The boy without magic

Chapter 9: The banquet

Narrator pov:
Five years have passed since the death of Licita. Asta has gotten stronger and taller since then, his training with Ridder has improved his swordsmanship. Liebe has gotten better control over his Anti-magic, and he has managed to share his anti-magic with Asta. Noelle now has perfect control of her magic, despite being twelve years old she can cast simple spells with no grimoire. Solid had received his grimoire three months ago, and has been training with Ridder and sometimes Nozel on his days off. Ridder and Ilu now have a much stronger relationship from before, ever since they started to take care of four children they have only gotten closer each day. Right now we can see Asta and Noelle trying to catch a bird because Noelle wants it as a pet. "I don't understand why you want that bird specifically." Said Asta. "Just look at its face, it's so adorable!" Said Noelle. "That birds face does look kinda weird." Asta said. "It's a little weird, but it makes it looks so cute!" Exclaimed Noelle. "Shhh, I think I can grab it now." Whispered Asta. Noelle only nodded and watched Asta slowly approach the bird. "GOTCHA!!" Said Asta before attempting to grab the bird. The bird managed to dodge Asta and it started to peck his head rapidly. "Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! Noelle help me!!!" Yelled Asta. "It's your fault for not catching it, you shouldn't have been such a baka and yelled before trying to grab it Asta." Said Noelle. "Hmmm. Baka, Asta. Baka Asta. Bakasta." Whispered Noelle. "I like that." Noelle added. "Noelle, you're not helping!" Complained Asta. "Alright fine I'm coming." Said Noelle. "Come here birdie." Said Noelle in a trying to baby talk the bird. The bird only looked at Noelle and sat on Astas bruised head. "I think the bird likes you Asta." Said Noelle. "I'm gonna fucking kill this bird!" Yelled Asta. "LANGUAGE!!" Yelled Ilu while slapping Asta. "Why meee!" Cried Asta. "You're not going to kill that bird!" Said Noelle. "Also, Hi Ilu!" Greeted Noelle. "Hey Noelle, what are you guys doing?" Asked Ilu. "We were trying to catch that bird sitting on Astas head. But it kept getting away." Said Noelle. "Why are you bothering a poor animal? What did it do to you?" Asked Ilu. "I want it as a pet, so I asked Asta to capture it for me. But he only failed." Said Noelle. "I can see that." Said Ilu trying not to laugh. "If you want the bird to be your pet, try to gain its trust. And once it trusts you, it'll bond with you." Said Ilu. "How do I gain its trust?" Asked Noelle. "I'm not completely sure, but you can feed it and give it water. Maybe give it berries?" Said Ilu. "I'll try that." Said Noelle. "You can try that later, now you two along with Liebe and Solid have training. That's one of the reasons why I came. The other reason is because it won't be me and Ridder training you, an old friend of mine will train you four." Said Ilu. "Old friend? Have we met them before?" Asked Asta with the bird perched on his head. "You guys met her five years ago. She said she'll train you once you guys were old enough, and I guess you guys are old enough. Me and Ridder will stay here, we have some business to do." Said Ilu blushing at the last part. "What kind of business?" Asked the two kids. "It's adult stuff." Was all Ilu said. The kids decided not to think about it much because they assumed it was just boring stuff. "Well, let's go. Mereoleona's waiting." Said Ilu. "Who's Mereoleona?" Asked Asta. Noelle unconsciously flinched hearing that name. "I thought you guys met her before?" Asked Ilu. "I think I remember. Was she that one scary lady?" Asked Noelle. Ilu giggled at how Mereoleona was referred to by Noelle. "Yep, she's the scary lady. Don't call her scary in front of her though, she'll get angry." Said Ilu. "Now let's go, she doesn't like to wait." Finished Ilu. "Okay." Both Asta and Noelle said. The three walked to the entrance of the palace, when they arrived they saw Mereoleona holding Liebe and Solid with paws made of fire. "About time you two arrived!" Mereoleona shouted scaring the two tardy kids. "Well, you can take them wherever you want. Just make sure they don't die." Said Ilu before going back inside the palace. "You kids ready for some real training!" Said Mereoleona with a smile that sent shivers down the kids spines. "I'm always ready!" Shouted Asta. "I like your attitude boy." Said the Vermillion. "Why are you lifting us up?" Asked Liebe. "Because we're not training here. I'm taking you to one of my favorite spots." Said Mereoleona with a wicked smile. "Asta, I have a bad feeling about this." Noelle whispered to the boy. "I'm sure everything will be fine" reassured Asta. "Well, if you say so." Noelle said. Once the five arrived to Mereoleonas favorite training spot to say they were surprised would do it injustice. "Everything is not fine you bakasta!" Yelled Noelle. "I didn't know we'd go to a fucking volcano!!" Yelled Asta. "I'm telling Ilu you said a bad word." Said Liebe in