I do not own Black Clover or any of its characters.
Home Again
Charmy walked into Dane's room hesitantly, then sat on the bed beside Vanessa, aging into an adult as they waited for Dane to speak.
"Thank you for coming," Dane said.
"Are you okay?" Charmy asked. "I heard you had to fight another member of the Third Eye, and that you were hurt."
"The member of the Third Eye was actually a lot more manageable than Vetto," Dane said. "One of the Diamond Generals caught me off guard, but I managed."
Charmy looked less than convinced, but nodded. "So, Vanessa said you wanted to have that talk you managed."
"Yeah," Dane nodded, taking one of each of their hands. "But the talk is actually going to be a lot easier than I was expecting. I love you, Charmy. But I'm sorry, I can't promise to love only you. I'm also in love with Vanessa."
"I know," Charmy smiled. "I knew you'd fall in love with her even before I fell in love with you. It's why I was okay with including her. Because I knew you'd fall for us both."
"Really?" Dane frowned.
Charmy nodded, and Dane smiled, tugging her hand. She scooted forward, kissing him, and Vanessa scooted over as well, kissing him as soon as Charmy pulled away. As the two switched back and forth, also kissing each other from time to time, the kisses rapidly grew more hungry and more passionate, and before long, everyone had shed their clothing. Charmy stared at Dane's new scars for a moment before Dane pulled her into a kiss and Vanessa lay herself between Charmy's legs to distract her from her worrying.
Dane sighed as he sat on his bed again, wearing only his pants as he stared at his scars. He had never really considered what it would be like to have scars, and he didn't necessarily dislike them, but they were a constant reminder that he hadn't been good enough. He sighed, holding his hand over the scar Asta's blade had left on his abdomen. Ladros's wounds were one thing, since only Asta had had a chance, but his fight against Asta was something else entirely. He simply hadn't been good enough with a sword. He hadn't been fast enough to keep up with Asta, and hadn't had enough skill to make up for it. He hadn't been good enough in the end. If not for Vanessa, he couldn't have protected anyone.
"Hey," Raya said, appearing beside him in her human form and taking his hand. "Don't beat yourself up. It's not that you weren't good enough."
"Yes, it is," Dane said. "I couldn't protect anyone. I wasn't strong enough."
"Dane," Raya said, resting her hands on his cheeks to make him look at her. "It's not your fault that you couldn't beat Asta. He was using a Demon's power. You couldn't have competed, especially with a demon that wields Anti-Magic."
"I failed, Raya," Dane said. "I'm weak."
Raya sighed, smiling exasperatedly. "You're really going to make me have this conversation again?"
"No," Dane smirked, then leaned forward, kissing her for a moment. "You're right. I just want to be allowed to mope for a few minutes."
"Did...you just..." Raya blinked in surprise.
"I've never been fair to you," Dane said. "Because of our connection, I could always sense how you felt, but I never acknowledged it. I'm sorry, Raya."
"No, it's...alright," Raya said. "I knew you...I mean...I thought..."
Dane smiled, leaning forward again, only to stop just short. "I love you, too, Raya. And I'm yours. I can't promise to break up with Vanessa and Charmy, but I won't ask you to join us. It can be just you and me whenever you want it. It can be separate."
"I don't care," Raya said, kissing Dane hungrilly. "Let them join. I don't care as long as you're there."
Dane smiled, holding her tightly and matching the hunger in the kiss with his own. However, after a few minutes, the kiss began to calm slowly before Raya finally pulled away, swallowing hard and resting her forehead against his.
"You don't have to stop," Dane smiled.
"Unfortunately, I do," Raya smiled. "We've got guests."
Dane frowned just as someone knocked on the door and Raya vanished. Dane sighed, adjusting his erection to hide it before walking over to the door and opening it, finding Yami standing outside.
"Hey, what's up?" Dane asked.
"Raya mentioned you felt like you were pathetic," Yami said. "Said you had to sword fight Asta and got your ass kicked."
"Yeah," Dane grimaced. "I should have known she'd talk to you."
