Hello Guys! its me again and this the next chapter of this wonderful story! here we continue the story and yes we are in canon now and for those who were wondering about the stats of asta and noelle, remember all updates to their stats happen on a sunday, and canonically it was after their first mission. so that means its the next chapter. anyways since tomorrow is a holiday i might as well update again since i have nothing to do. o yeah tiphera is out tomorrow so i might run a few cnz dungeon before i type who knows but expect two chapters this week.
13k words btw. and i didn't even try editing it because im too sleepy, im gonna let zoe edit it all just point out any errors
Discimer: i do not own BC. any references are for their respective creators.
"These are the rooms for the two of you," Magna said as he opened a door. It was slightly clean—a few cobwebs, a cracked window, and a desk, a nightstand, and a bed just big enough for two people. "Captain said to bring the two of you to a rge enough room. It's nestled between the girls' quarters and the boys', so expect people to be walking around these parts."
Asta entered the room in amazement while Noelle followed close behind. She looked around curiously, but when she saw the state of the pce, she looked disgusted. However, after gncing at Asta's excited face, she decided to let it go.
"The squad knows the two of you are married, so..." Magna said, pausing with a smirk. "Please... keep it quiet?"
"W-what do you think we are going to do?!" Noelle stammered, her face flushing.
"Don't worry, Senior! We won't do anything to tarnish the name of the squad!" Asta said, bowing deeply.
"Right. So, before I go, here," Magna said, handing two short robes to the pair. They were bck, embzoned with the gold insignia of a bull. "Due to the commotion earlier, we forgot to give the two of you these."
"Thanks, Senior!" Asta bowed again, and Noelle offered a small smile. But as magna started to leave.
"Wait!" Noelle called out before he could close the door.
"What is it?" Magna asked, his hand pausing on the door handle as he looked back over his shoulder.
Noelle fidgeted with the hem of her new Bck Bull robe, her eyes darting toward the floor. "Umm... I want to give you something?"
Magna's brow furrowed, his expression shifting from curiosity to pure confusion. Beside her, Asta caught the subtle flicker in Noelle's gaze. He realized instantly what she was doing—this was the 'system' from their quest earlier. He gave her a sharp, encouraging nod.
"You see," Noelle started, her voice gaining a bit of royal confidence as she improvised. "I've developed a new magic... the Relic Spirit taught me a unique spell."
Magna leaned against the wooden doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. "What kind of magic are we talking about?"
"It... it quantifies a person's soul," Noelle expined, gesturing vaguely with her hands. "It turns their mana and physical potential into a number, so you can see exactly how strong a person is."
Magna blinked, his jaw dropping slightly. "Wait, let me get this straight. You have magic that lets you scan a person's abilities and puts a literal price tag—a number—on it?"
"Yes," Noelle replied, her chin tilted up just enough to look convincing.
"So... you want to use it on me?" Magna pointed a thumb at his own chest, his interest clearly piqued.
"Only if you're okay with it," she said softly.
Magna turned his gaze toward the boy wonder. "Asta, did you know about this?"
"Oh, yeah! From the very beginning!" Asta chirped, smming his fist into his palm to sell the lie. "We've been using her magic to track our progress during training. It's incredible, Senior!"
Magna let out a sharp bark of a ugh, his competitive spirit fring up. "Sure, why not? I've been working my tail off tely—I want to see exactly how much power this Delinquent is packing!"
Noelle's grimoire drifted into the air, its pages flipping rapidly until it settled on a bnk spread. It began to pulse with a soft, oceanic blue light—a clever bit of theater to sell the lie.
"[Observe]," Noelle muttered.
Suddenly, a translucent, shimmering screen flickered into existence. To Noelle and Asta, it was a bright, data-filled HUD floating in the air, but to Magna, the space in front of her was completely empty. So he looked at her grimoire that was glowing.
"That's a very bright glow of you grimoire, kid," Magna muttered, rubbing his arms. "But whoa... did you just judge me? I felt a weird chill, like something was poking at my soul."
"Well, that's the side effect," Noelle replied smoothly, her eyes darting across the invisible text as she scribbled the data onto the paper Asta had smoothed out on the bed. "The target can usually feel they are being evaluated. It's a bit invasive."
Magna stared looking impressed "Did you use this on Captain Yami yet?"
"I can't use it on anyone significantly stronger than me," she said her quill scratching against the parchment. "The feedback would be too much for my mind to handle."
"Well, that's fair. I guess the Captain's mana would probably blow a circuit," Magna chuckled, standing perfectly still while Noelle finished the transcription.
When the grimoire finally dimmed and settled back into her hand, the invisible screen vanished. Noelle stood up and handed him the paper. "Let me expin the terms, Senior."
She pointed to the various headings she had written down. She walked him through the foreign concepts: MP for mana reserves, SP for stamina, and his Css. She expined the core attributes—STR, AGI, STA, DEX, and LUK—and how they represented his passive physical limits compared to his active magical skills.
Magna stared at the paper, his usual loud bravado repced by a quiet, intense focus. He gripped the edges of the parchment as if it were a treasure map.
"Thanks... this is eye-opening," Magna said, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "Does anyone else know about this?"
"Only Asta and my spirit," Noelle said. "But I was pnning to tell the rest of the squad eventually. We're all family, after all."
"Thanks, young dy. You too, Asta," Magna said, folding the paper carefully and tucking it into his vest. He paused at the doorway, looking back with a smirk. "Is everything in here correct? No fluffing the numbers for me?"
"It's the honest truth," Asta promised with a grin.
"Okay. Goodnight, you two. And remember... keep it down, alright?"
"We will!" Asta shouted, waving as the door finally clicked shut.
The silence of the room settled in. Instead of the typical blushing or awkwardness of a newlywed couple, the two moved with practiced synchronicity. Asta immediately grabbed a broom and some rags to tackle the cobwebs, while Noelle began efficiently unpacking their bags and organizing the small space. For them, this was just another day on the job.
Magna stared intently at the paper as he navigated the dim, stone hallways of the Bck Bulls' headquarters. He was so absorbed in the rows of stats—trying to wrap his head around things like STR and AGI—that he didn't even notice he had reached the main hall.
THWACK.
Magna collided head-first with a lean, energetic figure. The impact was so sudden that the parchment slipped from his fingers, fluttering through the air.
"Whoa, Magna! You're wide open!" Luck chuckled, his blue eyes gleaming with their usual mischief as he snatched the paper out of the air before it hit the ground. "What's this? Numbers?"
Finral then entered the main hall and saw the scene as luck grabbed the paper.
"What are you looking at, Luck?" Finral asked, stepping closer. He held a gss of water, tilting his head with curiosity.
"It's a piece of paper... with a bunch of weird numbers on it," Luck murmured, his smile fading into a look of genuine confusion as he scanned the list.
"Give me that!" Magna barked, lunging forward to snatch the paper back. He tucked it protectively against his chest, his expression unusually serious.
"Hey, Magna, come on! Tell me!" Luck chirped, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He could sense Magna's heightened state, and it made him itch for a fight.
Magna remained silent for a long moment, looking from the paper to the gathered squad members. Finral, Luck, and even Vanessa—who was lounging nearby with a bottle of wine—were all watching him.
"The girl... Noelle... she gave it to me," Magna finally muttered.
"Noelle?" Vanessa raised an eyebrow, a smirk pying on her lips. "What, did they go to sleep already?"
"No," Magna said, his voice unusually quiet as he smoothed out the creases in the parchment. "She gave me a reward."
"This? A piece of paper with numbers?" Luck tilted his head, his eyes darting between Magna and the strange list.
"It's a spell," Magna expined, his chest swelling with a bit of pride. "She said it quantifies a person's soul... turns your whole being into numbers so you can see exactly where you stand."
"Wow, really?!" Luck's entire demeanor shifted. The bored slouch vanished, repced by a predatory curiosity. "When did she learn magic like that?"
"Her Relic Spirit taught it to her," Magna replied, finally letting the others see the paper again.
Finral let out a long, low whistle, nearly sloshing his water. "A soul-quantifying spell? That sounds like some incredibly high-level ancient magic. To think Noelle was hiding something like that..."
Suddenly, Luck was inches from Magna's face, his eyes literally sparkling with excitement. He began pestering the older boy, bouncing around him like a golden blur.
"Magna! Magna! What's my number? Can she do it to me?! If I beat you, do my numbers go up? Let me see! Let me see!"