a playful tone. "Don't you fucking dare!" Yelled Asta. "Both brother Ridder and Ilu wouldn't like to hear that Asta." Said Solid. "Well they can't hear me if they're not he-"Asta was interrupted by a punch to the face. "Shut up brats!" Everyone hearing that stood still and only listened to what the Vermillion was about to say, while Asta was still recovering from the punch. "As you can see, we're on a volcano. This isn't just any volcano, this is vultum volcano located in a high mana region. I want you brats to learn the mana skin. Once you learn that I want 20 laps around the volcano!" Mereoleona commanded. "What's mana skin?" Asked Solid. "Haven't those two taught you anything?!" Questioned Mereoleona. "They taught us many things, like where babies come from." Said Liebe. "It's very weird." He added. "Storks dropping off babies did always seem kinda odd to me." Said Asta. "That's not how babies are made. From what I know the Mommy and Daddy love each other so much then a baby is born." Said Noelle. "Both of you are wrong, babies are made when the dad puts his-" Liebe was interrupted by Solid. "Now's not a good time to talk about this, we should be training." Said Solid worried that two kids could lose their innocence and that Mereoleona looked like she was going to kill them. "START YOUR TRAINING OR I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!" Yelled the woman. "Yes ma'am!!" Shouted the kids. "Now start by making a mana skin." Commanded the scary lady. "Mana skin?" Questioned Noelle. "I think that's when you surround your body with mana." Said Solid. Solid felt how mana flow and tried to surround himself with it. After several minutes a blue hue surrounded him. "I think I did it?" Said Solid. "Good, now you three do what he did!" Said Mereoleona. "That shouldn't be too hard." Said Noelle. "Asta, since we don't have any mana. Do you think we could do something similar with anti-magic?" Asked Liebe. "We won't know until we try." Answered Asta using some of Liebes shared anti-magic. "I did it." Said Noelle confidently while being surrounded by a blue hue. Both Asta and Liebe were concentrating trying to replicate the mana skin technique with anti-magic. "I thought Ridder said you two were strong. I guess he was wrong. Since you can't even do a simple technique, you two should just go home." Said Mereoleona. "We're not going to give up!" Both Asta and Liebe shouted. When they shouted, they felt a connection. A black sphere surrounded the two, when the sphere dissolved Asta could be seen with one small wing and a small horn. "Woah! This is so cool!" Yelled Asta. "Hey! How come you get to look cool, but I'm just stuck on being smaller?" Liebe questioned annoyed. "But you look cuter than Asta." Said Noelle. Asta got jealous by what Noelle said, but he knew she didn't mean it that way. "Alright brats! Now I want twenty laps around the volcano!" Yelled Mereoleona. "I swear she's gonna kill us." Thought Noelle. "What are you waiting for!" Shouted the angry lioness. The four got scared and started to run their laps. "This place is dangerous." Said Noelle while running. "Don't worry Noelle, I'll protect you if anything happens." Reassured Asta. Noelle blushed at what Asta said. "I'll leave you two behind!" Shouted Solid in a competitive manner. "No, I'll finish first!" Shouted Asta. "No me!" Said Noelle. "I can't even run!" Said Liebe who was on Astas shoulder. The three were on there 7th lap and Noelle decided to use reinforcement magic to run faster. "Hey! You can't do that!" Shouted Solid who noticed Noelle started using reinforcement magic. "Miss Mereoleona never said we couldn't." Said Noelle passing Solid. "I'm not giving up!" Said Asta who started running faster. "Damn it!" Yelled Solid who also started to use reinforcement magic. It was the 19th lap and all three were close with Solid being in the lead. "I made it before you two! Haha!" Said Solid. Asta showed up a split second after Solid with Noelle right behind. "Damn, that was close." Said Asta catching his breath. Noelle laid down on the ground gasping for air. "So. Tired. Need. Water." Said Noelle. "Just use your magic." Said Asta. "Too. Tired." Said Noelle. "Open your mouth." Said solid who prepared a water ball. Noelle opened her mouth and felt a water ball land inside her mouth. "Ahhhh. Nothing better than some water after exercise" said Noelle. "About time you brats finished your laps." Said Mereoleona arriving wrapped in a towel. "Why are you in a towel?" Asked Noelle. "While you three were running, I decided to soak in the hot springs." Answered the Vermillion. "This place has hot springs?" Asked the four. "Yes, but we don't have time to soak in them." Said Mereoleona. "Damn, I wanted to relax a bit." Said Noelle. "I'll take you four back home now, you guys need to prepare for tomorrows banquet." Said the woman. "There's a banquet tomorrow?" Asked Solid. "Hasn't Ridder told you anything?" Said Mereoleona. "He never mentioned a banquet." Said Asta. "That forgetful idiot." Said Mereoleona annoyed. "Well