Chapter Seventeen: Visiting Home
"I wonder if there's anything I can really find in here," Kenos muttered to himself. It had been two days since Luck and Letoile went on their mission, Vanessa was still asking the lightning mage if anything interesting happened, but he kept shaking his head. The Black Bulls had all gathered in the main hall to enjoy breakfast.
As for the solar mage, he sat on a chair a good distance from the others, reading through his grimoire, trying to find if there was anything special within the pages.
"There are my spells, and then there are blank pages, is there nothing here I can find that will tell me about the fifth leaf," he muttered again, closing his grimoire and groaning, he had checked three times, but still no luck.
"Hey Kenos," Luck said, running over to him. "Why the long face?"
The others turned to look at Kenos as he replied to his squadmate's question. "I'm trying to find out more about the fifth leaf on my grimoire, I thought there might be something in the pages that could give me a lead, but for now, I've gotten no luck,"
The solar mage stood up and turned around, but backed up quickly as he saw someone in front of him. "Ah!" he exclaimed with surprise before putting his hand on his chest. "Oh, it's just you Gordon, you scared me there,"
The mysterious mage began muttering words, causing everyone to sweatdrop.
"Um, I can't hear you, can you maybe...speak up?" Kenos asked with some reluctance at the end, ever since he had joined the Black Bulls, Gordon and Grey had been the only mages he hadn't ever spoken to, they didn't seem like talkers, with Gordon's silent words, and Grey's mysteriousness.
Gordon took out a piece of paper and an ink pen before he started writing something, he then revealed the slip of paper to his squadmates.
Kenos walked up and bent down a bit to look at what was written. "Kenos, you sound like you're having trouble, is there anything I can do to help?" he read aloud before standing straight. "Thank you very much, but sadly there isn't, I'm not even sure where to begin, sorry,"
Gordon wrote something else and Kenos read it once again. "That's alright, just know I'll be here, I'll always do my best to help my dearest friends," the solar mage was quite surprised, he hadn't expected the mute mage to think of them all in such a way.
"So, you have no leads whatsoever on your leaf?" Noelle asked.
"No, there are no leads in my grimoire, but I do have a lead, or rather, had made a discovery, back when we were at the capital," Kenos replied with a slightly serious tone.
"A discovery, what did you find out?" Finral asked.
"Why don't you ask Asta?" Kenos asked back.
Everyone turned to the swordsman, Asta pointed to himself. "Me? What do I have to do with this?" he asked.
The solar mage pointed at him. "Because Asta...your grimoire also has five leaves,"
"Huh?" That thought went through everyone's heads, it had taken a little for what Kenos said to sink in, but once it did, their eyes widened.
"WHAT!"
Yami got up from his seat and walked over to Asta, grabbing his head with one hand and lifting him into the air. "So kid, we were all here wondering what that leaf of his meant, and here you are with one all along, when exactly were you planning on telling us?"
"Ah, that hurts, put me down!" Asta exclaimed.
"Don't feel like it," the captain replied as an intimidating aura surrounded him.
"I didn't know my grimoire had five leaves, if I knew, don't you think I would've told you!" the swordsman exclaimed.
Yami immediately let him go as he dropped to the floor. "Oh yeah, you're not smart enough to keep secrets from us," he said as he walked back to the couch.
Asta quickly got up. "That's right, I'm...wait, not smart enough, I'm smart!" he exclaimed as he took out his grimoire. "How come I've never noticed?"
"It's not the easiest thing to see, your grimoire looks kind of old and beat up," Kenos told him.
Asta looked closely at the magical book as his eyes widened. "It's true!" he exclaimed before walking to Kenos and looking at his grimoire. "But wait, the leaves on mine are black, but the ones on yours are white, why is that?"
The black-haired mage shrugged. "I don't know, all that I know is that this mystery is now ours to solve, together," he said as the two smiled and fist-bumped.
Suddenly, a portal formed above the dining table, and a letter came out through it and landed on the table.
"A letter, I wonder where it's from," Yami said as he got up and walked to the table, picking up the letter and reading its contents. "Hey Kenos, it's for you, from Julius,"
"The Wizard King, what does he want with you?" Asta wondered aloud.
"I don't know, but I guess I'll just have to see when I get there," Kenos replied.
"I'll make you a portal, here," Finral said, tossing a contraption to the solar mage. "It's a communication device, once you're done with whatever you have to do at the capital, you can contact me and I can make another portal,"
"Alright, thanks Finral," Kenos said as the spatial mage formed a portal, the young mage walking through it, arriving in front of Magic Knight Headquarters before the portal closed behind him.
"Okay, Julius, let's find out what you need," Kenos said to himself as he walked into the building, and began navigating his way to the Wizard King's office.
