Clover Kingdom Royal Capital

[Apollymi]

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1952/30621571617_3d7deff93f_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/NDVypk)

The Royal Capital 「王都 Ōto」 is the city at the heart of the Clover Kingdom. The city is placed atop the tallest mountain within the Clover Kingdom. A wall separates it from the rest of the Noble Region, and a magic barrier protects it. Within the city are Clover Castle and the Magic Knights Headquarters.

[Bloodedge]

Following the Magic Knights Entrance Exam, or rather following his own selection by the Silver Eagles squad, the cloaked peasant named simply Asher was led to the Royal Capital by his new Captain, Sibylla. As they passed the threshold of the magic barrier, he looked on in continued awe and confusion. As a simple commoner from Hage Village, he'd never seen a place so rich and luxurious. There were so many sights, so many smells, and yet his focus was on the woman walking in front of him. He was elated to be a member of the Magic Knights at last, despite others' efforts to dissuade him, but he thought it was infinitely strange that he already felt so comfortable around his new Captain. Regardless, she had requested that he follow her, so he did so without question, until anything else was demanded of him.

[Apollymi]

The woman known as Sibylla Silva walked along past the barrier of the Royal Capital, she was quite used to these sights. But what she wasn't used to, was the presence of the lad beside her. Sibylla was elated by this boy's presence and found herself watching his movements and his excitement. It let her know several things about him that she might not have figured out for a while yet to come. "Where did you grow up, Asher?" she asked of the lad, taking a leisurely pace to get to where she was going. She wanted to know more about this lad's upbringing and as such she was more than willing to chat with him, even though she was known by most to be silent. If one cared to think about it, they would note she didn't ask him where he was from, mostly because she already had that information.

[Bloodedge]

In the midst of his sightseeing, Asher was addressed at last. He had expected some sort of order to come from his Captain, but instead, she opened with a question regarding his life before now. It was Asher's understanding that many members of the Magic Knights, especially the higher-ups, were of nobility. Sibylla had to know he was a peasant, but he could assume already that she didn't care, since she so adamantly wanted to recruit him. Still, it was a little strange to be asked such a question as an introduction. "Uh... I grew up in an orphanage in a little village called Hage."

[Apollymi]

As they walked Sibylla's question was soon answered by the lad. He'd be raised in an orphanage in the village called Hage. Sibylla upon hearing this was a tiny bit distraught for several reasons not the least of which was that she couldn't imagine what such an upbringing would actually entail and two because she was familiar with that village though she'd never been there personally. "Sou ka, that's the one with the giant demon skull, right?" she asked the lad for confirmation. If that was the case, then the place he'd been sent to was one which she simply hadn't gotten around to going to yet. The Forsaken Region was pretty far out and she had less free time to travel that area, as it stood, it was likely she wouldn't have gotten to that place for another two years. Luckily for her, this young man had wandered right into the Magic Knights Examination, right before her very eyes. "What made you decide to be a Magic Knight?" she asked as she took a turn that led down a slightly narrow pathway but up hill towards a large but strange looking dwelling. This was the pick up spot for a certain individual she was picking up. By her own thoughts usually when people made that decision they came rather soon after they received their grimoires. As such, it would make sense if the lad had appeared three years prior to this one. As she waited for an answer she knocked on the door.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai, Danchou... the Demon skull with the statue of the first Magic Emperor on it. It's the village's biggest landmark; the people at the church liked to call it a tourist attraction," he said. It was a little beyond him that someone of nobility even knew how to identify the village where he grew up. Locals of Hage Village could easily see the Noble region of the kingdom because of their placement, but it didn't seem like they could be seen in return. Why one of Sibylla's stature even bothered having such knowledge was strange. Another question would come for Asher as their route seemed to become more specifically guided, and yet again, it was a question about him. "I want... to make a difference. Growing up in the Forsaken region, some of the people treated me differently... I guess because I had stronger magic than most people there. I felt like I was being treated like nobility sometimes, but... I didn't like that happening just because I was a little different. I've seen how much worse it gets around real nobility, and I want to stop that! Ever since I found out I had a chance to become a Magic Knight, I decided I'd become the type of Magic Knight to affect all people of all classes, in a good way!"

[Apollymi]

The boy went on to make a confirmation about the information she had regarding Hage Village. At the very least she'd heard the place wasn't exceedingly dangerous. Still the thought that he'd grown up exposed to horrid things and living conditions made her sad for him, and angrier still at the person who'd made it so. But that situation was taken care of long before now, at about the halfway point where the girl made her ascension to Captain. But before she could voice her condolences to the lad about his upbringing, he went on to explain his motivations for becoming a Magic Knight. She heard out what he had to say, and felt within her every bit of passion the lad had. She looked at him stunned by his outburst but shortly after that same warm smile returned to her face. "Sou ka, I was a bit worried. Living that sort of life can make people jaded or angry but... you have an astonishing goal, Asher..." the woman said reaching out to rest her empty palm atop his head, giving him a firm loving hair toss. "I'll make sure you get all the experience necessary to complete it."