"Can you show it to us?" Vanessa asked, leaning forward with a curious glint in her eyes.
"Sure, why not?" Magna replied, clearing his throat.
He held the paper out so they could all see. He carefully expined the terms Noelle had taught him—MP, SP, and the different attributes—while Luck practically vibrated with excitement. Finral took the paper and began reading the results out loud, his voice filled with genuine surprise.
Name: Magna Swing
Level: 45
Hp: 3,150 / 3,150
Mp: 850 / 850
SP: 2,400 / 2,400
Title: [The Raging Bull, [Peasant's Pride]
Css: Fire Mage (40/40), Slugger (Fire) (10/40)
Race: Human
STR: 150
AGI: 185
DEX: 340
STA: 315
INT: 110
WIS: 75
LUK: 12
Passive Skills
?Guts: Can Continue Fighting even in dire situation
?Grit: increased sta the lower the hp
?Mana Skin: Small Damage is redirected to MP.
?Fire Resistance (A): Reduces damage fire damage taken, Immune to small burns
?Eagle eye: Increase accuracy of ranged attacks
?Mana Manipution (Low): Can Manipute mana reted attack trajectory
?High-Speed Broom Flight: Allows for aerial combat at speeds exceeding 150 km/h.
?Delinquent's Honor: A minor buff to charisma or intimidation when dealing with [commoners] or [thugs].
?Home Run (Slugger Exclusive): High chance to double damage when fireballs are hit with a fme bat at a "perfect frame."
Active Skills
?Fme Magic: Exploding Fireball: Fast-traveling fireballs with a high AOE bst radius
?Fme Magic: Explosive Scattershot: Fireball that scatters into multiple Balls for Advanced Aoe Shot
?Fme Bat: Bat made of fmes, can be used as a club or a combo for increased fireball speed.
?Combo Magic: Chain Fireball: unch fireballs in rapid succession
?Mana Reinforcement: Reinforces body with mana
?Fme Magic: High Ace: creates a motorized cycle made of fire. used for high-speed travel and as a way to traverse the sky by riding on mana.
?Fme Magic: Prison Fme: creates a cage of fire to trap an opponent. If they touch the bars, they are burned.
"That's impressive, Magna," Finral said, blinking at the high DEX and STA numbers. "Your accuracy and stamina are through the roof."
"What's a 'Slugger'?" Vanessa asked, pointing to his sub-css. "It sounds... aggressive."
"Noelle expined that it means I'm specializing," Magna said, rubbing the back of his neck with a smirk. "Like, I'm not just throwing fire; I'm a specialist in hitting and aiming them."
"Well, you certainly do use that fireball-bat combo a lot," Finral commented, nodding. "It fits you perfectly."
Luck, however, was staring at the LUK: 12 stat. "Hey Magna... your 'Luck' stat is really low. Does that mean I'm going to win our next fight?"
"Shut up, Luck! That's just a number!"
"That really is a powerful spell," Vanessa commended, swirling the wine in her gss. "It's like it peeled back your skin and quantified the very essence of you, Magna."
"So, what's the verdict?" Finral asked, handing the paper back. "How does it feel, now that you can actually see the numbers?"
"It feels like proof!" Magna grinned, his fist clenching around the parchment. "It means my training hasn't been a waste. Seeing these numbers... it means they can only go up from here! I'm gonna grind until they're double what they are now!"
"That's the spirit!" Luck chirped, though a mischievous glint returned to his eyes. "Shall we fight now to test that theory?" He paused, a better idea suddenly striking him. "Wait! If Noelle can see yours, she can see mine! I want to know my numbers right now!"
"What's all the racket?"
The heavy scent of tobacco smoke preceded the man himself. Captain Yami stepped into the main hall, looking slightly more disheveled than usual and clutching a roll of tissue. From the look of his grumpy expression, he had just finished another long, unsuccessful session in the toilet.
Finral quickly stepped forward, waving the paper as he expined the situation—the Relic Spirit, Noelle's new "Observe" magic, and the detailed breakdown of Magna's soul.
"That spirit is the real deal," Yami said, taking a long drag from his cigarette and exhaling a cloud of gray smoke.
"Did you meet it, Captain?" Finral asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Yeah, years ago. Back when Noelle was still just a kid," Yami grunted. The squad fell silent; they rarely heard the Captain speak about the rookies' pasts with such gravity.
"What was your impression of it, Captain?" Magna asked, clutching his stat sheet a little tighter.
"That it was too damn strong for a child like her," Yami replied ftly. "A power like that... it's a lot for anyone to carry, let alone a brat who couldn't even aim her own water spells yet."
Finral's eyes widened as a memory clicked into pce. "So that's why you made her that promise, sir?" he asked, recalling the vague mention Noelle had made during the entrance exams about a deal with the Captain.
Yami didn't offer a long expnation; he simply gave a slow, solemn nod. He reached out and snatched the paper from Magna's hand, squinting at the ink. He stayed silent for a moment, his eyes scanning the levels and attributes that Noelle had transcribed.
He read it for a while his smoke reaching the member's quiet gaze, then he return the paper back to magna and said.
"Luck," Yami barked, cutting through the boy's excitement. "If you want to know your numbers, wait until tomorrow. It's te, and I'm not having you wake up the whole floor tonight."
"Yes, Captain!" Luck chirped, though he still looked like he might burst from anticipation.
"Magna."
"Yes, Captain!" Magna stood at attention, the paper still gripped in his hand.
"Now that you can actually see your numbers, you've got no more excuses," Yami said, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous tone that always signaled a challenge. "Push past your limits and get those numbers up. If I see them stagnate, you're doing ten thousand extra ps."
"YES, CAPTAIN!" Magna shouted his eyes practically on fire with renewed motivation.
Yami turned his gaze toward the rest of the room, his expression becoming uncharacteristically stern. "As for the rest of you... if you want to be scanned, ask them first. Don't pester them. And remember: this information stays within the Bck Bulls. Not a word of this reaches anyone outside this squad. We aren't going to paint any more targets on those two than they already have."
"Yes, Captain!" they answered in unison, the weight of his command settling over the hall.
One by one, the members dispersed to their own quarters, leaving the hall in a rare state of quiet. Yami stood alone for a moment, the glow of the firepce reflecting off his shadowed eyes. He grunted, pulling a fresh cigarette from his pack.
He grabbed his things and muttered a single word under his breath: "Troublesome." Before he walked to his room, and flopped onto his bed.
"So... what do you think Senior Magna is doing right now?" Noelle asked.
She sat at the small, slightly rickety desk, brushing her silver hair with rhythmic strokes. She was dressed in a simple silk nightgown, fresh from a bath she'd managed to find—with a little help from her magic—in the byrinthine halls of the hideout. When she had left, the room was a dusty mess, but Asta had worked wonders while she was gone. The floor was swept, the cobwebs were gone, and the bed looked significantly more inviting than it had an hour ago.
Upon her return, she'd practically ordered Asta to go take a quick bath himself while she finished the st of the unpacking. Now, he was finally back, looking refreshed and wearing a simple tunic.
"Training," Asta said simply, as he took paper and pen from his bag to write back to the orphanage.
Noelle paused her brushing, a small smirk pying on her lips. "Well, I suppose if it were you, you'd be doing the exact same thing."
After asta finished writing and showed it to noelle which she noted that he's writing needs fixing Asta climbed onto the bed, giving the mattress a firm pat to test its spring. It wasn't exactly a royal featherbed, but compared to the floors he'd slept on all his life, it was a luxury. He fluffed the pillows and leaned back, his gaze drifting over to Noelle. The candlelight caught the silver of her hair as she continued her rhythmic brushing.
"So, now that we're officially in... what do you think Magic Knights actually do all day?" Asta asked, his hands behind his head.
"I don't actually know," Noelle admitted softly, her hand slowing down. She looked into the mirror, her expression momentarily clouded. "My siblings weren't exactly... forthcoming with details about their work. Or anything else, for that matter."
"Yeah," Asta murmured, his voice gentle. He knew all too well how the Silvas had treated her. "I guess we'll just have to find out for ourselves tomorrow, then."
Noelle set her brush down and stood up. Instead of climbing into her side of the bed, she moved toward Asta and hovered over him, her hands coming to rest on either side of his face. She looked down at him, her eyes soft and free of their usual guardedness.
