Clover Kingdom Royal Capital

[Apollymi]

The Royal Capital 「王都 Ōto」 is the city at the heart of the Clover Kingdom. The city is placed atop the tallest mountain within the Clover Kingdom. A wall separates it from the rest of the Noble Region, and a magic barrier protects it. Within the city are Clover Castle and the Magic Knights Headquarters.

[Bloodedge]

Following the Magic Knights Entrance Exam, or rather following his own selection by the Silver Eagles squad, the cloaked peasant named simply Asher was led to the Royal Capital by his new Captain, Sibylla. As they passed the threshold of the magic barrier, he looked on in continued awe and confusion. As a simple commoner from Hage Village, he'd never seen a place so rich and luxurious. There were so many sights, so many smells, and yet his focus was on the woman walking in front of him. He was elated to be a member of the Magic Knights at last, despite others' efforts to dissuade him, but he thought it was infinitely strange that he already felt so comfortable around his new Captain. Regardless, she had requested that he follow her, so he did so without question, until anything else was demanded of him.

[Apollymi]

The woman known as Sibylla Silva walked along past the barrier of the Royal Capital, she was quite used to these sights. But what she wasn't used to, was the presence of the lad beside her. Sibylla was elated by this boy's presence and found herself watching his movements and his excitement. It let her know several things about him that she might not have figured out for a while yet to come. "Where did you grow up, Asher?" she asked of the lad, taking a leisurely pace to get to where she was going. She wanted to know more about this lad's upbringing and as such she was more than willing to chat with him, even though she was known by most to be silent. If one cared to think about it, they would note she didn't ask him where he was from, mostly because she already had that information.

[Bloodedge]

In the midst of his sightseeing, Asher was addressed at last. He had expected some sort of order to come from his Captain, but instead, she opened with a question regarding his life before now. It was Asher's understanding that many members of the Magic Knights, especially the higher-ups, were of nobility. Sibylla had to know he was a peasant, but he could assume already that she didn't care, since she so adamantly wanted to recruit him. Still, it was a little strange to be asked such a question as an introduction. "Uh... I grew up in an orphanage in a little village called Hage."

[Apollymi]

As they walked Sibylla's question was soon answered by the lad. He'd be raised in an orphanage in the village called Hage. Sibylla upon hearing this was a tiny bit distraught for several reasons not the least of which was that she couldn't imagine what such an upbringing would actually entail and two because she was familiar with that village though she'd never been there personally. "Sou ka, that's the one with the giant demon skull, right?" she asked the lad for confirmation. If that was the case, then the place he'd been sent to was one which she simply hadn't gotten around to going to yet. The Forsaken Region was pretty far out and she had less free time to travel that area, as it stood, it was likely she wouldn't have gotten to that place for another two years. Luckily for her, this young man had wandered right into the Magic Knights Examination, right before her very eyes. "What made you decide to be a Magic Knight?" she asked as she took a turn that led down a slightly narrow pathway but up hill towards a large but strange looking dwelling. This was the pick up spot for a certain individual she was picking up. By her own thoughts usually when people made that decision they came rather soon after they received their grimoires. As such, it would make sense if the lad had appeared three years prior to this one. As she waited for an answer she knocked on the door.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai, Danchou... the Demon skull with the statue of the first Magic Emperor on it. It's the village's biggest landmark; the people at the church liked to call it a tourist attraction," he said. It was a little beyond him that someone of nobility even knew how to identify the village where he grew up. Locals of Hage Village could easily see the Noble region of the kingdom because of their placement, but it didn't seem like they could be seen in return. Why one of Sibylla's stature even bothered having such knowledge was strange. Another question would come for Asher as their route seemed to become more specifically guided, and yet again, it was a question about him. "I want... to make a difference. Growing up in the Forsaken region, some of the people treated me differently... I guess because I had stronger magic than most people there. I felt like I was being treated like nobility sometimes, but... I didn't like that happening just because I was a little different. I've seen how much worse it gets around real nobility, and I want to stop that! Ever since I found out I had a chance to become a Magic Knight, I decided I'd become the type of Magic Knight to affect all people of all classes, in a good way!"

