Julius nodded slowly after hearing Yami's words.
"I'll leave it to you, Yami."
"No matter what… the Wizard King must protect this country."
His gaze never left the scenery beyond the window as he spoke, his tone as gentle as ever.
Yami understood immediately.
This was an order—to keep watching Yuuki.
He raised his right hand, pressed three fingers lightly against his chest in acknowledgment, then turned and walked out.
Click.
As the door closed, Julius remained standing by the window.
Then—
A strange smile crept across his face.
It was subtle, almost imperceptible, yet undeniably eerie.
"Someone who doesn't appear in my future sight at all…"
"Hehehe… that's different from anti-magic. A truly interesting variable."
A low, amused chuckle escaped him as he murmured to himself.
"Is it because he dies in the chaos to come?"
"…Replication Magic. Perhaps it could serve as a backup key to open the Gate of the Underworld."
Black Bulls Headquarters
After leaving the Wizard King's palace, Yuuki returned to the tavern, reassured Rebecca and the others, then brought Mariella and Neige with him through spatial magic—straight to the Black Bulls' base.
Now that his identity had been exposed, there was no longer any reason to hide.
Besides—
Yuuki could already guess Julius's intentions.
Having the Black Bulls oversee Leon Town's reconstruction wasn't just about efficiency.
It was surveillance, plain and simple.
A spatial gate opened, and the three emerged before a bizarre black castle—crooked, patchwork, and battered, as though it might collapse at any moment.
Yuuki studied the headquarters with interest.
He had seen it before through communication magic, but this was the first time he was standing here in person.
A mobile fortress that could be reassembled at will.
From a strategic standpoint, it was nearly perfect.
As Yuuki stepped toward the tightly shut gates—
They swung open.
Two figures burst out immediately.
Magna, flames coiling around his fists.
Luck, crackling with lightning, eyes gleaming with manic excitement.
Both of them were staring straight at Yuuki.
More accurately—
They were locked onto him.
"I told you! This guy's dangerous! He actually showed up himself!"
Electric sparks danced wildly through Luck's blond hair as his grin widened.
"As expected of Asta's childhood friend! Someone from the same village couldn't possibly be weak!"
Magna slammed a flaming fist against his chest and barked loudly.
"And don't think we owe you anything for the Undersea Temple! You beat Vetto, sure—but we didn't lose!"
Yuuki paused.
"…Don't tell me this is how the Black Bulls welcome guests."
"YEAH!"
"YEAH!"
The two shouted in unison and charged.
Before they could even reach Yuuki—
Mariella and Neige stepped forward.
"You're not worthy of challenging Lord Yuuki."
Mariella's voice was ice-cold as she intercepted Luck and knocked him flying.
"Exactly!" Neige slammed head-on into Magna.
Explosions echoed one after another outside the castle.
Yuuki shook his head helplessly and walked inside without another word.
Inside the Castle
The moment he entered the hall; countless eyes fixed on him.
"What a… lively welcome."
Yuuki smiled faintly and looked toward the man lounging on the central sofa.
Yami Sukehiro.
"Lively's one way to put it," Yami replied casually, utterly unapologetic.
"Yuuki!"
A familiar shout rang out.
Asta rushed forward and wrapped Yuuki in a tight hug, his face filled with relief.
"Thank goodness—you're okay!"
"Relax."
Yuuki chuckled, patting Asta's solid shoulder.
"The Witch Queen's recovery magic really is impressive. Not only did it cure your curse, it also strengthened your body significantly."
"Yeah! I feel way stronger now!"
Asta flexed his bulging arms proudly.
"Let's fight, Yuuki!"
Thunk!
A fist smacked the back of his head.
"What was that for?!" Asta yelped.
"Idiot. Stop thinking about fighting all the time."
Noelle huffed, then turned to Yuuki, her cheeks faintly tinged red.
"Um… about my brother—"
"I know," Yuuki said calmly. "Sorry. That kind of fight doesn't leave much room for restraint."
"That's not what I meant."
Noelle steadied herself.
"Nozel has always been proud. After that battle… he'll definitely come looking for you again. Please be careful."