"Congratutions on getting into a squad, Asta," she whispered.
Asta looked up at her, a warm, genuine smile breaking across his face. He reached up, pcing his hands over hers. "You too, Noelle."
Noelle leaned down slowly, the distance between them closing until their lips finally met. As she leaned in, she reached over to blow out the candle, plunging the room into soft moonlight. The only sound in the small space was the soft, rhythmic noise of their kissing as they stayed locked together for a long moment.
Eventually, Noelle pulled back just enough to see Asta's face. He was smiling up at her, though her own face was now burning with a deep, visible blush.
"I guess... this is our first real kiss," she whispered, her voice a bit breathless.
"Yeah," Asta replied, looking dazed.
"What do you think?" Noelle asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Asta paused, trying to find the words. "It's... different."
"Why?" Noelle tilted her head, her silver hair brushing against his cheeks.
"Our kisses in the [Partner Room] felt more... fulfilling, I guess?" Asta expined, furrowing his brow as he thought about it. "But here..."
"You can feel a jolt, can you?" Noelle finished for him.
Asta's eyes widened. "Yeah! Exactly. How did you know?"
"Well, we are just souls when we're in the [Partner Room]. We don't have physical bodies there," Noelle expined softly. She shifted her weight, and in their current position, she felt a sudden, unmistakable pressure against her. It was a sensation that had never existed when they were in their spiritual forms. "But here... I can actually feel everything."
Asta turned a bright shade of red, stammering an "Oops... my bad" as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. But Noelle didn't pull away or tease him. Instead, she leaned back in, capturing his lips again to drown out his apology.
Empowered by her boldness, Asta found his footing. With a sudden, fluid motion, he shifted his weight and turned their positions around. Now he was the one hovering over her, his strong frame casting a shadow across the bed in the moonlight.
He didn't rush. He cupped her cheeks gently, his thumbs tracing the soft lines of her lips while Noelle's eyes drifted shut, her breathing hitching. Then, he slid his hands deeper—one reaching behind her shoulder and the other slipping under her pillow to pull her closer. He leaned down and kissed her again
Asta's weight was heavy and so warm that made Noelle's heart hammer against her ribs. As he kissed her harder, she reached up, her fingers tangling into his unruly hair and pulling him closer, desperate to close every millimeter of space between them.
Noelle opened her eyes just a fraction, her gaze hazy and dark with heat as she looked up at him. "Asta," she breathed, her voice low and strained.
"What?" he rasped, his chest heaving against hers.
"Control your ki."
Asta blinked, his pupils blown wide. "How can you tell?"
"Too warm," she murmured, a stray lock of silver hair sticking to her damp forehead. "You're basically broadcasting to anyone who can read energy exactly what we're doing in here."
"Sorry," Asta muttered, a sheepish grit to his voice even as his blood continued to race.
He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, forcing his spiked energy to settle and pull back into his core. Noelle watched the tension in his neck ripple as he reined it in. When the oppressive heat in the air finally began to cool into a steady, pulsing warmth, she let out a small, predatory smile.
She didn't give him a chance to pull away. She reached up, hooking her fingers behind his neck and dragging him back down. Her tongue flicked out, wet and slow, tracing the seam of his closed lips. Asta's breath hitched, his hands tightening on the mattress as he leaned into the contact.
He opened his mouth to her, and when their tongues finally collided, the friction sent a jolt through both of them. It was a messy, desperate exploration. Noelle's back arched off the bed, a soft, muffled moan vibrating deep in her throat, while Asta let out a low, guttural growl against her lips. The sound was swallowed instantly by the wet heat of the kiss as his hands began to slide down her sides, gripping her hips through the thin silk of her gown
Eventually they broke apart, gasping for air as their eyes blinked open in the dim light. A thin, glistening string of saliva stretched between their lips, connecting them for a fleeting second before it snapped.
"You taste like meat," Asta blurted out, his voice thick and rough.
Noelle let out a shaky breath, a smirk tugging at her swollen lips. "You too."
They shared a sudden, breathless ugh that vibrated through their chests. Without letting her legs drop from where they were hooked around his waist, Asta braced himself and sat up just enough to grab the hem of his shirt. He yanked it over his head in one jerky motion, tossing it blindly into the shadows. He crashed back down onto her, skin meeting skin as he resumed the assault on her mouth. As they made out, asta felt her fingers trace the hard, knotted muscles of his chest and abs, his body twitching under her touch. Low, wet moans broke through the quiet of the room every time their bodies shifted or their tongues collided.
Asta pulled back for a second, his chest heaving as he stared down at her. Her lips were swollen and slick, her face flushed a deep, messy red that drove him wild. He didn't stop for long; he shifted his focus, trailing hot, wet kisses across the curve of her jaw and into the soft skin of her cheeks. Eventually, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the intoxicating mix of her scent and the lingering steam from her bath.
He didn't just kiss her there—he licked a path up her throat and began nipping at the sensitive skin with pyful, demanding bites.
"Ahhh!" Noelle's voice pitched high in a sharp, sudden moan that cut through the silence. She caught herself instantly, biting her lip to lower her volume, but her body betrayed her. Her nails dug hard into the corded muscle of his bare back, scratching lines into his skin as he continued to pepper her neck with a relentless barrage of wet kisses and sharp bites.
"Asta…" Noelle moaned, her voice trembling as she felt his hand tugging insistently at the hem of her nightgown. She gave a sharp, frantic nod, signaling her consent. Asta reached behind her back, his calloused palms lifting her up into a sitting position. With her arms raised high, he yanked the silk gown over her head in one fluid motion, tossing it aside to reveal her violet ce underwear.
Asta didn't waste a second staring. He immediately shoved her back onto the mattress, the bed creaking under their weight as he renewed his assault on her neck and mouth. Noelle's head thrashed against the pillow, her voice breathy and desperate as she moaned his name every time their lips crashed together. Whenever his tongue escaped hers to roam over her skin, she felt a sharp pang of want, her fingers tangling deep into his unruly hair and pulling him back for more.
Noelle's moans were becoming louder and more uninhibited as Asta's mouth traveled lower, his hot breath ghosting over her skin before his tongue licked a wet path into the valley of her breasts. She arched her back, her voice ringing out as she called his name, lost in the sensation. But just as the heat between them reached a breaking point, Asta suddenly pulled back, his body going rigid.
Noelle blinked, her eyes hazy and confused as she stared up at him in the dark. "Why'd you stop, Asta?" she rasped, her voice thick with frustration.
"Captain Yami's ki is fring," Asta said, his head turning toward the wall as he sensed the massive, dark pressure radiating from the Captain's quarters. "He's... he's definitely telling us to shut up and stop."
Noelle let out a long, disappointed groan, her head thumping back against the pillow. "Uhhh..."
"Don't be sad, my princess," Asta murmured. He leaned down, giving her one more deep, lingering kiss before shifting to her side. The room was heavy with the scent of their sweat and the lingering adrenaline of the moment. He pulled her against his bare chest, spooning her tightly and burying his face in the crook of her neck to inhale her scent. Wrapped in each other's arms and still coming down from the high, they eventually let exhaustion take over and drifted into a heavy sleep.
"Wake up, you two! Whoahh!" Luck shouted.
In the early morning light, Luck had already dressed and sprinted toward the new members' room, vibrating with excitement to get his numbers and a potential fight. He didn't bother with a handle; he kicked the door open with a loud bang.
Before he could even cross the threshold, a bck spear whistled through the air. Luck's reflexes snapped into gear as he jerked his head to the side; the projectile almost grazed the skin of his neck and thudded deep into a stone wall that hadn't been there the night before.
"At least try to knock, Senior Luck," Asta said, his voice gravelly with sleep.
Luck peered into the room. Asta was sitting up, one arm still stretched out from the throw, but both he and Noelle were still buried deep under the heavy covers. Asta's eyes were sharp, already tracking Luck's movement.
"Luck, what the hell are you doing?!" Magna yelled, skidding to a halt in the hallway after seeing the younger boy bolt past his own room. He stared at the spear vibrating in the newly formed wall.
"Show me my numbers!" Luck chirped, completely ignoring the spear in the wall as he bounced on the balls of his feet.
Magna skidded in next to him, his eyes darting around the room. He saw Asta standing up, completely unashamed in nothing but his boxers. Magna couldn't help but notice the kid was built like a tank—his muscles were better defined and denser than his own—but as Asta turned his back to grab his clothes, Magna's eyes widened. Scrawled across Asta's shoulder bdes and lower back were clear, angry red scratches.
