The air had finally settled after the dust storm kicked up by Saru's brawl with Asta.
Asta, lying flat on the ground and panting heavily, slowly pushed himself up on trembling arms. His face was scuffed, and his muscles ached from head to toe, but his eyes—bright and burning with resolve—never wavered.
High above him, perched lazily on a crooked tree branch, Saru swayed his legs and munched noisily on a banana, humming a childish tune.
"You're… seriously strong…" Asta muttered, finally standing upright, sweat still trickling down his jawline.
Saru didn't even glance down, waving lazily with the half-eaten banana in hand. "Ehh, you're fun, shorty. Not bad for a kid with no magic. But you swing that sword like a scared chicken—waaack!"
"I'm not a chicken!!" Asta snapped, fists clenched in indignation. "I just got this sword and this magicless body—so gimme a break!!"
"Excuses," Saru replied with a devilish grin. He leaned back and tossed the banana peel over his shoulder. It flipped once, twice, and landed perfectly on Magna's head just as the rest of the Black Bulls came strolling over.
"Son of a—!" Magna swiped it off, eyes twitching. "Oi! Monkey brat, you wanna go again?!"
"Later," Saru yawned, stretching as if he'd just finished a nap.
Yami stood at the back of the group, arms folded, his cigarette burning slowly as he eyed Asta. "Well, he didn't die. That's a good sign."
Asta immediately straightened, throwing a proud fist across his chest. "Captain Yami! I'm ready to prove myself no matter what!"
And just like that, the chaos began.
"Woooo! You really held your own against Saru!" Luck shouted, practically bouncing on his heels. "I can't wait to fight you next!"
"Man, you've got guts, kid," Magna said, wiping ash off his jacket. "Not bad for a newbie. I guess you earned this…"
He reached into his own robe, then yanked out a neatly folded piece of black cloth with a bold white emblem stitched into the back—the wild bull's head, fierce and proud.
"This here," Magna said, puffing up his chest, "is your Black Bulls robe! Wear it with pride, rookie!"
Asta stared at it, eyes wide, lips parted in shock. He took it with trembling hands, feeling the coarse fabric beneath his fingers.
"My… robe…"
Vanessa leaned forward, grinning slyly as she raised her wine bottle. "Congratulations, sweetie. You really are one of us now."
"Don't let it go to your head, shrimp," Gordon whispered. Probably. No one could really tell what he said.
Charmy poked Asta's cheek with a rice ball. "Eat this! It's your welcome snack!"
Gray, half-hidden behind a bush, accidentally transformed into a sheep and back again in celebration.
"Wooooo! Black Bulls forever!" shouted Gauche—only to turn around with a scowl. "Now where's Marie?! I gotta tell her my squad has a new loser."
Asta laughed as he slipped the robe over his shoulders, the weight of it grounding him. It was a little big—hung crooked on one side—but it fit where it mattered.
Saru peeked one eye open from his perch and smirked.
Yami stepped forward finally, flicking his cigarette away. "You survived initiation. You've got guts. That's all we need here."
Asta saluted again, his robe fluttering behind him.
"I swear, I'll make you proud! I'll become the Wizard King—starting right here!"
"Yeah, yeah," Yami muttered. "Just don't blow up the house."
The squad exploded in cheers and chaos, tackling Asta into a group hug that nearly knocked him flat again.
High above, Saru leaned back, hands behind his head, tail swaying slightly.
"Not bad, shorty," he whispered with a grin. "Let's see how long you last."
The hallway echoed with footsteps, creaks, and the occasional far-off explosion—probably Luck again.
"Alright, listen up, newbie!" Magna barked, jabbing a thumb at his own chest as he marched ahead. "Since you're officially one of us now, it's time for your grand tour of the greatest base in the Clover Kingdom!"
Asta followed with wide-eyed excitement, still gripping his new robe like it was made of gold. "This place is insane… It's huge! Is that hallway crooked?"
"You bet your magicless butt it is," Magna laughed proudly. "It's got character. Like me."
Behind them, Saru strolled along the banister of the second floor, arms behind his head, perfectly balanced like a cat. "More like it's got mold. And holes. And it smells weird in that one room."
"THAT'S THE SAUNA ROOM!" Magna shouted back, instantly defensive. "It's supposed to smell like herbs and manliness!"
Saru gagged, flipping onto the railing and landing beside Asta with a hop. "If that's what manliness smells like, I'm stayin' a kid forever."
