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Black Clover - The Three Brothers
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"Hm."
"..."
"Hmmmmm."
"..."
"HMMMMMM!"
"...!"
Blake blinks.
"God...damn it!" He cursed, dramatically throwing the upper half of his body onto the table, before heaving a sigh and offering a handshake of sportsmanship to Gordon. "Good game, Gordon, good game." He said with a tearful sniff.
Gordon returned the handshake, offering words of condolence and encouragement that went almost unheard.
"I hope you two are playing nice with each other." Vanessa joked, sitting beside Blake as she poured some wine into a large glass.
"Playing nice? I'm getting eviscerated by this guy! Tenth game I've lost in a row," Blake said, leaning his head onto Vanessa's shoulder for a second, nuzzling into it. "He's too strong, what do I do?"
"Just gotta keep trying, big guy. You'll get there." She said with a giggle, delicate fingers pushing back Blake's bangs to give his forehead a kiss.
He couldn't help the big smile on his face, stuff like that was always a mood-lifter. He stops leaning on her—making sure to return her kiss—and instead does so on the table, pulling forward the box of various board and card games he and Gordon still hadn't gotten through.
"Just wait, Gordon, I'll beat ya one of these days," Blake said with a smile.
Gordon held a quiet clap of his hands. His whispers of enjoying the games whether he won or lost, as long as he was with friends, lost to the air.
The dining hall began to fill up with more members after some time had passed: Charmy got to work on cooking the moment she stepped foot in the place—it was something big whatever it was, Gauche was working through the tenth part of his letter to his sister, and Grey simply resided in the area, moving around to a different spot every so often.
Blake held a thoughtful look toward the girl in her usual transformation. They hadn't gotten around to telling anyone else about Grey's situation, only since she insisted that she tell whoever she chose on her own, wanting to mark it as a sign of her progress. His thoughtful look transitioned into a small smile; He had faith in her, she'd do it when she was ready.
"Alright! That was some tight training guys, sick work!" Magna proclaimed as he shoved open the doors—followed by Asta, Noelle, and Luck. He strolled by Blake, a cheeky grin on his face as he used Blake's shoulder as an armrest.
"Look who's getting all comfy and lazy over here in his pajamas!" He pointed out, Blake was wearing a long-sleeve black shirt and sweatpants. "Better watch out bro, you'll get outclassed in no time if this keeps up!"
Blake laughed, then shrugged. "Hey, I'd love to head out on any kind of mission right now, but our beloved captain insisted on putting my ass on house arrest since last week."
It was a surprise to Blake when all that ache and pain in his body after the dungeon mission still stayed around. Even when he used Healing or Recovery Magic, it didn't do much, and he'd ended up needing to just rest naturally, having the body's healing process do the work this time. The strenuous activity was a no-go, so intense training or missions were off the table.
"There's a reason for that, you punk." That familiar hoarse voice was followed by a slam on Blake's head with the sheath of Yami's katana. "Can't break your limits if your body's breaking down too much in the first place."
"Well that certainly helps..." Blake mumbled, before looking back at Yami—who had Finral trailing behind him. "Oh, welcome back, Captain. Welcome back, Finral. How'd your trip go?"
"I'll get to that later. You all recovered yet?" Yami asked, setting his sword on his shoulder.
"One sec. Got any fours, Gordon?" He beamed proudly seeing the man across from him taking two cards out of his hand to give to him. "Alright, that's what I'm talking about! What about...sixes?"
Blake frowned as Gordon shook his head, drawing a card from the deck. His first five.
"Ah da—agh!"
"Here I am trying to be all considerate and you go and ignore me. You're crushing my dainty little heart, you know that?" Yami muttered, placing Blake in a tight headlock with just one arm.
"Well...you're crushing my windpipe so...I'd say that's a fair trade?" Blake retorted in his struggle to remove Yami's grip on him. When Yami relented, Blake soothed his neck, realizing Yami could probably snap someone's neck with just the flex of his bicep. ...Respect.
Blake sat up, giving his body a stretch to see if there were any painful knots or kinks left. Thankfully, his body didn't have much issue. "Yeah, I'm feeling pretty good, I'd say."
"Good. If that's the case," Yami called for Asta and Noelle, gesturing them over. "In a little bit, I'll send the three of you over to headquarters. This time, you guys will be the ones giving the report." He explained.
"So, we'll be around the Noble Realm then?" Noelle asked, causing Asta to brighten at the prospect.
"Seriously? All right, It'll be my first time being there!" Asta said with excitement.
Yami nodded, "But before that," He began, looking toward Magna. "Magna, do your thing."
Magna grinned, "Yes, Captain Yami, sir!" The resident delinquent stepped toward the dining table—which had been empty only a moment ago, now bared stacks on stacks of a familiar sight for Asta and Blake.
"POT POTATO PIES!" They shouted in realization, running to the table and jumping into their seats, chanting the food's name as they pounded their fists onto the table, a fork and knife in hand.
"You guys better get excited! For good work on your toughest mission yet and for a speedy recovery, we're hosting the Black Bulls' Traditional Eating Competition!"
"How much more yapping will go on before I feast on these delicious creations? I'm starving!" Charmy said, a string of saliva hanging from her lip.
"Is this why you insisted we spend so much time training?" Noelle asked, sounding displeased as she took a seat at the table beside Asta.
"Had to make sure you guys worked up an appetite!" Magna replied before beckoning the rest of the brigade to join them, with only a few taking part. "Glad to see you aren't being a stick in the mud, Miss Royalty!"
"Feel grateful for me entertaining the idea." She replied coldly. ...Well, if it's something Asta enjoys, maybe it's not so bad?
"Let's make sure we have the proper hydration for these mouth-drying delights," Blake remarked, grabbing ahold of the cups and pitcher of water through a spatial portal, and handing out the filled-up cups of water.
