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!
I can't leave things the way they are.
Finral is becoming more reliable, and Gordon's become more upbeat.
Both Magna and Luck have gotten stronger,
and Noelle's learning one powerful spell after another.
Asta has always been moving forward.
I think Gauche has become a bit more approachable... maybe.
Everyone's moving forward, but I'm still embarrassed about anyone seeing me.
I'm still scared.
I'm better now than I was then,
but I want to stop feeling embarrassed in my true form.
I have to change!
The Maidens' Challenge
Wh-What?
What is it? Do you need something?
U-Um! Um!
Are you not feeling well?
Um!
Please make me your student!
Huh? What's that supposed to mean?
I want to get over my shyness.
Why?
When we fight the Spade Kingdom or the devil, I can't help anyone if I'm like this.
Why don't you just transform and fight?
That's not good enough!
I have to be the real me.
Why me, though?
Basically everyone on our team is pretty confident.
You're the only one who can help me with this!
You're always so confident and refined, because you're royalty.
I want to be like you, Noelle!
Ah, you have excellent judgment.
Well, if you insist, I guess I don't mind helping you out as a royal.
Thank you very much!
Just so you know, I don't hold back.
Okay! Th-Thank you!
If being looked at embarrasses you, we'll just have to get you over that.
O-Okay!
I'm going to look at you, so just act normal.
Show me your face!
I can't!
Okay... There, I closed my eyes. How about now?
I-I'm okay.
Okay, again.
This is pretty bad.
Okay, how about this?
You're fine if I'm not that close, right?
No... As long as you're looking at me...
Looks like this is going to take a while.
I'll help, too.
Gordon!
I'm always very aware of what my precious friends are doing.
So I've been watching you two from here this whole time.
This whole time?
I-I'm so embarrassed!
I hope you'll let me help with my best friend's growth.
It's probably hard having a real person look at you right away.
You should get used to being around my dolls first.
So we're taking this in steps.
That's not a bad idea.
We'll do our best not to look at you, so give it a try.
O-Okay!
Hey, Grey!
Act normally! You shouldn't be embarrassed around a doll!
G-Good morning...
With more energy!
B-But...
He's still looking at me!
Buck up! You want to be like me, don't you?
Just like Noelle...
This doll's no big deal.
There's no point if you transform!
Y-You're right!
But don't forget how you felt just now.
Yes, you will transform... but only your mind.
Th-That sounds difficult.
I-I have nothing to be embarrassed about.
Jumping straight to my level will be difficult. I'm royalty, after all.
Then what should I do?!
Maybe you can start with Asta.
He's really easy to understand.
Asta... Asta...
Heya, Miz Charmy! What's for lunch today?!
Perfect! Just keep that up!
She sounds a lot like him.
Thanks for always helping me out, Noelle!
It's great to know you're on my side in battle!
We're gonna have to fight some really strong guys soon,
but I know we can win if I'm with you!
I don't know why you can win with me, but fine.
U-Um, I look forward to working with you!
It's difficult getting over your weakness.
Sorry, I don't know what other kind of advice I can give you right now.
Especially since I can't understand feeling embarrassed just by
having someone look at me.
I'm sorry I couldn't help out.
I hope you'll be able to find a good teacher.
Hey.
Is that you, Grey?
What do you want, and why are you in my form?
I want to ask a favor.
What?
Be my mentor.
What am I supposed to teach you?
Our magic attributes are completely different.
If I undo my transformation, I become embarrassed whenever someone sees me.
Tell me how I can be more confident.
Tch! Why do I have to do that?
Ask someone else. I'm busy.
Don't be so stingy. Just tell me.
I won't get anything out of helping you.
I guess you're right. Then I guess I'll do one thing you ask me to.
What's all this?
Turn into Marie and say the lines I've written here.
We'll start with...
I love you, Big Brother!
That's a must!
Also...
I worked really hard to make this for you, Big Brother! Eat up!
And this is also absolutely necessary.
Let's be together forever, Big Brother!
There's plenty more, but say those like you mean them.
I'm not actually Marie. Will that still make you happy?
I only get to see the real Marie once a month.
I'll be able to get by as long as you look and sound like her.
O-Oh, I see...
Okay, follow me.
You just want to be okay with being seen, right?
Yeah.
First, undo your transformation.
I-I'm being seen! I'm being seen from every possible angle!
Try to survive this.
S-S-S-S-Survive...
Um... U-Use what I learned earlier...
J-J-J-J-Just transform my mind to Asta's...
