Zura and Noelle were walking on the busy street of the Clover Kingdom, the hustle and bustle of the city a stark contrast to the quiet contemplation of their journey. They were on their way to the grimoire tower, where Zura was supposed to get his grimoire. However, Noelle wasn't walking with Zura at all. She was walking ahead of him, keeping a noticeable distance between them.
"..." Zura watched Noelle, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and uncertainties. 'Don't tell me…'
Zura ran up to Noelle, matching her pace to walk beside her. But Noelle, however, pushed Zura back, her voice firm and unwavering. "Would you mind keeping some distance from me? I am royal, and I can't let someone like you walk with me."
Zura sighed, a sense of disappointment washing over him. 'She was acting all polite and calm in the summoning room, so I thought maybe she is different. But she is still a tsundere after all.'
When they reached the library, the warden informed them that it was still under construction.
"What?!" Noelle yelled, her voice echoing through the grand hall. "But it was supposed to be finished last week."
'Why is it destroyed?' Zura wondered, his gaze wandering over the ruins of the once-grand library. 'The outer area of the kingdom also looked demolished. Was there an attack?'
Zura turned to Noelle, his voice steady and sure. "Who attacked the kingdom?"
Since some things were different from what Zura remembered from the Black Clover universe, it was hard for him to know exactly what had happened.
"I thought you were supposed to know everything?" Noelle remarked, her voice tinged with sarcasm and curiosity.
"The kingdom was attacked by the demon named Zagred," she continued, her voice steady and sure.
"..." Zura raised his brows, his hand resting on his chin as he pondered the situation. 'That happened two years ago in the manga. Am I in the past timeline?'
But as he looked at Noelle, inspecting her from head to toe, a sense of confusion washed over him. 'She looks mature. More mature than she looked in the recent chapters. I have no idea what's going on, but first, I need to start by collecting information about the world and comparing them with what I know.'
As they stood amidst the ruins of the library, the weight of the situation pressing down on them, Zura couldn't help but feel a sense of determination and resolve. He was in a world that was both familiar and foreign.
"When did this happen?" Zura asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and calm, his gaze steady and sure as he tried to piece together the puzzle of the Clover Kingdom's recent history.
Noelle sighed, her voice tinged with frustration and disappointment. "It happened two months ago, and these people still haven't rebuilt the kingdom yet. Even when the wizard—!" She stopped, clearing her throat before continuing, her voice steady and sure. "Even when they were supposed to finish the reconstruction last week."
She grabbed Zura's hand, her grip firm and unwavering, and dragged him into an open area. Then, she folded her arm below her bosom, her voice brisk and commanding. "Now then, since the library is still closed. Where do you want to go to get your grimoire?"
Zura pondered for a while, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and uncertainties, before replying, his voice steady and sure. "Let's go to Hage village."
Noelle scoffed, a hint of amusement and disbelief in her voice, and turned around. She took out her grimoire, her movements swift and sure, and cast a spell.
'Why did she laugh?' Zura wondered, his mind racing with confusion and curiosity. 'And what is she doing?'
Noelle summoned an enormous pigeon made of water, its form shimmering and grand, and jumped on top of it, her movements graceful and sure.
'...!' Zura was more than surprised, his mind a mix of awe and bewilderment. 'Since when can she summon magic beasts?! I have no idea what happened to this world, but it seems I can't depend on my memories alone. Everything is similar but different at the same time.'
Noelle looked down at Zura, her gaze haughty and commanding, and said, "You should be grateful that I am letting you ride with me."
"Yeah, yeah." Zura climbed on the pigeon, its surface hard and unyielding despite being made of water, and settled in behind Noelle.
The pigeon flapped its wings, its movements swift and sure, and took them into the sky above the clouds. The wind hit Zura's face, its touch cold and unyielding, and he started trembling, his body a mix of fear and awe.
Zura was afraid of heights, his acrophobia a constant companion, and he had climbed on the pigeon in excitement without thinking about it. But now, the reality of their situation was setting in, and he couldn't stop trembling, his body a mix of fear and awe.
He slowly moved his hands, his movements hesitant and unsure, and grabbed Noelle's waist from behind, his grip firm and unwavering.
Noelle, however, jolted in surprise, her body a mix of shock and disbelief, and pushed Zura back, her voice a mix of fury and frustration. "How dare you touch me!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the sky, and summoned a lance in her hand, its form shimmering and grand.
"No. That's… not it…" Zura managed to stutter, his voice a mix of fear and desperation. "I… I am afraid of heights."
The lance disappeared from Noelle's hand, its form shimmering and grand, and she looked at Zura, her gaze a mix of pity and amusement. She smirked at Zura, her voice a mix of teasing and curiosity, and uttered, "I have found your weakness. Now, if you make me angry, I am going to… you know what I will do."
Zura chuckled, a hint of amusement and relief in his voice, and murmured something, his voice low and unsure.
After seeing that, Noelle raised her brows, her gaze a mix of curiosity and confusion, and asked, "What did you say?"
"It's nothing. You kind of remind me of my sister," Zura uttered, his voice distant and sure, a hint of nostalgia and longing in his tone.
"Oh? Is your sister as beautiful and cute as me?" Noelle asked, her voice a mix of curiosity and teasing, a hint of amusement and playfulness in her tone.
Zura quietly nodded in response, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts and memories, and thought, 'Even your personalities are the same. And you both are tsundere… I wish I could say this to her. But she will probably throw me off the pigeon.'
Noelle flipped her hair, her movements graceful and sure, and uttered with an arrogant expression on her face, her voice a mix of confidence and playfulness. "Surely, she can't be as beautiful as me. No one can match my beauty. I am royal, and your sister is a nobody compared to—"
Zura pinned Noelle down on the pigeon, and glared at her.