What is it."

"I think someone was creeping here, inside that rack. Mind giving me a hand." I was never going to turn that one down. I pushed over the rack, and out of it came a fairly short boy who, oddly enough, was wearing a magic knight's uniform. Really, I expected better, especially for someone with a crimson lion kings robe on.

"What are you doing here. Can't you wait to see me someplace proper Leo." Oh, Mimosa knew the kid. Well that was awkward.'

"Mind giving me an introduction. You never told me you were cool with stalkers."

"Don't compare me to some ordinary stalker. If I stalk, I'm going to be the best at it and never get caught. Name's Leopold Vermillion. I'm Mimosa's cousin, pleasure to meet ya." Her cousin. Well the awkward meter just slid right back up.

"Doesn't explain what you're doing in a women's clothing store. Mind explaining that," We both asked.

"Uhh, I was just walking around before I caught you and decided to give you a surprise meeting." Yeah right.

"Anyways, how have the lions been treating you? All good I hope."

"Of course, Captain Fuegoleon's the best. He's so strong and cool. And how could I not enjoy having my brother as captain, even if he pushes me harder because of it. I just know I'll get super strong with him teaching me.'

"Well Leo, you might as well come with us. We can talk more, and you might as well get the full reunion with Mimosa."

"The rest of our day went normally. I did find out a lot more about Leo from his stories, and he was clearly one of those guys that cared about being the strongest wizard in the kingdom. I wasn't going to tell him about the tough competition he faced. Minus the spying part, he was a good person.

We headed home at last, and the first thing I did was take a bath. After yesterday and today's craziness, I needed this, and the ridiculously spacious rooms somehow made it even better than my apartment in Magnolia. Nobles really have to have all the best amenities. Dinner was help back at the base's cafeteria, where the entire squad minus captain were gathered. This forced me to speak with some of the other members, including yet another snobbish noble named Alecdora and an actually nice guy named Hamon. Night couldn't come any faster, and I crashed into bed early.

The next week was spent doing menial missions and a lot of training at the base. Klaus and Alecdora oversaw the training exercises, with vice-captain Langris finally making an appearance to watch, though he didn't say much. I was wondering when he would come to see the newbies, but it was still too early for that. I could actually see myself getting better with the few star dresses I had available. This actually forced me to rethink how I fight when I don't have very many spirits to work with. As long as my magic keeps getting stronger, I'll be fine.

Another thing I should probably have mentioned. Rebecca sent me a note saying a new dungeon was found near her hometown of Nean. There was a good chance another key would be there, so I have another target. Next time I get a day off, I'm asking for permission to explore that dungeon, or maybe even go back into previously cleared ones. No one but me would take any keys with them after all. I was getting one step closer to reuniting my family. I can't wait.

Until then, I'm just going through the day-to-day life of a magic knight, and it's not too different from a guild, just a bit stricter. For the first time since arriving in Clover, I can genuinely say I'm enjoying my time here.\

AN:

Yeah it's kinda a filler chapter, but developing relationships is still important and needs to be done. Also Leopold enters the story. Next chapter should be out in about a week since I'm finding my old pacing to be hard to hit recently.