"Thank you. I will."
At that moment, Vanessa slung an arm over Noelle's shoulders, wine bottle in hand, laughing softly.
"Oh my~ Look at that. Little Noelle getting shy."
"That's not what's happening!"
Vanessa only laughed, then looked at Yuuki with genuine sincerity.
"Thanks. For the Witch's Forest."
"You went there for Asta's arm. And I was partly responsible for that situation as well."
Yuuki shook his head.
If anything, he owed Vanessa more—without her Fate Magic, he wouldn't have faced Julius with such composure.
"So, the letter was from you!" Noelle suddenly realized.
Yuuki smiled.
"What letter?" Asta asked, baffled.
Vanessa burst out laughing.
"Party! Let's have a feast!" Charmy shouted, waving a massive chunk of meat.
"Friends… party… feast…" Gordon muttered quietly from a corner.
Grey, hiding near the wall, peeked up shyly before lowering her head again.
Nearby, Gauche stared into his mirror, lost entirely in his own world.
Yami glanced at the explosions still echoing outside, then at the crowd surrounding Yuuki.
His eye twitched violently.
Does anyone here remember who the captain is?!
BOOM!
"That's enough, you idiots!"
Yami slammed his fist down. The table shattered instantly, leaving a crater in the floor.
The hall fell silent.
"The Wizard King may believe you aren't directly responsible for the Eye of the Midnight Sun," Yami said coldly, standing up, cigarette between his lips, "but that doesn't mean your suspicions are completely cleared."
It was both a warning—and a reminder.
Something about this entire situation bothered him.
Yuuki's calm demeanor, his flawless timing, the way events unfolded just slightly too neatly—
Six months ago, Yuuki had been so weak he couldn't even pass the Magic Knights exam.
And now?
Captain-level strength.
Deep intelligence on the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
Two powerful subordinates.
A clean exit—and even the Wizard King's trust.
Was that really something a commoner from a remote village could accomplish?
"Asta—"
"To clear your name completely," Yami cut him off, "the Eye of the Midnight Sun must be destroyed."
Then his gaze sharpened.
"You said you'd take responsibility for Leon Town. Make sure those weren't just words."
Yuuki straightened.
"That's exactly why I'm here."
At that moment—
The fighting outside stopped.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Magna and Luck—both frozen solid—were tossed back into the hall and slammed onto the floor.
Mariella and Neige followed, completely unharmed, and stood behind Yuuki.
"They beat Magna and Luck already?!" Asta exclaimed, quickly freeing them with the Demon-Slayer Sword.
Yami's expression darkened.
Later That Night — The Tavern
The four sat around a table.
"For a while, business probably won't recover," Yuuki said lightly to Rebecca.
The tavern was now the only intact building in the town center.
After everything that had happened, anyone with common sense would be wary.
"That doesn't matter," Rebecca replied, then asked quietly, "Why didn't you let me help?"
"Because it wasn't necessary," Yuuki said calmly. "Some things require a contingency."
"At the very least, we can't expose all of our strength at once."
Rebecca nodded slowly.
"I understand."
"Rebecca, continue running the tavern."
"Mariella, Neige—you'll assist with Leon Town's reconstruction. I'll give you a supply list. Purchase certain materials discreetly during the process."
The Apotheosis Ritual circle required vast materials—it wouldn't build itself.
Reconstruction was the perfect cover.
Interestingly, neither Julius nor Yami had asked about money.
Compared to the Eye of the Midnight Sun, finances were insignificant.
And Yuuki had no intention of explaining that his spatial storage was filled with treasure from magic dungeons—rebuilding a town was trivial.
"Understood."
"Understood."
The two replied in unison.
With Yuuki's funding, reconstruction began immediately.
Yami inspected the site personally on the first day, then left supervision to the Black Bulls.
There was hostility at first—but money solved everything.
In a world of magic, rebuilding moved quickly.
Within a week, Leon Town was mostly restored.
Neither the Clover Kingdom nor the Eye of the Midnight Sun made a move.
And in that uneasy calm—
The annual Star Festival finally arrived.
(End of Chapter)
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