Chapter 11 [Part One]: “A Royal lost in the Royal Realm.”

The sound of wet cloth swiping over polished stone filled the long hallway. The manor’s lamps burned brightly incandescent, breathing golden life in the surrounding tiles of stone. The floor lay squeaky clean before the figure of a man.

Ichigo grunted, lifting himself up with his knees, holding a questionable grey cloth against the floor’s surface. With a start, he pushed himself forward, wiping the floor as he marched ahead.

The routine continued with Ichigo creating linear patches of clean tiles with this technique.

Loud grunts of hard work echoed around the bend, turning into another equally larger hallway. Ichigo dreaded the corner, quite happily wiping away at his current location.

The rookies of Black Bulls, minus a haughty royal, were simply experiencing another day at work as Magic Knights.

‘Somehow, I don’t think the Ministry of Magic is working hard enough for our rights.’ Ichigo joked, snickering on his own. His exhale disturbed a mass of dust particles, which swarmed their assailant in full force.

The orange-head sneezed uncontrollably loud, rubbing his nose post the act with a red tinge of embarrassment.

Footsteps echoed behind Ichigo, garnering a patient gaze from the orange head in the direction, waiting for the figure to appear. Magna rounded the corner, eyes glinting as they rested on the huddled figure of the orange-head.

He walked over to him with purpose, face set in determination. “Rookie. Leave that for the day. The captain’s looking for you.” The man iterated to Ichigo who didn’t seem surprised at the message.

“Understood.” Ichigo dropped the messy cloth unto the floor, standing up to his full height, towering over the senior knight’s mohawk.

“Can you tell him I’ll be there in a moment, after washing this up?” He gestured to his smudged palms. Magna raised a mocking eyebrow.

“Do I look like a pigeon? Who do you think the captain assigned your work to?” He stressed.

Ichigo balked at the words. “You mean your work that you passed on to us originally?” He corrected the Mohawk-head.

Magna sputtered in defence, but Ichigo did not wait around for an answer, instead walking towards the common bathroom.

A brief moment later, Ichigo departed from the bathroom, his arms clear of any dust or smudges. Water glistened over his face and hair, dripping slowly over his ear.

Surveying his features for a final time, he set off in the direction of the living room. He observed the unfamiliar surroundings, assured now that the hallways were indeed changing.

Since none of their seniors seemed to know about it, the changing pathways appeared to be an unintended feature of the manor. And such features usually have a perpetrator.

Ichigo fully intended on teaching them, a lesson on ‘how not to piss of your tenants’. He, himself, had memories the most common of the ways to reach the foyer. It was one such day where a memorised path was up.

He walked through the clean hallways, wondering whether it was Asta or him that tidied it.

‘Probably Asta.’ He quickly guessed. The boy had taken an uncommon liking to household chores, doing most by himself. And slowly, steadily, the members were beginning to rely on the boy as well.

‘I wonder how long that will last.’ Ichigo made it a point to do his own chores and help Asta out. While Noelle never did the grunt work, she made it a point as well in not adding to Asta’s burden.

A heavier set of footsteps joined Ichigo in his journey. He looked to his side, finding the small bulking teenager walking beside him, a broad smile on his face.

“Captain Yami’s called for us. I wonder what that’s for.” The headcover he donned, swayed as he looked up in thought.

“It’s probably something mediocre. Like getting him a toilet paper, maybe.” Ichigo’s eyes danced along the frame of the teenager, noticing that the boy had not washed up after his chore.

He stayed quiet in face of the situation. Entertainment in the manor was rare to come across. ‘And this seems like a golden opportunity.’ He smiled.

The two trudged into the living room, looking around the chambers. They spotted Noelle standing straight, sweat lining her forehead, in front of a bored Captain Yami. The man puffed his cigarette in leisure.

He glanced towards the doorway, a glare incident upon the two. “You’re late. Again.” The man stated, pointedly focusing on Ichigo.

“I was washing myself up. Had a lot of cleaning to do today.” Ichigo excused himself, fully expecting it to not work at all.

“Huh? So? Doesn’t mean you can be late to briefings.” The captain reprimanded an uncaring Ichigo.

“Well, what if you shake my hand, and its covered in grime?” Ichigo ensued a hypothetical. Yami deadpanned at the example.

“Why would I shake your hand?” He questioned promptly. Ichigo’s eyes shone with mirth.

“For all the good jobs I’m doing.” He spoke with an amused smile. ‘All I’ve done in the past few days is do the chores. Even a black bull has gotta realize the hidden mean-’

“I’d kill you if you mess up. That’s the only motivation you need.” Yami stated in full seriousness. Ichigo rolled his eyes, frustrated that the Captain did not get it.

Noelle snickered beside the orange-head, amused at his turmoil. On the other hand, Asta simply exchanged glances between the two of them.