This woman was strangely very invested in this young man already, she was astonished that he managed to be a good person while being stronger or better than most other people. As a noble raised among nobility she found their children were often spoiled, coddled and self-entitled. She'd personally gone out of her way to make sure her younger siblings weren't this way but shared the same sense of fairness she had, and she was happy this one had such a firm sense of it all on his own. Perhaps his was even stronger than her own, and that was admirable. Just then there was a stumbling sound and several things crashing around within the house along with an exasperated shout. "I'll be down in a minute! Nothing is wrong... just...." that was all that was heard for several seconds longer before the front door would swing open accompanied by a burst of wind. Within a few seconds a girl with large green eyes would appear. She was dressed in all white robes with a giant witch's hat atop her head also in white. Her outfit was full of flowing bits which showed the skin of her navel, cupped her large bosom and accented the untamed pink mane of hair beneath. "Gomennasai. I overslept just a little... you must be Sibylla Silva. Gomennasai Captain, it's nice to meet you." managed to get it all out and Sibylla was simply stunned she had the breath in her lungs for all of that speech. "It's fine, calm down take a breath," the Captain mentioned, as the girl relaxed and adjusted her hat and gloves just a bit. Sibylla took this moment to make an introduction as well. "Asher this is Junon Evanglista. She's from the Witch's Forest. And she'll be joining you as a peer in the Silver Eagles. I was thinking of partnering you two, so try and get along."

[Bloodedge]

"I never had a reason to be angry for myself. I had seniors that were treated worse than me because they weren't as strong, so it was always easier to be angry for their sake. But... that never really worked either," he asserted. Apparently, Sibylla intended to get him the experience he needed to achieve his goals. Such a thing was more than he could ask for as a new member of the Magic Knights, but again, he had to believe the woman. "Hai! Arigatou, Danchou!"

Eventually, they stood upon what was apparently someone's house. Much shuffling and toppling was heard as they waited. The pair was soon greeted by a pink-haired young woman who, at first glance, looked as if she could stand to borrow the cloak Asher had been wearing to conceal himself during the exam. Sibylla took the initiative to introduce Asher to this girl, doing so during the several seconds in which he stared at the alleged witch. "A... witch? H-hai... I've never met an actual witch before... Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," he said with a bow to his apparent partner.

[Apollymi]

Sibylla heard out the boy's plights and his resolve and she was quite proud of him. She couldn't rightly explain this yet but she was very certain she'd found the little brother she'd spent most of her conscious life, and all of her adult life looking for. Every step she'd taken so far had been for the sake of this boy and her other younger siblings. She had nothing in mind but making them happy and had become strong to make that a possibility. Given that, it was very easy to understand how such a thing could happen. His thanks made her brows raise and she opened her mouth to speak once more. "Iie, but... you don't have to call me..." she paused though because then was the moment their other member joined them. The girl now here got a bit of a stuttering introduction from the lad, who was apparently stunned by having met a witch.

The pink haired girl looked at him and back to Sibylla and shrugged. "But... Danchou is technically a witch. And... the Purple Orcas are all mostly witches as well..." she said seeming to not care one way or another. "Even so, it's nice to meet you Asher, onegaishimasu," she said introducing herself. It would take a moment for Sibylla to recover, but she would without issue, and use the time to explain the thing about her being a witch. "I mean, technically. Our mother was a witch and our father was leader of the House Silva. I almost don't count as either, my style of dress aside and silver hair aside. But none of that really matters anymore, such a relationship and the work of Medea led to good relations with the Witch's Forest and thus, strong Magic Knights," she said, seeming to have no problem making this clarification. "You two have a bit more in common than that. I am apparently doubly lucky~" she said in reference to the clovers on both books of these two.

[Bloodedge]

Sibylla was mid-sentence when Junon arrived. Asher wasn't sure what she intended to say, but this witch had a rather powerful personality upon making her presence known, and she rather easily had the conversation's topic converted to her existence. Of course, even in doing this, she addressed the Captain, who was some sort of witch by relation on her mother's side of her family. Asher took a moment to inspect the Captain, taking note of her visual oddities while responding. "I only just met Danchou, and I've never seen any of the Purple Orcas... or any of the squads, really. I never stopped to think anybody could be a witch..." As he spoke, Asher's head tilted left. Something was really strange about the woman whose squad he joined, but he couldn't quite place it. Perhaps it was the odd combination of witch and non-witch she was. The older woman noted herself as being 'doubly lucky' this day, drawing attention to both of her new members in a way Asher also didn't understand. "I don't get it. What do I have in common with a witch, and why are you lucky twice?"

[Apollymi]

The meeting between these two teens and their Captain was becoming quite interesting. Junon found herself staring between the pair of them confused about something as it became obvious to her in seconds that these two people were something to each other aside from their working relationship. Of course, Asher went on to explain that they'd only just met today. "That isn't entirely true..." these were the words of the Captain without being very specific but she simply hadn't gotten around to that speech and wouldn't yet again. "There are lots of witches, now you know like two or more! It's exciting, meeting new people!~" the girl said, apparently life within the forest hadn't been for her, and she was content to see and do new things out in the world, her sleeping habits aside. The information about the pair of them being similar also went over the head of this girl, who questioned it too. "What do we have in common besides the other thing?" she asked seeming to have at least caught half of what was said. Her speech brought a small smile to the silver haired woman's face, but she didn't give a full explanation. "Well, why don't you both show me your Grimoires..." she said. This didn't make any difference to Junon who was always being asked to show her Grimoire. As such she produced the cover clipped to her left side and opened it, showing a golden covered grimoire with a four leaf clover on the front, which she held within the glowing container she normally used to hold it. This brought a smile to her face because she knew the boy she'd brought with her would produce something very similar.