it's time to go. But first I need to change, you four close your eyes!" Said the women. The four closed their eyes and heard the ruffling of clothes. "Now it's time to leave." Said the woman making four fire paws told grab the four by their heads. Mereoleona jumped causing the four to scream afraid of falling. Once they arrived Mereoleona left to her part of the palace. "I'm tired, I can't wait to take a bath and sleep." Said Noelle. "Same here." Said the other three. When they walked in they saw Ridder reading a letter and drinking wine. "Hi Brother/Ridder." The four greeted. "Good evening, how was your training with Mereoleona?" Asked Ridder "It was intense." Said Noelle. "It wasn't that bad, we only ran twenty laps." Said Asta. "We were running around a volcano!" Yelled Noelle. "I agree with Asta, it wasn't really that bad." Said Solid. "Boys are really stupid." Sighed Noelle. "I see she took you guys to vultum." Said Ilu walking towards where Ridder was sitting. "Hey sis, why are you walking weird?" Asked Liebe. "Uhhh. I hurt my knee." Said Ilu. "You always hurt your knee." Said Asta. "Your sister is umm very clumsy." Said Ridder trying to cover what really happened. "I don't think my sister is that clumsy." Said Asta. "It's true, I just hurt my knee. End of discussion." Said Ilu. "Also, tomorrow we will be going to a banquet. Liebe because of your case, you can't show yourself to others unless if you're with me." Said Ridder. "What a bummer." Sighed Liebe. "I'm sorry, but it's just the way it is." Said Ridder with some regret. "Ugh, I hate banquets." Complained Ilu. "I've never been to one." Said Asta. "It's a party where royalty and magic knights come. It's pretty boring, but they have good food and sweets available. I went to one as a kid before." Said Noelle. "But I'm not royalty or a magic knight, does that mean I can't go?" Said Asta sadly. "I have thought about that, and I have come up with something." Said Ridder "Since I am your primary care taker, I can bring you with me. You'll have to wear a Silva insignia on your clothing. Don't worry, I thought of something like this would happen, so I had a servant sew the insignia on all of your suits and tuxedos." Said Ridder. "Thank you so much Ridder!" Said Asta. "No need to thank me, it's what family's for." Said Ridder while smiling. "And besides, if your sister accepts the proposal that'll only make more reasons for you to join the banquets." Thought Ridder remembering a small box hidden in his drawer. "Tomorrow at seven pm we will leave." Said Ridder. "I can't wait!" Yelled Asta. "I can wait, it'll just be another boring event." Said Noelle. "Aside from food and drinks, there's also dancing." Said Solid "maybe I can find a partner to dance with." Solid added. "Hey Noelle, if that's the case we can dance together." Proposed Asta. "Of course we'll dance, I have no reason not to dance with my future husband." Said Noelle. Ilu giggled at the scene while Ridder spat out his wine. "Sorry about that, this wine just tastes funny" said Ridder as an excuse. "There's a problem." Said Asta seriously. "Whats wrong?" Asked Noelle. "I forgot how to dance." Said Asta with a blank look. "Bakasta! You better not embarrass me tomorrow." Yelled Noelle annoyed. "Ridder! Can you please reteach me how to dance? I don't want to embarrass Noelle." Cried Asta. "You can remember everything when in comes to fighting, but you can't remember simple dances?" Asked Ridder. "My brain can't fit in all that information, I usually just forget anything that won't help me become wizard king." Said Asta. "Fine I'll reteach you, but if you forget again I'll beat the lesson into you." Said Ridder in a threatening way. "Ilu help me, he just threatened me." Said Asta. "Nope, dancing is something you really shouldn't forget. When becoming Wizard King, banquets are very common. And obviously you'll have to dance with your girlfriend." Said Ilu. "What kind of sister are you?!" Cried Asta. "As long as you don't forget you should be fine." Ilu said with a smile. "Well, after dinner me and Ilu will help you, but for now you four need a bath. I can smell you guys from here." Said Ridder plugging in his nostrils. "Alright." Said the four heading to there rooms. Hours had passed and now we can see Noelle spying on Asta being taught how to dance. "Pigtails, you know it's not a nice to stalk people." Said Liebe who sat on Noelles shoulder. "Shhh, they'll find out we're here." Whispered Noelle. "Can you pet my head please." Asked Liebe. "Okay, but only if you stay quiet." Whispered Noelle. "Sure thing, pigtails." Whispered Liebe. Asta could be seen practicing how to dance with Ilu while Ridder was sitting in the chair being thoughtful. "I know she loves me and that we've been in a relationship for five years already, but will she except? I've been in life threatening situations, and this is scarier than all those events combined. I'm not even sure how to propose?!" Thought Ridder. While Ridder was in a dilemma, Ilu was teaching Asta a basic dance. "1, 2, 