100 Prompt Challenge - Astelle

Prompt: Idea from InsaneMakaioshin on Archive Of Our Own. Shortly after the Elf Invasion, Yami of all people had been crowned Wizard King, and that left little old Asta with the unexpected position of Captain. Needless to say he wasn't prepared, and with the mounting pressure and responsibilities leaving him tired and exhausted, Noelle decides to help him unwind.

—

Asta wasn't enjoying life right now—not one bit. Three months ago, he had been crowned the Captain of the Black Bulls. Such a promotion should have left him ecstatic; after all, it was a monumental step forward toward his goal of becoming Wizard King.

But it hadn't—not at all. The unconventional manner that had landed him in this position, the sudden and unexpected nature of it, the deeper meaning behind this advancement, and the bothersome responsibilities and work that followed shortly, had stolen all the joy from it.

Three months ago, after the Elf invasion and the climactic battle against Zagred—the word devil who had masterminded the entire ordeal—the Clover Kingdom found itself in dire straits.

The kingdom had lost a staggering number of Magic Knights and citizens in the catastrophe. Even their Wizard King was gone… Well, sort of. Julius had survived, but he had been de-aged to about thirteen and stripped of most of his power. The Clover Kingdom now had a Wizard King in name only.

That couldn't stand. The Magic Knights, and the kingdom as a whole, needed a powerhouse—a pillar of support to rely on, especially with the threat of the other three kingdoms invading in their weakened state.

So what did Julius do? He crowned a successor.

That part wasn't surprising—it was the responsible thing to do. The problem was whom he chose: Yami Sukehiro.

The Foreigner. The Lord of Destruction. The leader of the worst squad in the kingdom. That Yami Sukehiro.

Understandably, the decision left many gobsmacked—Yami himself most of all.

For years, William Vangeance had been the obvious candidate for the next Wizard King. The kingdom, unaware of William's involvement in the Elf invasion, was stunned. Instead of their golden boy, their next Wizard King was supposed to be the uncouth, barbaric, brawling Yami Sukehiro?

The people couldn't accept that. They wouldn't accept that. They threatened to riot.

Yami, in fact, secretly encouraged them. He wanted nothing to do with the position.

Unfortunately for Yami, what he wanted didn't matter.

William knew he was unworthy of the role and would never be worthy due to his treachery. He made a heartfelt public speech, admitting as much, without exposing himself as complicit in the invasion. I find myself severely lacking and have no intention of succeeding Lord Julius. Please respect his decision, he had said.

The crowd wasn't convinced—until Vangeance and Julius reminded them that the Black Bulls weren't the worst squad in the kingdom but the second-ranked as per the last Star Festival. Moreover, they presented undeniable evidence (much to Yami's dismay) that the Black Bulls had made the most significant contributions during the Elf invasion.

The masses were quelled. Not just quelled—they were excited. They praised Yami and cheered him on to take Julius's place as soon as possible.

Yami was furious. He was livid. He even threatened to rebel against the kingdom. Julius, in response, waived Yami's debt on his katana and granted him a year's worth of toilet paper.

That made Yami a bit more cooperative, but he still argued that Hardnose (Fuegoleon), Ponytail (Nozel), or Sisgoleon (Mereoleona) should take the position instead.

For the first time in his life, Yami Sukehiro—the foreigner who had endured discrimination from the aristocracy since arriving in the Clover Kingdom—found himself in unanimous agreement with them. They wholeheartedly rejected Julius's choice and insisted that one of the three royals succeed him instead.

Unfortunately, what they wanted didn't matter either.

Not even a day after the battle with Zagred, Mereoleona went AWOL to train and "surpass her limits" in the Yultim Volcano Trail. Nozel rejected the position outright, stating he didn't want a hand-me-down title and would rather earn it himself. Fuegoleon echoed William's earlier sentiments about being unworthy, though Fuegoleon's words were genuine, unlike William's excuse to pacify the kingdom.

The nobility were speechless. Yami was, too.

Charlotte, Rill, and Kaiser weren't even considered—their strength was nowhere near Wizard King caliber. Dorothy couldn't be trusted to lead; the kingdom might not last a day with her tendency to nod off. And Jack the Ripper? He didn't exactly inspire confidence—most people pegged him as a serial killer.

That left only Yami.

The final straw Julius used to sway him was Asta.

The aristocracy wanted to scapegoat the anti-magic boy—a devil host—for the Elf invasion and Zagred's plot. They needed someone to blame, especially to divert attention from themselves, as nearly all the elf incarnations had been nobles.

Yami couldn't let that happen.

So, a week after the Elf invasion, Yami Sukehiro—a foreigner—was crowned the 29th Wizard King. And Asta—a magicless peasant and a lowly fifth-rank Intermediate Magic Knight—was awarded the captaincy of the Black Bulls at the age of sixteen.