[Bloodedge]

What Sibylla said about this not really being their first meeting was curious indeed. Asher briefly wondered if they had encountered one another in the past during his time in Hage Village, as he did find her somehow familiar. Surely she had aided him at some point, and that was the reason he felt so strangely comfortable around her in their first official meeting. Asher's mind wasn't allowed to linger on this topic for long. Junon went on to note the excitement of meeting new people. Asher couldn't agree more. "It is exciting! And we'll be working together to meet even more people, and help them out!" he concurred. With that though, both new Magic Knights were asked to reveal their grimoires. Asher had enough of a brain that he could assume one of two things here, either the four-leaf clover, or the use of light magic. He moved his cloak aside to reveal a shabby holster that looked to be made of ancient leather. From within this, he pulled a golden glowing book of his own, also boasting the four-leaf clover surrounded by an engraving with a likeness to the sun. "Sou ka. We both have a rare grimoire, and we're both Silver Eagles."

[Apollymi]

Soon enough Asher was producing his grimoire as well, and when he did she saw what their Captain had been mentioning. Junon's eyes went wide at the sight, the young girl was quite used to feeling exceptional in a way she thought no one else would ever compare, right at the moment she found herself face to face with the same kind of potential she had. It was astounding. "Sugoi!! You have one too... that's like three things we have in common! I never thought I'd meet someone else with a rare Grimoire. We have to be best friends and like super rivals and everything now!" the girl said seemingly excited, she tacked on an extra qualifier to their earlier commonalities since she'd figured out the bit about the lad and the woman with him already. "And we can help everyone, meet all the new people, conquer all the goals, and dominate the star festival!" the girl seemed to go on a tangent without any solid goal of her own but meeting new people she'd taken it upon herself to think combined the pair of them would be able to become stronger and be able to top all aspects of Magic Knight life. "Hai hai, that's the spirit." Sibylla's words were genuine and reserved for the most part, for these small moments of pride she took in her squad and usually just her siblings.

The smile on the white haired Captain's face hadn't faltered at all in quite a while. And as such she began to walk again, this time away from this house. "Come along, Asher, Junon. I'll take you two home..." she said to both of them, though this would end in these two people ending up in a very different place. Even so, she'd leave the pair to any discussions they would have as she lead them around the area.

[Bloodedge]

"Three?" he questioned. The longer this interaction went on, the less Asher understood, even though he continued to receive answers. He could only recall the earlier statement of Sibylla, who said everything would eventually make sense. Hopefully this was all included in the "everything" she spoke of. "I... don't know if I need a rival. I'll take friends and partners, though," was his immediate response to Junon. His new peer was an excited individual from what he could tell, but that was probably for the best. Asher returned to following Sibylla, who intended to show these two to their new home. En route, he spoke to whichever female in his company would answer his upcoming query. "What's the star festival?"

[Apollymi]

"Hai!" this was all the girl had to say about it because she obviously thought it wasn't her place to spill the beans if their Captain hadn't already. Beyond that Junon's current peer expressed a wish not to be rivals, but instead... he wanted the pair of them to be partners and friends. Their life as Magic Knights would undoubtedly become competitive enough she supposed she could use someone on her side as an ally. "Hmm, I guess we can be partners... Then, we can just take everyone else down together!~" she chimed finding it to be the best solution to her potential problem of not developing a rival. Still as they walked, Sibylla led them towards the far west of the Royal Capital. They passed many, but managed to not look out of place at all considering the way they were dressed and the fact that they moved along with a Magic Knight Captain. To answer the question posed by Asher, Sibylla took a moment and before she began to explain. Junon had gone without saying anything else, because she'd only really heard the word and didn't know exactly what it was.

"The Star Festival is a celebration of a year long competition between the Squads. Every mission completed, every task handled properly will earn an individual merits and stars for their Squad." she explained knowing that with a technical foreigner and someone who hadn't been raised in the upper regions this information wouldn't simply be common knowledge. "The Squad with the most combined stars for their members wins. But individual merit is also rewarded, as the person or persons with the most stars from the group will be called on stage and rewarded by the Magic Emperor." she explained a system which was not unlike one which would have been used for organized sports. "It gives way to competition all year long, and rewards the hard work done by everyone who has protected the Clover Kingdom. What it truly enforces in this way... is that everyone has merit, and can climb their way to the top. Regardless of their starting rank." she said calmly. "Since I've become Captain it's usually a pretty close call between Golden Dawn, Silver Eagles and the Crimson Lions... so gambatte ne." Sibylla finished up this explanation as they came to another gate which she would lead them out of. She'd then go on to open her Grimoire creating from magic a giant mirrored Eagle big enough for three to comfortably ride. "You can both hop on, or not if you'd rather transport yourselves and follow me instead," she mentioned waiting to see what would be decided. Strangely enough, Junon wrapped herself in a wind current and hopped in the air, beginning to float with air simply breezing around her body to keep her afloat. "Arigatou gozaimasu, but I like to fly on my own~" she chimed seemingly happy to have the opportunity to stretch her wings to to speak.