"Good looking out! Yami, sir! Please judge the event, if you'd so kindly!" Magna asked as he took his seat.
"Alright. Enough of the chit-chat, let's get this started." Yami said, lighting up a cigarette. "Ready? Eat!" He said, signaling the start with Grey hitting the gong with a drum—something they apparently have.
The competition started fast and heavy; Asta, Blake, and Charmy were absolutely gorging on the food, clearing their first huge stack within a matter of seconds, barely needing their drinks to get it down. Noelle was barely through her first slice and felt an intense need for water overtake her, feeling like her mouth was as dry as a desert, and downing half of it from just that.
"You're not slick, Finral. I can see you throwing the food somewhere else with your Spatial Magic." Yami called out.
"Agh! Busted..." With that, Finral was the first to be out.
"Alright! Let's get this going on!" Magna declared as he used his flame magic to completely char the stack of pies in front of him, turning them coal-black.
"What the fuck did you just do to those perfectly good pies?!?!" Blake asked in utter shock, almost choking on his food as he witnessed what was done.
"I like my pies extra crispy!" Magna shouted back before shoving a pie into his mouth. Though it seemed to have overwhelmed his tastebuds—seeing as he coughed up black smoke and dropped to the ground right afterward. "...On second thought, maybe a bit too crispy..."
"Well, if you can't stand the heat—"
"Shut up before I punch you, bro." Magna was out.
"I'm nowhere near full! Let's go!" Asta shouted, shoving half a pie into his mouth.
"Water...just need some more water..." Noelle pleaded, eyes turning and her hand outstretching to her glass of water, but a feeling of dread came as she realized she already drunk it all. "Oh no." Her last words before her head fell onto the table. Noelle was out.
"Hrk...Blake...bag..." Vanessa muttered, tapping her partner's arm.
"Hm? Oh fuck. I gotcha, babe!" Blake opened another portal, grabbing a nearby paper bag and opening it before handing it over to Vanessa. He patted her back gently as she hurled into the bag. "I should've figured that'd happen..." He said through the chewing of his slice of pie.
"And now she's out," Yami noted, staring at the last three competitors. "Yeah, should've figured it'd be you guys."
"It's an ABC showdown!" Magna shouted, seeing that Asta, Blake, and Charmy were the last few remaining, each one making overexaggerated chewing and munching sounds.
"I'm not holding back just cause we're family, Asta," Blake taunted. "Keep going till our stomachs explode!"
"No way am I tapping out!" Asta responded back, lifting up his plate and making the pies slide down his mouth for efficiency.
"Not bad, you two! Keep going! Give me a challenge! Eat! Eat! Eat!" Charmy said, sitting across from the two boys, happy to finally have worthy opponents to face off against.
The sight wasn't pretty, the amount of pies that were gone in so little time would probably give others second-hand stomach aches. Pies were mashed back into starch and flour as they chewed and the water was being guzzled down their throats. But in the end, there could only be one winner.
"Damn...stomach. You're supposed to be...pushing your limits by now." With that, Asta stood from his seat and dropped to the floor right over, his center of gravity affected by his stomach filled to the brim with food, close to dropping into a food coma.
"Asta! NOOOOO!" Blake cried out, mouth stuffed with pie. His fists tightened, left with nothing but determination as he swiped pie after pie after pie. "I'm winning this for the both of us! Your loss won't be in vain!"
"Lalala. Your brother was weak, you'll fall beside him!" Charmy said with a new gloatful and playful tone.
"Oh, those are fighting words, little miss!" Blake said back, revved up for more.
Second after second, the pies whittled down till there were few. Then, to only one.
Blake held it in his hands. His face was covered in sweat, his jaw ached from tiredness as he opened his mouth and inched the pie closer to it, trying his damnedest to just get it in, the cheers from Asta and Magna only being able to push him so far. But alas—just as he was about to bite down on it, his hand gave out, dropping it back onto the plate. And Blake knew...he wouldn't be able to pick it up again.
"...Fuck." His last word, before he leaned back and fell back on his chair. He turned his head to meet Asta's. "Sorry, little bro...I couldn't beat her. I failed the both of us." He said, dramatic as usual.
"It's alright, Blake. You did your best..." Asta mumbled, soothing Blake of his failure, while Noelle was by the short boy's side, trying to help the dead weight to his feet.
"And with that," Charmy leaped to the other side of the table, taking the pie Blake had and gingerly eating without issue, licking her fingers of the crumbs. "I am the victor! Bow to your superior! Lalala!" She said happily, kicking her legs back and forth.
Yami raised an arm, signaling the end of the competition. "Charmy wins. It was close, but this was expected."
"Damn! I really thought Blake was gonna be able to outdo her." Magna commented.
"His capacity for food is monstrous, but when it comes to Charmy, she's practically a black hole," Finral responded.
"It's a wonder they can actually stomach all of it," Vanessa mumbled, drinking some water to soothe her own, resting her head on the table.
"Lalala. Lalala. Hm?" Charmy's las were stopped as she saw Blake make his way to stand up, Grey assisting him, and was surprised by how suddenly he shot toward her.
Blake's hands were placed on the table for support so he didn't fall back down, Charmy being coincidentally in between them. He took a moment to breathe.
"You...are an insatiable little miss...!" His head lifted up, revealing a toothy grin and a competitive glare in his eyes. "And that's fucking awesome! But just you wait, when the next competition comes around, I'll be the one coming out on top!" He declared.
Charmy eyes widened. Something was...different. There was a new tingling of senses firing off in her mind, but she couldn't put her tongue on what it was just yet. I must just be craving some sweet desserts!
"I'll be waiting eagerly for when that time comes, fellow food-lover! Our battles will be legendary!" She said fiercely.
