It took Asta and his group just two weeks to finish repairing Hage Village's defenses. In that short span of time, the once-barren village was now enclosed by a towering ten-meter-high wooden palisade. As a result, the villagers' impression of Asta underwent yet another transformation.
Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, it was already March.
Today marked an important day — the annual Grimoire Ceremony, where all fifteen-year-olds from nearby villages would gather at the Grimoire Tower to receive their grimoires. Asta and the others had arrived early, waiting patiently outside.
After months of intense training, Asta had reaped substantial gains.
His body had grown strong enough, and his chakra reserves had reached the threshold required to open the first of the Eight Inner Gates: the [Gate of Opening]. But what thrilled him most was his recent growth spurt — he had finally reached up to Yuno's eyebrows, finally shedding the embarrassing title of "runt." As expected, his previous lack of height had less to do with genetics and everything to do with malnutrition!
These past months, he had been feasting on grilled fish, wild boar, and even nutrient-rich snake soup. Thanks to that, he'd not only grown taller, but his physique had become more muscular and brimming with masculine energy — enough to make many of the girls present sneak glances in his direction.
"His white hair is so cool…"
"Don't you think his eyes are… really focused?"
Several young girls whispered among themselves, their attention clearly fixated. This naturally sparked a wave of jealousy among the surrounding boys, especially two who stood out in lavish clothes clearly meant to flaunt their superior status.
"How shallow can these girls be? Swooning over some lowly orphan?"
Will Sifang sneered, disgusted.
"Looks like they really are just country girls. Being able to marry a pig-slaying hero must be the pinnacle of pride for them,"
Leik added with a scornful chuckle. Both of them were minor nobles from the region. Although their fiefs were far removed from the capital, they never saw commoners as equals. They spoke aloud without a care, not fearing whether Asta or others might overhear them.
"I heard our little pig-slaying hero doesn't even know magic. If someone marries him, maybe they can earn some coin displaying him like a sideshow!"
"Hahaha!"
Will and Leik laughed cruelly — but their mockery abruptly ended when Asta gave them a cold glance.
He didn't say a word. There was no anger on his face, no menacing posture. But just that one glance made them feel as if some abyssal demon had set its eyes upon them.
A chill crept down their spines.
The two of them instinctively trembled. Looking into each other's eyes, they could clearly see the distorted reflection of their own fear.
"Clowns,"
Asta muttered with disdain. If just a single glance could scare them like that, then that was more than enough.
At least they knew their place. If they dared to continue spewing nonsense, Asta wouldn't have minded putting them in their place — hard.
"Still, I wonder if I'll actually receive a grimoire today…"
Asta's gaze drifted across the tower interior. With so many grimoires stored within this massive structure, surely at least one would choose him, right? Despite being focused on martial arts and chakra, he remained deeply curious about magic. Over these past months, he had come to understand that high-level spells in this world could be just as devastating as advanced ninjutsu.
So even if the grimoire that flew toward him was no larger than his knee, Asta wouldn't be picky. As long as he could cultivate magic, he vowed to outwork anyone else — no matter what!
"Welcome, dear recipients. May you, on this day of new beginnings, grow to embody the values of the three-leaf clover: honesty, hope… and love."
An old man dressed in a reddish-brown mage robe descended from the sky on a floating magic carpet. His ancient voice, amplified by a spell, echoed throughout the entire Grimoire Tower.
At that moment, everyone present — from the hopeful youths and their accompanying families to the curious bystanders — collectively fell silent and tense.
This old man was none other than the Tower Master of the Grimoire Tower.
With his arrival, the official grimoire awarding ceremony had begun.
"I'm so excited! I wonder what kind of grimoire I'll receive!"
A girl clasped her hands together, her eyes shimmering with dreams of the future.
"If my son gets a thick grimoire, I swear I'll throw a three-day banquet! Everyone's invited!"
A parent blurted out emotionally. In his mind, the thicker the grimoire, the more spells it contained — and the more powerful the mage would become.
"Honestly, forget becoming the Wizard King. No one from around here has even managed to make a name in the Magic Knights. Please, for the sake of our tower's dignity — one of you must make us proud!"
The Tower Master barked, his beard fluttering as he scolded and sprayed spittle in every direction, startling a few in the crowd.
"Now then… let the Grimoire Ceremony begin!"
As he finished speaking, countless radiant grimoires soared from the towering bookshelves.
They hovered and spiraled above the gathered youths, each one glowing with mystic light — as if evaluating their potential masters.
Then, with seamless coordination, one grimoire after another flew straight into the hands of the chosen.