Season 2, Chapter 13, part 1.
Below The Surface.
From Millie's point of view, she watches as Haze heads into the doors of the Black Bulls' hideout. She sits back on the branch she is on and leans on the trunk of the tree, fully in her thoughts, ("What is really going on with Haze? It is not normal for anyone to be this agitated so often.") She wonders and looks up at the starry sky above between the curly leaves of the tree.
Early next morning, Asta is being his loud usual self, running through the halls, mopping the floors, dusting the library, and such. Later on, he walks into the corridor to the beast room and notices that the beasts are calmer than usual.
"Hi, guys! I've got some breakfast for you," Asta says with a gleeful smile and hands out a big lump of ham. The wolf-like magical creature licks and gently takes it from Asta's hand before eating it, and the same goes for the other two magical beasts. "Woah, you guys are way less rowdy and silly today," Asta remarks as his eyes go to the cell where the floor, walls, and ceiling are already cleaned.
"Woah, Haze must have done a great job; the floors are practically sparkling," Asta says in ecstatic amazement, looking at the clean floors all starry-eyed. And Liebe narrows his eyes, remembering yesterday. "Almost too clean," he utters. "Huh?" Asta asks to see what Liebe means. "Nothing," Liebe replies.
"All right, a few more things, and I am ready for training and then for missions," Asta yells and heads on his way.
Meanwhile, Haze walks the corridors of the hideout, his stomach full after a protein-rich breakfast. He stops by his door and looks back and forth before heading inside. He drags his hands through his grey hair with purple lines, his expression clearly thoughtful as he locks the door behind him.
He moves over to his bed, crouches down to bring out his backpack, and puts it on his desk. He opens his backpack and brings out the package from yesterday. He opens up the box, and his face draws into uncertainty when he sees two glass bottles with some sort of powder in them.
"What even is this?" he asks silently to himself as his mind begins to think of any possibilities of what it can be. ("Why would someone working for the _family even have this? What is it for?") Trying to find the answers only leads him to more questions.
He snaps his head to the window to see a bird flying off. ("Damn it, I am on edge all the damn time,") he thinks to himself, and his eyes trail the box for a moment before he shakes his head. He goes into the desk drawer, takes out a bunch of different-sized papers and notes, and looks them all over while he simultaneously thinks things through. He ponders over it, getting more and more agitated the more he looks over the papers.
"Damn it, what am I missing?" he asks himself as he looks at the glass bottle in the golden box. "Maybe the answer is in here," he wonders out loud to himself, and he hears a knock on the door. His entire being stiffens.
"Just a moment," he says and puts the bottle into his pocket.
Knock, Knock, Knock.
"Yeah, just a minute," he repeats, shoving the papers into the drawer.
"Hey, this is no time to give your captain attitude, alright? Now open up," Captain Yami tells him. "Crap," he silently utters and shoves the box with the remaining bottle into the drawer too. He heads for the door, only for it to be kicked down, and he freezes in his tracks, seeing Yami in the remaining doorframe.
"What was the point in breaking down the door for?" he asks. "Shut it; now take this and get going, alright? My stomach is about to burst here," Yami orders, handing Haze the details for his mission. "A patrol mission in the capital? Can I get to reposition my post to somewhere else?" he asks and looks up to the captain. "I can't belive that you just ask me that? Being a Magic Knight is a job; you don't get to pick and choose. Now get to it, or I will mess you up," Yami threatens.
"How will you do that when you need to go to the bathroom this badly?" Haze's question slips out, and Yami grabs Haze's head, picking him off the floor.
"If you think I can't mess you up while taking a dump? Then you are greatly mistaken, pal. You got that," Yami clarifies.
"Yes, got it. Please let me go?" Haze pleades, regreting his question, while trying to hide how much it hurts.
"Yes, what?" Yami demands. "Yes, I got it, Captain Yami, sir," Haze says, and Yami lets go. "Good now, hop to it," Yami tells him. "Right," Haze says, getting his broom.
Meanwhile, Millie is in the forest picking herbs that she puts into a basket. "Aaaah yeah!" she hears Asta yell, and she looks up, seeing him run along the path. Millie's lips form into a smile, and she gets to her feet before grabbing the basket and walks.