H-H-Hey... G-G-Gauche...
I can't!
I guess it's no use.
Hey. Stand up and open your eyes.
I-I can't!
Calm down. I'm not looking at you anymore.
Huh?
Well, what do we do about this?
Wait, is this...
Hey, can you hear my voice?
Stand up.
Raise your right hand.
Now raise your left leg.
She fell into a trance as she watched the butterfly pass by.
This should work!
Now, how do I get her to not worry about people looking at her?
A turtle.
From now on, you're going to be a turtle. A very big turtle.
Whether it's windy, rainy, or people are staring at you, you just don't care.
You are a turtle!
I'm...
looking at you.
All right! It worked!
Hey, say something!
Oh, right. Turtles don't talk.
Well, that's not good.
You're now going to turn back into a human.
But your mind will remain a turtle.
You'll be a human who's never fazed by anything, just like a turtle.
I'm... a human.
I'm looking at you.
I don't have to hide my face.
I can bear it!
Perfect.
How are you doing?
I'm still a little anxious, but I feel completely different... now.
I'm sure you do. You have the mind of a turtle now.
Eventually, you won't care about people looking at you at all.
Yes...
If you're fine on this crowded street,
you should be fine being surrounded by your friends at the hideout.
I owe it all to you, Gauche. Thank you.
In that case...
I'll need you to keep your promise now.
Huh?
Don't tell me you actually forgot.
Turn into Marie and say those lines I wrote for you.
Oh... Right.
I love you, Big Brother!
I love you too, Marie!
Why did you turn back?
I-I-I mean, this is a bit much...
Transform.
I-I'm too embarrassed...
You turned back to normal!
Well, that was a big waste of time.
I-I'm really sorry!
I mean, if you're not embarrassed when you're transformed,
then why don't you just stay in that form like you used to?
But then it wouldn't be the real me.
What are you talking about?
It doesn't matter what form you take. You're always Grey.
Gauche...
You're so amazing, Sis!
You can activate your spells way faster than before!
It's still not enough.
This isn't enough to face the threat of the Spade Kingdom, let alone the devil!
Next! All five of you come at me at onc—
I guess I can't even call this training anymore.
All right, let's take a break.
It's rough not having any time off,
but we definitely need to train for this upcoming battle with the Spade Kingdom.
We need to do our best right now to protect the Clover Kingdom.
Captain! We look forward to you whipping us into shape in the afternoon, too!
I intend to do just that.
Just be careful not to injure yourselves.
Yes, ma'am!
Everyone is enthusiastic about their training.
They may be livelier now that I've eased the restrictions on their interactions with men.
I can't wait to go out on dates with my boyfriend as soon as this whole mess
with the Spade Kingdom and the devil is done.
Me, too! We're gonna go out on dates every day!
I guess we'll just have to get stronger first.
Aw, no fair. I broke up with my boyfriend recently.
What? Did you dump him, or did he dump you?
He dumped me...
I see... Well, you've both been busy.
Yeah, that's rough.
But nothing good comes of dwelling on the past, so move on to the next one!
Yeah! One of my boyfriend's friends is single, so let's all go drinking together soon.
I can't get over it that quickly...
W-Well, regardless of their motives, their enthusiasm is good.
Don't worry!
Yeah, it's no big deal.
I must lead them.
You guys talking about romance again? You're all helpless!
What's so good about hanging out with men?
Of course, Captain Charlotte,
you'll be going out with Captain Yami once this is all over, right?
What's wrong, Captain?
E-Er, it's nothing.
By the way, Captain, have there been any developments since?
What do you mean by developments?
Oh, come on! I'm talking about your romance with Captain Yami, of course!
Yeah! Were you able to go on any dates after our mixer?
M-Mixer...
That was so much fun!
I think Captain Yami just needed one more push!
Don't be absurd!
No, no, you were going in the right direction, Captain.
If the Angel of Love, Puli Angel, says so, then it must be true, Captain!
Yeah.
Really? Is that true?
So, Captain, you are going out on dates with Captain Yami, aren't you?
Of course I'm not!
What?!
Though, in truth...
After our last captains' meeting,
I wanted to ask him to dinner, and prepared a little gift to give him.
But I just couldn't give it to him.
Well, duh! Sis shines more on the battlefield than in any dumb relationship!
We need to prepare for the threat of the Spade Kingdom and the devil right now.
Non, non! This is the perfect time to strike!
Everyone is on edge because of the upcoming battle.
That's why everyone needs a little extra love.
