Here is the forty-ninth chapter in this story released in accordance with my release schedule for this story. The Dragon King Festival is over, the Eclipse Gate destroyed, and the threat ended. That means it's time to clean up and celebrate the end of the Grand Magic Games and the victory over Future Rogue and his plans and what better way to celebrate than with a Grand Ball and that's about to start soon but first there's one final thing that someone wants to sort out. That I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions to answer here there are three guest reviews that need a response, one of which will involve a question to y'all, so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.
To Brayden (guest), the Grand Ball is coming and it's going to be a long one. I'm not sure yet when everyone other than Erza will learn about Asta's magicless state, that's something the Black Bulls aren't revealing just yet along with their whole origin but it will come out eventually. I am still taking suggestions on whether or not to add Mimosa to the pairing but it is a long ways out and as you noted Asta needs to get over Sister Lily which will take time. At least now Noelle and Mimosa confirmed their feelings a lot sooner than in canon and can try to work on them going forward, which will lead to some other fun so stay tuned for that subplot. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To KGBeastboy (guest), thank you for your review and suggestions, I'll address them now. Vanessa isn't a bad idea there, pure and simple with some long term benefits from just being kind so certainly a possibility though Vanessa will also want a dance with Yami of course. I didn't realize that Maria and Laki shared a VA (who's incidentally married to Yuno/Macbeth's VA) but that does work and I can see how it would play out well from Gauche noticing her voice, to asking her, to completely creeping her out which allows Grey the opening to dance with him though even she might get a bit creeped out in the end. With Juvia, while I didn't know that Bora was her boyfriend at one point, I don't think she'll want to dance with Magna because of that given their history and how much she now loves Gray. Rather, she'll probably drench him when she hears him, which given Magna's magic is funny and then try to dance with Gray. There are members of Fairy Tail who Juvia will respond positively to due to VAs but not at the Ball and there is going to be a bit of a conundrum for her when it happens but all in good time. The thing with Kagura is that she does get rather drunk early and spends her time with Erza, and as she owes Asta and Noelle to some extent she'll want to talk to them as well, while Yami will have his own stuff to deal with. It's an interesting dance pairing given their skills but might be hard, I'll have to see how the dance plays out on this one. That does sound like something that Asuka would do, show kindness to Finral after he gets rejected by basically everyone and if he does well he might show off a sensitive side that could get more dances so that works. Same with Wendy, she's a good girl and Gordon does need someone who can truly understand him and realize he's a good guy as well though given that Carla is stashed in Erza's cleavage and then cuddled by Millianna, I think she'll have other things to deal with. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To Guest (guest), no, as of right now Fairy Tail doesn't know Mimosa's surname and they barely know her at all other than as the Black Bulls' healer. That will of course change very soon and in time they will learn her name. It will certainly cause a lot of questions and confusion when the time comes and unlike the Grey/Gray issue the spelling, at least in English, is the same so I'm sure Mavis will question things and wonder if her ancestors are behind the key that connects Earth Land to the Black Clover universe. A good bit of fun to look forward to so keep reading and enjoying my work.
Anyway, that is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the forty-ninth chapter in Black Bull Banishment.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 49: Royal Summons
Yami looked at himself in the mirror in the small personal dressing room that he'd been told to use to get ready in in the palace and could hardly recognize himself. He was currently wearing a fancy, and no doubt expensive based on the quality of the fabric, black formal jacket with a high collar, narrow gold epaulets, and thick folded back gold cuffs. Additionally the piping of the jacket was gold as were the buttons to do it up with the buttons having the Black Bulls' emblem embossed on them as well.
The jacket wasn't done up, Yami's chest had been too broad for it to be made to fit in the short time that they had to tailor his outfit, and besides, it was deemed that this style was more suitable for him, so under it was the white dress shirt he was wearing that was cut in the latest fashion. Around his neck he wore a gold ascot that a servant had had to put on him so that it was tied properly and which matched the gold belt around his waist that held up the tailored, formal, black pants that he wore. Even his boots were tailored and new being made of fine black leather with a gold fold at the top.
To top it all off he'd been provided with a new black satchel, complete with the gold Black Bull emblem, for his grimoire that fit with his outfit and a fresh, pristine, black quarter cape just like his normal one only not ragged and also embossed with the Black Bulls' emblem just like it should be. Thankfully, he was allowed to keep his katana as it was and sheathed at his side along with his grimoire so he had those on him even in this getup.