He was not only the youngest but also the lowest-ranked Magic Knight captain in Clover history. Normally, such a thing would have caused an uproar, but with the entire kingdom's attention focused on Yami, the news barely caused a ripple.

Fast forward three months, and it was no surprise why Asta wasn't feeling the slightest bit of joy in life. Being a captain was hard. He hadn't realized how much paperwork and administrative duties the position involved.

Asta felt tricked—deceived by Yami's macho, lazy demeanor. Who knew the man was so on top of things, so dutiful and responsible beneath that rugged exterior?

Asta, barely literate, didn't know how to write reports and certainly didn't enjoy learning how. Just thinking about the grueling literacy lessons Finral and Noelle had drilled into him—followed by Marx's thorough testing—made him cringe.

And it wasn't just the reports. He had to manage responsibilities, hand out wages to his squadmates—or rather, his subordinates—many of whom he suddenly found to be insufferable and frankly undeserving. Don't get him wrong: he loved his squad, when they were his teammates.

But dealing with them as subordinates? A siscon who constantly requested leave to visit his sister. A drunk who vomited and soiled herself all over the base. A masked troublemaker who thought it was hilarious to booby-trap Asta's office and room. And more. They drove him crazy.

Asta marveled at how Yami had managed to tolerate all their nonsense. He had never respected the man more—until he realized just how much trouble the Black Bulls truly were.

And that was with only two or three of the "problem children" present. Gordon was with his family. Magna and Zora had vanished to who-knows-where. Noelle, Finral, Charmy, and—thankfully—Luck were permanently stationed in Heart Kingdom for "training." ("Training", because Asta wasn't entirely sure Charmy's activities qualified as such.) They were preparing for the inevitable battle against Spade and the Dark Triad.

Finral popped into the base now and then, using his spatial magic to deliver reports, bring Asta to Heart for training under Gadjah, or just lend a hand. Asta appreciated that more than words could express.

He wished all his "senpai" could be as thoughtful as Finral. Even though he was technically the captain, Asta still felt like the rookie among this band of misfits. Well, one of the rookies—if you included Noelle. But from day one, her insistence that, as a royal, she wasn't on the same level as Asta had pushed that thought out of his head.

Speaking of Noelle, Asta was deeply grateful to her. Besides Finral, she had been one of his greatest aids, teaching him how to stay organized and helping him file reports properly. Her explanations were clear, helpful, and easy for him to understand.

But Noelle barely had time to return to the base. She was busy training alongside Lolopechka as a fellow water mage integral to Heart Queen's plans to take down Megicula's host. That left Asta to handle most of his responsibilities alone.

And so, Asta was tired—dead tired. He couldn't fathom how Rill and Charlotte managed to juggle their training in Heart Kingdom with their duties back home.

Well, he could—when he remembered that not all squads were as irresponsible as his. Most of them could function perfectly fine without their captain constantly hovering over them or micromanaging every little thing.

Asta was tired, depressed, and overwhelmed as he realized that what seemed difficult now would only amplify tenfold if he became Wizard King.

He felt like he finally understood why Julius was always "running away" from his duties. The man wasn't just a passionate magic geek; he had to be, or he would have gone insane from the sheer number of responsibilities and monotonous tasks.

It got to the point where Asta started seriously reconsidering his career goals. Yuno was dangerously close to losing his rival.

Asta wasn't cut out for desk work. He belonged outside—training, free, and in his element. He still trained daily, but now it wasn't out of passion or excitement. It was desperation. He used whatever little free time he had to grow stronger so he wouldn't be a burden when they eventually struck against Spade.

Many of his nights were sleepless—not because he didn't want to sleep, but because he no longer had time. Meetings in the capital, training, quick snack breaks, daily captain duties—they consumed not just his days but his nights as well.

He was livid. Why didn't the Black Bulls have a vice-captain to take over for Yami—or at least help share the burden?

That's when Yami casually dropped the bombshell during a meeting: they did, in fact, have a vice-captain. He just had no idea where the guy was.

Asta nearly swung Demon Slayer at his ex-captain that day.

The urge only grew when he thought about how Yami had shown him zero courtesy since becoming Wizard King. Instead, Yami leaned on their "relationship" and guilted Asta into doing more. If it weren't for me, sacrificing myself and taking Julius's mantle, you'd be rotting in a dungeon—or worse, Yami would say.

At first, Asta had been grateful. But that gratitude had long since evaporated over the past three months. Yami thought it was funny to be a jerk—constantly sending back Asta's nearly flawless reports for corrections instead of fixing them himself. All so he could slack off and enjoy the perks of being Wizard King, like lounging on a royal toilet.