3, 4, then twirl, twirl again to go back to the original position, and repeat." Said Ilu. "Doesn't seem too hard." Said Asta. "Then how'd you forget it?" Asked Ilu. "Like I said, I'm best at fighting." Said Asta a bit annoyed. "Me and Ridder can demonstrate the dance to you so it could be better embedded into your memory." Proposed Ilu. "Sounds good." Replied Asta. "Ridder, come here. Me and you will dance to show Asta how it's done." Said Ilu. Ridder snapped out of his thoughts and walked up to Ilu. "Which dance are we doing?" Asked Ridder. "The one I was teaching Asta." Answered Ilu. "This should be easy." Said Ridder. The two started to dance perfectly synchronized with each other, when Ridder twirled Ilu he softly kiss her cheek making Ilu giggle. After twirling Ilu around to get back to normal position, Ridder brought her closer and both Ilu and him gently touched their foreheads together. After some more rounds of simple movements they ended the dance sharing a kiss. "Eww, I'm still here you know." Said Asta disgusted by seeing them kiss. "When you and Noelle get older you'll be the same." Said Ilu with a cheeky smile. Asta blushed when he heard that, meanwhile Noelle was silently losing it imagining herself kiss Asta. "By older, you mean when they're at least twenty." Said Ridder. "They can kiss whenever they find the perfect mo-" Ilu stopped talking and quickly ran in the direction of the bathroom. "Is my sister alright?" Asked Asta worried. "I'll go check on her, you stay here and practice the dance. Noelle, get down here and help Asta." Said Ridder before following Ilu. "How did he know I was hiding?!" Shouted Noelle. "So much for not getting caught." Laughed Liebe. "Shut up chibi" said Noelle. Ridder walked into the bathroom to see Ilu vomiting. "Ilu are you alright?" Asked Ridder worried. "It's fine, it's just that I've been vomiting recently and have felt a bit nauseous. I think I ate something bad." Said Ilu. "How long have you been feeling like this?" Asked Ridder. It's been happening since yesterday." Answered Ilu. "Why didn't you tell me?" Asked her lover. "It's not that big of a deal, and besides you need to worry more about the kids training right now. I don't want you to get distracted." Said Ilu. "Your health is more important than training them, if something bad happens to you I could never forgive myself." Said Ridder. "Stop acting like I'm gonna die, I think I just ate something bad, and that's most likely the case." Said Ilu. "Fine, but if you don't get any better then after tomorrow I'm going to take you to Owen to see what's wrong." Said Ridder worried about the most important woman in his life. "Alright fine, but you could just take me to any other healing mage." Said Ilu. "But Owen is the best healing mage. And I'm just being safe because I can trust him." Said Ridder remembering how Owen saved Ilus life. "Alright fine, but you don't have to be so overprotective you know." Said Ilu a bit annoyed. "I care for you. You're the love of my life, I can't imagine life without you." Said Ridder while hugging Ilu. "Again. Stop acting like I'm going to die!" Shouted Ilu. "Sorry sorry." Apologized Ridder. "Well let's go see how's Asta doing. I hope he actually managed to learn this time." Said Ilu. "You should check on him, I'm gonna go freshen up a bit." Ilu added. "Alright, make sure not to eat anything bad again." Said Ridder leaving the bathroom. Asta and Noelle could be seen practicing the dance Ilu and Ridder did while Liebe was coaching Asta. "Wow, it looks like you managed to actually remember." Said Liebe surprised. "Of course I remembered, I'm not going to embarrass Noelle." Said Asta dancing with Noelle. "This is fun, I can't wait to show Mimosa you're only mine!" Said Noelle. "You're still jealous of Mimosa? I thought I told you that I don't like her that way." Said Asta. "I know you did, but whenever she visits she always looks at you. It gets on my nerves." Said Noelle with jealousy. "Let her stare, she's only looking at someone she won't be able to get with. I'm pretty sure if she gets close to Asta you'd kill her." Joked Liebe. "I won't kill her, but I'll make her forget about my bakasta." Said Noelle. "Sure thing possessive pigtails." Said Liebe. "I'm not possessive!" Yelled Noelle. "I don't know princess, but not letting another girl near me sounds kind of possessive" said Asta. Noelle blushed at Asta calling her princess "I like you calling me princess, from now on you will always call me princess." Announced Noelle. "Sounds good, princess." Said Asta. "Has Asta learned how to dance yet?" Asked an older voice "Yeah surprisingly he's been dancing pretty well." Said Liebe. "How's Ilu doing?" Asked Asta. "She's fine, she might have eaten something bad which caused her to vomit." Answered Ridder. "Poor Ilu, I hope she gets better soon." Said Noelle. "She said she should be fine, so I'll take her word for it." Said Ridder. "I think it's time for bed" said a feminine voice. "It's only 8?" Said the other four. "In that case I guess I'll