Chapter 22 - 22: The Commendation Ceremony

Words : 1194 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Discover the story in "Fairy Tail: Igneel's eldest son in Anime Multiverse" Chapter 22: Charles, Asta, and Noelle arrived once again in the capital—but this time, not for sightseeing.... Continue exploring!

Charles, Asta, and Noelle arrived once again in the capital—but this time, not for sightseeing. They were here on official business. The mission to the dungeon had involved far too many complications; a detailed report was required at the Magic Knights headquarters. Back during that mission, the first thing Charles had done upon entering the treasure hall was toss a very conspicuous scroll to Yuno. That scroll contained elven magic—specifically, the spirit magic of Sylph, one of the four elemental spirits of wind. Although only those chosen by the spirits could use spirit magic, Charles had feared it might fall into the wrong hands and had acted quickly. Spirit magic was not only incredibly powerful—it also had the rare trait of growing alongside the mage. Had the attribute matched, Charles might have been tempted to keep it for himself. As for the Demon-Dweller Sword hidden within the secret chamber, it naturally became part of Asta's grimoire. What puzzled Charles was how a weapon once belonging to Licht, king of the elves, had ended up sealed in that ancient dungeon. Aside from these two major finds, the rest of the treasure hall was filled with magical artifacts and riches—fairly standard fare. Still, the most valuable prizes had ended up in the hands of a bunch of kids from Hage Village. Charles had hoped to uncover some ancient books on magic theory—but sadly, he found nothing of the sort. Because Mars hadn't gone berserk like in the original timeline, the dungeon remained intact instead of collapsing. Unexpectedly, Mars had vanished. But Charles had sensed the lingering traces of Lotus's magic. That tricky old man must've used a stealth spell to infiltrate the treasure hall and, realizing the relics were out of reach, had simply taken Mars and left. Using one of Klaus's Steel Creation Magic carriages, the group had hauled the treasure back—mission complete. But reports still had to be filed. That's why the three were now in the capital again. As for why Luck hadn't come with them—well, the guy was a walking hazard. With his reckless personality, letting him loose in the Royal Capital's Noble Quarter, where the Magic Knights headquarters was located, was just asking for trouble. So Yami had conveniently dispatched him and Magna on a separate mission. The report duties were left to Charles and the others. "Whoa!" "Waaah!" "This is my first time seeing such a huge building!" As expected, Asta was making a scene. Ever since entering the Noble Quarter, his loud voice hadn't shut up once. Though they'd visited the capital before, neither Charles nor Asta had ever entered the Noble Quarter. The scenery beyond those walls was a world apart. While Asta continued to gawk, Charles spotted Yuno and his team approaching from another street. It made sense—the dungeon mission had been a joint operation between the Black Bulls and Golden Dawn. They'd all be reporting in. Klaus had become noticeably more agreeable. Upon seeing Asta, he immediately walked up to check on his injuries. But when it came to Charles, his attitude remained icy. Nearby, Mimosa pulled Noelle aside to whisper something. Charles himself was busy answering Yuno's questions. In the original story, Yuno had used his newly obtained spirit magic to save Asta from Mars's berserk attack. The only one who could've given him insight into that magic was Charles. Though Charles didn't know much about elven magic, he shared what he could. He trusted Yuno—his talent would let him master it quickly. After all, Sylph was a shameless pretty-boy lover. Charles was certain Yuno would win her over in no time. With that, their group arrived at the Magic Knights headquarters, where a flamboyantly dressed man stood at the entrance. "Welcome, young ones!" "Who's this flashy geezer?" Asta asked, digging in his nose, oblivious to the fact that—aside from Charles and Yuno—everyone else had already dropped to one knee in reverence. Klaus nearly fainted from sheer secondhand embarrassment. He slammed Asta to the ground and hissed, "You absolute oaf! That man is the Wizard King, Lord Julius Novachrono!" "WHAT!? The Wizard King!?" Asta looked up. His eyes seemed to light up like light bulbs. Charles turned to glance at Yuno—yep, same reaction. Of course Julius would show up. Rumor had it that Yuno and Asta had obtained new types of magic in the dungeon. For a magic fanatic like Julius, that was irresistible bait. Yuno's inability to summon spirit magic on command left the Wizard King visibly disappointed, deeply shocking everyone with his odd behavior. But Julius wasn't just powerful—he was remarkably erudite. The writing in grimoires was in a magical script, and elven magic was recorded in ancient magical text. Yet he could read them fluently. After personally testing Asta's anti-magic sword, Julius finally seemed satisfied. Then came the question: how does one become the Wizard King? Unlike empty platitudes like "It's when everyone acknowledges you," Julius gave a clear answer: "Results." Not fame. Not power. Only the accumulation of the greatest achievements made one worthy of becoming the Wizard King. Charles looked at Julius and marveled. He truly couldn't imagine this man—who preached meritocracy—becoming a villain more terrifying than the King of Devils. It was impossible to connect the man who encouraged others with results… with Lucius, who would one day call Asta a flaw in the world. Wasn't it a bit much that both major arcs had villains with split personalities? As Charles lost himself in thought, Julius decided to illustrate what "results" meant by having everyone attend the annual Magic Knights Commendation Ceremony. The Commendation Ceremony was a once-a-year event in the Clover Kingdom. Only those Magic Knights who had earned enough stars to be promoted could attend and receive their new rank directly from the Wizard King. Ranks among Magic Knights mattered—a lot. There were five main tiers. At the top was the Wizard King. Below him were Grand Magic Knights. Generally speaking, anyone promoted to Grand Magic Knight had enough power and merit to lead—or even found—a new squad. They were often on par with squad captains. Below that came Upper, Middle, and Lower Magic Knights. Each of these three classes was further divided into five ranks. Most knights fell within these fifteen sub-ranks. Charles and Asta, despite earning stars from the missions in Sosshi Village and the dungeon, only had two stars between them—insufficient to advance from Fifth-Class Lower Magic Knight to Fourth-Class. Which meant they weren't eligible to participate in this year's ceremony. But the room Julius opened up was filled with those who were. Every participant had earned at least six stars—true elites of the Magic Knights. This was Julius's way of showing Asta and Yuno what "results" looked like. If they wanted to become Wizard King, they would have to surpass everyone in this room. _________________________ [Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter] [+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]

Chapter 22 - 22: The Commendation Ceremony

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