Here is the fifty-second chapter in this story released in accordance with my release schedule for this story. Ruby and Weiss have just crashed into the seal in the underground station beneath Hosu and have to deal with that but what about above them? Is everything ok above ground? Well let's wind the clock back a bit and see because at the same time they're crashing into Hosu below it, above it a reception for Quirk Knights who have distinguished themselves recently is about to begin and there are a few special attendees. Let's see how that's going and if anything's about to go down at the reception, before it, or in Hosu in general just as something is going down underneath it. That I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions to answer here there is a guest reviews that need a response 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 Guest (guest), as always thank you for your review and glad to see you liked the fights on the train. Yeah it's been a while since the Sports Festival so a reminder that Neo is at U.A. and spying for Roman was needed, I'm sure she'll appear again at the school at some point. Oh that friendship is deepening by the day as the ship is built but it's a long time before it sets sail. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the fifty-second chapter in Black RWBY Academia.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these three great franchises.
Chapter 52: Meeting the Wizard King
It was half past four in the afternoon and Asta, Noelle, Nero, Yuno, Mimosa, Klaus, and Charmy left the hospital. The latter two insisted that the first years use their first names despite being seniors because they were all Quirk Knight track students and Quirk Knights used first names so the two third year work study students had to set a good example for the first year interns, well according to Klaus at least as Charmy didn't really care about that.
That had annoyed Klaus a bit but he put that to the side and focused on leading them through Hosu and to the Quirk Knight headquarters. In this aspect it wasn't a matter of pride or arrogance but simple practicality because unlike Charmy he'd actually been to the Quirk Knight Headquarters building as the Golden Dawn often got invited to receptions there unlike the Black Bulls, so he was the only one who knew where it was without having to look it up on a phone.
Not that any of them minded because now they were getting along pretty well, and by that Klaus was getting better with them. This was clear as they had had plenty of time to hang out tother for the rest of the day after they'd been informed about their invitation to today's reception.
Before that, though, Asta had to be discharged and Dr. Owen had returned around 11:30 to shoo everyone out of the room to give Asta a final check and make sure that he was mended. Asta was but Dr. Owen had told him to take things easy for the rest of the week and only do light exercise, a term that was alien to Asta, until he returned to school and got the all clear from Recovery Girl to resume full training. On top of Asta would have a scar across his abdomen from the wound that he'd taken but he didn't mind that, he was just happy to be alive and back in action even if it was limited.
Meanwhile, as Asta was getting looked at and discharged, the rest had gone down to the cafeteria. Noelle and Nero met up with Charmy there so that Noelle could get her spare hero costume and a new Black Bull robe from her, as well as a school uniform and new robe for Asta as his clothes and robe had also been destroyed, to change into it while Nero sorted out food for all of them. As such, by the time Asta got to them, and only a few moments after Noelle had returned from changing, they had plenty of food for him to eat and regain his strength after almost 2 days of being out cold.
Naturally, Asta attacked the food with a gusto and filled up on as much food as possible, much to Noelle's disgust, and his gusto was matched by Charmy who was eating again and as Noelle had to eat as well she just put up with it. Admittedly, Noelle was glad that Asta had been discharged and was doing well enough to eat so enthusiastically next to her, not that she'd ever tell him that, so it wasn't too bad. All the while Nero just ate in silence on Asta's other side also pleased that Asta was back and healthy though without the same feelings as Noelle had and was denying.
Of course, it wasn't just Noelle who was like that, Mimosa too was pleased that Asta was healthy and eating well as she sat across from him. She, along with Yuno and Klaus, had joined them for lunch as they'd all been together for the invitation and the group had ended up chatting and relaxing in the cafeteria until it was time to leave as there really wasn't much for them to do and they were close enough to the Quirk Knight Headquarters that there was no reason to leave the hospital until it was time to head over. Plus it gave Asta more time to recover and get ready for the coming reception.
Noelle at least couldn't deny that she was worried about the reception. Not only was it the fact that Asta wasn't exactly the most refined guy around and a Quirk Knight reception would contain several members of notable upper class, historic, Quirk Knight families, that would look down on his low class status, but there was also a high chance that her older siblings would be there. It was, after all, a Quirk Knight reception so that was a high possibility and even after Nozel's words after the Sports Festival, which still confused her, Noelle wasn't thrilled about running into her siblings again.
Alas there was nothing that she could do about it so she just resigned herself to the inevitable and hoped that nothing bad would happen, or at the very least nothing too bad would happen. At least one good thing had come of all of this, and Asta was in part to blame for that, and that was that Klaus had seriously lightened up.
Charmy had even noted that about him as they ate and Klaus and had shown the humility to apologize with a formal bow for his attitude over the last few years towards not just Charmy but everyone else in their class. Asta and Yuno had shown him with their actions that his views weren't accurate and he owed it to his class to make up for the last few years. He even insisted that Charmy call him by his first name now as she was going to be a Quirk Knight like him and he should treat her as such.
With a magnanimity that felt a bit over the top but was still sincere, Charmy had accepted his apology and shown it by shoving a whole slab of meat down Klaus's throat while laughing, telling him to eat up and that he could call her Charmy from now on if she was to call him Klaus. To Charmy, sharing her food was the ultimate sign of friendship and thus she was showing her forgiveness to Klaus for his past attitude. Of course, this just caused Klaus to cough and choke which caused everyone to laugh, even Yuno, and Charmy really liked that laugh but other than that she'd not really noticed Asta's foster brother.