Meanwhile, Vanessa hummed to herself, wondering the possibility of...
"I'll give you guys a couple hours to settle your stomachs before you need to head off. They didn't seem to be in any hurry for the report anyways." Yami said. Blake, Asta, and Noelle nodded.
"Oh yeah, almost forgot!" Blake turned back, taking wide steps over back to where Gordon was before he sat down. "Let's finish this game! Your turn, Gordon!"
―
"Whaaaaa...! Woah! It's absolutely friggin huge!" Asta shouted, taking in the sights of the noble realm.
To Asta's right, Blake took in the sights in silence as he walked with Asta, Noelle—a certain little miss trailing behind them, sneakily. I suppose nothing will stop her from getting the best-tasting food.
As expected, the area did look nice. Very nice. The various buildings and houses that lead up to Knight's headquarters were in absolutely pristine condition. There was practically no trace of any dirt or trash stained anywhere, completely clean. Blake had to wonder whose job it was to do something so meticulously but concluded it was likely servants of the nobles who resided here.
Lazy punks. You want something to look good, do it yourself once in a while.
"Asta! Stop being so loud! You're embarrassing us!"
Noelle's beratement fell on deaf ears with Asta continuing to gawk and she sighed hopelessly, though another part of her wished it could've just been her and Asta who needed to handle the report...
"Gigantic! Massive! Huge!" Asta said, describing each house that caught his eye, that being all of them.
"Would you please settle down? They really aren't that special..."
"They aren't special to you because you lived around it your whole life," Blake said, pointing out one of the buildings. "That house right there's five times the size of the church we grew up at. The hell do you even need all that space for?"
Blake's question would remain unanswered as he picked up on the three familiar mana signatures that were a bit ahead of them, just as they turned back and recognized them.
Blake shot his hand up and waved. "Yo, Yuno! Golden Dawn crew! Glad to see you guys again!" He said as they caught up to their polar opposites.
"Happy greetings to you three as well! I assume you're here to give your report?" Klaus said with a smile, stepping toward Blake and touching his shoulder. "How's everything been? Have you recovered properly?"
Blake's surprised by Klaus' questions but smiles. "Yep, I'm all healed up, I'd say. Plenty of rest and food gave my body all it needed!"
"Such a child, as usual," Yuno said with a shake of his head.
"Huh? I'm four years your senior, you little punk with your Mr.Cool personality!" Blake retorted, poking at Yuno's forehead angrily while his younger brother kept his poker face.
"Wait a moment, you're only a year older than me?" Klaus asked, surprised.
"You're younger than me?!" Blake thought the guy would've been 20-something. "I'm the oldest one here?!?!"
Meanwhile, Asta turned his attention to the Vermillion girl and gave her a wave. "Mimosa, right? Thanks again for healing up my brother! Couldn't have done it without ya!" He said gratefully but became confused as she suddenly turned away from him and ran away. "Huh? Why'd she run away?"
Seeing the occurrence, Blake could only blink to himself. No way.
His attention shifted to Asta, then to Mimosa. A gasp and laugh mixed together
No fucking way!
"My arms might be short but they're still long enough to thrash you!" Asta shouted at Yuno, who was holding back the shorter boy with a hand to his face after he insulted his short arms.
"Clearly not," Yuno said before suddenly being pulled away into a huddle. "Blake?"
Blake whispered.
Yuno almost found it in himself to chuckle, almost. "One of your better jokes, Blake."
Blake shook his head and whispered.
"...You're being dead serious?"
Blake nodded and whispered.
Yuno's eyes narrowed, then widened. He turned back to look at where Mimosa had gone, and at Noelle who followed after her, then back to Blake. "...Both of them???"
Blake nodded.
"...Asta???"
Blake nodded.
Yuno looked back at Asta, then back to Blake. "...How???"
Blake shrugged.
"Does he...?"
Blake shook his head.
"Figures. Typical Asta."
Klaus and Asta looked between the two pairs, hopelessly wondering what the distressed moans and whispering were all about. The anti-bird atop Asta's head had a better sense of what was going on than they did.
Once everything had settled, the two groups of three walked together to their location. Currently, they were trying to locate where the entrance to headquarters actually was.
"The entrance should be over here...I think?" Klaus said, unsure of himself.
"Hm, guess there are somethings even you don't know, four-eyes," Asta noted.
"Well, even we four-eyes can't know everything," Klaus responded simply.
Not the reaction I was expecting. That thought was shared among the other four.
"You were close, over here!" Came the voice of a cheery middle-aged man, nearby.
They followed the voice. Once they were in front of him, he gave them a wave and a smile. "How do you do, young people?" He said with a chuckle.
Klaus, Noelle, and Mimosa gave gasps of shock before they suddenly knelt down to one knee.
"I never expected for you to meet us directly, S-Sir!" Klaus said with anxiousness.
Asta and Yuno could only wonder who the guy with the fancy red robe in front of them even was. While Blake felt like there was something familiar about the guy. Not his face, but his magic...
He was brought out of his thoughts by Klaus suddenly shoving the three of them to the floor.
"You idiots! You're standing in front of the Wizard King—Sir Julius Novachrono himself! Show some respect!" Klaus reprimanded.
The three brothers' eyes shot wide open from what they just heard.
This guy...he's the current Wizard King?!
―
"Blake! What do you think you're doing?! Stand at attention!" Klaus ordered, agasped of Blake's casualness.
"Am I not allowed to sit?" Blake questioned. His back was against the wall of the castle outlook point and his legs stretched out slightly, with his arms resting on his knees. "Hey, Wizard King. Can I sit over here?"
"Sure, go ahead. Save your energy for important matters." Julius replied with a laugh.
WHAT MATTER COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THIS?! Klaus wondered to himself.
