The quiet atmosphere lingered for a while.
Then Asta moved first. With a burst of strength from his waist, he sprang to his feet, planting both legs firmly on the ground.
"Yuuki! Yuno! What are you two spacing out for? I'm starving! If we don't head back soon, it'll be dark!"
Asta's loud shout echoed through the forest, startling a flock of birds into flight.
"Idiot," Yuno muttered flatly, glancing at him.
Yuuki rubbed his ears again, helplessly saying, "How many times do I have to tell you—can you not yell so loud?"
But Asta paid no attention to either of their complaints. Humming to himself, he walked ahead, slinging over his shoulder the bundle of firewood he'd gathered from the forest.
Yuuki and Yuno exchanged a glance, then got up as well, each taking up a bundle of their own as they started toward Hage Village.
The church that had taken them in was poor. Other than training, gathering firewood like this was one of their daily tasks. Yuno, however, usually stayed at the church to help out rather than come to the forest—
which was why Yuuki had been surprised to see him here today, and guessed it must be because he was worried about Asta.
The narrow dirt path winding back toward the village was rough and uneven.
Out here in the Outer Realm—far from the heart of the kingdom—no one bothered with roads. Even inside the villages, the ground was little more than packed soil.
The Clover Kingdom had a strict class hierarchy:
royalty and nobles lived in the Royal Realm, commoners in the Common Realm, and peasants in the Outer Realm.
The higher one lived, the greater their mana tended to be.
People of the Outer Realm rarely used magic beyond what was useful for survival, and most had never received formal education.
The class divide was deeply ingrained—
which was exactly why, even after Yuno obtained a four-leaf-clover grimoire, nobles continued to look down on him.
Still, the rugged road posed no trouble for the three of them.
Even Asta, who had no mana, could easily carry his load thanks to years of physical training.
He led the way energetically, with Yuuki and Yuno following close behind.
"This guy's stamina really does bounce back fast," Yuuki remarked with a sigh.
"That's about the only thing he's good at," Yuno said, the corners of his lips twitching in a brief, almost hidden smile.
Yuuki didn't catch the fleeting expression. He spoke softly, "You're worried about Asta, aren't you?"
Yuno paused, then gave a small nod.
There was no point hiding it—and Yuuki was sharp enough to notice anyway.
Yuuki had joined the church at ten years old, but after five years of living together, the three of them understood each other well.
"No need to worry," Yuuki said lightly, smiling a little. "I'm sure Asta will get a grimoire that's meant for him."
He couldn't spell things out too clearly, but a little reassurance couldn't hurt.
Hearing Yuuki's words, some of the tension in Yuno's expression eased.
"What are you two whispering about back there? Don't think I'll hand over the title of Wizard King to either of you!"
Asta turned, shouting with indignation.
The moment he said that, Yuno's face grew serious.
"I don't need you to hand it over, Asta," he replied, his tone firm and unyielding.
Yuuki sighed at the sight of them—
the moment the words Wizard King came up, both of them got impossibly serious.
The title of Wizard King referred to the mage who, five hundred years ago, had once saved the entire Clover Kingdom.
In the days to come, the strongest magic knight in the Clover Kingdom would be the—
cough—not the Hokage, but the Wizard King!
The current Wizard King, the 28th in history, was Julius Novachrono, wielder of Time Magic.
As for the origins of the Wizard King, Yuuki was probably the one who understood them best—well, among humans, at least.
There was… another being, a demon lurking in the shadows, who knew even more.
"Don't lump me in with that. Becoming Wizard King isn't my dream."
Yuuki spread his hands as he tried to stop the two arguing boys.
Experience from his previous life had taught him one important lesson: never argue with anyone whose dream is to become the Pirate King, the Hokage, or—apparently now—the Wizard King.
His words made both Asta and Yuno freeze mid-argument and turn to look at him.
Under their combined stares, Yuuki instinctively took a small step back.
"Wh-what's with those looks? It's not like every magic knight has to become the Wizard King."
Yuno nodded seriously—then shook his head.
"That may be true. But before I become Wizard King, I must first defeat you."
Yuno's gaze was firm, his tone sincere, not a hint of jest in his voice.
"Why!?"
Yuuki's eyelid twitched. He had a bad feeling about where this was going.
"Of course, Yuuki!" Asta declared confidently, hands on his hips.
"The Wizard King is the strongest! So to become Wizard King, I've gotta beat both you and Yuno first! Right, Yuno?"
Yuuki's mouth twitched. He opened it to argue—then realized, frustratingly enough, that their logic did make sense.
These two… were dead serious.
He suddenly felt a headache coming on.
"Don't go putting words in my mouth," Yuno said sharply, turning to glare at Asta. "I only need to defeat Yuuki. As for you…"
He tilted his head up slightly.
"You're just a shorty with no mana."
"Wh—what did you say!? Who're you calling a shorty, Yuno!?"
Asta's face turned red with indignation.
Yuno really could be cutting when he wanted to be.
Yuuki sighed, watching the two argue all over again.
Asta was on the short side—only about 155 centimeters—while both Yuuki and Yuno stood around 177. They towered over him by a whole head.
What surprised Yuuki, though, was his own height. He was only fifteen, yet already taller than he'd ever been in his previous life.
Back then, he hadn't even hit 175 until his twenties, and he'd often relied on height-increasing insoles in his shoes.
Now, at fifteen, he was 177. He figured, at this rate, he'd easily break 180 as an adult.
It must've been the world's magic that let his body surpass its old limits.
"Yuuki, am I really that short?"
Asta suddenly turned from his squabble with Yuno, looking up at Yuuki with an expression full of hope.
"Eh… you're not that short," Yuuki replied vaguely.
"See, Yuno! He said I'm fine!" Asta shouted triumphantly.
"You're just being nice to him, Yuuki," Yuno said flatly.
Yuuki couldn't help but laugh. After all these years together, Yuno was far livelier than the cold, stoic boy from the anime.
And so, bickering and laughing all the way, the three of them made their way back toward the church.
(End of Chapter)