The reason for the elaborate getup was simple, it was necessary for the upcoming Grand Ball that was being hosted in the banquet hall of the Royal Palace for all the Guilds that had participated in the Grand Magic Games. The event was not only to celebrate the conclusion of the Games, and of course the Black Bulls for winning them, but also the victory over the dragons that attacked after the Grand Magic Games.
Of course the precise details of the attack were classified and being withheld from the general public due to what was used to summon the dragons, and unbeknownst to anyone the memories of the Magic Council had been wiped to hide this fact, but a celebration was needed for it. As such, the Grand Ball would encompass that as well.
All of that had been several days ago and since then mages had worked around the clock to get things fixed in the palace, that was partially Yami's fault admittedly, and the city in general so that the people could return to their homes. The Black Bulls of course helped where they could and had been working up to that morning when the Royal Family announced that the city was back to full swing ant that it was time to prepare for the Grand Ball. That had led to a whole different problem for most of the Black Bulls, attire.
Yami didn't actually own any formal clothes, nor did most of his Squad for that matter, and the ones who did didn't have them to hand, but that hadn't been an issue. Princess Hisui had ordered that all invitees where to be provided outfits if they needed them be it from the royal stores themselves or personally tailored at no expense to the Guild Wizards who needed them. The latter had been selected for Yami without his consultation as he was the Guild Master of the new number 1 Guild and as such he was gifted this personalized, tailored, outfit.
The rest of the Black Bulls were also getting fitted for new outfits as well which meant splitting them up the Guild while the royal tailors worked to outfit them so Yami didn't know where the rest of his Squad was. That didn't really matter to him though, he trusted that they'd make their way to the Grand Ball and at least try to be normal at it, well for as long as they could manage that, so he'd see them there. What Yami didn't know was that part of the reason why he'd been taken to a private tailoring, which occurred first, was so that he was alone for what came next.
Yami was unaware of the plans though so when he sensed a ki signature that he vaguely recognized as being that of the knight commander guy from in front of the Eclipse Gate he was a bit surprised that the man was coming to see him. He'd presumed that a palace servant would come get him when it was time but that didn't seem to be the case.
"Guild Master Yami." The man said as he stopped outside the room that Yami was in. "It is Arcadios, the Chief of the Cherry Blossom Holy Knight Squadron and I bear a message for you from the Princess. May I enter?"
"Sure." Yami said as he lit up a cigarette and turned to the door as it opened not showing his surprise at the man's words. "What does she want?"
"She requests your presence in her personal reception chamber for a private audience." Arcadios said as the door opened and he stood there not in full armor but rather a white outfit similar to Yami's only with the jacked done up, teal cuffs and cape, and larger gold epaulets with his sheathed sword in his hand. "The Grand Ball is not set to start for another hour and she wishes to discuss some things with the Guild Master of Fiore's number 1 Guild before it commences."
"I see." Yami said surprised that the Princess was summoning him to a private meeting. "And what does she want to discuss?"
"I am not privy to that information." Arcadios said, which only surprised Yami even further. "She simply requests your presence. While this is not an official royal summons, I do recommend that you heed it."
"Yeah I know how it is and that it's in my best interest not to turn her down." Yami said with a nod his curiosity peaked a bit by the summons. "And trust me she's far more competent than the king of the nation I came from, well the royal king that is there's a second king who I do admire and is actually competent, but that's beside the point. Very well, lead the way."
"Thank you for understanding." Arcadios said as he turned understanding Yami's statement as the competency of royals were hit or miss. "Please, follow me."
Yami did just that as he fell into step behind the armored man and was led through the palace. The walk, which was done in silence, gave Yami time to really get a good read on Arcadios's ki and he noted that it was strong and noble. The man had a deep sense of justice and loyalty, good signs for a man in his position and a good starting point if Yami had to work with him in the future. Whether or not that would be the case would be determined as Yami was led into the royal appartements and to the private audience chamber of the Princess unsure what she wanted with him.
"Here we are." Arcadios said as they reached a sturdy wooden door that Yami was certain had several magical enchantments on it. "Please go on in, she's waiting for you."
"Thank you." Yami said as Arcadios stepped to the side and Yami opened the door.
Inside was a small, comfortable, circular chamber that was clearly meant for complete privacy as there were no windows along the walls. Given how long, meandering, and disorientating the trip through the palace to this room had been Yami wasn't even sure if they were near an outside wall or not as he walked in and the door closed behind him. As it did he noted that Arcadios's ki began to move away implying that he wasn't going to stand guard outside ensuring that this completely private.