"Thank you, sir." Blake said with a satisfied smile.
Julius felt no need to maul over proper greetings or etiquette. He was much more interested in hearing the story these young magic knights had to tell and the artifacts they had acquired. Currently, he was looking over Yuno's grimoire, deciphering what he could of the ancient language.
"This spell was quite a find! Possibly the most important relic from the dungeon..." Then, Julius' eyes became star-like as looked toward Yuno. "Say, could you show off this spell for me?! Pretty please!!"
Yuno shook his head, "I apologize, sir. I haven't been able to activate the spell at all since it was inscribed into my grimoire." He explained.
"Ohhh, really? Darn, what a shame." Julius said. Some of the Magic Knights were trying to understand the fact they just saw the most powerful man in the Clover Kingdom pouting.
Still, Julius smiled, closing Yuno's grimoire and handing it back to the young man. "I'm sure when the moment is right, this spell and the power it holds will be of use to you. And it will only get stronger as you do!"
Just as Julius finished with Yuno, Asta went and shoved his grimoire at the man, wondering if he could read it. When Julius confirmed he couldn't, Asta showed off his second Anti-Magic sword. It was not only lighter than his first one, it had the ability to absorb magic that came into contact with it and shoot it back out.
Blake looked on with amusement as Julius messed around with the sword—his face when he almost toppled over from the weight of the sword was worth a couple of laughs. He had been too far in his thoughts to realize he had been called on. "Huh?"
"I was wondering if you had anything to show from your findings in the dungeon!" Julius said while Klaus muttered under his breath, calling Blake a dolt.
Blake sat up from his spot and scratched the side of his head. "Not particularly." The only thing I interacted with back then was that paper and who knows what's happened with that.
"...Though, since you're here, maybe you can give me a clue about this grimoire of mine." Blake undid the clasp that kept his grimoire secured and handed it to Julius. "There's some text I can't read, got any idea?"
"Sure thing, I'll see what I can do," Julius replied.
It shocked him. Just seeing the cover of Blake's grimoire caused something to occur in Julius, a sudden and intense pulsation that went unnoticed by anyone else. His eyes widen. This grimoire...
He flipped open and looked through sections of the grimoire, taking a few moments to be in awe of all the types of magics and spells Blake had acquired so far, before looking over the strange language that also filled its pages. And with each second he read through the words, that strange pulsation continued. A bead of sweat dropped from his face that Julius didn't register.
He snapped the grimoire closed with one hand. "I see..." He looked at Blake with an apologetic smile. "Apologies, but the language in this grimoire is one I'm unfamiliar with. I don't think I've ever seen it before..."
Blake sighed. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting much. Thanks for taking a look though." He reached his hand forward for his grimoire.
"What I can say though...is this grimoire is truly one-of-a-kind," Julius remarked, giving Blake a knowing wink.
Blake faltered, then looked at the grimoire in his hand for a moment. Does he...?
"W-Wizard King! Uh, Sir! Uh, Sir Wizard King Sir!"
Blake looked back, seeing that Asta appeared to shake from nervousness. Though Yuno was subdued, he also looked similar in that sense. Blake smiled and took a step back, letting the question Asta and Yuno have had since childhood slip from their mouths.
"What does it take to become the Wizard King?"
Julius looked taken aback for a moment, but quickly changed it into a smile. "I'm glad to see young Magic Knights with such ambition! Others should take after you in that regard!"
"To ask a question like that so directly, none of you know the slightest bit of tact," Klaus said, adjusting his glasses before he continued. "The position requires someone with a noble heart and the support of the people—"
"No, Klaus. That's not it." Julius cut Klaus off—a new, serious tone in his voice that Klaus wouldn't dare to refute, remaining silent instead.
"It's merit. A good heart by itself won't save anyone if you don't have the strength to back it up. Trust is earned, not granted. What the people want from the Wizard King is results to prove they're the strongest. Without that, no one could hope to stand at the top!"
The knights in front of Julius were taken in by his words, even Blake himself. I expected some crap like Klaus said, but what this guy told them...He's taking them seriously.
He had a baseline of respect for Julius, but the more he sees of the guy the higher that respect rises. It didn't look like Asta or Yuno had any problem with what he told them either.
"Bring it on!"
Asta and Yuno's response elicited a cheerful laugh from Julius. "Glad to hear! On the topic of merit and results, we're actually holding a decorative ceremony for some outstanding magic knights today! I'd be honored if you all would join us!"
Though they were surprised, the six magic knights felt no hesitation in accepting the invitation—To decline one from the Wizard King would be ridiculous. He led them to a distinguished building that appeared to be one of the tallest ones in the noble realm, center within the area aside from the King's castle.
"Ellie? You alright?" Blake whispered, the girl beside him looking rather pensive.
"I don't know. I just...have a bad feeling." Noelle whispered back.
Blake gave her a sympathetic gaze before looking to the door they were approaching, sensing what magic lay beyond.
There's...10 signatures. About half of them feel familiar, from back at the exams probably, and three stand out with how much magic they have. They must be Captains.
"And with this, we've arrived," Julius said calmly. The doors opened from the other side as he approached.
From the other side stood five magic knights on both sides of a red carpet that trailed from the entrance to the other end of the room, where Julius would sit once this began. On their left were three Silver Eagles and two Blue Roses. On their right, two Crimson Lions and three Golden Dawns. Each brigade's Captain was in attendance, aside from the Golden Dawn and Black Bulls. All stood at attention.
Julius looked back toward the six that followed him.
"So then, do you think you could produce better results than these knights?"