Yami still shamelessly exploited Asta's guilt, giving him a pat on the shoulder while smugly donning his regal fur cape and gold crown. "Surpass your limits, kid. I believe in you."

If exhaustion were a person, Asta was convinced it was him. He was sore—mentally and physically. He was hungry but had no appetite. He was sleepy but couldn't shut his eyes. He was angry but had no outlet. Frustrated, distraught, depressed, tired—so, so tired.

Plopping down at his desk come first of dawn with his first cup of coffee for the day—sweet, heavenly coffee, his savior and greatest companion since the start of this torture—Asta let out a heavy sigh. He glanced at the towering stack of paperwork, already feeling defeated.

Yami had thought himself hilarious when he assigned Asta responsibility for all paperwork and reports concerning Heart Kingdom affairs. He'd cited the Black Bulls' private mission to investigate devils as the reason, declaring that all administrative duties related to the mission should naturally fall on Asta.

It infuriated him. Rill, Charlotte, and Leopold were also training in Heart, and none of them were Black Bulls. Why was he the only one saddled with this burden?

Of course, Asta got no answer.

Taking a deep sip of his coffee, he set the cup down beside him, dipped his quill into the ink pot, and grabbed the first parchment. It demanded a report on the current status of Spade's border expansions. He sighed again, already planning to call Grey to activate the transponder so he could contact Lolopechka for details.

Before he could get up to find her, a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You don't need to worry about that, Bakasta. I've already handled it."

Asta's head jerked toward the door. Noelle approached with a folder in hand, her silver hair glinting softly in the morning light, her smile tinged with teasing.

"Here you go, Captain," she said, playfully emphasizing his title.

Asta blinked at her, heart fluttering faintly at the sight. He shoved the feeling aside and took the folder with trembling hands. Flipping through the contents, his eyes widened. The report was flawless—neatly written, concise, and complete.

His eyes immediately welled up with gratitude. Jumping from his chair, he swept Noelle into a bone-crushing hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"Get off, Bakasta!" Noelle squirmed, her cheeks flushed red. Despite her protests, she patted him on the back before reluctantly relaxing into the embrace—though she'd never admit that she liked it.

"Let me go, Captain."

Asta complied but kept his hands on her shoulders. His expression was earnest as he said, "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Noelle's face turned scarlet again. She flicked her hair with feigned indifference, crossing her arms.

"Hmph. Just look at you. You'd probably waste away even more. When was the last time you slept?" Her gaze darkened, sharp and accusatory.

Asta winced under her glare, offering a sheepish smile. But then his brows furrowed. "Wait. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in Heart?"

"Don't change the subject," she replied, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "I'm royalty, a magical genius. I've already mastered the Mana Method. I'm ahead in my training, so I decided to come back and help you out."

Asta froze, then pulled her into another hug. "You're too good to me—"

"I get it, Bakasta! Let me go!" Noelle's protest was half-hearted, her face flushed once again.

Asta chuckled and released her, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I'm your captain now. You sure you should be talking to me like that?"

Noelle smirked slyly. "Then, Captain Bakasta…"

Asta felt a strange, unfamiliar warmth in his chest. The back of his neck grew warm, but he quickly shook off the feeling, pointing to the paperwork.

"Anyway, there's a lot to do. Let's get started—"

"I said I'm here to help you, not with your paperwork," Noelle interrupted.

Asta froze, his expression a mix of shock and betrayal.

"You… won't?" His voice sounded near desperate.

"Relax, Captain Bakasta," Noelle said, her tone teasing. "As your number one subordinate—"

"Finral's my number one subordinate," Asta interjected.

Noelle paused, blinking. Then she continued nonchalantly, "As your number one subordinate, I'll definitely help you." She smiled mischievously as she added, "But not now."

Asta stiffened, his face an exaggerated picture of disbelief.

"You need a break," Noelle said firmly. "I'm here for another week. We'll have plenty of time to get through that." She gestured to the paperwork before crossing her arms. "But for now, we're going outside to get some fresh air."

"I… don't think that's a good idea," Asta stammered. "There's so much to do, and we've only got three months—maybe less—before we face Spade. We can't afford to slack off—"

"Asta," Noelle interrupted, her voice sharp. He froze. She tilted her head, her tone turning deceptively light. "I'm not asking. If you don't come with me now, I'll leave you to do everything yourself. And I'll have Finral take me back to Heart."

Asta gaped at her, speechless. Finally, he forced a strained smile. "Where… where are we going?"

Noelle beamed in triumph, and Asta's heart raced once again.

—

Asta blinked. Of all places, he never expected Noelle to bring him here… back home.

With another thump in his chest, he sat down beside Noelle, who dangled her legs off the edge of the Ancient Demon Skull overlooking Hage. She kept a small space between them.