That was oddly trusting of them to leave Yami alone with the heir to the throne, not that he would do anything of course, but still strange and it reinforced the privacy of this meeting. In fact, everything about this was odd and nagged at Yami so he looked around to calm his mind and get ready for whatever this meeting was going to be about.
The room was simply appointed with two comfortable chairs in the middle that were on either side of a low wooden table. A fireplace was set into the curve opposite the door while a few chests hugged the walls and a second door was off to the side, which likely led into the Princess's private chambers. The whole place had the sense of a meeting room for small, intimate, discussions which didn't surprise Yami as from his understanding, via Julius, this was common for royals to have as this would be where the real running of the kingdom was done, along with the King's formal audience chamber as well of course.
All that confused Yami as to why he had been invited to such a meeting. Right now all he was was the Guild Master of a young and successful Guild in Fiore who'd just topped the Grand Magic Games in a surprise victory and thus become the number 1 Guild. He wasn't a politician or a noble, hell he was basically no more than a fancy, legal, mercenary here, so why the Princess wanted him was beyond him.
Well, he'd just have to ask her why she wanted this meeting and he would get that soon as he sensed a strong, noble, female, ki approaching the other door and turned to it. A moment later it opened and Princess Hisui stood in it, alone and unattended before she entered and closed the door behind her.
The Princess looked every bit her station, at least as far as Yami could tell, as she wore a long, elaborate dress cut low enough to show her upper chest and a hint of cleavage. The dress itself was light blue at the top with black pinstripes and sleeves that came to just past her elbows with black bands around her elbows while the skirt part came to her ankles hiding her shoes and was pure white.
Between the two colors of the dress the Princess wore a red sash around her waist that was tied in a bow just above her left hip. Adorning the dress were white flowers strategically placed around the skirt part and in a collar like pattern on the top part, right under the white fur collar of the dress.
To accessorize, the Princess wore an elaborate set of pearls around her neck that were two bands connected by more pearls with a lower, pendant like aspect down her upper chest, and a pair of large cut jade stones for earrings. Naturally, she completed her look with an elegant silver tiara on her head that had a blood red ruby cut in a diamond shape in the center. It contrasted well with her bright green hair that was done up in a bun but for two long strands that famed her face and fell past her shoulders.
"Princess." Yami said giving a small, formal, bow as best he could as soon as the door was closed and she stood before him. "You requested my presence."
"I did, please take a seat Mr. Sukehiro." Hisui said with a small smile as she gestured to the chairs in the room. "Usually there would be servants her to provide refreshments before my meeting and to refill or drinks or provide anything else that we might need but as we will get that at the Grand Ball I opted not to have them laid out. However, allow me to provide an ash tray for you. I have no objections to you smoking just to the ash getting on the table."
"Oh right, thank you." Yami said still confused by what was going on but making his way over to the table and taking the gestured seat and focusing his senses on Hisui's ki so as to try and get an understanding for what was going on. "It would be bad to made a mess here."
"You are most welcome." Hisui said as she went over to one of the chests and pulled out a drawer to remove a fine crystal ash tray from it. "It is the least that I can do to thank you for your help with the dragons Mr. Sukehiro."
Yami detected a slight nervousness in her ki, not unease at being alone with him, which said a lot in its own way, but more that there was something that she wanted to say but didn't know how to say it. It was certainly odd but there was no doubt some polite small talk that had to happen first before she relaxed enough for Yami to cut to the chase.
"Yami's fine, there's no need to be so formal with me." Yami said not adding that Yami was actually his family name and not his given name but only the Land of the Sun did names like that in his world and he'd never corrected anyone in Clover about it so they all just used it which as that was how it worked where he was originally from it worked for him as well. "I'm not some dignitary or anything."
"No, you are the Guild Master of Fiore's top Guild." Hisui said as she walked over and set the ash tray down in front of him before taking her seat across from him and moving her skirts so that she could sit in a prim and proper fashion befitting her station with her hands on her lap. "Which is more important I feel as it carries a lot of weight in this Kingdom. However, as you wish, Yami, but if I am to be so informal with you then I insist you do the same and call me Hisui."
"Very well, Hisui, then let me direct with you as well." Yami said looking the Princess in the eye and not phased at all at being so informal with her. "Why did you summon me?"
"To congratulate you and your Guild on winning the Grand Magic Games." Hisui said, a ready and expected answer though her ki told Yami that that wasn't the full truth. "And meet the man behind the biggest surprise of the Games. Your Guild shocked everyone throughout the competition, no one saw your Guild coming at all. The Black Bulls came out of nowhere to match and exceed the power of some of the strongest Guilds in this Kingdom's history, it is quite the feat to say the least. Need I say more, we both know of the many impressive victories you had in the events and battles."