"Come on," Yami said. "I'm gonna teach you to use a sword. And I'll teach you how to use Reinforcement Magic properly."
Dane nodded, following Yami out of the headquarters to train, forming himself a new Diamond Metal sword as they reached the clearing outside and Yami drew his sword. Then, Yami began to work him on basic form for about an hour before teaching him how to use the kind of Reinforcement Magic, the most basic use of it, that Yami made extensive use of for another hour. Then, they began to spar, Yami correcting Dane's mistakes as he noticed them, either by pointing them out or by showing him them with the blunt edge of his sword. And then, they threw a party. It was the second one in two days. The first had been to celebrate Asta's arms working. The second was because they'd earned several more stars by defeating Fana and the Diamond Kingdom's forces. So, they were partying again. Charmy was having sheep cook and using them to keep herself in her adult form while she joined Vanessa and Dane in drinking for the first time, though she didn't know that they were watering down her wine with grape juice. They were all sitting away from the others where they could talk without being overheard, and Raya had joined them this time, sitting in Dane's lap as she drank arguably as much as Vanessa.
"So, did you finally make it official?" Vanessa asked.
"Yes," Raya smiled. "If it's alright with you two."
"Oh, I'm very okay with this," Vanessa grinned, kissing Raya, who returned the kiss in kind, grinning as she felt Dane's erection growing under her.
"It's fine," Charmy smiled, kissing Dane. "I've accepted that Dane's a philanderer."
"Really?" Dane asked. "You're completely okay with sharing me with two other girls?"
"As long as you promise that you'll still love me no matter what, yes," Charmy nodded.
"I promise," Dane smiled, kissing her again.
"Where's mine?" Vanessa asked.
Dane smiled, turning to kiss her, too, then as he pulled back, Raya pulled Charmy in for a kiss. Charmy let out something of a resigned sigh, kissing Raya back, and Dane rested his lips against Raya's shoulder so that he could stifle his groan as Raya subtly shifted her hips against his erection. She grinned into the kiss again, then pulled back to kiss him as well.
"So, Charmy, Vanessa," Raya grinned. "I have a proposition for you two."
"Oo, do tell," Vanessa grinned.
"I know three's already a lot, but..." Raya grinned.
"Who?" Charmy sighed.
"Well, I haven't confirmed if I think it'll happen, but..." she leaned over, whispering to Charmy, then again to Vanessa.
Vanessa laughed, nodding, and Charmy simply sighed.
"I'm down," Vanessa grinned.
"I honestly never thought I'd be having this conversation at all," Charmy said. "But if it ends up happening, I'll accept it, but I'm not going to push for it."
"Deal," Raya nodded.
"What are you doing?" Dane asked. "Why are you trying to build me a harem?"
"I'm not," Raya defended herself, taking a drink. "I'm building us a harem."
Dane raised his eyebrow.
"Do you remember when we lived with those prostitutes?" Raya asked.
"Yes," Dane said carefully.
"You weren't the only one that was...enjoying their company while we were there," Raya said, Dane nearly spraying wine out of his nose.
"What!?" Dane gaped.
Raya laughed. "I never told you this, but while I was with your mother, she and I argued constantly because she disapproved of my...polyamory."
"Poly..." Dane blinked in surprise. "How did I never know about this?"
Raya laughed. "Because you never thought to ask."
Dane groaned, shaking his head, then kissed her. "Who's your new idea?"
Raya shook her head. "I'm not going to put any ideas in your head."
Dane sighed, nodding. "Fine. Let's just enjoy the party."
The others nodded, and they all walked over to get food, no one commenting on the four's relationships. And the celebration just kept on going, since the next day was the Star Festival, where the announcement of who had the most stars. And almost as soon as they were there, Raya, Vanessa, and Charmy had pulled Dane away from the others to make a date of it, Raya just wanting to enjoy being with him and the others, Vanessa hunting for booze, and Charmy wanting to try every kind of food at the festival. Dane merely laughed and allowed them to drag him along, more than content to just be with them, now that he'd finally managed to adjust to actually being with them all openly. And it was fun, too. He tried food with Charmy, though not as much, he had drinks with Vanessa and Raya, though again less than them, and every so often, they would find an out-of-the-way alley to spend some private time together, though they were careful not to take it too far. Despite Raya's teasing the night before, they still hadn't all had fun together yet, and none of them wanted it to be in a dirty alleyway of the capital.