go to bed." Said a tired Ilu "Goodnight everyone." Said Ilu before leaving. "That's strange. Normally Ilu is usually the last person to sleep, maybe it's because she's tired from what we did today." Thought Ridder remembering him being tied up in bed. It was now 11pm and everyone was about to sleep, Ridder walked into his room seeing a sleeping Ilu on her side of the bed, he smiled the sight that laid in front of him. He approached his side of the bed and opened the drawer, he took out a small safe and opened it revealing another small fancy box. He opened the smaller box revealing a beautiful ring made of white gold and a diamond embedded into it. "I don't think I can wait any longer, soon I will ask the question." Ridder thought. He put everything back to where it was before and went to sleep hugging Ilu tight. A new day had come and time passed by quickly. "Is everyone ready?" Asked Ilu in a cheerful way. "You seem more cheerful than normal." Said Ridder who arrived wearing a blue tuxedo with a black undershirt and silver tie. Ridders tuxedo had the Silva Insignia sewn into the chest pocket. "Wow you're looking extra handsome today." Said Ilu. "I'm always handsome" said Ridder in a playful tone. "May I add that you're looking more beautiful than ever." Said Ridder in a chivalrous manner. "Why thank you, my prince." Said Ilu in a high brow tone. The couple shared a laugh and were interrupted when the 4 kids came. "Whats so funny?" Asked Solid. "Oh nothing." Said Ridder with a smile. "I like your dress Noelle." Said Ilu. "Thank you Ilu, your dress is very nice as well." Responded Noelle. "Why thank you." Said Ilu. "Ok then, let's make our way to the banquet hall." Said Ridder. Everyone started to walk and they met the Vermillions. "It's good to see you" said a deep voice. "Good evening Fuegoleon, Mereo, Leopold." Said Ridder. "Rival! It's good to see you!" Shouted Leopold. "Hey Leo! Good to see you too!" Said Asta. "Hey cousin! How are you guys doing?" Asked Leopold. "I'm doing well." Said Noelle. "Same here." Said Solid. "Shall we make out way to the banquet hall?" Asked Ridder. "Of course." Said Fuegoleon. They arrived at the banquet hall, and both Asta and Liebe, who was in his small form inside Ridders chest pocket, were impressed. "This place is bigger than I thought." Commented Asta. "It's the biggest room in the castle" said Ilu. "Ilu, have you been here before?" Asked Asta. "I've been a couple of times when I used to be a magic knight." Said Ilu. "You never told me you used to be a magic knight." Said Asta surprised. "Well it wasn't that fun for me, going on adventures with Riddy was way more fun and exciting." Said Ilu reminiscing. "Which squad were you in?" Asked Noelle. "I used to be in uncle Julius' squad." Answered Ilu. "Who's uncle Julius?" Asked Asta. "Julius Novochrano, the current wizard king." Said Ilu without giving it much importance. "We've been together for five years and you never told me the Wizard king was my uncle?!" Asked Asta angrily. "Well he's not a relative to us, but our father and him were good friends." Said Ilu. "You still could have told me!" Shouted Asta. "Sorry, but it slipped my mind." Said Ilu laughing. "Guys please don't make a scene." Said Ridder. "Okay fine." Said Ilu. The family found a table to sit at, and chatted until the food was served. "Say Noelle, you have any luck with making that annoying bird your pet?" Asked Asta. "So far no, but I'm going to keep on trying. Tomorrow I plan on leaving bird seeds on my balcony for it to eat." Said Noelle. "Well I wish you luck, that dumb bird has been annoying me for a while." Said Asta. "The bird isn't dumb, it's just very strange." Said Noelle. "Yeah, strangely dumb." Said Asta. "You must be dumber than the bird because it always escaped your traps and attempts to catch it." Said Noelle. "Hey, I'm not dumb! Right guys?" Said Asta looking at his family. "You have battle smarts." Said Ridder. "Only battle smarts?" Asked Asta. "Well would you look at that, the food's ready." Said Ridder avoiding the question. Asta was angry that everyone thought he was dumb, "don't worry Asta, you being dumb is part of your charm." Giggled Noelle. "I'll prove I'm not dumb one day, we'll just have to wait for the time to come." Said Asta. "Well we'll be waiting." Said Ilu. "Riddy, can you grab me a plate please. I'm too tired to go myself." Said Ilu. "Alright, what do you want?" Asked Ridder. "Give me anything, I'm starving right now." Said Ilu. "I don't understand why you're so hungry, you ate several sandwiches before leaving." Said Ridder. "I don't know either, but all I know is that I'm hungry." Said Ilu. "Ilu, you've been acting kind of strange recently." Said Asta. "Yeah I noticed that too, normally Ilu doesn't eat much because she says she doesn't want to get fat." Said Noelle. "I won't get fat if I eat while hungry" said Ilu angrily. "Why are you so angry all of a sudden?" Asked Ridder. "I don't know, but they're just annoying me." Said Ilu. Ridder found Ilus behavior strange, she would