[Third Person's PoV]
Asta rushed toward the hooded men with a burst of speed. One of the hooded men tried to counter Asta by hurling his mist magic at him.
But Asta simply cut right through it with his sword before slashing at the man's body, wounding him greatly and moving on to his next target.
Any and all magic thrown at Asta either ended up being reflected back at the attackers with the flat side of his sword or cut down, rendering them ineffective.
Meanwhile, Magna was rapidly throwing fireballs that exploded on impact. The hooded men, who also wielded ice magic, sent a volley of icicles toward him.
However, they were too much for Magna, who was running low on magic and couldn't keep up.
"Damn it!" Magna inwardly exclaimed, shutting his eyes. But when he didn't feel any pain, he opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by a small water dome.
He grinned and gave a thumbs up to Noelle. "Good work, Ms. Royalty!"
Noelle scoffed, though inwardly, she was cheering, 'I did it! I really did it! I controlled my magic!'
Asta, meanwhile, was like a hurricane, taking down everything in his path.
Suddenly, they all heard screaming from inside the ring of fire created by Stephen. Inside, they saw Stephen holding Heath up by the face before dropping him. He unsummoned the fire from his hands and backhanded Heath with a closed fist, knocking him unconscious.
With a snap of Stephen's fingers, the ring of fire disappeared. "I guess we should start rounding everyone up."
They all agreed. Noelle then asked, "So, can I let go of my spell?"
Stephen nodded, causing Noelle to let out a sigh of relief. However, as she released her spell, all the water she was holding over her head dropped on top of her and the nearby villagers.
"Phttt." Stephen covered his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter, seeing Noelle drenched from head to toe with a straight expression as she moved her hair from her face.
"It's not funny," Noelle said, glaring at Stephen.
Stephen smirked and pinched his fingers together. "It's a little funny."
"I'll take care of binding everyone," Magna said with a grin as his grimoire floated beside him. "Fire-Binding Magic: Flame Bondage Formation," he said.
However, before his magic could take effect, water sprouted from the back of one of the hooded mages on the ground.
[Water Magic: Torrential Transport]
The mage, huffing from the pain of his wound, was being carried away by a fast stream of water.
"Shit!" Magna cursed. "He's getting away!"
Stephen calmly extended his arm, conjuring a whip from his hand. The whip shot out and wrapped itself around the escapee's leg. With a strong yank, he pulled the mage back from his spell.
Stephen shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. No one said you could leave yet."
"Damn it…" the hooded mage grunted.
With a flick of his wrist, Stephen shot a small energy bolt from his Eldritch Magic toward the man's head, slamming it against the floor and knocking him unconscious. "Now you can tie them up."
Magna smiled widely as his grimoire glowed, and a fireball appeared in his hand.
---
Once Magna finished tying everyone up, the villagers surrounded them, tears in their eyes as they expressed their gratitude.
Just then, Nero appeared, flying through the air with a rock in her beak. She landed on Stephen's shoulder and showed him the rock before spitting it into his hand.
"Why the sudden interest in rock collecting? Do you want it for your nest or something?" Stephen asked teasingly.
One of the villagers, noticing the stone in Stephen's hand, smiled at him. "If you want that rock, you can have it. It was the village chief's protective charm. You're our savior, after all."
Stephen looked at Nero and saw her nodding her head. Smiling, he turned to the villagers. "Then I shall graciously take it. Thank you."
Noelle looked at Stephen as he smiled kindly at the villagers. Realizing she had been staring too long, she quickly shook her head and walked over to grab Nero from his shoulder.
"You're just too adorable!" Noelle said, holding onto Nero.
Nero, with her usual deadpan expression, didn't bother flying away and let Noelle hold her.
"Yo! Stephen, the scumbag is waking up!" Magna said as he noticed Heath slowly opening his eyes.
Stephen crouched down slightly toward Heath and teased, "Congratulations, you've gained a face only a mother could love!"
Magna pointed at Heath with an angered expression. "I'm gonna rest up a bit more and recover my magic. When I'm done, I'm handing you in! You're going to pay for what you tried to do to these people!"
Meanwhile, Heath realized his magic had been sealed.
Stephen glanced at Magna. "Actually, there's no need to wait. I can open a portal back to the base."
"Oh, that's right! I forgot you could do that!" Magna said, happily turning back to Heath, his expression hardening once more. "The Magic Knights are going to make you talk—who you are, what you wanted, everything!"
Heath looked at them with an apathetic expression and coldly said, "No, you won't."