"If you're asking, the answer is no," Asta said bluntly. He didn't even look back as he pulled on his trousers, then reached down to the floor. He scooped up Noelle's discarded dress from the shadows and tossed it toward the bed. A pale hand shot out from under the covers, snatched the fabric, and vanished back inside.
"We didn't do anything st night," Asta added, his voice ft.
"We weren't gonna ask anything, newbie!" Magna barked, his face turning a shade of pink that matched his jacket as he tried to look anywhere but the bed.
"Let me see my numbers!" Luck insisted, his eyes wide and shimmering with manic energy.
"Can you two please leave? I need to dress!" Noelle's voice muffled from under the bnkets. It was high and sharp, clearly mortified.
Luck just let out a childish ugh, finally grabbing the door handle and pulling it shut as he and Magna retreated into the hallway.
"Are you sure nothing happened?" Finral asked, his eyes darting nervously between the two.
They were all gathered in the mess hall, the air thick with the smell of breakfast. There was an overwhelming amount of meat on the table—far too much for Noelle's refined taste, though she picked at it silently.
"I'm assuring you, Senior Finral, nothing happened," Asta said bluntly. He didn't even look up as he stabbed a massive hunk of steak and took a rge, aggressive bite.
"Oh, thank God," Finral exhaled, slumping in his seat like a man who had just avoided a heart attack.
"Why are you so hung up on it, Finral?" Vanessa asked, leaning back with a gss in her hand, looking completely unbothered. "Let them be. They're married, aren't they?"
"I know that! But they're still teens!" Finral hissed, waving his hands around frantically.
"If they said nothing happened, then nothing happened," Vanessa countered, giving him a pointed look over the rim of her gss. "Please, just trust them."
Finral went quiet, though he didn't look convinced. He took a slow, lingering sip of his drink, his eyes narrowing as he kept a close, suspicious watch on the two rookies across the table. Eventually luck went next to them after he had finished his food.
"So, you're gonna show me my numbers?" Luck pressed, leaning so far over the table his nose was practically touching Asta's.
Asta gnced over at Noelle, a silent question in his eyes. "Noelle?"
"Sure, why not," she replied, sighing as if it were a chore, though her eyes held a spark of focus.
She opened her grimoire, the pages fluttering to a specific spot as a soft glow filled the space between them. Luck smmed a piece of paper onto the table, his hand trembling with anticipation. To the confusion of the rest of the squad, Noelle muttered [Observe].
A shimmering screen materialized in the air, visible only to them, pulsing with data. As Noelle began transferring the details onto the paper with a flick of her wand, the others craned their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever magic she was using. While she wrote, Asta turned his attention back to the spiky-haired senior across from him.
"Senior Magna?"
"Yes, Asta?" Magna answered, looking up from his own pte.
"Will you give us a tour?"
"Sure. I was meant to do it after we ate, actually," Magna said, puffing his chest out a bit, clearly proud to show off the hideout.
Noelle finally set her pen down with a quiet huff of royal dignity, sliding the paper across the grease-stained table. Luck's hand blurred as he snatched it up, his eyes darting across the ink before Asta and Noelle could even return to their breakfast.
"I won!" Luck crowed, a manic, jagged grin splitting his face. He smmed the paper down in front of Magna, pointing a trembling finger at one specific line. "See? My Luck is higher than yours! I knew it!"
Magna squinted at the paper, his brow furrowing as he scanned the strange data Noelle had transcribed. "That's all you saw, you battle-crazy brat?" Magna grumbled, pulling the sheet closer. "Let me actually read this thing."
"Don't hide it from us, Magna," Vanessa teased, leaning forward so far her hat nearly dipped into her drink. "Tell us what the 'numbers' say. Don't keep us in the dark."
"Of course!" Magna barked, standing up and kicking his chair back. He cleared his throat, holding the paper out at arm's length like it was a royal decree. In a voice that echoed off the stone walls of the mess hall, he read out Luck's stats:
Magna stared at the paper, his eyes nearly bulging out of his skull as he read the list. The mess hall went dead silent as the sheer weight of the information sank in.
Name: Luck Voltia
Level: 45
Hp: 1350 / 1350
Mp: 950 / 950
SP: 800 / 800
Title: [The Cheery Berserker, [Lightning Maniac]
Css: Lightning Mage (40/40), Battle Mage (lightning) (10/40)
Race: Human
STR: 110
AGI: 420
DEX: 310
STA: 180
INT: 100
WIS: 60
LUK: 99
Passive Skills
?Mana Sensory (High): Can detect high concentration of mana even at long distances, increased evasion
?Static Charge: Moving increases the power of next lightning spell.
?Berserker's Joy: Small HP regen and AGI boost every time he draws blood or takes damage.
?Battle Junkie: Increase WIS when in battle, lower hp higher boost
?Combat Addict: When [Joy] effect is obtained, ignore all "Pain" debuffs and double the effectiveness of Berserker's Joy. Effect disabled when feeling battle
[Joy: When user enjoy's battle or the more heated user is
?Lightning Reflexes (High): Increased resistance to lightning damage, Immune to low paralysis, Increased Agility and Evasion
?Charged Momentum (Battle Mage exclusive): increased damage the more speed builds up, resets when ever slowed down.
?Lightning Body Reinforcement (Battle Mage exclusive): Constant minor lightning coating that boosts physical strikes and movement speed.
Active Skills
?Lightning Creation Magic: Holy Lightning Boots: Coasts legs in lightning. Increases AGI by 2x and allows for "mid-air jumps" by kicking off mana.
?Lightning Creation Magic: Holy Lightning Gloves: Coasts arms in striking power and adds a [Paralysis] debuff to hits.
?Lightning Magic: Thunderbolt: A high-speed,multi-casted long-range bst of concentrated electricity
?Lightning Magic: Crackling Spark: A close-range AOE burst used when surrounded.
"Level 45?! And what the hell is an AGI of 420?!" Magna yelled, smming his hand on the table. "No wonder I can't even see this brat move when he gets serious! And these titles... [The Cheery Berserker]? [Lightning Maniac]? They couldn't be more spot on if they tried!"
Luck was vibrating in his seat, his eyes glowing with a terrifying intensity as he stared at the descriptions of his skills. "Mana Sensory... Berserker's Joy... so that's why it feels so good when the fight gets bloody!" He turned his head toward Asta, his smile widening into something truly predatory. "can we have a fight?"
"Don't even think about it, Luck!" Finral squeaked, leaning over to look at the 'WIS' stat. "Wait, his Wisdom is only 60? That expins... a lot, actually. But look at that Combat Addict skill—he literally ignores pain when he's having fun? That's cheating!"
Vanessa leaned in, whistling low at the [Lightning Body Reinforcement]. "A Battle Mage css... and a constant lightning coating. No wonder his skin always feels like it's humming. You kids really have a terrifying way of looking at the world."
"Wow, Noelle, he has the same css as you," Asta muttered around a mouthful of meat, pointing a greasy fork at the paper. Even though he is looking at the screen in front of him.
Luck's head snapped toward her, his grin turning sharp. "Really, Noelle? You're a Battle Mage as well?"
"Yeah," she replied simply, trying to keep her tone casual despite the flicker of pride in her eyes. "Though my focus is obviously on different elements and applications than yours."
Magna leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest as he shifted his gaze from the royal to the muscle-bound rookie. The raw power Asta had dispyed earlier was still fresh in his mind. "What about you, Asta?" he asked, his voice dropping an octave. "What css are you?"
"Gdiator," Asta said bluntly.
The word hung in the air, sounding heavy and grounded compared to the magical titles they were used to.
"Gdiator?" Magna repeated, testing the word. "Sounds like a css built for nothing but grinding people into the dirt. No wonder you're built like a brick wall and swinging that massive sb of iron around."
Finral looked nervous. "A Gdiator, A Slugger and two Battle Mages... this squad is getting more violent by the second."
Asta looked around the table, holding the pen ready. "What about you, Senior Finral? Want to see yours?"
Finral waved his hands dismissively, breaking into a nervous sweat. "I'm gonna pass. I feel like those numbers would just hurt my feelings."
"You, Senior Vanessa?"
"Later, sweetie," she purred, taking another sip of her drink. "I prefer to keep a little mystery."
