(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Once the healer finished tending to the injured, Ben turned to the Royal Knights.
"Take them to a proper facility,"
He instructed, his tone leaving no room for debate.
"Somewhere they can get full treatment until they recover."
The knights bowed in acknowledgment and began arranging transport for the old man and his grandchildren.
With that settled,
Ben exhaled and glanced toward the horizon.
The mission here was done—
At least for now.
Moments later,
FLASH!
Radiant green light rippled over his form as his body shifted, limbs elongating and skin turning sleek.
In a burst of energy, Jet Ray stood where Ben once had.
Scooping Nero into his arms, he gave a final nod to the knights before leaping into the air.
WHOOSH!
With a sonic whoosh,
They shot skyward, the ground shrinking rapidly beneath them.
The wind howled past as Jet Ray angled toward the capital—
Toward the towering spires of his own castle that awaited in the distance.
Jet Ray descended in a smooth arc, wings folding as he landed in the castle's expansive garden.
His claws touched the manicured grass for only a heartbeat before his form shimmered, collapsing back into that of Ben.
FLASH!
The warm scent of flowers drifted on the breeze,
But his thoughts were pulled inward as the familiar chime of the system echoed in his mind.
[ DING... ]
[ New Mission Generated... ]
[ Objective: Place a bounty on the terrorist group Eye of the Midnight Sun for causing unrest in your kingdom and endangering civilians. ]
[ Reward: 70 FP | 25 Null Void Fragments ]
Ben's eyes narrowed slightly, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips.
'So… it's time they learned what it means to draw my attention.'
Ben strode through the castle halls, his boots clicking sharply against the marble floor.
The great doors of the throne room swung open, and he made his way to the elevated seat at its center.
He settled onto the throne, resting one arm on its carved armrest.
His butler, Harry, stood respectfully at his side, waiting for instructions.
"Harry,"
Ben said, his tone firm.
"Issue a bounty on a terrorist group called the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Highest price possible—I want every hunter, mercenary, magic kights and soldier in the country after them."
"As you command, Your Majesty,"
Harry replied with a slight bow.
Ben's gaze sharpened.
"And send a summons to Wizard King Julius. Tell him I expect him here for a meeting."
"At once, sire."
Harry turned on his heel, already moving to carry out the orders.
Harry moved swiftly,
His long coat brushing against the polished floor as he left the throne room.
Within the hour, messengers were dispatched in every direction—
Using scrolls,
And sending coded magical transmissions.
The bounty order spread like wildfire.
The Bounty Center received it first,
Their clerks stamping it with the crimson seal of royal authority before posting it on the enchanted bounty board for all hunters to see.
At the Magic Squad bases,
Captains gathered their subordinates, reading out the details with grim expressions.
In the Royal Knight headquarters,
Armored warriors studied the wanted posters that now glowed with the magically-rendered insignia of the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
Every guild hall, mercenary den, and magic academy across the kingdom soon carried the same notice—
An unprecedented bounty promising wealth and honor to whoever could bring the group down.
By the time Harry returned to the throne room to report.
When Williams received the bounty order on the Eye of the Midnight Sun, his face darkened instantly.
The parchment trembled in his grip as his eyes scanned the bold, magically-etched words.
The very thing he had dreaded… had happened.
And far sooner than expected.
They had not yet gathered all the Magic Stones—
And now, with the kingdom's hunters, soldiers, magic knights and mercenaries alerted,
the group's movements would be under constant watchi their name leaks even a little bit.
Every plan, every carefully laid step, risked unraveling.
Williams clenched his jaw, crumpling the edge of the notice.
"This… changes everything,"
He muttered, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes.
This king was giving him a massive headache.
Unpredictable to the core—making moves in the most unexpected, infuriating ways.
They had only made a small move… just enough to secure a single Magic Stone.And now?
A kingdom-wide bounty sat squarely on their heads.
Williams ground his teeth.
Even though his true identity remained hidden, the noose was already tightening.
This wasn't how the game was supposed to play out.
