บท 304: Search
Yami took Asta to the Black Bulls' base of operation to meet all the other members. Everyone greeted Yami with great enthusiasm before taking notice of Asta.
Magna then challenged the rookie to show his status as a senpai. Unfortunately, because of their previous experience, Asta knew a lot about how his power worked and how to use it.
So, Magma ended up in an embarrassing situation. Then, all the members of the Black Bulls Squad began to party in honor of receiving a new member. Miss Charmy used her Cotton Magic to cook an outdoor barbecue, while Vanessa provided alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
"Damn, you startled me," said Yami as he almost spilled his drink. "When did you get here?"
"Not long," Edward replied as he held a big piece of meat in his hand and munched it with delight.
"Why are you here?"
"I figure you guys would have a party, so I came for Charmy's food."
"Eat up," said Charmy as she handed him a large plate full of food, and Edward ate with a smile. Although he had copied her Cotton Magic, his food was not nearly as good as hers despite having better cooking skills, knowledge, and recipe.
He guessed it was because he was not as passionate about food as her, so his cooking lacked a particular "spiritual" component.
"How about the thing I asked to research?"
"You mean about food that can purify mana? I forgot," replied Charmy with an innocent look on her face. Edward shook his head but did not say anything since he knew her personality was like that.
In this world, it is impossible to increase your mana pool; this is the iron law of this universe. In the main timeline, Charmy tried to achieve this feat and failed.
So, Edward thought of purifying mana as a way to increase strength. Unfortunately, he cannot re-create the Arcana Flame in this world, so other people cannot purify their mana. So, he thought of using potions and food.
Regrettably, even the Empire has not found methods to purify mana that does not involve the Arcana Flame. Snape was working on a potion for that purpose, but before they left, he only invited one that could accelerate the process, and the potion was not fully completed as there were many side effects that he needed to iron out.
Edward did not push Charmy regarding the Purified Mana Food. He taught the little girl a lot about Food Magic from the Empire with various effects.
And once the opportunity is right, she will focus on the task even if she does not want to.
The other members of Black Bulls did not react much to his presence as this was not the first time he showed up unannounced. The first time, they were in awe at the presence of the Wizard King.
But over time, they became used to it.
"Do you want to drink with me today?" asked Vanessa.
"You're too much of a lightweight," replied Edward.
"Me, a lightweight? That's the funniest joke I've heard."
"Every time we drink together, you pass out, and I must carry you back here."
"It's not my fault that you can drink so much."
Edward shook his head. Usually, he hated drinking since it affected his mind. However, the alcohol level of this world is low, but the wine is delicious. So, he became a drinking buddy with Vanessa.
Edward looked around for a moment before saying: "Yami, you're a fortunate man."
"Huh, what's this about?"
"There are four Arcane Stages Mages in your squad alone?"
"Four? I thought it was only me and Vanissa." Yami had dealt with the Heart Kingdom, which used the concept of magic stages.
Stages are divided from Nine to Zero, with Stage Nine being the weakest and Stage Zero the strongest. Then, there was the Arcana Stage, which referred to mages with unconventional or unique magic, magics that have a significant effect against devils.
Lastly, there is the Saint Stage, which Spirit Magic Users can achieve with offensive spells since spirit magic can purify malice and destroy devils.
"The new kid is an Arcane Stage, while Grey over there is also one."
"Him? I thought he used Transformation Magic," asked Yami in confusion as he looked at that humongous man dressed in all black with steam coming out his mouth every time he exhaled.
"It's her. And her real magic is Transmutation Magic," replied Edward. After seeing her Grimoire, Edward was finally able to use transmutation and turn things into gold.
Yami looked at Grey for a moment before laughing aloud: "It seems that I have an eye to see people."
Edward ignored him while he continued eating. Meanwhile, Vanessa asked: "I still don't understand how my magic is the Arcane Stage. I can only control threads."
"Until you resolve your problems with the Witch Queen and discover who you are, the Fate Attribute of your magic will never manifest."
He saw her Grimoire, and even after understanding it, he could not use the Fate aspect. So, he must wait until she develops it before acquiring it.
While the group enjoyed themselves, a young man with red hair and a mouth-covering mask showed up.
"Zora, are you here for the party as well?" asked Yami with a loud voice.
"Why would I associate myself with a bunch of delinquents like you? I'm here to see the Wizard King."
Yami laughed, while Edward said: "What is it?"
Zora was one of the first attempts at removing the curse on his body. Usually, he should be one of the people Edward could not interact with since he is an essential member of the Black Bulls.
However, Edward made him a captain in charge of dealing with crooked magic knights and nobles. In the main timeline, Zora did similar things but of his own volition before joining the Black Bull Squad.
So, Edward shifted his destiny slightly by making captain of his own squad while also ensuring that he does the same thing he is supposed to do in the main timeline.
