It only took Arlan and the others two weeks to repair the fence for Hage Village. After two weeks, this barren Village was surrounded by a ten-meter-high fence, and the people in the Village changed their impression of Asta once again!
Time passed bit by bit, and in the blink of an eye, it was March.
Today was the important day for children in nearby Villages who had turned fifteen to go to the grimoire tower to receive their grimoires. Arlan and the others had arrived here early.
After several months of intensive training, Arlan had gained a lot.
His physical strength and Chakra were enough to open the first gate of the Eight Gates, the [Gate of Opening]. Besides that, what made him happiest was that he had grown taller, reaching Yuno's eyebrows. He had finally gotten rid of the "shorty" label. It seemed that he hadn't grown taller before because his nutrition hadn't kept up!
These days, he had been maintaining himself with grilled fish, wild boar meat, and quite nutritious snake soup. Not only had he grown taller, but his body was also more robust than before. At this moment, he was full of masculine charm, which made many girls of the same age cast glances in his direction frequently.
"His white hair is so handsome!"
"Don't you think his eyes look very serious?"
A few young girls whispered. This undoubtedly made the other men around them jealous, and two of them, whose clothes were noticeably more luxurious than their peers, darkened their faces.
"These shallow girls are actually infatuated with a shabby foundling!"
Will, with a square face, showed a look of disdain.
"It seems they are just Village girls. Being able to marry a pig-slaughtering hero must make them very proud."
Rake sneered in agreement. Both of them were rare nobles in this border region. Although their fiefs were a bit far from the capital, they had always looked down on these commoners. When they spoke, they did so as if no one else was around, without any fear of these words being heard by Arlan and the others.
"I heard our pig-slaughtering hero is someone who can't even use magic. If one were to marry such a man, maybe in the future, they could even charge a little admission fee to put him on display!"
"Hahaha!"
Will and Rake mocked him to the extreme. Then, their smiles gradually froze because Arlan glanced at them coldly. He didn't retort or make any fierce expressions, but that one look made them feel as if they were being stared at by a demon wandering in the abyss!
They shivered uncontrollably!
Will and Rake shivered in unison. They looked at each other, and through the other's pupils, they could even see their own faces distorted by fear.
"Clowns."
Arlan spat lightly. To be scared like this by just one look—that was something. But these two were at least sensible; if they dared to bicker again, he wouldn't mind putting them in their place!
"However, I don't know if I'll be able to get a grimoire today."
Arlan looked around. This grimoire tower stored so many grimoires; surely one should fly towards him, right? Arlan was still very curious about magic. Over the past few months, he had learned something about this world, and the power produced by strong magic was no lower than that of Ultimate-level Ninjutsu.
Therefore, even if that grimoire only the size of a knee flew towards him, Arlan wouldn't mind. As long as he could practice magic, he promised to work harder than anyone else!
"Welcome, all recipients. May you who are about to embark on a new journey be filled with honesty, hope, and love, just like the clover!"
An old man wearing a reddish-brown magic robe descended from the sky, stepping on a magic carpet. His aged voice spread throughout the entire grimoire tower through the amplification magic in front of him.
At this moment, whether it was the children coming to participate in the granting ceremony, the parents accompanying them, or the casual observers, everyone became nervous in unison. Because this old man was the master of this grimoire tower, and with his arrival, the grimoire granting ceremony was about to begin!
"I'm so looking forward to it. I wonder what kind of grimoire I'll get!"
A young girl said, clasping her hands together, her eyes filled with longing for the future.
"If my son can get a thick grimoire, I promise to host a banquet at home for three days; everyone will be welcome to come and eat!"
A boy's parent said excitedly. In his view, the thicker the grimoire, the more magic could be created, which surely meant the greater the strength, right?
"Honestly, not to mention a Magic Emperor, we don't even have anyone who has made any achievements after entering the Magic Knight Squad. So, honestly, please, you must win some glory for this grimoire tower!"
"The tower master spoke up to this point, his beard bristling and eyes glaring, saliva flying everywhere, which actually gave quite a few people a start."
"Then, let the awarding of the grimoires begin!"
After the tower master finished speaking, grimoires shimmering with brilliant light flew out from the bookshelves one by one. They first circled above everyone's heads as if choosing their masters, and then flew in an orderly fashion into the hands of the boys and girls.