Here is the fifty-second chapter in this story released in accordance with my release schedule for this story. The Grand Ball is in full swing but just as things devolve into a Fairy Tail style brawl, the King arrives, the announcement of which restores order but when the King enters it's not who people expected, nor is it a King but Kings. How did this happen and why are Natsu and Asta pretending to be the Kings of Fiore? Surely this can't end well but let's wind back the clock a bit and find out. That is it the administrative stuff I have for y'all but there are two guest reviews that need responses, both of which will answer posed questions as well, 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 Brayden (guest), you'll find out right now.
To Guest (guest), well first Asta would have to coat the weapon in Anti-Magic the same way he did with Yami's katana and he can only do that if he has his Devil Arm because that's when he has enough Anti-Magic to turn a weapon into an Anti-Magic weapon that can then be added to his grimoire but the way I see it, yes theoretically if Asta has his Devil Arm and holds a non-sword weapon in his hand the way he did Yami's katana against Dante he can coat it in Anti-Magic and then add it to his grimoire afterwards. He needs that Devil Arm first though so until he gets that, be that in this story or how it happens in canon, he won't be adding anymore weapons but theoretically he could add a scythe or a mace or a hammer or daggers or what not, at least as I see it. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
Anyway, that is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the fifty-second chapter in Black Bull Banishment.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 52: The Heroes of Fiore
While the rest of the Black Bull men headed to the ballroom, Asta held back as he focused on the ki that he sensed approaching him. There was an intent and purpose to it and he felt that it might have something to do with him as the person would cross paths with him so he was waiting for the person to arrive to find out the person wanted while studying the ki he was feeling.
Based on the ki, Asta could tell that the person was male and that he had a strong, good, ki that was vaguely familiar. However, he'd not gotten a baseline for most of the notable players in Earth Land to pick up a ki signature that he'd sensed before but not recently. After 2 years Asta could just about make out some of the famous Guild Wizards that he'd encountered if he sensed their ki but for most it was just an additional thing he used to identify someone he saw than being able to tell it was them without seeing them like he could with his squadmates or many of his friends back home.
The sole exception to this at the moment wasn't one of the Guild Wizards that he'd interacted with over the last 2 years but actually Erza, he'd know her ki anywhere now. Then again, after their duel there was no way that Asta wouldn't be able to tell her ki the moment he sensed it, that kinda thing just happened when you have such an intense fight with a warrior of Erza's caliber and then fought alongside them a few hours later against a life or death threat.
Asta could tell that this person wasn't Erza but there was a similarity in his ki, a sense of purpose, justice, power, and a dedication to family that was the same in Erza's ki. It was a mix that Asta hadn't just sensed in Erza, however, but had also come to notice in several people's ki over the last week. There was one commonality in all of these people, they were all in Fairy Tail.
The realization that this person had to be in Fairy Tail only added to Asta's reason for staying, after all they were here in part to check up on Fairy Tail and once the issue that the Wizard King was worried about was sorted they were to forge strong ties with the Guild that had taken Julius in when he'd been in Earth Land. Well, now was as good a chance as any to do so and so Asta remained as he waited for whichever member of Fairy Tail was approaching him.
It didn't take long for that to happen. Asta wasn't sure of the precise layout of the Palace but with his ability to read ki he could navigate it without an issue and get a rough sense of where things were based on how people moved within it. That was why he could tell that the person approaching was in the adjacent corridor and was about to turn into his. At the same time he sensed the last of his squadmates heading down another corridor and towards a massive concentration of ki signatures in the distance that had to be the ballroom so he was basically alone with the other guy.
Hell, even the servants of the Palace didn't seem be around at the moment which was odd but Asta just chalked that up to an all hands on deck situation for the Grand Ball and left it at that. After all, it wasn't like Asta needed their help anyway so he just waited where he was and when the person rounded the corner Asta realized that neither did the Fairy Tail member.
That was because the moment that Asta saw the salmon pink hair he knew that it was Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon Slayer in Fairy Tail and along with Asta one of the two heroes of the day as far as everyone was concerned. Asta had won the Battle Royale and by extension the Grand Magic Games for the Black Bulls before playing a vital role in the battle against the dragons while Natsu had been the one to end the dragon threat by crashing a dragon into the Eclipse Gate and send the dragons back to their original time by preventing the future that led to them coming through the gate from happening.