[Apollymi]

The boy went on to make a confirmation about the information she had regarding Hage Village. At the very least she'd heard the place wasn't exceedingly dangerous. Still the thought that he'd grown up exposed to horrid things and living conditions made her sad for him, and angrier still at the person who'd made it so. But that situation was taken care of long before now, at about the halfway point where the girl made her ascension to Captain. But before she could voice her condolences to the lad about his upbringing, he went on to explain his motivations for becoming a Magic Knight. She heard out what he had to say, and felt within her every bit of passion the lad had. She looked at him stunned by his outburst but shortly after that same warm smile returned to her face. "Sou ka, I was a bit worried. Living that sort of life can make people jaded or angry but... you have an astonishing goal, Asher..." the woman said reaching out to rest her empty palm atop his head, giving him a firm loving hair toss. "I'll make sure you get all the experience necessary to complete it."

This woman was strangely very invested in this young man already, she was astonished that he managed to be a good person while being stronger or better than most other people. As a noble raised among nobility she found their children were often spoiled, coddled and self-entitled. She'd personally gone out of her way to make sure her younger siblings weren't this way but shared the same sense of fairness she had, and she was happy this one had such a firm sense of it all on his own. Perhaps his was even stronger than her own, and that was admirable. Just then there was a stumbling sound and several things crashing around within the house along with an exasperated shout. "I'll be down in a minute! Nothing is wrong... just...." that was all that was heard for several seconds longer before the front door would swing open accompanied by a burst of wind. Within a few seconds a girl with large green eyes would appear. She was dressed in all white robes with a giant witch's hat atop her head also in white. Her outfit was full of flowing bits which showed the skin of her navel, cupped her large bosom and accented the untamed pink mane of hair beneath. "Gomennasai. I overslept just a little... you must be Sibylla Silva. Gomennasai Captain, it's nice to meet you." managed to get it all out and Sibylla was simply stunned she had the breath in her lungs for all of that speech. "It's fine, calm down take a breath," the Captain mentioned, as the girl relaxed and adjusted her hat and gloves just a bit. Sibylla took this moment to make an introduction as well. "Asher this is Junon Evanglista. She's from the Witch's Forest. And she'll be joining you as a peer in the Silver Eagles. I was thinking of partnering you two, so try and get along."

[Bloodedge]

"I never had a reason to be angry for myself. I had seniors that were treated worse than me because they weren't as strong, so it was always easier to be angry for their sake. But... that never really worked either," he asserted. Apparently, Sibylla intended to get him the experience he needed to achieve his goals. Such a thing was more than he could ask for as a new member of the Magic Knights, but again, he had to believe the woman. "Hai! Arigatou, Danchou!"

Eventually, they stood upon what was apparently someone's house. Much shuffling and toppling was heard as they waited. The pair was soon greeted by a pink-haired young woman who, at first glance, looked as if she could stand to borrow the cloak Asher had been wearing to conceal himself during the exam. Sibylla took the initiative to introduce Asher to this girl, doing so during the several seconds in which he stared at the alleged witch. "A... witch? H-hai... I've never met an actual witch before... Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," he said with a bow to his apparent partner.

[Apollymi]

Sibylla heard out the boy's plights and his resolve and she was quite proud of him. She couldn't rightly explain this yet but she was very certain she'd found the little brother she'd spent most of her conscious life, and all of her adult life looking for. Every step she'd taken so far had been for the sake of this boy and her other younger siblings. She had nothing in mind but making them happy and had become strong to make that a possibility. Given that, it was very easy to understand how such a thing could happen. His thanks made her brows raise and she opened her mouth to speak once more. "Iie, but... you don't have to call me..." she paused though because then was the moment their other member joined them. The girl now here got a bit of a stuttering introduction from the lad, who was apparently stunned by having met a witch.