As he crossed through a hallway, he could see a man coming from the other side, it didn't take long for the two to notice each other.
The man was the first to speak. "Hey there Kenos,"
"Hello Marx, it's been some time since we've seen each other face to face, you weren't at the Merit Confirmation Ceremony," Kenos greeted the Wizard King's assistant.
"Yeah, there was something Julius wanted me to take care of," Marx said. "So how is life with the Black Bulls, I never really got to ask you?"
"It's great, they're all such great and interesting people, even though they can get kinda wild sometimes," he replied. "I've really enjoyed my time there,"
"I see," the assistant said again. "So, what brings you here to headquarters?"
"I got a letter that Julius wanted to see me," Kenos replied.
"Is that so?" Marx wondered aloud. "He must need you for something, hopefully, it doesn't involve you leaving, I have something to do, and Julius hasn't gone on one of his trips around the kingdom lately, suspicious,"
"He hasn't, that is suspicious, with all the trips he goes on, I'm surprised he can get anything done," the solar mage said as the two laughed.
"Well, I should be off, cya around," Marx said as he walked by him.
"Same to you," Kenos said back as he too kept walking until he reached the door of Julius' office, he knocked.
"Come in," Julius said from the other side as Kenos came in. "Kenos, you got my letter, I'm glad you're here," he said from his seat with a smile, beckoning Kenos to a chair across from him.
Kenos nodded as he walked and sat down. "No problem, so what do you need?"
The Wizard King's smile quickly disappeared. "It's about the Eye of the Midnight Sun,"
At the mention of that name, Kenos' eyes became serious. "Is there anything you've found out about them?" he asked just as seriously.
Julius shook his head. "Not at the moment, we were able to capture one, a mage by the name of Catherine, but she hasn't told us anything," he replied as he took out a letter with the kingdom's seal. "I've just finished writing down all the info we have about them, their attack on the capital, and about the Magic Stones Asta and I found at their hideaway before they got away, whatever they're planning, they need the Magic Stones, which explains why they targeted Fuegoelon,"
Kenos clenched his fist. "So what's our response to it?"
"Simple, we have to find the remaining Magic Stones before they do," he replied. "I have some work to do, so I called you here to deliver this letter to a noble house, they're going to help us locate the other Magic Stones,"
Kenos nodded. "Okay then, what family is it?"
Julius' expression lightened as he grinned. "You should know the place well, it's the Rossiu Household,"
The serious atmosphere vanished in an instant as the time mage spoke those words, however, there was an anxious feeling in the solar mage's stomach.
"You want me to bring this...to the Rossiu Household?" he asked reluctantly.
"Yes, more specifically, your parents, it's one of the reasons I decided to have you deliver the letter, I bet you've missed being at your house and seeing your mother and father," Julius replied.
Kenos bit the inside of his lip as he took the letter. "Damn, Julius doesn't know about our falling out, it's always existed between me along with Dante and Oxanna, but now with the rumor going around about the squad I joined, things will be tense with mother and father," he thought to himself. "Thank you,"
"You're welcome," Julius said as he stood up from his seat and began walking to the door, giving a big grin. "With that out of the way, I have some...business to attend to, if you see Marx, um, tell him I went...to my bedroom, yes," he said as he was about to open the door, but jumped back as a hand stuck out from it.
The hand grabbed the door and opened it, revealing Marx, a suspicious look on his face.
Julius began sweating as he closed his eyes and gave a guilty smile. "Hello Marx, I thought you were taking care of something, I was just heading to my room,"
Marx raised a brow. "You can't fool me, Julius, I've heard that before, you're not leaving, and as for what I got," he began as he walked a short distance away from them and picked something up, as he came back into view, he was carrying a large stack of papers. "I got these, you have paperwork to do,"
"Damn it," the Wizard King groaned with a slump
"Don't worry, I'll do them with you," he told him.
Julius breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Marx, what would I do without you?"
"Nothing at all," Marx and Kenos replied in unison as Julius sweatdropped.
Kenos looked at the letter before turning to the two. "Hey Julius, is it possible for me to bring some other people with me,"
"Of course, I don't mind, as long as they're Magic Knights, I don't want information on the Magic Stones known to the public just yet,"
For the first time since he arrived in the office, the solar mage smiled. "Nice, and I know exactly who to bring,"
"Wow, this place is awesome!"
In front of the Rossiu Household, stood Kenos and two other Magic Knights, the solar mage had chosen to bring Asta and Zuka with him, after returning to the hideout, he told the other Black Bulls about his task and asked Asta to come with him, after doing so, the two flew over to Aqua Deer HQ to ask Rill if Zuka could join him, and he accepted.