As such, the afternoon had been surprisingly fun and gone by pretty quickly as they chatted in the cafeteria so before they knew it they were on their way to the reception. However, as they left the hospital and walked through Hosu to the Quirk Knight Headquarters building, the mood shifted and the seriousness of what was coming settled in over all of them.
"Are you sure that this is good enough for something this fancy sounding?" Asta asked as he looked over the fresh Black Bull robe that Charmy had given him when he reached the cafeteria and which was over his school uniform minus his blazer as unlike Noelle he didn't have a backup though apparently one of the Black Bulls, Vanessa, was fixing up his clothes for him. "I feel a bit underdressed."
"At least you're wearing your uniform, Asta." Yuno pointed out; unlike Asta his clothes had been fine so he was still in his normal attire that clearly showed his low birth. "That could be somewhat formal and at least has a tie. It's not as fancy as what I'm expecting but it's not informal."
"It's not bad, I'm actually underdressed by my family's standards." Noelle pointed out and didn't add that she wouldn't mind seeing what Asta looked like all dressed up. "And Nero's got a dress on which is good enough. Charmy will be looked down on though, sorry."
"I don't care so long as there's food." Charmy said while Nero didn't say anything though she agreed with Noelle that her dress was good enough and she'd at least remembered to wear shoes as she usually didn't with her hero outfit seeing as the soles of her feet had her Quirk Factor in them. "I'll just ignore them as I eat."
"It's fine, don't worry about it." Klaus said adjusting his glasses as they turned down a street and into a square that had several tall office buildings in it. "A Quirk Knight robe is all the formal attire you need at these things. Yes there will be plenty of finery, most Quirk Knights come from upper class families and if there are any Golden Dawn members they will be in our formal uniform, but it's generally acceptable that the robe and at least clean, decent, clothes are all you need. I do know a few who don't go for fancy attire, some pretty high ranked like Captain Yami, so you won't be kicked out so long as you've got your robe on."
"Ah so that explains the looks that Vanessa sometimes gets." Charmy said. "She likes to show off a bit. Course I don't need to do that to show off my sexiness."
"Yes, I am aware of the Drinker Witch's reputation and, er, fashion sense." Klaus said his tone imperious and unapproving though he did get a small nosebleed at the thought that he had to wipe away. "It's why she's one of the few non Captains with a strong fan following, and several modeling and endorsement deals it seems."
"I can see that." Noelle said thinking over the scantily clad pink haired Black Bull that she'd briefly met on the first day of their internship. "Men can be, well…"
"Pigs." Nero said helpfully. "Present company notwithstanding."
"Exactly." Noelle said though both girls were only referring to Asta as they didn't know Yuno or Klaus well enough to assess them.
"Huh?" Asta asked.
"Never mind." Nero said knowing that Asta wouldn't get it as Klaus led them up to one of the detached buildings that looked no different to any of the other office buildings other than being the tallest one in the square. "I take it that we're here."
"Yes, this is Quirk Knight HQ." Klaus said as they approached. "The whole building is owned by the HPSC and between them and the support and personal staff of the Wizard King, the whole place is fully used by our branch. From here the Quirk Knight order is coordinated and managed on a national scale while the Squads themselves deal with their assigned regions, or areas in the case of the shared region. It is also where receptions like this are held as well as meetings for the Captains should the Wizard King call them to one."
"Huh, I was expecting something bigger and grander than this." Asta admitted as he looked up at it. "Not, well, what you see in pictures of big cities. It's still big and grand to me but that's because I've never been to a city this big before or seen a building as tall as the ones here."
"We are part of the Japanese government so having a government office building makes sense." Klaus said not bothering to chastise Asta as they approached the doors that slid open for them because this was a fair mistake to make, especially for a country kid from northern Hokkaido. "Now come on, we're a little early which is good."
"That you are." A new voice said and they all stopped and looked over to see a man with light blue hair cut in a bowl that made his head look a bit like a mushroom and wearing a crisp, tailored, black suit and matching tie over a clean white shirt walking towards them. "As is to be expected from some of the most promising Quirk Knight prospects out there. Welcome to the Quirk Knight Headquarters."
"Mr. Francois." Klaus said with a formal bow that the others matched as the doors closed behind them and Asta had time to take in a standard reception area with a desk, a waiting area near the door, and a corridor to the side that led to a bank of elevators. "A pleasure to meet you again. I'm surprised you're here to greet us, shouldn't the Wizard King's personal advisor be with him?"
"Julius is busy with his paperwork; he needs to get through it before the upcoming reception and if I was there he'd use me as a distraction to ignore it." Mr. Francois, who's first name was Marx, not that the rest of them knew that, said as the students raised from their bows. "He asked me to meet you here at 5 and then escort you to the antechamber upstairs. The reception and subsequent banquet will take place in the same room on the top floor but you're to follow me first. Please, this way."
Klaus nodded and as the man was clearly important Asta didn't question anything as Mr. Francois turned and they followed him past the reception desk, which the person manning clearly didn't question them given who they were with, and towards the elevators. Asta may have been quiet, but not everyone was and one word had elicited a response from one of them.
"Did you say banquet, Amajiki?" Charmy asked salivating at that, her mind so focused on food that she called the older man by the name of a classmate of hers that he sounded like. "When does that start?"
"Come again?" Marx asked looking confused at the diminutive girl in the group that he recognized from the reports as Charmy Pappitson, a third year at U.A. and a work study student with the Black Bulls who'd come to keep an eye on the three first years interning with that Squad as she was deemed the least disruptive of the three Black Bull work study students. "What did you call me?"
