Rise and Shine - Black Clover X OC

Chapter 9 - Atlas

— "You guys had a real rough time out there!" Captain Yami exclaims, letting out a hearty laughter at the sight of the exhausted magic knights entering HQ. Yami appears quite amused by the group's return, as they had all faced adversity and difficulties during their latest mission, yet they have all made it back to base safely. —"Whatever! Good job idiots."

— "Yessir!" Asta, Magna and Atlas together exclaimed.

Noelle looked visibly irritated once she and her teammates, clearly tired and tired of everything they had just lived through. In contrast, Vanessa, the drunk witch simply smiled in a rather goofy manner while leaning against the couch.

— "Nice work..." Vanessa mumbled, in a light and drunk voice, nodding in appreciation of the group's return to base.

Vanessa, speaking with a sleepy and tipsy tone, shared some important information with the group. She started, stating that, — "The magic investigation department is currently examining the items of the bandits, but they haven't gotten any key pieces of information yet."

She continued, adding: — "The pocket watch that the bandit leader left was quite valuable, considering how he reacted. It is possible that they are extremists or dissidents from the noble realm."

Vanessa explained this situation with a sober, but sleepy demeanor, while swinging her legs around playfully and casually.

— "There is one certain thing... they were bad guys," Asta assented, nodding his head in agreement with the other's remark.

Noelle's eyes rolled as she scoffed under her breath. — "Tch, 'Bakasta'. What a dummy."

Vanessa gasped in excitement as she pointed to the small, adorable bird perched on Atlas' head.
— "Oh my goodness! That's the most precious thing I've ever seen! Is it yours?" Vanessa asked, gushing with joy.

Atlas merely smiled and pet the bird with a gentle hand, replying, — "It's been following me for some time now."

— "Well it doesn't matter now... In recognition of your actions, the Wizard king has bestowed upon us a star." Yami said proudly, displaying a small golden star between his pointing and thumb finger.

— "What's a Star?!" Asta inquired excitedly, eyes glinting with interest.

— "The nine Magic Knight groups compete to see how many stars they can collect. It's a honour thing." Vanessa replied to Asta's question and continued. — "The Golden Dawn's at the top right now they've got seventy."

Atlas's interest was piqued at the mention of the Golden Dawn. After a moment of consideration, he asked, — "How many stars do we have?"

Vanessa shifted her gaze to Atlas and smiled in response. After a pause, she replied, — "Well, that puts us 100 behind the Golden Dawn, my dear." She ended with a nervous chuckle, uncertain of the implications.

Atlas's jaw nearly dropped, the ramifications of her statement hitting him hard.

— "Anyways..." Yami interjected, handing each of the team members a small pack of money, — "here are your monthly wages." He finished handing out the money, and looked expectantly at the group.

Asta's face broke into a wide grin, overcome with elation and joy at the gift. Meanwhile, Noelle looked down at her sack of money, and her expression was less than pleased. — "It's barely anything..."

— "Respect the low amount, and you will deserve the high." Atlas quipped good-natured, and handed a coin to the bird sitting on his head. His actions were a subtle prod directed at the group, reminding them to be grateful for every small thing they had and to appreciate the opportunities presented to them.