Chapter 2 From Death to New Life.
The sky was gloomy, as if rain could fall at any moment.
Beneath the surface of the rushing river, a tiny life was facing a great crisis. The baby's body was submerged in water, yet remarkably, this small body seemed to be resisting the injustice of fate.
It was an unspeakable scene, the baby's eyes revealing a maturity and despair beyond its years. Water mercilessly poured into its mouth and nose, its small hands and feet moved desperately.
Time seemed to freeze, each second feeling incredibly long. The baby's soul and consciousness were clear, it could feel the passing of life and the fear of helplessness.
The light on the water's surface gradually blurred, and the baby's body became increasingly weak. It used its last strength to engage in a life-and-death struggle with death.
A fragile baby was drifting alone beneath the water's surface. The river ruthlessly washed away the baby's tiny body.
At this critical moment, a brave villager passed by the riverbank. His eyes were sharp, and he instantly spotted the baby in the river.
Without any hesitation, he quickly jumped into the river, swimming desperately toward the baby. The river surged, the villager struggled against the rapids.
His arms firm and powerful as he tightly held the baby. The baby trembled in his embrace, its weak breathing heartbreaking.
The villager used all his strength to swim back to the shore, safely placing the baby on the bank. The baby's face was pale, its eyes tightly closed, but fortunately, it was still alive.
The villager gently patted the baby's back, making it spit out some river water. The baby gradually woke up and began to cry.
This cry seemed like a scream for life, and also like gratitude to the villager. The villager looked at the baby, his eyes full of love and relief.
He wrapped the baby in his own linen clothes, holding it in his arms, giving it comfort and warmth. The villager seemed to have thought of something, quickly holding the baby and running wildly toward a church-like place.
When the baby woke up again, it found a warm fireplace beside it, and it was in a crib. A person who looked like a priest from head to toe looked at its jet-black shiny eyes watching him.
He said, "No matter where you come from, as long as you're with me, I can feed you well." He came to the baby's side, gently touching it as if to test if its body was damp.
After confirming its body was dry, he put a small piece of clothing on it. The fabric of the clothes was very rough, it seemed this church's business wasn't doing well.
After arranging the baby properly, he seemed to continue with what he was doing. The baby saw him go to two nearby cribs.
Through the wooden railings of the crib, it saw two babies. Why are there so many parents who abandon children in this world?
But the baby had no right to speak of them, because it was also one of the abandoned. The priest said something to the two children, one of them kicked the priest while still sleeping.
At this time, the priest lifted the blankets of the two babies and looked at their chests, then said two names. This child named Yuno is quieter.
That child named Asta is too lively. And then there's this newly arrived little one without a name. Also a quiet child. All good children.
So what kind of name should be given to this new little one? Ah, what a headache. Forget it, he would think about it tomorrow.
On a morning after the rain cleared, sunlight shone through the clouds onto the earth. The air was exceptionally fresh, filled with the scent of damp grass and earth.
The priest came to the baby again, wondering what name would be good. How about calling it Dick, although he didn't know how the name Dick was, the baby still cried because it couldn't speak right now.
The priest immediately understood, the baby definitely didn't like this name. What a headache. What kind of name should he give?
At this time, he saw the baby, with its tender little hands, pointing to a bird by the window. This was a sparrow.
Suddenly, the priest put one hand as a palm, the other as a fist, and struck them together, looking as if he had an idea. "I'll call you Leo."
Seeing that the baby didn't cry or fuss, he thought it was satisfied with this name. In the blink of an eye, 7 years had passed.
In these 7 years, Asta ran around everywhere like a monkey, this physical strength truly made others unable to catch up. It was simply not the muscle strength a normal person should have.
Yuno was always reading books, and was very timid when talking to companions. As for the baby, in these 7 years, it had been training the magic power in its body.
Because it neither had Asta's monster-like physique, nor Yuno's terrifying amount of magic power. It could only improve its strength by training its operational ability.
Its training method was borrowed from Hunter x Hunter's Four Major Principles: Ten, Zetsu, Ren, and Hatsu. Using these methods of manipulating Nen to manipulate magic power, it obtained a magic power operational ability beyond that of ordinary people.
At the same time, it discovered the reason why this church could continuously take in orphans. It was that all farmers in this world use magic to farm, so there was no shortage of simple food.
This was the reason why orphanages could exist in this world. One day, Sister Lily took them to a grassy field to bask in the sun, and told the children the story of the Clover Kingdom.
