Fate Within A Clover

Chapter 8: Recruiting

(Asta's p.o.v.)

Rin said that we should discuss the remain spots for Clover Kingdom's team of masters. Yami replied, "You're right." Saber began to speak, "As of yesterday, our side has Shirou, Rin, Yami, and Asta. So, we have 3 slots remaining. Yami, do you know anyone among this country's Magic Knights that would be suitable?" The Captain folded his arms and thought for a moment and answered, "There are two I can think of, but one of them, I'm not comfortable with." I paid close attention to his upcoming answer. "From my squad, Noelle would be fit for the role." He pointed at the silver haired royal as he said it. Noelle had an obvious look of surprise from hearing Captain Yami's recommendation. Rin asked, "Why do you think she's suitable?" Yami replied, "Among the new recruits from last year, Noelle, Asta, and one other were considered rising stars. So, I think She'll do fine in the Grail War." I could see that Noelle was moved by what the Captain said about her. Then, Shirou asked him, "The second person you have in mind, the one that makes you uncomfortable with, is it another of these 'new recruits' you mentioned?" The Captain answered, "No, this one is actually the older sister of another squad captain." The whole squad knew who he was talking about. I was the one who said the name, "Mereoleona Vermillion." The Captain only said yes. "What's so bad about her?" Shirou asked. Captain Yami replied, "She's violent, in fact she's more beast than human. A few times she dragged only her brother's squad, but us to Yultim Volcano to train. And that place is so unstable that lava practically flys out of the mountain all day." The two masters and Servants broke out in a cold sweat from Captain Yami's comment on Mereoleona. "Back to the subject, there's still one spot remaining." I voiced out my recommendation, "I think Yuno would be a perfect fit for the final spot on our team." Archer asked, "Who's Yuno?" Captain Yami replied, "The other rising star I mentioned earlier, he's also Asta's childhood friend and rival. And now that I think about it, he's should be strong enough to fight in the Grail War." The four otherworlders seemed intrigued by the Captain's statement. They all agreed with my suggestion. Rin said, "After we finish eating, we should go and talk to the Wizard King, Yuno, and Mereoleona." Captain Yami nodded in agreement.

We all finished breakfast, and the four otherworlders, Captain Yami, Myself, Noelle, and Finral split up. Rin went to see the Wizard King. Me, Noelle, and Archer went to the Golden Dawn's base to talk to Yuno. And Captain Yami, Saber, and Shirou went to Yultim Volcano to recruit Mereoleona. Finral stayed at the base to transport us with his Spacial magic.

At the Golden Dawn's base

  We exited Finral's portal, and inside the base. Not long after entering, we ran into Mimosa. She saw us and greeted us. She asked, "What brings you two here? And Who's that behind you?" I replied, "We'll explain later, but first we need to talk to Yuno, do you know where he is?" "I'm right here, Asta." We turned to the left and saw Yuno standing 3 yards away from us. I greeted him as he came closer. Once he got close enough Yuno asked, "So, what brings you here?" Noelle asked, "Is there anywhere all of us can talk in private?" Yuno and Mimosa nodded and lead us to a private room. Everyone except Archer sat down and we explained our recent mission, The Grand Holy Grail War, and our current for the remaining masters. Yuno and Mimosa seemed curious about what we told them, as Yuno said, "A cup that can grant any wish? Alright, I'll join the fight." Archer replied, "Alright, now we just need to hope that Mereoleona agrees as well." Both Mimosa and Yuno became nervous at Archer's statement. "You're asking Mereoleona to fight too?" Mimosa asked. Noelle nervously nodded and I replied, "Yes, from what Archer and the others told us, we need people who can hold their own against heroic spirits." Yuno said, "This Grail War is gonna be a massacre."

(Yami's p.o.v.)

Because of Finral's magic, we quickly arrived at Yultim Volcano. As soon as we got there, Shirou said, "Damn, you were right. This place is just insane!" Saber nodded then asked, "Where can we find Mereoleona in this place?" I answered, "You're not gonna like it, but she's usually at the top." They looked up at the volcano in shock, then turned back to me and Shirou basically shouted, "What the hell is she doing up there?! That's crazy?!!" "She's a fire mage, she's in her natural element here. Plus, there's a hot spring at the top." They both had a confused look on their faces when I mentioned the last part, like they were thinking, 'Is that woman serious?' Luckily, I had some magic items for this occasion. I gave Shirou and Saber a ring that allows them to use mana skin, so they could put up with the heat. I explained what they do, and they put the rings on. We made our way to the top of the volcano, and when we got there, we saw Sisgoleon wrecking the place. We made our way to her and I called out, "Yo, still an animal, Sisgoleon?!" She turned to us and replied, "Will you stop with that ridiculous nickname?!" I answered, "It's your fault for having a name that hard to pronounce!" She scoffed and said, "Well, what are you are you here for now?" We got closer to her and explained everything that happened recently. After we finished talking, Sisgoleon smiled like a lunatic and said, "This Grand Holy Grail War thing sounds interesting. Alright, count me in." I was still concerned about what will happen with her on the battlefield, but at least we got her onboard.