After the fight, the town guards eventually arrived on their brooms, collecting the defeated man and questioning the nobles briefly before taKi Readingng him away. Asta did not stay to watch the rest. Once it was clear everything had ended, he simply returned to the church, cleaned himself quietly, and lay down to sleep without explaining anything.
The night after the incident passed quietly, just as Asta had expected
---
The next morning, the church returned to its usual rhythm, but there was a subtle difference in the atmosphere. Some of the children whispered about what had happened, while others stole glances toward Asta, trying to confirm the rumors they had heard.
Sister Lily noticed it too.
More importantly, she noticed Asta.
He was calm.
Too calm for someone who had gone through something like that.
As breakfast continued, she finally spoke, her voice softer than usual.
"Asta… about yesterday… what exactly happened?"
Asta paused for a moment before answering, not because he didn't want to reply, but because he didn't see the need to explain everything.
"It's handled," he said simply, continuing to eat.
That answer didn't satisfy her.
Her brows drew together slightly as she looked at him more carefully.
"They said there was a fight… and that someone dangerous was involved. And during the ceremony…" she hesitated for a brief moment, "…you didn't receive a grimoire."
Asta placed his hand down calmly.
Then, without maKi Readingng it dramatic, he focused for a moment.
The black grimoire rose slightly from beside him and settled into his hand.
Sister Lily froze.
Her eyes widened as she looked at it properly for the first time.
"…That's yours?"
Asta nodded once.
She leaned slightly closer, studying it with visible confusion. The grimoire didn't resemble anything she had seen before. It lacked the usual design, lacked the presence of mana, and more than anything, it felt… heavy, in a way that didn't match its appearance.
"I've never seen one like this before," she said slowly.
Asta gave a small shrug.
"Neither have I."
There was a short silence between them.
Then her expression softened, the worry in her eyes easing just a little.
"…But you got one," she said quietly.
Asta nodded again.
"That's enough."
Even if she didn't understand it, that answer was enough for her to accept, at least for now.
---
Later that day, Asta left for the forest.
The grimoire did not remain behind.
It stayed with him.
Not in his hands, not carried like a normal object, but always present. When he focused on it, it rose from wherever it rested and came to his side as if it had always been meant to be there. When he stopped thinKi Readingng about it, it remained nearby, hovering just enough to follow his movement without effort.
That alone raised questions.
As he walked deeper into the forest, his thoughts returned to something he remembered from his previous life.
In the original story, Asta had no magic, yet he was still able to control his grimoire and use his sword. Back then, he never thought deeply about how it worked. It simply happened.
But now that he was here, actually holding it, that explanation was no longer enough.
If there was no magic…
Then what was controlling it?
---
He stopped in a clearing and turned toward the grimoire.
It responded instantly, floating slightly closer as if acknowledging his attention.
"…Let's test it properly," he muttered.
He focused.
The grimoire opened.
Not because he touched it.
Not because of mana.
But because he intended it to.
That detail alone confirmed something important.
"It's reacting to thought… not magic."
To be certain, he tried again, this time deliberately reducing his focus.
The movement slowed.
Then stopped.
When he focused again, the pages turned.
That was enough to confirm it.
"…So it's not automatic. It's linked."
---
He extended his hand.
The sword emerged.
It dropped into his grip with its usual weight, forcing his arm to adjust slightly before stabilizing.
He didn't swing immediately.
Instead, he observed.
The blade looked dull.
Old.
Unrefined.
Yet, based on yesterday, that appearance meant nothing.
To confirm it, he stepped forward and swung once at a nearby tree.
The result was immediate.
The blade struck the trunk and cut through it cleanly, the wood giving way far easier than its dull surface suggested.
Asta narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Sharper than it looks."
---
As the sun began to lower, Asta changed his approach.
Now that he had the grimoire, testing the sword's weight and sharpness wasn't enough. If he wanted to truly use it, then he needed to learn how to control the anti-magic itself. He already knew what it was and what it could do, but knowing wasn't enough.
He needed to feel it.
And the only method he trusted for that was Ki Reading.
If anti-magic moved through the sword and connected to him, then he should be able to sense it the same way he sensed his own body.
He sat down slowly, placing the sword across his lap. One hand settled on the hilt while the other rested along the flat of the blade, creating a steady point of contact.
His focus sharpened.
If there was anti-magic flowing through this sword, then he would find it.
He closed his eyes and began with his breathing, slow and controlled, allowing his body to settle into a stable rhythm.
Instead of rushing, he focused inward first.