"Senior Gauche?"
"I can't let my angel of a sister see my numbers, so no," Guiche decred, clutching a picture of Marie to his chest as if the paper itself might leak his secrets to her. Then asta looked the huge hulking figure.
"How about you, Senior Gray?"
Asta turned to the massive, hulking figure sitting nearby. To his shock, the giant suddenly blurred, his grimoire glowing, and transformed perfectly into a clone of Asta. However, the "Asta" standing there felt wrong—the Ki was small, feminine, and radiating pure bashfulness.
"I'm gonna pass on this one," the clone said, Asta's own voice sounding uncharacteristically shy. "Maybe some other time."
"Senior Charmy?"
The small girl didn't even look up from her pile of food. "Can I eat that?"
"No."
"Then no," Charmy said bluntly, stuffing a whole cupcake into her mouth without a second thought.
Asta turned toward the corner of the table where a pale, gaunt man sat picking at his food. "Senior Gordon?"
Gordon stopped, his dark-rimmed eyes locking onto Asta's. His lips moved at a rapid-fire pace, a continuous, breathless stream of mumbling that barely rose above a whisper.
"Senior Gordon?" Asta leaned in, trying to catch even a single word, but the sound was like dry leaves skittering across a floor.
Gordon paused, stared at Asta for a long beat with an unreadable expression, and then slowly shook his head 'no.' He returned to his meal in silence, his presence receding back into the shadows of the room.
"Okay then," Asta said, finally putting the pen down.
The rest of the breakfast was a chaotic mess of cnking silverware and Charmy's aggressive chewing. Once the ptes were cleared it was time for the tour of the base.
"These are the bathrooms," Magna announced, leading the way into a sprawling, open bath area.
Originally, both Noelle and Asta were supposed to follow for the tour, but Noelle had quickly bowed out, ciming she needed to clean the disaster of a room they'd left behind—though Asta suspected she just wanted to avoid any more awkward "scratched back" comments from Magna.
With Noelle gone, Asta followed Magna deeper into the byrinthine hideout. They passed the library, which was surprisingly quiet, and the "pyroom," though Asta's eyes widened as he took in the chains and spiked equipment. That looks more like a torture room, he thought, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck.
Next was the pet room, where a collection of bizarre, magical beasts growled and chirped from their enclosures. Magna patted Asta on the shoulder. "Since you're the newbie, feeding these guys is your job now." Asta didn't compin; he just gave a sharp nod, already calcuting how much strength he'd need to keep his hand from being bitten off.
They looped back past the mess hall and headed toward the girls' floor, but Magna stopped him at the base of the stairs. "Don't even set a toe up there. It's packed with traps that'll blow your head off," he warned.
Finally, they reached a heavy, reinforced door. "And this is the Captain's room," Magna whispered. It was locked tight, radiating a dark, brooding pressure. They moved quickly toward the st stop: the toilet. But as Magna reached for the handle, the door swung open, revealing Yami sitting there with a newspaper and a vein throbbing in his forehead.
"You two want to die?" Yami growled, his Ki fring so violently the floorboards creaked. "Piss off before I make you part of the plumbing."
"So that's the whole base," Magna said, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. The orange glow of the setting sun filtered through the high, narrow windows of the hideout, casting long, jagged shadows across the stone floor. "Any questions?"
Asta tilted his head, looking toward the upper rafters of the shifting structure. "How about the guy sleeping upstairs?"
Magna blinked, his expression bnking out. "What do you mean, a guy sleeping? There's nobody else up there."
Asta stared at the ceiling for a moment longer, his ki sense picking up a faint, rhythmic pulse, but seeing Magna's genuine confusion, he just shook his head. "Never mind. Thanks for the tour, Senior Magna."
He gave a polite wave and started the trek back to his and Noelle's quarters. As he rounded the final corner, he nearly walked straight into the broad, wall-like chest of Captain Yami. The Captain had a fresh newspaper tucked under his armpit and was exhaling a thick cloud of smoke.
Asta stopped instantly and offered a respectful bow. "Good evening, Captain."
"Asta," Yami grunted, his dark eyes looking down at the boy.
"Yes, Captain?"
"If the two of you are gonna do something, try to control your Ki," Yami grunted, his voice low and threatening. "And tell the young dy to check her mana levels. The two of you are so bright it's messing with my sleep."
Asta's face went hot, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple as he realized the Captain had basically been "watching" them through their energy all night. "Sorry, Captain," he said, bowing low. But as Yami started to walk off, a thought nagged at him. "Captain?"
"Yes?"
"Who is the guy sleeping upstairs?"
Yami's expression went bnk for a second, genuinely confused, before a flicker of realization crossed his face. "Oh. That's Henry. Your senior."
"Why is he sleeping there?" Asta asked, looking up at the ceiling.
"Ask him yourself," Yami muttered, not even looking back as he walked away, leaving Asta standing in the dim hallway, more confused than when the conversation started.
"Noelle, slow down," Asta groaned, his voice strained.
Night had fallen over the Bck Bull hideout once more. After a quiet dinner and a shared bath, the two had retreated to their room, ostensibly to sleep. But as soon as they hit the sheets, Noelle began to squirm restlessly. A hungry, determined look crossed her face as she climbed on top of him, pinning him to the mattress and peppering his face and jaw with frantic kisses.
"Captain said—" Asta tried to protest, the memory of Yami's warning about their "bright" energy fresh in his mind.
"I know!" Noelle muffled against his skin.
Asta let out a sharp groan as Noelle bit down on his neck, mirroring exactly what he had done to her the night before. She reached up, her hands cupping his face to pull him into a deep, aggressive make-out session. Asta's resolve crumbled; his hands slid down her sides, tracing the smooth line of her legs before his palms cupped her thighs and eventually settled firmly on her bottom.
"Slow down, Noelle," he rasped again, trying to maintain some sembnce of control.
"Be quiet, Asta!" she commanded between breaths, her movements becoming even more assertive as she took the lead.
Asta could only groan in surrender as Noelle's aggression ramped up. For several minutes, the room was filled with the sound of their heavy breathing as she pushed her tongue against his with uncharacteristic force. Asta's hands stayed busy, firmly palming the curves of her rear as he pulled her closer, but just as things reached a fever pitch, she suddenly broke the kiss.
She sat back on his p for a moment, looking down at him. He could feel her weight pressing against his erection, and she gave a small, pyful shift that made his blood roar before she abruptly slid off to the side of the bed.
"Why?" Asta rasped, his voice strained and confused, reaching out for her.
"I need to master my mana concentration first," Noelle teased, a smug, royal spark in her eyes as she ducked back under the covers. She settled in with her back to his chest, pulling his arm over her so he was forced to spoon her. "So I suggest you train yours as well, Bakasta."
Asta y there in the dark, his heart hammering like a war drum against Noelle's back. She was using Yami's warning as a weapon, leaving him completely wound up and throbbing, so he retaliated. His free hand slid upward, reaching beneath the silk of her gown to find her bare, growing breast. He cupped her firmly, his calloused palm grazing her skin.
"Asta?" Noelle gasped, her body tensing as the smugness vanished from her voice.
"Be quiet and concentrate," he commanded, his voice a low, gravelly rasp in her ear.
"Ahhh!" Noelle let out a sharp, stifled cry as Asta began to knead and py with her breasts. He found the sensitive peaks, rolling them between his fingers until they were rock hard. Noelle's resolve began to crumble; her breath hitched and her mana started surging in erratic, low pulses as she fought to keep it under control. Asta leaned in, pressing his lips to the heated skin of her neck, licking a slow, wet path toward her ear, his own Ki pulled inward so tightly he was seen as asleep.
She was moaning uncontrolbly as he continued to work her chest, both of them pushing their concentration to the absolute limit to ensure nobody in the base could detect the sheer amount of heat they were generating.
But Noelle wasn't about to lose. Even though she hadn't seen him fully exposed in the light, her hand reached back and slid low, dipping into his boxers with a boldness that surprised even her. Her fingers closed around his thick, pulsing erection.
Feeling the sheer size and heat of him, she realized he was far rger than she had imagined. A primal thrill shot through her, and she instinctively licked her lips. She began to rub him with a slow, agonizingly deliberate rhythm that made Asta's vision swim. Every stroke was a challenge, a silent command for him to maintain his Ki control while she pushed him to the brink of a total colpse.