―
The ranks of Magic Knights are divided into five—with the rank of Wizard King as the highest rank. Junior, Intermediate, Senior, and Grand Magic Knight are the other four, from lowest to highest in rank. These ranks are divided into five classes—with the exception of Grand Magic Knight—with 1st Class being the highest. If a magic knight has collected a certain amount of stars in time for the annual War Merits Ceremony, they are considered for promotion to a higher rank.
"Let's get things underway, shall we?" Julius said with a laugh. As he approached his seat, he directed the guests he brought with him to just stand some distance behind the others and watch.
The first one to be awarded was the Crimson Lion boy, Leopold Vermillion. With seven stars, he was granted the rank of Intermediate Magic Knight, Second-Class.
"The Flame Magic you share with your brother has overwhelming power, but you'd do well in learning how to not go overboard," Julius advised.
Leopold nodded, but responded, "Evil deserves no mercy, sir."
I can get behind that attitude. So he and that captain are brothers? Blake thought, passing a glance toward Fuegoleon, but was thrown off by the fact that he had glanced at him as well. He offered the boy a simple nod that Blake returned before they looked back toward Leopold, who returned back to Fuegoleon's side.
Next up was the Blue Rose Knight, the tall girl with brown skin and short dark hair—Sol Marron. With six stars, she was granted the rank of Intermediate Magic Knight, Third-Class.
"Your creativity with your Earth Magic is amazing, though you're a bit too much of a free spirit," Julius said.
"The only one who can tie me down is sis...My Captain, I mean." She responded.
She's got some spunk. Cool. Blake thought.
The next two came from the Silver Eagles, their names being Solid and Nebra Silva. However, Blake's interest was more in the fact that Noelle's demeanor was much different than it had been. Her feet shifted around, eyes unable to gaze away from the floor. She was uncomfortable.
"Looks like you're the only one out of your family with a nice hairstyle, huh?" He whispered, nudging her gently.
"I...what?" Blake's comment caught Noelle off-guard. She had a confused smile on her face and that was enough for Blake. Unbeknownst to them, a certain Captain's eyes narrowed at the sight.
"Quiet you two," Klaus mumbled through his teeth, with Blake just shrugging in response.
Then came the three members of the Golden Dawn, but Blake was already zoning out from all the talking—he barely paid attention to them. He zoned back in once it was over.
"You've all done very well and I hope you continue to produce such impressive results. We've prepared a simple banquet that I hope you'll be able to enjoy." Julius explained before his eyes landed back on his special guests. "There are some additional attendants I brought along. I hope you all can mingle together, and serve as an example for them to follow." He said with a smile.
The Magic Knights gave a glance back to the six, holding unimpressed looks, some even looking rather bothered by them. Most of them held nervous looks, though Blake's was more bitter than anything. Beady-eyed pricks.
Not long after, all were guided to a large hall that had over a dozen tables of various foods; The highest quality meat, the freshest fruits and cheeses, etc. Julius wouldn't stay for much longer, being informed of something that required his attention, and bid farewell to all.
It was quiet, uncomfortably so. The members of each brigade stayed with their own, only pointed looks being aimed at others. So did the main six, huddled around a table of their own.
"Their contempt is palpable, where's the sense of subjecting us to this?" Klaus wondered, questioning Julius' choice in bringing them.
Though she didn't say it, Noelle's face expressed a similar sentiment. She knew—they were looking at her as they always had.
"Woah, this food tastes amazing! I've never had anything like this before!" Asta declared as he scarfed down spoonful after spoonful of the potato dish.
"Hey, make sure to try this stuff too, it's just as good!" Blake said, stacking his plate with as much as he could.
"Always unbothered, aren't they?" Klaus asked Yuno, admiring the confidence the two boys had.
"That's just them acting like bumpkins," Yuno said before looking to his left at Blake, confused. "Wasn't your plate filled up two seconds ago? Why do you have a new one?"
Blake shrugged. "Don't know what you're talking about, Yuno. I'm a fast eater, you know this." He said, which Yuno could only roll his eyes at.
He was glad to see no one had noticed him using Spatial Magic to transport the plate underneath the table where their unintended fourth member was "hiding". He smiled to himself, feeling the little miss tap his boot as a recognition of his action. You're welcome.
Mimosa stuttered for a moment before finally calling out to Asta. "Would you mind if I joined you?"
Blake's smile continued, taking a drink out of his glass. Work that charm of yours, Asta.
"Not at all, Mimosa! I bet you've been eyeing this meat too, huh?"
Blake's eyes shot open, setting the glass down as he had a sudden fit of coughing, grabbing their attention.
"Woah, Blake! You alright?!" Asta asked, concerned.
"S'fine, Asta. I'm all good." Blake coughed once again, bumping a fist against his chest, giving his brother an embarrassed smile. "Drink went down the wrong way is all." You need to be careful how you phrase stuff, Asta...
One of the Golden Members scoffed—Alecdora Sandler, a tall man with spiky green hair. "Filthy and gluttonous peasants. Why would the Wizard King invite such vulgar guests?"
"The short one doesn't have a drop of magic in him. Whatever allowed his squad to survive that dungeon must've been sheer luck." Nebra said, not even bothering to acknowledge the other peasant.
"Their presence here is unsightly, like rats in a throne room." The other Silva sibling remarked—Solid.
Like they have room to talk. Their hair looks like something a rat would make a home out of. Blake thought, his teeth ripping into a piece of meat.
He glanced across from him, looking at Noelle who hadn't even taken a bite of her food. Noelle was right to have a bad feeling. They bring a whole bunch of it.
"Such atrocious eaters as well!" Hamon said with a laugh, a mocking one by the sound of it. The Golden Dawn knight had blonde hair twisted and tied into five different sections and his portly appearance wasn't hard to notice.
Blake downed the rest of his red wine, wiping it from his lips. "You know, it doesn't matter how fancy you dress it up..." He tipped the glass towards Hamon. "A pig is still a pig."
