"Now it's just you and me," Saru said calmly.
He didn't wait for a response.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished.
CRACK!
A flash of golden light streaked across the broken street—then the sharp, echoing sound of impact rang out as Saru's staff collided cleanly with the Ice Mage's skull. The man's head snapped back with a grunt, and his body hurtled through the air like a ragdoll, crashing straight through the side of a nearby building. A small plume of dust and ice shards exploded outward on impact.
Saru landed smoothly, grinning wildly. He twirled his staff once, resting it across his shoulders as he looked toward the cloud of debris.
"Where's all that high-and-mighty talk now?!" Saru shouted with a cocky laugh. "Come on, Ice Pops! You were acting real tough a second ago!"
Chunks of stone shifted in the rubble.
The Ice Mage coughed, his grimoire flickering weakly beside him. His elegant robes were torn, his face bloodied, and one eye was swollen shut. Still, he staggered to his feet, cold magic pulsing around him.
"You… filthy brat," he hissed, holding a trembling hand toward Saru. "This isn't over. I am a disciple of—"
Saru launched again.
The Ice Mage barely had time to react before Saru was already above him, golden staff raised high. Panic flared in the mage's eyes as he cast a spell in desperation—an enormous ice wall surged from the ground, thick and jagged.
But Saru didn't even blink.
BOOM!
The staff came down like a divine hammer.
The ice wall exploded on contact, shattered like glass beneath the weight of Saru's blow. The golden staff tore through the barrier and cracked down on the mage's head once more, slamming him face-first into the ground with a dull thud.
This time, he didn't move.
"Ugh…" the Ice Mage muttered weakly, one final word slipping out like a dying breath, "Impossible…"
Saru stood over him, frowning.
"Hey, hey, hey! I thought you were strong!" he whined, crouching beside the unconscious man. "Fight me more! Don't just fall asleep, that's boring!"
He grabbed the limp mage by the collar and started shaking him violently.
"C'mon, wake up! One more round!" he said, his voice cracking into laughter. "You were throwing giant icicles at people a minute ago!"
But the Ice Mage's head just lolled from side to side, clearly out cold.
Saru pouted dramatically, then glanced over his shoulder.
Asta and Magna were wiping sweat from their brows, standing over a small pile of defeated cloaked mages. Asta's sword was stabbed into the ground, and Magna was leaning on one knee, grinning despite a bruised cheek.
"Looks like you guys finished up too," Saru muttered.
Without warning, he dragged the unconscious Ice Mage behind him, casually tossing him through the air.
"Catch!"
"Wait, what—?!"
WHAM!
Magna turned too late and was bowled over by the flying body, crashing into a pile of rubble with a yelp. Dust exploded into the air.
"YOOO! AHAHAHAHA!!" Saru howled, doubling over with laughter. "You should've seen your face!!"
"DAMN IT, SARU!!" Magna yelled, voice muffled under the unconscious mage's weight. "Warn a guy before you throw an entire dude at him!"
Even Asta burst out laughing.
Noelle, still watching from her barrier around the villagers, couldn't help but let out a small, exhausted chuckle. For the first time in a while, she felt safe.
The battle was over.
Magna wiped the sweat from his forehead as he finished casting a wide-binding flame spell. The remaining rogue mages groaned in protest, struggling against the glowing chains that now wrapped around their wrists and ankles.
"Whew… all done," he muttered, cracking his back. "Clean-up crew Magna Swing at your service…"
But before he could pat himself on the back, loud, exaggerated laughter echoed across the village square.
"MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!! YES, YES, PRAISE ME! WORSHIP ME, MORTALS!! HAHAHAHA!!"
All heads turned.
In the center of the cheering crowd stood Saru—arms planted proudly on his hips, chin raised toward the heavens, golden staff leaning against his shoulder like a royal scepter. His wild hair danced in the wind as villagers surrounded him, offering tearful thanks and praise. Children clung to his legs. An elderly woman clasped his hand in both of hers, sobbing with joy. Saru drank in every word like divine nectar, cackling louder with every compliment.
Noelle stared at him from a distance, her face blank, gaze utterly dead.
Asta, meanwhile, had joined the crowd without hesitation.
"Yeah! That's Saru for ya! He's the best!" Asta shouted with both arms raised, beaming like a proud little brother.
Saru's grin widened dangerously.
"YESSSS!! Say more! Tell me how amazing I am!!"
From the edge of the square, Magna was fuming.
"That damn brat... gives his senior all the labor work while he lounges around soaking up praise like some royal freakin' peacock…" Magna growled through gritted teeth.
Before he could storm over, a small blur dropped from the sky with a sharp caw.
WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
"OW—HEY, QUIT IT!" Saru flailed as an anti-magic bird started pecking at his wild hair like it was nesting season. "Stupid bird! I'm havin' a moment here!"
The bird flapped once, then settled on Saru's shoulder. With a proud chirp, it held out a small object in its beak—a smooth, dark stone about the size of a peach pit, veined with faint silvery lines that pulsed softly with magical energy.
"Huh?" Saru blinked. "What's this?"
He held out his hand, and the bird dropped the stone into his palm with a pleased chirrup. The moment Saru touched it, a strange warmth passed through his fingers.
Asta leaned closer, blinking. "Whoa. That thing's… weird. What is it?"
"I dunno." Saru tilted his head. "You say this is what the Ice Pop Man was after?"
The bird gave an urgent nod.
Saru whistled. "Daaang. Good job, little guy."