"Can you not, for five seconds?" Magna grumbled.
They passed through a few rooms—Vanessa's chaos-den of floating laundry and wine bottles, Luck's spark-cratered arena, Gordon's whisper-echoed hallway of creepiness—and Saru made sure to prank Asta at every opportunity. He slammed random doors, dropped water buckets from second-floor railings, and used a mop like a staff to trip Asta into a laundry pile.
"Quit messing with the tour!" Magna snapped, pulling Asta out from a shirt labeled do not touch.
"I'm just making it memorable!" Saru said with a grin.
But as they rounded the next hall and stepped into a more refined-looking part of the base—where the walls were less scorched and the curtains didn't have bite marks—they were met with an elegant, imperious voice.
"What are you degenerates doing stomping around like cattle?"
Asta froze.
At the top of the staircase stood Noelle Silva—arms crossed, head tilted slightly, silver hair falling over her shoulder like a waterfall. She wore her robe like a royal cape and glared at the trio like they were a personal offense to her existence.
"Whoa…" Asta muttered under his breath. "She's so fancy…"
"Oh! Hey, Noelle!" Magna waved awkwardly, before whispering to Asta, "Don't take anything she says too personal."
"Oh hey hey hey, Noellll! Where were you? You missed all the fun!" Saru's voice rang out as he suddenly darted forward and began circling around her like an overexcited puppy.
Noelle blinked, but her stern expression melted almost immediately. "Ohh, hi Saru. I was inside the base."
She reached out and casually patted his head—despite Saru being taller than her now. The gesture was more like someone petting a particularly smug cat, and Saru leaned into it with an actual purr, eyes half-lidded in delight.
"You're such a weirdo…" Magna muttered under his breath.
"Hey Asta," Saru grinned, tail flicking playfully, "meet Noelle! She's the other newbie. Fancy clothes, fancy magic, fancier temper."
Asta, trying to shake off the whirlwind of energy that was Saru, stepped forward with a bright smile and outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you! I'm Asta from Hage! Let's compete with each other and do our best!"
Noelle looked at him, raised one immaculate eyebrow, and promptly smacked his hand aside.
"Don't address me so casually," she said with an icy, royal tone. "Little insect with your paltry magic—hmph. I'm Noelle Silva, a proud member of this country's royal family."
She flicked her hair, gave Saru a dainty wave—"See you later, monkey"—and turned on her heel, walking off with regal authority.
"Byeeeee!" Saru waved back, still lounging in bliss from the head pats.
Asta stood frozen in place, arm still mid-handshake, mouth twitching.
"Did she just call me an insect…?"
Magna patted him on the back. "Don't worry, she does that to everybody. The only people she gets along with around here are Captain Yami, Vanessa, Charmy when she shares food, and for some god-forsaken reason… Saru."
"She patted his head like he was a pet," Asta said, looking completely betrayed. "And he liked it…"
Saru just smirked, hands behind his head. "She's nice once you get past the ocean of superiority complex and bottled-up loneliness."
"...Huh?"
"Anyway!" Magna clapped his hands. "Let's show you your room."
They turned down a hallway that tilted slightly to one side, the floorboards creaking with every step. Spiderwebs lined the upper corners, and the lightbulbs flickered like they were deciding whether to live or die.
"This place… looks like it might collapse," Asta muttered.
"Yeah, but it's home!" Magna grinned, kicking open a door that slammed into the opposite wall. "Welcome to your new room!"
Asta stepped inside—and blinked.
It was a tiny room. The walls were cracked, one of the windows was broken and patched with cardboard, and the bed looked like it hadn't been used since the Clover Kingdom was founded. A pile of hay sat in the corner, and a suspicious hole in the floor seemed to be… bubbling.
"…Are those mushrooms growing out of the floor?" Asta whispered.
"Yep," Magna said proudly. "It builds character!"
"I think it builds mold," Saru added, peeking his head in from the ceiling. Somehow. "You're gonna love it."
Asta looked around again—his new robe in his hands, a determined spark in his eyes—and smiled.
"I don't care what it looks like. I finally made it into a Magic Knight squad."
He turned to face them, fire in his voice.
"I'm going to train harder than anyone. I'm gonna become the Wizard King!"
Saru grinned. Magna let out a laugh.
"Then you'd better survive the Black Bulls first, newbie."