Asta couldn't understand why he was suddenly so aware of Noelle's presence. Maybe it was the rising sun, illuminating her silver hair, the sunlight kissing her skin, highlighting her rosy cheeks, her beautiful pink eyes, and—he swallowed hard—her lips.

He immediately cut off the thought, his cheeks heating up. Forcing his gaze away, he focused on the sunrise. The silence between them was comfortable, peaceful even, as he took in the view of his childhood home.

"It's beautiful," Noelle murmured, her voice soft and melodic.

"It is," Asta replied, his tone casual, though his eyes flickered briefly toward her.

Noelle smiled gently, her gaze lingering on the horizon. Then she turned to him, and Asta quickly looked away, suppressing the dryness building in his throat.

"Why here?" he asked, eager to change the topic. "Why did you bring me back to Hage?"

Noelle blinked and turned her gaze forward. Her expression grew contemplative, touched with nostalgia. "This is where my ancestor slayed the Ancient Demon. Everyone knows that story. But what they didn't know—what we know now—is that the Ancient Demon was his best friend.

"This place," she continued, her voice quiet, "was once a village of elves. Ever since we learned the truth, I've wanted to come here. Maybe to see what my ancestor and Nero had looked over when they spent five centuries frozen in time. Maybe to connect with the tribe that was massacred because of my other ancestors' greed and weakness."

"Or…" She hesitated, her voice dropping. "Maybe I just wanted to connect with you."

Asta's heart thudded harder with every word she spoke.

"This is your home," Noelle said, her tone softening. "The place where you grew up, where you trained and fought, even when fate seemed to work against you. I wanted to understand you better. And I thought… If there was anywhere you could relax, that could help you unwind, it'd be here. Was I right?"

Her teasing smile made his heart stutter, and Asta gave a stiff nod.

Feeling playful, Noelle patted his shoulder with a grin. "Even if I wasn't, I'd have dragged you here anyway. After all, it's every girl's dream to one day visit the hometown of the man they—"

She abruptly froze, her eyes widening in horror as she realized what she'd almost said.

What the hell was I about to say?! she screamed inwardly, clenching her jaw shut. Thankfully, Asta's oblivious nature would save her from further embarrassment—

"Noelle."

Her breath hitched.

Asta leaned closer, his face alarmingly near hers. "What were you about to say?"

"N-nothing!" she stammered, shaking her head frantically. "I-I wasn't about to say anything—"

"'The man they…' what?" he pressed, his green eyes narrowing in a way that made her gulp.

Why is he suddenly so perceptive?! Noelle panicked, scrambling for an escape. "I-I think your l-lack of s-sleep is g-getting to you! You're hallucinating. Y-yeah, that's it! Let's get you back home so you can—"

She was abruptly cut off as Asta placed his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her back onto the smooth surface of the skull.

Her wide eyes stared up at him, heat rising in her cheeks as he pinned her arms above her head and leaned over her.

"B-Bakasta, w-what are you doing?" she stammered.

"I'm wide awake, Noelle Silva," he said with a growl, his tone low and serious. "I literally have an ability that lets me see through lies. Or have you forgotten?"

Her heart pounded as he leaned closer, their faces mere inches apart. His piercing gaze locked onto hers, leaving her no room to escape.

"'The man they…' what?" he demanded again, his voice firm.

Noelle trembled, biting her lip before finally whispering, "...the man they love."

Asta didn't react at first. His expression remained unreadable, leaving her squirming beneath his hold.

"For how long?" he asked quietly.

She blinked, her mind scrambling before she realized what he meant. Her blush deepened as she averted her gaze.

"Since the first d-day you saved me," she admitted shyly. "I-I didn't realize it was love back then."

Asta stared at her for a moment longer before leaning down, his lips brushing her ear. His whispered words made her heart nearly stop.

"You said you wanted to help me unwind? Then do it."

Before she could respond, Asta pressed his lips to hers.

Noelle froze, her eyes wide in shock. Asta is kissing me! Her mind raced as the realization sunk in. Asta is kissing me! Oh my god, Asta is kissing me!

When she felt his tongue brush against hers, her last shred of resistance crumbled.

Sorry, Mimosa.

Closing her eyes, she melted into the kiss, slowly reciprocating.

They stayed like that for a long moment until Asta broke away and stood.

"Let's get back to base," he said indifferently. "We'll continue this there."

Noelle shot to her feet, saluting with a bright smile. "Yes, Captain!"

As Asta grinned, he felt lighter than he had in weeks. He'd just found the perfect way to relax—one he planned to indulge in long after the fight with Spade.

Author's Note:

[1] I'm always accepting prompt ideas

[2] Feel free to join the Discord! https://discord.gg/s3MME8X8ar