Admittedly Natsu destroyed the Eclipse Gate after Asta and Yami weakened it so the Black Bulls had also played a role in its destruction, and as such there were many people looking forward to meeting both teens. However, right now, said teens were alone in a corridor.
Like Asta, Natsu was wearing a simple black suit with no tie but in his case his shirt was pale pink which suited him and he wasn't wearing boots just formal black shoes. It was simple and formal at the same time and not as gaudy as the rest of Fairy Tail had opted for, well the men at least, and besides Natsu would be changing soon, not that Asta knew that, so this outfit was only temporary.
It was because of what Natsu was planning that he was walking with purpose as he entered the corridor and didn't break stride as he saw a gray haired teen standing there in a similar outfit to only with a gold shirt, boots, and a quarter cape. Naturally he had smelt that someone was standing in the corridor he had to turn down to get to his own objective, he had a great idea for some fun and after what he'd done Natsu felt that he could get away with it, but the smell was vaguely familiar and not of someone who would be an issue so he decided to just keep walking.
However, as soon as Natsu began walking towards the teen, the teen turned to him and he saw that it was Asta, the man who'd all but singlehandedly bested Fairy Tail. That gave Natsu pause and he came to a stop a few feet from Asta before grinning. This was a great opportunity to scout out his new rival and while Natsu desperately wanted to fight Asta right away he got the feeling that even their new status couldn't protect them from engaging in a duel in the Royal Palace itself, especially seeing as a duel between them would be extremely destructive.
"So you're the Fairy Tail that member I sensed approaching." Asta said grinning back at Natsu as he tried to figure out if Natsu was here for him or something else as Asta was starting to feel that it was the latter. "I knew it wasn't Erza but after that I couldn't tell who it was. Not that I mind, if I'm going to face you one day I'd like to get to know you more first. Alas we can't here, I doubt the King would like that, but soon we'll have a fight. You did declare yourself my rival after all so I expect you to help me surpass my limits."
"Damn right, you did something I haven't been able to do, beat Erza and in single combat no less." Natsu said. "Plus you stopped us from being number 1, we want revenge for that."
"Well bring it on, I've got a few Fire Wizard that are rivals back home so practicing against one of the best here will really help." Asta said, he'd seen how strong Natsu was during the Dragon Slayer match on the fourth day and while he was confident that he could handle the other teen it would still be a great duel like his ones with Erza and Laxus. "Until then, though, we should work together for Fiore, we are Guild Wizards in the top two Guilds after all."
"True, we may be rivals but that shouldn't stop us from uniting to complete jobs and help the Kingdom." Natsu said before Asta's suggestion of working together caused an idea struck him and his grin broadened. "Say, how about joining in on my little plan for the Grand Ball, Asta? I've got an idea that I want to do, that's where I was heading when I ran into you, and as you won the Grand Magic Games it would be fun to do this together. You've earned the right to do this just as much as I have so what do you say?"
"What's the plan?" Asta asked, he did want to get to know Natsu better, the guy was one of Fairy Tail's best and the Wizard King spoke highly of this Guild so it was a good idea to get close with them and besides Asta could sense the excitement and fun in Natsu's ki and he was curious to see what it was now that Natsu had confirmed that he wasn't here for Asta or the Black Bulls. "I'm down to help out if it's a good one."
"Oh it is, trust me." Natsu said and Asta didn't sense any duplicity or malice in Natsu's ki so he did. "Come on, it will be best to show you. I can smell where we need to go and as the Grand Ball is beginning I'm sure that no one will stop us from getting there."
"Alright sounds good." Asta said going along with the idea as Natsu walked up and past him and so Asta turned and fell into step next to Natsu. "The last time I was at a large fancy reception I got into a fight with Noelle's brothers and sister, as well as some other arrogant noble in my main rival's Guild back in my homeland so my track record with these things isn't good. Well, the last one in my homeland that is as I was at the Magic Ball that Count Balsamico held which was fun as well though I wasn't part of the chaos at that event the way you were."
