"If it were up to me," El muttered aloud, "I'd declare war on the Clover Kingdom over this hospitality."
A presence stirred in the darkness.
"Weren't you planning to join the Golden Dawn?" a voice asked from the shadows.
"How did you end up with the Black Bulls?"
"Just a small side quest. Nothing you need to bother with," El said, his gaze drifting over the dust and cobwebs clinging stubbornly to the furniture.
Nacht spoke again, his tone calm but sharp. "Is the demon sealed inside Asta's grimoire the one you're after?"
"The Dryad didn't go into details," El replied. "But the demon loose in the Clover Kingdom uses Word Soul magic, not Anti-Magic."
"I see." Nacht exhaled slowly. "I don't have time to deal with internal affairs anyway. Just so you know, things are accelerating in the Spade Kingdom. You may not have six months to yourself."
"I don't need it," El said, turning toward Natch, his hands folding behind his back. "Once this demon is dealt with, our forces will be ready to confront the Spade Kingdom."
"I've located another human research facility near the border of a strong magic region," Nacht added, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "I'll be raiding it tonight."
El stiffened slightly.
The facilities Nacht referred to were places where Spade devils conducted artificial human experiments. As the Dryad had once told him, El himself had been a victim of one such experiment—fortunate enough not to lose his sanity, saved by her due to the prophecy she had received.
(The origin of the MC in this world will be covered in a separate chapter. For now, consider these info dumps)
"I'm curious why you'd share such trivial information with me," El said, not expecting Nacht to bother sharing something so small.
"It's because Decan, the one we were hunting, has been sighted there," Nacht replied. "I don't have his exact location, I'll need your help to find him." That explained the sudden visit.
"Tch…" El exhaled, exhausted.
Decan and Morris—the two brothers—had caused him more trouble in the past three years than he cared to count.
One was obsessed with unearthing buried history and forbidden magic, dabbling in summoning rituals long forgotten.
The other was steeped in human experimentation and far worse.
They were the two humans sitting at the top of El's and Nacht's hit list—and also the most cautious, always managing to stay just out of reach.
"I'll be joining the raid," El said firmly.
"Very well." Nacht said and melted back into the shadows.
El nudged the ring on his finger—also a long-distance communication artifact. Moments later, a familiar, gentle voice answered.
"Hi, El. How are you?" Mimosa asked.
"I'm fine," he replied. "You must have heard by now… due to some last-minute changes, I couldn't join the Golden Dawn."
"I know," Mimosa said softly. "The Dryad told me."
She had once visited the Heart Kingdom during a cultural exchange, where the two had grown close—perhaps closer than El cared to admit. But circumstances had never allowed that bond to deepen.
"I'll need your help with something tomorrow," El said.
Mimosa replied lightly. "Don't worry, I'll clear my schedule. Are you going to fight someone?" she asked, concern creeping into her voice.
"Not for us," El said. "For our enemy. I'll meet you at the Clover Kingdom Central Hospital tomorrow."
He ended the call soon after, unwilling to linger—afraid of stirring emotions he had buried long ago.
***
"Hello there, Yami. Long time no see."
An irritatingly familiar voice rose from the floor itself.
"Long time indeed," Yami replied calmly. "I expected you'd show up today, Vice-Captain of the Black Bulls."
"I see you've recruited some capable squad members this year," Nacht said, glancing around. "Finally planning to take squad-building seriously?"
"Cut the crap," Yami said, his casual tone dropping. "Your letter mentioned a powerful mage from the Heart Kingdom—not that he'd end up in my squad."
"You don't need to worry about him," Nacht said evenly. "At least for now, he's no threat to the Clover Kingdom."
"Jack isn't a weak captain," Yami said quietly. "I know that better than anyone—I've fought him my whole life. To sever his arm in a single move… even I couldn't pull that off."
He exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his expression unusually serious.
"So tell me," Yami continued, eyes narrowing, "how exactly did he do that?"
Nacht paused, choosing his words. "We've fought side by side in the Spade Kingdom for three years… and I still don't know his full strength."
Yami raised an eyebrow.
"I've seen him wield an absurd number of unique abilities," Nacht continued. "At times, his power rivals that of a Wizard King. Other times, he feels fragile—like even an average Magic Knight could bring him down."