"W-What did you say to me?!"
Hamon was taken aback, not expecting such an insult from someone of a lower class than him. It upset some of the other knights as well, though there was one who instead had a laugh of amusement.
"So the peasants have some backbone, not bad!" Leopold said. He turned his attention to Yuno. "Besides, doesn't the Golden Dawn have one of its own? He may have a four-leaf grimoire, but he's a peasant through and through. Even by myself, I could've handled the dungeon better!"
Leopold spoke with a smirk, trying and failing to provoke a reaction from Yuno, who glared at the vermillion-haired boy. Blake's thoughts on the boy became dampened by the way he talked.
"It's not as if we expect much out of him to begin with—It is us nobles who truly embody the ideals of our brigade and captain!" Alecdora said.
"He thinks that's a good thing?" Blake mumbled to himself as he poured himself another drink. He'd need it if all this prideful barking was going to happen. Blake noticed Asta had stopped eating, looking a bit wide-eyed at the way these Knights talked to each other, even to their own squadmates.
"Sir Alecdora, with all due respect—"
"You would dare speak up for them, Klaus?" Alecdora sharply cut off Klaus. "You and Mimosa. To think those of your caliber would ever require aid from the likes of them. And to willingly be seen in their company? Do you have no shame for yourselves?" He spoke with a disgruntled anger in his words.
Klaus was at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond, and all Mimosa could do was apologize.
"The hell do they need to apologize for?" Blake spat at Alecdora as he stared at him with a glare, the man had earned plenty of his ire. "The enemy was stronger than expected and they needed any help they could. Would you rather have them dead and left in the ruins?!"
"Shut your mouth! This is a matter of the Golden Dawn—you have no place in the discussion!" Alecdora responded. He was rather easily prone to anger as well.
"So what if we're not on the same brigade?!" Asta spoke, slamming his plate down. The way Alecdora spoke to Mimosa and Klaus angered him. "We're all Magic Knights so we're all allies! If one of us needs help, the rest of us should be ready to give it! There's no shame in that!" He declared.
Only a few of the other Magic Knights actually regarded Asta's words, giving any thought to it, but the rest didn't bother—it was practically white noise to them. Asta's words gave Klaus and Mimosa a sense of resoluteness, admiring how much spirit was in his words—much more intensely when it came to the Vermillion.
Alecdora made a "Tch" noise when another had decided to take part in the conversation.
"Yappy peasants are so troublesome, though they certainly don't hold a candle to the most worthless one here. Isn't that right...Noelle?"
Solid's words pained Noelle, each syllable laced with venom—a poison she had been subjected to from the day she was born; The disgusted leers Solid and Nebra looked at her with hurt her heart so badly, but she had to look them in the eyes or they would find another way to hurt her.
"A royal who can't even control her magic...What bigger disgrace could you bring upon your own family?!" Solid said, a sadistic laugh almost coming through as he spoke.
"I...I never wanted to..." Noelle tried to speak, but she could barely keep control of her breath.
"And even after being practically exiled from House Silva, you would dare show your face in the Noble Realm. How could someone as pathetic as you have such nerve?" Nebra added, hiding a smirk behind her hand. It was a game to her, to see how much more it would take for the girl to break. Her would-be little sister.
"N-No...that's not..." Noelle could feel the heavy weight that strangled her heart and the lump that bore its way into her throat begin to form. She tried to stop it, she didn't want them to see her cry.
"To let a single success go to your head, you shouldn't be here to begin with."
His words had cut through the deepest of all.
Cold. So very...very cold.
"Nozel...please..." Noelle almost begged, feeling the prickling of tears torture her eyes.
"Just leave, this place has no need for a failure like you.
"...Wasn't killing our mother enough?"
Asta and Blake...they could barely bring themselves to move. Out of fear? No, what an idiotic notion. The anger within them was boiling their blood. Every muscle in their body was tensed. Their teeth gritted.
How...How could someone own's family...their own fucking flesh and blood...treat them like this?! What...the fuck...is wrong with these people?!
One of Blake's hands gripped the tablecloth while the other clutched his glass, threatening to break it at any second.
So much of Noelle wanted to do as her family told of her. Run. Hide away. Become lost and never be found. Yet, just the littlest bit of her told her not to. To show them that she...that she had become better, she was no longer a failure. That was the only reason her feet had stayed planted where they were.
"Who do you think you are...?!" In Solid's mind, he could only take that action as one of defiance, of disrespect. "Have you become deaf as well?!"
He stepped toward his younger sister in a haze of anger, taking the glass of water he had in his hand...and chucking it, splattering the water all over her.
Solid sneered. "Do you get it yet?! Leave, you worthless—!"
Solid would never finish his sentence, not with Blake slamming his fist into the man's face. He pushed further with an almost monstrous growl, hurling Solid back and sending his body slamming into the tables in his way.
A collective gasp overtook the room. Through Blake's labored breaths, he could hear Noelle call his name, but she wasn't who his eyes snapped to.
"You." Blake's grimoire opened, intending to aim one of his spells at the distant Captain of the Silver Eagles. But it was foiled as he felt magic gather around him before he suddenly encased in a cube of sand.
Alecdora's Sand Binding Magic: Sand Box spell.
"You vile peasant! You'd dare raise your hand against Royalty...have you gone mad?! You'll be severely punished!"
"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!"
Blake's roar silenced Alecdora as he freed himself with the use of Wind Magic, black gales of wind pushing against the sand.
"I'm in the presence of some of the "greatest" Magic Knights, right?! The best of the best!" A cackle almost escaped him, but it only turned into more anger. "What a fucking joke! A comrade being treated so cruelly by her own family and none of you did a damn thing!" Blake's knuckles turned white, head facing down.
They don't deserve to be praised. They don't deserve their magic power.