[Bloodedge]

Asher was given a very solid explanation for what this star festival was. He never knew the Magic Knights had such a system they functioned under. He wanted to make a difference, and this merit system was certainly a good place for him to start. 'Stars and ranks. Anybody can become Magic Emperor...' he thought as he walked along. The trio eventually left the district, with the young mages being offered a ride on an eagle made of magic mirrors. Junon rejected the ride, stating she preferred flying alone. Asher was left to make his own choice, and the offer to be rivals rang in head again. He didn't have any immediate desire to have a full-on rivalry with anyone, but he felt he needed to stand on his own as well... despite the strong urge he had to take a ride on a magic eagle. Solidifying his desires, Asher began levitating on the other side of Sibylla. "I think I can keep up."

[Apollymi]

Sibylla watched as the lad with her accepted the information provided him. Junon too nodded her understanding of it. Clover Kingdom worked based on merit which was part of her reason for preferring it over the other offer of becoming part of the Diamond Kingdom. She liked the idea that she'd be able to prove her worth and not have to worry too much about the ethics of the people she worked for. She'd even wanted to join a squad different from the Purple Orcas under the hopes of meeting new people not just the sort she'd been raised with her entire life. As the two newest recruits to the Silver Eagles, figured out how they'd be traveling, a gentle upturn of Sibylla's lips would follow. She'd go about shrinking her Eagle down to size for her own travel before taking off given the pair of individuals claimed to be able to keep up. And off they would go, with Junon on one side of her, and Asher on the other. 'Hm, didn't want a rival, but... seems to be taking the idea of their friendly rivalry seriously enough,' Sibylla thought. She couldn't wait to take them both home but the flight itself gave her an opportunity to watch them both. Junon was performing aerial acrobatics, flying around the mirror bird, shifting directions with the wind. This one was truly capable of the extreme amount of mana manipulation that witches were known to possess (herself included) as she flew in the skies with apparently boundless energy. "Sugoi! I didn't figure you'd be able to fly too, Asher. Well, most people don't without brooms or creation magic," she said thinking about it and paying the lad a compliment just the same. Curiously enough just as Asher had mentioned not really wanting a rivalry it seemed that Junon was more than capable of meeting halfway on this simple appreciation and partnership of their abilities. All of this was pleasing to Sibylla who'd likely be seeing to the pair of them personally when she could. 'Something like the pair of them is a bit more than a handicap. Cross is going to be furious,' she thought knowing that the two of them were without a doubt going to take the Silver Eagles further shine above the rest.

[Bloodedge]

As Sibylla began to move, Asher kept pace in the sky next to her. Junon was content to perform various acrobatics, but Asher had no desire to do such a thing. "I've always been able to fly. The only time I used a broom was during the exam," he said, taking a moment to recall his childhood and the early discoveries of his magic. "I was almost lost as a baby, because I just floated off one day. One of the sisters at our church had to come pull me down..." Over time, Asher found himself flying closer to the eagle, inspecting it directly.

[Apollymi]

The differences and similarities between this pair of individuals was becoming obvious by their movement styles and patterns. A free-spirited show off and a more reserved but equally or higher talented young man. A chuckle escaped Sibylla as Asher explained that he'd been able to fly even as an infant. And shared a story likely shared with him throughout his life. She took comfort in knowing this, but for reasons which likely weren't clear. "I'm sure you would have come down when you wanted to..." mentioned Sibylla because she knew it to be true. It was part of the reason he'd been known to be quite powerful immediately after his birth. Perhaps she'd witnessed such an event herself, regardless Junon seemed to be having quite a bit of fun. "Sugoi!" she mentioned, though whether this was meant for Asher or not would be left up to the imagination as she seemed to be enjoying herself. "Are you curious about the eagle?" she asked the lad taking note of his apparent curiosity. He'd seen it before now, or at least the very small version of it. Soon after this question the Base of Operations for the Silver Eagles would come into view. It looked like a giant waterside castle surrounded on three sides by waterfalls. The nature was pristine, the sky was clear and the whole of the base looked calm.

[Bloodedge]

The day following their return from a recently opened dungeon, a trio of Silver Eagles entered the Magic Knights Headquarters. Of these three, two were male, including the single veteran member of the group, Dior Silva. This man walked ahead of the others, visibly carrying all the authority expected of a royal as he entered the office of the Magic Emperor himself. There the Emperor was, sat as his desk with long, white hair featuring a thick braid cascading over his left shoulder. Visible were at least the clothes he wore on his torso, which were gold plated and topped by a red velvet cape standing out from those worn by traditional Magic Knights. This tanned male looked out unto this trio as Dior took a knee. "Ah, there you are," the Magic Emperor spoke softly, yet with an astoundingly commanding tone that always managed to pass his lips. "I've been waiting. Yours is a story I've been looking forward to more than any I've waited for this year. Go on then... one of the young ones, tell me your story."