Yami puffed another lungful of smoke, calmly exhaling it out. “The Wizard King wants to meet you.” He declared calmly, moving his hand for another puff.

“Heh?!” A loud gasp of surprise stopped him in his action. Yami got up in a flash, gripping the teenagers head in his palm, tightening his hold. Asta wailed in pain, stars glittering in his eyes at the mention of the Wizard King.

“Stop that, brat. It hurts to even listen to you.” Yami thundered, silencing the boy’s enthusiasm.

“What does the Wizard King need?” Ichigo questioned, nearly groaning at the mention of meeting the guy.

“How would I know?” Yami deadpanned at the question, Ichigo scowling at the uncaringness.

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A sudden reminder robbed Ichigo’s scowl, his lips curling slightly. He spotted the Captain’s palm crushing the dirt-covered head cover that the teen had donned.

‘And that’s why you wash up, people.’ Ichigo looked down, hiding a faint smile. The Captain turned to the three of them.

“Leave. Now.” He let Asta’s head go, menacingly reaching for his katana.

“How are we getting there?” Ichigo asked. Yami looked around the room.

“Finral!?” He thundered, shaking the walls and lamps of the room. A portal tore through the space, the brown-haired man falling out of it in a hurry. Streams of sweat lined his forehead.

“Sorry, Captain. I was… uh.. nothing. I was in the washroom.” He bluffed. Yami shook his head. “Maybe I should just kill you.” His palm gripped the handle of his katana. “Then, you wouldn’t waste my time.” The captain suggested calmly.

Finral shook in his place, worriedly glancing around the room.

“Send the three of them to the royal capital.” Yami ordered. Finral squeaked lightly. “O-Okay.” He agreed in stutters. A trembling hand jutted out from his sides. Calming down, the man focused, bringing a wide silver portal to life in the middle of the room.

Ichigo felt sorry and amused at the plight of the promiscuous man.

“You’ll find yourself in the Royal Realm at the other end.” He advised the three of them. Ichigo nodded back. Finral stared at his own portal, thoughtful for a moment.

He turned towards the captain, who twitched eyebrows at being addressed.

“Ne Captain, can I accompany them as well? It would be much faster.” Finral tried, his intentions apparent on his face. Yami regarded the question.

“The Wizard King is in no hurry. They can go on their own.” Yami finished up his cigarette, stubbing it in his ashtray.

“But they could get lost!” The brown-haired man explained giving Yami a start. He walked towards the white-haired girl, placing a gesturing hand on her shoulder. The latter froze in shock.

“A royal lost in the Royal capital?” He deadpanned at Finral, striding away without another word. Noelle breathed in relief as Yami walked away.

Finral cleared his throat, ridding himself of the embarrassing blush blooming over his mistake. “Let’s get going.” He suggested moving towards the portal.

The group walked through, arriving at a secluded corner of a bustling city street.

The morning sun shone brightly across the clear blue sky, hidden by the buttresses of castles, manors, noble houses spanning the horizon. Ichigo stared in shock, eyes dancing over the numerous extravagant structures.

The street they stood on was wide, yet densely packed with people, giving the road a smaller feel than its dimensions.

Chatters rang about them, many dodging past them without acknowledgement. “Whoa.” Asta’s yell of excitement rang attracting annoyed attention from the passers-by.

Ichigo himself looked on in disbelief. “There are this many nobles in the kingdom?” He asked incredulously.

Noelle shook her head. “Most businessmen who have a sizeable contribution to the economy are allowed to stay in the lower noble realm. Since we aren’t in the proper royal realm yet, this commercial district is usually buzzing with people.” She explained.

Ichigo’s lips thinned in displeasure. “The segregation keeps getting finer.” Noelle nodded, missing the man’s point. The orange-head’s arm moved on instinct, locking the brown-haired man in place.

Finral stared at a woman passing by them, hearts of affection shining in his eyes. “Let me go, I’ve found the woman of my dreams.” He tried to dislodge himself, but Ichigo’s grip held firm.

The woman disappeared from their vision, lost in the sea of crowds. “What is it!?” Finral whirled around in frustration, coming face to face with Ichigo’s intense scowl. His eyes widened, hurriedly forcing a smile on his face.

“Did the Captain even allow you to come with us?” He questioned the struggling man. Ichigo released his hold on him, Finral rubbing it slightly. Without a second glance, he ran off behind another woman, replying,

“He didn’t say no~”

“He’s gonna die.” Ichigo muttered grimly. The other two nodded back in agreement. They watched the man disappear in the same direction as the woman prior, muttering their proper goodbyes.

Ichigo, for the third time, found himself alone with the two teenagers. ‘How do I always get left alone with them?’ He cursed at the blue expanse above him.

Noelle’s eyes narrowed at the gesture. Ichigo turned to the princess, gesturing to her to lead the way forward. Noelle nodded in understanding.

