March, the season of dancing dandelions. Every year, all fifteen-year-olds in the Clover Kingdom gathered at their local Grimoire Towers for the Grimoire bestowal ceremony.
This ceremony not only granted them their Grimoires but also offered a rare opportunity to enhance their magic power.
Of course, the quality of the Grimoire received and the amount of magic power enhanced depended on individual talent.
To reiterate, this was a magic-centric world; everything was intertwined with magic.
Almost all professions required magic, even farmers working the fields used magic. And countless people dreamed of becoming Magic Knights!
There was more than one Grimoire Tower. Father Orsi took Drake, Asta, and Yuno to the Grimoire Tower in their region.
Along the way, Drake saw many young people entering the cylindrical building.
Sunlight streamed through the clover-patterned skylights, illuminating the interior. The circular shelves held thousands of Grimoires; their exact number was impossible to discern.
Before such a vast number of Grimoires, Drake felt insignificant.
These weren't ordinary objects; they housed magic power. Drake, with his exceptional magical senses, could clearly feel the immense power, like a constellation of stars.
"Amazing! Are these all Grimoires?"
Asta's expression of astonishment was straightforward, but his loud voice drew attention.
Drake frowned, hearing the whispers around them.
He had heard similar whispers countless times during his five years at the Hage Village church. They were being judged based on their background, their status as lower-class citizens, their futures and dreams being questioned.
Asta, who couldn't use any magic, was a local celebrity, mostly due to ridicule.
"This is infuriating…"
Drake muttered, and a surge of flames erupted from him.
But it wasn't fire; it was Drake's immense magic power, so potent it manifested as raging flames.
"Unbelievable!"
As Drake finished his sentence, his magic power erupted unrestrainedly, the fiery magic intensifying.
Though not real flames, everyone in the tower, including those who had mocked them, felt the intense heat.
The Grimoires in the tower trembled, as if shaking under Drake's magic power.
The air thickened, making breathing difficult.
Only the church group, whom Drake deliberately shielded, maintained their composure. Everyone else was bent over, crushed by the pressure.
Except for one person…
The grizzled Grimoire Tower Master, high above, raised his head, his eyes visible from beneath the brim of his pointed hat, gazing at Drake in astonishment.
"Such immense magic power… this boy… incredible!"
Drake sensed the powerful yet calm magic, like a still lake, and looked up at the old man.
"Another hidden master!" Drake thought, bowing to the Tower Master before retracting his magic.
The Tower Master smiled. "Unexpectedly polite, aren't you?"
He descended on his flying carpet, activating amplification magic.
"Welcome to the Grimoire bestowal ceremony. May your paths be filled with honesty, hope, and love! I am the Grimoire Tower Master. In this region, we haven't had a Wizard King, nor anyone who's joined the Magic Knights and achieved great deeds!
I hope among you, someone will become the Wizard King!"
The Tower Master's words ignited hope in everyone's eyes.
Since the First Wizard King defeated the demon god and saved humanity, the Wizard King had become a legend, a dream for all.
Asta, though not shouting about it, held a firm resolve in his eyes.
Even the usually stoic Yuno showed a hint of excitement.
Suddenly, the Tower Master adopted a dramatic expression, shouting, "I'm serious, no joke!"
His gaze fell on Drake. In his opinion, this boy could become the Wizard King.
Clearing his throat, the Tower Master regained his composure. "Then, the Grimoire bestowal ceremony, begins now."
As he spoke, Grimoires glowed, flying from the shelves toward the young people below.
Everyone eagerly examined their Grimoires.
Some were large, some thick, some small—a wide variety.
Those who received Grimoires eagerly planned their futures.
The two who had mocked Asta most earlier received three-leaf clover Grimoires and discussed the Magic Knight entrance exam in six months, sounding supremely confident.
Then, a voice rang out.
"Um… my Grimoire isn't here?"
Asta knelt, hands raised as if to catch something. But his hands were empty; no Grimoire had landed.
The Tower Master had never encountered this before. "Well… try again next year."
"What?!?"