"So this is where you live Kenos, it's massive," Zuka said in awe, she had never seen such a large house before. "And it's pretty close to the capital,"
"I know, you're so lucky," Asta added with his signature starry eyes, agreeing with the sparkle mage.
"It's not all that," Kenos said back. "Not a bad idea, Kenos, by bringing these two here, you kill two birds with one stone. As well as letting them see my house and getting to know where I grew up, if I bring these two with me while talking to my parents, it should lighten the atmosphere and prevent them from mentioning a family matter in front of two guests," he thought to himself.
Zuka patted him on the back. "Oh Kenos, you're so humble, but I wouldn't mind if you bragged a bit about living here, I know I would,"
"I was born here, there isn't really much to brag about," Kenos said back. "Let's go in,"
The three walked into the household, a good amount of the frontal area was the courtyard, combining parts with the house with a majority of the outside, creating large patches of grass around with the halls providing shade.
"Wow, this place is even more impressive on the inside," Asta mused before seeing someone in the distance. "Hello there, good morning!"
Kenos looked over to who Asta was calling to, it was an elderly whose gray hair was wrapped in a bun, she was of a medium height, wearing a solid black outfit that a maid would wear, and the lady had a broom in her hand, she looked up at Asta's call, she was initially surprised, but her surprise left her once she saw Kenos next to him. The solar mage's eyes widened.
"Eleanor!" he exclaimed, running to the lady, embracing her in a tight hug.
"It's good to see you young sir Kenos, have you gotten taller?" she asked with a giggle.
Asta and Zuka caught up with him. "Kenos, who's she?" the sparkle mage asked.
"This is Eleanor, the head maid of our estate," Kenos introduced her. "She was the one who cared for me, Dante, Oxanna, and the other young Rossius here, even during infancy,"
"That's right, I especially remember the times when I had to change your diaper, and you would always run around your room naked," Eleanor reminisced.
Asta and Zuka held their mouths, trying not to laugh, Kenos' face turned beet red with embarrassment. "Eleanor, I thought you said you would never tell anyone,"
The maid giggled again. "My apologies, it was just that you were always so cute when you did that," she then turned to Asta and Zuka. "And who are these two?"
"These two are Asta and Zuka Glitenia, fellow Magic Knights and good friends of mine," Kenos replied, introducing the two as he placed his hand on their shoulder one at a time.
"Friends you say, well it's very nice to meet you, Kenos was always good at making friends, but this is the first time he has ever brought friends to his home, you two must mean a lot to him," Eleanor said.
Asta and Zuka looked initially surprised before giving a warm smile. "Kenos,"
"So young sir, what brings you here, were you feeling homesick, did your captain permit you to come here?" Eleanor asked. "I've heard a lot of things about Yami Sukehiro, but if he let you come here, he must be a very kind man,"
"Yes, he is, all of the Black Bulls have welcomed me into their squad, but I'm here under the Wizard King's orders," he replied.
"Julius sent you, then it must be serious, what does he want you to do?" the head maid asked.
"He wants me to give a letter to my mother and father," Kenos answered.
"Sir Richard and Lady Ellen, I haven't seen them today, but I bet they're in their office, should I take you there, just in case you forgot," Eleanor said.
Kenos laughed. "You know I'd never forget where my parents do all their work, but I would appreciate it anyway," he replied as the three began following her.
The solar mage took a deep breath. "Okay, this is it, we're going to mother and father's office, calm down, the plan should work, I give them the letter, with Zuka and Asta with me, they shouldn't bring up anything and I'll be able to leave without answering any of their questions,"
Just then, as they were walking, a figure passed by them from another hallway, Kenos quickly scanned them, it was a boy with tan skin who was pretty tall, a bit taller than Dante, he had messy navy blue hair, wearing a light blue collared shirt with black pants, by his left side was a satchel with his grimoire inside.
The boy turned sideways and saw the group, more specifically, one person. "Kenos?"
The nervous feeling Kenos had disappeared when he saw the boy, a big smile appeared on his face. "Ves!" he exclaimed happily, running up to the boy as they high-fived.
"It's good to see you again Kenos," the boy called Ves said back.
"Another new face," Asta said as they all joined up with him. "So who's this?"
Kenos turned around. "This is Sylvester Rossiu, my cousin, but I just call him Ves," he introduced. "And Ves, this is Asta, and Zuka Glitenia,"
"It's nice to meet you two, I hope Kenos hasn't been a bother to you," Sylvester said.
"He hasn't been a bother at all, in fact, quite the opposite," Zuka responded.
"And it's all thanks to Ves right here, when I was growing up here, I usually hung out with him while Dante and Oxanna did their thing, Ves here is my role model, I've looked up to him ever since I was a kid," Kenos said proudly.