Eventually, they ended up at a table with most of the others, and all of them began to celebrate together. Noelle and Asta were missing, and a few of the others came and went, but the table was surrounded by several stalls selling alcohol and the majority of the food stalls, so they ended up staying there for a while. However, not long after they left to see what else was there, they found Captain Charlotte Roselei and Sol Marron, one of the Blue Rose Knights. Sol was in her normal outfit, but Charlotte was in a beautiful blue dress and had her hair down. And then, somehow, and with Finral's suggestion, Vanessa ended up getting into a "dress-up competition" with Charlotte, though Sol was the one who had agreed on Charlotte's behalf, and Vanessa mostly agreed because she was drunk and thought it'd be fun. Dane sighed as the two of them went to change into the first outfit. Charlotte went first, dressed as a witch, but Vanessa countered by dressing as a nun.
"I'm making her break her vows later," Raya whispered instantly, Dane snorting in amusement.
"I'm surprised the habit's not catching fire," Dane chuckled.
"Dane?" Mimosa asked.
"Oh, Mimosa!" Dane smiled, turning to her. "Hey. Enjoying the festival?"
"Yes," Mimosa smiled, glancing at Raya, Charmy's adult form, then Vanessa. "You seem to be having fun."
Dane shrugged, smiling. "I'm mostly being dragged from one place to another, but it's been pretty nice." He glanced past her to Yuno and Klaus. "You guys heading to the ceremony?"
Mimosa nodded. "It should be starting before much longer, so we figured we should head that way."
"That's probably true," Dane nodded. "Uh, hate to ask this now, but since you're here, would you mind seeing if you can get a...handful of new scars I've got to fade?"
Mimosa blinked in surprise, then nodded. "Sure."
"Hey, Raya, we'll be back in a minute," Dane said.
Raya nodded, kissing him, as did Charmy, and Dane walked away, noticing Mimosa blushing scarlet as she followed him, though it darkened considerably as they walked into an alleyway together.
"So...uh...you're...um..." Mimosa stammered.
"Yeah, sorry," Dane grimaced. "I'm with both of them, and also Vanessa. It...just kind of happened somewhere along the way, but I suppose if you don't know ahead of time, it's probably a bit of a surprise. Sorry if, uh...that made you uncomfortable at all."
"Oh, no!" Mimosa said hurriedly. "It's fine! I'm happy for you. It's not necessarily a common thing, but if it's what you all want and you all agree to it, it's not my place to judge."
"Thanks, Dane smiled, pulling his shirt off. "Now if I could just get Raya to stop trying to convince us to find more girls to add, I'd be set."
"M-More!?" Mimosa squeaked, then cleared her throat, looking down at his torso, only to gasp again. "So many!"
"Yeah," Dane grimaced. "It's been...It's been nuts, the last few missions."
Mimosa had him sit down and knelt in front of him. "Wow. You must have fought so many strong opponents."
"You're not kidding," Dane nodded.
Mimosa stared at the scars where he'd reattached his arms. "Your arms. Did you..."
"Yeah," Dane nodded. "During the battle at the Underwater Temple, I lost them both, then had to make myself new ones with my magic. I'm just glad my magic allows me to do that."
Mimosa nodded, then reached out a hand, tentatively resting it over the highest of the scars Ladros had given him. "It...hit your heart."
"Ladros, one of the Diamond Kingdom's Eight Shining Generals," Dane said. "That's the closest I ever came to dying."
"Did you seal it with your magic?" Mimosa asked.
"Yes, but not directly," Dane said. "The attack was a type of Fire Mana laser, so it incinerated whatever it touched, so I couldn't heal it until I had something to replace it with, which only showed up about a minute, if that, before I died."
