Who Should I Help?**
A spell like Tracking Magic was pure support—absolutely the kind of magic nobles hated to awaken. But for Yuuki, it was far more valuable than most offensive spells.
The spell was simple to use: attach a trace of mana to the person you wanted to track, and you could locate them from anywhere. So far, there didn't seem to be any distance limit at all.
Yuuki had originally planned to attach the tracking mana to Asta, but after remembering that guy's anti-magic… he had no choice but to put it on Noelle instead.
Not that it made any difference.
Asta and Noelle were practically glued together. As long as he knew where Noelle was, he knew where Asta was.
The first thing Yuuki confirmed was the location of the Black Bulls' hideout.
It wasn't actually far from the town—deep inside a forest. Without Tracking Magic, finding their hideout really would've been a pain.
"Noelle isn't coming today… then she probably won't be stopping by at all," Rebecca said, agreeing with a nod.
Noelle didn't visit the restaurant every single day—she often skipped a day or two.
"By the way," Yuuki asked as he finished his soup, looking up at her, "have you thought about what we discussed before?"
"Huh?" Rebecca blinked, caught off guard.
"I'm planning to take over that failing shop next door," Yuuki said calmly.
"Then I'll break through the wall between the two buildings, renovate both spaces, and turn your restaurant into a tavern."
"Your cooking is great. It's just that the old setting drags the business down. If we renovate and turn it into a tavern, it'll do far better."
"Of course, the number of owners will become two. As for profits—we split fifty-fifty."
Yuuki smiled softly as he spoke.
Rebecca's teal-green eyes brightened—clearly tempted. Yuuki had mentioned the idea before; she thought he'd only been joking. She never expected him to be serious!
The Forsaken Realm — Saussy Village
Not far from the village, atop a cliff, a swirling black spatial gate tore open in midair.
A moment later—
A figure dressed in a black hooded robe, wearing a patterned mask, stepped out from within the portal.
It was none other than Yuuki, carefully disguised.
With Tracking Magic, teleporting near his target wasn't difficult. In Yuuki's eyes, Tracking Magic and Spatial Magic were simply a perfect combination.
Standing at the edge of the cliff, Yuuki looked down at Saussy Village, shrouded in thick, rolling fog. He couldn't see Asta or the others anywhere outside.
"Looks like they've gone in. Meaning… the fight's already started."
"Tsk tsk… This should count as the first clash between the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the Black Bulls. As a core member of the Eye… and Asta's friend… who am I supposed to help here?"
Yuuki stared down at the fog-covered village below, murmuring to himself.
Then, he suddenly smiled.
"Or maybe… I help no one."
Thump!
Snort—!
A boar burst out from the trees behind him, its savage white eyes fixed on the lone figure standing at the cliff's edge.
Hearing the commotion, Yuuki turned his head slightly.
"This thing really looks terrifying."
His voice was calm as he shook his head.
The boar was as large as a small calf, its entire body packed with bulging muscle. Flames burned along its limbs and head, giving it an intimidating presence.
This world had no such thing as a "normal" wild animal.
Asta and the others had come to Saussy Village specifically to complete a quest to eliminate these boars—only to encounter members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun and get dragged into their first confrontation.
Boom!
The boar charged, lunging straight toward Yuuki.
Yuuki, entirely uninterested, waved his hand. A spatial doorway opened before him. He stepped through casually—and the portal vanished behind him.
"SNORT!?"
The boar had no time to stop. With a tragic squeal, it ran straight off the cliff.
Yuuki reappeared at the village entrance below.
"Fog Magic, huh."
Before him, the village was completely obscured by white mist. Only one part of the fog had been torn open—clearly blasted apart.
That was definitely Asta's anti-magic.
"In this kind of environment… Plant Magic should work nicely."
With that thought, Yuuki slipped a handful of seeds from his sleeve, stepped through the gap in the fog, and scattered the seeds around him as he walked.
Meanwhile — Saussy Village Center
In the middle of the village, members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun faced off against Asta, Noelle, Magna the fire mage from the Black Bulls, and the terrified villagers huddled behind them.
A tense, suffocating atmosphere filled the air.
The cold seeped into the villagers' bones. Their breath came out in white wisps as they trembled in fear.
(End of Chapter)
"Fifty-fifty is too little for you… You're buying the shop, paying for the renovations… I'm not contributing anything."
After her initial excitement, Rebecca hesitated again.
"You're contributing the entire restaurant," Yuuki said, shaking his head.
"And I've only just arrived in the royal capital. I don't understand the business side of things—or anything else, for that matter. You'll have to handle most of that."
"To be honest, I feel like I'm the one taking advantage."
As he spoke, Yuuki's eyes narrowed.
Noelle's marker on his mental map suddenly shot forward—fast.
And not toward the restaurant.
It was heading toward a different direction entirely—
Toward the Forgotten Realm.
Yuuki's expression sharpened.
So it's finally starting… the plot.
"Still…" Rebecca was still wavering, her small nose dusted with freckles that made her pale face look both youthful and stubborn.
"Don't worry," Yuuki said with a laugh.
"With a royal like Noelle dropping by now and then, that alone is enough to make our tavern's reputation skyrocket."
"Opportunities like this don't come twice. Who knows—maybe that royal young lady won't keep visiting forever. When that happens, we won't have such an easy source of prestige anymore."
As he spoke, Yuuki reached into his coat—though in reality he was pulling something out of his spatial magic.
"There's a hundred thousand yul in here. It should be enough to buy the shop next door."
Before Rebecca could even react, Yuuki placed the money pouch onto the table. Then he stood up and dashed toward the restaurant door.
"I've got something important to handle. I'll be back later!"
Rebecca stared blankly at the rapidly vanishing Yuuki, then at the pouch sitting on the table.
"A-a hundred thousand yul… and he just gave it to me like that?"