She comes to the hideout in time to see Asta bolt into the door. She stops and brings out her ears to hear the voices from inside. "A mission, great! Let's go!" she has no trouble hearing Asta say, and a moment later, she sees Asta and Haze, come out with Nero perched on Astas head.
"All right, let us go to the capital!" he yells, throwing out Demon Slayer. Haze and the others get on their brooms and fly off.
Millie looks at the guys for a long moment, and her eyes fall on Haze. Her mind wanders, and she looks to the hideout before she touches her bell and puts the basket with the herbs inside.
She transforms into a cat and flies up and around the hideout. Following her nose, she finds Hazes's room and presses on the window, pulling on it.
"What the," she utters, looking up, seeing a plank that is nailed over the window, keeping it shut. ("I guess that he does not want anyone to get inside,") she thinks to herself, looking through the window. She sees a small piece of a wrapper on the table and remembers the box in a golden wrapper from yesterday.
She thinks of Haze's demeanor lately, ("He may not like this or even want to talk about what has his heart hurting. There has to be something I can do to help,") she thinks to herself. So, she sticks her nose on the window, and white flames forms, burning away the window enough for her to get through. She walks through the opening and jumps to the table.
She looks behind her, seeing the window magically repair itself, and she turns to her human form, sitting on the desk. She opens the drawer and puts the papers out in front of her on the desk. "This will need more time than this to figure out," she softly says and touches her bell, bringing out a notebook and a quill. She writes everything down, brings a note up to her face, sniffs the paper thoroughly, and memorizes what is on the note.
Her eyes go to the notes on the desk, and she looks down into the drawer, where she sees the box and a bottle with the powder inside it. She sees the patterns of the paper keeping it in place that there was once another bottle next to it.
"Now, what is inside of you?" she gently asks and brings up the bottle to take a closer look. "Right," she gently says and moves on, putting the papers back into the drawers and transforms before she leaves the same way that she got in.
She flies up to the roof of the hideout, takes in the world around her, and the forest has begun to change color. A cool breeze flies by, and she hugs herself to fight of the chilly feeling. "The days are getting shorter and colder," she softly mentions, sensing for Asta's soul. ("Now he said that they were going to the capital, right?") she thinks to herself and brings out her wings and takes off.
Her wings are swift, and after a good while, she lands in the capital. She transforms into her human form and looks around to see people walking about. "Okay, to find the alchemist," she softly thinks out loud and walks in a direction, taking in the smells and sounds of the busy streets.
Time passes, and she eventually finds the shop. She steps inside. "I'll be right with you," she hears the lady say from behind the shelves.
"Ma'am," Millie utters softly, walking a bit further in, heading to go around the shelves. She stops and looks behind her. She looks at the window only to see nothing there. She narrows her eyes a bit, and she moves her body towards the window.
"Oh, it is you. What on earth are you doing here again?" the lady asks in disapproval of Millie's presence.
"Ma'am, I brought you these," she softly speaks, touching her bell to bring out the basket filled with herbs. "You are giving me herbs, why? What is the meaning of this?" the lady asks, clearly not sure what to think of the gesture.
"Well, first, I wish to apologize for yesterday's event. So, I am sorry that I made you upset yesterday. I wished no harm or any form of discomfort that I have caused, and I brought you these to make up for it," she gently explains as she hands the basket over to the lady, who takes a good look at the herbs in the basket. "These are of really good quality too," the lady says, picking up one to get a better look.
"Those are very kind words, ma'am," Millie utters, seeing the lady still look at the herbs. "If I am allowed to say, I believe that whoever you are getting the ingredients from may be charging you too much for the ingredients if you believe the prices for the potions are fair compared to what you are charging," Millie continues.
The lady thinks Millie's words over carefully. "Are you well-versed in gathering herbs?" the lady asks. "A bit, I must admit I may be a bit rusty, but I am still decent," Millie explains. "There is one more thing that I would like to ask. You see, I usually get the same customers, and I don't believe that I have seen you around before," the lady says.
"Well, I believe yesterday was a one-time thing as I was given a mission to shop for my master and his friends," Millie explains. The lady's eyes shift as she seems to be getting an idea. "Right," the lady says before she moves over to the door and turns the sign around to a closed position and locks the door.
