The streets of Leon Town were quiet but lively.
Yuuki carried a huge bundle in his arms—yellow-green pods that still had remnants of leaves and stems, freshly harvested, curved and elliptical in shape.
The bundle was so large it nearly covered half of Yuuki's head, leaving only his eyes peeking out to see the street ahead.
Even so, the sheer size made it sway slightly as he walked. Passersby instinctively stepped aside, wary of being crushed if it tipped over.
Along the way, several people recognized Yuuki as the young man planning to open a new tavern in town—one with a background in the Magic Knights.
Some even greeted him politely, and Yuuki smiled and nodded in response.
Though the bundle looked unstable, Yuuki held it firmly from underneath. There was no risk of it falling.
Yet his mind wasn't fully on the task at hand.
The matter of cooperation had gone smoothly.
Except for the initial attempt by Mars to ambush him—which Yuuki had effortlessly countered with a single strike—the discussion had been friendly enough, at least from Yuuki's perspective.
In fact, the moment Yuuki mentioned "Fana," Mars was already destined to cooperate.
Back in the Magic Palace, Yuuki had waited for Asta to send Mars flying with the Demon-Slaying Sword before using spatial magic to transport him away.
This was all so that Mars could recall memories of Fana.
The magical stone embedded in Mars's body had granted him fire magic, but it was also the Diamond Kingdom's means of controlling him.
Under its influence, Mars had completely forgotten his childhood memories with Fana. But the sword strike from Asta disrupted the magical stone's control, restoring his memories of the past.
That was the premise for Yuuki to win Mars's cooperation. Otherwise, Mars would have remained nothing more than a cold, ruthless weapon.
Of course, even so, Mars wasn't an easy ally.
He wasn't a minor figure. As one of the Diamond Kingdom's Eight Shining Generals, he was among the highest-ranking individuals in the nation—a true pinnacle of power.
To win someone like him over, Yuuki knew that mere secrecy or trickery wouldn't work. It could even backfire.
On this, Yuuki had to admit, there was something to learn from Licht.
Licht had inspired undying loyalty in the members of the White Night Eye—not just through power, but through his personality, which gave them hope for the future.
Yuuki might not possess that level of charisma, but he knew what Mars truly valued, what he truly desired.
Put bluntly, it was about shared interests. Politely speaking, it was about shared ideals.
Mars despised how the Diamond Kingdom exploited children as experimental subjects, training them cruelly to become warriors. He wanted to change it.
By coincidence, Yuuki also hated the nobility and royal families who imposed such cruelty.
Thus, "cooperation" was born.
Yuuki only needed to maintain control of the process. To an outsider, his replication magic was already mysterious—no one could uncover the truth merely through combat.
That was also why he revealed his face.
Respect for a fellow strong warrior—and confidence.
Mars's grimoire had been transformed under Yuuki's control, posing no threat. A magician whose own magic was under Yuuki's command could be defeated effortlessly if Yuuki wished.
In such a situation, there was no need for unnecessary secrecy.
Pretending to be weak can work, but if you play the fool for too long, you risk actually becoming one. The most obvious example was the Uchiha Obito, who nearly destroyed the world for a woman—despite possessing the power of the Six Paths and the Heart Sword "Ame-no-Nuhoko," his lack of resolve caused it to shatter.
To Yuuki, that was a clear case of hiding in the shadows for too long and "turning into a fool."
Meanwhile, after resolving matters with Mars, Yuuki made a deliberate return to the Magic Palace. He had thought that without another confrontation with Mars, the palace wouldn't collapse.
Even if he gifted the remaining treasures in the palace to Asta and his allies, the palace—just like in the stories—had still crumbled into ruins.
Yuuki couldn't help but chuckle. After all that effort, the Clover Kingdom had gained nothing. Without a magician capable of storing objects in space, even if they could carry the treasure, how much could they actually take?
He guessed the palace hadn't collapsed due to battle. It was probably because Asta had destroyed the palace's magical gates, causing the sustaining magic to fail.
Fortunately, Yuuki had left coordinates in the treasure palace. There were still plenty of gold and silver pieces, which he could dig up and take later.
...
The newly renovated tavern was alive with activity.
Rebecca was busy with her younger siblings, wiping down the freshly purchased tables and chairs, her face lit with a smile.
Everything had been organized, and soon, the tavern would open.
"Sis, what was Yuuki out doing so early?"
Marco curiously asked.
"I know, I know," Rebecca started, but before she could continue, Luka spoke up:
"Yuuki said the tavern should have its own unique dishes, so he went out to find special ingredients."
"Ah?"
"Yuuki can cook too?"
"I'm not sure," another sibling piped in.
Chatter filled the room.
Rebecca smiled quietly at their conversation, secretly wondering whether Yuuki could cook. She looked around the beautifully decorated tavern, her heart swelling.
Once, her dream had been to open a tavern—and now, it had come true in a way she never imagined.
This was the tavern she would run with Yuuki in the future.
Her eyes sparkled with uncontainable joy.
Ding ding ding!
The bell above the door rang as it swung open.
Yuuki stepped inside, carrying a huge bundle of freshly harvested pods.
"Yuuki's home!"
Marco and the others' faces lit up with delight. They immediately abandoned their chores and rushed to greet him.
Rebecca glanced at her younger siblings with mild exasperation but quickly followed, moving to meet Yuuki as well.
Thud!
Yuuki placed the massive bundle on a table and stretched his arms, sore from carrying it.
(End of chapter)
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