never call the kids annoying even if they did do annoying stuff at times. "Well I'll go grab your food." Said Ridder. "Noelle, you wanna grab something to eat too? I'm kind of hungry." Said Asta. "Sure bakasta, I haven't eaten since breakfast." Said Noelle. Once the two kids started to make their way to the buffet table they collided with Mimosa. "Hey Asta, hello Noelle." Greeted Mimosa. "Hi Mimosa." Said Asta. "Hello. Cousin" said Noelle a bit annoyed. "What were you guys up to?" Asked Mimosa. "We were on our way to the buffet table to grab some food." Answered Asta. "Can I join you?" Asked Mimosa. "Sure." Said Asta. Noelle was annoyed by the way Mimosa was getting too close to Asta, so she decided to hold Astas hand. Asta who noticed his hand being held didn't mind, but he whispered something to Noelle. "See, you are a bit possessive." Asta laughed quietly. "Shut up, bakasta." Whispered Noelle. "Whatever you say princess." Said Asta mockingly. The three went to the buffet table and started to fill their plates. "There's so much food!" Said Asta excitedly. "Remember to behave Asta, remember what Ilu taught you." Said Noelle. Asta had a horrible flashback to when they all went to a fancy restaurant and Asta kept misbehaving with Liebe. Both of them got punished by Ilu and to this day they remember. "Y-y-yes I remember." Said Asta nervously. "Hehe you look cute like that Asta-san" said Mimosa. "Trust me, I hate looking like this." Said Asta. Noelle was angry at what Mimosa said, she suddenly had an idea pop into her mind. Noelle formed a malicious smile as said "Asta after eating let's dance like you promised." Said Noelle making Mimosa jealous. "Sure Noelle, I won't let last nights lessons go to waste." Said Asta who unknowingly made Mimosa even more angrier. "I won't lose so easily cousin." Thought Mimosa. Back at the table, Ilu could be seen caressing Liebes hair. "It's not like how Noelle does it, but this still feels very nice." Said Liebe. "You are obsessed with that girl." Said Ilu. "She buys me cookies and gives the best pats, how can't I be obsessed with her." Liebe said. "I swear you and your obsessions" sighed Ilu. "Hey Ilu, it's nice to see you." Said a familiar voice. "Charlotte, it's so nice to see you!" Said Ilu. "How's being captain of the Blue roses now?" Asked the gray haired woman. "It's a busy life, I barely get to go on dates with Yami and today's the first time this month I'll get to see him." Said Charlotte. "Oh, that sounds tough. I don't know if I'll be able to live a month without my Riddy." Said Ilu before feeling the urge to vomit. Ilu quickly ran towards the women's restroom and started to vomit. "Ilu are you alright?" Asked Charlotte who followed her. "I don't know, lately I've been vomiting a lot. I'm not feeling sick, but I can't help but vomit and feel tired." Answered Ilu. "Ilu, when was your last period?" Asked Charlotte. Ilus eyes widened when she realized that she skipped a period. "My period was supposed to come last week, maybe it's delayed." Said Ilu worried. "These symptoms aren't just normal symptoms Ilu." Charlotte said to her friend. "I think you might be pregnant." Added Charlotte. Ilu started tearing up, she was happy that there was a chance she could have a baby with the love of her life, but she was scared of Ridders reaction. "B-b-but, Ridder. What will he think? What if he doesn't want it?" Asked Ilu while crying. "What are you saying! Ridder would be so happy about all this." Said Charlotte. Ilu who kept on crying tried to calm down, but her tears kept on flowing. "I can't stop crying." Cried Ilu. "Must be mood swings, I heard when women are pregnant they become very emotional" said Charlotte. "Do you really think Ridder would be happy about this?" Asked Ilu calming down. "Of course he'd be happy. Did you forget that he said he wanted his own family with you?" Said Charlotte. Ilu giggled. One time having a family was only a dream, but now it may become a reality. "How could I forget, when I heard him say that I was more than happy." Said Ilu. "Well, let's go. You left Liebe before you ran to the restroom." Said Charlotte. "Oh no, I hope no one sees him. Let's go quick!" Said Ilu grabbing Charlottes hand. Once they arrived back at the table they saw Yami and Ridder talking to each other. "I hope she says yes" said Ridder which was heard by Charlotte, but not Ilu. Ridder noticed that Ilu arrived with Charlotte. "I thought you were too tired to get up?" Ridder asked Ilu. "Me and Charlotte had to powder our nose." Said Ilu. Both Yami and Ridder knew she was lying based on her ki, but gave it no importance. "Well I got you your food." Said Ridder. "Thank you dear." Said Ilu who gave Ridder a kiss on the cheek. "You really must be hungry" commented Yami watching Ilu eat a lot of food. "I've been starving." Said Ilu after swallowing her bite. "Uncle Yami! Aunt Charlotte!" Two voices were heard. Asta and Noelle could be seen coming towards the table with their own plates of food. "Brats, I see you kids grew." Said Yami. "Good