"Well, there is one thing you can do if you really wish to help me out with that," the lady says and walks over to the counter. "Do you wish for me to talk to your herbalist, Ma'am?" Millie asks in an accommodating tone. "No, there is no need for that, child. Money is just tight for me lately, you see. So, if you can bring me a batch like this twice a week for, I don't know, about 3 months, then that should help put me into the green," the lady explains.
"But if the herbalist's prices remain the same, you will only end up in the red again, miss," Millie explains. "Well, yes, I get that, and you are right. So, I will have a chat with her to see what we can do," the lady explains. "You know that I can do that for you as well. It is the least I can do," Millie softly pushes.
"No, it is quite all right. You helping me out with the herbs is more than enough," the lady reassures Millie with a glimmering smile. "Are you certain, Ma'am, because—" "Yes, yes, of course, I am sure, child. Now you go out into the world. If you have a master, then I am sure you have plenty of work to do already, and you probably have plenty to get around to. So, I should not hold you here on this matter any longer," the lady says, leading Millie to the door.
"Are you sure, ma'am?" Millie carefully asks. "Of course, see you around now," the lady says and gives Millie a small push against her back as she steps out into the street. Millie turns to the door. "All right, see you around—" She lets out before the door is closed in her face. "-Ma'am..." she gently says and smiles. (''She probably has a lot to do'') Millie thinks to herself and walks the street. (''She is probably right; I should get back to my master'') she thinks to herself and stops, looking straight ahead at a black, shadowy figure standing 12 feet in front of her.
(''Things are getting this bad regarding the whole thing, huh?'') Millie thinks to herself. As she thinks of Asta again, the shadowy figure moves a couple of feet closer, and Millie takes a worried step back. (''Maybe seeing my master right now is not the best option,'') the thought ruminates through her head before harsh winds blow by, and she hugs herself to keep warm. She takes a deep breath and walks past the shadowy figure.
Millie walks the streets, following the presence and feeling of Asta's soul. She looks around at the streets, seeing people moving about their day, everything seems nice and peacfull.
Her eyes go straight ahead, and she sees Haze and Asta. Her feet stop as her mind comes to a standstill. (''I met them sooner than expected. Maybe I should move to check out the powder in the flask before going to the guys?'' ) she asks herself, getting unsure of what to do. Asta's face turns to her, and his face draws into a friendly smile before he takes up his hand and waves. ''Millie, hi!'' he yells, snapping Millie out of it. ''Hey, come over here. What are you doing walking around by yourself for?'' Asta yells, and Millie takes a breath.
''Master Asta, I, uh,'' she softly utters and walks up to the group. ''Great, come on. It is rare that we are stationed in the capital. This day will be great, don't you think?'' he asks with excitement while Haze rolls his eyes, looking away, seeming disinterested.
Soon, they walk through the streets. Asta is being his cheerful self as they walk, with Nero Perched on his head, Asta talking about all sorts of things, but Haze has them tuned out as his thoughts goes into his mind. walking with his hands in his pockets. In one of them, he feels the glass bottle with the green powder inside of it.
''What is the powder for? And how do I find out what it is? I don't know anyone who is well-versed in making potions... well, no one who will keep their mouth shut if whatever is inside is some sort of illegal contraband,'' his mind thinks to himself, seeing Asta and Nero chat. (''But as long as I am with these two, I won't really get much of a chance to find someone either. And even if I could, I would not be able to leave this group. ''Damn being magic knights, there certainly is a lot of guard and patrol duty. I thought I would at least get a little more free time than this. I need to hurry things along,'') Haze thinks to himself before letting out an annoyed sigh.
''Uh, you okay there, Haze?'' Asta asks, noticing Haze's demeanor. ''Oh, nothing. This day is just going slowly, is all,'' Haze replies.
''Slowly,'' Asta says, not sure what to say as he looks to Nero on top of his head.
''Haze, what luck to run into you,'' a female voice says, and Haze's face goes into surprise as he turns his head to see a lady with flowy grey hair and purple lines in it walk up to the group. Haze's expression shifts to suspicion as he watches her approach.
''Hi, Henely. What are you up to?'' Haze asks her.
''Wow, so rude. Are you not going to at least introduce me?'' she asks.
''Yes, who is this, Haze?'' Asta asks, and Haze takes a deep breath. ''Asta, this is my sister, Henely,'' Haze tells Asta before turning to his sister. ''Henely, this is Asta. The bird on his head is Nero, the one on his shoulder is Liebe, and the girl next to us is Millie,'' Haze introduces and looks to Henely and to the man behind her, seemingly waiting for her.
