Morning came without much warning.
Asta opened his eyes to the faint light filtering into the room, the quiet of the early hour a sharp contrast to the chaos of the previous night. For a moment, he stayed still, letting the silence settle before pushing himself up.
The base was already awake.
Voices carried faintly from outside, along with the occasional sound of something breaking, followed by someone shouting as if it were completely normal.
Nothing had changed.
Asta stepped out.
Magna found him almost immediately.
"Oi, you're up," he said, glancing at him once before jerking his thumb toward the hall. "Come on. You'll need to figure things out here sooner or later."
Asta followed without asking.
Magna didn't explain much, just pointed things out as they walked.
"That's the storage. Don't touch anything unless you want trouble. Kitchen's there. If Charmy's inside, good luck getting anything without paying for it."
They turned a corner.
"And that's the bath."
It wasn't empty.
Voices echoed from inside, followed by splashing water and loud arguments that didn't seem serious at all.
Magna didn't hesitate.
"Go."
Asta paused for half a second before stepping in.
The space was shared, open, and loud, nothing like what he was used to. People were already inside, completely unconcerned, treating it like it was normal.
He didn't react outwardly, but the discomfort was there.
…Not ideal.
He could deal with it for now.
Later, he'd find somewhere else.
A river nearby would be better.
When they stepped out of the bath area, the corridor felt quieter by comparison.
As they moved toward the main hall they saw her
Noelle Silva stood near the entrance, posture straight, expression sharp as her gaze fell on them.
"You," she said, looking directly at Asta. "You're the new one. I am royalty of the Silva family, so show proper respect."
Magna let out a short laugh, shaking his head slightly. "Oi, drop that already. No one cares about that here."
Asta studied her for a moment before answering. "Royalty, huh. Didn't expect someone like that to end up here."
Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took a step forward. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Asta didn't change his tone as he replied. "Nothing much. Just doesn't match, that's all."
For a brief moment, the air tightened between them, her expression sharpening as the meaning settled in.
"Insolent."
Water gathered instantly in her hand, forming into a dense sphere as her control slipped under the surge of emotion.
She threw it.
It didn't go where she intended.
The spell veered off
and slammed straight into Magna.
Water exploded on impact, drenching him completely.
For a moment, everything stopped.
Then
"…You serious?"
Magna stood there, soaked, staring at her.
Asta watched quietly.
…Right.
Asta watched without reacting, remembering that she didn't have much control over her magic
Noelle froze for half a second, realizing what had happened, before turning away sharply.
"…Tch."
Without another word, she walked off, her steps faster than before.
Magna wiped water from his face, still processing.
"…What's her problem?"
Asta didn't answer.
His attention had already shifted.
He stepped away.
The open space outside the base stretched out ahead, uneven ground and scattered stone marking it as a place used often but never maintained. It was quiet enough.
Good.
Asta walked further in, stopping where the ground leveled slightly.
His grip tightened around the sword as it rose beside him, responding to his intent.
He stepped forward and began again.
Each motion was precise, built on repetition, his body following a sequence he had already worked through many times over the past few days. This wasn't routine training. He was preparing a specific moveone meant for what was coming.
He already knew the nature of the mission ahead.
Boar hunting on the surface but something else waiting for them.
That was enough.
His stance shifted, the blade moving in coordination with his steps, every action measured as he refined the sequence he intended to use when it mattered.
Again.
He reset his footing and ran through it once more, adjusting his timing, tightening the transitions between movements.
Again.
The sword cut through the air with controlled motion as he completed the sequence, holding the final position for a brief moment before relaxing his stance.
The practice was enough for now.
Something felt offa shift in the air that made Asta lift his gaze.
Water was gathering, not as a stream or flow, but rising and forming into something far larger than it should have been. He watched as the mass pulled inward on itself, expanding rapidly, the scale growing beyond what made sense at this distance.
"…That's…"
He didn't move at first, confusion settling in as the scene unfolded.
In canon, this wasn't how it happened. He was supposed to be there earlierthe trigger, the distraction that pushed it out of control. But this time, he hadn't interfered, and yet it was happening anyway.
His eyes sharpened as the structure continued to grow, pressure building within the water itself, dense and unstable.
Even Yuno's magic at this stage wouldn't allow something like this.
This wasn't control.
This was raw output and overflowing magic of Noelle.
Asta moved.
The sword rose fully beneath him as he stepped onto it without hesitation, the blade lifting cleanly into the air as he closed the distance.
By the time he reached it, the water had already formed into a massive sphere, its surface unstable, shifting as pressure built inside.
She was in the center Trapped.
Asta didn't slow he moved straight in.
The moment the blade touched the surface the magic broke.
The structure collapsed instantly where the antimagic passed through, creating a clear path as he entered, the pressure failing around him as the spell lost cohesion.
He reached her quickly.
Then he pulled back.
The sword turned, cutting a clean exit as the remaining structure destabilized, the water falling apart as gravity reclaimed it.
They landed as the remaining water crashed down around them, the force already diminished, the structure of the spell completely broken.
For a brief moment, everything was quiet.
Then footsteps approached, followed by voices as the others arrived.
Magna stepped forward first, still slightly damp from earlier, his expression caught between irritation and concern as he looked at Noelle.
"…You've got a problem with control," he said, scratching the side of his head. "You should've said something before blasting me like that."
Noelle didn't answer.
Her posture was stiff, her gaze lowered slightly as the aftermath settled in. The surge of power was gone, leaving only the memory of losing control in front of everyone. For a moment, she expected itthe remarks, the ridicule, the confirmation of what she had already been told before.
That she couldn't control her own magic.
That she didn't belong.
But it didn't come.
No one laughed.
No one mocked.
The atmosphere stayed… normal.
Asta stepped slightly to the side, giving her space, his tone calm but encouraging.
"You've got a lot of mana. When you get control over it, you'll be one of the strongest."
The words were simple, direct.
No exaggeration.
No hesitation.
He glanced at her once more.
"If you want, I can help you train."
Noelle's fingers tightened slightly at her side.
Normally, she would have snapped back immediately, dismissed it without a second thought. Someone without magic offering help to hera royalwould have been enough to draw a sharp response without hesitation.
But this time she had just been saved by him.
The words didn't come as easily.
She looked away instead, her expression tightening for a brief moment before settling.
"…I didn't ask."
It lacked its usual force.
Magna exhaled, breaking the moment.
"…Alright, enough of that. Let's eat."
The tension eased naturally after that, the situation closing without being forced.
They turned back toward the base together, the conversation already shifting to something lighter as they moved.
The morning continuedjust a little different than before.