"Noelle," Asta growled, his muscles locking up like iron. His self-control was fraying at the seams as his hips began to instinctively sync up with the rhythmic, demanding motion of her hand. Every glide of her palm against his length sent a jolt of raw electricity straight to his core, making it nearly impossible to keep his Ki tucked away.
He was trapped between the crushing need to surrender to her touch and the absolute necessity of staying "invisible" to the rest of the base. Noelle felt his response—the way he braced against her, the heat radiating off his skin—and it only emboldened her. She tightened her grip slightly, her own breath coming in shallow, jagged hitches as she forced herself to maintain her mana suppression while pushing Asta closer and closer to the edge.
Asta's hand grew bolder, his fingers pinching her now rock-hard nipples through the fabric and pulling on them slightly. The sharp sensation sent a jolt through Noelle's entire system, nearly shattering her focus.
"Concentrate, Bakasta," Noelle moaned back. Beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, staining her vision as she squeezed her eyes shut, her body vibrating with the effort of pleasuring him while keeping her mana masked.
They battled in the silence, a frantic exchange of touches and suppressed gasps, until the air in the room suddenly turned freezing. A crushing, dark pressure washed over them—Yami's Ki for Asta and his suffocating mana for Noelle. The Captain was awake, and he was losing patience.
They froze mid-motion, their hearts thudding in the sudden quiet.
"We need... more practice," Noelle whispered, her chest heaving, her nipples still sensitive and aching against the fabric of her gown.
"Yeah," Asta growled. He was still painfully hard, the tent in his boxers refusing to go down. Instead of pulling away, he adjusted himself, opening Noelle's legs and settling his weight firmly between her thighs, letting the friction soothe the ache.
"Good night, Bakasta. Let's train tomorrow," Noelle murmured, her voice thick with exhaustion and lingering heat.
"Yeah."
Just as their eyes began to heavy, a screen flickered into existence. It wasn't the usual blue; it was a violent, glowing red.
[Quest Received]
Objective: Increase True Ki Mastery to A
Reward: Nothing. Just my peace and quiet. The two of you are distracting my Chat
From: Liebe
Asta blinked at the angry red text floating in the dark. "What did you get, Noelle?"
"Same," she muttered, a tired giggle escaping her.
They ughed quietly for a moment, the tension finally breaking, before the exhaustion of their "training" dragged them both into a deep sleep.
The next few days were a relentless, grinding chore—and by chores, Asta mean's the one he always does in the orphanage.
Every morning, Asta was the first one up, tasked with scrubbing the grime off the shifting stone floors, wrestling with the bizarre, snapping beasts in the pet room, and hauling massive baskets of the squad's undry to the wash. By the time he was hanging the st of Magna's fme-patterned briefs on the line, his muscles were already humming with fatigue.
The most surprising part? The [System] didn't care about his service to the squad. His Daily Quests remained unchanged, a fixed set of physical demands that loomed over him like a debt. He had to blitz through his chores at a breakneck pace just to find time for his personal training.
By noon, he was usually panting, sweat-slicked and covered in a mix of soap suds and beast feed. Noelle, having finished her own Daily Quests with a regal, focused intensity, stepped in to help him finish the remaining household tasks. She didn't say much—her pride wouldn't let her admit she enjoyed the domesticity—but the way her water magic efficiently rinsed the floors spoke volumes.
The sun was a dying ember on the horizon by the time Asta finally completed his st set of reps. His body felt heavy, his skin hot and sensitive from the day's exertion. Closing his eyes, he reached out with his Ki Sense, filtering through the chaotic, rowdy energy of the hideout until he found what he was looking for.
Deep in the woods, he felt a pulsing, oceanic resonance. Noelle.
He didn't hesitate. Wiping the grime from his forehead with the back of his hand, Asta headed into the treeline. The shadows of the forest were thick, the air cooling rapidly, but he followed the pull of her mana like a moth to a fme.
Asta pushed through a thicket of overgrown brush, finding her nestled in a small clearing far enough from the hideout to be private, but close enough to hear the distant rumble of the base.
She was sitting cross-legged, completely topless. Her pale skin caught the dappled evening light, and her breasts, firm and budding, stood out against the dark greenery. The sight of her bare chest hit Asta like a physical blow; he stopped dead, his throat tightening as he let out a heavy, audible gulp.
"Don't stare, Bakasta," Noelle commanded without opening her eyes. Her mana was humming, a deep oceanic blue that coated her body like a second skin, making her pale flesh shimmer.
"What are you doing?" Asta rasped, his eyes still locked on her chest.
"Training my mana mastery," she replied, her voice steady despite the slight flush rising to her cheeks.
Asta let out a low, breathy ugh. "I guess you can't really train without your clothes anymore, right?"
"Yeah. I spent months naked in that forest with my masters, so just be quiet and deal with it," she snapped, and concentrated again making the mana in her body shimmer then dim back to it again.
Asta grinned. He knew her well enough to realize she had intentionally fred her mana to guide him here. He wasn't about to let her outwork him, and he definitely wasn't going to let her have all the fun. So his bck spear appeared in his arms and drove it deep into the dirt with a dull thud.
Wanting to complete his quest and join her in the heat of the training, he yanked his own shirt over his head, tossing it aside. His muscles were corded and slick with the day's sweat. Focusing his Ki into his fingertips, he leapt into the air and banced himself upside down on the razor-sharp tip of the spear. It was a grueling position his master had drilled into him—pure focus, pure strength.
Asta kept his eyes shut, his breathing falling into a heavy, rhythmic sync with the steady pulse of Noelle's mana. The forest air grew cold as the sun dipped below the horizon, the only sound being the rustle of leaves and the quiet, high-pitched hum of Noelle's magical aura. They stayed like that for hours—one banced precariously on a bde, the other molding the energy of the world—until the moon reached its peak, bathing the clearing in silver.
When they finally broke their focus, the heat of the training lingered in their damp skin. Asta hopped down from his spear, his muscles trembling slightly from the strain. Without a word, he gathered Noelle's discarded clothes and his own, handing them to her with a tired but appreciative look. They dressed in the shadows of the trees and made the quiet trek back to the hideout.
That night, there was no frantic struggle for dominance or desperate "training" under the covers. The day's bor had drained them both. They shared a long, deep kiss that tasted of salt and exhaustion before Asta pulled her back against his chest. He spooned her tightly, his arm draped protectively over her waist, and they fell into a heavy, dreamless sleep.
This became the rhythm of their lives: the morning grind of chores, the afternoon's grueling training in the woods, and the quiet, intimate recovery of the night. It was a domestic cycle that felt more real than anything they had experienced before.
But the peace was short-lived. One morning, just as Asta was wiping the sweat from his brow after finishing the st of the squad's undry, Magna's loud voice cut through the air, calling them both to the main hall.
"I'm giving you two your first mission!" Magna shouted, smming his hand onto the communal table.
They were gathered in the main hall. Captain Yami was slumped in his usual chair, arms draped zily over the backrest, a trail of cigarette smoke curling toward the rafters.
"Yes, Senior! What is it?" Asta asked, his voice full of its usual fire. Beside him, Noelle straightened her posture, looking attentive and ready to prove her worth.
"You two are going to hunt boars," Magna announced.
"Boars?" Asta blinked, the excitement draining from his face. "Really? That's it?"
"Yes," Yami interjected, his voice a low grunt. "I lost a bet to the old man over in that vilge, and now we owe him a favor. He wants the vilge to make some coin, and since it's boar season, he wants the Bck Bulls to do the heavy lifting. So, you two are going to go kill some pigs."
Asta and Noelle opened their mouths to argue—hunting animals felt like a step down from the heroics they had imagined—but they were cut short. A sudden, violent flicker of yellow light erupted in front of their eyes.
Yami continued talking, his words becoming background noise as they stared at the transparent screen floating in the air.
[Quest Received]
Objective: Hunt Boars (?/?)
Reward: EXP (varied based on kills), 100 Tokens.
[Side Missions]
Defeat [?]
Find (?)
[Special Reward: Saussy Vilge Instance]
A cold jolt of adrenaline shot through them both. This wasn't a simple hunting trip. The system had never given them a failure condition before, especially one as grim as the death of an entire vilge. Their eyes met, sharing a moment of silent panic.
Asta quickly cut Magna off in the middle of his briefing. "Where is this Saussy Vilge, Senior?"