"No, I am aware of them and am looking forward to capitalizing on them going forward what with new job offers, merchandising, and what not." Yami said as he took a drag of his cigarette and got the feeling that what Hisui had said about them coming from nowhere was the crux of this but as Yami was a blunt and direct man he decided to cut through everything without anymore small talk. "But that's not really why you wanted to talk to me, is it Hisui? You've got something else that you wish to discuss with me, don't you?"
Hisui blinked in surprise at that. She'd been trying to figure out how to approach the issue that she wanted to discuss with Yami, that being the origins of the Black Bulls, but still had no idea how. She'd decided to try some small talk and compliments, the Black Bulls had earned the latter and then some, to sidle up to it but clearly Yami could see through her and had cut to the chase. Not that Hisui minded as this did make things easier for her.
"Yes, you are correct there." Hisui said with a sigh. "I am sorry for any subterfuge and confusion my actions in setting up this meeting have caused but you are right, this meeting is more than a mere congratulations for your recent accomplishments. That is for the Grand Ball, this is a private meeting just the two of us for me to discuss something else with you."
"Alright just lay it on me then." Yami said. "I'm not one for political games."
"I can tell, your actions earlier against the dragons and the Eclipse Gate proved it." Hisui said as she looked at him. "First I want to assure you that there are no magical recording devices in this room nor is there any way that what we're about to discuss can be overheard by eavesdroppers. We are totally alone and this room has a magical seal on it that does not allow sound out."
"Interesting." Yami said noting no deception in the Princess's ki so at the very least she fully believed what she was saying was true. "I agree that I don't sense anyone else's ki nearby so there's no one in non-magical earshot and you at least believe that there are no recording or listening devices and that no sound will leave this room which is good thing. Presumably, you're telling me this because what you wish to discuss must remain private and between us."
"You may bring this up to your Squad in private but yes this is something that I do not want anyone from Fiore is to hear." Hisui said as she steeled herself. "Or Earth Land for that matter."
The use of the word Squad had thrown Yami a bit but he was sure that his morons occasionally used their term rather than Guild like they should and that wasn't too bad anyway as the discrepancy could be explained away as different cultures. However, the direct statement that no one from Earth Land was to hear was different and Yami leaned forward slightly as he met Hisui's calm gaze with his own.
Rather than speak, however, Yami remained quiet as he focused entirely on Hisui's ki as she met his gaze without flinching or backing off from it. It was strong but nervous. There was no hint of evil, malice, or anything else negative in it, just simple nervousness. She wasn't even unsure, it was clear that Hisui was confident in what she'd said and believed it to be true, she was just worried as to how Yami would take it.
"So that's what this is about." Yami said after a moment as he sat back and blew out some smoke as he took his cigarette out of his mouth. "I guess there's no point in denying it then, you clearly believe it to be true and must have some evidence to back it up or else why would you be so confident in calling this meeting. Plus, I get the feeling it will be hard to convince you otherwise."
"No there's not." Hisui said shaking her head. "I know that the Black Bulls are not from Earth Land. I don't know where you came from, clearly not a world like Edolas as you possess magic, but you aren't Earth Landers either. I must commend you though, the whole simply saying that you're not from Ishgar but rather a different continent works to deflect any questions but that only works on the surface because when you scratch deeper, well it's hard to find records of a fourth continent and there are no records of you on the other two that I can find."
"It was enough to fool the Magic Council." Yami said with a shrug. "They likely did a background check into me and the Black Bulls but they didn't object to us forming a Guild 2 years ago when we got here."
"So long as you're not dark wizards…" Hisui began before realizing and blushing slightly. "Right sorry, you use Dark Magic and aren't evil but you know what I mean."
"I do, I've fought an evil Light Mage and the King in the country my Squad comes from is a petty tyrant who uses Light Magic as well though I have known at least one good and noble Light Mage in my time." Yami said thinking of his late friend Morgen. "I know that attribute doesn't equate to the actually merit of the person, at least where I'm from."
"Yes, well, that's why the Magic Council didn't really check to see if what you said is true." Hisui said. "You've got no record of bad behavior, well no record at all as you're not from this world, and there have long been theories as to a fourth continent here so I'm not surprised that the Magic Council was satisfied by that. I only realized it when I dug deeper to corroborate the claims that you weren't from Earth Land."