''And who is that? Another one of your-'' Haze starts.
''Don't you dare. Anyways, I was supposed to hand this to you personally in a couple of days, but since you are here, it removes the hassle of tracking you down,'' Henely tells him and hands him a letter.
''Who is it from?'' he asks and is about to open the letter.
''It is from mother,'' and Haze's hand stops as he looks to his sister. ''Is she?'' he asks in surprise.
''No, she asked me to hand it to you before she got sick, and that you are to open it once you turn 20,'' Henely tells him, and he turns the letter to see the butterfly logo of his mother's insignia of a butterfly.
''Right, how is she, by the way?'' Haze asks, concerned.
''How about you pay her a visit sometime and ask that yourself,'' Henely tells him.
''Yeah, well,'' Haze says as his mind trails off. ''Anyways, I have done what I am supposed to, so you have fun. It was, um, interesting meeting you all,'' Henely says, turning her attention to the group.
''Sure, you too, Helene,'' Asta says with a smile as Helene walks off, and he waves them off.
Haze looks at the envelope and folds it and puts it into his pocket. Millie looks at him and at Asta as he stretches wide and looks to Haze. ''So you turn 20 in a couple of days. I must say that I am surprised; I figured you were 15, as that is the time when people usually try to become a magic knight,'' Asta says. Haze looks to Asta, not really wanting to engage with him.
''Are you hungry?'' Haze asks and walks. ''Huh,'' Asta says and walks after Haze. ''Sure, I can go for something,'' Asta says with a bright smile, putting both his hands up and putting them behind his neck, resting them there as they walk.
Millie watches as the guys walk ahead, and she walks a few steps behind them. Moments later, Asta's face lights up. ''Oh, I know exactly what to get,'' he says with an eager smile, looking to Haze who lifts an eyebrow at Asta. ''Uh, right, what did you want to get?'' Haze asks.
''You two just stay right there,'' Asta says with a gleeful smile, heading off. Haze and Millie stand waiting by an iron fence which Haze leans on before letting out a heavy sigh, and Millie looks to him as he is clearly deep in thought. (''Kyle Venty, the man I had a quarrel with, and the note I found gave me no leads. Then Martig Grengore, which did not have anything interesting to show in his office. But I did manage to get the package containing the green powder from his goons. Uncovering what it is used for is most likely my next lead, and then there is Reassity's that I have not gotten a chance to check out yet, but knowing they have some sort of connection to Grengore and my dad, it should be worth checking out.'') Haze thinks to himself, remembering Laura. The brunette in a blue dress comes to view in his mind before his mind shifts to a hospital bed. And he takes up his hand to look at his ring with the sharp purple stone held between two butterflies on his finger (''Mother, I. Be patient, I will visit you once this is all over,'' he thinks to himself before remembering his father's words after his first mission (''you are a failure as a son''). His father's words echo through his mind, making him grit his teeth (''damned jackass'') he thinks to himself.
''Haze, sir?'' he hears Millie's kind voice ask, and he barely moves his head to look at Millie. ''What is it?'' he asks annoyed. ''Sir Haze, is your heart hurting?'' she carefully asks, her voice still soft, and he looks at the concern in her eyes before he turns his eyes to the castle town in front of them, and he sighs.
''Millie, did I ever ask you to speak?'' Haze asks. ''No, sir,'' Millie gently replies. ''Then shut your face for now,'' he orders in annoyance. And Millie's mouth opens before she closes it (''I am confused, sir Haze seems to be in pain, but he keeps pushing people away. There must be something I can do to help. Until I can find out how to properly help him, I better respect his wishes'') Millie thinks to herself, looking into space.
A moment passes, and Asta runs up to the two, carrying with him something on a stick and shows it to the two by the fence. "Here, guys, look, you will love these," he says, representing the stick with a small purple squiggly snake, which has been roasted and put into an S shape by the stick.