Mimosa shook her head. "I'm so sorry. That must have been terrifying."
"Not as much as it maybe should have been," Dane admitted. "It was kind of a relief. If I die, my impulses can't make me hurt the people I care about. And it worked out in the end, so I don't regret the fight."
Mimosa nodded. "I'll see if I can fade them at all."
Dane nodded, and Mimosa activated her Princess-Healing Flower Robe, resting her hands over each scar as she channeled healing magic into them. Dane sighed as the spell's healing magic sent warm tingles through his skin, and the smell of the robe's flowers quickly filled the alleyway.
"Sorry, there are so many, this might take a little longer than last time," Mimosa warned.
"It's alright," Dane smiled. "Take as long as you need. This technically counts as practice, plus I owe you a favor for every scar."
Mimosa shook her head, smiling. "No, that's not necessary. I'm happy to help. After all, you saved my life. That Diamond Mage in the Dungeon probably would have killed me if you hadn't fought him."
Dane grimaced. "I don't think that counts, since I didn't fight him to protect you. I was just trying to satisfy my impulses. Oh, but we did meet him again in the Forest of Witches the other day."
"Really?" Mimosa asked, moving to the next scar. "Did he give you some of these scars?"
"Actually, he was an ally," Dane said. "Surprising, I know, but apparently when we met him before, he had lost his memories and was brainwashed, but this time, he was back to his old self, and he helped us fight the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the other Shining General. And he let me copy his Recovery Magic."
"What?" Mimosa frowned. "Copy it?"
Dane raised his left arm, showing her the bracer. "It can copy a single spell and allow me to use it once a day. His Recovery Magic seemed to be the most versatile I could think of, so I chose his. Honestly, though, the Witch Queen has one that I'd like, since it's...ridiculously powerful, and it can also break curses, but she treated Vanessa so horribly growing up that at first I didn't want her spell just on moral grounds. But then after we dealt with her and her and Vanessa made up, she told me that my Magic Power isn't strong enough to make good use of the spell anyway, and it would take most of my mana for a single use, so it would be pointless to copy it. So, now I have Mars's Phoenix Robe."
"That's amazing," Mimosa smiled, moving to the scars on his arms. "I had no idea a Magic Tool like that even existed."
"Yeah," Dane nodded. "But then I went and used it before Ladros wounded me, so my earlier use kind of bit me in the ass."
Mimosa giggled. "But it worked out, right?"
"Yeah," Dane nodded.
They fell silent as Mimosa worked on his other arm, then the various cuts he'd gotten from Asta. Then, finally, she moved up, cupping his cheek where his last scar from Asta was. Dane glanced at her, seeing her blushing slightly, but smiling, and a small smile formed on his face, too.
"There," Mimosa said at last. "All done. And the one on your face blended in entirely."
"Good," Dane smiled. "I'd hate for my best feature to be ruined."
Mimosa laughed. "You're just as handsome as ever." She blushed instantly, but Dane merely laughed it off.
"I really appreciate you, Mimosa," Dane smiled. "You're a great friend."
"So are you," Mimosa smiled. "Anyway, we should get back."
"Yeah," Dane nodded, picking up his shirt, only for Mimosa to hug him. He smiled, hugging her back for a moment before she pulled away. "What was that for?"
"For protecting me in Kiten," Mimosa said. "I never got to thank you properly."
"Oh, that," Dane smiled. "That was nothing."
"It was for me," Mimosa smiled. "Anyway, I really should go."
"Right," Dane nodded, pulling his shirt on. "After you, milady."
He bowed, holding an arm out for her, and she giggled, miming a curtsy before walking past him and out of the alleyway, Dane following behind her, watching her. He had never really paid it much attention before, but Mimosa really was beautiful. And she was so sweet and kind. He glanced at Raya just as Raya looked over at him, and Raya raised an eyebrow, then winked before turning back to where Vanessa and Charlotte had, apparently, been having a drinking competition. Except, both girls were entirely wasted and passed out.
"How'd they do?" Dane asked as he reached them.
