Inside the church of Harge Village, the priest, Sister Lily, and all the children were gathered together, their faces full of anticipation as they looked at the two letters in the priest's hands.
"Yuno really is incredible! Joining the Magic Knights—He really is the pride of our village!"
The priest looked at the letters in his hands, his face lighting up with excitement.
The other children in the church all looked on with admiration and joy.
"There's another letter from Asta."
Sister Lily smiled as she opened Asta's letter.
"When will Asta return? When he does, we must give him a proper welcome," the priest said, his tone light. In his mind, there was no way Asta could have actually joined the Magic Knights.
"He said he passed!"
Sister Lily's face showed surprise.
A brief silence fell as some of the children turned to her in astonishment.
Outside the church, in a corner near the window, Yuuki leaned against the wall, listening to the sounds from inside. Seeing the children react to Asta's and Yuno's success in joining the Magic Knights brought a faint smile to his face.
"Looks like everyone's doing well," he murmured.
Yuuki wasn't supposed to appear inside the church. He had only intended to observe, and unexpectedly caught the moment the letters arrived.
"So much has happened in the past couple of days, I even forgot to write letters," he said softly, shaking his head.
From the Magic Knights' entrance test until now, only a little over two days had passed, yet so much had happened that it rivaled the experiences he had spent years accumulating in the village.
"My mana has mostly recovered. It's time to return to the capital."
Yuuki glanced at the church, focused his thoughts, and a black spatial portal appeared before him. He stepped into it and vanished.
Inside the church, the priest's face glowed with excitement.
"I never thought Yuno and Asta would both join the Magic Knights!"
He then asked eagerly, "What about Yuuki's letter?"
Sister Lily raised her empty hands. "We haven't received one from Yuuki yet."
"I see. Since Asta has joined, Yuuki must have joined as well."
"Who would have thought our village would produce three major figures in the Magic Knights?"
After a momentary disappointment, the priest's excitement returned.
"Look, what's at the window?"
A small child in the church pointed with their innocent voice.
Everyone turned to see a package resting on the windowsill.
Sister Lily hurried over, opened the window, and retrieved the package, while the others crowded around, curious.
"What's this? Why is there a package?"
The priest touched his chin, murmuring softly, "Looks like it was delivered. Strange… I didn't notice it earlier—perhaps I was too engrossed reading the letters."
Sister Lily opened the package and found an envelope along with a small pouch of money.
"Ah!" she gasped in surprise. "It's Yuuki's letter!"
"What does it say?" the priest asked eagerly.
Yuuki's letter read:
"I was unable to join the Magic Knights, but I unexpectedly received the recognition of a noble. I plan to remain in the capital for the time being to develop myself further."
Sister Lily looked up in surprise as she told the priest.
The priest's initial worry upon hearing Yuuki hadn't joined vanished when he learned that Yuuki had earned a noble's favor, his face lighting up with renewed excitement and joy.
"Wow, so much money… looks like 2,000 Yul!"
Nash reached out and lifted the pouch. Its weight made him exclaim in astonishment.
The priest, noticing the small movement, quickly snatched the money pouch from Nash's hands, his face beaming as he carefully tucked it into his robe.
"Children shouldn't be holding so much money. As expected, Yuuki is the most thoughtful—helping out the family."
"Even though he didn't join the Magic Knights, earning the recognition of a noble… truly, Yuuki never disappoints."
The priest's face lit up as he waved his arms joyfully:
"Whether it's joining the Magic Knights or gaining the favor of a noble, this is news Hage Village has never seen before!"
Sister Lily covered her mouth, letting out a soft chuckle at the priest's animated display.
Having received letters from all three of them, the priest and Sister Lily finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Capital City.
Bustling as ever.
Yuuki walked down the crowded streets, a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.
The tasks Licht had entrusted to him were twofold: gather intelligence within the capital, and assist if the Eye of the Midnight Sun were active there.
Neither task was complicated. The significance lay in the fact that, as the center of the Clover Kingdom, Licht had entrusted him with such important responsibilities—it was clear he was being taken seriously.
For this reason, Rades looked even more displeased with him.
Yuuki shook his head lightly, even pursing his lips.
Others might not understand, but he knew perfectly well. Licht's other identity was William, captain of the Golden Dawn. Any important events in the capital? How could they possibly be hidden from a Magic Knight captain who was also of the royal family?
Collecting intelligence in the capital was, in reality, meaningless.
"Still, I have to put on appearances… can't disappoint Lord Licht."
Yuuki's lips curved slightly, and he realized something amusing.
Asta and Yuno were members of the Magic Knights. Yuuki, now a core member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun, could, in effect, monitor the actions of both the Clover Kingdom and the Eye.
Combined with his knowledge of events!
To Yuuki, both sides were essentially open cards.
He suddenly began to appreciate Licht's amusement—a sense of standing outside the chessboard, watching the pieces move.
Yuuki recalled a line from a TV show he had once seen: "I've got someone above me."
Now, he wasn't just covered from above—he had someone below him too.
"First, find out how many members of the Eye are operating in the capital."
"Also, I need a visible identity in the capital and a way to earn money."
A gleam of twilight flashed in Yuuki's eyes as he thought to himself.
"Yuuki?"
At that moment, a pleasantly surprised voice rang out from a nearby street.
Hearing the familiar voice, Yuuki turned toward its source.
"Rebecca?"
He spoke in mild surprise as he saw the girl with reddish-brown hair approaching.
(End of Chapter)
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