"Damn that sounds like a good time though." Natsu said not realizing that Asta had mentioned Count Balsamico's Magic Ball because he was focused on the first part as they walked and reached the end of the corridor before turning down the corridor opposite the one that the rest of the Black Bull men had gone down. "Most parties we're at end up like that and I doubt that this one will be different, it doesn't take much for Fairy Tail to really let lose. You already know how to throw down so you'll fit right in."
"Maybe but I only fought them because I got angry at one of Noelle's brothers and her sister being assholes to her." Asta said. "They didn't treat her like family at all, so I stood up for her and showed them and another noble a thing or two with my swords. Then this noble elitest who hated that a commoner was in his Guild and when I stood up to Noelle's siblings he got involved as well."
"That's true family right there then and how it should be." Natsu said nodding at Asta's reaction, he'd do the same thing with his flames if someone disrespected someone in Fairy Tail like that though here class divides and attitudes were nowhere near as bad as Asta had just implied. "Did you beat any sense into them?"
"Alas no though I did force her brother onto a knee by reflecting his Water Magic back at him before her oldest brother got involved and another royal intervened to stop him though I'd have totally fought Nozel as well." Asta said shaking his head. "It earned me the respect of a royal and his rivalry, Leo's now a good friend, but the enmity of a few others. Not that I care."
"Neither would I." Natsu agreed. "People like that need a good beating to be put in their place."
"I agree and Solid, that's Noelle's other brother who I forced to a knee by the way, did experience that." Asta said. "And even better it was Noelle beat his ass in a tournament a few months later. She's really improved and grown but I always knew she was amazing and she deserved to beat her brother down a peg, he wasn't a good brother. I did smack Mimosa's elitist and narcissistic brother in the face with one of my swords though, same tournament in fact, and show him true beauty was. She doesn't get along with him either but it's a bit different to Noelle's family."
"A Guild is family, that's how it should be." Natsu said. "So to do that to your own, it's unthinkable."
"Oh they're not in our Guild, different ones in fact." Asta said surprising Natsu as he wasn't aware of blood siblings being in different Guilds here. "Only our Guild came here, we kinda overstayed our welcome there due to class issues and the nobles scapegoating me for a situation that I actually saved them from that they wanted to execute me and Nero for, but Noelle wasn't allowed to join her family's Guild."
"All that does is make her your family instead." Natsu said. "And the people back in your homeland not worth it if they can't see who saved them. Fiore wouldn't do that."
"I agree, my Squad, what we call Guild so I may use that term from time to time, is my family." Asta said with a nod though he didn't add that the Wizard King was working to acquit him and Nero though he did agree that Fiore would recognize them for what they did because, well, they already had. "Noelle's oldest brother Nozel has improved though, he even declared me a rival back home, so he's pretty chill now even if he's still a bit uptight. As for Mimosa's family, it's only her brother who's got a bad attitude. Her cousins are all friends, two are the Fire Wizard rivals I have who became that at the reception I mentioned earlier or just afterwards. Their older sister, however, she's on a whole other level of Fire Magic."
"Ha, I'd love to challenge that!" Natsu said excitedly a fire igniting in his belly at the mention of a strong Fire Magic user. "No one is better at Fire Magic than me, not even that Fire God Slayer could best me in the end though he could burn me."
"If you ever meet Sisgoleon you might rethink that, she's a wild animal and arguably the strongest in my home Kingdom, well after the Wizard King himself." Asta said but he was grinning at the thought of Natsu meeting Mereoleona and what that might come from that. "I've seen her fight, it's unreal and you're fireproof, she'd see that as a personal challenge."
"You're making it sound even more fun." Natsu said. "What about the other Fire Wizard rivals that you have? Are they strong as well?"
"They're Sisgoleon's younger brothers, Fuegoleon and Leo." Asta said. "The former is a Guild Master, he got injured badly in an attack on our Capital city a few years ago that was during that reception and right after he declared me his rival to be the Wizard King. Captain Yami said he'd wake up stronger and he was right, he's now really powerful and can use Flame Spirit Magic."
"I've never heard of that kind of Fire Magic." Natsu said licking his lips at the sound of it. "I wonder what it tastes like."