"Vanessa passed out from one drink because she was already drunk," Raya said.
"Yeah, and Captain Roselei took one drink and also got drunk, then passed out when Captain Yami took the mug from her and drained it," Asta explained.
"So they tied this, which was meant to be a tie breaker after they tied the dress-up competition," Charmy explained. "And now the Star Ceremony's about to start."
"Well, we should get them up, then," Dane sighed, walking over. "Captain Yami, would you mind carrying Captain Roselei?"
"Yeah, sure," Yami shrugged, lifting his fellow captain into his arms. "I'll wake her up when we get there. They'll wait for us."
Dane nodded, he and Raya lifting Vanessa by the arms as Charmy shrunk back to her toddler form. Then, he and Raya took Vanessa to an alleyway, forcing her to vomit up any alcohol still in her stomach by shaking her lightly. She groaned once she was done, then stood on her own.
"Thanks," Vanessa said, using a water bottle Raya handed her to rinse her mouth out. "So, how was your chat with Mimosa?"
"She just helped make my scars less noticeable," Dane said. "But we're late for the Star Ceremony."
"Oh, that's right," Vanessa nodded. "Alright, let's go. I'll drink some water on the way."
They nodded and left the alleyway, heading through the now deserted festival quickly, heading for the site of the Ceremony. Julius had already finished his opening speech regarding the ongoing skirmishes with the Diamond and Spade Kingdoms and the war with the Midnight Sun, as well as introducing all the captains except Yami and Charlotte by the time they arrived, and was announcing the rankings for number of stars. Golden Dawn, unsurprisingly, came in first with one hundred twenty five stars. Julius then introduced the highest earner among all of the Magic Knights, Yuno, who Julius announced was partnered with Sylph.
"And now, for the second place winners!" Julius continued. "In second place is...the Black Bulls!"
Dane, Vanessa, and Raya, who'd all been taking a drink, Vanessa of water and the other two drinking wine, all sprayed it out of their nose in surprise.
"WHAT!?" the entire crowd shrieked.
"Their stars total...one hundred ten!" Julius announced.
"Excuse me!?" Dane gaped. "We got how many!? Fucking when!?"
"That's awesome!" Raya cheered, hugging Dane.
"Oh boy," Dane groaned. "It'll start right...now."
Sure enough, the crowd began to discuss their disbelief and their thoughts on how the Black Bulls may have managed to cheat the rankings instantly, none of them even bothering to keep their voices down.
"No they didn't!" a familiar voice shouted, all eyes turning and Dane smiling widely as he saw Kahono and Kiato standing at the new center of attention. "The Black Bulls risked their lives to save us from the Midnight Sun, so I won't let you talk about 'em that way!"
"That's right!" Kiato agreed. "And they would never cheat!"
"They're here and I didn't know about it?" Dane grinned. "Come on. I wanna see how my repairs are holding up."
"Yeah, they were a big help to us, too!" Rebecca Scarlet called out from off to the side, Dane remembering her from Nean. "Some of them are kind of rough, but they're all nice people!"
Murmurs began to spread through the crowd, everyone confused by the revelation that they might be wrong about the Black Bulls. As Julius began to speak again, Dane walked over to Kahono and Kiato, receiving a hug from Kahono.
"How are you two?" Dane asked. "Did you heal up okay?"
"We're great!" Kahono nodded. "You saved our dreams. We won't let anyone say you're not a hero."
"Thanks," Dane smiled.
"They've accomplished unbelievable feats and risen up through the rankings to claim second place!" Julius was saying as they all turned back to him. "Then there's the newcomer who's especially...Oh. They're captain is still missing. Hello? Are any of the Black Bulls present tonight?"
Just then, yami hurled Asta, who sailed up over the crowd before catching himself with his larger sword, allowing himself to land beside Yuno without face-planting.
"Oh, hey," Yuno smiled. "You made it."
"Sure did," Asta nodded. "What's up?"
"Good job," Yuno smiled. "Looks like you earned your fair share of stars for your team. But don't get comfortable. I'll become the next Wizard King."