"What even is that?" Haze asks, accepting the stick. "Grilled violet snake on a stick; it is super awesome," Asta says ecstatically and hands one to Liebe, who eats small pieces of it. "Would you like some, Nero?" Asta asks, representing it to Nero on his head. "No, thanks," she says in a clear no. "Alright, how about you, Millie?" he asks, representing it to Millie, who blushes and puts her head forward. Asta's face draws into slight awkwardness as he notices that Millie is sniffing the purple snake. "It is a truly kind offer, Master; regrettably, I will have to decline," Millie replies softly with a neat bow before standing up properly. "Your loss," Asta says with a smile and bites into the snake, looking to Haze, who just swallowed his first bit. "So what do you think?" Asta asks with his mouth full of food. "It is actually really good," Haze answers in slight surprise, looking at the snake on the stick before turning his eyes to Asta, who swallows and smiles. "I know, right? And it is super cheap too," Asta says with a bright smile. Millie looks between the guys before turning her gaze to the sunny sky, seeing birds fly high above, and she looks at the clouds pass by.
Meanwhile, quite some distance away from the capital, right at the edge between the noble and commoner realm.
Fiola, the new Lion King's knight, wanders the streets of the town with Mimosa, and Lydia is walking about.
"According to the details, we were sent here because the villagers have reported strange happenings on the outskirts of town lately, and they cannot pinpoint where it comes from or who is doing it, right?" Lydia asks.
"Well, yes, but everything seems quite normal so far," Fiola says a bit unsure about the whole thing.
"It is probably just someone out looking for trouble again, am I right, Mimosa?" Lydia asks.
"I am not so sure what it could mean," Mimosa says, looking at everyone in town. "Is it just me, or does everyone seem rather tired?" Mimosa asks, and the other two girls look at everyone in town more properly. "You are right; everyone looks like they haven't slept or gotten a proper night of rest for a while," Fiola replies, and worry creeps onto her and everyone's face. "That is not normal for everyone to look this tired, all at once," Lydia says.
"You are completely right," Mimosa says before making up her mind and walks up to a man. "Excuse me, mister, but could you perhaps tell us what is going on here?" Mimosa asks gently.
"Not now, girl, I have things to do," the man says in a grumpy voice and walks away.
"Well, that was rude," Lydia says, tying her hands together. "They are too tired to even think straight," Mimosa says with worry.
"Ugh!" they hear an old voice from some distance away, and they turn to see an old man struggling to push a barrel along. The girls look at each other and run over to him. "Hey, let us help you with that," Mimosa gently says with concern in her voice as she steadies the barrel.
"Thank you, miss."
"Where do you need to get the barrel?" Lydia asks on the other side of the man.
"Over there, that's where my home is," he says, and the girls help push the barrel over to the house. The man stands up straight, and the girls put the barrel next to the door.
"Thank you; these old bones aren't what they once used to be," he says, panting, clearly tired.
"Why did no one offer to help?" Lydia asks.
"Well, usually they do, but lately people have gotten more and more tired."
"Anyone fancy a glass of water for helping me out?" he asks, stepping inside his house.
"Well, actually, we..." Fiola says, but the man has already gone inside. "He might be the only one willing to answer any of our questions," Mimosa says, and the girls walk on inside.
"Here you go, girls," the man says, handing Mimosa and Fiola a glass, and he walks over to his cupboard. "Mister, we do have some questions about why everyone is so tired," Mimosa explains in her usual calm voice.
"Sure," he says and hands Lydia a glass, then walks over to the chair next to the coffee table. He places the glass down, and his leg jumps up; he pulls his knee to his chest. "Damn it," he lets out in great pain as he grips onto the chair.
"Mister," Mimosa says and runs over to him. "If it's fine, I..." AAW," the man says as another surge of pain goes through his leg before it calms slightly down. "My leg is just strained and worn down," he says and grits his teeth in pain. "I had an injury years ago, and it never seems to let go of me," he says and after.
"Plant magic princess healing flower robe," Mimosa says, and a bush of plants comes around her stomach and waist and goes to her back, stretching out into two great wings protruding from the back, and a light green light surrounds her person.
She holds her hands close to the man's leg, and his whole body relaxes when touched by her spell. "The pain is going away," he says, and after a moment, he can place his foot down with ease. "I am glad you are feeling better already," Mimosa tells him and keeps healing him.
"Well, you are right; your muscle tissue was very damaged and has tied itself into a knot, but not to worry, I can fix it," Mimosa reassures in a comforting tone. "Not even the town's best healer can do that... you are not the average magic knight, are you?" the man asks. "Nope, the name is Mimosa Vermillion," she says with a smile. "A royal, I see. Then maybe you can help this town after all. I am glad to see that the Wizard King is taking this seriously," he says.