"No clue." Asta said a little disturbed by that declaration but then again Natsu was the Fire Dragon Slayer so he ate fire. "As for Leo, he's a bit older than me but he declared me a rival after I stood up to Noelle's siblings and that other arrogant noble even though he's royalty and I'm a commoner. He's a bit like you actually, rash and strong. Facing you will really give me a sense of how I'd fair against both Leo and Fuegoleon. Both of them want to be the Wizard King like I do, same with Nozel and my friend and rival Yuno so the stronger I get here the better my chances are whenever we go home."
"You've mentioned that term a few times now." Natsu said picking up the unfamiliar title of someone from Asta's homeland. "Wizard King. What does it mean? Is it like the King of your nation?"
"No we have a normal King as well, he's utterly useless who doesn't use his magic to help the people and almost executed me for calling him pointless and dumb." Asta said as if it was nothing, which to him it was. "The Wizard King is in charge of the Magic Knights back home, that's what we call Guild Wizards as it's a bit different there as we're part of the system rather than independent of it. I guess the best comparison is that he's kinda like your top Wizard Saint."
"I see, I guess other nations do have different styles to our own though I'm pretty sure that the Wizard Saints are continental not national but I could be wrong there." Natsu said thinking on it but it wasn't really that much of a concern, his main focus was Asta and if he was praising these people then they had to be strong but Natsu already knew that and he used this to segway into what he really wanted to ask Asta. "But you've gotta be close to them by now, you won the Battle Royale and you were up against some of the best that Fiore had in that."
"I dunno, I have my doubts but winning against some tough warriors did help." Asta admitted. "It showed that I'm up there with the best of the best here and that's a boost for sure. Plus I learned so much from my fights with Erza and Laxus."
"No one doubts it now, you probably have no idea what it means to beat Erza." Natsu said. "She's one of the strongest in the nation, to beat her in single combat, and with swords no less, is instant validation."
"I guess, we'd heard tales of her when we arrived but you guys were away at the time so they were more like legends to us so it was hard to assess them until you lot returned." Asta admitted. "But now that she's back we believe them after seeing her in Pandemonium, she really lived up to her reputation there. That was a sight to behold, watching Erza take down 100 enemies taught me a lot about her fighting styles and showed me so many new ways to use my swords, ways that were honed by facing her in combat."
"Yeah she was amazing in it, really boosted us with that win and it was the only even you guys didn't win which in hindsight only adds to everything." Natsu said. "I wanted to go and see if I could do that, would be tough though but I'm sure I can do it."
"I feel like I could manage it." Asta said. "But then again my swords nullify magic when they touch it so all I needed was one hit to destroy a monster in that castle so it's not a fair comparison or test for me. That's especially true now that I've seen Erza's Heavan's Wheel armor and style and incorporated it into my own, I don't think I'd have an issue with that Pandemonium castle thing."
"Most would see that as arrogant but I get that given what your Wave Magic can do and frankly you deserve that after beating Erza." Natsu said and finally he felt he could ask what he really wanted to ask while Asta didn't correct him on the nature of his power because they were still keeping that secret from everyone other than Erza who'd earned the truth in their duel. "And I have to ask, what did that feel like?"
"What do you mean?" Asta asked looking at Natsu as they continued to walk. "What does what feel like?"
"Beating Erza." Natsu said his excitement at the idea palpable. "I've wanted to beat her for years but never managed it and you come in and beat her in your first battle! I've gotta know what that's like! Plus I could use advice on beating her myself."
"On the advice front I don't think I can help there, unfortunately." Asta admitted and he meant it, he'd have helped Natsu out because he liked helping people get stronger and overcome a rival, that and he was certain that Natsu would talk to Erza and Laxus about facing him, but he really couldn't help. "Our fighting styles are just too different for me to be of any use to you, sorry."
"Aww man that's annoying." Natsu said though he did get it. "But yeah I can see that, you use swords with Wave Magic enchantments and also have some kind of Take Over Magic according Laxus, I'm all Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, I can see the differences. Plus Erza has a set of armor that can lower the destructive power of flame attacks by 50%. She uses it against Fire Magic so I doubt you faced it."
"I didn't but my abilities and skills are actually why you guys sent Erza at me." Asta said. "She can fight both without magic and with swords, which is the best counter to me. She's also a significantly better swordswoman than I am a swordsman but I'm catching up in part thanks to our duel."