"Kens, you give me too much credit, I'm turning 20 in 7 months, you're not that much younger than me, there's no way I could be so influential in how you grew up," Sylvester said in an attempt to deny the praise being sent his way.
Kenos on the other hand, placed his hand on his shoulder. "See, he's so humble, that's where I got it from," he said, Asta and Zuka heard what he said, but something else was on their minds.
"Kens?" they asked together.
The solar mage perked up. "Yeah, that's the nickname Ves gave me,"
"I see, you two seem really close," Zuka said, but in her and Asta's mind, they were happy, with what Kenos told them about his falling out with Dante and Oxanna, it was good to know he grew up with someone he could look up to, someone who apparently made him the person he is today.
"And there's more, show them Ves," Kenos said.
"Alright then," Sylvester said back as he took out his grimoire.
"Check this out," Kenos excitedly waved to Asta and Zuka to come closer.
The two did so and looked at Sylvester's grimoire, it was black with intricate yellow lines and a large circle in the center, but it was what was inside that circle that made their eyes widen.
"A four-leaf clover grimoire!" Asta exclaimed, thinking back to Yuno.
"That kind of grimoire is rare," Zuka added.
Sylvester chuckled. "I know, when I first got it, there was such a big light show and everything, a lot of people were staring at me and congratulating me, but by far the most excited with Kens when I showed it to him, he was just about 12 when it happened, he even told me he was going to get one too,"
"But I didn't, I got a five-leaf grimoire," Kenos said.
"Yeah, I was kind of surprised when I saw it, I've never even heard of something like that let alone know what it means," Sylvester stated before turning to his cousin. "Have you found anything about it so far?"
Kenos shook his head. "Nothing, but I make a relevant discovery, Asta,"
The swordsman took out his own grimoire and showed it to Sylvester. "I have a five-leaf clover grimoire too!"
Sylvester had trouble seeing it, so he looked closer and found it. "There it is, but it's black while the one Kenos has are white,"
"We know, we're trying to figure out what they represent, as well as why there's a difference between ours," Kenos explained.
"Not a bad place to start," Sylvester said before something came to his head. "That reminds me, what are you doing here, did you come to visit?"
"Nope, the Wizard King gave Kenos a letter to give his parents and we're accompanying him," Zuka replied.
"It's from Julius, what did he write?" the mage asked again.
"Um, sorry, Julius said I couldn't tell people about it," Kenos replied this time.
"What are you talking about, you told us that you couldn't tell people, but you could tell Magic Knights, Sylvester must be here visiting home before he goes back to his squad," Asta said. "Say, Sylvester, what squad are you in?"
Sylvester nervously scratched his head. "Well, I'm not...in a squad,"
Asta's eyes widened. "Not in a squad? Does that mean you failed the exam almost five times?!"
Seeing the swordsman exclaim so hysterically made Sylvester chuckle. "No, I didn't fail five times, I never tried in the first place, you see, I don't really want to be a Magic Knight,"
"Not a Magic Knight, but you have a four-leaf clover grimoire, something most experienced mages could only dream of, don't you think it's almost, well...a waste?" Zuka asked.
"Not at all, being a Magic Knight isn't the only way to serve the kingdom, I like helping others, but not in the way Magic Knights do it," Sylvester replied.
"That and he usually helps me with work around the estate," Eleanor spoke up.
"No problem Eleanor, after all, you did care for me when I was little," Sylvester said.
"I assume you didn't run around naked like Kenos, did you?" Zuka asked with a smirk as the solar mage went red again.
Sylvester tried hard to not laugh. "Eleanor told you, didn't she, well I'm pleased to inform you Kenos was the only one,"
"Ves!" Kenos exclaimed.
"My bad Kens, we should head to Uncle Richard and Aunt Ellen's office now to give them the letter," Sylvester said as he stopped laughing.
"About that, I was hoping that maybe I could...show my friends around the estate before seeing my parents, you know, as this is their first time here and I have all day to give the letter to them," Kenos said, but inside, he was still anxious about meeting with his parents and tried to use whatever he could to delay it.
"You have a point, follow me, I'll lead the tour," Sylvester said, leading the group all throughout the household, only adding on to Asta and Zuka's prior adoration of the place. Eventually, they made it to the last place of the tour.
"Here we are, the last part, Kenos' room," Sylvester explained.
"I wonder what your room looks like," Asta wondered aloud as they opened the door and walked inside.
They were taken aback over how large it was, but oddly enough, when it came to decor, it was simple as the room was large.
"I kind of expected the place to look more, well, extravagant," Zuka said as she walked to his window. "But regardless, this view is amazing!"