[Apollymi]

The day after they'd returned from a Dungeon, Asher, Dior and Junon were all making their way to an audience with the Magic Emperor. Junon seemed to be rather excited about it, mostly because she wondered what kind of person, the strongest Magic Knight was. Beyond this the girl seemed to have pulled herself together rather easily, even given her inability to sleep the night before. She was a bit tired, but managed to take a knee when Dior did. She tended to just go with him in these moments but rather strangely she was soon confronted by a soft but commanding tone. "Sugoi..." she murmured. Only a few seconds after that it was stated that the Magic Emperor wanted to hear the story of the pair directly from one of them. This was a bit surprising, as Junon had been under the impression that they likely wouldn't do much if any talking during this ordeal. In fact she almost immediately blanked on what she should be saying. "I didn't expect this, uh..." she paused trying to gather her thoughts. "We went to the Dungeon. I assume it was weird, I don't know, it was the first one we ever went to," she said gesturing between herself and Asher. "The dungeon had a weird loop in it. I figured that one out. And we killed some goblins... those are kinda gross. Warnings should come with those, seriously. We wandered around for hours and killed like hordes of goblins. Asher figured out a light puzzle and disappeared for bit. Silva-senpai and I braved the dark and killed some more goblins. Asher helped us out with the darkness though, eventually found the way to the treasure room. And I got a weird spell out of it. Asher got a thing too..." she said with a curt nod. Her explanation included the main parts of the adventure but she didn't seem to be too hung up on the details. But this was the sort of person she was in general.

[Bloodedge]

Pure warmth radiated from the Magic Emperor as he viewed this trio, or more specifically the duo of newcomers. As he recalled, these were two individuals who became Magic Knights simultaneously by different means, both possessing the legendary four-leaf clover on their grimoires. The girl from the Witches' Forest would be the one to begin the story. She managed to cover the more crucial parts of their expedition, but omitted what he figured one could consider minor details."Time loops, more goblins, and a puzzle. Interesting. And you've both gained something from it; you, a spell... and you," he said, pausing to look toward a rather distracted Asher. "A relic, I assume. May I?" he asked. Asher hesitated for reasons unknown by the Magic Emperor. Soon though, he opened his golden grimoire, and out came the staff he'd used to manipulate the dungeon. The sprites appeared alongside it, prompting the Magic Emperor to look onward with a grin. "Sou ka. The power of creation that held the dungeon together, and you've sealed it in a compatible grimoire. And you?" With his final question, he shifted his gaze toward Junon.

[Apollymi]

Junon managed to get through her whole spiel without it being much of a problem. After she finished speaking she exhaled, relieving a tension she didn't know she'd been holding. She straightened up afterwards and grinned, seeming to feel the warmth coming from the Magic Emperor. He seemed to understand what she meant by the information she'd relayed and went on to question the things the girl had Asher had gotten from the Dungeon after summarizing the whole thing. At the turn to her after Asher revealed the staff he'd gotten she pulled forth a second four leaf grimoire and it glowed golden as she turned to the page she could see. Though most of the writing of it was still unclear she managed to cast the spell, creating a small fairy creature who seemed to be a bit older than the toddler form she'd had the previous day. The little fairy opened her eyes and looked at the Magic Emperor as if confused and managed to yawn. "Sugoi, you're a bit older than you were yesterday..." Junon said seemingly amused by the prospect as the small fairy sat in the palm of her outstretched right hand.

[Bloodedge]

The Magic Emperor had seen all he needed to see for the sake of understanding what Asher received. Now, it was Junon's turn to show and tell. When she produced her grimoire, she called forth a spirit that he looked at with some strange level of familiarity. "Hoh?" he said calmly with an upward inflection as he leaned forward at his desk, placing his elbows atop it and lacing his fingers to rest his chin atop them. "Your first day as a Magic Knight, and you happened to spend it going to a dungeon where you manage to bond with Sylph the Wind Spirit. The stories were true as well. Both of you have four-leaf clovers on those grimoires of yours. I also hear from Silva-kun how much more difficult this dungeon was than others have been recently, and that you two cleared it alone. I have half a mind to promote both of you right now."

[Apollymi]

After summoning the spirit there was some form of recognition by the Magic Emperor. The fairy within the palm of the pink haired lass seemed to take to hiding behind her outstretched fingers to peek out at all of the faces around her. This little spirit had some strange mannerisms but that was hardly worth thinking about too much. Eventually she'd take to resting in the brim of Junon's hat as the Magic Emperor spoke of their apparent deeds so far. "Sou ka. Slyph, huh..." she said her gaze flicking towards the fairy who'd gone on to watch the goings on from her new perch. Irrespective of this the most shocking thing to come from the mouth of the Magic Emperor was that he thought to promote this pair based on the act of their very first day. "Really?!" Junon was shocked by the assertion. She supposed they had done a more than reasonable of job of their apparent first mission. Still it seemed a bit much for them to just automatically move up. She also didn't really understand why Dior had told the man they'd completed the mission on their own. While they'd handled most aspects of it, it seemed a bit strange for their group leader to remove himself from the situation, given this she looked at him quizzically as well.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. Sylph, one of the four elemental spirits. It seems she chose you in this generation. You may or may not have seen already, but a connection to a spirit will give you access to Spirit Magic... a far more powerful form for your spells. It was once said that he who truly bonded with their spirit companion would become an unstoppable force of literal nature. Treat her well, and she will do the same." The Magic Emperor's posture hardly changed as he spoke with the young witch. He was beyond interested in the goings on here. Junon's interest, though, rested with his comment about promoting the two youngsters. "... No, not really. Well, I did say half a mind. I suppose I'll just promote half of you then. Which one will it be, and why?" he asked as he looked between Junon and Asher, the two of whom he spoke. Dior remained silent even as Junon looked his way, as he felt there were more pressing matters at hand than his earlier passing of credit. It would be Asher to address the emperor first. "If you're only promoting one of us, promote her. She had to deal with those creepy goblins, and didn't back out just because she had the chance. Besides, having that spirit should make her stronger, quicker."