"So you were told about us by someone else." Yami said his eyes narrowing. "Who? The only person here who knows of our origins is Makarov, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, and only because he knew my mentor where I'm from. Long story there but he's long been aware of my world."
"I'd like to get the full story in time but I do owe you mine as well." Hisui said glad that Yami had confirmed what she'd come to believe about him and his Guild as it put her at ease. "As for who told me, it wasn't Makarov but rather the man from the future who I foolishly listened to and allowed to manipulate me into causing the whole dragon attack disaster."
"That would be the man that vanished after the gate vanished, right?" Yami asked recalling the end of the dragon battle. "The one that pink haired guy from Fairy Tail was standing over."
"Correct." Hisui said with a nod. "He arrived a while back and claimed to be from the future and that he'd come back in time to warn us that at midnight on July 7th 10,000 dragons would attack. He told me that we could use the Eclipse Gate that was already here to fire off 7 years of accumulated magic, magic we accumulated thanks to the Grand Magic Games, to kill them."
"I recall that that was the plan." Yami said. "But that wasn't what happened, was it?"
"No we were lied to and in my naivety and desire to save my kingdom I fell for it and take full responsibility for my mistakes that led to this disaster." Hisui said the sadness in her voice. "My only defense was that it was easy to fall for the lies when his predictions kept coming true. Well it was right up until your Guild entered this year's Grand Magic Games. That was when his predictions failed."
"What were they?" Yami asked. "His predictions that he got wrong that is?"
"He said that the 7th place Guild in the preliminary round would be Quatro Cerberus." Hisui said. "Your Guild took them out during it actually. Then he predicted each of the rounds with Sabertooth winning Hidden and Naval Battle, Fairy Tail Team B winning Pandemonium, and Quatro Cerberus winning Chariots along with all the battles and the Raven Tail deception. It culminated in him predicting that the Battle Royale would come down to all 5 members of Fairy Tail, and named the 5 as the ones who'd be the team they actually used, against Sting with the point difference being 8 so Sabertooth would win by 1 if he took them all out but despite being fully healthy Sting would surrender to them giving Fairy Tail a complete victory."
"Well that didn't happen in the end, Asta has a habit of breaking predictions and expectations wherever he goes." Yami said. "And besides, those predictions didn't come to pass so how did you still fall for his trap? Bluntly speaking."
"No it's ok, I need to asked questions like that if I am to grow and be better as Princess and later Queen of this kingdom who learns from her mistakes and foolishness." Hisui said not offended at all by Yami's blunt question. "I fell because the man from the future found out that you weren't from Earth Land. He used that, along with the evidence of a name that you and Makarov discussed, a man called Julius Novachrono, to convince me that you weren't from here. As you weren't from here you must have disrupted the time flow by arriving after he came back from the future and thus changed the present from what it had been in his past. I don't really get that though."
"If I was to guess I'd guess that it has something to do with the time dilation between our worlds." Yami said taking another drag of his cigarette. "I don't really get most of it but Julius is a Time Mage so he does and I trust him. Apparently time flows differently in our world to yours. One month in our world is the same as one year in yours. It is actually why Julius sent us here in the first place."
"If I may ask, why were you sent?" Hisui asked. "It's nothing bad I presume."
"We didn't do anything wrong, in fact we were the saviors in the situation." Yami said. "But in our world, well let's just say class plays a big role in the Clover Kingdom and despite saving the day they needed a scapegoat and that scapegoat was Asta because he's a commoner who has that devil form you saw against Erza and Laxus."
"And that was important in your world?" Hisui asked. "We have similar things here, demons we call them, but they're not inherently bad from what I can tell and we even have those like Mirajane Strauss who can turn into demons similar to what Asta can do. Yes there is fear and prejudice but it's not on an institutional level, at least not here in Fiore."
"Well it is in our world though in fairness the one devil I did meet was a real evil bastard." Yami said as he took a drag of his cigarette. "But that didn't matter because between myself, Asta, and some pretty boy Asta knows we killed the devil. However, despite Asta delivering the final blow and saving the kingdom, along with being key in reversing the effects of the whole incident, they wanted to execute him for it rather than punish the noble that was actually responsible or address the issues that had led to incident in the first place."
"Ah I see." Hisui said understanding now. "They wanted to brush the whole incident under the rug so to speak and needed a convenient fall guy so to speak."