"Amajiki, you sound like one of my friends from class who's fun to feed different foods too to see what he can manifest from them." Charmy said smiling up at the man. "I missed your name so that's what I'm calling you. Now tell me about the food."
"Er ok." Marx said not sure how to respond and wondering just how bad Luck Voltia and Magna Swing, the other two Black Bull work study students, could be that this girl was considered the best choice out of the three of them. "Yes, there will be food provided. There is a chef on premises who serves both the main cafeteria and special events that are held here. Once the Wizard King is done with his greeting and speech for the invited Quirk Knights, food will be brought out so that you can enjoy and mingle with your fellow Quirk Knights."
"Mhm, can't wait." Charmy said as they reached the elevators. "Let's hurry this up then."
"Charmy, now's not the time for impatience." Asta said. "This is serious, we can enjoy the food when it's done."
Charmy, however, ignored him as the elevator opened and they all filed in with Mr. Francois who stood by the buttons and held the door so that they could enter. Then, once the last of them was in he removed his hand, pulled a card from his one of the inside breast pockets of his suit, and scanned it on a scanner under the buttons before putting it away as the doors closed and pressed the top floor button that lit up at his touch.
They ascended in silence for a few moments but as they did, Charmy got a whiff of something delectable about 2/3rds of the way up that completely distracted her as they neared the top of the building. As such, when the doors opened and they filed out into the top floor elevator bank, Charmy held back and no one noticed her slip away to the staircase to descend to what smelt so good as Marx led them to the main corridor of the floor.
In all honesty, the rest of them were too distracted by being in the Quirk Knight Headquarters to realize that Charmy had vanished and focused on Mr. Francois as he led them over the marble floor outside the elevator band and into the carpeted corridor. To their right was a short corridor with a few doors off it and one at the end that unbeknownst to them was the Wizard King's formal office while to the left an even shorter one with just two doors, one at the end and one to the right of it. It was to the last door that they noticed that Mr. Francois led them.
"This is the antechamber for the reception hall." Marx said as he reached the door and opened it, stepping in and holding it open for them so that they could enter. "Please wait here until it's time for the reception, the others will be arriving soon and going straight there through the main door but as none of you are full Quirk Knights, and not accompanied by a full Quirk Knight as three of the other invitees are, I ask that you wait for me to let you into the reception as you are here on the personal invitation of the Wizard King. I apologize for this, it's just…"
"Politics."
The single word cut Mr. Francois off as the rest entered and he turned, the door closing behind him and blinked at who'd spoken. The room itself was large, somewhat circular, and had a few comfortable couches in it along with a table that had a mix of water bottles and soft drink cans on it, a door off to the side that was in the direction they'd come in and which led to restrooms for the guests waiting in it, and a second door that clearly led to the reception hall that was just closing behind the man who'd entered from it.
Due to the confusion and the man now standing in front of the large windows at the back of the room that offered a good view of Hosu City that shadowed the man with the dimming light of sunset, showing that the room faced west in the process, it took a moment for the group to fully take in him. When they did, Asta blinked at who was before them as he didn't recognize the man at all.
The man was one of the fanciest dressed men that Asta had ever seen though all Asta could see was the long red robe that cam down to his calves and covered most of his body with a golden brown underrobe that came to his ankles leaving his matching boots visible. Oddly, the robe only had one sleeve on his right arm while it was open on the left side and showed that the man was wearing a fancy white jacket based on the sleeve with a blue and gold cuff that was visible there.
Additionally, the robe was lined with white fur around the edges, the cuff of the single sleeve and a thick collar around the man's neck. On the collar was a large medal on the right side and a smaller one on the left with a golden chain around it and two golden tassels coming from the back.
All in all, it was an odd outfit to say the least, way too old school it seemed but to Asta it looked cool. However, above all else, the oddest thing, especially given Japanese culture and attitudes were still relatively negative towards them, was that the man had a star-like blue tattoo over his left eye on his forehead and under his short but messy blond hair so it was on full display for all to see.
"Sir!" Marx exclaimed in a mix of shock and frustration as Klaus's eyes went wide and he bowed deeply to the man before them, much deeper than he'd given Mr. Francois when they arrived. "What are you doing here! You should be in your office finishing your paperwork!"
"Relax, Marx." The man said in a calm, reassuring, voice that Asta had heard before, as had the others. "It's all done don't worry, you can go and check it in a moment to make sure that I didn't miss anything. I wanted to make sure the reception hall was set up for later and then be here in time to meet my guests. I did invite them, it's only right that I greet them personally before the reception begins."
"Be that as it may." Marx said unable to really argue with the polite formality that the man was showing but clearly annoyed by his actions. "I'm going to make sure that it is done, you've got a bad habit of not finishing it and running off to see things that interest you in Japan. Remember the Sports Festival! How you thought you could hide from me there of all places is beyond me!"
"I ran into Mic as I was sneaking in, he invited me to help commentate and I couldn't resist, there were so many cool Quirks on display!" The man said as stars filled in eyes and in that moment Asta and the other first years put it all together and joined Klaus in his formal bow that he'd not risen from. "Now go and check, I want to talk to these fine students."
"Very well sir." Marx said bowing himself before turning. "I'll be back if it's not done and I expect you to go and finish it if it's not."
