Chapter 62 — Sometimes, Fists Speak Louder Than Words
With a thought, Yuuki tried to control the two Fire-attribute magic sources within his body, forcing them toward one another.
However—
The two fire magic sources refused to merge.
Like two magnets of the same polarity, they repelled each other violently, making forced fusion impossible.
If even two magic sources of the same attribute behaved like this, then fusing different attributes was clearly out of the question.
The silver glow in Yuuki's eyes gradually faded as he stood up from the ground.
"Time to head back. I should probably report everything that's happened to Licht-sama."
He chuckled softly to himself.
There was still something important left behind in Sosshi Village—a magic stone. But rather than touching it, Yuuki wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from it as possible.
With a casual wave of his hand, a black spatial gate opened. Yuuki stepped through, vanishing from the forest.
---
Meanwhile, back in Sosshi Village—
The villagers and Magic Knights who had collapsed due to the mandrake's fragrance slowly began to awaken.
The first to regain consciousness were Magna and Noelle, whose higher magic power allowed them to recover faster.
"Are you okay, Noelle?"
Magna asked, looking at her pale, shaken face.
"I-I'm fine,"
Noelle replied, still dazed, as if she hadn't fully escaped the shock.
"Damn it! I won't let you get away!"
A loud shout rang out nearby as Asta, the moment he woke up, sprang to his feet.
"Where did he go?!"
Asta scanned the area frantically—only to find that the mysterious man was long gone.
"Don't bother looking. He already left,"
Magna said, his tone complicated as his fists clenched tightly.
"The fact that we and the villagers are all alive is already a blessing."
"What about the enemies we defeated?"
Asta asked, staring at where the Eye of the Midnight Sun members had been.
"They're gone too… Did that guy take them?"
"He didn't seem to be on the same side as those four,"
Magna replied grimly.
"Damn it! In the end, we didn't even figure out why they attacked this village!"
Asta shouted in frustration.
Magna adjusted his sunglasses, clearly irritated.
"No matter what, we'll need to report this to the captain."
Who would've thought that a simple boar-extermination mission would turn into something like this?
Magna glanced at Noelle, who still looked shaken, then at Asta, who was biting back his frustration, and let out a quiet sigh.
---
Rion Town
At the entrance of a restaurant—
Angry shouting echoed through the street, drawing the attention of passing pedestrians.
"Tell me—where did you steal this money from?!"
A haughty male voice rang out first, completely unyielding.
"I didn't steal it!"
a stubborn voice shot back immediately.
"You didn't steal it? Then how could you possibly have this much money?!"
the man sneered.
"Don't think I don't know—you run a tiny diner! You barely get any customers in a day!"
"I already told you—this money belongs to my friend!"
the woman retorted without backing down.
"You deliberately raised the price when you found out I wanted to buy your shop. And when I refused, you turned around and accused me of stealing!"
"A friend's money?"
The man laughed harshly.
"What, did you go find yourself a man to fund you? Planning to get those brats a new father?"
The street grew more crowded as onlookers gathered. At the center stood Rebecca, her face flushed with anger as murmurs spread among the crowd.
"They're my little brothers and sisters!"
Rebecca snapped, furious but still trying to defend herself.
Bang!
"So that's why you sedu—"
Before he could finish, a foot slammed squarely into his chest, cutting him off mid-sentence.
The man was sent flying.
"AAAAH!!"
He rolled across the ground four or five times before crashing into a nearby wall.
The entire crowd fell silent.
Only then did everyone notice that a young man was now standing in front of Rebecca.
"Are you alright?"
Yuuki asked as he turned to her.
Rebecca stared at his back in shock, then nodded instinctively.
"Y-Yes…"
"Sometimes,"
Yuuki said with a faint smile,
"fists are more effective than words when dealing with people like this."
He turned back around and walked toward the man he had just kicked away.
"You bastard! Who the hell are you?! How dare you kick me!"
The man shouted, clutching his chest in pain, his voice shaking with rage and fear.
"I'm the 'friend' Rebecca was talking about,"
Yuuki replied calmly.
"I gave her the money. I also asked her to help purchase the shop."
"Raising the price is one thing—that's business. But falsely accusing someone? That's just a rotten personality."
By the time he finished speaking, Yuuki was already standing right in front of him.
"What are you trying to do? I'm warning you—"
The man pressed himself against the wall, looking up at Yuuki, his voice growing shrill.
Bang!
Another solid kick landed squarely on him.
"AAAAH!!"
Yuuki didn't stop.
One kick after another came down mercilessly, the screams growing louder with each impact.
The onlookers stared in complete disbelief.
Even Rebecca was stunned—she had never imagined that the normally gentle Yuuki could be this ruthless.
Of course, Yuuki wasn't using his full strength. If he so much as reinforced his leg with magic, the man would've been crippled in a single blow.
By the third kick, the man's insults had already turned into begging—but Yuuki still didn't stop.
Only after the seventh kick—
Perhaps from the sheer pain flooding his body, the man suddenly became very "reasonable."
"I'll sell it! I'll sell the shop!"
"Five thousand Yul—no, four thousand!"
Yuuki's foot paused for just a moment.
The man thought it was over—
Bang!
"AAAAH!!"
"Three thousand! Just three thousand! That's the lowest I can go!"
His voice cracked as he cried out.
Under certain circumstances, people really did become much smarter.
Only then did Yuuki withdraw his foot.
With a gentle smile, he turned to the deathly silent crowd.
"You all heard that,"
he said mildly.
"He said it himself."
The crowd's expressions twitched. No matter how gentle Yuuki looked, not a single person dared to respond.
Yuuki didn't care. He turned back to the man curled up on the ground, clutching his head.
"I know you're not satisfied,"
Yuuki said calmly.
"But that's fine. If you think you're in the right, you're welcome to ask the Magic Knights to step in."
"N-No! Of course not!"
the man replied hurriedly. Whether he was satisfied or not no longer mattered.
Whispers suddenly spread through the crowd.
"Isn't that guy connected to the Magic Knights?"
"Yeah—Black Bulls, I think."
"No wonder he looked familiar. Lately, Black Bulls members keep coming around here… they're always looking for him."
Fear crept into the gazes directed at Yuuki.
His gentle smile didn't change.
The mention of the Magic Knights had been entirely intentional.
With Asta's loud personality and Noelle's noble demeanor, it was impossible for them not to attract attention during their frequent visits.
As expected—
The man's last traces of revenge vanished instantly. Someone connected to the Magic Knights was far beyond what he could afford to offend.
"S-Sir! Sir! Here—this is the shop
contract!"
He hurriedly pulled it from his clothes and offered it up, not even daring to mention the money again.
Rebecca's expression—once filled with grievance—was now nothing but stunned disbelief.
(End of Chapter)