In Edward's years dealing with that curse, he benefited in many ways. One, he has now learned a great deal about curses and can be considered a master.
Second, he gathered a lot of data on the power of fate and how it operates. Unfortunately, one of the weaknesses of his extreme magical talent is anything related to fate.
Through knowledge and practice, he should be able to use advanced Fate Magic, but he was not entirely sure. So, he prepared to hand over the data to Luna so that she could learn from it and, in turn, teach him.
"Can I arrest Gueldre Poizot now?"
This was the name of the Purple Orca Captain, a man who committed many fraudulent acts. Zora had the evidence to arrest that man countless times over.
Unfortunately, since Edward's curse was not completely lifted and Gueldre was considered an important character, he could not be touched.
"Go ahead," said Edward after thinking about it for a moment. Zora nodded before immediately leaving to raid the Purple Orca's headquarters. He knew that even their Vice-Captain and a few others were corrupted.
Meanwhile, the party continued. However, near the end, Edward had a frown on his face.
"What's wrong?" asked Yami.
"I've been searching for a devil called Zagred, but I cannot find him."
"Where did you search?"
"I scanned the entire kingdom but cannot find a trace of him. That's odd."
Edward was very interested in Zagred's Word Soul Magic, which he theorized is a low-level form of Reality Warping. He wanted to study it, improve it, and prepare for one day when he has to learn Reality Manipulation Magic like Chaos Magic.
"Do you want me to send my squad to search for him?" asked Yami.
"Forget it. I have a faster way," replied Edward. "Tomorrow, there will be a meeting with all the Captains. Be on time."
Then, Edward left; he went to see the Witch Queen.
บท 305: Vacation
"Who is there?" screamed the Witch Queen.
"It's me," replied Edward as he appeared in her throne room.
"What do you want?" she asked with disgust. She hated men–especially that man since her divination was useless against him. Not to mention how powerful he was, yet was cursed: that man was the epitome of imperfection.
"I'm no longer curse, so you better watch your tone."
She looked at him for a moment before asking again: "What do you want?" This time, with a softer tone. She remembered the mighty magic power he released the first time they met. Back then, she knew she might have suffered terribly.
"I need you to find a devil named Zagrid for me."
After pondering for a moment, the Witch Queen waved her hand, and the crystal orb floating in the distance flew in front of her. Then, she stared intently at it for a few seconds.
A frown appeared on her face.
"I can't find him."
"Any information at all?" asked Edward.
"No, he seems to be using some magic to hide very well."
Edward nodded as he somewhat expected this outcome. Many events have deviated from the original timeline even though everything looked the same on the surface.
Additionally, before coming here, he used [Future Sight] to search for Zangred but could not find anything. Over the years, Edward's knowledge of Chronomancy has exponentially increased because of Astaroth's Grimoire.
The Time Devil has spent his long life span developing time magic to a truly high level, creating countless spells. The only downside to his Time Magic is that stored time is still needed as a price to cast.
Regarding this issue, Edward hunted countless magic beasts to steal their time, using his status as Wizard King. At some point, his hunting began to affect the balance in the Clover Kingdom's ecosystem, so he had to stop as he felt the intervention of the Universe Will.
So, he created a secret laboratory to create clones of these animals and steal their time. Albeit not as much as regular animals, they made up for it in quantity. In conclusion, he had plenty of time to cast Time Spells.
Edward pondered for a moment; he could use drastic measures to find Zangred or lure him out. After thinking about it for a moment, he decided on the method with less risk: luring him out.
"In that case, can you find the location of Moris Libardit?"
"The mad scholar from the Diamond Kingdom?"
"Yes."
"Shouldn't he be in the Diamond Kingdom?" asked the Witch Queen somewhat sarcastically, but Edward ignored her.
"The one there is nothing but a clone. A few weeks ago, I received the information that one of the Dark Triads personally went to see him. After checking, I learned that a clone replaced him."
She nodded her head before using the crystal for another divination. This time, she saw something before showing it to Edward. In the orb, he saw two people talking in front of a black inverted tree that grew in the ground.
"How is it going?" asked Lucius Zogratis, who once fought against Edward for the position of Wizard King.
"I told you many times that it is beyond my capability to create an artificial Tree of Qliphoth," replied Moris. "If you want to succeed, it's best to capture the Golden Dawn Captain and the Black Bulls' Captain."
"Then, tell me, how do I do this in front of that monster, Wizard King?" replied Lucius. "Especially now there are rumors that he broke his curse. Since you're so intelligent, why don't you tell me?"
Moris did not say anything else. "In that case, I need more knowledge if we want a chance at success."
Then, the divination ended as the Witch Queen could not see anything further.
"The Dark Triad wants to open the gate to the underworld and bring the devils into our world?" she asked, but Edward did not answer her as he was in thought.