The bird gave a proud puff of feathers and hopped up—perching itself directly on top of Saru's wild hair like a tiny crown. It chirped again and settled in with a smug expression.
"…He just made friends with the anti-magic bird," Magna muttered, dumbfounded.
The villagers stared, whispering in awe.
"He's talking to a bird…"
"It understood him!"
"Is that normal…?"
Asta grinned. "That's just Saru! He's always surprising people."
Noelle, watching from the side, blinked. Her lips parted slightly, as if to speak—but no words came out. Her gaze lingered on Saru, who was now scratching his head under the bird and squinting at the strange stone in his hand.
He looked ridiculous.
But somehow…
"…That was kind of cute," Noelle mumbled to herself before immediately blushing and looking away. "Stupid monkey…"
Saru, unaware of her soft gaze, raised the stone high in the air like a trophy.
"I HAVE FOUND THE MYSTERIOUS THINGY!" he announced triumphantly. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT DOES, BUT IT IS MINE NOW!"
"IT'S NOT YOURS, BRAT! We've gotta report it to the higher-ups!" Magna barked as he stomped over, looking way too much like an angry big brother about to scold his little sibling.
Saru turned around with exaggerated innocence, one hand behind his back. "Whaaat? What do you mean, Magna? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Magna narrowed his eyes. "Don't play dumb with me. You shoved that thing into your pocket like a squirrel hiding nuts."
"Nooo, I didn't. You must be imagining things," Saru said, taking a casual step back. The anti-magic bird on his head flapped once, tilting its head suspiciously—like it knew exactly what he was up to.
'Heh… no way I'm handing this over,' Saru thought with a sly grin. 'If Yami wants it, he's gotta pay up. I want snacks. Not just any snacks—legendary ones. The ones with caramel and those little jelly fruit bits inside… yeah, that's the ransom.'
As he schemed internally, Noelle approached from behind, her usual nervous stiffness replaced with curiosity.
She stopped just beside Saru, glancing at the anti-magic bird who had now made itself completely at home atop his chaotic hair.
"I've never seen one sit still like that before…" she murmured softly.
The bird glanced at her, puffing up slightly, but didn't move away.
Noelle hesitated, then reached out a gloved hand slowly—fingers trembling just a little.
"Can I…?"
The bird tilted its head again. Then, to her surprise, it leaned slightly into her hand, letting her gently pat the top of its head.
"Oh," Noelle whispered. A small smile flickered onto her lips. "You're… actually kind of cute."
"HEY! HEY! Quit stalling and hand over the weird glowy rock!" Magna butted in again, steam practically coming out of his ears.
Saru turned and bolted a few steps away, clutching his pocket with exaggerated dramatics. "NEVER! You'll have to pry it from my cold, snack-deprived hands!"
"GET BACK HERE!!"
After the dust settled and the villagers returned to safety, Magna, Saru, Asta, and Noelle gathered in front of the group of captured mages—bound tightly by Magna's binding magic.
The ice mage, slumped but still conscious, glared up at them with icy contempt.
"Hey, you awake, scumbag?" Magna snapped, stepping forward and pointing at him. "I'm gonna rest up a bit more… then I'm takin' all of you in. Prisoners of the Clover Kingdom! You're gonna pay for what you did here."
The ice mage didn't respond.
Saru, arms behind his head, leaned over to Magna and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, "Why are you talking to them like that? Are you trying to make friends or something?"
Magna whipped around, face red. "WHAT?! HELL NO!!"
Saru nodded sagely to himself. "Yep… you definitely need friends."
"SHUT UP, YOU DAMN MONKEY!" Magna shouted, completely losing it. "I SWEAR I'M GONNA—!"
"MAGNA!" Noelle snapped. "Focus."
With a deep breath, Magna turned back toward the mages, trying to collect himself. His fists clenched tightly.
"The Magic Knights are gonna make you talk," he growled. "Who the heck are you? What did you want? EVERYTHING. We're gonna find out."
For a moment, silence.
Then the ice mage lifted his head. His voice was calm—too calm.
"No… you won't."
A faint glow pulsed near his abdomen.
"Wait…!" Noelle's eyes widened. "Something's wrong—!"
A sudden explosion of freezing magic erupted around the mages. Spiked ice speared upward, encasing them all in a jagged cocoon.
Then—shatter.
The cocoon crumbled into glittering shards of ice, disappearing on the wind.
The mages were gone—completely obliterated.
"What the hell?!" Magna shouted, stumbling back. "They self-destructed?! That's insane!"
Asta's fists clenched at his sides, his teeth gritted. "Tch! We were this close! Damn it!"
Noelle just stared, pale with disbelief. "That magic… it wasn't a trap—it was a last resort. They were prepared to die."
"WOOOOOOOAAHHHH! FIREWORKS!" Saru clapped excitedly from behind them, eyes sparkling as he pointed at the now-empty spot where the mages had been. "That was kinda cool!"
Everyone turned to glare at him.
Saru yawned loudly, stretching his arms behind his head.
"Anyway… let's go back already. I'm hungry."
"You little—!!" Magna took a threatening step forward before Asta grabbed him by the collar.
"C'mon, man, don't waste your energy," Asta laughed, though even he looked a bit rattled from what just happened.
Noelle crossed her arms, trying to collect her thoughts. "Something about this mission… it doesn't feel over. They came here for something."
Saru patted his pocket, smirking quietly.
"Well, whatever it was," he muttered under his breath, "I got it first."