"That's exactly what they were planning and they were about to arrest Asta and another of member of my Squad, a girl called Nero, to be the scapegoats." Yami said. "Of course Julius knew the truth but for various reasons his political capital was diminished in the wake of the incident so to prevent the arrest and give him time to sort things out he negotiated a 6 month banishment for the Black Bulls during which time he and our allies there, including two of the three royal families and most of Magic Knight Captains, our equivalent to Wizard Saints as they have institutional sway, will fight for Asta and Nero's acquittal."
"I wish that didn't sound so normal but alas stuff like that happens all over the world here." Hisui said with a sigh. "Fiore is rare in that we don't have that big of an issue with classism, there is some of course that's unavoidable no matter how hard we try to get rid of it but, well, as you can tell it's not that big here."
"I've noticed." Yami said. "Julius also mentioned it regarding his time in Fiore as well and that was over 70 years ago your time if I recall. In my world he's what we call the Wizard King, basically the equivalent of your First Emperor of Ishgar if I had to make a comparison you'd understand, and he's been fighting for something similar. It's slow but it's coming and people like Asta and myself are helping show that."
"That is unfortunately how it is when class becomes so entrenched in a society, especially when so much power is concentrated at the top and remains there for centuries." Hisui said. "It's hard to relinquish such power and any attempt to instill equality will only appear to be oppression to those in power so I can understand what happened to you well. Now, by 6 months of banishment I presume it's 6 months your time as you've been here for 2 years at least from what I can tell."
"Correct, that was why we were sent here as we get 6 years of training as that is what this banishment will be for us." Yami said. "It's going to make us a lot stronger, already has really, and when we go back we'll show them."
"I don't doubt it based on what I saw in the Grand Magic Games." Hisui said. "Is there a way to contact your world at least though? Something might be going on there that you should be aware of. I know 6 months isn't a long time but you never know what could happen in half a year."
"Oh there no doubt is something going on, there always is and after what we dealt with before the whole banishment thing I get the feeling that that was just the start of things over there." Yami said. "And yes, Makarov has a way to contact Julius so I expect to get a full update after we all return to our bases. Well move ours back in my case as we did bring it so that Henry was nearby and could watch the Grand Magic Games, and use it if need be which turned out to be a good thing as it came in handy against the dragon we killed."
"Yes I heard, that is some impressive magic." Hisui said. "To think that you had someone like that who wasn't on your team, really shows the depth of your strength."
"There are limitations to what Henry can do so I couldn't put him on the team but when needed he comes through." Yami said before getting back to Hisui's question about contacting his world as they'd gotten a bit off track. "Anyway, I intend to forge a strong relationship with Fairy Tail so we'll have the update when we see them I'm sure. Just haven't been able to for 2 years what with most of Fairy Tail missing and all."
"That was a whole situation here." Hisui said. "But it is good to see that they are back, despite their penchant for destruction they were a strong force here so missing most of them was bad. I am sure that your Wizard King will be happy that Makarov is back."
"He will be as part of why we were sent here in the first place was to find out what had happened to Makarov as Julius hadn't heard from him in 5 months which meant 5 years your time so he was concerned about it." Yami said. "But yeah that's basically how we ended up here."
"I am sure there are some details missing but I won't pry into them as they no doubt involve the machinations of your world." Hisui said which Yami admitted was true. "And thank you for confirming this. I would like to discuss this more with you in time though, there's a lot I can learn from you I am sure."
"If time permits I will discuss more with you." Yami said, he'd gotten a good sense for the Princess's ki in their talk and could tell that she was a good person so she would make a strong ally for them in this world. "Providing that you keep this secret that is. We don't want to advertise our current situation just yet. So far only you and Makarov know and while I'm sure that we will take more of Fairy Tail into our confidence in time we must first build that relationship up."
"Of course, I swear on my inheritance as the future Queen of Fiore that I will not divulge what I've learned." Hisui said her ki showing now deception in her words. "And my proof is that I've known for days and not said anything despite the situation at hand. Admittedly I was more focused on the whole dragon attack and had been convinced that because you're not from here the attack was still coming and only the Grand Magic Games had changed because of you, but I still held my tongue."
"I can sense in your ki that you're being truthful." Yami said and he meant it, the Princess was being sincere and truthful in her word. "But we've gotten a bit sidetracked from earlier as I would like to know how that man learned of us. There are few ways to sneak up on my Squad and eavesdrop without any of us knowing. In fact I can only think of one such way that it could be accomplished."