With that Marx left as the man gave him a sheepish smile. By now they all now knew was Julius Novachrono, the 16th Wizard King of the Quirk Knight Order and the only person considered to be even close to All Might in terms of power amongst Japanese heroes no matter the branch. He looked over the bowing students and gave an awkward chuckle at their actions. This was a bit much after all.
"You don't have to be so formal with me." Julius said and that got them to rise and he offered them a shorter bow in return. "I was the one that invited you after all. Thank you for coming."
"It's an honor sir." Klaus said as Asta suppressed a scream at finally meeting the Wizard King face to face while Yuno was amazed that it was actually him and that he'd taken the time to give them a private audience. "Both the invite and your personal meeting with us."
"Think nothing of it, the honor is all mine." Julius said smiling at them and he meant it, he'd wanted to meet the rising crop of first years, well other than Leopold Vermillion as he'd already met the youngest of the fire Quirk using Vermillions through his brother Fuegoleon, and especially the two boys from the northern reaches of Hokkaido who already had the hero world abuzz after their performances in the U.A. Sports Festival. "After all that you've accomplished it is the least that I could do."
"All that we've accomplished?" Yuno asked, his surprise at the Wizard King's words snapping out of his stunned amazement at being in the man's presence. "We just helped with that underground Diamond Company base, that's all. Even then, we didn't get everything that was contained there."
"And yet what you accomplished was a lot." Julius said looking them over. "Thanks to your actions we gathered valuable intelligence on the Diamond Company both from their data files and the hard copies that you recovered. No one expected you to get it all, especially with a Diamond unit being dispatched to destroy it, but what you got will be useful."
"I will be?" Klaus asked. "If I may, sir, what did we find there?"
"We are still going through to figure out exactly what we have but already we've gathered evidence on illegal Quirk experimentation, inhuman treatments, and violations of international law regarding torture, slave labor, and child abuse in regards to their abduction and forced training of children during which many died." Julius explained giving them the overview as the specifics were both too grisly and too classified to go into. "While we would have liked to get more, that was always a longshot, and besides, what we've learned will be vital in bringing more pressure on the international community to actually do something as a whole about the Diamond Company. You should be proud of yourselves."
"Nero was the one who sorted out the computer stuff." Noelle said. "She deserves the praise for all the digital evidence that we managed to gather."
"Yes, Miss Swallowtail was it." Julius said looking at Nero. "Based on the report it would appear that you are surprisingly adapt with computers."
"I know them pretty well." Nero said simply. "I considered the Support Course as well as the Hero Course because I like working with technology and making things that can benefit people. Thankfully, the systems there were older which is what I'm better with so I was able to bypass their security and get some good information."
"That you did and then you also faced off against a high ranking member of the Diamond Company, Lotus of the Abyss." Julius said. "I've faced him myself back during their last invasion, his Quirk is rather tricky to deal with but you managed it even if he did escape in the end."
"It took teamwork to beat him." Asta said amazed that he was speaking to the Wizard King himself. "Couldn't have done it without Noelle, Nero, and Luck."
"I didn't do anything." Nero said. "Sealing doesn't work on smoke."
"You sealed him and his compatriots at the end though." Noelle said. "So you captured them after they were beaten, none of us could have done that."
"True but he got me after that and broke free." Nero said. "An odorless and colorless smoke that knocks you out is hard to counter, especially when he controlled it to only affect me. If I'm knocked out then my seals break which fully freed him and allowed him to for wake up that mineral guy for a second round with us."
"Yes, Lotus's command and control of his smoke is formidable but to even beat him once is an accomplishment so don't sell yourself short." Julius said and Nero nodded at that accepting the praise despite feeling that she didn't do much. "And now you know what he can do and how to improve should you face him again."
"I do, that was a valuable lesson." Nero admitted. "Thank you for pointing this out."
"We all learned where we could improve." Yuno said and Klaus nodded, he'd learned several lessons in the hideout when facing that mineral Diamond villain and not all of those lessons were related to combat. "The mineral villain we faced showed me my own limitations, the challenges that a highly defensive opponent can pose me, and what Asta and I are good at. I could have handled the smoke villain though; I've got a good counter for him."
"Yeah the mineral villain was tough but a few good hits with my sword, and what I learned my second sword could do, and he went down." Asta said. "The old smoke man was annoying, especially after we thought he'd been captured. Still, we survived and got intel which was good."
"Barely survived." Noelle said. "You almost died, Asta."
"Yeah sorry about that." Asta said a bit sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't expect that. Thankfully, Nero held me together and Yuno got us out of there with Sir Spectacle's help so that Nero could finish healing me. It was a close thing though."
"Yes I read the report, I must say, that Sealing Quirk of yours is really useful in the field." Julius said looking at Nero again. "And it wasn't just there, I have read what happened in the USJ, you patched up Eraser Head well. It's rare to have a Quirk with a healing aspect in a hero team, you'll be a game changer with that and that's not factoring in how you can use it to capture villains as well."
"Thank you sir." Nero said. "I have plenty to learn but I will do what I can as a Quirk Knight."
"We all will." Klaus said. "I can say as their senior that they all did well on their first mission and showed me that I too have a few things to learn as well."
"I can tell." Julius said and he meant it, Klaus Lunettes was from an old and notable Quirk Knight family that held typical, traditional, views about their branch but he was clearly praising his juniors of which three were not from the upper class and that was a good sign. "That is how things should be on a mission and you all came back alive from something that would challenge even a seasoned Quirk Knight. You should be proud of yourselves."
"Yes sir." They all said as one.