In the manga, Lucifero was the final boss. However, Adrammelech took his heart after his defeat before giving it to Astaroth. Based on this fact, Edward speculated that the latter wanted to take the power of Lucifero and Bulzeebub, the other two ruling devils of the underworld.
By then, he will have complete control of Time, Space, and Gravity, reaching an unimaginable height of power. But with his presence, things have become more difficult since they require both Captain Vengeance and Yami to create the Tree of Qliphoth and open the gate to the underworld.
'The only way Moris can find so much knowledge is from the Heart Kingdom. I can use this to my advantage.'
He needed Moris' Modification Magic for one of his plans. But, that magic must also be boosted by the devil's power to reach the height necessary for his requirements. So, he was not in a hurry.
"What about the information I asked you regarding Gods?" asked Edward.
"I did not find anything," replied the Witch Queen. Through her Ki, Edward knew she told the truth, so he just nodded. Over the years, he has investigated whether Gods exist in this world, and so far, his research has yielded no result.
In the church, he could not find any evidence of God. In fact, the sisters did not worship anyone specifically; they worshiped the concept of powerful and benevolent beings that they call God.
Edward then searched in the Underwater Temple in search of the Sea Goddess. Although he could not visit there himself because it was outside of the Clover Kingdom territory, he still sent people to see and secretly investigate.
Unfortunately, he found nothing as well. The people in the temple did not know whether their Sea Goddess was an actual deity or once a powerful mage. They all know that worshiping her is part of their culture.
So, after not finding anything from the Witch Queen, he left.
The next day, Yami sat in the middle of the dining room, reading a newspaper. All the members of the Black Bulls were doing their own things, being as rambunctious as always.
He raised one hand to catch Asta by his head.
"Kid, you're famous all over the kingdom now."
"What?"
Yami then hands him a section of the newspaper. While Asta read the title, Vanessa, Luck, and Magna also appeared next to him:
"A Devil Protector?: The Story of Asta."
Most of the newspaper is about Asta's life and his contract with a devil.
"It seems that the Wizard King is protecting you," said Vanessa.
"Huh, How come?" asked Asta in a puzzled manner.
"Devils are not accepted in the kingdom because of their cruel nature. Most mages related to using their powers are often arrested. Although that has changed in the past few years because knowledge of the Devil Binding Ceremony has become widespread, many nobles still do not trust Devil Host."
"But I'm not evil," said Asta.
"They would not care," replied Vanessa. "However, with this newspaper portraying you in a positive light and with Edward's protection, you don't have to worry about the Magic Parliament trying to deal with you."
"Captain, what are you reading with so much focus?" asked Luck, who saw Yami's serious face.
"See for yourself."
After they took the other part of the newspaper, they saw a moving photo of the Purple Orca's Captain in chains, and the article referred to all his corruption.
"A Captain was arrested for corruption?" yelled Magna aloud, getting the attention of the other members who came to see the newspaper. However, Yami looked at Finral.
"There is a captain meeting, so bring me there."
Finral wanted to read the newspaper, but Yami did not give him any choice. By now, he was used to being a transportation service.
Wizard King's Castle:
All nine captains sat at a rectangular table with one seat missing. Everyone looked at Zora while talking about how he got another big fish this time.
Not long after, Edward entered the room accompanied by his aid, Marx, whose hair looked like a mushroom. Everyone stood up and only sat down once he sat.
"There are two main topics on the agenda. The first, as expected, is to elect a new captain for the Purple Orca Squad." He looked at the representative of the Purple Orca Squad.
"Do you have any idea?"
"The team has elected me to take this position," replied Kaiser Granvorka, an older man with a handlebar mustache.
"That's fine. Marx will fill out the official paperwork," said Edward. "The second thing on the agenda is that I'm going on a vacation. I will not be available for contact during this time, so you guys are in charge of protecting the kingdom."
The room became quiet as no one knew how to respond to this situation.
"Sir, will you leave a clone to do your work?" asked Marx,
"No. I will go completely off the map."
All the captains suddenly felt a little anxiety. They all are used to Edward's presence and knew that as long as this man was present, nothing truly major would happen to this kingdom–especially now that he was free.
But that same person said that he was leaving.
"Are you coming back?" asked Charlotte, Captain of the Blue Rose Squad.
"Of course, this is just a vacation."
"For how long?" asked Fugeleon, Captain of the Vermilion Squad.
"I don't know either."
"Okay, what are you planning?" asked Yami, who felt that things were not simple on the surface.
"'I'm not planning anything. I've been stuck in this kingdom for decades, unable to explore the world. So, I will do that now; plus, I have some things to investigate."
Edward then discussed how to maintain the kingdom's security before dismissing everybody besides Nozel Silva.
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