Yami nodded, and with a quick salute, Noelle hurried out of the hall. As she stepped into the courtyard a screen appeared in front of him.
[I got the map. Meet me outside] Asta's message fshed in her vision
[I'm on my way] she replied
Her fingers twitched as she summoned her broom. It was the same standard-issue model she got during the entrance exam. Now that she was officially a member of the Bck Bulls—the "worst" squad in the kingdom—her ties to the Silva family's wealth had been effectively severed. Her allowance was gone, and her royal standing was in the dirt. She had to make do with what she had.
"Are we even going the right direction?" Noelle called out over the whistling wind.
They were tearing through the sky, the ndscape below blurring into a smear of green and brown. Noelle sat forward on the broom, her legs spread wide over the smooth wood to maintain her bance at high speed. She was thankful for the leotard she'd started wearing under her skirt; with her combat style relying so heavily on high kicks, she didn't want anyone but Asta catching a glimpse of her underwear.
Asta was perched behind her, the map clutched tightly in one hand while his other arm was wrapped firmly around her waist. His palm was pressed ft against her stomach, the heat of his hand seeping through the thin fabric of her shirt.
"Yeah, it's just to the left of Hage," Asta shouted back, squinting at the parchment. "How much longer?"
"About thirty minutes at this pace," Noelle replied, leaning into the wind.
"Is your mana holding up? We're pushing this thing pretty hard."
"It's fine," she said, her voice confident. "My passive skills are kicking in. My mana regenerates faster than this broom can drain it. It's barely even a dip."
"Good," Asta muttered, his grip on her waist tightening instinctively as a gust of wind buffeted them.
"Hey, Asta?" Noelle asked after a moment, her voice dropping, losing its edge.
"Yeah?"
"What do you think is actually going to happen there? The system... it sounded like a massacre."
Asta didn't answer right away. He looked past her shoulder at the horizon, his jaw set. "I don't know. But I hope we aren't too te."
The conversation died there. There was no more room for small talk. They flew in a tense, heavy silence, the only sound the roar of the wind and the desperate hum of the broom as they raced against the red text of the quest's failure condition.
The sun was still high in the sky when they arrived, casting long, sharp shadows across the dirt path. The vilge was quiet—peaceful, even. A small stone bridge spanned a trickling stream, separating the main road from a cluster of modest houses where the vilgers were busy with their daily toil. A few children stopped their py, squinting at the newcomers with wide, confused eyes.
Asta and Noelle stood their ground as a tall, imposing old man with a shock of white hair approached them. As he went next to the two he introduced himself as Seihi, the vilge chief.
"So, you're the knights Yami and Magna ordered to come here, eh?" he asked, his voice like grinding gravel.
"Yes, sir! The name's Asta, and this is Noelle," Asta said, offering a disciplined nod. He stood tall, his bck gloves rested on his arms.
While Asta engaged the chief, Noelle stood slightly to the side. Her eyes were sharp, scanning the perimeter with a hunter's focus. Under the cover of her calm, royal expression, she pushed her mana outward in a subtle, sweeping pulse. She was searching for a threat—anything that justified the bleeding red [Quest Failure] warning—but she found nothing. Every signature she picked up was weak; just the flickering, dim mana of commoners trying to survive the day.
"Did those two mention why you're here?" Seihi asked, his skeptical gaze lingering on Noelle's expensive-looking attire.
"Yes, sir," Asta replied, keeping his tone professional. "We're here to hunt the boars."
"Good," Seihi grunted, clearly unimpressed by Asta's short stature and Noelle's delicate poise. He turned toward the dense treeline bordering the vilge. "The beasts have been restless tely. If you're as good as the Bck Bulls cim, you'll get to work before the sun drops any further. We don't need those things wandering into the vilge after dark."
Asta looked over at Noelle. Through his Ki, he could feel her underlying frustration and the buzz of her mana—she was as keyed up as he was. The vilge looked safe and the people seemed happy, but the screen in their minds was still screaming that everyone here was a target.
Once the vilge chief left them to their own devices, Asta and Noelle headed toward the dense treeline he had indicated. The peaceful sounds of the vilge faded behind them, cold air of the river.
"Find anything, Asta?" Noelle asked, her eyes darting the far trees.
"Nothing," Asta grunted. He was focusing his Ki, but the immediate location felt empty of anything but small fish and the rustle of leaves.
As they crossed the stone bridge and stepped onto the soft dirt of the forest path, Noelle moved closer to him. Her shoulder brushed against his arm, and she lowered her voice. "Why did the quest look like that? The failure condition... everyone dying? It's never been that specific before."
"I don't know, Noelle. This is a first for me, too," Asta replied, his jaw tight. He gripped his hands feeling the fabric of his gloves. "The System usually doesn't lie about things getting bloody."
"So where is this [?] enemy?" Noelle asked, looking at the flickering screen of the quest in front of her. "If it's powerful enough to wipe out a vilge, I should be able to feel its mana from here."
"I don't know," Asta repeated, frustration creeping into his tone. "It looks like whatever it is, it hasn't happened yet. I guess we are early."
Noelle let out a sharp, determined exhale, calming herself down for a moment. "Fine. If we have to wait for it to show its face, we might as well make use of the time.
As they got farther in the forest they saw what those boars are, they are big and it has fmes erupting from its foot, asta used [observe] as soon as they saw one.
Magic Boar
Level 20
Hp: 300/300
Mp: 150/150
Description: A beast evolved from dense environmental mana. Accelerated aging has stripped away its instincts, leaving only a mindless, aggressive drive to sughter anything in its territory.
The boar felt the scan and charged Asta. It was fast, but Noelle was faster. She moved to its side, her legs glowing blue with mana, and with her crossbow mounted in her hand she jumped and kicked it hard in the ribs while mid-air. The boar nded and turned toward her, eyes red with rage, but Asta's massive bck sword was already there. He brought it down, splitting the beast open.
"It really is aggressive," Asta grunted. He grabbed the dead weight of the boar and tossed it into the dirt. He didn't stop to breathe before sensing another one rushing them.
As soon as it broke through the trees, Noelle stepped in. She kicked it in the side to throw it off bance, then leaped up. She brought her heel down on its head with a heavy surge of water magic, crushing it into the ground and killing it instantly. She stood over it, her breath coming in short, hot pants as she looked back at Asta.
Asta just grinned. Noelle responded by surging her mana, the blue light fring out like a beacon. Within seconds, Asta felt dozens of Ki signatures snap toward them, alerted by the heat of her mana. Minutes ter, the woods were crawling with boars.
They moved as a single unit, double-teaming every beast that broke the treeline. Asta swung his massive sword in wide, heavy arcs, the bck iron cleaving through hide and bone. Beside him, Noelle was a blur of motion, her legs snapping out to kick the boars in the ribs or cave in their skulls with water-reinforced strikes.
An hour passed. The clearing was filled with a pile of dead, bleeding carcasses. Asta wiped the sweat and grime from his face, but he didn't rex. His Ki spiked. Somewhere up on the cliffs, a cluster of higher mana signatures appeared—and then, one massive, suffocating presence surged above them all.
Asta looked at Noelle, and the two moved toward the source. Noelle dimmed her mana as much as she could, staying low as she followed Asta up the cliff. They reached a point overlooking the town and stopped behind a tree when a voice cut through the air.
"Right on time," the man said. He was tall with navy hair, his back turned to them. He wore dark navy robes, fnked by three others whose faces were hidden under deep hoods. Asta and Noelle crept closer as the group walked toward the edge of the cliff.
"So, that's where the magic stone is located," the leader said, gesturing toward the vilge. "You three, go find it."
"Yes, sir." The three minions didn't walk; they turned into liquid water and flowed down the cliffside toward the town.
Asta didn't wait. "Go, Noelle!"
As Noelle's mana fred, the tall man spun around and fired a barrage of ice. Asta stepped in front, his bck sword smming the ice aside. Noelle unched herself off the cliff toward the town, her legs glowing bright blue for the descent. The man snarled and unched a jagged ice spear at her back, but Asta blurred, appearing mid-air next to her. He swatted the ice back at the leader with a heavy swing. The projectile exploded against the cliff as Noelle pulled away, heading for the vilge.
"What are you going to do at the vilge?" Asta demanded, his grip tightening on his sword.
"Magic Knights?" the man muttered. He caught sight of the symbol on Asta's robe and sneered. "Bck Bulls, eh? What are those rejects doing here?"
