"Haha..." Luck chuckled softly.
Magna half-rose and looked at Luck, "Luck, what are you laughing at, you bastard?"
"Oh, oh~ Nothing, I just think you're a bit too pathetic, like a stray puppy running away."
"Huh?" Magna stood up, a baseball made of flame appearing in his hand. His pompadour, which had been tied up for his hasty escape, now fell around his head, creating a new hairstyle that mixed his usual thuggishness with a touch of handsomeness.
"Watch out, I'll chop you up, you bastard!" He mimicked Captain Yami's tone, ready to teach this insolent brat a lesson.
"Magna, you were the only one in the Magic Palace who didn't defeat a monster, you know? Are you sure you want to fight me? Too weak?" Luck's words were like poison, pouring a whole heap of salt onto Magna's wound.
"The only one who didn't defeat"!
"Too weak"!
These truthful yet mocking words were like a fishbone stuck in Magna's throat. He couldn't utter a single word for a long time, the veins on his face bulging and contorted.
"Damn it... I'll kill you!"
"Flame Magic, Exploding Shotgun Magic Ball!"
The fireballs, struck by the baseball, scattered into several pillars of fire in the air, rapidly assaulting the lying Luck. Luck reacted swiftly, his boots, armed with Lightning Magic, appearing on his feet. Facing the all-too-familiar attack, he quickly dodged.
"Again! Again!"
Luck, never one to shy away from trouble, made a goofy face at Magna. Lightning and flames intertwined; they always seemed to be bickering, somewhat unrestrained and a little boisterous.
Fragil and Bai En, standing by, seemed accustomed to this scene. They neither stepped forward to stop them nor joined in, instead sitting nearby and conversing.
"Did that Mr. Clown in the Magic Palace not escape just now?" Fragil asked softly.
Bai En recalled the clown dissipating like smoke and ash, shaking his head, "Probably not."
"He should have been buried with this Magic Palace."
"That's a bit of a shame then." Fragil's face showed some sadness. "Death isn't a beautiful thing; it's regrettable and terrifying."
"...Compared to death itself, true death should be the moment one is forgotten, right?" Bai En said, recalling the moment of their final parting.
This was also why he had asked whether the clown was Cavia Silva or Milton Silvester Ting.
"Is being forgotten true death?" Fragil murmured.
To prevent the atmosphere from becoming too somber, Bai En subtly changed the topic of their conversation. "Alright~ We just came out of the Magic Palace, so let's not discuss such serious matters. After we report the mission, we should be able to get a few days of good rest."
"Mhm." Fragil nodded. "The Star Festival is in a few days; the Royal Capital will be quite lively."
"Mr. Bai En, have you participated in the Star Festival before?"
"The Star Festival?" Bai En murmured, hearing Fragil's question.
The Star Festival is an annual grand celebration in the Clover Kingdom, open to all citizens.
At the end of the festival, the number of "stars" each Order of Knights squad earned from April of the previous year to March of the current year is announced, determining the top Order of Knights squad for that year.
In the Clover Kingdom, there is no concept of a New Year, so in terms of events and holidays, the Star Festival should be the grandest, apart from a very few other holidays.
This year's winter had no snow, and the weather wasn't cold. In fact, the Clover Kingdom itself is a country where all four seasons are consistent, with only occasional extreme weather.
Counting it... it had almost been a year since he obtained his grimoire. Time really flies.
"No." Bai En honestly answered Fragil's question about whether he had participated in the Royal Capital's Star Festival. "But when I was in Hage Village, on the day of the Star Festival, Yuno, Asta, and I would climb onto the church roof and watch the fireworks light up the sky."
"The fireworks that day were especially magnificent."
"Hage Village? Yuno, Asta?" Fragil had heard that Bai En came from a remote village in the Hui Wai Realm, but she didn't know where Hage Village was, or who Yuno and Asta were.
Listening to Fragil's puzzled voice, Bai En smiled and explained, "They are companions I grew up with. Now, one is in the Golden Dawn, and the other is in the Black Bulls Squad."
"Oh, I see." Fragil nodded. "Coming from the same village as Mr. Bai En, they must be very strong too."
"Mhm." Bai En softly responded, "They are quite strong, and they work very hard."
"Alright, it's about time. We should head back to the Aqua Deer Squad."
Watching Luck and Magna still fighting, Bai En slowly stood up, preparing to bid them farewell: "Hey, you two, we're leaving. You should be heading back to the Black Bulls Squad, right?"
"When you get back, please say hello to Asta for me!"
Upon hearing Asta, Luck and Magna's movements paused. They remembered the purpose of their trip to the Magic Palace: to find a way to heal Asta. In the Magic Palace just now... "Stop!"
Magna was the first to shout for a stop. Luck, unable to halt his movements, directly kicked him in the face. Magna fell to the ground, then stood up again, cursing.
"Sorry, sorry~ You shouted too fast, I didn't notice right away."
"You bastard... forget it," Magna rubbed his face, "Hey, Luck, what about that thing you got in the Magic Palace? Can it heal Asta's arm?"
After thinking for a moment, Luck pulled out the glass container with the green liquid from his pocket. Hmm... although it was a glass container, it was much tougher than it looked, otherwise it wouldn't have remained unbroken in Luck's pocket until now.
"You bastard~ How could you put it in your pocket? What if it broke? It was so hard to get."
"Hey, hey, it didn't break, did it? Besides, if not in my pocket, where else would I put it?"
The two exchanged questions and answers, looking extremely amusing.
"Sigh..." Magna sighed, "Do you think this thing can heal Asta's arm?"
"That guy said it could... and he said it seemed to also increase magic power, but increasing magic power probably won't do Asta any good."
"How do you use it?"
"?" Luck listened to Magna's question and scratched his head: "I forgot to ask."
"..."
"Half applied to the arm, half drunk, should be fine?" Luck asked tentatively.
Magna held his forehead: "What if something goes wrong?"
"...It shouldn't, right?"
"You idiot."
Their gazes turned to Bai En and Fragil, who had not yet left. Magna reacted quickly, walking over and putting his arm around Bai En's shoulder, "Haha~ What were you saying just now, asking me to say hello to Asta for you?"
"You know that kid?"
"Eh? Are you also from Hage Village? I'm from Raia Village. By the way... do you want to come visit our Black Bulls Squad' base? It's really amazing... I can show you the Captain's pet."
"What? How could I have ill intentions? I'm a man!"
"It's just... this..."
...(End of Volume)