"Hahahahaha! Now that was fun!" Saru shouted, stretching his arms high above his head, grinning from ear to ear. His golden eyes gleamed with wild energy as wind whipped through his hair, the destroyed dungeon rumbling behind them like a beast in its death throes. "Best adventure so far! Let's do that again sometime!"
"Yes! That's what I'm talking about!" Luck yelled as he joined in, both of them laughing like lunatics who'd just survived a rollercoaster with explosions.
Asta sat on a broken chunk of rubble, looking down at the strange new sword in his hand. "I didn't do anything at all," he muttered, his shoulders slumped. "I just got this weird sword and couldn't even swing it properly…"
"You're all hung up on that?" Yuno said, standing tall with his arms crossed. His face was serious, gaze locked onto Saru. "My goal hasn't changed. I'll still become the Wizard King. But first… I'll defeat him."
Saru, still basking in Mimosa's enthusiastic praise and petting the anti-magic bird on his head, blinked. "Huh? Me?"
"YEAH RIGHT!" Asta suddenly shouted, springing to his feet with renewed fire in his eyes. "Don't dream, stupid Yuno! I'm the one who's gonna be the Wizard King!"
Everyone turned as Klaus, who had been silent and stiff, suddenly lowered his head. "You lot…" he muttered, his voice trembling.
They all looked at him, puzzled.
"I'm so—" Klaus choked on his words. Then, to everyone's complete horror, he surged forward and wrapped all of them into a group hug. "I'm so sorry!! I wouldn't acknowledge you… because you were peasants. I was wrong. I'm ashamed of myself… You're all excellent Magic Knights of the Clover Kingdom! Waaahhh—!"
WHAM!
Saru's foot connected squarely with Klaus's chest, launching him backward two meters. He landed on his back with a loud thud, limbs flailing like a broken puppet.
"Eww. Disgusting," Saru said, making a dramatic gagging face. "Don't hug me like that, Four-Eyes. I thought I was gonna die."
"Yeah, Mr. Four-Eyes," Asta said, panting dramatically, hands on his knees. "What was that? I nearly saw the afterlife."
"Dial it down a bit," Yuno muttered with a rare deadpan expression that looked vaguely disturbed, as if watching something unholy.
Luck was practically rolling on the ground laughing. "Pfft! That was hilarious! You looked like you were going to confess to a wedding proposal!"
Noelle and Mimosa stood off to the side, speechless.
They exchanged glances, both clearly stunned.
"That… was a noble apologizing," Noelle said under her breath, wide-eyed. "A real noble. Klaus…"
"I didn't think they were even capable of that," Mimosa added, her voice soft with disbelief. "That kind of disgust… it's usually so deep, so ingrained…"
Klaus groaned from the ground, coughing. Then, staggering to his feet, red-faced and trembling with emotion, he pointed a shaky finger at Saru. "HEY!! YOU STUPID MONKEY! Why did you kick me after everything I said!? After all the soul-searching I just—YOU BRAT! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!"
"Hahahaha! Now that's the Four-Eyes I know!" Saru shouted back, dancing on the spot like a teasing little imp.
...
The Royal Capital
The spires of the Clover Kingdom's royal capital towered into the sky like blades of divine light. The massive castle at its center shimmered in the midday sun, an overwhelming symbol of grandeur and power.
"WHUH-WHOOOOOAAAA!!" Asta's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he jumped in place. "It's huge! It's so cool! I can feel the power of the Wizard King just standing near it!"
"Hey, would you quit being so noisy? You're seriously embarrassing," Noelle hissed, face flushed as she glared at him. Her arms were crossed tightly—but her eyes kept flicking toward Asta, and her heartbeat was anything but calm. Why am I alone with him…? Just the two of us… Wait, no, three—
Her thoughts were cut off as her gaze shifted to Saru, who stood beside them with the expression of someone waiting in line at a vegetable stall.
One arm hung lazily behind his head, the other was occupied with unceremoniously picking his nose. Secre sat atop his wild hair, deadpan as always, clearly used to his chaotic antics. She blinked slowly, as if resigning herself to his constant disorder.
A Few Hours Earlier — Black Bulls Base
The Black Bulls' dining hall was as loud and chaotic as ever. Food flew across the table, cups clinked, and heated arguments broke out over who drank the last of the milk.
Yami entered mid-bite of his cigarette, casting his shadow across the room like a beast entering a den.
"Oi. I heard you brats did a decent job yesterday," he said, voice gruff but relaxed.
Before anyone could respond, Saru rocketed out of his seat, cheeks puffed with food, arms flailing.
"Yami! Yami! I defeated all the enemies! Me! Praise me! Give me snacks! Say I'm amazing!" he shouted, half-chewing and half-yelling, crumbs spraying in all directions.
"Shut up, brat," Yami muttered, catching him mid-rant by the head and hoisting him off the ground like a sack of potatoes. Saru flailed in the air, his cocky grin slowly faltering under the pressure Yami started applying to his skull.
"Ugh—it wasn't me! It was that stupid Asta! He was waving his sword around like a madman the whole time! I, the great and mighty Saru, would never destroy a dungeon without getting loot!" he lied shamelessly, grinning through the pain.
Yami gave him a flat look, clearly not buying a single word. "Yeah, right. Anyway—go report to the Wizard King."
Saru's eyes widened in horror.
"W-WHAT?! NOOOO! I don't wanna go! Julius is weird! He keeps looking at me like I'm some ancient relic or a shiny new toy! I swear, if he tries to touch my tail again, I'm gonna punch him! I'll beat him up! Don't send me!"
Secre, still on his head, rolled her eyes.
Yami smirked. "If you can land a punch on him, do it. And make sure it's a good one. That'll be the highlight of my week."
With that, he dropped Saru like a sack of laundry. The boy crashed to the floor, limbs sprawled and groaning dramatically as the others laughed around him.
Back at the Royal Capital
"So why exactly am I here again…" Saru grumbled under his breath as he stared up at the massive gate of the castle. "This is so boring."
He let out a yawn, balancing Secre on his head without a care in the world, while Noelle pretended not to watch Asta and Asta pretended not to hyperventilate over the thought of meeting the Wizard King.
"Calm down," Noelle muttered, cheeks still faintly red. "You'll make us look like idiots…"
"I'm already regretting waking up today," Saru mumbled, flicking away whatever he'd dug out of his nose. "If that old man tries to poke me again, I'm throwing him out a window."