"That's what we thought but even that failed in the end." Natsu admitted. "Alright well at least tell me how it was to beat Erza. I've gotta know what that's like so I can look forward to the feeling."
"You have a deeper and more personal rivalry with Erza so I can't speak to the feeling being the same and honestly, it's indescribable." Asta said thinking back on his duel with Erza. "I've faced a ton of strong opponents in my time, many who wanted me dead, and I've taken a lot them down but this was different. This wasn't a battle to the death, just a battle of two swordsmen, well a swordsman and swordswoman, giving their all to see who's best with the status of Fiore's Number 1 Guild pretty much on the line. It's something else I'll tell you. A duel like that, you have to be in it to truly understand it."
"Holy shit that sounds awesome!" Natsu said stars in his eyes at that. "I've gotta get that with either you or Erza!"
"I'm sure that you can do it, and when we do fight I want your best." Asta said grinning at the potential fight. "I won't get stronger otherwise."
"Likewise." Natsu said grinning back at Asta. "And if I beat you then I've done something Erza didn't, that's big! I'd be able to rub that in so hard!"
"Honestly, my duel with Erza could have gone either way and came down to the wire." Asta admitted. "If she'd used anything else at the end I might have lost. Admittedly I had finally figured out the best attack I could use on her but even then, I can't say for sure if that would have worked without Erza's armor choice."
"Really?" Natsu asked surprised.
"Yup, as I've mentioned, she's a better swordsman than I am." Asta said with a nod. "And there are limits to what the human body can do even if I'm constantly surpassing them. My Black Asta form drains me and if she'd outlasted me she could have bested me but in the end she went for her strongest to ensure victory and as a sign of respect to me. I'm honored that Erza did that but, well, let's just say that my abilities and swords are a natural counter to her strongest armor, possibly the only counter, and the toll it took on her magic was too much I think, it allowed me to surprise her and get the upper hand. That and I realized what I needed to do to win and took advantage of that."
"What did you need to do?" Natsu asked really curious now. "I doubt it's something that I can do but I still want to hear!"
"Yeah this is something unique to me because I needed to her with a Black Slash while she was mid transformation." Asta said as he explained it. "I fight by negating other's magic but Erza fights with enchanted armor and weapons that boost her already considerable skills so while I can negate her enchantments, she's still got her natural sword skills."
"Huh, I didn't think about that." Natsu admitted. "That is a big advantage because facing those enchantments can be really annoying."
"Yup, they're part of what makes Erza so versatile a fighter and because they're not her actual magic she's not at a disadvantage against someone like me." Asta said. "Erza's actual magic, at least based on what I've seen and faced, is that Requip Magic that she has, so if I wanted an opening against her I had to hit her mid transformation."
"Erza's transformations are quick and fluid." Natsu noted. "That's not an easy thing to do."
"It's not but I managed it after blocking her best because I used Black Slash, my ranged projection attack, and that got her in the end." Asta said not adding that his Anti-Magic was naturally drawn to magic so by using Black Slash right before Erza used requip it actually sped up Asta's attack. "After that it was just a matter of kneeing her to in the face at full speed followed by driving her head first into, and through, a stone wall and down onto the road below. Even someone like Erza couldn't handle that direct damage to her head."
"Man that sounds so epic!" Natsu said the fire in his belly that was burning for a duel with Asta turning into a raging inferno. "And you bested Laxus after that as well and he's also one of our few S-Class Wizards! Well, you also beat Gray and Gajeel too but I've done that regularly as well so I know it's not a big deal compared to Erza and Laxus though I have beaten the latter once."
"Gray and Gajeel were easy, they were wounded worse than me from Rufus and Rogue and I had the advantage against them." Asta said as they turned down another corridor that was a dead end but Natsu didn't stop as he headed to the fancy door at the end behind which Asta could sense two ki signatures, one of which felt like that of Mato, the mascot of the Grand Magic Games for some reason. "Gajeel also tried to eat my sword, that turned out to be a bad idea for him. Broke his teeth and then I slammed into the ground with my Demon-Slayer Sword to beat him with one blow."