"And besides, it's not just the recent mission that you distinguished yourselves." Julius said as stars appeared in his eyes. "You were all amazing in the U.A. Sports Festival!"
"Well we did our best but it was the boys who really dominated there." Mimosa said flushing at the praise and the memory of her match against Asta, she really didn't mind how it ended at all though she'd not admit that she wanted it to happen again as she was still trying to figure out why being with Asta made her nervous, flustered, and made her heart race at a mile a minute. "They both medaled while the three of us were knocked out in the last 16."
"Yes, Asta was very impressive in it and showed that birth means nothing when he came second." Noelle said before she added as her cheeks turned pink, she was completely ignoring that he felt up Mimosa in their battle because that was a minefield that her mind refused to enter at the moment. "As a friend and fellow Quirk Knight that is."
"I expected no less." Nero said bluntly. "It's just a shame that Asta lost to Bakugo in the final."
"Yes that explosive boy was rather talented." Julius agreed. "He handled your stars, Yuno, and then adapted to Anti-Quirk to beat Asta and that was after his strong victories earlier in the final round. It's a blunt Quirk but the way he uses it, absolutely fascinating. However, don't sell yourselves short girls, you all did well. I was watching, Miss Swallowtail showed the rare phenomenon of Quirk dominance in her first match along with the determination that you'd expect from a U.A. student in her second, while Miss Vermillion proved the stronger plant Quirk user in her first match and Miss Silva triumphed over Mr. Vermillion without an offensive attack. You may have lost after that but you did your families proud."
"Thank you sir." Noelle and Mimosa said in unison while Nero nodded.
"Hold up." Asta said. "Sir, weren't you taken away after the Cavalry Battle? How do you know how our battles went?"
"Alas Marx found where I was hiding and brought me back here." Julius said sadly and all of them looked at each other because hiding was the exact opposite of what the Wizard King had done when he decided to assist the commentators of the Sports Festival. "But I watched the battles here while doing my paperwork! You were so amazing! Yuno, your stars are something else! How do they work?"
"Well, er, I'm not sure how my Quirk works exactly but I can create three kinds of tars." Yuno explained while Klaus realized that the rumors that the Wizard King was an unparalleled Quirk geek were true and Nero and Noelle noted that he'd get along really well with Midoriya. "There are attack stars that fire off concentrated beams of starlight that can cause damage to a person but they can be blocked, defensive stars that are fixed where they are and connected by starlight into shields that can withstand up to the level of explosion that Bakugo used in the semifinals, and transport stars which are also fixed stars that teleport me or others and I don't know how those work."
"Yes, I saw how all three worked." Julius said with a nod as Yuno finished his explanation. "You used them really well in all three events and remained at the top of the pack the entire time. Those transport stars especially, they helped in the first two events and your defense stars allowed you to not move until you faced Mr. Bakugo in the semifinals but he showed you that you couldn't maintain that tactic against him."
"I was too arrogant to believe I could, that was on me and Bakugo taught me a valuable lesson in our match." Yuno said. "Kirishima's power was straightforward to counter, Yaoyorozu allowed me to test something out and when that worked I had it as she had no defense after surprising her with my transportation of her attack, and Tokoyami was just a terrible matchup for me. Bakugo was different and I won't lose to him again."
"That's the attitude to have, most impressive." Julius said. "And the versatility of your Quirk is off the charts, it will serve you well. Plus I saw that you used the defensive ones as a platform in the Cavalry Battle and can transport groups as well."
"Yes sir, the former was tested out there as I wasn't sure I could use my shields like that but I'm pleased that they can works as a platform as well." Yuno said with a nod. "It's not the first different application of one of my stars as I can fly on my attack stars so long as they aren't being used to attack as they're my only non-fixed stars. As for the mass transport star, that is something that I've developed thanks to being at U.A. and preparing for the Sports Festival. If I wasn't at U.A. I don't think I could have pulled that off."
"That is the benefit of going to the top hero school in the country." Julius said with a nod. "I expect you to continue to get better if this is how far you've come since starting."
"Well I gained a second sword at U.A.! It appeared to me during the USJ incident." Asta said and he created the rend and pulled out the normal sword he had so that he could show off to the Wizard King. "See, Wizard King, and in that underground complex we learned that it can absorb Yuno and Noelle's Quirks as well, or at least aspect of them as I was able to blast off slices of starlight and water. Without their aid I might not have been able to best that mineral villain a second time so it was truly a team effort to beat him."
"Your second Anti-Quirk sword!" Julius said stars in his eyes as he reached out towards it his fingers twitching as he heard and processed what Asta had said about it but he was so overwhelmed with getting the chance to hold such a creation that he couldn't resist. "Can, can I hold it? Please."
"Can you?" Asta asked back as he moved the sword in his hand and held it out to the Wizard King the blade flat on his palms. "Of course sir! It would be an honor."
"Yay!" Julius said excitedly as he took the handle and lifted it off Asta's hands but the instant he did it felt really heavy in his hand and slammed into the ground throwing him off. "Woah! How do you swing this thing! You must be really strong Asta."
Asta just blinked at the Wizard King's reaction. No one had ever held either of his swords before, well not the handles as at least Nero and that hand covered villain called Shigaraki had touched the blades while many had been hit by them, so he wasn't expecting this. None of them were.
However, Julius was adapting to it and he quickly figured it out. For some reason, the sword was sucking the time that Julius had stolen out of him. Julius's Quirk was unique and was what made him powerful but he felt the strength that he used to wield it being drained as the stolen time was forcibly drawn from his body. He wasn't sure what that meant but what Asta had said about absorbing Quirk powers seemed to be true.
