The Clover Kingdom.
In this kingdom where magic is everything,
there is one boy who can't use magic.
His name is Asta.
With guts and hard work, he made it into the Magic Knights,
and he never gave up, despite how much he got hurt.
He continues to diligently aim for the top!
Even if you are a peasant,
or even if you're poor...
Anyone in this world can still shine!
He's working hard to prove that,
and to become the Wizard King!
The rest of the Black Bulls and I
are training so that we can
go up against the Spade Kingdom and that devil.
But at this rate... we don't stand a chance against their power.
Rouge...
That's right. Now's not the time to worry about how I get things done.
There ain't no shops open this late.
Have a seat.
You're awake?
I just wandered down here, and this bottle invited me to have a drink.
What? You mad I'm drinking from your secret stash?
No, have as much as you'd like.
You're not drinking?
Well, this is nice.
I always wanted to enjoy a drink with you alone.
That so?
But I'm going to have to ask for a rain check.
Sure.
I'd love to have one next time.
Don't push yourself too hard.
Right. I'll be back soon.
A Witch's Homecoming
Queen of Witches
I'm here to ask a favor of you.
I want you to tell me how I can strengthen my friends and myself.
We'll be fighting the Spade Kingdom soon.
The Witches' Forest will be in danger, too.
I am fully aware.
Not only of your actions, but also of the threat heading toward our forest.
It is unfathomable that I would not be aware of this.
Then you understand, don't you?
They possess mana far greater than that of any normal mage.
We're going to have to fight them.
And my friends only know how to fight by pushing themselves too far.
It's a miracle that we haven't lost anyone yet because of it.
But this time...
You already have the power to change fate.
What do you fear?
Rouge is not all-powerful.
If I lose my mana, Rouge also loses her power to change fate.
Please... teach me some of the ancient magic
that lies within the Witches' Forest, which only you know of.
I need your powers in order to fight them!
Even if you could actually use my magic,
I fail to see the point in this.
Then just...
Teach me the ancient magic that lies in this forest.
That doesn't change anything.
You seem to be mistaken.
You're right. I escaped this place,
so I know I'm out of line to even ask for your help.
But...
If I can't gain anything here, my friends will...
Well... I'm not saying there isn't a way to give you power.
But there is one condition...
So you must be, um...
Samantha Kravitz
Elvira Aguirre
I-I'm Samantha.
It's nice to meet you, Miss Vanessa.
So you're Samantha, and you're... Elvira.
The Queen of Witches told me about you.
I'm only doing this because the Queen ordered me to.
But you're not my superior, understand?
Yes, I know that. So it'd be great if you could lead the way.
There it is.
We have security golems placed outside the forest
to notify us if the Spade Kingdom attacks, but...
Security golems will react to any threat,
but they can't tell humans from magical beasts.
They'd never stop otherwise,
so the Queen has set them to stop shooting after three shots.
In that case, when the Spade Kingdom actually attacks,
they won't be much help as an early defense.
And you were told to make them useful, right?
The Queen of Witches herself gave you special treatment,
so I'm sure that'd be an easy task for you.
No, it's not that simple.
U-Um...
Yes?
There are magical beasts staring at us.
Shoot attack spells at them! Any ones you know!
They should flee after one hit!
I'm sorry...
Hey, didn't you defeat the last enemy that invaded this place?
Or what? Are you useless without the help of men from the outside world?
Elvira, that's not very nice.
So?
Well, back then, we...
Team Two!
Don't you dare underestimate us witches!
Y-You don't need to bring that up!
I guess I never asked what kind of magic you two possess. Could you show me?
Sure...
Sound magic.
This is all I can do. I'm sorry.
Thanks for showing me. And what about you?
Magic that projects illusions?
What else?
That's it. You've got a problem with that?
No. It's my fault for not confirming your powers first.
I'm sorry. I really can't do this job.
I'm absolutely useless. I'm just going to hold you back.
You should just give up this job already.
We're both failures, anyway.
The way Samantha panics is just like Grey.
And Elvira being so proud reminds me of Noelle.
What's really so different between them and these girls?
Let's wrap things up for today.
You're free to go. I'll think of something by tomorrow.
I'm sorry.
Not like anything's going to change.
Those two won't be enough help!
When the time for war comes, I will need everyone out there.
So you want me to train them until they'll be useful in battle?
But who knows how long that'll take?
I get it now. So that was your plan all along.
Whatever are you talking about?
You're trying to get me to give up by giving me a task that's impossible to do!
What do you use your magic for?
Hey, did you hear?
About how the Queen's making her deal with those two failures, right?
Yeah, that's not happening. I mean, it's Samantha and Elvira!
The Queen of Witches can be so mean.
No matter how special Vanessa might be, there are things even she can't pull off.
I know, right?
I can hear you.
I guess the witches here never change.
That cake shop ended up closing down.
That's a shame.
The witches in this forest love to talk.
But I've never gotten to join their conversations.
That probably goes for those two, too.
I'll cut you a deal! Act now, and it'll only be 20,000 yuls!
Are you buying?
Why, thank you!
Oh...
Oh, hey. It's been a while. How've you been?
Wait, Domina?!
I see. So that's why you're back.
Yes. What about you?
Dominante Code
Well, you know that hubby of mine can't work a normal job.
He's a wanted man, after all.
He has nothing better to do, so he's been farming,
Fanzell Kruger
Mariella
but that's not enough to put food on the table.
