The Black Bulls—Magna, Asta, Stella, and Noelle—finally arrived at the edge of the forest outside the Saussy village for their boar hunting mission. Once there, Magna settled against a tree, seeking refuge in its shade as he rested, his crazy cyclone propped behind him.
Meanwhile, Asta had already stumbled upon a wild boar. Noelle and Stella looked up just in time to see Asta go flying through the air, his terrified scream echoing across the clearing.
"Oh boy, and we just got here!" Stella exclaimed, her eyes wide with concern.
"I found the boar, and it's huge!" Asta yelled as he darted away for dear life, panic lacing his voice. "That's no regular boar—this one's got magic and everything!" He was sent soaring into the air once more, flailing helplessly.
"Noelle said, her brow furrowed, "Don't you think we should help him?"
"I'm not doing anything until I've rested a little," Magna replied, his tone nonchalant as he stretched out, hands behind his head. "You know how much work it was to fly you two out here. Thank God Stella can manage her own broom because it took a whole freakin' lot of magic and muscle!"
"Eh, it'll be okay. Little Rasta's a sturdy guy; he knows what he's doing," Magna reassured, approaching Magna with a determined look in her eyes.
"Yes, but—" Noelle started, concern etched on her face, but Magna cut her off.
"If you're so worried, then go help him! I'm not going to stop, ya know," he replied, shrugging dismissively.
Both Noelle and Stella exchanged hopeless sighs.
"Oh well, we can at least try," Stella said, resolutely walking off, with Noelle quickly following behind her.
From a safe enough distance, Noelle opened her grimoire, conjuring a swirling water sphere. Asta was cornered by the massive wild boar, his panic palpable.
"Here we go," she said, her voice steadying as she released the sphere, aiming carefully for the beast. But instead of hitting the boar, the sphere veered off course and crashed directly into Asta.
"Why me?!" Asta cried, drenched by the unexpected wave that sent him tumbling across the ground. But thanks to Noelle's quick thinking, Stella called upon her familiar.
"Ram's Charge!" she declared, summoning Aires, her mystical ram. The familiar charged at the boar, effortlessly passing through it and creating an opening for Asta to strike with his anti-magic sword
"Gotcha now!" Asta yelled triumphantly as the boar fell, the magical flames surrounding it extinguishing.
"Finally finished him off," Asta panted, a grin spreading across his face.
"That was a close one," Stella remarked, her relief evident as she bent down to pet Aires before he vanished.
Noelle walked up behind her, curiosity piqued. "Stella, that creature you summoned—what exactly is it?" she asked.
"Oh, it's one of my familiars," Stella explained, her eyes bright. "Based on my magic power, I can summon familiars to assist me in battle. Right now, I can only summon two: Cancer and Aries. But unlike Cancer, I've never heard Aries speak, nor do I know if he has a human form like Cancer does."
"Alright, that's pretty cool, I guess," Noelle replied, her expression thoughtful.
Magna then approached Asta, a teasing grin curling on his lips. "You got 'em, not bad, runt, but the fun isn't over yet," he practically sang, pointing toward a family of wild boars emerging from the thicket.
Stella's eyes widened as she spotted four wild boars charging toward Asta. "Oh boy!" she gasped, a mix of fear and determination filling her as she readied herself to help tackle the incoming threat.
...
Afterward, the two of them managed to take down all the wild boars they could find in the area and haul their impressive catch back to Saussy Village to prove they had completed their mission.
Magna led the way, striding confidently with a hefty boar slung over his shoulder. Noelle and Stella walked behind him, while Asta struggled to carry four boars, his brow furrowed in determination.
"Now that's what I call good hunting," Magna said, his voice booming with pride.
"Another display of your freakish strength," Noelle quipped.
"Uh, are you sure you're alright carrying all those boars?" Stella asked, glancing back with concern, noting the strain on Asta's face.
"Please, a few of these pigs are nothing—children's play!" he replied, a cocky grin spreading across his face.
"If you say so," she muttered, turning back to focus on their path, a hint of skepticism lingering on her lips.
"You really are something else. Well, if this doesn't please Sehi, I don't know what will," Magna said
"Yeah, big piggy party tonight!" he yelled, echoing through the trees.
"So, wait—Chief Sehi of Saussy Village, he's a friend of yours?" Noelle asked.
"Yeah, I and the old man go way back," he glanced over his shoulder at her, his eyes glinting with nostalgia. "You see, Rayaka Village, where I come from, isn't far from here. We're practically neighbors. I used to get into all kinds of trouble when I was a kid."
Well, looks like that hasn't really changed much, Stella thought to herself.
"When I got my grimoire, the sense of power totally went to my head. I flew into Saussy all cocky, thinking I was going to take over the place or something—boy, was I wrong," Magna chuckled, shaking his head.
He launched into a story about how he would sometimes wander into Saussy Village, causing mischief with his flame magic, and how Sehi was always the one to put him in his place. As their bond grew, Sehi had encouraged Magna to try out for the Magic Knights entrance exam. "He even had enough magic to try out himself but never took the opportunity," Magna added with admiration.