"I get it, it's got the ability to draw out someone's Quirk ability and store it though what for I can't say." Julius said quietly as he turned the sword in his hand and placed the tip on the ground before holding it back out to Asta. "I'm not entirely sure how this sword of yours works, or your Quirk for that matter because even Eraser Head's Quirk isn't like yours, but I get the feeling that there is some kind of interplay with Quirk power and this sword. It will serve you well, Asta, thank you."
"Really? It can do that?" Asta asked taking the sword back and then dismissing it. "There has to be some limits to that though, right? Like I doubt that it will work on transformation or mutant type Quirks as if it absorbs someone's Quirk ability. My other sword can reflect the former, at least somewhat as I hit a classmate with the flat in a training exercise and she burst out of her transformation and was hurled back at twice the speed she was going, and the edge can cut through a transformation but I can't see this absorbing a Quirk that isn't emitted."
"No, I don't think it can so those with transformation or mutant class Quirks can probably hold it but an emitter type, especially if that type is either elemental or got some kind of projection ability like Yuno and Silva's, will struggle." Julius agreed. "Quirks are always evolving and changing though so there is a lot that we don't know about them. I'd love to learn more but alas I don't have the time to do so, so I must leave that up to the experts. A shame because I wish I could."
At that the Wizard King's face turned wistful and he seemed to stare off into the distance. The students didn't know what to make of that but before they could say anything he snapped back to them.
"Anyway, if that is all, then I suggest that you use the door here and slip into the reception hall." Julius said as he refocused on the students and not on his dreams of understanding more about Quirks. "The reception will be starting soon and I expect the other attendees will be there so best to quietly join them. I'll come in the main entrance in a moment, once I confirm with Marx that everyone is present, and that he's satisfied with my paperwork."
"Er, before that, could, could I ask you one thing?" Asta asked. "Sir."
"Of course, there's a few moments, what is it?" Julius asked looking at Asta. "And if we take enough time Marx can't make me do any missing paperwork before the reception."
"Well, I was wondering." Asta said and as he spoke Yuno realized what Asta was going to ask and joined in with him on the question while the others just ignored the fact that the Wizard King was ignoring his paperwork. "How can I become the Wizard King?"
"I see, so we've got two new aspiring players in the quest to one day succeed me but then again that's not surprising seeing Yuno's declaration at the U.A. Sports Festival pledge and Asta yelling that to Endeavor's son while he was punching him." Julius said with a laugh. "And you're both committed to the Quirk Knight path I see so it makes sense that you're striving for the top."
"I'm sorry for my juniors' rudeness in asking such a direct question." Klaus said stepping forward. "The answer is simple and they will learn it in school but so that they are aware of it early on, the Wizard King must have a noble heart and the trust of the nation so that the HPSC, with confirmation from the Emperor of Japan himself, he or she can…"
"No Klaus." Julius said interrupting him his tone suddenly serious. "While what you say is somewhat true, the HPSC has no say in who is the Wizard King beyond the need for them to at least not be in extreme opposition to the appointee. That is because the position is solely the appointment of the Emperor, one of his few powers in fact, and is predicated on old traditions of honor, trust, and above all else, results. That last one is the true key to becoming the Wizard King."
"It is?" Klaus asked confused. "But didn't Conrad Leto get removed for losing trust?"
"Conrad's removal wasn't due to that, there were other factors that ended up sending him over the edge." Julius said with a sigh. "A shame because he was a great Quirk Knight and got results but that is a different situation."
"Oh, I'm sorry." Klaus said. "I wasn't aware."
"That is fine, we don't talk about Conrad for a reason." Julius said dismissing it. "Now back to the topic at hand, as good as a noble heart is, that alone cannot protect anyone, not even someone as powerful as All Might himself can achieve that even if his mere presence is a deterrence."
"Surely that's a good thing though." Asta said. "Right?"
"It is and All Might is the reason why Japan has the lowest crime rate in the world but that's not the point here." Julius said. "The point is that to be the Wizard King you need to get results. A noble heart helps and the trust of the people, while key in securing the approval of the Emperor, must be earned, it cannot be granted or demanded."
"I'm learning that that is the case." Klaus muttered. "Especially how trust and respect can be earned."
"Yes I can see that you've experienced how that happens first hand." Julius said and he didn't doubt that Asta and Yuno had played a role in that realization for Klaus. "Anyway, if you want to know what you need to do to succeed me and get the title of 17th Wizard King of Japan, it's simple, get results. Prove to the nation that you are the strongest Quirk Knight out there, in fact prove that you are stronger than the all other heroes no matter the branch for our branch is the oldest and alone is led by an imperial appointee. If you can do that then you'll be able to succeed me."
Julius paused for a moment to let what he'd said sink in and see if there were any questions. When there weren't he continued with his explanation because he could see in the two teens before him the necessary determination to achieve their goals, hell they'd already shown it with the hideout mission and their performances in the Sports Festival and they were just first years.
"So you must do what it takes to achieve this." Julius said before the silence dragged on too long. "Devote your work as Quirk Knights be it as interns, work study students, or full Quirk Knights when you become them to getting results. That is all there is for only with results can you achieve the trust you need to ascend to the top of our branch. Anyone who's not capable of doing this cannot hope to reach this goal."
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." Asta and Yuno said in unison.
