Rebecca came up quickly, holding the groceries in both hands, her eyes glimmering with quiet delight.
"Yuuki, what are you doing here? I thought you'd already left the capital."
Out of breath from running, she arrived in front of Yuuki, panting lightly.
"Ah, no, I just had some things to take care of," he replied with a gentle expression.
"Oh, and last time I took a lot of lamp oil from your shop… I hope the money I left was enough."
Yuuki smiled softly.
"The lamp oil isn't worth much. The money you left was more than enough."
Rebecca shook her head gently, then asked with concern,
"You didn't run into those people from last time, did you? Every year during the Magic Knights' entrance exam, there are always some troublemakers who target the examinees."
"Especially after the exam ends—sometimes examinees have their money stolen, and in some cases, they even disappear."
Her expression turned serious as she warned Yuuki.
Rebecca admired Yuuki's gentle nature with children—her younger siblings had been pestering her for more of his stories ever since hearing the last one— she couldn't help but feel a flicker of relief upon seeing him safe."
Seeing him again on the street brought her a sudden surprise.
Thinking carefully, they weren't exactly close. Approaching him first might have been a bit forward.
Rebecca felt a little embarrassed at the thought.
"No, I didn't run into them. Here, let me help you."
Yuuki shook his head calmly, then reached out to take the groceries from her hands.
"No, no, it's fine." Rebecca only realized after he took them.
Yuuki appeared completely unfazed.
"Nothing to it. I'm a bit hungry anyway."
Seeing Yuuki carrying the groceries toward the small restaurant, Rebecca paused briefly, then quickly followed.
Along the way, she walked slightly behind him, her head lowered, lost in thought. If one looked closely, her ears seemed slightly flushed.
Yuuki, meanwhile, had a calculating look in his eyes, considering his next plans.
Once they returned to the restaurant, Rebecca nervously took the groceries from Yuuki and hurried toward the kitchen.
Yuuki watched her retreating back for a moment, then found a table and sat down.
He wasn't short on money.
After all, having the backing of a major organization was comfortable. The Eye of the Midnight Sun wasn't a small group. As a core member, when Yuuki left the base, Valtos had handed him 50,000 Yul for expenses.
Add to that the 10,000 Yul he recovered from Meath, and subtract the 2,000 Yul he gave the church, and he currently had 58,000 Yul on hand.
It wasn't that he didn't want to give more to the villagers; giving too much might worry them. The 2,000 Yul perfectly supported the story in his letter about gaining a noble's favor.
After all, he had only been in the capital for a few days.
This amount was enough for him to live comfortably in the capital for a month or two.
Of course, in relative terms, Magic Knight members earned 200,000 Yul per month, so his 50,000 Yul was only a quarter of that.
Don't underestimate the currency here—Magic Knight members represented the nation's top force.
" Yuuki-Onii-chan?"
"Yes it's Yuuki-Onii-chan!"
Several excited voices called out as Rebecca's younger siblings all ran to him.
"Yuuki-nii, I want to hear the story of Snow White again!"
"No! I want a new one."
"Yes, yes, a new story!"
The children looked at him expectantly.
"Stories can wait. Can someone bring me some paper and a pen?"
Yuuki raised his hand to quiet the children, then smiled and spoke to one of the older boys.
"Wait a moment."
The boy dashed upstairs and returned shortly with paper and a pen.
"Thanks."
Yuuki nodded at the boy and began writing letters for Asta and Yuno. Knowing their personalities, they were probably worried about him. He intended to stay here temporarily, and if Asta or Yuno wanted to find him, the letters included the address.
Outside the Black Bulls' base, in the forest.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions sounded repeatedly.
A silver-haired girl with twin ponytails, looking a little tsundere, was panting heavily in the forest.
Around her, the ground was torn up with meter-wide craters, leaving the terrain in shambles.
In front of her, a target was hung at the center of a large tree. She had clearly been trying to hit it but failed each time.
"Damn it!"
Frustration filled her face. Gritting her teeth, she raised her arms and aimed at the target again.
Next moment—
With a surge of mana, an oval-shaped water sphere appeared in front of her hands and shot toward the target tree.
But!
After only a few meters, it veered off course and hit another area.
Boom!
Another explosion echoed.
She glared in disbelief, frustration turning to despair.
"Ah!"
Asta tumbled out from where the previous water sphere had landed.
"Um, hello there."
Asta waved awkwardly at the stunned silver-haired girl.
"How are you here?"
Embarrassed by her repeated failures, her face flushed instantly.
"You missed because you can't control your mana precisely, right?" Asta asked curiously, not noticing her embarrassment, scratching his head.
"Mind your own business, you pest!"
Her face turned even redder, and she spoke with visible agitation.
Asta seemed used to her scolding.
"I didn't mean it that way. I just thought… since you're trying so hard but still can't control it, you might ask someone for guidance."
His voice brightened suddenly:
"I have a friend, Yuuki, who's really skilled at mana control. I can introduce him. Even Yuno said that in terms of mana control, no one beats Yuuki."
Yuuki?
Yuno?
The silver-haired girl paused. She didn't know Yuuki, but Yuno—he was the owner of the Five-leaf Clover grimoire.
Her eyes lit up slightly.
(End of Chapter)
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