Ţ̷̨̨̧̛͕͍̼͇̲̌̔͜h̵̥̦̋̈́̾̈́́͌̂̆̽̋͜͠e̸͖͈̣͓͕̬̟͖̳̐̐̈́͛̌͑͒̑̓̒̚͝ ̶̢̖̭͎̍m̶̫͑ȁ̸̰̗̻̎̾̓̓͑͑g̶̛̥̰͕̖̪͈̺̱̟͋͗̀̓̐͑̀͂̈̈̏͘͜͝i̸͇͕̞̿̃̑͊̑͑̈̿̀̉͘͝ͅc̵̖͖̗̞̳̰̙̓̓̚͝ ̸̡̛̫̣͕̲̣̀͆̂̄̅̋̒͊̆͝͝ͅť̵̢̳͚̗̦͆̾́̍͌͠h̶̨͍͇͚̠̜͎͖̮̖̠̹̉͜ē̵̟̐̓̍̎̎͆͒ì̶̡̛͇̺̹͚̹͈̗͕͚͛̿̎̅̿̔͗͂́͝͝r̵̨͔̙̣̻̥͉̰̬̯̺͔̆̾̊̃̓̑̚̕͝͝ͅͅ ̴̨̛̣̜̥̲̙̳̙͉͆̈̇̄͘b̴̡̧͉̼̹̕l̴̘̻̯̰͔͎͚͚̜̘͕͎͈̑́̃ò̸̧̨̡̻̼̳̖̟̻̖̱̫̓̃͂͂̐͋̕o̸̯͕̿̉̆̂̌͑̆͝͝d̷͈̬̼̖̭̺̲̀̽̆̊͂͋̆͝ḻ̴̢͕̝͔͎̣̝͎̲̮͋͒̽͆̍̅͝i̸͙̰͂̽̇͊̾͊̄̕n̸͙̳͌̆͊̿̆̏͝ȩ̴̥͉̟̜͔͉͈͇̬̝̘̭͒̽̍̀̅͛̽̂̏́̀͠͠ͅs̸̻̓̍͒͐̌͋̀̎̍̄̕͝ ̵̨̡̧̛̟̣̥̺͉̮̻͇̖̭̊̾̂̍̓̃͑̀̅̏̚̕͜͝s̶̨̛̙̱̙̰̥̻̹̥͚̖̀̀̍̎́̆̀̿̋̇̕͜͝t̴̥̗̔͊͗̓̈͛͘̚͝ơ̵̡̘̪̪̥͍͖̱̿̐̅̀̏͝ͅl̷̛̛͕͉̏̏̋̀̊̑̏̃̔̐̈̈́ē̵̜͎̻͛ͅ ̷̢̛̱͚̩̫̈ḟ̵̧̺̹͍̣̣̪̆̑͑̅͐̋̂ř̵̛̝̌͐̑͌͝ȏ̷̮̻̝͙͔̀̿̓͋͐͘m̵̧̧̠̳̠̖̓̓̿̓͛̓͌̔͐͗ ̶̢̡̭̤̠̞̫̻̦̤̹̘͉̈́͆̓̓̈́͒̈́̄̄͘͠ͅư̸̧̖͈̻͙̖̞̜̮͍͇̖͉̇͛̆̕̚͜͜͠s̵̡̼̭̩̯̊̏̓͝!̴̢̛͍̲̪̺͉͉̺̟͉̩̇̄͆̒̽́
"You're cowards...You Nobles...You Royals..."
His head shot up, eyes flaring with wrath.
"YOU'RE WORTHLESS FUCKING COWARDS!"
"Sounds like a yappy peasant dog needs to be put down!"
A sentiment shared by Nebra, Alecdora, and the now recovered Solid—The siblings firing off spells of their own.
"[Water Binding Magic: Sea Serpent's Coils]!"
"[Mist Binding Magic: Mist Spider's Threads]!"
Blake didn't need to act against the spells; Asta had intercepted the attacks, erasing them with each slash from his anti-magic blades, Demon-Slayer and Demon-Dweller.
"You don't plan on stopping me, do you?" Blake asked his brother.
"Why would I?" Asta muttered, before aiming his Demon-Dweller at Nebra and Solid. "You dirtbags hurt Noelle! We're not going down till you apologize!"
"[Sand Creation Magic: Sand Armored Guard]!"
Sand erupted from beneath Asta, forming the shape of a knight that restrained the boy within its arms.
"You will pay dearly for ruining our festive occasion!" Alecdora shouted.
"Please, is there really a need for all this?!" Klaus tried to plead but was silenced by Alecdora yet again.
"Asta!" Blake shouted, ready to tear him out of the spell, but he was stopped by the look Asta had in his eyes. ...He'll be fine, deal with the others.
"You goddamn rodents, you need to be taught a permanent lesson!" Solid shouted, raising a pointed finger toward Blake, water shaping behind him that took the form of a massive bullet.
"[Water Creation Magic: Holy Water Bullet]!"
The spell shot toward Blake at a high speed, causing an outcry from his friends, and his brother readying his grimoire in case he needed it.
But he wouldn't, for Blake barely regarded the spell as a threat. He swiped a hand across his body, forming a portal of Spatial Magic that the attack went through.
I thought he used Wind—!
"Solid, you idiot! Behind you!"
Nebra's warning came too late, Solid only had enough time to turn behind him before the full power of his spell slammed into his torso. Breath and blood caught in his throat as he felt his ribs fracture, once again flying back from such force.
He...He used my attack against me?!
Blake took into a dash, closing the distance between him and Solid's catapulted body, casting his Thunder God's Gloves and Thunder God's Boots. He swiped the cup he had drunk through another spatial portal, and brought it forward, shattering the glass across the back of the bastard's head—growling as he kept ahold of Solid in the palm of his black gauntlet and slammed him down into the floor face-first.