Julius remained serious for a moment as he looked the teens in the eye and confirmed it as he saw no doubt or hesitation in them. It would seem that William and Yami had landed two very promising young men, Yami especially as Julius was aware that Asta had gained an offer from Fuegoleon as well which would have been more prestigious but for some reason Asta had chosen the Black Bulls instead, and Julius knew that the pair would make Japan a safer and better place in more ways than one.
With the serious matter out of the way, Julius let out another laugh and his mood shifted again. This surprised them but he just smiled as they all looked at him.
"Everyone should be here by now so I hope that you're ready for this special reception and keep what I said in mind." Julius said as he gestured to the door for them to enter. "Because those Quirk Knights who have been invited, excluding some of the Captains in attendance with their subordinates, are the ones who have distinguished themselves the most recently."
"They are?" Asta asked.
"Yes, they're the ones who have gotten results so you could learn a thing or two from them." Julius said. "Your classmate Leopold is coming with his brother, who is one of the honored invitees, and Fuegoleon is one of the leading candidates to replace me so meeting him is important for you, and one of your third years, along with another work study student from Shiketsu, are being honored so this is not just for full Quirk Knights. I expect that some of you will be similarly honored in future receptions."
With that, and before they could say anything more to it, Julius walked around them and left the room via the entrance they had come in to go to his office and make sure that everything was in order for the pending reception. They had a few moments and of course Asta had to ask the important question before they slipped into the reception hall.
"Who's being honored from U.A.?" Asta asked Klaus. "Do you know?"
"If I had to guess it would Marron, she's the only one it could be." Klaus said adjusting his glasses and showing that despite his change something had to be up with Marron for him not to use her first name while Noelle felt a sinking feeling in her gut because if two were being honored and one was at Shiketsu, well the second was likely her brother Solid who was currently a 3rd year there and a rising star in their family's Silver Eagle Squad. "There's no way that the Black Bulls would be honored and I'm only here because of our recent tussle with the Diamond Kingdom so it has to be her. She's one of the Top 10 in my year, not that I care for such rankings, and a middle class girl from a rural town with an earth-based Quirk."
"Sounds like someone you owe an apology too then." Asta said. "Just like with Charmy."
"Perhaps but unlike Charmy who's done nothing wrong and I just looked down on because she wasn't upper class, Marron is a bit different." Klaus said. "I will apologize to most of my class but Marron, well let's just say that the way I was with class, she is with gender so she's got her own prejudices to overcome."
"Come again?" Asta asked while the others looked at Klaus. "What does that mean?"
"Marron is a raging misandrist; she hates men simply because they are men and for some reason Swing in particular as they're always going at it." Klaus said not using Magna's first name not because he didn't want to but because he didn't have permission yet as he'd not apologized and asked him to use Klaus's first name from now on. "In fact her attitude and views have landed her in hot water on more than one occasion but even with that she's a capable Quirk Knight who does get results so I wouldn't be surprised if she's done something worthy of recognition."
"So she's with the Blue Rose Knights, then." Noelle said. "With that attitude she'd fit right in with Charlotte Roselei's Squad."
"Yes, she's been a fangirl of Captain Charlotte for years." Klaus said with a nod. "She almost destroyed the classroom with her Quirk when she got the intern offer from Charlotte, it was a no brainer for her to accept it. Honestly, I think she's more than just a fan and has a crush on Captain Charlotte but that's not my place to comment on if so. I simply hope that my change can inspire her as well but it might be hard."
"Ingrained prejudices and bigotry are hard to overcome without an external force that shows them how wrong they are." Nero noted. "You needed to be bluntly shown it but Asta, and Yuno I guess, and that's probably the case with Marron as well."
"Huh?" Yuno asked looking at the reserved girl that followed Asta around almost as much as the fussy girl did.
"True, that was the case with me." Klaus admitted while Nero just ignored Yuno's confusion. "Perhaps Swing can help, they seem somewhat close given how much they fight with each other. Enough of that though, come on, we want to get in before the Wizard King arrives. If we don't manage that then that would be really bad."
The others just nodded, bringing up the Wizard King was a good way to cut the conversation and focus on the reception, and with that Klaus led them to the door and opened it. They all filed into the reception hall as quietly as possible, they heard chatter the moment they arrived, but alas they were quickly noticed because of their sudden entrance from a side door and as they stood in the large room that covered at least half the top floor with high windows on three sides showing views over Hosu in those directions all eyes turned to them.
Even with this sudden attention, Asta noted that at the far end of the room there was a raised dais with a lectern on it and long, rectangular, tables that were laden with food and drink stations lined the side walls while several circular tables dotted the room with plenty of space between them to stand comfortably at and move around the room. It was at the tables, some with drinks, were the other attendees.
The only one that Asta, Nero, and Yuno recognized was Leo who stood at a table dressed in his fancy hero costume with a long red robe that fell to his ankles over his shoulders and two orange tassels resting on either side of his chest. Standing next to Leo was an older man in the same style of clothes and robe only with calf high black boots that his white pants were tucked into and long red hair that was swept to the side and back. A diamond shaped red burn was in the center of his forehead but even with that blemish it was clear that he was Leo's older brother.
While Leo was the only one that the three commoners that had entered recognized, it was clear who three of the other attendees were. All three had silver hair the same color as Noelle's that was styled in waves and strands that clearly differed from Noelle's straight hair which she kept in pigtails with the oldest of them braiding his bangs so that they hung over his nose. Two were male and one female and they wore similar style clothes to Noelle only they were even fancier and they wore white fur collared robes and a feather design at the base while their cloaks were either purple or blue over their clothes.