"Oh I've gotta see the recording of that, I bet it was hilarious." Natsu said with a laugh at the thought of Gajeel trying and failing to eat a piece of metal. "And you took out Gray in one shot too, man I want to make fun of both of them so badly for that."
"Again, end of the day, fatigue and a what not but yeah it wasn't hard the beat them." Asta said as they neared the door. "Gray actually showed me a new way to use my swords when he beat Rufus so I used that on him. I'm sure that the recording will show all of that as well."
"I can't wait to watch that but for now, it's time for fun because this is the place." Natsu said as he reached the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open with a flourish to reveal the King of Fiore himself, Toma E. Fiore, and his Minister of Defense, Darton, standing there in the royal dressing room as the King finished getting ready for his big entrance at the Grand Ball. "Hey there King, we're here to change things up!"
"What are you doing here!" The King exclaimed looking at Natsu and Asta in surprise at them suddenly barging in. "This is my private changing room for when we use the ballroom!"
"Yeah and we're here to change because we're going to be the new Kings of Fiore, for the evening at least." Natsu said with a grin before looking to Asta as he stepped in. "Right Asta?"
"We aren't going to be killed for this, are we?" Asta asked a little hesitantly as he stepping in, he did like the idea but only if it was safe as his experience with King Clover wasn't a good one even if he was totally right about his assessment of the man. "King Clover would though I wouldn't be at something like this if he was running it anyway. King Pumpkin here might be the same even if he's done this for us Guild Wizards and is certainly a better King than King Clover."
"I won't kill you but please leave!" King Fiore said before what Asta had called him hit him. "Wait, King Pumpkin?"
"Yeah you're the mascot, right?" Asta asked as Natsu went to the outfits and checked them out as the door closed behind Asta. "Your ki's the same as his after all and no two people have the same ki. Well, at least in my experience they don't."
"Hold up, you realized that?" King Fiore asked. "How? I thought the disguise was foolproof, I don't get that."
"Huh, now that you mention it, his scent is the same as Mato's." Natsu said sniffing the air and confirming Asta's observation. "Not sure what you mean by ki but I can confirm by scent that it's the same."
"Ki's what I use to sense people without magic, it's how I did so well in Hidden but it's a bit hard to explain and besides you don't need to know it with your sense of smell, that's something else." Asta said deciding that this was fun because if the King could be the mascot of the Grand Magic Games as well as the King of Fiore then he had to be chill guy with a good sense of humor which made him good king in Asta's eyes and besides, Asta wanted to be the Wizard King so he should get used to something like this. "Anyway, this does sound fun, let's see what we got here. Anything red and fur lined? That's what the Wizard King back home wears as a robe though I think a cloak would be better."
"Of course, practically all the cloaks are like that." Natsu said as he found an outfit he liked and pointed to them. "By the way, how'd you get a cape with your outfit? They didn't provide me with one."
"Oh we wear robes to show our Guild affiliations back home rather than having Guild Marks." Asta said as he looked around and found something that looked good and grinned as he pulled it off. "So when we got fitted for outfits here they gave them some capes as they worked better with these fancy clothes. Plus it's like the one Captain Yami wears which is cool."
"Right, you guys always wear those robes." Natsu said looking over at Asta as he began to undress. "But you have Guild Marks as well, I've seen yours as it's on your chest like Gray's."
"Yeah, that's how it's done here so we have to as well, well other than Henry but he's got a condition that means he can't receive a Guild Mark." Asta said stripping as well while the King and Darton protested but they ignored the men as they got ready. "Wearing robes are still part of where we come from, so we kept them as well. I feel naked without it."
"Huh, that's pretty cool but I still prefer my Guild Mark." Natsu said. "I guess it's what your nation does and different nations do different things when it comes to Guilds."
"Precisely, it's why we have Guild Marks here but we can still wear our robes as well so I don't mind." Asta said. "And this is a fancy thing, we have to dress up. That said I've never worn anything like this but if I am to be the Wizard King I might have to get used to these kind of clothes."
"Same but this is going to be so much fun!" Natsu said while the King continued to protest but they ignored him. "Now let's see, what would look best on us?"