Suddenly, a glow appeared in Heath's stomach, causing all of their eyes to widen. They were too stunned to react as Heath coughed up blood.
[Ice Magic: Ice Burial]
A blast of ice engulfed them all before it cracked and shattered into multiple pieces, leaving them horrified.
"A magic item... He self-destructed," Magna muttered in anger.
Asta gritted his teeth. "Those idiots... Life… What do you think life is!?"
"Damn it..." Stephen muttered before closing his eyes. "Back away," he ordered, stepping in front of them.
"Asta, have your sword ready," Stephen instructed, crossing his arms as a green magic circle began to form on each forearm.
"Wha—What are you going to do?" Noelle asked slowly.
"Just watch..." Stephen replied, closing his eyes and pinching his fingers together.
He held one hand close to his chest and raised the other above him, spinning it counterclockwise. A green magic circle began forming at the same time, adorned with symbols and runes in place of numbers, with a clock hand in the center.
Stephen moved his raised hand toward the shattered icicles and thrust the other hand forward, causing a green magic symbol to appear at his fingertips.
"Reverse; Rewind; Undo," Stephen muttered, rotating his hands counterclockwise.
[Time Magic: Time Reversal]
Under the magic circle, the shattered ice began to slowly piece itself back together, undoing the damage as the clock hands in the magic circle moved backward. The ice withdrew itself back into Heath's stomach until the glow dimmed and disappeared.
Stephen clenched his fist, stopping the clock's movement. "Now, Asta, hit him hard in the stomach!"
As Stephen ended the spell, Asta rushed forward with his sword and slammed its flat side into Heath's stomach. Heath's eyes widened, his cheeks puffed, and he vomited up an ice-like crystal. Without hesitation, Asta plunged his sword into it, shattering it.
Meanwhile, Magna and Noelle stood with their mouths agape, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
"Stephen..." Magna began slowly. "I mean this in the kindest way possible... WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"
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[Third Person's PoV]
Stephen looked toward them and held up a peace sign. "You called my name, didn't you?"
"That's not… that wasn't… You know what, if you don't want to share, I'm not going to force you. You do you, man. But still, you can use time magic? That's unbelievable," Magic said, shaking his head as he glanced at the unconscious Heath, who had vomit at the side of his mouth.
Noelle stepped closer to Stephen, her expression serious. "Are you related to the Wizard King?"
"Huh?" Stephen asked, looking at Noelle in confusion. "Why the hell would I be related to the Wizard King?"
"Because only the Wizard King has the power to use time magic," Noelle said, still serious.
Stephen rolled his eyes. "I can assure you, I'm not related to the Wizard King. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a patient to get to." Shaking his head, Stephen walked toward the injured old man.
He looked at the villagers surrounding the old man, their faces filled with worry. "He's lost a lot of blood, so make sure he eats plenty of food. It'll help his body produce more blood quickly. In his condition, I'd recommend at least two weeks of bed rest."
"Mr. Magic Knight, are you also a doctor by chance?" the old man's grandson asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
Stephen smiled and winked. "I'm training to be."
"Do you think… do you think I can also be a Magic Knight like you, even though I'm a peasant?" The boy suddenly asked, shutting his eyes as if afraid of Stephen's answer.
Stephen ruffled his hair. "Without a shadow of a doubt. If you work hard, you can do it." Stephen then winked at the kid. "You see, I grew up in Hage Village, so I'm also a commoner."
The villagers' eyes widened in shock, having witnessed his incredible magic skills. The boy's eyes sparkled with excitement as he looked up at Stephen.
After Magna and the others ensured everything in the village was taken care of, Magna called out to Stephen.
"Yo! We're ready to go!" he said, giving a thumbs up.
Stephen quickly equipped his Sling Ring and made one swift circle with his hand, opening a portal back to the base.
Magna kicked Heath in the back. "Get moving, you punk!"
Heath grumbled and growled at the treatment as he walked through the portal. Noelle scoffed. "You're the one dressed like and actually acting like a punk, you spiky-haired delinquent."
Magna just huffed, ignoring her, and followed Heath through the portal. Noelle and Asta followed suit. As Stephen crossed over, he gave the villagers a two-fingered salute before the portal closed and they were back at the base.
…
"It looks like you guys had a blast out there! Talk about a first mission!" Yami said, laughing happily.
'Why is he so happy that we were attacked…?' Noelle wondered, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.
"YES, SIR!" Both Asta and Magna shouted, banging their fists on their chests.
Vanessa, yawning, patted Stephen's back. "Good work, you guys."