Asta walked to the edge of the room to find a line of fancy shoes, he then walked to Kenos' closet and opened it, seeing an array of fancy clothes. "You have so many fancy things to put on, but you wear those simple clothes every day,"
"Well, why not, these clothes are a lot more comfortable, orange is my favorite color, and besides, just because I have fancier stuff doesn't mean I have to wear it, I'm not one who likes to flaunt what I have," Kenos replied.
"You really are humble," Sylvester said. "And it's not from me,"
"I refuse to believe such a thing Ves," the solar mage said back.
"Whatever," the older Rossiu said with folded arms.
"Hey Sylvester, can you do me a favor?" Asta asked.
"Um, sure, I guess, what exactly do you want?" Sylvester asked back.
"Please spar with me!" the magicless mage exclaimed.
"Huh?"
"You said you don't want to be a Magic Knight, but I still want to see how strong you are, so fight me!"
"Okay then, you seem serious about this, let's head to the courtyard, we can spar there," Sylvester said as he led them to the courtyard, he and Asta stood on the large patch of grass while Kenos, Zuka, and Eleanor stood in the shade.
Asta took out his swords. "I want you to give it everything you got!"
"So those are the anti-magic swords I've heard about, neat," Sylvester said as his grimoire came up to him, surrounded in a navy blue aura. "But let's see how you fight before I decide to go in full power, or if you can survive my wyvern spell,"
"Alright then, are you two ready?" Kenos asked.
"We are," they replied.
"Okay then, begin!"
"Let's do this, Lunar Creation Magic: Moonlight Armaments!" Sylvester exclaimed as his chest, elbow, and shins became covered in a glowing blue armor, by his right leg were three glowing sheathed daggers, the same was seen on the left leg, and in his hand was a glowing sword.
"What the?" Zuka said in awe.
"The Moonlight Armaments is a spell which gives Ves armor, as well as his desired choice of close-range weaponry, which are usually swords and daggers, it's his most basic spell," Eleanor told her.
"Sylvester is an expert when it comes to close-range offense and long-range defense, it's actually in homage to him that I made the Solar Constructs," Kenos added.
"Here I go!" Asta exclaimed as he ran towards the lunar mage, he jumped in the air, ready to strike with both swords.
"Not a bad approach," Sylvester said as he raised his sword above him to block the attack, and while it did succeed, soon after making contact with Asta's swords, the lunar blade vanished.
"Shit, his swords canceled out my sword," he thought as he did a backflip to make distance between them before creating another sword. "It seems I'm going to need to approach this fight differently,"
"This won't be easy for Ves, he may be the more experienced one since both him and Asta are melee fighters, but with Asta's anti-magic swords, it puts Ves at a disadvantage as well as limiting his offensive options," Kenos noted.
Sylvester began running towards Asta, his sword ready to strike, Asta began running too. "Let's see this new approach of yours, Sylvester!"
The two swordsmen were about to clash once more, but then, Sylvester put a foot forward and quickly spun around, appearing behind Asta, the lunar mage readied his blade. "You wanted to see my approach, so be it!" he exclaimed.
"An impressive strategy, young sir Sylvester, since Asta can nullify his sword whenever they clash, Sylvester must attack wherever the swords cannot reach quickly, like his back," Eleanor noted this time.
Luckily for Asta however, Sylvester's sudden spin made the magicless mage stumble, just barely evading the attack. "Wow, that was awesome, I was lucky to get away without any scratches," Asta said.
"True, but let's see how long that fact will remain true!" Sylvester exclaimed as he charged forward, his grimoire flipping to a new page. "Lunar Magic: Crescent Bladedance!" he exclaimed as the daggers by his legs shot out, revealing their crescent-shaped blade as they raced towards Asta.
"What in the?" Asta muttered as he tried to use his swords to nullify the daggers, but right before they were about to strike, they missed, going back into the air before coming right back at the swordsman.
"How do you like my spell!" Sylvester exclaimed as he charged forward. "Crescent Bladedance is a spell I can only use with the daggers my armaments provide, they aren't a typical type of attack that just goes straight for the opponent, true to their name, they're like dancers, normally I'd couple it with my blade for a close-range advantage, but I think we already know most of my conventional attacks won't be effective against you!"
"Your cousin is really impressive Kenos, imagine the good he could've done for the kingdom if he decided to be a Magic Knight," Zuka said.
"Ves made his choice, he's free to do as he wishes, and he's right, being a Magic Knight isn't the only way to majorly help the kingdom," Kenos countered.
"This spell is impressive, but I'm not giving up!" Asta exclaimed as he continued trying to stop the daggers.
"I like your spirit, but…," Sylvester began as he closed in on Asta, raising his sword to strike, Asta noticed this and prepared to strike back, but suddenly, Sylvester quickly dropped to the ground, skillfully swiping his leg under Asta's feet, sending the magicless mage to the ground, as Asta looked up, he saw the lunar mage pointed his blade just inches away from his face.