Asta agreed on the fun part as he inspected the royal clothes and found a set that he liked. He changed into them while Natsu found a set that he liked so soon they were both decked out in the finest royal regalia that fit their tastes in the room. Thankfully they had some that fit Asta, he ripped the first shirt he wore much to the King and Darton's horror, and he had to admit that he looked good in it as he checked himself out in the mirror while the King protested everything that they were doing but didn't try to stop them either.
What Asta had changed into was a fancy white shirt with a high collar and ruffled cuffs and a pair of fine gold pants that were slightly baggy and tucked into knee high formal boots. Over it he wore a pitch black coat that was edged in gold and which he managed to fit over his broad chest and do up with a series of gold buttons. It also flared over his thighs as it came to his knees to complete the look.
Around his waist, and over the coat, Asta put his new grimoire belt and bag so that his grimoire was on his lower back but otherwise the whole look was new. It was good and Asta felt regal in it but it was nothing compared to Natsu's.
Asta's new friend had gone with a turquoise shirt in the same style as Asta's and similarly styled white pants but that was where the similarities ended. Around his waist Natsu wore a belt with a flap that fell over his crotch and had gold edging and a strange blue cross design in the center of it.
Over all of this Natsu wore a striped blue coat that was striped between normal and powder blue with blue cuffs and a white double breasted chest and edging as it flared out over his thighs like Asta's did with gold between the with and blue, as well as gold buttons and holes for them and gold bands over his biceps. Finally the jacket was done up with a gold band around it that had an X shaped symbol on the center that was the same as the one that was over Natsu's crotch.
"Here, let's match with these." Natsu said as Asta turned to him and Natsu tossed him a blood read cloak that was lined with cream colored fur and fastened at the throat with an elaborate golden cord and that had a chain attached to the ends of it that went wound under the fur collar. "It will look good over these outfits."
"I agree." Asta said with a nod as he pulled the cloak on and around his shoulders and turned to the mirror to do mirror to work the cord as he was unfamiliar with how it worked. "One sec, this is complicated."
"Don't damage it!" The King shouted. "That's a very expensive cloak! All these clothes are!"
"We won't." Natsu said as Asta worked on fastening the cloak and he looked around and grinned as he saw the final item he wanted. "And now to top it off, a crown!"
"Hey, that's my crown!" The King yelled but Natsu had already scooped it up and put it on his head. "What will I wear! I am the King; I need my crown!"
"Let's see…" Natsu said looking around and his grin broadened when he saw an item on a table in the corner that clearly shouldn't be there. "Why this, you're used to it Your Majesty."
"What are you…" The King said as Asta turned the cloak now on and billowing as he moved to see Natsu pick up a pumpkin head, walk over to the King, and put it on his head covering him completely and proving once and for all that the King was indeed Mato. "Hey! This is my pumpkin! I can't wear this to the Ball!"
"But you're Mato now and we're the Kings!" Natsu said with a grin as he turned back to the mirror to straighten his newly acquired crown. "Hey Asta, is there a spare crown? You need one as well. Can't have just one of us wearing a crown after all."
"Yeah you're right Natsu." Asta said with a nod as he looked around but he couldn't see one which was odd. "There can't be just one crown, can there? This is a King after all, he's gotta have a backup crown somewhere, or other types of crowns for different occasions."
"I don't have a backup crown!" The King protested but as soon as he said it Asta knew that it was a lie and he turned to King Fiore as he continued to object to what they were doing. "I only have the one!"
"Your Majesty, is it fitting for a King to lie?" Asta asked sternly. "Because you just did and your subjects would be disappointed to learn that their monarch can't be trusted."
"No I didn't!" The King denied surprised that Asta had realized the he was lying. "It's the truth! I don't have a spare crown!"
"Yes you did and you did again denying it." Asta said thinking on it and deciding that if the King was this adamant then the backup crown had to be in the room with them. "Natsu, how good is that nose of yours?"
"It's the best." Natsu said with pride. "Why?"
"Because while I can sense ki in nature, a metal crown is going to be hard for me to sense." Asta said. "But you could smell metal, right?"
"I've smelt Gajeel enough, I know metal well, especially iron and steel." Natsu nodded as he sniffed the air while the King kept on denying that there was a second crown in the room but neither teen were paying attention to him at this point. "Huh, there's a high concentration of metal over here and it doesn't smell like iron or steel. That's gotta be it."