evening, Asta and Noelle." Greeted Charlotte. Both kids sat at the table, and everyone talked about everyday things. "Hey brats, have you been practicing ki?" Yami asked the two kids. "We have, but it's kind of hard to master." Said Asta. "It's not easy. It took Ridder a while to master it too." Said Yami. Everyone who was eating finished their food but Ilu was still hungry. "Riddy, can you please bring me more food." Said Ilu making a puppy face. Ridder only looked at her and sighed, "Oh the thing I do for love." Said Ridder. "I'll get you something." Ridder told Ilu. "Thank you, I love you so much!" Said Ilu blowing his a kiss. Shortly after dance music started to play, and couples began to dance in the designated area. "Charlotte, may I have this dance with you." Said Yami. "You may." Said Charlotte with a smile. "When did uncle Yami learn to act like a gentleman?" Asked Noelle. "I'm not sure, but Charlotte might have something to do with that." Giggled Ilu. "Say Noelle, you think it's time we should dance now?" Asked Asta. "Of course bakasta, make sure not to embarrass me." Said Noelle. "Don't worry princess, I'll never embarrass you." Said Asta. "Don't try to do something you can't help, that wouldn't make you the Asta I know." Said Noelle. "You're confusing me." Said Asta without understanding anything. Noelle sighed "let's just go dance." Said Noelle dragging Asta to the dance floor. "I'm back." Said Ridder approaching Ilu. "Thank you sweetie." Said Ilu before starting to devour the plate given to her. "After you're done eating, would you like to dance?" Asked Ridder. Ilu thought about it, but she was worried she might faint due to fatigue. Ilu had felt sleepy ever since she arrived, but her hunger kept her awake. "Ridder, I think we need to talk somewhere private." Said Ilu in a serious tone. "Why? What's wrong?" Asked Ridder worried about his Ilu. "Nothings wrong, but I want some peace and quiet with someone I love." Said Ilu, although she had one more thing in mind. Ridder noticed that Ilus ki was altered making it hard to read, so he couldn't really get an Idea of what she was thinking. Yami and Charlotte were seen dancing getting the attention of almost everyone in the room. A noble with a respectful last name would never dance with a foreigner, so this was a sight that was repulsive to some, and for the others it was surprising. The couple didn't care for what others thought, they only cared for sharing this moment together after seeing each other after what felt like an eternity. "Yami, When me and Ilu arrived I overheard Ridder say something about accepting something. What was he talking about?" Asked Charlotte. "I'll tell you if you tell me what happened during your bathroom break with Ilu." Said Yami. Charlotte was a bit annoyed that Yami didn't tell her right away, but she owed Yami the truth of what really happened. "Please keep this a secret between you and me." Said Charlotte. "I promise." Said Yami. "So Ilu had been vomiting and has been having mood swings recently. She realized that she missed a period. This could mean that she's pregnant." Said Charlotte. When Yami heard that he froze, he was happy, surprised, and excited. "Well, tonight might be the happiest night of there lives." Said Yami. "Why's that?" Asked Charlotte. "Well other than that amazing news, Ridder's gonna ask the question." Said Yami. This time Charlotte froze, her two friends not only are expecting a child, but they might even take their relationship to the next and final step. "You're right, I'm so happy for them." Said Charlotte. The dancing between the couple continued, and they showed their bond to everyone in the banquet. Asta and Noelle could be seen doing the basic dance that Ilu taught to Asta. "I'm sorry that I can't do any other dance." Apologized Asta. "Don't worry Asta, even if you didn't know how to dance I'd still love to be with you." Said Noelle. Asta was surprised and confused at what she said, she literally told him not to embarrass her and yet she said she didn't care. "I thought you told me not to embarrass you?" Asked Asta. "By that I meant not to do anything stupid which so far you haven't. You're the one who proposed to dance with me, and I only accepted dummy." Said Noelle. Asta laughed at his own stupidity and Noelle joined in on the laughter, both continued with their simple dance and enjoyed it. Liebe could be seen sleeping inside of Solids chest pocket. "Man I really feel like a third wheel." Solid sighed. "You too?" Said a brown haired mage a little older than Solid. "Yeah, my sister and best friend are only twelve but they act like they're set up for marriage already, while the woman who's like an older sister for me has been in a relationship with my oldest brother for five years, and uncle Yami is dating aunt Charlotte." Said Solid "Wait you know captain Yami?!" Said the brown haired mage. "Yeah, he's my brothers best friend. He also trained me before." Answered Solid. "Hold on a second, are you in his squad?" Asked Solid noticing a black robe