"I wouldn't talk so big!" Asta snapped, pointing at Yuno. "Your squad might have gotten first place and set a new record and everything, but you'd better not let that go to your head either, 'cause I'm gonna make sure I earn double the number of stars you get next time!"
"Do they ever stop arguing?" Dane sighed.
"Never," Raya smiled. "Good for Asta, though."
"My, that certainly was an exciting entrance, wasn't it?" Julius asked. "Let's hear it for the rookie who's done the most for the Black Bulls this year, Asta!"
Asta smiled out at the crowd sheepishly.
"Yuno and Asta are the top earners among all of the novice Knights, which means they're two new stars to watch!" Julius announced. "They produced outstanding results, considering the fact they've only been knights for half a year! Interestingly, these sixteen-year-olds are childhood friends from the same hometown!"
"For being so young, those two are doing marvelously," someone in the crowd said.
"Yeah, they're probably nobility," another commented.
"Actually, they're naught but commoners!" Sekke, the annoying Praying Mantis newbie who'd tried and failed to fight Asta in the Entrance Exam, shouted. "The scrawny guy from the Black Bulls doesn't even have any magic! Isn't that so sad!?"
"I'm going to kill him, now," Dane said flatly, Raya and Vanessa both catching his arms to stop him.
Instantly, the crowd began to murmur again, once again beginning to decide they hadn't actually earned their stars and had instead been handed them as charity. So, Yuno and Sylph began to show off, forming a massive vortex of mana around Yuno that kicked up a powerful wind around them all.
"Ah, Sylph," Raya smiled. "Ever the show-off."
Then, Yuno fired an arrow of condensed, spiraling Wind Magic at Asta, only for Asta to slash through it easily, scattering the massive gale force winds outward, making a clear display of Yuno's power and Asta's ability to nullify magic.
"Why do you always have to pull crazy stunts like this on me out of nowhere!?" Asta shrieked. "You're stronger now! What, are you tryin' to kill me during my fifteen seconds of fame, ya big jerk!"
"If that'd killed you, we'd know what your limit was," Yuno shrugged. "Good thing you survived."
"Why, you little..." Asta snarled.
"Now that you've witnessed their abilities, I invite anyone who still doubts their worthiness to please step forward," Julius invited. "Yes, it's true these two are commoners, but they've worked harder than any of their peers to make it where they are today. Proud citizens of the Clover Kingdom, let us commend these brave knights! Regardless of rank or status, our nation's path to victory is to join together as one!"
The crowd began to cheer, and Dane sighed, taking a swig of his wine. He wanted to be on that stage, but for every fight that he and Asta were in, Asta won out in the amount of effort he put in just by the virtue of fighting alongside his friends without any magic to help. And his steadfast refusal to quit put Dane's abilities to shame. Dane hated to admit it, but even without the power Asta had been using when the Witch Queen had fought him, if he and Asta fought, Asta would win. He'd earned his place alongside Yuno. As Julius began to announce the rest of the rankings, Dane turned, walking away, not caring to hear it. Vanessa, Charmy, and Raya followed, all three able to tell that Dane's mood was slipping. And the Clover Kingdom's king speaking, and yelling at the crowd for not cheering for him merely from being in his presence and having him introduce himself, was definitely not going to help.
"Are you alright?" Vanessa asked.
"The other Squads, particularly the Silver Eagles, aren't going to let this stand," Dane said. "They'll be out for blood."
"It'll be fine," Charmy assured him, still in her toddler form and holding his hand.
"Hey," Raya said, stopping Dane and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Listen." She looked around. "No one's insulting you. No one's calling you a monster. And next time, you'll be the hero. You're not an outcast anymore, Dane."
"The Black Bulls will always be the outcasts," Dane said, then sighed, draining his drink. "Guess I'll just have to be proud about it. After all, if being an outcast and ranking dead last was good enough for Mom, I suppose I can't really complain."
Raya smiled. "That's the spirit." She kissed him. "Now, let's go back to the others, okay?"
