It was some time after the blame for the Word Devil, the true mastermind behind everything the Midnight Sun did, tried to get the blame on Asta by Damnatio Kira. The chairman of the country's Magic Parliament wanted to use Asta as the scapegoat as means to possibly kill two birds with one stone. He really did not seem to care that he was still alive only thanks to the work of Asta and the others that defeated the Word Devil and then his major role in stopping the rampaging reincarnated elves.
Though he might have claimed that he was doing the work of justice it was his own personal brand of justice. Which normally would not have been a problem but his bias was showing in this case though. It was not justice in its truest state as he focused on Asta as a scapegoat merely because he had a Devil himself. When most of the reincarnated elves were actually members of royalty and amongst the Magic Knight they were in the Golden Dawn.
If asked William Vangeance would probably reveal everything as he and Patry(going by Licht at the time) shared a body until recently. They had the top three members of Midnight Sun still alive and out there somewhere. Damnatio did not need to laser focus on Asta merely because he had a Devil since trust in the Magic Knights could still take a dive regardless. After all, could the people truly trust in the Magic Knights that were so easily taken over or how about an enemy that was allowed to just remain under their nose and gather up forces against them.
Though that was just how things were as despite the progress made. Royals were still looking down on commoners and trying to blame them for things when they should really be blaming one of their own. So it worked out that Asta and the Black Bulls would go out of the country looking for his 'innocence'.
Asta woke up early that next day to get in some early morning training before going off to learn about the other Devils that were apparently left their marks on the families of royals. It was not that they seem to have one like Asta but were affected by them. Though the anti magic user got lost in his training and kept going far longer than he should have and noticed that when looked to see how high the sun was in the sky.
"Huh!?" Asta thought out loud
He was sure that someone would have come to get him if he trained too long. In fact,, they even told him that they would be sent someone to get him if that happened. So he was actually curious about why no one had come and got worried about what Yami would say about him not showing up when he was supposed to.
So worried he started to rush back right away and rushed back towards the Black Bulls base in along the path that he normally traveled to what was kind of his own personal training area in away. Though so focused on getting back he was not fully paying attention to where he was going. Only trying to get there as fast as possible as he treated even going to and forth the area as a form of training.
Which lead him to running into something solid and hard that caused him to fall back from crashing into it directly.
"What was that" he yelled after rolling around on the ground a bit as slammed into it pretty hard.
Looking at what he ran into was shocking as it was seemingly a stone statue of Nero/Secre Swallowtail dressed in what she normally wore along with her Black Bulls cloak.
"This is really strange," Asta said
Who would go through the trouble of making a statue of Nero but than go the extra mile of dressing them as well. Standing the statue up he noticed the hands were pressed against itself. As if it was mimicking Nero using her sealing magic on herself for some reason.
Mulling over what to do about the Nero statue he decided to bring it back the base as Nero should not get that mad at him carrying it. Noelle thought might be a different story if it was one of her though. So he lifted it at made back only to be in for another shock when he arrived.
There were more statues of everyone else there as well and it seem like it was just like a picture of typical day but with statues. Though realizing this might not be a joke and after pinching himself he knew he was not dreaming.
"I am not dreaming so let me trying this then," he said taking out one of his swords and hit himself with it.
The reasoning being if he was under the effect of some magic than his swords should dispel it but that was not the case as nothing happened. He did a few more time to truly sure only for the result to be the same. What he was seeing was reality thus the statue of Nero he was carrying was not a replica of her but Nero herself having been petrified just like everyone at the Black Bull base.