Which means I have to peddle these magic items.
It's such a pain.
I'm surprised you got permission.
Yeah, considering I escaped this place, just like you did.
I'm guessing the Queen thinks it might benefit her, too.
You are a pretty good magic item saleswoman.
Yeah, but sounds like you're having a hard time.
That's for sure. I'm at a loss right now.
Then I have the perfect magic item for you!
It's a magic washboard that gets any stain out, depending on the user's mana.
We're friends, so I'll cut the price down to 8,000 yuls!
How am I supposed to use this against magical beasts?
I dunno.
You're not gonna buy it?
Look...
Why would I buy something that I'm not even sure will be of any use?
Aw, it's always about how you use things.
The Queen of Witches manages to keep all the witches here in line.
It's just like that!
Hm? Something wrong?
No.
What do you use your magic for?
All right. The three of us are going to get
those magical beasts away from the forest.
I'm sorry... I can't do it.
This is just a waste of time.
Don't worry. We can do this.
No, we're the only ones who can.
You seem pretty confident for some reason. Why is that?
I am. Look at this.
This is the Witches' Forest. This is the magical beasts' territory.
Smaller magical beasts gather around here to eat nuts.
And bigger magical beasts feed on those smaller ones.
And right here...
There are a lot of trees that are loaded with nuts,
so a lot of small magical beasts gather.
I saw a number of bigger magical beasts, too.
You saw them?
I stayed up all night investigating.
You finally looked at me.
S-So?
The rest is simple.
We'll lead the larger magical beasts that come near the Witches' Forest this way.
Then they won't come here anymore.
How is that simple?
Do you really think we can do that?
That's impossible.
We can. It's not impossible.
I was just like you two. I'd given up.
But...
What are you doing?
Dollies?
They're so little.
Think back... to the first time you were able to use magic.
Everyone's thought about what they wanted to use their magic for.
As for me...
I wanted to make everyone smile.
That was the one thing I couldn't give up on.
Even now, I don't want to see anyone cry.
Wouldn't it be even more wonderful if the dolls had color?
Yeah!
O-Oh, fine.
Wow!
And believe it or not, these dolls talk, too!
Really?!
Huh?!
Listen to this. I got hit on in town again yesterday.
Really?
But the only ones who ever talk to you are old guys and little kids.
Any type of magic can be used for all kinds of things, depending on
how you use and combine it.
The thing that made those kids smile was none other than our magic.
Are you ready?
Here we go.
Good, you two. Just like that.
Elvira!
I know!
We've been running a while... Are we there yet?
The markers I left last night...
Okay!
Just a little more!
Okay!
This is it.
Wh-What are you doing?!
No! Those are actual little magical beasts!
But we came this far...
What should we do? Run?
Don't give up!
Elvira! I need you to make this as terrifying as possible!
What do you mean?!
Samantha! Make it roar! Make it sound really, really strong!
O-Okay!
Our plan worked.
We actually...
...did it.
Yes, we did.
That's amazing!
We can't do anything like that.
Huh?
But why...
The Queen showed us.
I guess we can do it...
It's all thanks to you.
You two found something you didn't want to give up on.
Make sure you never forget what that is.
Yes.
All of my dummies are absolutely terrible at giving up.
Well, then...
I came here to learn some powerful spell,
but never mind.
Why is that?
I'm going to train myself and gradually raise my mana.
I'll continue thinking about the best way to use my magic.
I won't give up.
That's all I can do, and that's fine.
So you were able to tug the threads of people's emotions?
Yes... Those threads were always connected.
I'm going to continue to use my magic so that all my
friends in the Black Bulls can always keep smiling.
As you said, I was mistaken.
It wasn't Rouge's magic that could change fate.
Ever since the day I left this forest...
Choose for yourself.
He gave me the opportunity, but he's not the one who changed my fate.
I'm the one who chose my path, and I'm the one who changed my fate.
I'm going to continue to change the worst fate that may befall us.
I'm going to pull together the threads that will connect to the fate
that keeps everyone smiling.
Then go. You have no reason to stay here.
Thank you, Queen.
Oh, you going home already?
Yes. I wanted to thank you, too.
"Too"?
Well, whatever.
If you want to thank me, buy this.
This is a magic item that you put in the bath, and then
bubbles flow out of these holes.
It's great for relaxation.
Right now, it's on sale for the special low price of 12,000 yuls!
I'm not buying it.
What?!
I'm sure you've earned plenty without me having to buy that.
Well, yeah. It's great that I can run my business here.
It's all thanks to the Queen of Witches.
Despite what she says, she still looks after us.
Yeah...
Tell Fanzell and Mariella hi for me.
Tell Asta and the others hi for me, too.
Hey.
Have a seat.
You're awake?
I woke up.
So, you learn any new spells?
No, not a single one.
But that's fine.
I see.
There seems to be a lot left, considering your usual pace.
You said you wanted to have a drink with me, so I saved some for ya.
Thank you.
But... I'll have to take a rain check again.
Why?
I'm going to lay off for a while so I can train properly.
I see.
Okay, I'm heading to bed.
Oh, yeah.
What is it?
Welcome back.
I'm home!
Thank you, Queen of Witches.
Thanks to you, I know what path I need to take.
Next time on Black Clover, Page 140: "A Favor for Julius."
Page 140 A Favor for Julius
Wait, is that Sally?!