"...this fight is over," he finished as he helped Asta up, the two put their grimoires away and shook hands.
Asta breathed heavily. "Damn, you're good, it seems I'm not strong enough to go against your full power, you were holding back,"
"True, but that fight gave me quite the struggle at first, you're not bad yourself," Sylvester said in praise of the swordsman's effort.
"Thanks, but I still wanna know, how strong are you when you're not holding back?" Asta asked.
"Not a bad question, I suppose I can give you an answer," Sylvester said before turning to the head maid. "Eleanor, can you give me a hand!?"
"Alright young sir," she said back as she raised one of her hands up, suddenly, the ground began shaking as a thick, large slab of stone appeared.
"Wow, Eleanor, you use Earth magic?" Zuka asked as she nodded, the sparkle mage then briefly remembered the last person she had met with that attribute, Benjo the bandit. "It's been some time, I wonder how the people at Rielzu Village are doing?"
Sylvester walked to the slab, taking out his grimoire and casting his Moonlight Armaments spell. "Crescent Bladedance is a spell that utilizes my daggers, but then there's one which uses my sword, behold,"
"You two better get ready for this," Kenos said.
The lunar mage lunged forward and bent his upper body down a bit more, he held his sword at his side as if he was sheathing it. "Prepare to be amazed, Lunar Magic: Striking Moongazer!" he exclaimed as he drew his blade while dashing forward with blinding speed, in what seemed like the time it would take to blink halfway, Sylvester was already on the other side of the slab, the thick and large piece of rock, however, was cut cleanly in half as the top half dropped to the ground with a thud.
Asta and Zuka's eyes twitched. "I...didn't even see him move," the sparkle mage said.
"I know, he really was holding back against me," Asta added.
Sylvester put his grimoire back into his satchel as he walked over to them. "Thank you, Eleanor," he said before turning to Asta. "That's what happens when I try harder than usual, and that wasn't even my wyvern spell,"
Asta came to the same consensus as his rival did back at the capital. "You Rossius really are no joke," he said.
"But I have a question?" Zuka spoke up. "You use Lunar magic, which is similar to Kenos' Solar Magic, despite the fact that nobody in the family possesses a remotely similar attribute, so does that mean there was something wrong with you too?"
"No, while we aren't sure where Kens' attribute spawned from, my Lunar magic came from my mother, who uses Night magic," Sylvester replied.
As Sylvester finished explaining, footsteps were heard behind the group, they turned to see who it was and widened their eyes.
"Dante, and Oxanna," Kenos muttered.
"Hello Eleanor," the siblings greeted the head maid.
"It's good to see you two again, young sir Dante, young lady Oxanna," Eleanor said back to them.
"Hey, it's Asta," Oxanna said in her giddy voice, she then turned to Zuka. "And, um, I'm sorry, what's your name, I don't think we've ever been formally introduced?"
"Oh, my name's Zuka Glitenia," she replied.
The phantom mage rushed over to her. "Zuka, that's such a cool name, and you have such pretty hair,"
"Thanks, I like yours too," the sparkle mage said back.
Dante walked over to his cousin. "Hello, Sylvester,"
The two high-fived. "Hey Dante, how have the Silver Eagles been treating you, I heard about your promotion, nice work?"
"Thanks a lot, I'm already rising up in the ranks, all before I turn 20 next year," the steel mage said stoically.
"You know, it wouldn't hurt to grin a little bit sometimes," the lunar mage told him.
Dante showed a small smile. "Is this enough for you?"
"Perfect," he replied with a thumbs up.
Both Dante and Oxanna then turned to face Kenos. "Hello," they said indifferently.
"Hello, what are you two doing here?" Kenos asked back with the same tone they were.
"We had a day off at our squads, so our captains permitted us to go visit our families," Dante replied. "And you?"
"Julius sent me here to give a letter to mother and father," the solar mage replied.
"I see, we were about to see them as well, let's go together, I bet they would like to meet Asta and Zuka too," Dante insisted.
"I suppose you're right, let's go," Kenos said, he knew there was nothing else he could do, Asta and Zuka had a tour of the estate and Sylvester got to spar with Asta, the only thing left to do was deliver the letter.
The group of seven began walking towards the office, during a majority of the walk, not a word was uttered among them, there wasn't much to say in the first place, however, but that silence was broken as a person spoke up.
"Hey...Kenos," Oxanna said, the phantom mage was walking in front of him, so he couldn't see her facial expression, but regardless, he was taken aback by the mere tone of her voice, it wasn't giddy, or nonchalant.
It felt sad.