The pink haired girl looked at him and back to Sibylla and shrugged. "But... Danchou is technically a witch. And... the Purple Orcas are all mostly witches as well..." she said seeming to not care one way or another. "Even so, it's nice to meet you Asher, onegaishimasu," she said introducing herself. It would take a moment for Sibylla to recover, but she would without issue, and use the time to explain the thing about her being a witch. "I mean, technically. Our mother was a witch and our father was leader of the House Silva. I almost don't count as either, my style of dress aside and silver hair aside. But none of that really matters anymore, such a relationship and the work of Medea led to good relations with the Witch's Forest and thus, strong Magic Knights," she said, seeming to have no problem making this clarification. "You two have a bit more in common than that. I am apparently doubly lucky~" she said in reference to the clovers on both books of these two.

[Bloodedge]

Sibylla was mid-sentence when Junon arrived. Asher wasn't sure what she intended to say, but this witch had a rather powerful personality upon making her presence known, and she rather easily had the conversation's topic converted to her existence. Of course, even in doing this, she addressed the Captain, who was some sort of witch by relation on her mother's side of her family. Asher took a moment to inspect the Captain, taking note of her visual oddities while responding. "I only just met Danchou, and I've never seen any of the Purple Orcas... or any of the squads, really. I never stopped to think anybody could be a witch..." As he spoke, Asher's head tilted left. Something was really strange about the woman whose squad he joined, but he couldn't quite place it. Perhaps it was the odd combination of witch and non-witch she was. The older woman noted herself as being 'doubly lucky' this day, drawing attention to both of her new members in a way Asher also didn't understand. "I don't get it. What do I have in common with a witch, and why are you lucky twice?"

[Apollymi]

The meeting between these two teens and their Captain was becoming quite interesting. Junon found herself staring between the pair of them confused about something as it became obvious to her in seconds that these two people were something to each other aside from their working relationship. Of course, Asher went on to explain that they'd only just met today. "That isn't entirely true..." these were the words of the Captain without being very specific but she simply hadn't gotten around to that speech and wouldn't yet again. "There are lots of witches, now you know like two or more! It's exciting, meeting new people!~" the girl said, apparently life within the forest hadn't been for her, and she was content to see and do new things out in the world, her sleeping habits aside. The information about the pair of them being similar also went over the head of this girl, who questioned it too. "What do we have in common besides the other thing?" she asked seeming to have at least caught half of what was said. Her speech brought a small smile to the silver haired woman's face, but she didn't give a full explanation. "Well, why don't you both show me your Grimoires..." she said. This didn't make any difference to Junon who was always being asked to show her Grimoire. As such she produced the cover clipped to her left side and opened it, showing a golden covered grimoire with a four leaf clover on the front, which she held within the glowing container she normally used to hold it. This brought a smile to her face because she knew the boy she'd brought with her would produce something very similar.

[Bloodedge]

What Sibylla said about this not really being their first meeting was curious indeed. Asher briefly wondered if they had encountered one another in the past during his time in Hage Village, as he did find her somehow familiar. Surely she had aided him at some point, and that was the reason he felt so strangely comfortable around her in their first official meeting. Asher's mind wasn't allowed to linger on this topic for long. Junon went on to note the excitement of meeting new people. Asher couldn't agree more. "It is exciting! And we'll be working together to meet even more people, and help them out!" he concurred. With that though, both new Magic Knights were asked to reveal their grimoires. Asher had enough of a brain that he could assume one of two things here, either the four-leaf clover, or the use of light magic. He moved his cloak aside to reveal a shabby holster that looked to be made of ancient leather. From within this, he pulled a golden glowing book of his own, also boasting the four-leaf clover surrounded by an engraving with a likeness to the sun. "Sou ka. We both have a rare grimoire, and we're both Silver Eagles."