“Bakasta!” She called for the boy. Asta turned his head from the stand of meat he was eyeing. “Coming!” He shouted back.

“It’s 10 A.M. Don’t tell me you want to eat that greasy lob of meat this early in the morning.” Noelle sounded peeved at the notion. Asta shook his head at the idea.

“I don’t want to. I will. As soon as I get back from my awesome meeting with the Wizard King, that meat is mine.” He pumped his fists with motivation, smiling at the idea.

Noelle abhorred the plan. Amid the one-sided discussion, a wafting aroma hit the group, all three widening their eyes in surprise. The group inhaled deeply in conjunction, the image of a smoking steak braised with a golden char, flaked with ample of salt and red spices weaving across their minds.

Asta melted at the smell, closing his eyes. Ichigo seemed shocked. ‘I-It smells so good.’ He turned towards the stand, spotting several people gathering around it in hordes.

‘Forget the Wizard King, I wanna eat that now.’ Ichigo raised his foot, intentions clearly heading towards the meat. Noelle cleared her throat, stopping Ichigo with a start.

He looked at her guiltily, spinning the direction of his raised foot towards the silver-haired teen.

“I totally wasn’t heading for the meat.” He explained to an unbelieving Noelle. The two turned to Asta, the boy still mesmerized by the aroma. Ichigo placed a hand on his shoulder, bringing his consciousness back.

He whimpered in a low tone, face drowning in sorrow at the loss of the imagined meat. Noelle pursed her lips, rolling her eyes at the boy’s reaction. “We can come back here after our meeting.” She suggested.

Asta jumped at the words, thanking Noelle as if she were the one paying for his meal. He salivated at the mere thought of tasting his imagined steak.

With a decision in their hands, the three decided to move lest they keep the Wizard King waiting. Noelle’s gaze wandered over to the shop, a confused look marring her face.

The trio walked over a small bridge, a silent rivulet of crystal blue water flowing under their feet. Noelle walked with a sharper dignity than before, taking measured steps, and rearranging her hair and pin.

“We’re entering the noble’s realm. Be on your best behavior.” Noelle ordered the men behind her. Ichigo seemed amused at the current change of attitude. Asta gave the girl a mellow thumbs up, only to receive a hot glare in reply.

He straightened his back, trying his best to walk properly. Ichigo rolled his eyes at the scene. ‘These two are better off without me.’ He purposedly marked a step back, giving the two some space. Neither teenager noticed the orange-head now trailing behind them, lost in their own antic conversations.

Ichigo wandered into his own thoughts, following the beacon of loud voices and white hair subconsciously.

He looked around the town, noting the make of the structures to be far better than any he had seen in this world. Buildings lined with cleanly cut stone or bricks. Shining marble walls or glass houses, none lacked any luster whatsoever, befit of standing in the ‘Noble’ realm.

The roads were quieter in contrast, their breadth spanning higher than before. Tiles laid across the street, glinting softly under the morning light. A small smile set upon Ichigo’s features.

“You’re here as well, Ichigo.” An unfamiliar voice addressed him. He turned towards the sound, spotting the blue-haired Golden Dawn knight staring at him with unreadable emotions.

“And so are you.” He blabbered. “It is only logical.” The man answered, keeping the calm face firm in position.

Ichigo’s gaze landed on Yuno, the boy nodding in greeting. The latter nodded back. He also spotted the plump healer, Mimosa standing across Asta and Yuno, Noelle by her side.

The orange-head stood dazed at the sudden expansion of the group, their chatter ringing in his ear. He sighed. The band of knights slowly started following the princesses, mingling in their own conversations.

Ichigo walked behind them, eyeing the narrow path they had followed. The surface was slightly rough, and the street doused in darkness by large houses leaning over it.

Klaus slowly fell to the back, letting Asta and Yuno catch up. The man’s timing couldn’t be better as Ichigo was itching to ask him a question.

The man stared at Ichigo, mirroring his expressions.

“Hey.” He greeted the man, earning a sharp glare at the uncouth greeting. Klaus set to speak but Ichigo cut him off.

“Say, someone fails to meet the Wizard King, you know, due to some… personal reasons. What would happen to them?” He eyed the blue-haired knight morph into a face of confusion.

His blue eyes darted across the group, counting if someone was missing. He replied with a thoughtful look, “It is direct insubordination to the commander. But given how lenient the Wizard King is, and factoring in the levity of the current meeting, I’d say, probably, nothing.”

The man nodded to himself, confirming his own analysis, adjusting his spectacles. “Why do you a-” A strong whiff of air blasted across his face, Ichigo bolting away from the group in a blue flash of Hirenkyaku.

Klaus stared at the empty space beside him with a frozen expression of shock. “Did he just-” He halted his prognosis with an understanding sigh. ‘The Black Bulls earn their name.’ He glanced at Asta and Noelle, the two not noticing the departure of their compatriot.