"It's been three days since I joined the Black Bulls. Writing a journal might not seem very serious, but I'll treat it as practice for keeping research notes.
That day, Noelle lost control of her magic again, and Asta saved her. Since then, the way Noelle looks at Asta has clearly changed.
But come on, she's a tsundere—we all know how that goes! Waiting for her to confess is like waiting for Asta the blockhead to get a clue.
What surprised me was Noelle's magic—not just its immense power, but its fundamentally different nature compared to others'.
The Clover Kingdom's royal family inherited their magic from the elves, stolen from them five hundred years ago. Could Noelle's difference stem from that? Can magic be inherited like that? That's a bit different from what Igneel taught me… It seems even if it's all called 'magic,' there are some clear distinctions between worlds. This might be worth studying more closely.
Thankfully, there's a library here at headquarters. Don't know who left it behind, but there's a decent amount of magical theory in it—what a lucky find. It'll save me a ton of time with my research.
Of course, it was exactly as I expected: thick layers of dust everywhere. It makes sense—nobody in the Black Bulls seems like the bookish type.
Anyway, I'm starting to get used to life in the Black Bulls. Since I took over feeding the magical beasts, Asta got stuck doing all the other chores.
Feed the beasts, read a bit, keep up with training… honestly, this life isn't bad. Judging by the time, our first real mission should be coming soon."
Charles closed his journal and placed the pen back into the ink bottle.
Regardless of the contents, a journal was not something meant for others' eyes. His way of keeping it secret? Writing in Chinese characters.
That way, even if someone got their hands on it, they wouldn't be able to read a thing. If nothing else, it was secure.
From his window, Charles could see the front gate clearly. He watched as Yami and Magna strode off, shoulders squared, heads held high.
For some reason, their backs looked strangely tragic—as if they were setting off on a one-way trip. If Charles didn't already know what they were up to, he might've mistaken it for some dire mission.
…
The next morning, Asta slumped against the wall, grumbling to Charles, "These past few days it's been nothing but cleaning and laundry—just like back at the church! I thought joining the Magic Knights meant going on cool missions! Charles, what do Magic Knights actually do?!"
Charles tossed a hunk of meat to the magical beasts, who sat in obedient rows wagging their tails. He glanced at Asta and replied, "Well, Magic Knights mostly investigate strange events in the kingdom, hunt dangerous creatures, or deal with enemy incursions. Regular missions are assigned by the squad captain, but major ones come from the Wizard King himself. For now, just wait patiently.
Not that you should only wait—most missions involve combat, so this downtime is for training and getting stronger."
Asta grinned. "Man, you really do know everything, Charles!"
Charles paused and turned his head slightly. "By the way… Noelle, why are you here?"
Yep. Noelle had been standing nearby this entire time.
Flipping her twin-tails dramatically, she snapped, "I'm royalty. You should be grateful a noble like me even bothers to be up early with you peasants! Got a problem with that?!"
Charles squinted at her, then looked back and forth between her and Asta. The pointed look made Noelle blush furiously.
"What's with that stare?!" she barked. "I'm not—!"
Charles waved dismissively, cutting her off. "Yeah, yeah, we know you're royalty. But it wouldn't kill you to be honest once in a while."
Noelle turned her head sharply away like she hadn't heard a thing.
Just then, voices echoed from down the hallway.
"Bwahahaha! Who would've thought that old man could play a royal straight flush? The guy's a beast!"
"No one can beat Grandpa Saifi, man!"
"When a man carries a burden on his back, he becomes stronger…"
As the speakers stepped into the light, the three younger Bulls recognized them.
"Yo! Charles, Dumbsta, and Noelly! We're back!" Magna greeted them cheerfully.
Noelle immediately turned around in embarrassment. Because the two returning men looked like they'd just been robbed by wild bandits. Aside from their cloaks and the belts holding their grimoires, they were completely naked.
Charles had always assumed the phrase "lost everything but the shirt on your back" was a figure of speech. Apparently not.
Once they'd thrown some clothes on, Magna and Yami recounted their harrowing "mission" the day before. Then Magna declared, "You three rookies finally got yourselves a real mission!"
Charles leaned his elbows on the table and laced his fingers. "Let me guess… Captain Yami and you lost a card game to the mayor of Sosshi Village. The bet was a favor, and now we have to drive out some wild boars for them, right?"
Magna burst into laughter. "That brain of yours is sharp, Charles! Nailed it!"
Asta raised his hand. "I have a question. What does this have to do with us?"
"Exactly!" Noelle agreed. "Wasn't it you and the Captain who lost? Shouldn't you two—"
Magna exploded. "You little punks! You think a Captain cleans up his own messes?!"
As illogical as it sounded… they couldn't argue.
"It's our job to clean up the messes of our superiors!" Magna declared with full confidence.
Yami, meanwhile, blew out some smoke and added casually, "Do the job or die. Your choice."
"WE'LL DO IT!" ×2
Asta and Noelle didn't even hesitate.
…
And so, the team chosen for the boar-removal mission consisted of the three rookies: Charles, Asta, and Noelle—with Magna tagging along as their senior.
Now only one question remained: how were they going to get to Sosshi Village?
Naturally, the first choice was Finral's Spatial Magic. But—
"Can't do it," Finral said flatly.
Magna growled, "What the hell do you mean 'can't'?!"
Finral pushed Magna's face away with one hand. "If I haven't seen the place, I can't jump there unless I've marked it with my magic. In other words, I can't teleport us somewhere I've never been."
Magna watched Finral walk off and sighed. "Useless as always! Looks like we're flying there by broomstick!"
"I have something to say!" Asta raised his hand.
"…Speak."
"I can't use a broom!"
Noelle also raised her hand. "I too have something to say."
"…Speak."
"Same."
Charles raised his hand too.
"…Charles?" Magna sounded like he was reaching his limit.
"Also same," Charles said flatly.
That was the last straw.
"What the hell is wrong with you three?! Flying on a broom is the most basic of basics!"
Asta laughed proudly. "I don't have any magic, duh!"
"Why are you so proud of that?!"
"I can't control my magic, so obviously I can't do it, stupid!" Noelle snapped.
"Why do you sound proud too?!"
Charles just shrugged. "I physically can't handle transportation magic. It's a long story."
"…Even you, Charles?!"
Magna was dumbfounded.
"…Tch. Fine. I'll let you ride with my trusty steed!"
"Steed?"
…
"Behold! The Crimson Zero Doom Blaster 9000!"
Magna proudly presented a massive magical broomstick. It was so heavily customized with skulls, bones, and red leather it barely resembled a broom. A flag bearing the Black Bulls emblem fluttered at its rear.
Noelle stared. "…This is so tacky."
Charles also struggled to accept the edgy eyesore. More importantly—it was still a transportation device. Which meant it was Charles's worst enemy.
He sighed and summoned his grimoire. "I'll pass. Just lead the way, Magna-senpai—I'll follow."
Magna actually looked relieved. His mana wasn't strong enough to carry more than two passengers comfortably anyway.
As the three of them wobbled into the air, Charles activated his own magic.
"Fire Dragon's Flame Wings!"
Two massive wings of fire burst from his back, flapping as he took to the skies and caught up to the others.
That spell had appeared in his grimoire automatically after his traumatic experience with a flying broom. Proof enough of how much he loathed magical transport.