"I asked you a question. What are you doing here?"
The man didn't answer. Instead, he pulled a pocket watch from his robes, checked the time, and looked back at Asta with cold indifference. "I have time to spare."
The moment the watch disappeared back into his robes, Asta triggered [Observe].
Heath Grice
Level: 45
Hp: 3500/3500
Mp: 2500/2500
Job: Ice Mage (40/40), Inquisitor (Ice) (20/40)
"Did you just judge me, commoner?" Heath's voice turned sharp. He felt the weight of Asta's gaze—a cold, invasive evaluation that made his skin crawl.
"What are you doing here?" Asta asked one more time, his voice dropping into a low, dangerous growl.
Heath didn't waste any more words. His grimoire flickered with a harsh, bluish-white light. He exhaled, sending a thick, freezing mist surging toward Asta. Asta didn't flinch; he just stepped into the cloud and swatted the magic away with a heavy, blunt swing of his sword.
"A sword that cancels mana," the man muttered. He bolted to the left, firing a jagged spray of ice spikes the moment he saw Asta rush him. Heath smmed his foot down, sending a trail of erupting ice pilrs toward the boy.
Asta jumped back, but before Heath could follow up, the boy vanished. He reappeared instantly behind the mage—the heavy sword gone, repced by a sharp bck spear. Heath panicked, spinning around just as the spear's tip nicked his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.
"You!" Heath growled.
He didn't get another word out. An afterimage of Asta flickered in his vision, and he felt a stinging blow to his other cheek. He saw Asta was holding the sword again, swinging the ft of the bde into Heath's chest. The air left the mage's lungs in a pained wheeze. Asta didn't let up, hitting him from the opposite side before leaping high, the massive bde raised over his head.
"Iron Crusher!" Asta yelled.
He brought the sword down with a bone-shattering force, smming Heath vertically into the dirt and burying him in a shallow crater.
[Combo Ended]
"As expected. Mages faint when their MP hits zero," Asta muttered. He triggered [Observe] on Heath again. The mage's HP was still at 1000, but his MP was a ft 0, fgged with a new status: [Anti-Mana Poison].
Heath y broken in the crater. The nicks on his cheeks had sprouted thin bck lines that crawled toward his neck like a spreading rot. Asta tried to shake him awake, but the man was out cold. For good measure, Asta used the tip of his spear to nick Heath's arm; more bck lines surged across the mage's skin, sealing his mana further. Asta grabbed the man by his navy robes and dragged his limp body toward the edge of the cliff before jumping down toward the town.
The moment he nded, Nero fluttered over. The bird carried a small, light-red stone in its beak, dropping it into Asta's palm before settling back onto his head.
"What's this, Nero?" Asta asked. Before the bird could tilt its head, a screen fshed in his vision.
[Quest Complete]
Boars Hunted: 20
Received: 2000 Exp + 100 Token
[Side Missions Completed]
Defeated: Heath Grice
Found: Mana Stone
[Special Reward Recieved: Saussy Vilge Instance Unlocked.]
Asta grinned at the notification. He checked the surrounding ki and he saw that Noelle was already wrapping things up. He could feel her signature near the vilge chief, likely tying up the st of the water-minions.
Asta reached the center of town to the sound of roaring cheers. The vilgers crowded the square, shouting Noelle's name. To the side, the vilge chief stood over the three minions, who were already bound tightly with rope. The cheering intensified when the crowd saw Asta dragging the leader by his robes like a sack of dead weight. With a grunt, Asta tossed Heath's limp body toward the chief's feet.
"Good job, Asta," Noelle said. She flicked her wrist, dismissing her crossbow into the fluttering pages of her grimoire. Asta nodded, his eyes scanning the three bound enemies. He stepped forward and nicked each of them with his bck spear; the anti-mana poison surged, and they slumped further into their bindings.
"You too, Noelle," he grunted, wiping a smear of dirt from his jaw.
"Chief, did you check their items?" Noelle asked, her voice sharp with authority.
"Not yet," Seihi replied, his eyes moving from the prisoners to the young knights.
"Let's make sure they don't have anything to call for backup," Noelle commanded.
"Right."
As the chief began the search, Noelle's gaze snagged on the bird perched atop Asta's messy hair. Her composure cracked instantly, her eyes softening as she became smitten with the creature. But then remembered this was the same bird that asta warned that was higher level that her.
Noelle looked at Asta, who only offered a confused shrug. He opened his palm, revealing the small, light-blue stone Nero had brought him.
"What is this?" Noelle whispered, stepping into his personal space to get a better look.
"Nero gave it to me," Asta said.
"Did you use [Observe] on it yet?"
"Not yet," Asta replied, his gaze locking onto hers. The adrenaline of the fight was still thick in the air between them. "I was waiting for you."
Noelle nodded and used observe on the item
Mana Stone (SSR)
Rarity: Ancient (SSR)
Type: Key Item
Mana Conductivity: EX
Effect: Massively increases the mana capacity of any item it is inserted into.
Description: A stone crystallized from pure mana. It is part of a rger set.
The moment the scan finished, a violent gold flicker erupted in their vision as a new notification overrode their screens.
[World Quest Receive]
Collect all Stones: 1/10
Reward: ?, 3000 token
[Quest Failure Condition:?]
"What do you think of this, Asta?" Noelle asked, her voice trembling slightly. An "SSR" rank item was legendary, and the "World Quest" tag made the boar hunt look like child's py.
"I don't know, Noelle," Asta muttered, his fingers closing tightly over the cold, pulsing gem.
Before they could discuss it further, Chief Seihi returned. He looked weathered, his hands stained with the grime of searching the prisoners. Without a word, he held out a small, gss bottle filled with a thick, shimmering liquid. Asta and Noelle looked at each other, then at the Chief, but the old man just shook his head, refusing to expin.
Noelle sighed and triggered [Observe] on the mysterious item.
Detonation Bottle
Rarity: Rare
Type: Usable Item
Mana Conductivity: B
Effect: Detonates Mana of the person using it, instantly kills its user
Description: An item made by a derange alchemist for a mage assassin, it can make the user explode his mana.
Liebe Description: Cssic item, I can sell it if you want
"It's a suicide item," Noelle said, her voice dropping as she saw Asta's expression turn to stone.
Asta turned his gaze toward the three bound men, his eyes burning with a cold, sharp anger. "Do you guys even care about your lives?" he demanded. The prisoners remained silent, staring at the dirt with hollow eyes.
The chief quickly searched Heath's robes, pulling out an identical bottle and handing it to Asta. Sensing the tension, Seihi began to disperse the cheering crowd, clearing the square. Noelle stepped in, giving the chief firm instructions to contact the Capital immediately to apprehend the criminals. He gave a grim nod and hurried toward his house.
"Asta..." Noelle said softly, her voice ced with worry as she reached out to him.
"Do they think lives are just toys?" Asta spat, his knuckles white as he gripped the gss bottles. "You idiots"
They stood in the quiet of the square until the Magic Knights from the Capital finally arrived to take the prisoners. While the handoff happened, Asta channeled his frustration into work. He hauled all twenty massive boar carcasses into the center of the town, depositing them in a heap for the vilgers. Even through his anger, the sound of their renewed cheers offered a small, grounding comfort.
The sky was a bruised purple, the sun sinking below the horizon by the time they finally left the vilge. As they tore through the cooling air on the broom, Noelle felt the steady, warm weight of Asta's hands on her hips. She leaned back slightly into him, the wind whistling past them.
"Do you want to go to Hage?" she asked, her voice raised to carry over the rush of the air. "It's on the way back."
"Not yet," Asta said.
"Why?"
"Until I'm the Wizard King, I'm not going back," he replied, his voice firm and filled with that familiar, stubborn resolve.
Noelle didn't push him. She simply shifted her weight, settling more firmly against his chest as they flew. They didn't speak for the rest of the trip, enjoying the quiet intimacy of the open sky as the Bck Bulls' hideout slowly appeared in the distance, a jagged silhouette against the rising moon.
and that's a wrap. yeah i chickened out on their first time due to plot reasons yes its a plot point, until they master their respective masteries to A no sexy time for them but they will try. i have nothing else to say, instead ill convince zoe to edit the chapters so that it makes the chapters shorter by making a drop box for their stats.
i hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much i enjoy writing it
Next update: tomorrow or friday