"So what's the trick?"
"Watch the card he uses before a fight," Nacht said. "If it's white, get serious. If it's black, run. Any other color isn't much of a concern."
"Other than that," Nacht continued calmly, "he possesses a teleportation ability that relies on reading ki, and he's well-versed in using runes—creating magic traps and artifacts."
Nacht paused briefly before adding.
"He's not reckless. And for now, we share the same enemy—the Spade Kingdom."
"Care for a drink?" Yami asked.
"Just stopped by for old time's sake, don't get used to it." Said Natch and vanished into the shadows once more.
Yami stared at the spot for a moment before exhaling smoke.
"…You've changed," he muttered, watching the darkness.
***
"He's still acting so cold, but I know how much he's suffering behind that facade," Mimosa muttered.
As if responding to her emotions, the visage of the Dryad materialized from the floating wooden staff beside her.
"We are among the very few who know his true situation." the Dryad said softly. "So we must understand."
"I understand." Mimosa replied, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "But… is there no other way?"
"There are only two," the Dryad answered. "The first is to kill the Supreme Devil, Megicula. The second is for him to draw upon a reality-shattering ability from his forbidden grimoire to forcibly break the curse. But since he hasn't done that, we can only rely on the former."
Mimosa lowered her gaze.
"He's changed completely since that battle in the Heart Kingdom. Do you think… Once he finds a cure, he'll return to his carefree self?"
"I believe so," Dryad said. "For the past three years, he has conquered dungeon after dungeon, sought out arcane magic users, and searched relentlessly for answers.
The most effective solution he's found so far was having Lolopechka sealed by the Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom—slowing the curse's effects significantly."
Mimosa wiped her eyes and managed a small smile.
"But I'm glad he hasn't given up, even after so many failures. And neither will we. My magic may focus on healing, but I'll do everything I can to help weaken or remove the curse. If I find something… he'll have no choice but to visit me more often."
She glanced at the ring on her finger. "And then this cursed ring won't be necessary anymore."
With renewed determination, Mimosa cheered herself up and dove back into the mountain of books stacked beside her bed, just as she had done every day for the past three years.
"I don't know if you'll find the cure," Dryad murmured fondly, watching her, "but at this rate, you may soon surpass even the Queen of the Heart Kingdom in knowledge. Keep going, my girl. I'm rooting for you."
The Dryad's form dissolved, merging back into the wooden staff as she returned to her slumber.
***
El woke up to the sound of birds chirping loudly above him.
"Uwaaa…."
He rubbed his eyes and slowly sat up, only then realizing he had fallen asleep on the shore of a lake located deep within the Heart Kingdom.
'Instant Transmission really is the best ability I have,' he thought calmly. No borders, no restraints.
Just like he received a card as a gift from Sukuna, it was a gift from a conqueror named Son Goku but with the simplest condition he had ever received.
[Instant Transmission: Son Goku has granted you a one-time-use ability]
Card Rank: B
Ability Holder: Son Goku
Spell: Instant Transmission
Effect:
Allows the user to instantly teleport to any location they have previously visited, any place within their field of vision, or directly to a person whose Ki they can sense.
Weakness:
Limited to 200 uses per day until the user ascends to the rank of Conqueror.
Condition to Make Permanent:
Accept one request from a Conqueror named Son Goku upon meeting him, or provide equal compensation for the ability used, as calculated by the World's Memory in the form of treasures, Xeni Coins or an ability card you prefer.
After splashing cold water on his face, he plucked an apple hanging from a low branch. A moment later, his figure vanished, reappearing in the open space where the baptism ritual had taken place the previous day.
He had expected everyone to still be asleep, but the area was surprisingly lively.
At the center of the clearing, Noelle was trapped inside a massive spherical water bubble nearly fifty meters wide. The spell had clearly gone out of control, and she was struggling to maintain it.
Several Magic Knights nearby capable of helping her only observed and only Asta was panicking and rushing around, trying desperately to figure out what to do.
El folded his arms. "Are things always this lively around here?" he asked Magma.
"Not always." Magma shot back, then froze mid-sentence as the words caught up to him. "When the hell did you get here, we were searching for you since morning!"
