"This has got to be one of the most pathetic parties I have been to. Where is the food? All I see are white haired old mans and half man cocky punks!" Asta grumbles as he stands in the corner of a banquet Hall.
Yami is beside him, completely in agreement and chewing on fried octopus he got from a roadside stand. "Told you this would happen. Should have listened to me and got one as well."
Two days have passed since the jail break incident and Asta is currently inside the Royal ceremony of the kingdom like he was asked by licht for.
But no matter how much he tried to calm himself down, the ceremony looked more like a battlefield with whatever nobles arriving just staring at each other with hostility, there wasn't even any food on the tables to say out loud.
Asta felt his mood falling to the ground, "I hate this place already." He hissed under his breath and turned to Yami instead. " Got any left captain?"
"I will charge double."
"And I will take them! Just gimme the food, I didn't eat food yesterday thinking there would be some here."
Begrudgingly Asta handed Yami some coins, exchanging his hard earned money for street food at double the price. He brought it closer to his mouth and dug in, it tastes bland and awful but it was better than starving.
"Captain do you know who the princess is?" Asta asked Yami without context, expecting him to answer.
But, Yami just looked at him funny, "of course who could it be? The name Noelle isn't something soldiers can forget. *extended pause* Also did you see her already? "
"Kinda.I helped her beat up someone."
"Oh! Back to beating up people together like back in clover kingdom. Did you already help get the memories?"
Asta frowns, giving Yami his answer but even more than that it confuses him.
"You met her didn't you? Why not tell her everythint?" He asked Asta, "Isn't it better for us if she remembers. Her old partner in crime? "
...
A few seconds pass by yet Asta stays silent, his mind in turmoil as he made a disgusted face and looked backwards.
"I don't want her to remember her old family. Also she might kill her brother."
Then Asta left without giving Yami any context, confusing him even more than before until he just gave up..
"These brats really like twisting things don't they? I guess he is the tsundere of the group now." Yami mutters with sigh and leaves to find somebody to spar with. "I wonder if one of the geezers are still here."
"Yo Yami. I was getting tired of searching for your lazy ass everywhere." A voice came Yami from the side.
"Speak of the devil." Yami retorted, turning to find a old man in beach shorts and a pair of sunglasses that added a rebellious look to his old bones. "How have you been Old geezer?"
"Better than you atleast. To think you would go start teaching in the school instead of the battlefield."
The old man had a lame bowl cut hairstyle with his grey old hair sticking out from it. He held a cane in his hand, a very expensive one since there wasn't a inch of it that wasnt adorned with gems and other rich people things.
Looking at the cane, Yami laughed, "you really spent all your savings on that? "
The old man looked back, matching Yami's laughter, "Gya gyagya. A bet is a Bet kiddo. I made sure to shove this thing up a lich's head and it gonna be coming with me hell."
"In this economy? You never seize to amaze m-"
"Shhhh- look" The old man interrupts and points, "The drama is starting."
The old man was referring to the group of nobles entering the Hall with their numbers in dozens. Mages and fighters of many high status coming together to show their support a over cocky trash which had the audacity to show his face here.
It was of course the shameless Ex-fiance of Noelle. A mocking grin on his while noticed the disheartened gaze of the nobles at his face.
Unluckily for him he had misunderstood the thoughts directed at him as envy, leaving him unaware of the truth going on behind his back.
"Oh look it's the red lizard of the elders. Lucky bastard."
"It's always these Treacherous Magnus family bastards, what a pity if only this guy had a hint of his brother's intelligence."
"I don't really want to talk to him, I heard he was defeated and even ended up turning a shield artifact to scrap. What a wasteful fool."
He wasn't being envied, he was being outcasted and insulted at every corner. If it wasn't for elders supporting him from the back, no doubt he wouldn't even be here.
Eventually the fool managed to walk up to Yami, underestimating him as a guard of the occasion and scoffed.
He turned to Yami and the old man, opening his foul and smelly mouth to speak some words.
"What are you peasants doing here? Get lost before I kick you fools out." He said to the two of them and smirked.
But Yami didn't bother, he just turned to the old man for a second and saw him nod.
"Hey answer me you pe-"
The Magnus's fool was interrupted by a backhand smack to the face and flew like a ragdoll and straight into the empty dining table.
The guards and elders quickly surrounded Yami and the old man, pointing their weapons at them while the nobles whispered among themselves.
"Serves that snake right." Said one of them
"I envy that muscle guy, I wish I had that courage." Spoke another.
There wasn't the slightest displeasure in their voices, only enjoyment and collective trust formed from their hatred for the Magnus.
They didn't say anything out loud but most of them made sure to take note of these. It would be worthwhile to get become friends with Yami was what they thought.
Meanwhile the soldiers were sweating buckets, the spear and swords in their hands shaking alongside them.
"Drop your weapons and surrender!" The captain of guards said to Yami, all while keeping distance from him.
...
"You see this crap? " Yami turned to the old man, "Imagine telling a war veteran to drop weapons. This has got to be a joke right?"
"I agree. Only a idiot or a weakling would throw his weapon when he can overpower the enemy."
"You heard him you moron. Go get that pig faced brat to the infirmary or something, you idiots can't hurt even touch our skin." Yami roared at the guards.
Some of the soldiers immediately followed his order without hesitation,while the rest just kept standing there while some of them even fainted from high blood pressure.
The fearful looks the guards were giving him was a annoyance to Yami. If Asta was here than maybe he would sit still and watch these weaklings throw some magic at him but he wasn't going to wait for his pupil.
Slowly he reached for his sword, his eyes locked onto the Guards and two cloak clothed council elders in their midst. He let go of his restrain, the shackles of his fighting spirit reciding until suddenly, a voice echoes through the hall and stopped him.
"Aren't you being a little too ruthless, Yami? Is that how you behave in a friend's house?"
Calm and collected, the voice carried a uncaring yet echoed tone. The crowd of nobles parted ways and before long, the owner of the voice could been standing on the other side of the hall.
White hair braided with a metal spike chain in front while his combed long here flew hung behind his head. The man who interrupted Yami wore a pure white cloak and carried a glass like cutlass with no scabbard in his hands.
The man was the new world's Nozel, aka one of the former captains of clover kingdom and Noelle's older brother, Nozel Aqua.
"So you finally came to greet me. But you shouldn't go around punching kids less than half your age."
"I don't want to hear that from the punk who spent months cutting newborn spider demons." Yami growled back at Nozel, "You should invite better people and-, That symbol?"
Yami saw a nostalgic symbol on Nozel's cloak. The silver crest of the silver eagles squad just plainly existing in plain sight, leaving Yami baffled.
"You remember? " Yami asked with wide-open eyes and received a silent yet subtle nod from Nozel.
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Nozel lied to throw off the conversation, "but I would like a little restrain in my ceremony for old time's sake."
'Look at this bastard acting all smug just because he remembered. How did he even remember it anyway?' Yami thought while grumbling unsatisfyingly, leaving the hall the next second while he made a gesture for regrouping to the old man and Nozel.
Internally sighing, Yami moved on to the roof of the castle. His current decision being to tell Asta the truth to avoid any banter cause of his bias at Noelle's siblings.
He felt a sensation in his fist, a indescribable satisfaction and relief.
"Punching that clown was worth it. I better grab him as a punching bag once that silver haired moron is done with his plans."
As Yami faded to the less guarded corners of the castle, Asta meanwhile had different plans of his own.