Meanwhile, in the king's castle…
Inside Ben's office, the air shimmered—
A faint ripple in reality—
And then the Wizard King appeared before him, teleporting in with the casual grace of someone who had done it a thousand times.
Ben didn't seem startled;
"____"
Instead, he gestured to the table where several scrolls and crystalline components were laid out.
"Glad you came. I've been refining the projection concept we talked about."
The Wizard King took a seat, his eyes immediately scanning the detailed diagrams—
Circles layered with complex runes, miniature crystal arrays, and mana-channeling conduits.
"You're proposing to transmit real-time imagery across multiple regions,"
The Wizard King said, tapping the parchment.
"But these mana pathways… you've routed them through atmospheric leylines instead of physical conduits?"
Ben nodded.
Nod~
"Exactly. Physical conduits would make the system easy to sabotage. By using the ambient leylines, we can transmit the visual data over vast distances with minimal mana loss. The key is this—"
He held up a shimmering prism-like crystal.
"An adaptive refractor core. It converts the mana-based image into light for projection."
The Wizard King leaned back, impressed.
"That would mean… every city square, every military base, even remote villages could receive the same image simultaneously. Public announcements, battlefield updates—"
"And propaganda, if necessary,"
Ben added bluntly.
"But my main intent is for rapid intelligence sharing. If there's an enemy attack, everyone sees it in real time. No delays, no distortions. And entertainment."
The Wizard King smirked faintly.
"You do realize the nobles will hate this. Too much transparency makes them nervous."
"That's why," Ben replied, "I want this under royal authority only. No one else gets the access keys to initiate a projection."
They began going over mana calibration figures, crystal purity requirements, and ways to secure the network from enemy interference.
Every detail mattered—
Because once the system was operational, it could change the balance of power in the Clover Kingdom forever.
After the discussion wrapped up, the Wizard King seemed satisfied and prepared to leave, his robes shifting as he turned toward the door.
But before he could go,
Ben's voice cut through the quiet room.
"Julius,"
Ben said firmly,
"I want you to conduct a thorough investigation through the Magic Knight squads—every member, even the ones you trust the most. Leave no one out. There's a chance some of them might have… a dual personality."
Julius halted mid-step, his brow furrowing in curiosity.
"Dual personality? Does this have anything to do with the recent bounty you placed?"
Ben met his gaze and gave a silent, deliberate nod.
Nod~
For a moment, Julius studied him, the gears clearly turning in his mind.
Then, without another word, he returned the nod, his form shimmering before vanishing in a blink, leaving only the faint distortion of displaced mana in the air.
Meanwhile,
Black Bull's Secret Base...
At the Black Bull squad's base, Asta's high expectations crumbled the moment he stepped inside.
He had imagined a disciplined squad hard at work—
What greeted him instead was pure chaos.
Furniture was overturned, laughter and shouting echoed off the walls, and bursts of stray magic crackled through the air like fireworks gone wrong.
A small explosion from the kitchen sent smoke billowing down the hallway, followed by someone yelling,
"I didn't touch it this time!"
"____"
Asta just stood there in stunned silence, his hopeful smile twitching into disbelief as he took in the madness that was apparently… normal here.
Before Asta could even recover from the shock, a sudden crash came from above.
BANG!
The ceiling above him split open, and Magna came tumbling down, landing in a heap of dust and debris.
He jumped up, grinning as if nothing happened.
"Yo! You must be the new recruit! Welcome to the most badass squad in the kingdom!"
He declared, brushing off plaster from his jacket.
From the corner, Luck peeked out with that unsettling smile of his, sparks dancing around his hands.
"Hey… you wanna fight?"
Before Asta could answer, a chair flew past his head—
Gordon had tripped over it while mumbling something unintelligible.
Charmy was chasing after a runaway plate of food, and in the far back,
Vanessa was lounging in her hammock, lazily swirling a glass of wine while watching the mayhem like it was theatre.
Asta's jaw dropped.
"____"
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review on this Fanfic.
Don't forget to send your power stones!!!