|| Black Clover || Valiant [OC INSERT]

[12]

The four Magic Knights had finally reached their destination. Asta was being chased by a wild boar, trying not to get mauled to death. Alas, he couldn't outrun it and instead got thrown in the air. Magna was sitting beside a tree, resting on his arms while Iris and Noelle were standing, all three of them watching Asta's defeat.

"Shouldn't we go and help him?" Noelle asked, seeing Asta struggle. Iris glanced at her, noticing the change in how she viewed him. She said nothing, intertwining her hands behind her back.

"I'm resting. Carrying you both left my magic powers drained," Magna said, not moving from his comfortable spot. "Asta will be fine. He may be short but he's as tough as they come."

While Magna and Noelle had their small conversation, Iris decided that she should try and pull her own weight as well. 'I'm on this mission too, so I should do my part in taking down some of these boars.' She made her way to where Asta was.

The boar continued to chase after him, eventually trapping Asta into a dead end. Iris gathered some of her magic power without the use of her grimoire, creating a concentrated ball of mud. She glanced to her right, not turning her head. She noticed a certain silver-haired royal also at the scene. Not thinking much of it, she flung the mud gunk at the boar as it was about to attack Asta. The ball of mud glided through the air, hitting its target. Relief washed over Asta's face as he was no longer in danger.

'Should I have left this to Noelle? She is supposed to get better at controlling her magic,' Iris thought. Perhaps she should have let the Silva royal gather experience. After all, she wasn't lacking in that area.

Asta swung his sword at a few more boars, making sure that they were defeated. He ended up carrying three, while Magna and Iris carried only one. Magna had his boar over his shoulder just like Asta. Iris was dragging the boar with her magic-created vines as Noelle walked empty-handed.

While they all made their way to the village to look for Old Man Seihi. Magna had begun to recall his encounters with Seihi as well as all that he had learned from him. He made sure to mention his 'former' delinquent self.

Abruptly stopping, Magna dropped the boar he was carrying and made a run for the village. "What the hell is that?!" He questioned, motioning to the mist that engulfed Saussy village as he stood on the edge of the cliff.

"Wow, the weather sucks in that town," Asta commented, having a baffled expression.

Noelle turned to Asta, "You idiot, that's magic. Can't you tell?"

The four Magic Knights were now wary of what lied ahead of them. Being sure to stay cautious, they continued into the village. Magna knew that none of the villagers could have caused a barrier to cover the entire village since none of them had magic as strong as that.'This isn't looking good. If what Magna says is true, then the villagers could be in danger,' Iris thought as her expression began to change into one of worry.

"Asta, you said that your sword cuts through magic, right?" Iris turned to face Asta as she asked him the question. Asta nodded in response, not understanding what she was getting at. "Then, cut through the mist with your sword. You should be able to do so effortlessly."

Asta dismissively waved his hand, "That's a silly thing to say. You can't cut through mist with a sword." Iris only smiled at him, knowing that he didn't mean to insult her.

Magna on the other hand grabbed the front of Asta's robe, "You're the dumbass! Since the mist is magic, you can cut it with your sword!" Magna grit his teeth in frustration as a cold sweat visibly slid down his face. 'I've never seen Iris angry but I sure as hell don't wanna find out!' Magna began to imagine a destroyed town in ashes with a fuming Iris. 'yeah, I never wanna see that!' He shook the negative thought away, releasing Asta as well.