At that Natsu walked over to what looked like a normal wall panel but a tap on it showed that it was actually hollow. Grinning, Natsu felt around it until his fingers brushed over a switch on the underside of a raised wooden border around the panel. It was an accident that he found it but as soon as he did there was a click and the panel fell back and slid to the side to reveal a crown that was identical to the one on Natsu's head sitting in it on a velvet cushion in the newly revealed recess.
"Jackpot." Natsu said with a grin as he reached in and pulled the crown out before turning and walking to Asta. "King Asta, here's your crown."
"Why thank you King Natsu." Asta said grinning at the fun of everything as he took the crown from Natsu and put it on before he turned to the mirror to make sure that it was on the same as Natsu's, he had to balance it a bit but it was on and worked well. "I think it's time for the Grand Ball, don't you?"
"I concur and based on smell this room connects to the ballroom via that doorway." Natsu said turned and pointing to a set of double doors in the back of the room. "Out to the Grand Ball to meet our subjects!"
Asta nodded and they walked together to the doors and opened them and entered a long, ornate, and dark hallway but both had sharp senses and could easily walk along it and to the end without an issue as the King and Darton followed them protesting the entire time. Neither paid attention to the older, shorter, men as they walked unaware that their very act had sent a notice to Arcadios.
As such he began to head up to the balcony overlooking the ballroom to announce the arrival of the King, and end the brawl that had erupted in the ballroom. Just like everyone, Arcadios too was unaware of what was going on though with the current chaos in the Grand Ball he didn't have time to confirm things even if he could.
"Here's what we'll say to the people in the ballroom." Natsu whispered as they walked. "When we enter, I'll start with…"
Natsu whispered the words that they should say to Asta who grinned and nodded at the script as they neared the end and they heard a voice at the end coming from the other side of what looked like a wall but was actually a set of doors leading onto the balcony of the ballroom for the King to enter it in style. They didn't know that it was Arcadios speaking, both were just looking forward to the shock that their entrance would create.
"In honor of your performances during the Grand Magic Games and for your bravery in facing the greatest danger that this Kingdom has ever faced his Majesty would like to personally deliver this message to you." Arcadios was saying from the other side of the doors. "I present the King of Fiore, Toma E. Fiore!"
At that the doors opened and Asta sensed the ki of everyone in the room tense up as they all came to attention at the impeding entrance of His Majesty. His grin was didn't leave his face as they strode into the ballroom to great the attendees a second after Noelle picked up Asta's scent and then saw where he'd been and what he'd been up too all this time.
"Loyal subjects! Shut up and listen!" Natsu said cutting off any chatter as he and Natsu began their routine while ignoring the King and Darton who were still protesting behind them with the former still wearing a pumpkin over his head.
"It's time for new leadership here!" Asta added grinning at the fun of it.
"Give me my Crown and backup Crown back you two!" King Fiore man yelled from behind them jumping up as he tried and failed to stop them. "How did you even find the latter!"
"Huh?" Everyone said as one as they took in the pair standing in mirror images of each other on the balcony with the actual King of Fiore behind and between them still jumping up and down in frustration though Natsu and Asta ignored them as they completed their grand entrance to the Grand Ball.
"All hail Kings Natsu and Asta!" Natsu and Asta said in unison, their actions mirroring each other to punctuate their arrival. "The new rulers of Fiore!"
A bit shorter than the last one but I wanted to do a look back on how Asta and Natsu ended up here, taking a little liberty on Natsu's front of course, and start their bonding process a bit earlier than the rest of the Fairy Tail and Black Bulls bonding (minus the one Asta and Erza have already forged), so that we know how this happened before we resume and conclude the Grand Ball with some more fun for everyone. There really isn't much more to say on this, it's a very simple and straightforward chapter to explain what went on behind the scenes, show the beginning of the friendship between Natsu and Asta, and gear up for the conclusion of the Grand Ball. That is, of course, what's coming next so stay tuned for that but for now I will leave this chapter off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and I will try to answer any questions posed in reviews and PMs as best I can. Until next time.
Stringdog