Time flew by. Five years had passed since Charles decided to stay in Hage Village, and he had finally reached the age of fifteen—old enough to receive his grimoire.
Although he didn't know whether passing through the Eclipse Gate had affected his actual age, Charles patiently waited until his body physically matured to the proper age.
From what Charles understood, the reason why grimoires were granted only at age fifteen was that a person's mana fully matured at that age.
Grimoires chose their owners. If someone approached them with underdeveloped mana, how could they possibly receive acknowledgment from the highest-tier four-leaf clover grimoire?
What exasperated Charles most was how underdeveloped the study of magic was in this world. The existence of grimoires had diverted the development of magic onto a path that overly emphasized individual expression.
Perhaps it was also due to the remoteness of Hage Village—a poor and neglected backwater with not even a single renowned mage.
It was only natural that there were no materials related to magical knowledge here. Among the lower classes in distant regions, powerful mages were almost unheard of.
So for the past five years, Charles had focused solely on honing his Dragon Slayer Magic. All he could hope for was that the grimoire he received would respond to his expectations and give him hope of returning to the Fairy Tail world.
...
Sister Lily smoothed the wrinkles from the sheet she was hanging to dry and smiled at the brilliant sunshine.
Just then, she heard a commotion. She didn't even need to guess—Charles was back.
Every time Charles returned over the past five years, it had been the happiest moment for the children at the church.
She still remembered how, five years ago, Asta dragged a child with him, begging Father Orsi to take him in, and how shocked she was.
Father Orsi was still that same soft-hearted old man, despite his gruff exterior. In the end, he agreed to take in the homeless boy.
That child named Charles was far more mature than he looked—careful, considerate, and understanding of others.
The church in Hage Village also served as an orphanage, and its main income came from donations by the villagers.
But in such a remote border village, most residents weren't well off, so the church always scraped by. The growing children often had to fill their bellies with wild yams.
When Charles joined, Father Orsi had already decided they'd need to tighten their belts even more—but the very next day, Charles disappeared.
That evening, when Charles returned, he was carrying a massive wild boar on his shoulders.
Though wild boars weren't magical beasts since they couldn't use magic, they were still ferocious creatures that even lone adults hesitated to provoke.
Everyone knew it took a real mage with actual magic to deal with them.
No one expected a ten-year-old child to be able to hunt one alone and carry it back to the church. It was hard to imagine how much power that small body held.
After that, Charles went hunting every few days, always bringing back plenty of game. Not only did this provide ample meat for the church, but the fur and other valuable parts brought in extra income.
Still, Father Orsi was concerned for Charles's safety and ordered him to go hunting only at longer intervals. That meant each time Charles returned, it marked a time of abundance for everyone.
Curious about what he had brought back this time, Sister Lily walked to the front of the church. As soon as she stepped outside, she saw the boy surrounded by children.
One glance, and Sister Lily couldn't keep calm. The wild boar Charles dragged was impressive enough—but the enormous tiger slung over his shoulder was another matter entirely.
The tiger was clearly over two and a half meters long, and even with half its body draped over Charles's shoulder, its tail still dragged along the ground.
But its eyes were closed and its tongue lolled out—it was unmistakably dead.
The children stared at the beast on Charles's shoulder with a mix of fear and curiosity, torn between wanting to approach and being too scared.
Charles raised a hand and tossed the tiger to the ground, smiling. "Don't worry, everyone. I already took this guy down. He won't hurt you!"
"Even though it's spring, the nights are still chilly. Let's make a blanket out of this guy's pelt."
"Really, Charles-nii?" Reika tugged at Charles's clothes, her face filled with anticipation.
Charles squatted down and patted her head. "Of course. When have I ever lied to you?"
"Charles-nii is so kind! And so cool!"
Reika's cheeks turned red, and she looked like steam might burst from her head. Seriously, every time she saw Charles-nii's smile, she felt all dizzy.
A nearby boy named Nash snorted. "So shameless. Don't wipe your snot on Charles-nii."
Charles chuckled. Nash's awkward personality was what you'd call tsundere, right? But a tsundere little boy really wasn't all that cute.
Reika immediately exploded, snapping back at him. "Shut up, Nash! I wasn't wiping my nose!"
Sister Lily stepped in. "You two—no fighting!"
Then she glanced at the tiger on the ground and asked Charles worriedly, "How did you run into such a big tiger this time? Are you hurt?"
Charles flexed his arm to show off his muscle and grinned. "Don't worry. I'm really strong—I won't get hurt so easily.
As for this guy, he tried to snatch my prey, so I dealt with him too!"
Before Sister Lily could respond, Reika chimed in, "That's right! Charles-nii is super strong—a tiger like that is nothing to him!"
While they were talking, a familiar voice came from the distance.
"Chaaarleeees...!"
Even though Charles couldn't see him yet, he heard Asta's voice loud and clear from who knew how far away.
And sure enough, ten full seconds after the voice, Asta came running over, kicking up a cloud of dust.
He immediately spotted the tiger on the ground and glared at Charles. "To think you took down a beast like that... As expected of my rival! But I'll never give up!"
Nash scoffed. "Quit the big talk! Charles-nii is way out of your league—you don't even have any mana!"
"IT'S NOT OVER! NEVER OVER!"
Asta didn't seem to hear Nash at all. He shouted and bolted toward the demon god's skull.
Charles smiled. He'd always known Asta tirelessly trained his body near the demon god's skull. It was truly admirable—being able to reach that level of physical training without a trace of mana.
A young man in simple black clothes walked over and stood beside Charles, watching Asta run off. "What a hopeless idiot."
Charles sighed. "Yuno, it's about time you started being honest with yourself."
The youth was the other protagonist of this world—Yuno Grinberryall, raised in the church alongside Asta.
Compared to Asta, Yuno looked far more like a protagonist.
Handsome, gifted, noble-born—he had all the classic traits of a main character.
Yuno was actually a prince of the Spade Kingdom. He had fled to the Clover Kingdom after a rebellion instigated by the Dark Triad, a group possessed by devils.
Being royalty, Yuno naturally possessed powerful mana. That he would be acknowledged by a four-leaf clover grimoire was no surprise.
Later, he would even receive the blessing of the wind elemental spirit and, unprecedentedly, come to possess a second grimoire. His cheat-level development was no less than Asta's.
As a child, Yuno had been shy and introverted, admiring the bright and energetic Asta.
At one point, someone stole the magic stone pendant Yuno always wore. Asta had risked everything to get it back.
That was when Asta said, "We're rivals!" Perhaps Yuno misunderstood what a rival meant, because from that day on, his whole personality changed—from timid boy to aloof stoic.
Especially toward Asta, he was full of cold remarks and constant mockery.
But Charles knew better than anyone that Yuno valued Asta more than anyone else—and believed in the magicless boy more than anyone. Deep in his heart, Yuno truly saw Asta as his equal.
That's why Charles said he was being dishonest.
Yuno didn't reply. He simply said, "The priest told me to let you know—the grimoire ceremony is about to begin. Get ready."
Charles instantly perked up. The time had finally come. Not only was he about to receive his own grimoire, it also meant the "story" of this world was about to begin.
Because Asta and Yuno were also fifteen now. They would receive their grimoires alongside Charles and take their first step on the journey to becoming the Wizard King.