"We can assure you we are all just as good," Fiola tells him. "Now if you could give us any information," Lydia asks. "Well, it all started a few months ago. One morning, everyone was just tired. At first, we figured maybe it was the weird weather changes after the whole war thing, but it kept happening. We sent letters to the Magic Knights' headquarters, and they had people investigate it before, but no one turned up anything. Then, the last couple of weeks, there has been this shaking," he explains.
"Shaking? Like an earthquake?" Lydia asks. "No, it was more like a form of static shaking, and the swamps surrounding this place, well..." "The swamps, what is wrong with them?" Mimosa asks. "Not sure, but usually the kids have no trouble playing near it—chasing toads and playing with sticks, that sort of thing. But there have been no toads to be seen, nor any dragonflies or a bird or anything at all. What could that be?" Fiola asks. "I do not know. I asked one of the kids about it, and they looked uneasy to tell. They said the trees were moving, and it was like something was out there at times."
"Well, that is enough to give anyone the creeps," Lydia says. "I guess investigating the swamp is our next move, then," Mimosa says, and the girls share a glance and nod. "Hope so. The last couple of groups said that they found nothing," the man says. "Well, we better figure out what is out there then," Fiola says. "There is one more thing," the man says. "What is it?" Mimosa asks. "Well, earlier this morning, right before the sun got up, there was this mana," he says. "Mana? What kind of mana?" Fiola asks. "I don't know. It felt so calm and so..." the man says as his mind trails off. "And so what?" Mimosa asks. "I don't know; it is probably nothing," the man reassures.
"What were you doing up so early?" Lydia asks. "Oh, young one, you will see in time that your body needs less sleep, and sleeping in becomes a rare occurrence," the man explains. "Besides, it means that I am the first one to the well every morning," he says with a smile. "Either way, we better start looking."
Not long after, the girls are out in the swamp, walking about. The sun in the sky moves over their heads. "We have been here for hours, and I haven't seen trees move or anything? Are we sure that the old man wasn't telling us a bunch of crap?" Fiola asks.
"Well, he is right about one thing; I haven't seen a single bug or mosquito or anything anywhere," Lydia says. "Well, yeah, but I don't know what to even look for."
"We are looking for anything unusual," Mimosa tells her. "Well, yeah, but..." she says, and the light around them dims, and they all look up at the sky. "Fat chance of finding anything in the dark," Fiola says. "Well, you have a good point," Mimosa says, and the three girls walk over into town.
"Now that I think about it, we haven't heard a single bird ever since we got here," Fiola mentions. "You are right, so there is definitely something going on here, but what?" Mimosa says. "Huh, oh look there," Lydia says and points up high.
"Huh, who is that?" Mimosa asks. "A friend," Lydia replies and starts to wave. "Hi Tory, Alisa over here!" Lydia yells. "Oh hi, guys," Alisa says flying closer. They notice someone behind them. "Oh, Sky is here as well," Lydia says, seeing them land with a box within a net between them land.
"Hi, Lydia," Sky replies and gets off her broom. "It has been a while; what are you doing here?" Lydia asks. "Well, Tory and Lydia asked me too, so I just went along with it. Not that it is a big deal or anything," she says and brushes it off.
"Well, it is good to see all of you," Lydia says. "Oh, are these friends of yours?" Mimosa asks. "Yeah, I met them through Haze." "Well, that sounds great. Do you have anything to do around here?" Mimosa asks.
"They do delivery, all over the kingdom if I remember correctly," Lydia says, looking at Tory and Alisa. "Well, we mostly deliver within the common realm, but we can go to the forsaken realm or noble realm if it is needed and if the price is high enough," Alisa explains.
"Yeah, and the ask for supply in this village has increased lately. They keep asking for herbs that can help them stay awake of all things. I guess people in this time are hard workers if they want this much," Tory says and looks at the crate. "Right," Mimosa says and thinks it over.
"What is it?" Tory asks. "No, we are here because the town can't seem to get a restful night's sleep," Lydia says. "Wait, none of them?" Alisa asks.
"Oh, there the delivery is," a lady says, and the group turns to a lady in a purple commoner's dress and yellow eyes with a white scarf tied around her neck.
