After the Grimore Awarding Ceremony had concluded, the gathering dispersed, leaving behind a hush that hung in the air like unspoken words. Stella's heart ached for Asta, who had slipped away more swiftly than she had anticipated, his disappointment tangible in the air. She wished to comfort him, to lift the weight of his sadness, but he was gone, leaving her uncertain of where he had fled.
The others from the church were also making their exits, and she caught a glimpse of Father Oris earlier, his voice bellowing with enthusiasm as he announced preparations for a grand feast to celebrate. The thought of it felt sweet, but it felt a bit overshadowed by the fact that Yuno had received the best Grimore among them.
"The Four Leaf Grimore," Stella mused quietly to herself as she walked out of the tower, her own Grimore clutched tightly in her hand. It was a plain white book, unadorned and stark, devoid of any design or clover symbol. As she glanced inside, disappointment washed over her; there were scarcely any spells, just three pages filled with the little magic she could wield already.
While strolling along the path, Stella's attention was drawn to Yuno, who stood outside the door, entering Hage village. "Hey, Yuno!" she called out, waving her hand energetically, her smile bright against the backdrop of the dusky sky.
"Huh?" He turned to face her, surprise flickering in his eyes as he watched Stella dash toward him, her breath coming in quick bursts.
"Hello, Stella," he greeted, his voice steady, yet tinged with curiosity.
"I'm surprised you're just getting back now," she panted, coming to a halt in front of him, a playful frown creasing her brow.
"You barely even ran that far, and you're out of breath already," Yuno teased, a teasing lift in his voice, a hint of amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Oh, come on! You know I'm not athletic like Asta!" Stella protested, pointing an accusing finger at him, her expression a mix of determination and mock indignation.
"You're sure right about that," Yuno sighed, his lips curving into a faint smirk.
"Hey, speaking of Asta, I can't believe he didn't get a grimoire, you know." Stella was about to continue when two voices interrupted them, cutting through the air like a knife.
As Stella turned her head, Yuno felt the tension in the air shift as they recognized the two nobles from the awarding ceremony standing behind them, arms crossed and expressions dripping with disdain.
"It's you two," Stella glared, recalling the cruel words they'd thrown at her and Yuno. "What do you two want?"
"Shut it, runt. We don't have business with you," the blonde noble snapped angrily, his voice sharp as glass. "I don't want to hear a word from a peasant who doesn't even have a Clover grimoire."
"Excuse me?" Stella's voice rose, indignation firing in her chest. But before she could respond, Yuno stepped protectively in front of her. "Yuno—" she began, but he silenced her with a look.
"Hey, isn't that going a bit far?" The second noble interjected nervously, glancing at his friend.
"We were supposed to be the show today, and this low-life commoner ruined that," the blonde spat, his finger jabbing towards Yuno, who clutched his grimoire tightly in hand. "And he got a four-leaf clover!"
Stella's eyes widened in disbelief. No way—he's not seriously planning to attack Yuno, right?
"I need to make him pay," the noble declared, his voice rising as he opened his grimoire.
"Wait!" his friend protested, desperation creeping into his tone, but it was too late. The noble's grimoire glowed a fiery hue of orange, flames swirling around him like a ferocious beast.
Stella felt a pang of uncertainty; she knew that receiving a grimoire enhanced one's magic. Perhaps her glitch spell could avert the impending assault. She took a tentative step forward, but Yuno held out his arm, signaling for her to stop.
As the flames surged toward them, Yuno swiftly lifted his hand, conjuring a fierce gust of wind that spiraled around them, creating a protective tornado. The flames veered away, leaving both Yuno and Stella unharmed.
"He dispelled my flames without even using his grimoire!" the noble exclaimed, shock etched on his face. He stumbled back, then pointed at his friend with authority. "Attack!"
But hesitation gripped the friend, glancing anxiously between Stella and Yuno. In that tense moment, a gripping sense of danger washed over Stella.
"Something's coming!" she shouted, just as chains erupted from the walls, striking the nobles and binding them tightly against the stone with a resounding clang.
But the chains didn't stop there. They reached for Stella, too, but before they could ensnare her, her grimoire activated on its own, and her glitch spell deflected them, sending the chains ricocheting in another direction.
"We can't have that getting burned up now, can we?" a sinister voice slithered through the air as a man stepped forward, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
"What do you want? Who are you?" Yuno questioned, his voice firm yet cautious, his eyes narrowing at the stranger.
The man chuckled as he opened his grimoire, chains slithering around him like serpents. "I suppose two village kids wouldn't know, but until very recently, I was relatively known among the Magic Knight squads as the master of chain magic, Revchi," he introduced himself, a malicious glint in his eyes. "But they expelled me from their illustrious ranks, and now I'm nothing more than a humble thief."
"So, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking this grimoire away," he sneered, and two sets of chains erupted from the ground, binding Yuno in place.
"Yuno!" Stella called out, her heart racing as she watched him struggle. But Revchi's attention shifted to her.
"I see somehow you were able to avoid getting caught in my spell—but not this time," he taunted, a chain shooting toward her, but her spell activated again, sending it hurtling back.
Stella scrambled to evade, but that was precisely what Revchi wanted. Another chain lunged from behind, piercing her side and sending her collapsing to the ground.
"Stella!" Yuno yelled out, anguish flooding his voice as he saw her fall.
"Why bother even taking it?"
"The Grimoire can only be wielded by the one it chooses."
"Yes, village boy, I'm fully aware of that. But there are plenty of black market collectors who would pay a fortune for a unique specimen. The Four Leaf Clover may have chosen you, but you've received it as nothing more than a novice—a mere hatchling. This is not your lucky day," he continues, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Oh, I bet that pendant would fetch a good price," he jeers, his eyes narrowing as he takes notice of the shimmering pendant around Yuno's neck.
"Come on, Stella, you have to get up," she murmured to herself, her voice strained and barely a whisper. But the pain and the throbbing blood loss weighed her down like an anchor. "You have to try, no matter what." She didn't know all the details, but she understood that pendant was special to Yuno—and his Grimoire. He couldn't afford to lose it.
Frustration bubbled within her. "You know you want to defeat him," she thought, "but at least try to take it from him." Even if she could barely stand, she could still lift her hand toward the book and pray her spell would work. "Please, sometimes it's unpredictable, but right now... please glitch the book out of his chains." She grunted softly, summoning every ounce of strength to move her arm and hand, just a little.
"Stella, you're badly injured! Don't move so much!" Yuno's voice cut through the fog, concern laced in his tone. He was right. Any moment now, she could slip into unconsciousness. But before that happened, she had to try to seize the , a familiar voice rang out.
"Hold it!"
"AHHHH!" Asta screamed as he crashed into the wall, falling hard to the ground.
"Asta?" Stella questioned, straining to focus through the haze and piercing pain. Was it really him? Her vision grew blurrier, but there was no mistaking it—Asta had arrived to confront Revchi.
Asta's gaze darted from Yuno to Stella, who lay vulnerable and hurt. "What did you do to her?" he growled, anger igniting in his eyes as he confronted Revchi.
Revchi met Asta's glare with a cold smile. "She was getting in my way," he sneered, shrugging nonchalantly.
"I had to teach her a lesson." Revchi turned to face Asta, his expression darkening, ready to strike. In that crucial moment, he loosened his grip on Yuno's Grimoire, and Stella, though barely conscious, lifted her trembling hand toward it. To her amazement, the Grimoire flickered like static before tumbling into her palm.
But as she grasped the Grimoire, darkness claimed her, and she lost consciousness. unknowingly to her own Grimoire activated on its own as she slipped away, a golden glow encircling her as the magic surged to life.