"The man in question was a master of Shadow Magic and could merge himself with shadows to move around." Hisui said unknowingly revealing the first of the two things needed to sneak up on the Black Bulls. "That is how he learned of your true nature. He went to learn more about you after I questioned his predictions and ended up spying on your meeting with Makarov after the first day of the Grand Magic Games. That was where he heard everything about your true origins. All he told me of course was that you were from another world and to confirm it by looking into a former Fairy Tail member called Julius Novachrono. That's how he found out about your secret and relayed it to me."
"I see, then he must be powerful." Yami said getting an idea who the man might be given all that he'd seen and heard during the dragon attack but decided to leave it at that. "Shadow merging is basically the only way that I know that someone can eavesdrop on my Squad though that can only work if he's also strong enough to also hide his magical presence as well. My Vice Captain can do that but he's the only one who I know that can, well until this future man that is."
"I can't attest to whether he can or not but he did slip past the guards here to see me in my private champers so I wouldn't be surprised if he can hide his magical presence." Hisui said which was as close to prove as Yami could get as he presumed that security for the heir to the throne would be tight and designed to pick up incoming magic. "That is a good way to sneak up on a magic user after all, especially Guild Wizards."
"For most Guild Wizards yes but not for us." Yami said. "I've known a few individual who can hide their magical presence with, well, magic but who couldn't hide from me. In fact I recently saved the man who was partially responsible for the incident that got us banished from a Smoke Mage who could us his Smoke Magic to hide his presence. However, to fully sneak up on the Black Bulls you need to be able to hide your physical presence as well as your magical one and the only way I've seen that done is by merging your body with shadows."
"Why is that?" Hisui asked. "Is there a way to sense someone without magic? That would be a game changer in certain situations."
"There is, it's called ki." Yami said deciding to let the Princess in on the ability from his homeland as it would in part explain why this man was able to spy on the Black Bulls. "It's basically life energy that one can be taught to read but it's not a skill many people learn, at least where the Black Bulls are from."
"Really?" Hisui asked a bit confused especially as the implication was that Yami wasn't from the same place as his Squad. "Why is that?"
"Because the Black Bulls all come from the Clover Kingdom, one of four kingdoms on a large continent in our world." Yami said. "But I don't. I'm a foreigner there who washed ashore after my fishing boat got wrecked one day. I originally come from a country known as the Land of the Sun. That is where the ability to read ki comes from. As such only Asta and myself can read it in the Clover Kingdom though he is the only person who I've actually taught it to."
"Ah I see and I get that, here in Earth Land there are many different techniques that exist on other continents that don't on Ishgar." Hisui said. "That would also explain how Asta did so well in Hidden. If he was reading ki and not magic he could pick out the real humans from the magical duplicates with ease. I was wondering why he seemed to always know precisely where the others were."
"Yup, Asta's a natural at that kinda stuff." Yami said. "Learned ki in pretty much one go when I taught it to him and the situation was rather hectic at the time."
"His talents are unquestionable." Hisui agreed, Asta's run in the Battle Royale and the victories he pulled off were already legendary and it would only grow in time. "If I may ask, what actually is ki?"
"I usually charge 500 yul, or in this case I guess it would be jewel as that's the currency here, for it but I'll make an exception." Yami said as Hisui gave him a look that was clearly meant to remind him how he cut a neat line through the entire palace, which as it turned out included cutting the throne itself in half because it had been in Yami's spell's path, so he was paying for that. "Basically ki is a person's glance, their breathing, their scent, the way their muscles move, the hint of their presence, those kinds of things. When you combine all that you get the living energy that people and even nature gives off, that is called ki where I'm from. By doing that you can find people and predict movements thus allowing you to intercept attacks."
"Interesting, that does explain a lot about how Asta fights." Hisui said thinking on it and recalling his actions in Hidden and the Battle Royale. "Based on how you describe it I can see why you need a physical presence to give it off. If you don't have one then there is no glance, no breathing, no scent, no movement of muscles, nothing like that. There might be a hint of their presence but without any other indicators someone who is say merged fully with shadows wouldn't be able to give that kinda stuff off thus being undetectable. This wouldn't apply to someone who's invisible though as they'd still have that physical body, or someone who's obscured by something like smog or mist. Fascinating."
"That is an accurate understanding of how ki works and what affects sensing it." Yami said impressed at how quickly the Princess had picked it up. "In fact there was an incident where a high ranking traitor, think Wizard Saint level as he was a Magic Knight Captain at the time, tried to escape using Permeation Magic that made him invisible and allows magic to pass through him thus making him immune to magic and mana sensing but as he has a physical body he's not invisible to someone who can read ki. Asta was able to use that to follow him and hit him with one of his sword thus nullifying the spell and allowing us to capture the boneless ham."