[Apollymi]

The Magic Emperor seemed to be knowledgeable about magic as well as just being good apparently. He explained the nature of Junon's blossoming relationship with the wind spirit known as Slyph and gave her a pretty good idea of what kind of bonding she should be doing with the spirit. "Hai, will do. Arigatou gozaimasu~" she chimed giving a quick bow and acknowledgement of information she didn't have before. She was soon informed that the Magic Emperor had only been kind of joking about the promotion which would have made her relax a bit if he hadn't gone on to claim that he'd promote one of them, and that they should go about figuring out which of them it would be. Before she could open her mouth to speak though, Asher was defending her right to this apparent promotion with quips about her work during their clean up of the Dungeon and her potential to keep growing knowing that she now that she had the wind spirit. She was a bit shocked by this but then a kind smile came to her face. "I mean, that is all well and good, but... bravery will only get you so far. Asher deserves the promotion. He figured out the puzzle of the Dungeon, gave me to cloak off his back so I could feel safe, spent time on his own in the Dungeon, and opened the treasure room. Besides, he has goals and he was more useful over all than I was..." she concluded. She personally felt that Asher had put in more in their endeavor and definitely had more to gain from a promotion than she did. Especially since the girl had no real ambition and as such didn't care about her rank.

[Bloodedge]

Junon argued against what the silver-haired male had to say. He was content to offer the promotion to the other half of this duo, but it seems that other half felt the same way in the opposite direction. Still, he couldn't agree. "I disagree. We wouldn't have even gotten to that puzzle if we didn't get through that loop first. I didn't have anything to do with that. I didn't really do anything when I was by myself, but I saw these two continue the fight. I--" Asher had much more to say, but the Magic Emperor raised a hand to silence him. "I've heard enough from all of you. I've been wondering how this generation would be. This is a bit out of turn, but... Silva-kun, you are now 2nd Class Senior Magic Knight. As for the two of you... 3rd Class Junior Magic Knights. Any questions?"

[Apollymi]

Though Junon was rather quick to pass on anything that could have been perceived as an extra compliment on her part, her partner of the time seemed to do the same. It was actually quite taxing because Junon was content to argue that she hadn't put in that much effort in their endeavor within the Dungeon, which was rather true. She'd only showed up and done a little fighting and figured out exactly one or two things, the others in her own mind had given a greater contribution. Before they could continue arguing this point the Magic Emperor seemed content to silence Asher and then the room. This was done by giving everyone present a promotion which made Junon's eyes widen. They'd been Magic Knights for a very short amount of time, and had already earned to ranks. This was sort of amazing, but she still managed to look confused. "I don't really think I have any questions, so long as everyone else is recognized for helping, I don't really care. Arigatou gozaimasu," she said deciding that she didn't much care about the reasoning the Magic Emperor had for doing this, so long as the contributions of everyone present were considered. 'Everyone I meet is so strange... still, I think it is sort of awesome!~' she mused mentally a bright light present in those teal eyes of hers.

[Bloodedge]

"Iie. No questions from me, either. Arigatou gozaimasu," Asher said to the Magic Emperor. He could hardly believe two total newbies to the Magic Knights were being promoted after a single mission's success, but there were bigger things on the silver-haired male's plate. Dior knew his own presence likely wasn't helping the situation his brother was in, but as these two members' senior, he was here regardless to do his duty for both of them. In the end, even Dior himself received a sudden boost to his rank. "Honored as always, Mahoutei-sama," he said with a bow, after which the Magic Emperor smiled at the trio and waved their dismissal. Acknowledging this gesture, Dior led the way through the doors of the emperor's office. "Come along, you two. Heads high; you've accomplished a lot."

[Apollymi]

A bow would follow Dior's on the part of Junon and she'd leave as well, taking up pace behind him as they left. She found this whole situation to be a bit crazy, but their work had paid off, even if she didn't think the mission they were sent on was particularly hard. There was a different matter to deal with entirely though as this trio left the company of the Magic Emperor and that was the strange mood that Asher had been in since she'd seen him this morning. She wondered if the lad was alright and had a few ideas about why this could be the case and though she didn't know if he'd appreciate it, she was content to be there for him while he navigated what was likely a confusing time in his life. "Hai hai, Silva-senpai," she said seeming to be in the same mood she always was. Regardless of this she took up pace beside Asher and spoke to him a bit more directly in a hushed whisper. "You seem distracted, Asher-kun," she mentioned, noting the boy's altered state. Instead of the usual antics and asking the lad if he wanted to discuss it further, she had something else in mind. "Wanna ditch senpai and celebrate a little?" she asked offering a kind smile.