She then rested her arm on Stephen's shoulder. "The Magic Investigation Department is really pleased and impressed that you guys were able to prevent them from committing suicide and gave them people to interrogate."
Yami happily held up two stars. "The Wizard King was so impressed with your actions that he gave us two golden stars. One for saving the villagers and the other for capturing the ones responsible."
"WOOHOO!" Magna celebrated, pumping his fist in the air.
"A STAR!? YES! … What's a star?" Asta asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"The nine magic squads compete to see who can collect the most stars. It's mostly about honor," Vanessa explained.
Yami placed both stars on the wall next to the other star on the wall, however all the other stars were all black.
"Great!" Yami exclaimed with his hands on his hips. "That makes us a solid minus 29 stars. Talk about progress, am I right, guys?"
"Oh, and here's your wage for this month," Yami said, handing them a bag of coins.
"WOAH, IT'S MONEY! SO MUCH!!" Asta yelled excitedly, stars in his eyes as he held the coins.
"This is barely anything…" Noelle muttered, counting her pay.
Stephen tossed his bag into the air, caught it, and set it aside.
"You don't seem excited or bothered by the money. Why is that?" Vanessa asked, curious about Stephen's nonchalant attitude.
Stephen shrugged. "Monetary value isn't that enticing when I can make anything I need with my magic."
"Oh my god, that means you truly don't know the wonders of shopping! We have to fix that ASAP!" Vanessa exclaimed, looking at Asta, Noelle, and Stephen. "Since it's your first payday, I'll do the honors of taking you guys shopping!"
"No need…" Stephen started, shaking his head and turning to leave.
But Vanessa hooked her arm around his neck, putting him in a headlock and pressing his face against her side. "Too bad, sweetheart! I wasn't asking. We're going to Castle Town!"
Stephen's cheeks reddened slightly as he was pressed against the side of her breast. *'She smells nice...'*
…
Stephen sighed as he walked next to Vanessa, who was dressed nicely with a witch hat. Beside them were Noelle and Asta. They stood in front of a large town bustling with people and surrounded by buildings—completely different from the view Hage Village had to offer.
"WOAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" Asta exclaimed, looking around at the lively town.
Kikka, the place they were currently at, was a Castle Town located in the upper center of the Common Realm.
Asta was all excited, running around to check out the stands and the different goods they offered.
"Stephen! Stephen! Look! Yummy-looking fruit we've never seen before!" Asta said excitedly before moving on to the next shop. "Stephen, look! Magic items! I'm sure you'll love this!"
Stephen smiled, amused as he watched Asta enjoy himself, though the townsfolk gave them strange and wary looks upon realizing they were members of the Black Bulls.
"Once we pick up the essentials and everything else we need, I'll take you guys somewhere *really* fun!" Vanessa winked after buying a couple of wine bottles.
"That doesn't look like anything essential to me," Stephen said, rolling his eyes.
Vanessa posed, holding her bottles beside her face and pursing her lips. "These are essential for *me~*. I can't function without them."
"I'm honestly starting to get concerned about your alcoholic tendencies," Stephen replied, his expression full of worry.
"I'm not an alcoholic, sweetie, I just like having a good time," Vanessa winked.
"That sounds exactly like something a raging alcoholic would say."
Vanessa chose to ignore the comment and skipped along happily.
Once everyone finished buying what they needed, Vanessa led them to an empty alley.
Seeing how deserted the alley was, Stephen turned to Vanessa. "I want a trustworthy adult by my side…"
"Wha—what's that supposed to mean!? I'm a trustworthy adult!" Vanessa exclaimed with a pout.
"You took us to a back alley and called it a *really fun* place…" Stephen replied with a deadpan expression.
Asta and Noelle looked between Stephen and Vanessa, unsure what to say.
"Hehehe, you're funny," Vanessa laughed as she pressed a few tiles on the wall, revealing a hidden passage. "What I wanted to show you guys is the Black Market."
Asta and Noelle peeked inside before heading in, followed by Vanessa. However, as Stephen was about to enter, Vanessa stuck her arm out, placing it on his chest to stop him.
She leaned in close, standing mere centimeters from his face, giving him a sultry look. "And if I really wanted to take you somewhere *fun*," she whispered sensually, her hand moving towards his face, "it wouldn't be a back alley—it would be straight to the bedroom with you," she said, running her fingers along his jawline.
Vanessa winked at him before twirling around, whipping her hair back as she walked ahead, her hips swaying enticingly with every step.
Stephen stood by the entrance, his eyes wide as he covered his mouth with the back of his hand, his face slowly turning red.
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