"Yeah?" the solar mage replied.
"Back when we were at the capital, when a majority of Magic Knights were teleported away, and Captain Fuegoleon was injured badly, well, Noelle told me that you were also responsible for keeping him alive, actually, you were crucial in keeping him alive until help arrived," she explained.
Kenos nodded. "That's true, what of it?"
Oxanna sighed. "Look, I know we haven't seen face to face for a majority of our lives, but regardless, he's my captain, I look up to him, and it's because of you we know he still has a chance to live, so thank you...very much,"
Kenos was shocked. "Oxanna," he muttered, it was the first time his sister really spoke to him on an emotional level, for the first time, it felt like she was grateful to him, it gave him a feeling he had never experienced before, but whatever it was, it felt good. "We both don't get along with our siblings, but with me, we were able to get closer and I feel they dislike me just a little less. You seem like a great guy, I know one day it'll be the same for you too," Eon's words recited in the solar mage's head.
"Um, you're welcome," he said as Sylvester spoke up.
"What happened in the capital?" he asked curiously.
Oxanna gave her usual giddy smile. "It's nothing, just some Magic Knight business, not like you would be interested in it, Sylvester,"
"Whatever," the lunar mage said to his cousin before Eleanor spoke up this time.
"Okay, we're here," she said, Kenos was so distracted by what Oxanna said, he didn't notice the decent-sized door which marked the entrance of his parents' office. "This is where I must bid you goodbye, there's still a lot of things to do today, it was nice meeting you again, Asta and Zuka,"
"I'll come with you Eleanor," Sylvester added, following the maid back down where they came from. "Nice meeting you, Asta and Zuka, take care,"
"Bye Eleanor, Sylvester," Asta and Zuka said back.
"Alright then, let's head inside," Dante said as he opened the door and they all walked in, immediately as they did, they saw two people sitting down looking at papers, one was a man who had short brown hair, he wore a beige suit and black glasses, the second one was a woman with long blonde hair, she wore a bright green dress, and there was a writing utensil resting on her left ear.
They looked up and saw two of their children. "Dante, Oxanna, what a pleasant surprise, you didn't tell us you were visiting," the woman said.
Oxanna had a big grin on her face. "That's right, surprise, hi mom!" she cheered as she ran and embraced her mother.
Her mother lightly scratched her daughter's head. "It's good to see you, you've already grown into a beautiful young lady, and now you're a Magic Knight of a prestigious squad, I'm so proud,"
"Greetings, father," Dante walked up to his dad as they shook hands. "All has gone well at my squad,"
His father nodded approvingly. "I'm proud of you my son, you may have inherited your mother's attribute instead of my phantom attribute, but I couldn't be any happier than I am now, especially since I heard about your promotion, only two weeks after joining, we will have a feast to celebrate,"
"Wow, those two seem really nice, this family is alright in my book," Zuka said as Asta nodded.
The mother noticed the two other Magic Knights. "Oh, hello, it seems we have two more guests,"
The father spoke up. "Greetings you two, I am Richard Rossiu, and this is my wife, Ellen Rossiu," he introduced.
"It's nice to meet you, I am Zuka Glitenia, and this is Asta," the sparkle mage said.
Ellen turned to her eldest son. "These two seem very respectful, did they come with you and Oxanna?"
"Um, no, we actually came with-," Asta began as he turned to where Kenos was, just to find him not there, but it didn't take either him or Zuka long to figure out the solar mage was right behind them.
In unison, the Black Bull and the Aqua Deer slowly took a step in the opposite direction, revealing the person behind them, Richard and Ellen's eyes tensed when they saw who it was, Kenos looked nervously at his parents. "Hello, mother, father,"
"Kenos," they said.
"This is it, just hand over the letter and leave, they won't ask anything personal with Asta and Zuka here," he thought. "It's been some time...how have you two been?"
"Just fine, and you, how have you been?" Ellen asked as a smile creased her face.
Kenos wasn't sure whether the smile was real, or fake in order to lighten the obvious tension in the atmosphere. "I've been fine, nothing bad has happened to me yet,"
"I see, so, did you come to visit us as well," Richard asked in a bit more serious tone than his wife did.
"Not exactly, Julius wanted me to deliver a letter to you a letter regarding something very important," Kenos said as he walked to his father and gave him the letter.
Richard opened it and read its contents, a slightly distressed look came to his face. "The Eye of the Midnight Sun, they sound dangerous, and Julius wants us to help locate these Magic Stones, it'll take some time, but it can be done, I'll send him a letter later today," he said.
