[Three Months Later]
[Sister Lily's POV]
Sister Lily was finally free from her morning chores. She stepped outside the church and gazed at the horizon as her thoughts drifted back over the past three months.
It had been three months since that incident—the day when the three children collapsed. Although only one of them remained bedridden, the other two had also been greatly weakened.
The day following the Grimoire Ceremony, the four-leaf grimoire prodigy, Yuno, was attacked by a former Magic Knight who intended to steal his grimoire and sell it to nobles. Due to the weakness he still suffered from after the ceremony, Yuno was unable to properly unleash his magic and was easily captured.
Asta, who happened to pass by, decided to fight on his own. However, he was quickly injured and beaten badly. When he was about to fall into despair, he remembered his promise to Yuno—to become the Wizard King. At that moment, a grimoire began floating before him.
With great difficulty, he pulled a sword from it and began fighting the Magic Knight. Because of the lingering weakness from the ceremony, he was unable to finish the battle quickly. Eventually, Yuno managed to free himself and used one of Theo's tricks to trip the Magic Knight. As the man lost his balance, Asta swung his anti-magic sword and defeated him.
Later, many Magic Knights arrived to investigate the ceremony—and the boy who should not have survived.
According to the healers, his survival itself was nothing short of a miracle. By all medical logic, he should have been dead.
Another strange matter was Theo's grimoire. It was not retrieved from the Grimoire Tower for an entire day. Anyone who touched it experienced intense discomfort, headaches, and constant chattering voices—sounds that could drive even a Magic Knight insane.
Only after Asta obtained his own grimoire was Theo's brought back. However, the moment Asta placed Theo's grimoire inside the church, his own grimoire went silent. It stopped responding entirely.
Even after 2 months, Asta's grimoire still did not react. It was only recently that itcstarted working back.
There was also the continued weakness of both boys.
Asta could no longer follow his usual training regimen. Once, he tried to force himself through it, only to become severely ill afterward. Asta—who had never been sick in his life—fell ill for the very first time. It was decided that he would no longer train as harshly as before. Asta protested, but a single stern look from Father was enough to stop him.
Then there was Yuno.
Magic no longer whispered to him. His mana was still greater than anyone else in the village, but it no longer flowed effortlessly. What once came naturally now required focus, effort, and strain.
After the ceremony, both Asta and Yuno became… normal.
Asta lost his incomprehensible physical strength for a time, along with his anti-magic. Yuno's four-leaf grimoire became unstable—the fourth leaf now blurry, as if it might disappear at any moment.
But the most worrying case of all was Theo.
He had remained unconscious since that day. According to the healers, he should have died—yet somehow, he survived.
A miracle.
Theo had always said that magic itself was a miracle.
Whenever I thought about Theo's magic, my thoughts drifted back to his grimoire. It was in worse condition than even Asta's—completely worn down, as though it had been dragged through a battlefield. Anyone who touched it felt immediate discomfort.
The situation grew so serious that high-ranking church members and the head of the Grimoire Tower arrived with an artifact to inspect it, suspecting the presence of a devil.
Yes… both the church and the Grimoire Tower believed Theo's grimoire might contain a devil.
However, after repeated examinations by church officials, Magic Knights, and the Tower Master himself, the possibility of devil possession was ruled out.
A healer was then assigned to treat Theo.
And yet—three months later—he still had not awakened.
According to the healers, his body was completely healed. He should have woken up by now.
But here we were.
I couldn't help but feel sorrow for him. I still remembered how happy the three children had been when they left for the Grimoire Ceremony. Now, I wished I had stopped them.
All three were injured after that day.
And Theo had suffered the worst.
"Sister Lily, please give us something to eat."
I turned to see Nash standing nearby.
Smiling gently, I led him to the kitchen. These days, it was filled with all kinds of meat—thanks to Asta and Yuno.
"Here you go," I said as I served the children their meals.
As I finished, I noticed Asta and Yuno returning from training.
"Asta, Yuno, food is ready," I called out.
"Yes, Sister," Asta replied in a low, exhausted voice.
Yuno simply nodded.
I could feel the change in them.
Asta had once been the loudest and most energetic of all.
Yuno had been calm and composed—magic flowing naturally, every movement refined.
Now, both were different.
Asta no longer carried that boundless energy.
And Yuno was no longer effortlessly elegant. Magic that once answered his will now required gritted teeth and relentless training.
Asta's anti-magic had returned, and he could use it again—but the physical strain was still overwhelming.
"You both should rest for a while," I said gently. "You need it."
They stopped eating and nodded slightly.
I sighed in relief. At least they listened now.
Since Theo had been bedridden, many responsibilities he once handled had fallen onto Asta and Yuno. It had grounded them—but in Asta's case, I feared it was less understanding and more physical limitation.
Alright… I'll go to the backyard to—
Thing… thing ting… ting.
A strange noise rang out from Father's room—the room now used by Theo.
We all froze.
Then, without a word, we rushed toward the room.