[Bloodedge]

As they parted with the Magic Emperor, Dior's words of encouragement to the others reached Asher's ear. Sadly, they would not receive the upbeat retort he expected of the younger male, nor the more familiar one he hoped for. "Hai... senpai," was all Asher said. Soon, their trip saw Junon drawing nearer to Asher, presenting the issue of his distracted countenance. There wasn't much to think about this, but it wasn't all she had to say. She also came forth with the idea that they abandon Dior to celebrate their accomplishments by themselves. Strange as this was, Asher looked at the back of his alleged brother, and considered what alternative there was. "Hai."

[Apollymi]

Junon awaited the lad's answer, while noting the added tension between these obvious siblings. Whatever these issues were, she figured they'd settle it themselves over time, right now, her primary concern was the well-being of her new friend and she figured their senior would respect this a bit more than he'd likely be able to show. Besides this, Asher himself seemed rather amenable to the idea of ditching their senior for a bit of fun, this brought a smile to the face of the pink haired witch. "Yosh! Alright, then in three seconds turn around and start running the other way, meet me... there," she said pointing to a small open area which looked like a park a bit off in the distance. "I'll take care of Silva-senpai~" she chimed, with a grin on her face that hinted at an unknown bit of mischievousness.

With this set of instructions, Junon nodded to the lad to confirm their plans and then took up pace to make it up to where was where she began walking backwards. And once Asher had taken off, she spoke directly to the Senior of the group. "Silva-senpai, forgive us but... we're gonna take off for a bit. Meet you back at home. Congratulations!~" she said offering the older man a congratulatory statement as she took off with the wind at her side and a speed which would likely be deemed a bit ridiculous. Of course, this was done mostly to make sure the elder man would be understanding of the situation and wouldn't worry unduly about the teens as they celebrated alone for a bit. Subsequently she'd take off as well, before eventually heading for the meeting place of the pair of them, assuming of course, that she wouldn't get followed by Dior himself.

[Bloodedge]

When Junon pointed to the would-be meeting place, Asher looked to the lush space. Three seconds was unnecessary to him; he was content to take off immediately. With his light magic, he was gone in an instant, having made his way to the location Junon pointed to in no time at all. He stood in wait for Junon while keeping his eyes on the skies, making a marked effort to clear his mind for a moment.

In the meantime, Dior was still moving forward until Junon spoke up. He hadn't heard any of the discussion had between his juniors, but Junon's speech directly toward him caught his attention long enough for him to turn and witness her leaving. He wanted to speak on this, but he couldn't do so in time to catch her. He could have followed. Asher was already gone by the time he looked back, but Junon announcing her leave could have resulted in him tracking the pair down... but he didn't see much point. In fact, if they had simply said something, one such as Dior likely would have left them to their devices without much fuss. Either way, a sigh was followed by his choice to continue moving toward his squad's base, alone.

[Apollymi]

Everything that needed to be done had been, and knowing she hadn't been followed, Junon soon found herself in a rather lush area. She was a bit stunned by it, but she'd come to expect such views at this point in her adventures. Instead she found herself standing beside Asher and looking up at the sky too. She enjoyed such things on her own as well, still, she had brought him out for a bit of free time and a celebration, she doubted they needed any particular plans to make stuff happen. Still, she couldn't help but be excited about their current progress already, and though she knew the lad to be going through something strange. She thought nothing much of it, as a long term issue. "Sugoi! Sugoi! Asher-kun you're really fast, I really don't have much hope of racing you anywhere~" she chimed in appreciation of the lad's abilities.

[Bloodedge]

Junon joined Asher in the space outside soon, and she took a moment to also appreciate the view. Eventually though, she had something to say. This was surprisingly unrelated to Asher's issue as mentioned by the girl earlier; it was instead a compliment of his ability. Asher hazarded a light chuckle in response, finding some amusement in what she chose to say. "Arigatou. It's just my magic, though. Your magic does a lot more than I could ever do, and you have a spirit now! You're gonna be really powerful."

[Apollymi]

It might have seemed like Junon was avoiding talking about the distractions caused to Asher and to be honest she was. By the pink haired witch's approximation the lad's mood had already improved quite a bit since separating from their senior and he was back to his general deference as far as his abilities were concerned. She couldn't help but chuckle this off as well in her case seeming a bit abashed by it. "Arigatou na. I can't say much about that, I have a pretty versatile magic type. It's open and free so it can be a lot of things. Kaa-san says that magic becomes you... and what you can do with it is dependent on you..." she mentioned thinking back to her time in the Witches Forest. "So, I'm sure if you put your mind to it, you'll find all kinds of cool things to do with your magic I can't do with mine~" she encouraged the lad. To be honest, she was a bit jealous of the amount of precision and control he had, she could learn that a bit more over time, but it had been taking her a while to progress in this way. Overall she was content. "Besides, we both got promoted pretty early on... it's all up from here now for both of us!~" she exclaimed. "So, let's do our best~" she mentioned her eyes returning to the sky. Though her wants in this world were mostly about seeing new things, she could respect at least the desire to see what lay at the very top.

[Bloodedge]

"Magic becomes you..." Asher repeated, grasping at some understanding of the concept. His issues were not quite cleared from his mind, but perhaps there was something to be found in this notion. Actually... there was, and it was an eye-widening revelation for Asher. True, he could have put his mind to his own development and likely acquired some amazing spells because of it, but right now, he was considering putting his mind to something quite different. "Sou ka. I think I have my answer," he said as his fist clenched. There was a new light in his eye now, related entirely to how he would solve the conundrum he'd so recently been wrapped up in. "You're right, though. We've been Magic Knights for less than a week, and we've already gone up two ranks. I guess we weren't expected to do much about that dungeon, but I think it was easy... except... you know..." Asher began to stumble over his words while rubbing the back of his head. The appearance of goblins in the dungeon had come to his mind, but after he was already midway through mentioning them, he thought better of doing so. Alas, it was likely too late to avoid bringing up the thought, so he merely stood there with an abashed look on his face.