Dane sighed, nodding, and grabbed a new bottle of wine from a stall nearby, leaving some money for it on the counter before they all turned to head back toward the crowd.
"Citizens, I have an important piece of news to share with you," the king announced. "We have located the Midnight Suns' hideout!"
Dane froze. They hadn't, or they'd have already assaulted it. But if they had, that meant they'd have to fight both Licht and the third member of the Third Eye, Rhya, both. They weren't ready. At a bare minimum, Dane would need Raya's power, but she hadn't fully recovered yet, slowed as her recovery was by their connection.
"So far in our battle against them, we've consistently been one step behind," the king continued. "But those days are over! You'll be pleased to know that we're preparing to launch a full-scale counterattack of our own! And to do so, we plan to gather the absolute cream-of-the-crop from our Magic Knight Squads, allowing us to assemble the most elite team imaginable! And that unit will be called the Royal Knights! In a week's time, I shall administer a rigorous exam to the members of all nine Magic Knight Squads! Only those who pass the test will be invited to join my Royal Knights! And then, we will obliterate the Eye of the Midnight Sun!" He made the Clover Kingdom's salute. "Now listen carefully, my Magic Knights! I ask you to offer up your Grimoires in service to your country!"
As the crowd began to cheer, Dane narrowed his eyes, clenching his bottle tightly.
"It'll be okay," Raya said. "We have a week before we even get selected, which we will be, and then time after that to prepare. I'll be ready."
"And we'll be there," Vanessa assured him.
"You won't have to fight anyone alone," Charmy assured him, now as an adult.
"Why is the king picking people, though?" Asta asked, the crowd going silent instantly. "Shouldn't the Wizard King handle all that stuff? I mean, he knows more about the Magic Knights than the king does."
Yuno nodded in agreement.
"Plus, everybody likes him more," Asta said, Dane groaning instantly. He turned to Yuno. "Think about it. The Wizard King does cool stuff all the time, and I never heard of King Clover doin' anything that great. What about you?"
"I dunno," Yuno shrugged.
"So he's got this super-awesome Magic Power, but he's never used it to make life better for the kingdom?" Asta continued jeopardizing his life. "Is that right?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Yuno shrugged.
"I dunno," Asta said. "Maybe it's 'cause I don't have any powers, so tell me if I'm missin' the point, here. But I gotta say, from where I'm standin', it kinda seems to me like the king is totally pointless and dumb."
"Asta, quit talking and read the room," Yuno finally said. "No matter how right you are, it's better to keep those comments to yourself."
"Huh?" Asta asked. "Sounds like you agree with me!"
"I like this kid," Jack said. "He tells it like it is."
"There go all of our stars," Dane sighed.
"It was nice while it lasted," Vanessa sighed.
"Off with their heads!" the king shrieked. "I want both of those traitors to be executed at once, right here at the festival!"
"Oh, boy," Dane sighed, draining his bottle and setting it on an abandoned stall. "Well, better get ready for a fight."
"Execute them?" someone asked.
"Seriously?" someone else asked.
"Kill them!" the king shrieked hysterically. "Kill them! Kill them! I want them dead!"
Julius stepped between them, holding an arm out to his side. "I do apologize for their impertinence, Your Majesty. However, for my sake, I must implore you to find it in your heart to forgive this transgression."
"How many stars do you think we lose if I kill the king?" Dane asked. "No one would miss him."
"You'd be executed," Raya said. "Probably by Yami."
"Better him than Jack," Dane shrugged. "I'd take Nozel down with me, though."
"Sure you would," Raya snorted.
"After all, they may turn out to be the shield that protects you from an attack one of these days," Julius continued. "Besides, this is a trivial matter! Best not to throw your weight around. It'll cheapen your royal authority." Julius turned back to the crowd. "Now, Royal Knights! I expect great things! I'm certain our Magic Knights will meet this challenge with profound strength and courage!"
Dane sighed, swapping more money for another bottle of wine. "Well, that's over. Let's go find some more food and alcohol and a place to sit down."
The others agreed, and they left the ceremony behind.
Leave a review.