I know I mentioned that I want to go out on a date
with my boyfriend once this is all over,
but we go on dates occasionally anyway.
I haven't seen mine, but we've been chatting through our
magic communication items every night.
Seriously...
And now is a once in a lifetime chance.
What's that supposed to mean?
When a man and a woman share a sense of impending danger together,
they become closer!
Now that we're facing the impending danger of the Spade Kingdom
and the devil, it's the perfect chance.
You can't be serious.
Anyway, this is the opportune chance for love!
If you use it wisely...
I can't let a man save me.
What are you talking about? You save me all the time.
Huh?
My love for you is what keeps me going all the time.
Yami...
Charlotte, I want...
to start a family with you.
Of course!
And then the two get married and lived happ—
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!
That's not happening!
But it could!
Even so, losing our next battle wouldn't mean facing mere anxiety or a sense of danger.
We would be dead.
To avoid that, we must train!
I'm sure you're all plenty rested now!
Captain Charlotte is amazing.
I guess she doesn't let love get in the way.
We need to work hard so this danger can pass quicker!
Sol, Puli, Selena, Galgaria...
All of you, attack me at once!
All right! Here we go, Sis!
Stone Creation Magic: Stone Rain!
Water Creation Magic: Cascade Destroyer!
Earth Magic: Mud Wall Partition!
No!
Galgar—
Crap! I won't make it in ti—
Our captain is so dazzling. She fights so elegantly.
I'm sure Captain Yami loves this, too.
Huh?
Damn it! I thought I had a chance!
Everything must be according to her plans!
Our captain is amazing.
Let's do our best not to hold her back.
The four of you can rest a while. The other seven of you, attack me at once.
What do you think?
What?! We can't do that!
No, we totally can.
It'll serve as training for us, too.
And we'll be supporting Captain Charlotte, too.
It's two birds with one stone!
What in the world are they discussing?
Are they coming up with a strategy for attacking me all at once?
Say, Captain. We have a suggestion.
What is it?
This is difficult to say,
but we don't think we can be worthy training partners for you.
I wouldn't say that.
Even when the whole group of us attack, we still aren't any match for you.
Stop being so pathetic in front of Sis!
But it's true.
So we were wondering if we should maybe train with another squad.
Train with another squad?
For example, if we were to train with the Black Bulls,
I think we could all find worthy training partners.
Whut?!
They seem to have a mix of the best and the worst,
so they should be worthy opponents.
Captain, could you officially request a joint training session?
I-I see... Well, I don't know if they'll accept, but...
I'll find the right moment to ask.
Captain Charlotte, do you have a moment?
I'm free.
If you're busy training, I can call at another time.
Well, we were just discussing the possibility
of a joint training session with the Black Bulls.
What did you need?
I'd like to confirm the date for the next captains' meeting.
I'm assuming your plans haven't changed?
Correct.
Understood. Please excuse me.
All right. For now, we're going to continue doing what we can.
We can worry about the joint training session later.
Right!
Joint training with the Black Bulls...
I wonder if he'll be suspicious... No, this is merely training.
Yes, this is for survival. To help us defeat the enemy...
Why're you just standing there?
Ya—
This is it, Charlotte. Ask Yami if he'd agree to the joint training session.
I guess even the Spiny Prickly Queen trips sometimes, huh?
I got to see something rare today.
Seriously? Again?
You're shattering my sensitive, fragile heart of glass here.
Other than the Captain of the Blue Rose Knights, everyone is present.
So Charlotte's late?
She arrived late to the Star Festival with Yami.
I wonder what happened this time.
By the way, it seems the Blue Rose Knights are
trying to plan a joint training session with the Black Bulls.
Perhaps this is related.
A joint training session, huh? Hey, I just had a great idea.
Huh?
The kingdom's citizens are still
emotionally and physically exhausted from the Eye of the Midnight Sun's attacks.
I can't deny that.
I'm sure they're worried about whether the royal family can protect them or not.
We need to reassure them that the Magic Knights have the strength to protect them,
and raise the morale of the captains and Magic Knights, too.
So that we can face the impending threat of the Spade Kingdom and the devil.
Um... If I may, what exactly are you planning to do?
I'm going to have the captains fight each other.
Next time on Black Clover, Page 151:
Page 151 Clash! The Battle of the Magic Knights Squad Captains!"
"Clash! The Battle of the Magic Knights Squad Captains!"
D-Do your best, Captain Yami!
You, too. Wanna train again?
No!
Okay, fine.
I-I look forward to your guidance.
Which is it?!