Captain Yami glanced between El and Asta for a brief moment. After a short pause, he grabbed Asta instead.
"Oi, shorty—you're up."
Yami hurled Asta straight toward the unstable spell. Using Anti-Magic, Asta cut through the water bubble, nullifying it completely and catching Noelle midair. They landed safely, Asta holding her awkwardly in his arms.
The surrounding Magic Knights burst into applause.
El slipped away quietly and reappeared inside the Black Bulls Dining Hall, where Charmy was seated alone, stuffing her face as usual.
"May I have a cup of tea?" El asked politely.
Charmy's eyes sparkled. "Sure! That'll be—twenty fruits! No, ten! Like the ones you gave me yesterday!"
"Ten fruits for one cup of tea? Don't push your luck," El replied.
After arguing back and forth, they eventually settled on one fruit. Once he finished his tea, El left the hall and went looking for Asta. He found him walking down the corridor alongside Noelle.
"What happened back there?" El asked as he approached.
"Noelle unlocked a new spell yesterday when you were controlling her." Asta explained. "We were testing it, but it went out of contro…"
A fist came down on his head.
"It didn't go out of control, you idiot!" Noelle snapped. "New spells always act up at first!"
"You still haven't thanked me," El added casually.
"W-Why would I thank you?! It was just luck!" Noelle shot back.
El turned to Asta. "Are you free?"
"I was, but Noelle asked me to help her train in the forest," Asta said. "Want to join?"
"Training?" El shook his head. "I was thinking of taking you on a mission instead. Your devil's power might be useful."
Asta stiffened. "My what?"
"You really haven't noticed?" El said. "You have no mana, Asta. The Anti-Magic you use comes from the devil sealed inside your five-leaf grimoire."
"Five-leaf grimoire?" Noelle scoffed. "Don't mess with him. He's dumb, but..."
She stopped when she saw Asta holding his grimoire with wide, shining eyes.
"Thank you, Mr. Devil," Asta said sincerely. "Please work with me from now on."
Silence followed.
"I already checked with Captain Yami," El continued. "No missions today. He's already heading to gamble our pay."
"Well… I promised Noelle," Asta hesitated.
"What kind of mission is it?" Noelle asked.
"It's confidential."
Her eyes narrowed. "You might be a prince in the Heart Kingdom, but here you're just another Black Bull. If you don't take me, Asta's not going either."
She grabbed Asta's hand and dragged him away.
El watched them go, then smirked. "This girl…"
"If you insist on coming," he called out, "don't complain later. This is at least a captain-level mission."
Noelle glanced back at him with a pitying look. Boys and their imagination, she thought dismissively.
El appeared behind them instantly, placing a hand on both their shoulders. Space warped, and the three vanished.
They reappeared at the border of the Heart Kingdom.
"Whoa! That was amazing!" Asta shouted.
Noelle's attention snapped to a nearby figure cloaked in black, his face half hidden.
"Long time no see, Vice Captain Nacht," El greeted.
"Why are Newbies here?" Nacht asked coldly.
"Asta's here to test his devil powers," El said. "The blue one invited herself."
Noelle bristled.
"Asta, Noelle," El continued, "this is Nacht Faust. Vice Captain of the Black Bulls."
"V-Vice Captain?" Noelle straightened immediately.
"Nice ta meetcha!" Asta saluted.
"I don't like either of you," Nacht said flatly.
"Don't mind him," El said. "That's just how he is."
"Now for the reason we are here." El continued.
"We are at the border of the heart Kingdom and Somewhere around here the spade devils have captured the innocent citizens to sacrifice their souls and summon a demon."
"We are here to stop them and rescue the citizens." El said.
"Damn it demons, bring it on let's go El we will save them all…" Asta said enthusiastically.
"Hold your horses, you won't be fighting anybody, we are here to help track the ritual site, Vice Captain Natch will take care of fighting unless needed help." El said looking at Natch again to which he nodded.
El's grimoire assembled itself and from within, a mechanical device emerged, locking over his right eye.
***
Author Note: Yep, the main girl is Mimosa. I might add a second one if readers prefer, Let me know what you think.