"Why, yes, here they all are, coffee leaves as ordered, from Gezy village," Tory tells the lady. "Right, here is the money; I will be sure to get this to everyone," the lady says. "Oh, and I am glad the magic knights are on this; please get to the bottom of this this time," the lady says and looks at the 3 magic knights. "We will, ma'am," Mimosa says.
"Pah, please excuse my reservation about that, as the last couple of groups said the exact same thing," the lady says. "Well then, this group is different; we will not leave this place until we figure this out," Mimosa reassures.
"Well, you appear to be of the Golden Dawn, so maybe you actually can crack whatever this is, but then again, the Golden Dawn has been thinned down this last half a year. I suppose the best can't be the best forever, but this will give you a chance to make amends," The lady says.
"Omens?" Lydia asks. "Well, this village isn't that far away from the Golden Dawn headquarters, and when the Golden Dawn, I mean the elves, went by, they had no trouble wrecking this place," the lady says. Fiola looks over to Mimosa, seeing a slight hint of pain on her face. "That wasn't their fault; everyone knows it was a devil manipulating them and is responsible for all of it," Lydia defends.
"Either way, be sure not to disappoint this time," the lady says. "Right," Mimosa says, and everyone looks at her, and the lady looks at them all. "Well, I better get to it," she says and, using her mana, she carries the crate and leaves the teens.
A moment passes of them waiting for the lady to leave. "Mimosa, are you all right?" Lydia asks. "Oh yeah, I am good," she says with a brave smile. "Don't listen to her; the magic knights know that everyone is innocent," Fiola tells her.
"Well, either way, we should find a place to stay for the night. With some rest and fresh morning light, we might see something that we didn't see before," Mimosa says. "Yeah, but I don't see an inn or tavern anywhere near here," Fiola says, looking around.
"Maybe we can ask the old man if he knows where we can stay the night," Lydia asks. "Good idea," Mimosa says. "Well, we will need a bit to rest up before we head out again; we have been using our brooms all day, and my mana is almost out," Tory says.
And the group goes over to the elderly man's house, and Fiola knocks on the wooden door, and the man opens the door. "My, so many guests," he says, and the group gives friendly smiles, and moments later, they all are in his living room.
"Well, this place has no inn or anything, but feel free to stay here if you would like," he tells them. And Alisa smiles brightly. "Thank you, sir; it means a lot. We will accommodate you," Mimosa tells him. "If you can figure out what is going on, then it is more than enough payment for me," he reassures. "Right," Mimosa says, and Lydia and Sky looks at Mimosa.
The group moves in and sits down on the couch surrounding the table. "Now Alisa and Tory, I have seen you around before. Tell me, how is the passion project going?" the man asks.
"Oh, it is going quite well, thank you. It is not long now, actually, until we can purchase the land," Alisa tells him with a bright smile.
"Purchase land?" Fiola and Mimosa ask simultaneously.
"Yes, there is a spot of land not too far from here on top of a hill, overlooking a lake. It's just perfect for opening my very own restaurant," Alisa explains.
"But that's in the middle of nowhere, basically," Lydia tells her.
"Yes, but I know it is a good spot. You see, it lies just between four busy villages that are actually quite bustling. The hill is along the best route to get to all of them. Plus, it isn't too far from the capital, so attracting people with wealth isn't too far-fetched either," Alisa says, driven and loaded with excitement.
"It sounds like you've thought this through at least a little bit, but..." Fiola starts, and Alisa puts up a hand for her to stop. "I know it will work," Alisa says again.
"Well, if not, I guess making and selling timber from that area could be a good plan B, as it is located close to a river and a lush forest," Tory says.
"Oh, don't start on that again," Alisa says.
"I am just saying to be realistic. 'Yeah, yeah, blah, blah,'" Tory retorts, and the old man smiles. "Well, I am glad your spirits are high as ever," he says and moves over to his kitchen area of the room.
"I don't have much, just bread and water, so feel free to whatever you need," the man says. "Oh no, we couldn't take your food," Lydia says. "Nonsense," the man says and goes over his trough and looks into it.
"Oh my, it seems that I am out of water," the man says. "I can go and get some," Mimosa offers and stands up quickly. "Well, you seem rather eager to do it, so sure," the man says and hands Mimosa a bucket. "Right, is it upon the hill outside of town, right?" Mimosa asks.