There was no doubt that they were Noelle's older siblings and Noelle's bad feeling got worse as all of them stared at her as she entered and the door closed behind her, the contempt and hatred clear in Solid and Nebra's eyes while Nozel just looked the way he always did when he looked at Noelle. To distract from it she looked away from them and saw two women standing at another table with short royal blue robes over their shoulders.
One Noelle recognized at once. The woman in question was wearing a black, long sleeved, undershirt that came down to her hands so it looked like she was wearing sleeveless gloves, a short blue skirt with leather over her hips, and white pants under it that were tucked into thigh high black socks. All of this was under her robe over her shoulders and from her robe a slightly darker blue cloak under it that came down to her ankles.
However, the most startling thing was the armor that she wore over it. In this day and age there wasn't much need for armor beyond standard body armor that some heroes and most cops wore when they were dealing with villains that used guns but there were only two in Japan's hero ranks that wore actual old school armor as part of their costumes.
One was Yoroi Mushi who wore an elaborate and modernized samurai armor, the other wore a western style armor comprising of a silver breastplate that was specially made to fit her noticeable assets with golden swirls on it, an armored collar plate around her neck, and sliver gauntlets on her forearms. Even her knee high boots were made from armor and like the rest of her armor they were also silver.
There was no doubt that the woman was Charlotte Roselei, the Captain of the Blue Rose Knights and while her family had been in Japan for a generations it was clear by her name, style, and hair that she was of western origin, probably somewhere in Europe if Noelle had to guess. Noelle also noted that the elaborate helm that Captain Charlotte usually wore wasn't on her head but the table before her as she looked over and noted them. The helm was silver and of a western design that Noelle, nor any of the others with her, could identify, but it was a notable adornment that was part of Charlotte's look.
By contrast, the tanned woman with short black hair cut in a classic tomboy style, and a strong tomboy vibe in general, standing next to her was almost the exact opposite. It was a stark contrast that took Noelle aback a bit but she didn't show it as she studied the tomboy.
The teen, Noelle put her age around 18, wore a revealing white outfit that consisted of a low cut white top that was little more than a bra and which showed off plenty of cleavage, white sleeves that came to just past her elbows, and short shorts with knee length pant legs that attached at her hips leaving her upper thighs exposed. She even had simple white shoes on. The only non white items were her short blue robe with no cloak and a black strap with a bag that likely contained standard first aid material, or possibly something for her Quirk, around her waist.
While Noelle didn't recognize the woman, based on what Klaus had said and her proximity to Captain Charotte, she had to be Sol Marron, a U.A. third year and one of the top hero students in the school. Noelle didn't really make much of her and got no negative vibes from her unlike her siblings so she decided to ignore the woman. That just left the last few attendees who Noelle didn't recognize at all, neither did anyone else except Klaus though he'd have to introduce them to Yuno and Mimosa later as they were established and high ranking members of the Golden Dawn squad.
Like the other full members, and Klaus for that matter, they wore the same uniform that all members of the Golden Dawn wore so the only differences were their appearances and cloak color. In this case the colors were brown, a light brownish orange, and sea green.
The one in the brown colored cloak was a noble looking man with medium length, slightly shaggy, green hair was Alecdora Sandler. The one with a light brownish orange cloak under his robe was a rotund man with short blond hair styled in several spikey tufts and who Klaus knew was Hamon Caseus. The final man who wore the sea green cloak was a serious man with strong build and brushed back blond hair that was braided at the back called Shiren Tium.
Of the three, the one that was clearly the most pissed was Alecdora, which Klaus had expected the moment that he saw the trio. Hamon was a cheery type of guy with a strong glass Quirk who enjoyed good food and wasn't prejudiced as far as Klaus knew while Shiren was a serious man who's focus was on his duty and was one of the best mappers in the Quirk Knights. Alecdora, however, was deeply prideful in both his status and the honor and reputation of the Golden Dawn and Klaus was sure seeing a low born orphan like Yuno in a Golden Dawn robe wouldn't be a good thing.
However before any of the other attendees could say anything, especially Leo who was about to come over to greet them, ask how they're internships were going while he told them about his, and introduce his friends, classmates, and rivals to his older brother, the door opened. It was a good thing as the tension in the room was thick and getting thicker by the second but it vanished as the door opened and Julius strode in.
The presence of the Wizard King changed everything and everyone came to attention as he walked through the room and to the dais and lectern, which showed just how much respect he commanded given the personalities and arrogances of several of the attendees. However, all that didn't matter right now because there was no doubt, this special Quirk Knight reception was about to begin and everyone was ready for it as the Wizard King stepped onto the dais and took his place at the lectern.
I think that's a good place to break this chapter up on. I could have gone into the reception, which we know what's coming in, and how that is adapted from the one in Black Clover with the fun that the banquet has and how it is interrupted but it feels better to have two have that as its own chapter and leave this one off here so I will. There really isn't much more to say about this chapter, it's a straightforward one that helps introduce Asta and Yuno to the Wizard King and what they have to do if they want to succeed him, as well as seeing Julius first hand, while the real fun is to come. As such that's all that I have for y'all so I will leave this chapter off here. If you like this story please follow, favorite (this story and me) to keep up with it and leave a review or PM; your support is what helps motivate me to keep up this work and any questions posed before the next chapter is uploaded I will try to answer. Until next time.
Stringdog