[HIATUS] BLACK CLOVER: The Whisperer - Yuno Grinberryall

CHAPTER XVII. To Watch and Seek

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It hadn't been long since Xierra and Inari arrived at the Crimson Lion King headquarters. The magic knights' entrance exam was done just a few days ago. It was grueling, but Xierra took it as her first step to reaching her dreams.

It was odd that there weren't any specific assignments given to them in the last few days, seeing how Xierra expected to carry out a mission by now.

But she wouldn't say that her time was completely wasted. Inari made good use of it by training her harder, keeping true to his words. Although the training itself caused her muscles to scream in agony, Inari's coaching and instruction helped her grow, especially in sword practice. Leopold was kind enough to help her train and get permission to use the training grounds.

It's quite invigorating to see someone else scream all day other than Asta. Chuckling at the thought, Xierra walked to the mirror and neaten her robe, wondering how it looked when paired with a simple white shirt and some black shorts. She took out whatever she could find in her wardrobe that looked the easiest to move in. There were more skirts than pants, so her options were limited.

After a few days of arriving, she finally touched her robe. The other new members didn't seem to wear theirs in the first week of their arrival. Inari claimed that she could take today off training, so she figured she could wear it for the first time, lest she felt out of place in a building full of Crimson Lion King magic knights.

"Inari, how do I look?"

"Very much fitting of an official Crimson Lion King member, Master." Inari grinned from the bed, swinging his tail from left to right. He jumped down and followed behind his master, watching her turn the lights off before closing the door.

They walked down the hallway, in search of breakfast. The headquarters were generous enough to provide them with three meals a day.

Leopold, who seemed to be searching for her, perked up at the sight of her in the early morning. "Ah, Xierra! I'm glad you're awake!" he greeted, dropping the nickname he gave her after Inari chided him ever-so-often. There were times when he would call her nicknames, but all quickly ended after Inari's constant reprimands. It was amusing to watch, to say the least.

"Good morning, Leopold. Is there anything that you need? You appear to be awfully... err, cheerful, this morning?" Xierra chuckled, clasping her hands behind her.

"Of course, I am!" Leopold laughed merrily, causing Xierra to smile at his contagious laughter. He braced his hands on his hips and leaned forward, smiling broadly from ear to ear. "But before I tell you what's going on, did you have a good sleep last night? The rooms here are prepared for magic knights to have the best rest possible, and everyone's rooms were scheduled to be cleaned yesterday before dinner, so I would like your honest evaluation of your room."

Xierra had noticed servants coming in and out of her room whenever she was out training, taking her blanket and pillowslips, and replacing them with new ones. Once every few days, they would clean all rooms in unison, changing the flowers in each room, replacing the displayed books, restocking used papers and ink, and so on. Perhaps they were too engrossed in their training for Leopold to finally ask the question after a week of stay.

"Oh, my sleep was immaculate! The bed is comfortable and the room is very spacious." Xierra beamed and pointed with her index finger, emphasizing her words, "I notice how they changed the flowers. They are very fragrant."

Leopold grinned at her positive reaction, huffing proudly and puffing out his chest at the gesture. He then noticed the red on her figure, similar to what he had on. "Oh, you finally wear our crimson robe! You look great in it, Xierra!" He beamed with pride, pointing at his red robe and his other free hand pointing at hers.