SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 58 out, this is Chapter 59 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OC.
Chapter 59: Three Problems
At Julius' supposed 'burial' site...
"What the hell's going on?" Yami hissed, finding Julius' body missing from the 'Black Cocoon'. "Julius' body is gone? This magic is..." he and William turned back. "Don't tell me you're..." he gaped when a 14-year-old Julius revealed himself. "Julius?"
"I somehow survived." Julius beamed. "Though I'm a bit smaller now."
"Wait." Yami deathpanned. "Yeah, no. You definitely died. That was definitely leading up to you dying."
"Sorry, I was so useless when the Kingdom was in such danger." Julius chuckled. "I thought my magic would kick in sooner, but... it's probably about thirteen years' worth." he recalled. "I'd store time into a certain magic item. I had to take a bet on whether it'd actually activate or not."
"Julius-sama..." William started.
"William Vangeance, no matter what the reason may have been, betraying the Kingdom is a grave crime." Julius reminded. "Many were hurt and it will take time for everyone to recover. I'm not going to let you sit idle during that time. I'm the one who invited William into the Magic Knights and appointed him as a Captain. I'm responsible for what happened, too, and for losing against the other soul that was in him, the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. William, I am sure there will be those who resent you for being a a part of all of this. But I know how much you suffered, too. Do you have the resolve to withstand that hatred and proceed?"
"I pledge my Grimoire once again, to you, and this Kingdom." William renewed his vow. "This time, for good."
The next day...
"Now, then." Julius addressed Asta, Noelle, Mimosa and Secre. "All of you worked very hard. The battle has ended and now we can live happily ever after, or so I'd like to say. But currently, we have three problems."
"Captain Yami..." Asta instantly recognized Julius' aura. "This Ki... don't tell me he's..."
"The first problem." Julius cut in. "The Wizard King is gone."
"He's standing right here." Yami refuted.
"Most of my magic is now gone." Julius stated. "This is all that is left of my Grimoire, which means I won't be able to fight and my influence on the hard-line monarchist nobles who prioritize the wealth and power of this Kingdom has been weakened." he revealed the single page left.
"How did you get so small and why are you alive, Wizard King?" Asta pressed.
"During one of my incognito wanderings, I found magic storage technology left behind by some ancient mages." Julius revealed. "According to some documents I found in the castle's library, it's called Swallowtail. My time magic and Swallowtail were very compatible. I stored my time and magic into the emblem on my forehead, little by little; time that would let me start over in case something happened to me. But I didn't get to start over immediately and I only made it as far as this age. As for our guest that I don't recognize," he turned to Secre. "What kind of magic do you use?"
"Get on with the explanation already." Yami pulled Julius back.
"Sorry about that." Julius reined back. "I'm trying to keep the other two secret as much as possible. But I predict that, at this rate, the Clover Kingdom will be destroyed by the surrounding countries. Or Asta dies. Or it could even be both. Asta, a devil is the source of your black power. Your black horn is proof that humans ventured into a forbidden realm and involved themselves in a world beyond this one. It's a curse known as the weg. There appear to be other Magic Knights who have similar curses."
"A world beyond ours?" Noelle echoed.
"It's a realm known as the Underworld." Rhiannon explained. "The homeland of the devils."
"And the five-leaf Grimoire that one devil failed to obtain has another devil inhabiting it." Secre informed. "Five hundred years ago, I fell under the curse of forbidden magic in order to seal the devil. The curse and my magic mingled and this happened." she reverted back to her anti-bird form and settled on Asta's head.
"So, you're sealing yourself into the form of that bird." Julius realized. "To think the penalty for forbidden magic would overlap with unusual magic to produce a result like this."
"What's about me dying?" Asta panicked.
"First, there are three Kingdoms surrounding the Clover Kingdom." Julius summarized. "There's Diamond, an aggressor Kingdom that has a powerful army thanks to their magic scholars and has no problems with experimenting on humans. Heart is an unseen, neutral Kingdom of mystery that takes in and uses its abundant natural mana, perfecting its own unique magic. And then, there's the Spade Kingdom. A kingdom of winter, mysteries and demons that is served by the ancient evils that sleep in its t, frigid land, and is attempting to gain supremacy. Like Diamond, our immediate neighbour, the Spade Kingdom is attempting to extend its influence across the strong magic region that separates us. But currently, the Magic Knights that defend our Kingdom have grown exhausted like never before."
"Not only that, but some turned against us, even if just for a moment, because of the reincarnations." Yami added. "That currently puts them on shaky ground."
"It wasn't any of their faults, though." Asta protested. "They were taken over by the elves. Which means we need people to know that they were just being manipulated by that devil."
"If it were that easy." Rhiannon sighed.
"The Magic Parliament will probably put the power of your devil on trial to find it guilty." Julius pointed out. "After all, a peasant who uses the power of an unknown devil as you do is the perfect scapegoat ti take the fall for everyone. And one of the three great royal families stand at its center."
Several days later...
Asta and Secre were put on trial in the Magic Parliament courthouse, alongside with Marie.
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.