Old Man Sesi's burial site was a hillside adjacent to the Village. From here, one could overlook a great distance; the open view would instinctively stir a sense of grand ambition in one's heart.
But now, with the setting sun and the surrounding graves, the place seemed very desolate.
It was as if this was both the place where ambition rose and where ambition was buried.
"Whenever I see a scene like this, I want to get stronger with all my might..."
Asta couldn't help but sigh. He didn't seek strength for anything else, only to live a life of vigor rather than die in loneliness.
If it weren't for his great strength this time, more than just Old Man Sesi might have been buried in the ground.
"Thank you for helping me bury Grandpa. He loved coming here to see the scenery when he was alive."
Nico was sobbing uncontrollably as he spoke, as if he could see his grandfather again, holding his waist while looking into the distance and telling him stories of heroic deeds.
"Nico, the old man loved lively company most. If he saw you like this, he would be sad."
Magna tried his best to comfort him.
"Brother Magna, do you think I can join the Magic Knight Squad? Grandpa always regretted not being able to join before he died. I really want to fulfill this wish for him!"
Nico looked at Magna expectantly.
"Of course you can. Your future is something you have to win with your own two hands. Whatever kind of person you want to become, you must work desperately hard in that direction!"
Magna encouraged him.
"But... but my magic power isn't outstanding..."
Nico spoke without confidence.
"That's nothing. Look at this older brother next to you; he doesn't have a single bit of magic power, yet didn't he eventually become a member of the Magic Knight Squad through struggle?"
Noelle also kindly offered comfort.
"Is that any way to comfort someone..."
Asta broke into a cold sweat. As the saying goes, don't mention a person's shortcomings, but Noelle was quite something—she didn't hesitate at all to expose his flaws.
"Is it true, Big Brother?"
Nico's eyes instantly brightened. So hard work really can make wishes come true!
"Don't you think he's quite pitiful?"
Noelle said out of the blue, seemingly afraid Asta wouldn't tell the truth for the sake of his ego.
"Am I that kind of dishonest person? Just like how I've been very interested in you from the start, have I hidden that from you?"
Asta rolled his eyes. While vindicating himself, he also managed to annoy Noelle a little.
"What? What? What! Idiot Asta, what nonsense are you talking about!"
Noelle spoke incoherently. She looked angry, but in reality, there was a hint of secret joy.
"Aren't we talking about Nico joining the Magic Knights right now?"
Veins popped on Magna's forehead. He really couldn't stand these two who could flirt at any time; he felt an impulse to cremate them both!
Asta rolled his eyes, then looked at Nico and said seriously, "There is more than one path to becoming strong in this world. If you want to become as strong as me, then go to Hage Village with resolve and find Nash. He will tell you how to get stronger!"
"Hage Village?"
This Village didn't exist in Nico's world yet. In fact, the furthest place he had ever been was just the neighboring Village.
"You're not joking, right? You're letting a kid go to the furthest border Village?"
Magna said in shock. Wasn't this just sending Nico to his death?
"If he has that kind of resolve, I will teach him everything I know."
Asta didn't explain much, but this one sentence made everyone fall silent. The weight of 'teaching everything one knows' was immense, and Asta's Taijutsu was obvious to all. If one could receive such teaching at a young age, it would surely become a vital life experience!
"I will definitely go!"
Nico clenched his fists. He had already lost his grandfather and didn't want to lose anyone else, so he had to get stronger!
"Then you'll have to hurry. Your age is the perfect time to build a foundation for Taijutsu."
Asta spoke with eyes like torches. It was precisely because magic was the only way out in this world that too many people could only die full of regret like Sesi. But if he passed the fire of Taijutsu to this world, then those abandoned by magic would have an extra ray of hope!
After experiencing the encounters of Rock Lee and Asta, no one understood the meaning contained in that ray of hope better than him!
Sometimes, this sliver of dawn could truly pull a person from hell back to the human world!
"Mhm! I will definitely get to Hage Village as soon as possible!"
Nico gritted his teeth. He knew the journey would be full of hardships and he might even lose his life, but this bit of suffering was trivial compared to the pain caused by his grandfather's death!
*Flap flap!*
At this time, the Demon-Repelling Bird flew back to Asta's side with a pink stone in its beak. That slightly annoying look in its eyes melted Noelle's heart again.
"You can come into my arms!"
Noelle plucked up the courage to say.
"Tch."
The Demon-Repelling Bird gave Noelle a human-like eye-roll, then burrowed into Asta's clothes.
"So... so cold and aloof!"
Noelle was delighted rather than angry; she found this Demon-Repelling Bird with its little personality more and more adorable.
"This fellow actually knows how to find treasures now? But what on earth is this pink stone?"
Asta said in surprise.
"That is the Guardian Stone Grandpa brought back. Since this bird likes it so much, I'll give it to you."
Nico spoke up.
"I see."
Asta nodded, not paying much attention to the stone.
"Alright, we should head back."
Magna's magic power had mostly recovered, so he spoke up.
"Mhm, work hard, Nico!"
Asta nodded, then just like when they arrived, he was the second to board the crimson lancer majesty annihilator. But this time was different; he sat slightly further back, which undoubtedly forced Noelle to lean even closer to him.
While Magna was taking Asta and Noelle back to the Black Bulls Headquarters, a blue-robed Mage was kneeling devoutly inside a dark hall. He didn't say a word, but the mysterious person standing before the stone tablet already understood that the mission had failed. This blue-robed Mage was a lookout; his returning alone meant the mission was a failure!
"The Black Bulls?"
Having understood the cause and effect, the mysterious person spoke easily, "Then let them keep it for a while. Anyway, with a Magic Knight Squad of that level, the Magic Stone will be easy to snatch back."
After saying this, the mysterious person stared fervently at the glowing stone tablet before him. It was embedded with Magic Stones emitting different colors of light. When all the Magic Stones were gathered, it would be the time for that Great One to awaken!