with gold outline and a bull skull imprint on it. "Yeah, Yami made me join his squad." Said the brown haired magic knight. "Did he force you?" Asked Solid. "You could say that." Sighed the magic knight. "HaHa! Sounds like something uncle Yami would do. Say, what's your name?" Asked Solid. "The name's Finral Roulacase, magic knight of the black bulls." The brown haired mage now known as Finral introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you Finral, I'm Solid. Solid Silva." Said Solid bringing his hand in for a handshake. Finral shaked his hand and smiled. "Nice to meet you Solid." Said Finral. "I say the same Finral." Said Solid. Outside the banquet hall a couple could be seen looking at the moon. "Why'd you want to come out here?" Asked Ridder breaking the silence. "I already said, I wanted some peace and quiet with the man I love the most." Said Ilu. Ilu approached Ridder and gave him a hug, Ridder somewhat surprised by Ilus action returned the hug. Ilu looked up to see Ridder smiling, she loved seeing him smile. Ilu tiptoed and gave Ridder a kiss on his lips, which Ridder responded the same. "Well Ridder, it's now or never. The scenery, the mood, and the moment is perfect for this." Thought Ridder. "Ilu, I need to tell you something" said Ridder. Ilu only looked at him confused, he usually just told her anything right away. "What do you need to tell me Ridder?" Asked Ilu curiously. Ilu felt Ridder hold her hands and saw him kneel on one knee. "Ilu, before the day I met you I never thought I'd meet a woman so perfect. A woman who was strong, beautiful, caring, kind, and loving. At first we had some problems, but they were quickly resolved after we got to know each other. On your first mission you managed to save us all, it even injured you fatally, but you said it was your work as a magic knight. You cared for your teammates like how you care for the kids. You're nothing but amazing in my eyes. This is why I can't imagine a life without you. A life where you're not by my side. A life where I'm not by your side. I love you Ilu Staria. I love you more than life itself, you made such a huge impact on my life and I'm so happy that I can love the most amazing and beautiful woman I have ever known. So Ilu" Ridder let go of Ilus hands and brought one hand to his side pocket taking out a small black case, "will you stay by my side and make me the happiest man in the world" Ridder slowly opened the box revealing a beautiful ring made of white gold that had a beautiful diamond embedded into it, "and marry me?" Asked Ridder. Ilu was so shocked, the day she found out she was pregnant was the same day that the father of the child proposed to her. Ilu couldn't be more happy to see Ridder on one knee revealing a beautiful ring to her. "Riddy, The day I met you I thought you were a pervert." Said Ilu giggling. "But over time I got to know you better, I lived with you, fought together with you, cried with you, and even made love with you. And now the product of our love is growing in my womb." Said Ilu. Ridder was shocked, he didn't believe he heard her right. "Even if I wasn't pregnant, my answer would remain the same." Said Ilu. Ridder was nervous by what she was going to say next, but from what he believes everything is only getting more and more nerve wrecking for him. "YES RIDDER! I WANT TO MARRY YOU!" Yelled Ilu while crying tears of joy. Ilu hugged Ridder and they both shared a passionate kiss bathing in the moonlight. The gentle breeze flowed through their hair, everything right now was perfect. After breaking away from the kiss Ridder gently took Ilus left hand and slid the finger on her ring finger. Ilu smiled at what was happening and wanted to kiss him again, but Ridder beat her to it and gave her a passionate kiss which she returned. After several more kisses Ridder asked "Ilu, I'm not sure if I heard you correctly, but you said something along the lines of 'product of our love'?" Asked Ridder. "I did. I'm pregnant Riddy." Said Ilu. Ridder picked her up from her waist and started to spin her, both were laughing with pure joy, happy about finally being able to have a family they dreamed about. "Ilu, thank you. Thank you so much." Said Ridder while hugging Ilu with so much love. "Thank you Ridder. You've done so much for me, and if it weren't for you who knows what I would have been doing right now." Said Ilu. "Ilu if it weren't for you I wouldn't have had such a wonderful family." Said Ridder. "Thank you for appearing in my life" the two said at the same time. "I think we should head back inside, I can't wait to give everyone the news!" Ilu said excitedly. "Me neither, I can't wait to see their reactions." Laughed Ridder. "Now that I remember, I haven't seen Nozel." Said Ilu. "Apparently he had to guard one of the kiras" said Ridder. "Ew Kiras, I hate the Kiras." Said Ilu. "Me too." Ridder agreed. Both went back inside to see a scene that made Ridders blood boil, but also made him happy at the same time, while Ilu started giggling by how her brother looked.