Chapter 23: Forbidden Magic and Noelle Silva

Dorothy was filled with surprise as she absorbed the man's words, causing her eyes to widen. If the man and woman were indeed Asher's parents, then Mereoleona-san is not Asher's mother! Asher was adopted? This thought sparked further curiosity, leading Dorothy to question why Mereoleona had chosen to conceal the truth.

Observing Dorothy's expression, the woman took notice and responded with patience, understanding the impact of her words. She proceeded to explain, "We are aware that someone else has already assumed the role of a mother figure for Asher, and we fully respect that. If Asher ever inquires about us, kindly refrain from disclosing the truth. He has found happiness, and there is no need for him to know about us anymore."

"But why? You're Asher's true parents. He has the right to know," Dorothy said.

The man smiled and said to Dorothy, "That won't be anytime soon."

With a gentle smile gracing her face, the woman affirmed, "I must agree with my husband; we won't be Asher's parents anymore."

"Wait, you mean..." Before Dorothy could finish, the two individuals nodded.

The woman disclosed, "Before we leave Asher, I employed a blood magic spell, which I sealed with the assistance of a girl proficient in sealing magic. The spell's essence is such that whoever Asher acknowledges as his mother or father would become his biological parents."

The man pointed out, "Do you recall the crimson hue at the tips of Asher's hair? It signifies that the spell is already taking effect. He already possesses the bloodline of the Vermillion family. Once his hair turns completely crimson, he will be recognized as a true Vermillion."

Dorothy's gaze lowered as she softly expressed, "Didn't you have any desire to speak with your own son, even for once?"

In a soft and gentle voice, the woman conveyed their parental aspirations, saying, "As parents, our deepest desire was to nurture our son, witness his growth, and impart knowledge to him. However, since we are no longer alive, we are unable to fulfill those wishes. Our sole hope is for him to find happiness and take care of himself. We are grateful that our son is surrounded by wonderful individuals, which alleviates our concerns about him straying from the right path."

Upon hearing their words, Dorothy couldn't suppress the gesture of pursing her lips. She recognized the innate kindness within these individuals and couldn't help but feel they deserved a more favorable outcome.

"Can I at least know your names?" Dorothy inquired.

The woman introduced herself, stating, "I am Luna Silvamilion, the princess of the Clover Kingdom, and this is my husband, Algred, the prince of the Elf Tribe."

Upon learning their identities, Dorothy couldn't hide her astonishment. "Princess of the Clover Kingdom?!" she exclaimed. "Prince of the Elf Tribe?!" Her surprise deepened as she added, "Wait, the Elf Tribe?! Weren't they believed to be extinct?!"

Algred confirmed what Dorothy said, "You're correct. Both Asher and we are not from this time period. We resorted to forbidden magic, aided by powerful magic stones, to achieve this. However, this spell comes at a great cost, requiring the sacrifice of a life force to manipulate time. It is precisely this reason that led to the transformation of Licht, the leader of the Elf Tribe, into a massive demon. As our lives alone were insufficient, Licht willingly sacrificed himself to enable the casting of the forbidden spell. This forbidden magic can only be performed with the assistance of an elf." Algred provided a thorough explanation.

"This is a lot to take in." Dorothy took a deep breath, absorbing and processing the overwhelming information she had just received.

"Please keep us a secret from Asher," Luna said.

Dorothy responded with a warm smile, her eyes gently closed, and reassured them, saying, "Rest assured, you can trust me. I will wholeheartedly take care of your son. After all, I'm his super cool big sister, Captain Dorothy."

Algred smiled and replied, "Then we'll leave our son to you. It's our time to go."

Luna expressed her gratitude with a soft smile, saying, "Thank you, Dorothy. We will always be grateful to have someone like you by our son's side."

Dorothy waved her hand with a smile on her face and replied, "Thank you as well for placing your trust in me! Goodbye, Asher-kun's parents!"

Asher's parents nodded silently, gradually fading from Dorothy's sight. Witnessing their disappearance, Dorothy couldn't help but let out a sigh, her gaze shifting to Asher, who remained peacefully asleep.

"Asher-kun, you have such kind-hearted parents."

....................

Time skip two weeks later

True to her promise, Dorothy remained silent and refrained from disclosing anything to Asher. She reasoned that she still didn't know and reassured Asher that it would not harm him. During the past week, Asher was granted a break, relieved from any missions assigned by Fuegoleon. Her mother also prohibits him from taking any missions, threatening him that she will burn all of his books if he doesn't take a rest.

As Asher soared through the air on his broom, heading towards the award ceremony, he couldn't deny his lack of enthusiasm for attending. However, his uncle had made it clear that his presence was necessary. While in flight, a sudden, familiar, piercing scream reached his ears, originating from the ground below.

"Yuno! You're here too!" Asta exclaimed, a bright smile adorning his face, as he hastily made his way towards Yuno and the others.

Yuno remarked with a slight smile on his face, "I see... You're all healed."

Asta expressed his gratitude with a smile directed at Mimosa, saying, "Yes, thanks to Mimosa's magic, my healing process accelerated. Thank you, Mimosa."

Upon hearing Asta's praise, Mimosa didn't utter a word and quietly ran away, covering her face. Observing this, Noelle grew curious and decided to approach Mimosa, intrigued by her sudden reaction.

"Huh? Why did she run away?" Asta tilts his head curiously.

Yuno playfully taunted Asta, saying, "Perhaps you're just too ugly, Asta. You must have scared her off."

"Hey! You handsome jerk!" Asta replied angrily.

"Mimosa, is something wrong?" Noelle asked curiously.

"Well... uhmmm," Mimosa fidled her index fingers and said shyly, "Ever since that mission, I've always been thinking of Asta. His muscles, his personality. I love everything about him."

!!!

Hearing this, Noelle became alarmed and said hurriedly to Mimosa, "Why him?! He's loud, short, and a peasant!"

"That's what makes him more interesting; I don't know what to do now!" Mimosa said.

Then Noelle realized something—she seems desperate! Like trying to make Mimosa hate Asta! She doesn't care about Asta at all! She will never like him!

"Uahhhhh!" Both of them clump their heads and shouts.

Then their whole interaction was interrupted when Asher suddenly spoke from above.

Asher interjected, flying down and joining the group. He addressed them, saying, "Everyone..."

Hearing Asher's voice, all of them looked up and saw him sitting on the broom sideways while looking down at them.

"Asher, you're here! It's been a while since we met!" Asta shouts, waving at Asher.

Asher nods in acknowledgement, saying, "Yeah, it's been a while, Asta, Yuno Mimosa, and... four eyes."

"It's Klaus, Asher-sama!" Klaus interjected.

"Yeah, Klaus, and there's someone else here who seems familiar... What was your name again? Hmmm..." Asher tilted his head, deep in thought, trying to recall the name.

"She's Noelle Silva, Asher-kun," Mimosa said with a smile.

"Ah, yes, I've heard a lot about her," Asher acknowledged. His dull eyes, focused on Noelle as he observed her attentively.

Noelle was now so nervous and didn't know what to say. Being a royal, he might have been exposed to rumors about her struggles with magic control, which earned her the reputation of being a disgrace to the Silvas. Is he going to mock her? She just looked down and didn't dare to meet Asher's intimidating gaze.

Asher's words cut through the tension as he addressed Noelle directly "They said that you're weak, but from what I've seen... there's nothing weak about you at all."

"H-Huh?" Noelle looked at Asher in disbelief.

"Noelle Silva... You're going with me," Asher declared, as a fiery paw materialized at his back and extended towards Noelle, holding her head.