Kenos gave a small smile, glad that the worst-case scenario did not come to pass. "Well, I should be off, it was nice seeing you, good-,"
"Wait," Richard interrupted as Kenos neared the exit. "There's something I want to ask you,"
A drop of sweat fell down Kenos' face at the sound of those words, he was worried. "And what question is that?" he asked, hoping he was wrong.
He wasn't.
"Tell me, why...did you join the Black Bulls?"
That question seemed to loom around the room, not a person there was surprised by it, as the banquet back at the capital gave Asta and Zuka the context to know what he meant by it.
"Why?" Kenos repeated.
"Yes," his father replied. "Your mother and I have heard rumors that you joined the Black Bulls despite having the chance to join your brother or your sister's squad,"
"Dante, Oxanna, and I haven't seen eye to eye in years, you know that," Kenos replied.
"And what did I already tell you, our personal disagreements should never be at the cost of our reputation," Richard fired back.
"I know, but I don't mind being part of the Black Bulls, it was initially just an escape from Dante and Oxanna, but I've come to enjoy the people there," Kenos argued.
"You think that's important, I don't have a single doubt that the Black Bulls can be decent people, look at Asta, he's been here this entire time and has neither said nor done anything repulsive, but they're not the worst squad for nothing, no offense, but their achievements aren't so great compared to other squads," Richard countered.
"Then what if we make it great, they can become a prestigious squad just like the others, they just need members like me, like us," Kenos said.
"It doesn't just work that way, they've been where they are since the beginning, things can't just change because of one or two new members, you joining their squad hasn't done much in the long run in the terms of good, however, in the terms of bad, you managed to tarnish our family name in just a day, do you know how fast these rumors have circulated, it hasn't even been a month yet," his father said.
"Why does reputation matter so much that it should be put over my happiness, I wouldn't feel happy with them, I may be their brother, but I just wouldn't?" Kenos asked.
"Why does reputation matter so much? We are the Rossiu House, the noble family closest to the Wizard King himself, his dear friends, a family he can rely on, a family almost anyone in this kingdom can rely on, what's a noble house without a good reputation, I'll tell you what it is, it's a disgrace, and we are not a disgrace!" Richard exclaimed.
Kenos sighed. "What's the point, it's obvious we don't see eye to eye either,"
Richard crossed his arms. "I think that's something we can both agree on," he said. "But I'm disappointed in you,"
"I think I knew that already," Kenos mumbled.
"You joined the Black Bulls, effectively jeopardizing the reputation of the Rossiu House, and it looks like you don't even care," Richard continued. "It makes me wonder…,"
Everyone looked at him, waiting to see what he would say.
"...if you really are my son,"
Not an eye in that room stayed as it was, on the faces of every other person was of complete shock, everyone knew the sensitivity of that topic.
"Richard!" Ellen exclaimed as she turned to her youngest son.
Kenos looked devastated, as well as shocked, his face showed utter sadness, he then put his head down as a shadow covered his eyes from view, he then walked to the exit and opened the door.
"What the hell did you just say, you're his father!" Zuka exclaimed angrily. "What father says that to their child, you son of a-,"
"Zuka," the sparkle mage turned at the sound of Kenos' voice, it was quiet and emotionless. "Don't,"
"What do you mean, did you hear what he said to you, I can't let him get away with that!" the sparkle mage exclaimed back.
"She's right, we won't stand for it!" Asta joined in.
"Please, don't do anything, let's just go," he said with the same tone and volume as before.
Zuka and Asta sighed. "Fine," they said as the two of them walked out of the room, leaving only Rossius present.
Kenos didn't say a word as he walked out, Dante and Oxanna couldn't help but feel bad for their younger brother, no matter how they saw each other, they were still family, the steel mage spoke up. "Father, you know how sensitive Kenos is when it comes to his birth, those words weren't wise,"
Richard merely removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting them back on. "I have work to do, we might have to postpone our celebratory feast for some other time,"
Dante and Oxanna merely looked at each other before they left the room as well, Ellen wasn't sure of what to say to her husband to solve the problem caused between father and son.
"Who does he think he is, saying that to his own kid!" Zuka exclaimed as she and Asta walked down the hallway. "Did I say that family's good in my book? Well if I did, screw it, that father is so not good in my book anymore!"
"Damn right, I say we barge back in there and make him apologize!" Asta added.
"That's a good plan if I've ever heard one," the sparkle mage agreed as they turned around and saw Kenos slowly walking towards them, the shadow still covering his eyes.
"You two, don't do anything to him, he's still my father, even if he might not think the same way about me," the solar mage told them.
"You can't let him say that about you, you're not the product of an affair, you're a Rossiu, and our friend," Zuka said as she and Asta walked over to Kenos to comfort him, but as they got close enough, their eyes slightly widened, on the solar mage's face was a sight they never thought they'd see.
A tear fell down the side of his face.