[Apollymi]

Soon enough Asher was producing his grimoire as well, and when he did she saw what their Captain had been mentioning. Junon's eyes went wide at the sight, the young girl was quite used to feeling exceptional in a way she thought no one else would ever compare, right at the moment she found herself face to face with the same kind of potential she had. It was astounding. "Sugoi!! You have one too... that's like three things we have in common! I never thought I'd meet someone else with a rare Grimoire. We have to be best friends and like super rivals and everything now!" the girl said seemingly excited, she tacked on an extra qualifier to their earlier commonalities since she'd figured out the bit about the lad and the woman with him already. "And we can help everyone, meet all the new people, conquer all the goals, and dominate the star festival!" the girl seemed to go on a tangent without any solid goal of her own but meeting new people she'd taken it upon herself to think combined the pair of them would be able to become stronger and be able to top all aspects of Magic Knight life. "Hai hai, that's the spirit." Sibylla's words were genuine and reserved for the most part, for these small moments of pride she took in her squad and usually just her siblings.

The smile on the white haired Captain's face hadn't faltered at all in quite a while. And as such she began to walk again, this time away from this house. "Come along, Asher, Junon. I'll take you two home..." she said to both of them, though this would end in these two people ending up in a very different place. Even so, she'd leave the pair to any discussions they would have as she lead them around the area.

[Bloodedge]

"Three?" he questioned. The longer this interaction went on, the less Asher understood, even though he continued to receive answers. He could only recall the earlier statement of Sibylla, who said everything would eventually make sense. Hopefully this was all included in the "everything" she spoke of. "I... don't know if I need a rival. I'll take friends and partners, though," was his immediate response to Junon. His new peer was an excited individual from what he could tell, but that was probably for the best. Asher returned to following Sibylla, who intended to show these two to their new home. En route, he spoke to whichever female in his company would answer his upcoming query. "What's the star festival?"

[Apollymi]

"Hai!" this was all the girl had to say about it because she obviously thought it wasn't her place to spill the beans if their Captain hadn't already. Beyond that Junon's current peer expressed a wish not to be rivals, but instead... he wanted the pair of them to be partners and friends. Their life as Magic Knights would undoubtedly become competitive enough she supposed she could use someone on her side as an ally. "Hmm, I guess we can be partners... Then, we can just take everyone else down together!~" she chimed finding it to be the best solution to her potential problem of not developing a rival. Still as they walked, Sibylla led them towards the far west of the Royal Capital. They passed many, but managed to not look out of place at all considering the way they were dressed and the fact that they moved along with a Magic Knight Captain. To answer the question posed by Asher, Sibylla took a moment and before she began to explain. Junon had gone without saying anything else, because she'd only really heard the word and didn't know exactly what it was.

"The Star Festival is a celebration of a year long competition between the Squads. Every mission completed, every task handled properly will earn an individual merits and stars for their Squad." she explained knowing that with a technical foreigner and someone who hadn't been raised in the upper regions this information wouldn't simply be common knowledge. "The Squad with the most combined stars for their members wins. But individual merit is also rewarded, as the person or persons with the most stars from the group will be called on stage and rewarded by the Magic Emperor." she explained a system which was not unlike one which would have been used for organized sports. "It gives way to competition all year long, and rewards the hard work done by everyone who has protected the Clover Kingdom. What it truly enforces in this way... is that everyone has merit, and can climb their way to the top. Regardless of their starting rank." she said calmly. "Since I've become Captain it's usually a pretty close call between Golden Dawn, Silver Eagles and the Crimson Lions... so gambatte ne." Sibylla finished up this explanation as they came to another gate which she would lead them out of. She'd then go on to open her Grimoire creating from magic a giant mirrored Eagle big enough for three to comfortably ride. "You can both hop on, or not if you'd rather transport yourselves and follow me instead," she mentioned waiting to see what would be decided. Strangely enough, Junon wrapped herself in a wind current and hopped in the air, beginning to float with air simply breezing around her body to keep her afloat. "Arigatou gozaimasu, but I like to fly on my own~" she chimed seemingly happy to have the opportunity to stretch her wings to to speak.