"Blake...Solid...!" Noelle wasn't sure of what she could say about the sight before her. Her brother...he had been bested!
"To leave such damage on a member of Royalty...!" Klaus said, his eyes widened in disbelief.
Blake looked off elsewhere, seeing Asta was holding up well against the Golden Dawn Knights. Then, his blood-red eyes held an unadulterated gaze of loathing as he stared at the royal in front of him, who struggled to even get up from the crater his body had caused. Blake's boiling rage inhibited him from speaking, but it didn't matter—he had no words left to say to them, only actions.
His lightning boot slammed into Solid's side, rag-dolling him to the feet of Nebra, whose disbelief and outrage mixed together as she used her mist magic to surround Blake. His eyes narrowed in contempt as he found his sight bombarded with even more of her.
"[Mist Magic: Solid Mist Clones]!"
"An atrocious little toy...how long can I play with you till you break?!" Nebra wondered, her sadistic tendencies coming through, using the mist to suspend herself in the air.
"[Copy Magic: Prison of the Fallen King]"
Pitch-black smoke swirled around Blake before it enveloped Nebra's mist, cutting off any line of sight she had on him or her clones.
How could a worthless peasant like him hold such powerful types of magic? I can barely sense anything beyond all this smoke! Nebra thought as she coughed, covering her mouth.
Then something terribly wrong happened—one by one, she could feel her clones being torn apart one by one, multiple at once, but she wasn't able to figure out how. That was until she felt the weight of a dull and rusty blade slam into her back
"You don't deserve to have Noelle as your family!" Asta muttered as he followed through with his attack, slamming both his blades into Nebra with so much physical force put behind the attack that it sent her careening back to the floor.
The black smoke dissipated—Asta and Blake stood side-by-side.
"Not bad, Asta, you've gotten pretty good at dual-wielding those blades," Blake said with a low tone and a satisfied smirk, bumping his forearm into Asta's.
"Save the praise for later, we're still not done," Asta said, an uncharacteristically serious tone in his voice, but Blake didn't mind it.
Suddenly, a sensation of magic aura enveloped the room in its intensity, one that caused many of the knights to stagger or drop to a knee. It was a dominating, chilling pressure—one similar but different to what Yami had done at the exams back then. This was the magic power of the Silver Eagles Captain, Nozel Silva.
The man took slow and deliberate steps. "To think members of House Silva would act in such a way because of mere peasants. How shameful." He didn't even regard his recovering siblings with a look, eyes solely focused on his targets.
Blake and Asta staggered, but they didn't drop to a knee. They wouldn't let this bastard do that to them.
"Peasants who defy and attack the Royals of their own kingdom...is there any punishment painful enough for such a heinous action?" He questioned.
"As if I'd give a damn about you and your goddamn royalty!" Blake shouted back.
This scumbag, he's the worst of them all.
"The oldest sibling is supposed to help guide the younger ones, show them what's right. What's wrong. Protect them...!" Asta's eyes went to Blake, remembering all he did for everyone else as they grew up, then towards Nozel. "And you've done none of that!" Asta shouted.
"Royalty? Magic Knight Captain? None of that fucking matters...You goddamn failure of a brother!" Blake shouted afterward, standing tall even under the pressure of Nozel's magic.
Nozel eyes widened just slightly, his gaze becoming colder, almost murderous. Neither of you rats has the slightest idea...!
"Why do you feel the need to perpetuate all of this commotion, Nozel?"
Nozel's eyes snapped robotically towards Fuegoleon, who'd finally decided to say his piece, shocking the others.
He stepped toward Nozel, completely unaffected by the pressure of his magic. "Their reaction wasn't unreasonable, even if it had gotten out of hand. How are they supposed to feel about a teammate they care about being regarded in such a way? And do remember that the Wizard King himself invited them. Even if they're peasants, they should be given some credit."
Nozel wouldn't have it, however. "To hear a Royal spout such weakness...It pains me to see the Vermillion family become so soft. How can an eagle who soars the sky give any respect to the insects that squirm around in the dirt?"
Nozel's disrespect towards Fuegoleon's family name had an effect, causing the Crimson Lion King's Captain to flare his own mana, the overwhelming pressure causing the windows to begin to break as the Captains pitted their mana against each other, taking the shapes of a large silver eagle and crimson lion, facing off against each other, stunning the spectators.
Something about the sight made Blake's blood boil even more, his head hurting from it all. A flash of bright lights raining down upon him. Of something being taken away from him. His fists were shaking.
"You bastards...You think you can just ignore us?!"
He wasn't sure why he said it, it just felt fitting.
Nozel and Fuegeleon's eyes widened from the sudden third pressure that took hold of the room, somehow rivaling their own. Their eyes shifted to Blake, something within their souls becoming unsettled by what his mana took the shape of. A rippling black and white being that surged with both an unholy and blessed power.
"The land you roam...The sky you soar...None of it matters. You could never hope to escape the wrath of the heavens!"
Cracks along the ground and walls formed, becoming deeper and larger by the second as this continued. The pressure from all three brought everyone else to their knees, there was no chance of standing.
How anyone—a peasant at that—could hold such magic power was something Nozel and Fuegoleon had no answer to. Deep within their subconscious, they remembered what it was like going against their previous Wizard King. Could a similar event somehow happen with this peasant boy?
It wasn't one they would have to ponder for the moment for the doors to the dining banquet suddenly slammed open, with multiple mages sputtering the same announcement, falling to their knees as the pressure took them as well. One that would cause all three of the knights' manas to relent.
"THE ROYAL CAPITAL IS UNDER ATTACK!"
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Black Clover - The Three Brothers
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A/N: Feedback is always appreciated!