He felt the pressure beneath him, the weight of the sword resting across his lap, the tension in his muscles, and the steady beat of his heart. One by one, he brought each sensation into focus, building awareness of his entire body.
Only after that did he begin the real attempt.
Keeping both hands on the sword, he tried to sense beyond his own body, searching for something different—something that didn't belong to him, but was still connected to him through the blade.
He held that focus.
Didn't force it.
Didn't rush it.
He simply stayed there, trying to feel it.
Days passed as Asta continued trying to learn Ki Reading.
He followed what he remembered—steady breathing, still posture, and full awareness directed inward. The goal wasn't random focus, but to awaken that perception properly, the same way it was shown later, where one could sense everything around them without relying on sight.
But it didn't work.
No matter how many times he tried, there was no change. He couldn't feel anything beyond his normal senses, and nothing new appeared no matter how long he stayed in that state.
Two weeks passed like this.
Only then did something finally change.
Asta still couldn't do what he remembered from later stages, where awareness spreads naturally to everything around him. That level of perception was far beyond what he could achieve right now.
But after holding his focus long enough, he managed something else.
He could feel inside his own body.
It wasn't wide or effortless. It required time and complete concentration, but once he settled into that state, he could clearly sense the structure of his body—the movement of muscles, the rhythm of his heartbeat, and the flow of everything within him.
It was limited.
But it was real.
"…So this is the starting point."
He couldn't extend it outward yet.
He couldn't maintain it for long.
And if his focus broke, everything disappeared instantly.
Even so, it was enough.
Now that he could sense within his own body, Asta moved to the next step.
Keeping both hands on the sword, he entered that same state again, this time shifting his awareness through the point of contact.
At first, there was nothing.
Then, faintly—
something appeared.
A thin presence.
It moved quietly along the connection between his body and the sword, barely noticeable unless he held his focus completely steady.
Asta kept watching it.
"…Anti-magic."
It wasn't strong.
It didn't spread.
It didn't respond.
It simply existed, flowing in a narrow path inside him.
He tried to control it.
Nothing happened.
He tried to increase it.
Still nothing.
Even when he tried to change its direction, the flow remained the same.
"…So I can feel it… but that's all for now."
That conclusion didn't frustrate him.
It clarified his next step.
Now that he could use Ki to sense within his body,Asta didn't stop there. Feeling the anti-magic was only the first step. He already knew where it came from—there was a demon inside the grimoire.
If he wanted to use this power properly, then there was only one thing left to do.
He needed to reach it.
He needed to talk to the devil.
Asta steadied his breathing and closed his eyes again, bringing himself back into that focused state.
Instead of turning inward this time, he shifted his awareness toward the grimoire, following the faint connection he had already sensed between himself and the
grimoire
.
He didn't rush it.
He didn't force it.
He simply traced that connection carefully, using Ki as a guide, letting his awareness move along that link instead of trying to break through blindly.
Then, as his concentration deepened—
everything changed.
The forest disappeared without warning.
Not faded.
Not blurred.
It was simply gone.
Asta opened his eyes.
He was no longer standing in the clearing.
Instead, he found himself in a space that had no clear shape or boundary. Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction, but it wasn't empty. It felt dense, almost heavy, like the air itself carried weight. There was no ground beneath him, yet he stood firmly as if something unseen supported him.
There was no sound.
No wind.
No movement.
Only stillness.
And something else.
---
A presence.
---
It wasn't hidden.
It wasn't subtle.
It was simply there, filling the space in front of him with a pressure that made the surrounding darkness feel even heavier.
Asta didn't move.
His eyes remained fixed forward as that presence slowly began to take shape.
At first, it was only an outline, barely visible against the darkness. Then it became clearer, piece by piece, as if the space itself was revealing it.
The figure was large.
Far larger than any human.
Its body was tall and lean but carried a weight that didn't come from size alone. Dark markings ran across its form, blending into the surrounding void. Long arms hung at its sides, fingers slightly curled, each movement slow and deliberate.
Behind it, something shifted.
Wings.
Not fully spread, but present.
Torn at the edges, yet still massive.
Its face remained partially obscured at first, but as Asta continued to look, it became clearer.
Sharp features.
A wide mouth.
And then—
its eyes opened.
They weren't glowing.
They didn't flare with power.
But the moment they focused on him, the entire space seemed to tighten.
---
It was looking directly at him.
---
Asta didn't step back.
Didn't break his stance.
Didn't show hesitation.
---
[End of Chapter]
---
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