"Long ago, when the Demon God wanted to destroy the world, a brave Magic Knight appeared in the world. For the dawn of the world, he began to fight with the Demon God."
"Finally, he defeated the Demon God, illuminating the entire world with his brilliance. The long night under the fear of the Demon God thus ended, this is the beginning of the world."
"That Magic Knight was called the Wizard King. Since then, the Wizard Emperor has become a legend."
When the story ended, Asta sprang to his feet in excitement. Yuno, while describing the terror of the demon god, actually had tears in his eyes. Leo, on the other hand, simply sat in silence, listening without saying a word.
Asta, still full of energy, suddenly spun around toward the nun. "Let's get married, Sister!" he shouted. Sister Lily reacted on instinct — a burst of water magic flew from her hand, and a watery fist slammed Asta straight into the ground.
Yuno sighed quietly. "Sister is a member of the clergy. She can't marry."
"I don't care! Sister is mine!" Asta protested. But as Sister Lily's grimoire floated beside her and her expression grew sharper, his voice faded into an awkward mumble.
Under Sister Lily's gentle yet firm gaze, both Leo and Yuno avoided eye contact.
By the fence, Leo and Yuno stood quietly while Asta did pull-ups using the wooden rail. Leo could only think in disbelief — how could a seven-year-old have that kind of strength?
While exercising, Asta asked, "Sister Lily, there's a Wizard King now, right?"
"Yes," she replied softly. "The Wizard King's title has been passed down for generations."
Asta's eyes burned with determination. "Then I'll become the next Wizard King — someone as great as him!"
Sister Lily blinked, caught off guard. "Why do you want that?"
"Because he's amazing!" Asta grinned. "I want to be like him — cool and powerful! If I become the Wizard King, everyone will live happier lives. I'll wear nice clothes, eat delicious food, rebuild this old church, and make sure Sister has a good life. So, marry me!"
Sister Lily could only shake her head. "No."
Asta puffed out his chest. "I'm not done! I'll never give up!"
Her voice stayed calm but unyielding. "No."
Leo and Yuno couldn't help but laugh. Laughter filled the little church, and the new day began with warmth and noise.
That morning, Leo and Yuno practiced mana control again — learning to shape the energy inside their bodies into outward forms. Yuno could already command the wind freely. Leo's magic appeared as a faint white light, whose shape he could control, though he still didn't know what it was for.
Meanwhile, Asta stood by the stove, waving his hands furiously as if he could ignite the firewood with sheer willpower.
Leo said, "Asta, your magic might not even be fire. Why are you trying to boil water?"
"Why am I the only one who can't use magic?" Asta shouted. "You and Yuno both can!"
"Who knows?" Leo replied. "Maybe you just haven't found yours yet."
Spotting Sister Lily hanging laundry, Asta ran over eagerly. "I'll help you, Sister!"
She smiled. "All right."
"So, marry me," he added without missing a beat.
Sister Lily responded as usual — another water fist sent him flying backward.
Unable to watch their daily routine repeat itself, Leo went to help hang the clothes. Behind him, Asta and Sister Lily continued their familiar argument.
Then Yuno came over, holding a crying baby — and crying himself.
Leo stared. "Why are you crying?"
"Because the baby's crying," Yuno sniffled.
Leo was speechless. What kind of logic was that? The baby cries, so you cry too? This kid really left him no words.
Asta jogged over. "Let me hold it!"
Yuno handed the baby to him.
Asta's wild movements only made the baby cry louder.
The noise grated on Leo's nerves. "Give him to me," he said, taking the baby gently. He rocked it slowly, patting its head. Within moments, the crying stopped.
Asta's eyes widened. "How did you do that? I couldn't!"
Leo gave him a look. "And that's supposed to surprise you? With moves like yours, it's a miracle you didn't scare him to death."
"Hey!" Asta yelled.
"Keep it down," Leo whispered. "It took me forever to calm him."
Just then, the priest descended from the sky, riding a broom. "This winter's especially cold," he said. "We need to ask the next village's chief for potatoes. There's also an important letter that must be delivered to Hage Village's mayor."
He glanced at the three of them, then said, "Yuno, Leo, you two go."
Asta waved his hands desperately. "Me too! I'll go too!"
The priest gave him a long, doubtful look — clearly not convinced.
Ignoring Asta, he handed the letter to Leo. "Go quickly. The sky's darkening; it'll snow soon." Then he mounted his broom and flew off.
It was said that anyone with good mana control could ride a broom through the air. But for now, Leo and Yuno were still too young — they couldn't even lift their own weight, let alone fly.