Asta's face fell, making everyone laugh.
"What's this?"
"Amazing!"
"Hilarious!"
"Unbelievable!"
Then, a light shone, capturing everyone's attention.
Within the light, a Grimoire slowly rotated, revealing its cover.
The Tower Master, whose eyes had been half-closed, opened them. "That's… a four-leaf clover!"
The demon god's skull was near Hage Village, and those near the statue of the First Wizard King were familiar with it.
The Grimoire in the First Wizard King's statue had a four-leaf clover pattern.
The book landed, and Yuno caught it with a stylish pose, announcing, "I will become… the Wizard King!"
While Asta's pronouncements were often met with ridicule, Yuno's declaration, with a four-leaf clover Grimoire, felt believable.
Everyone cheered.
Amidst the cheers, an even brighter light appeared, rivaling Yuno's four-leaf clover Grimoire.
It also had a four-leaf clover pattern. No one could believe they were seeing two four-leaf clover Grimoires in one day.
Drake caught the Grimoire. He didn't look at the four-leaf clover on the cover but turned it over to examine the back.
It bore a strange emblem: a dragon with outstretched wings in a spiraling pose, partially encircling a lush, ancient tree.
Oddly, the tree wasn't green but black with silver dots, like a starry night sky.
Drake recalled Igneel's words:
"Listen, Drake! A powerful force sleeps within you, surpassing even dragon power. If I had to describe it, it's the power only gods possess.
One day, that power will awaken. Don't let it cloud your judgment. Hold fast to your beliefs and keep moving forward!"
Upon receiving the Grimoire, Drake understood the power Igneel spoke of.
Worldly Power!
It was the power granted by the world itself.
Drake opened the Grimoire. Blank pages filled with magical script.
In this world, Grimoires displayed the magic a mage possessed. The appearance of text meant new magic had been created.
Besides learning magic, Grimoires responded to powerful wishes, creating new magic, provided the mage had sufficient power.
As Drake expected, the first spells weren't Dragon Slayer magic but new World Magic.
Two spells appeared, satisfying Drake.
The first was Worldly Protection, a constant magic.
Drake had thought his immunity to Dragon Slayer side effects was a cheat code; it was merely one effect of this magic.
Encompassing everything, the fundamental nature of the world.
Worldly Protection also:
* Synchronously enhances magic power and physical abilities, effects increasing with training.
* Grants the ability to interfere with any form of energy.
Drake favored the second effect. Demons from the underworld were unaffected by normal magic. Only underworld magic was effective.
With Worldly Protection, Drake's Dragon Slayer magic would work on demons.
This applied to other worlds too—Six Paths level characters in "Naruto", Logia-type Devil Fruit users in "One Piece". Drake could fight them without learning Sage Mode or Haki.
This led to Drake's second World Magic:
World Travel! Used to traverse worlds—Drake's hope of returning to Fairy Tail.
Naturally, it required immense magic power, far beyond Drake's current capacity.
But he had a goal; he just needed to grow stronger.
The Grimoire turned, revealing Drake's Dragon Slayer magic:
Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, Fire Dragon's Wing Attack, Fire Dragon's Sword Horn… Fire Dragon's Roar!
Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Blade, Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Uncontrolled Fire Style: Crimson Phoenix Sword!
Even spells Drake had envisioned but couldn't create due to limitations appeared, fulfilling his wishes.
Drake closed the Grimoire.
He noticed the astonished gazes around him. Without making a declaration like Yuno, he simply smiled at the church group.
Asta, still kneeling, stood, turning to them. "Yuno, Drake! Wait for me; I'll catch up soon. We're rivals!"
Silence, then uproarious laughter. A magicless person claiming to rival two four-leaf clover mages was absurd.
"Unbelievable!" Yuno remained emotionless, walking past Asta.
Drake chuckled. Yuno didn't believe Asta hadn't been chosen, but it sounded dismissive.
Drake felt a chill down his spine, a sense of malice.
Narrowing his eyes, he looked at a tall, thin man's back. He knew the malice came from him.
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