"No question, it's all thanks to him that I am who I am today." Magna gave a thumbs-up, his expression bright with pride. "I ended up passing the entrance exam, and when I did, no one was happier than Sehi."
"Sounds like a nice guy," Noelle smiled warmly.
"You bet! I'm part of the reason he came to the capital to make a fortune and improve his village, but I have a feeling he wanted to see me too." Magna chuckled as he recalled their playful rivalry.
"Of course, he took me for all I had! I'll never forget that. He taught me about being a real man. I want to be as good a guy as he is someday. I respect him more than anyone—except for Ya—" Magna suddenly fell silent, his gaze fixed ahead, his expression shifting.
"What's wrong?" Stella asked, concern creeping into her voice.
He dropped the boar he was carrying, a look of urgency etching across his features. "The hell's going on?" he said, taking off at a run.
Stella, Noelle, and Asta quickly caught up to him, their eyes widening as they took in the view before them.
"The whole village..." Magna continued, his voice trailing off in disbelief.
"It's covered in mist," Noelle said, her brow furrowing as she stared at the ominous mist dome enveloping the village.
"They've got some pretty weird weather around here, huh?" Asta observed.
"It's not the weather, idiot," Noelle snapped, her tone sharp with urgency.
"Asta, the village is covered with magic," Stella said, her voice low and serious.
"It is?" Asta's eyes widened in realization, the weight of the situation settling in.
...
Once three of them made their way down to the entrance of the village, leaving the boars behind. A thick, swirling mist blanketed the area, casting an eerie atmosphere over the landscape.
"Wow, a magic mist!" Asta exclaimed, his eyes wide with awe as he stepped cautiously to the forefront, taking in the mysterious sight.
Noelle frowned, crossing her arms as she observed the dense fog. "Trying to make it through would be about as effective as walking around blindfolded. We'd lose all sense of direction and just blunder around helplessly."
Magna stepped closer, squinting into the mist. "Magic that can completely cover an entire village... This kind of spell doesn't come from any villager. And it sure as hell isn't Sehi's magic either. Something bad happened here," he said, his voice low and serious.
"Hey, Asta! You should use your sword to cut through the mist!" Stella chimed in, her tone upbeat, but her brow furrowed with concern.
"Right!" Asta replied eagerly, stepping forward, but then abruptly stopped.
"Hey, why'd you stop?" Stella asked, tilting her head in confusion.
He turned to her, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Ah, you're just being silly, Stella. You can't cut through mist with a sword," he said, chuckling lightly.
Stella facepalmed herself, irritation evident in her expression. "Asta, please! I get it; you don't have that many brain cells, but I was pretty sure you had enough to realize the mist is made of magic, and your sword cuts through magic!" she scolded.
"Oh, yeah!" Asta yelled, the realization dawning on him. He quickly retrieved his sword from his grimoire, the blade shimmering as he swung it with determination, slicing through the mist to create a path for them to follow.
"Alright, push forward!" Magna ordered, his voice authoritative. "To the right, now to the left!"
Asta diligently followed Magna's commands, cutting away at the dissipating mist, revealing more of the village as they advanced.
"You know this place pretty well," Noelle remarked, glancing sideways at Magna.
"That's right," he responded, a hint of pride in his tone.
"Left!" Magna commanded again, his focus unwavering.
"Yep!" Asta replied, his sword moving rhythmically as the mist began to clear further. A strong sensation of mana surged through the air, making their skin tingle.
"Do you feel that?" Magna questioned, turning to look at Stella and Noelle, his expression a mixture of concern and curiosity.
"Yeah," they both answered in unison, their eyes wide.
"It's magic, and it's strong!" Stella said, the anxiety coming off her tongue.
"Straight ahead. Be careful," Magna instructed Asta, his gaze fixed on the dissipating mist.
Asta nodded, determination etched on his face as he cut through the fog once more. "We should end up in the square," Magna said, his tone steady as they pressed on.
As the mist finally parted, revealing the village square, a chilling sight met their eyes. Villagers huddled together, fear etched across their faces, and the air was filled with their cries of pain and despair. Above them, shards of ice hovered ominously, ready to rain down destruction at any moment.
"This is your execution!" a menacing voice echoed, just as the shards began to plummet towards the terrified villagers. Without a moment's hesitation, Magna activated his grimoire, his expression fierce and resolute as he charged toward the impending doom.
"Explosive Scattershot!" he yelled, unleashing a barrage of flaming orbs that soared into the sky.
They scattered in different directions, creating three massive explosions that illuminated the square, effectively obliterating the ice shards before they could strike.
As the remnants of ice sprinkled down harmlessly, the villagers looked up in awe. Asta, Stella, and Noelle carefully walked up behind with Magna, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"It's four of the Magic Knights!" one of the village kids exclaimed, his voice filled with hope.
"I can't believe they came to save us!" Another village kid said, tears streaming down her cheeks, a mix of relief and gratitude flooding the air.