[Apollymi]

Junon watched as the lad worked through what she'd said with his own thoughts. A grin spread across her face as the normal light returned to the lad's eyes. She could appreciate his change in attitude in this moment, mostly because it meant he wouldn't remain caught up on whatever it was that was bothering him, which she assumed was related to his complicated family situation. "Yosh! That's the spirit~" the girl seemed excited enough, even as the lad worked his way into an abashed state mentioning their mission's ease aside from the problem of the goblins found within the dungeon. And though she'd found the goblins themselves scary and gross she was less influenced by this long term than most would expect. "You know, I've thought about that dungeon a lot, but I've found it's easier to think about in retrospect," she said with a grin. "I'm not bothered by it anymore, because it was something I confronted and overcame," she said with a smile. "So, you're right, aside from the goblins it was pretty easy. But we should keep trying to get better. So we can confront other things that might scare us in the future," she said staring up into the sky.

[Bloodedge]

Apparently, Junon wasn't nearly as bothered by the thought of the goblins as Asher thought she would be. There was much to consider good about this, as he'd previously thought it to be a touchy subject to approach. "That's a good way to think about it. You're pretty strong mentally too," he said. The more he thought about it, the more he believed it. "I don't think I could have overcome a thing like that. Besides... I think you just helped me a lot more than you might know." These words were spoken while Asher looked to the sky, but were followed by him bringing his gaze down to Junon. Because of what came to his mind, he felt he would have to be going soon, but there were more words to be shared. "Yeah. Let's keep trying... together. We'll see everything there is to see, and overcome every obstacle in the way."

[Apollymi]

It seemed that Asher found solace in the words that Junon offered him. As such she was more than a little pleased by the lad's current outlook. "Iia, well... I might be a little, arigatou gozaimasu," she said giving a small chuckle. He went on to express his thoughts further, claiming that he didn't think he would have gotten over something like the goblins of their first dungeon experience. He even claimed that she helped him more than she'd likely know which caused a small blush to appear on the girl's face. "Hm, well I am glad to help. That's what friends are for~" she chimed pleased by the entirety of the situation. She was glad the lad seemed to be more normal than he had been since she'd seen him earlier this morning. Beyond this he was content to help both of them follow both of their dreams. "Hai!" she said with newfound enthusiasm.

[Bloodedge]

"Not much point in modesty now," Asher said cheekily after Junon's words of retort. With his gaze upon her, he witnessed the light tint upon Junon's visage when he spoke of how she'd helped him. Asher blinked once amidst an otherwise stare, in which his mouth was the slightest bit agape. Whatever he thought, his next words would be shared in response to her mention of that being friends' purpose to each other. "Sou ka. We're... friends," he went on. For some reason or another, this admittance seemed to be a strange thing for Asher to properly register in this moment. It didn't seem to be a bad reaction, but strange nonetheless. "It's going to be an interesting day, I think."

[Apollymi]

Asher mentioned that there was no point in modesty now, considering what the two of them knew about each other, and likely related to the time they'd spent together. "I mean sure but... I can't really help it," she said waving it off. She wasn't terribly modest to begin with, she just wasn't a braggart or anything of the sort. Beyond this there was a strange reaction applied to the statement that they were friends, to this Junon could do nothing but laugh. "Of course we are, you're my first friend since coming here," she said with absolute sincerity. Of course beyond this the lad seemed to look forward to the rest of their day with optimism which was more than could be said about his earlier attitude this day. "Hm, interesting? That sounds pretty fun! Let's get to it~" she said ready to face her day with her new friend at her side with his much improved attitude. 'Sugoi, he's pretty resilient too,' she thought happily.

[Bloodedge]

Indeed, these two were friends. Asher had no idea why his reaction was so odd, or that he was reacting at all, really. It was almost as if he was having an out-of-body experience the longer he looked at Junon in this moment, but he was soon enough recovering from this. "First friend, huh? I'm happy to hear that. You're the only person who's ever called me a friend before, but I'll do my best!" he proclaimed. It appeared to be the case that Junon, too, was ready to get a move on. Meeting her excitement, Asher nodded and began moving. While stepping forward though, he extended his right hand to Junon. If she accepted, he would be bringing her along with the speed of his light magic. Otherwise, Asher would be content to move on alone.

[Apollymi]

Junon found herself smiling about her new friend in a manner most serene. She couldn't help but feel a bit touched when the lad said she was the first person to call him a friend. Her eyes widened just a bit at this news, but it gave her quite the warm fuzzy feeling inside. "Hai! I'll do my best too~" she chimed in. They seemed to share a level of excitement unknown to most people and soon enough as they were ready to move, Asher extended a hand to the lass. She didn't even have to give the offer a second though and took the lad's hand content to be carried along by way of his magic. She wanted to meet new people and experience new things, the least she could do, is trust her new friend to transport her.