"Useful to have then." Hisui said intrigued by the story and making a mental note to ask about it the next time she got to chat privately with Yami. "And I take it that there's more to it than just that."
"There is because each person's ki is unique to them with certain undercurrents to it that you can generalize like the maliciousness." Yami confirmed. "The quality of a person's ki is also influenced by the person's emotions and intentions. It's how I was able to tell that you have no ill intentions with this meeting, only nerves because of what you wanted to discuss with me. It also allows me to tell if you're lying or not and as far as I can tell you're not. There are more advanced ways to use it but I never learned them due to being too young when I left my homeland."
"It's very useful then." Hisui said thinking on it and then coming to a decision that she hoped would make her a better ruler when the time came. "Would you be willing to teach me how to read ki? I feel like something like that at my disposal, especially if others were unaware of it, would be invaluable for someone in my position."
Yami was surprised by Hisui's question but he thought on it for a moment taking it seriously. It was a useful skill to have and if the Princess knew it she would certainly improve her diplomatic skills, which was an odd application of ki to Yami but one that made sense for a monarch.
Additionally, if he taught Hisui how to read ki would boost the Black Bulls' standing with the Royal Family and that never hurt, especially when there was potential for competency in Hisui so long as she matured a bit after this incident. Yami expected she would mature from her mistakes; she'd already shown how remorseful she was and she'd kept their secret so far so he had a good feeling for her potential.
"Very well but it won't be free." Yami said, he did want to get some money for it after all as it might take some time to teach her it. "And they will have to be personal lessons just for you. If you want me to teach anyone else it's going to cost more."
"Of course, I will personally pay you 500 jewel for teaching me." Hisui said quoting back Yami's earlier price to him much to his annoyance but he would accept it. "And I don't want you to teach it to anyone else, at least not yet. This is for me as part of my own growth and to aid in my duties in serving the kingdom so I want to keep it a secret from everyone else."
"Very well then, I'll teach you but not right now." Yami said and Hisui nodded at that as she did expect it would take time to learn how to read ki and it would also give her the chance for more chats with Yami about his world. "I believe that there is a Grand Ball coming up and I do wish to enjoy the fine booze that you no doubt have on offer tonight."
"Don't worry, only the finest food and drink have been provided for this Grand Ball." Hisui said with a smile. "And we are aware of your Guild member who eats a lot, we're factoring her in as well."
"I've never met anyone who could do that for Charmy but I look forward to the effort." Yami said doubting that even the Royal Family could provide enough food to satisfy Charmy. "It will at least keep her occupied and allow me to keep an eye on my other knuckleheads as they may cause issues."
"Trust me with Fairy Tail there I don't think you'll be the worst, if even half of what I've heard about them prior to the disappearance of many of their members is true." Hisui said as she rose. "But you are right, we should get going as I should be present before my father appears, and to deliver a few apologies that I owe. Now if you would be so kind as to escort me to the Grand Ball I would greatly appreciate that. I can think of no better escort tonight than the Guild Master of Fiore's number 1 Guild."
"Er sure." Yami said unsure what Hisui was getting at but getting up as well and making his way to the door with her. "But I don't know the way."
"Don't worry, I'll direct you." Hisui said as the door opened though no one was there so Yami presumed that Hisui used magic to make it happen. "Come, it is time to celebrate your victory Guild Master Yami and our victory over the dragons."
With that Hisui took Yami's right arm in hers and navigated him through the palace to the banquet hall. She was right, it was time to celebrate but she was glad that she had this chat first as it was needed and she was now sure that she could count on the Black Bulls while they were here. They were Fiore's new number 1 Guild after all and it was time to properly honor that with a night of fun and celebration. What could possibly go wrong?
I think that that's a good place to end this chapter on. A good little pre ball chat with Hisui laying her cards out for Yami, getting confirmation, and becoming a confidant of sorts for the Black Bulls. Plus now she'll learn ki which could help her not make the same mistake in the future. There really isn't much more to say about this chapter, it was nice and straightforward and thanks to other chapters, and putting this one earlier than the ball rather than after, the Grand Ball can be chapter 50 in this story. The only thing to add is that due to events coming up in my life, mainly a 3 week trip starting next week, I won't be updating any of my stories for 5 weeks or so so this is a heads up for that. That's all that I have for y'all, however, so I will leave this chapter off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and I will try to answer any questions posed in reviews and PMs as best I can. Until next time.
Stringdog