Oblivion (A Black Clover Story)

Seventeen

I didn't even sense anyone's mana as I was grabbed by the wrist from behind and... Pulled into a closet. Feeling that I already knew who it was due to the circumstance, I reached out and gripped onto a feathery chest. "Nozel... What the fuck are you doing?"

He let out a low growl from the back of his throat in frustration. "I saw you from behind and I couldn't help myself. You look good today."

"Hah!" I laughed. "You think flattery is going to get you anywhere right now? You just saw me an hour ago. What's your problem?"

The captain made a noise that signaled his frustration. "I'll give you one last chance to tell me who you slept with before I find out myself."

"If you think I'm going to tell you, then you're dead wrong."

"Tch," he clicked his tongue, "Then why don't you just go sleep with him tonight instead?" he scoffed. I could tell immediately that he regretted those words by the way his mana shifted.

I crossed my arms. "What happened to not wanting to be my sloppy seconds? For that comment, maybe I will. Why would I want to be around such an ass anyway?"

Nozel scoffed again. "Fine." He slammed the door open, storming out. It clearly didn't matter to him if anyone saw us or not. In a huff, I rushed off to the wing where the Wizard King's office was.

After taking a long, slow deep breath, I slicked back my purple locks and fixed my skirt before knocking. Quickly, I heard a bit of shuffling before the door opened and I was met with a pair of eyes glistening a shade similar to my own. "Miss Iris," sounded the voice of Marx, the Wizard King's most esteemed and well-known advisor. "Thank you for coming. Please, come in," he said politely. He opened the door wider, gracefully gesturing for me to step in after him. I did, and was suddenly greeted with the gaze of the Wizard King himself. His demeanor looked and felt a lot more professional now, but maybe that was because we were having a formal meeting.

"Thank you," I said thoughtfully to Marx, quickly bowing my head and turning to Julius, who had stood up to greet me.

"Marx, if you'll please excuse us," he said, almost glaring at his advisor as he both verbally and non-verbally asked him to leave us to talk in private.

Although he looked startled, the blue-haired man simply nodded and left. "O-of course, Lord Julius."

Once the door was shut and we were alone, his majesty relaxed a little. It was clear that he and his head advisor had an interesting relationship. Maybe Marx was a little harsh on him? Julius seemed quite stressed whenever Marx was around. Then, he sighed. "How has your time in the Capital been thus far?" he asked.

I forced a smile. "It's been great. Everyone has been so accommodating. It's like a second home here," I admitted, although I wondered why that was exactly relevant. But I guess it's reasonable if he wants to make sure I'm settling in okay.

He smiled. "I'm happy to hear that."

"Sir," I began, grabbing his attention, "I hope you don't mind me being so forward, but... What did you want to speak with me about?" As much as I liked the idea of an honor such as being summoned to the Wizard King's office for a private meeting, I wanted to get to the bottom of what he wanted.

His smile merely widened, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course! I want to speak with you about how well you've been doing in the realm of battle strategy," he explained, beginning a long discussion about everything regarding strategies in general and my skills at coming up with such intricate plans. It then shifted from that to different types of magic, and I'd even given him a small demonstration of my new Memory Whip spell that I promised him I'd show him one day. The conversation kept going off on different unusual tangents, and I surprisingly found myself enjoying having such a lighthearted conversation with the Wizard King. It was like he was a normal guy that I could let my guard down with. The way he spoke to me was like he was comfortable in my presence, as if he'd known me for years and could let his guard down. I... Liked the exchange.