"Why yes, take care now; the path may be a bit slippery," the man says. "I will not worry," Mimosa says and heads out the door. "Wait, I am coming with you," Sky says and grabs another bucket and runs after Mimosa.
Outside, Mimosa walks with a quickened pace and looks to her side as Sky runs up. "Oh, you did not need to come," Mimosa tells her. "I wanted to; besides, two buckets, twice the water, which I believe that we will need with the house as full as it is," Sky insists.
"All right," Mimosa says with a slight friendly laugh. The girls walk in silence for a moment. "So, eh, you seemed upset; are you okay?" Sky asks. "Well, eh," Mimosa says. "It might be wrong; I mean, I only read it in a book that sometimes when people are upset, they tend to seek solitude, and if I, eh, well, it was from a book, so," Sky says awkwardly. "You consolidate books for that?" Mimosa asks.
"Well, connecting with people hasn't been my strong suit, and Millie told me that I should at least try if I wish a better life for myself and make my brother proud," Sky says as the last of the sentences weakens.
"Is your brother no more?" Mimosa asks. "No," Sky says. "I see, well, thank you for trying to look after me," Mimosa says, and they get to the well. "Well, I am not sure if that is what I am doing, but I, well," Sky says.
"It kind of seems like it to me," Mimosa says, placing the bucket by the well's edge and ties the well's rope too it and lures the bucket down into the shaft. "So did the lady's words bother you earlier?" Sky asks, and Mimosa stops for a moment before she keeps going. "Well, I would be lying if I said that they didn't," she says silently with a hint of sadness to her voice as she brings the bucket up. "Do you want to talk about it?" Sky asks, and Mimos freezes in her tracks.
"What? What is it?" Sky asks, and Mimosa's eyes turn towards the town. "This magic," she says, and Sky feels around. "You are right; the valley felt colder all of a sudden, didn't it?" Sky says. "I have a bad feeling; let us get to the others."
"Right," Sky says, and they both begin to run, and they slip in the mud. 'Ow, are you okay?" Mimosa asks, removing dirt from her knees. "Yeah, I have slipped before; let us go," Sky says, and the girls begin to run towards the town.
Meanwhile, with Asta, Haze, and Nero, Millie stands outside the communal bath for men with Nero perched on her head as she leans against the wall and looks up to see the stars that have come to once again greet the land.
"What the, my gut is killing me," she hears Haze groan from stall one. "Same here, oh man, this is what happened the last time," Asta is heard from stall two. "You idiot, if this is what happens, then why did you buy it for us?" Liebe complains from stall three. "Well, you never know; hopefully, it will go fine one day," Asta defends. "Hopefully!" Haze and Liebe say together.
"Those guys are idiots," Nero says with comedic indifference written all over her bird form. A gentle smile comes to Millie's face. "They sure keep things interesting, Miss Nero," Millie replies softly.
A moment later, Asta steps out, rubbing his stomach with relief written all over him. "Man, that felt great," he says with a big smile. "If you say so," Haze says, walking out relieved, but he straightens up, and Liebe goes into his small form and flies over to Asta's shoulder.
The group walks for a bit. "Well, the time says that our patrolling is over for the day," Asta says as Nero flies over and lands on his head, and Asta turns to look at Haze, who gets his broom and mounts it.
"Well, glad this day is over," Haze says, pleased. "Well, it was a fun day," Asta says. "If you say so," Haze says nonchalantly. (''Of course, Asta is having fun, no matter where he goes, how does the guy do that?'') Haze wonders and begins to float on his broom, and Asta looks at Millie, who is walking a few steps away and seems tense all of a sudden.
"Uh, Millie, what is wrong?" Asta asks as Millie looks in a certain direction. "This feels bad," she utters and turns towards Asta. "Master Asta, I feel trouble," Millie tells him. "Where?" he asks. "Let us go, sir," she says and runs, unfurls her wings, and goes. "What is she talking about? I don't sense anything," he says. "We should go," Asta says and runs after her, bringing out his grimoire and taking out his slayer sword. He throws it into the air, jumps on it, and takes off. "Seriously," Haze says and sighs before he flies after them. Nero who is perched on Asta's head, looks at Millie ahead of them, and she has a thoughtful expression on her face.
