Between the Common Realm and the Forsaken Realm—
A sprawling manor sat on the outskirts of town, its grounds wide and quiet.
A black spatial corridor suddenly unfolded atop the estate's grassy field.
Yuuki stepped out from the corridor, with Mariella and Domina following right behind him, and the three of them stood within the manor grounds.
"So this is where we'll be living from now on?"
Domina's pale gray eyes shimmered with excitement as she eagerly surveyed the area, curiosity overflowing.
This place wouldn't just be her residence—she'd also be able to use it as a private workshop to research and create all kinds of magic tools. She could even run experiments here without interruption.
The first thing that came into view was a broad stretch of open lawn.
Not far away was a garden, though it seemed to have gone untended for quite some time—both the grass and the flowerbeds were overrun with weeds.
And at the very front stood a massive fortress-like building, constructed entirely of sturdy stone, its narrow windows giving it an imposing, almost austere air. It was unmistakably an old noble's castle.
"This manor used to belong to a fallen noble. I bought it on a whim. Not bad, right, Miss Domina?"
Yuuki said softly as he looked at the delighted expression on Domina's face.
Bought it on a whim?
At those words, Domina felt the sting of being casually shown someone else's wealth. But remembering the literal mountain of gold Yuuki had thrown out earlier, she realized buying a manor like this really was nothing for him.
"…It's pretty good," she said, swallowing hard and pretending to be calm.
Compared to the places she used to live, this was a hundred—no, a thousand times better. Even in the Diamond Kingdom, she'd never stayed anywhere this nice.
"As long as you like it. The manor is near the outskirts, so it's quiet and won't be disturbed easily. But it's also not far from the nearby town, so getting supplies won't be troublesome."
Yuuki said.
Domina forced down her excitement and turned toward the masked man draped in a black cloak. She was incredibly curious about what face he was hiding.
But since Yuuki wasn't showing it on his own, she knew better than to ask.
Some things you just needed to be sensible about.
"What do you need me to do?" Domina asked briskly.
Yuuki had given her money, a place to study, a place to live—she knew exactly why, and she wasn't oblivious.
"That magic tool you were crafting for me—the one that conceals mana—speed up its completion. I need something stronger."
With the invasion of the royal capital about to begin, Yuuki sensed that his power might undergo another massive leap. The bracelet he currently used was no longer enough to mask the intensity of his mana.
"No problem."
Domina's expression sharpened with focus as she nodded.
"Also, take a look at this."
Yuuki pulled a scroll from his robe and handed it to her. It was the one Valtos had provided.
Domina accepted it, unrolled it—and her eyes lit up at the sight of the magic-script runes.
"Where did you get this? This looks like part of a Rune array."
Her face was full of interest as she examined it closely. Only then did she look back up at Yuuki.
Yuuki blinked in mild surprise. He hadn't expected her to figure that out so quickly.
It matched what he had suspected—magic tool creation was deeply tied to the use of magic-script.
"Can you tell anything from it?" he asked.
"There are three types of Rune Array formulas here—one for space, one for mana storage, and the last one…"
She shook her head, looking frustrated. Probably to avoid seeming incompetent, she continued,
"Technically, there are as many kinds of Rune Array formulas as there are types of magic. Even a magic-tool artisan with deep research can't possibly recognize them all."
"I see."
Yuuki nodded.
He had always known Rune Arrays were complicated—now it seemed far more intricate than he imagined.
"You're interested in them?" Domina asked, picking up on his intention.
"Is there a problem with that?"
Yuuki smiled lightly.
"If you just want to study it, then there's no issue. Magic tools and magic arrays are both applications of Rune Arrays."
"But if you want to use Rune Arrays in battle, then I'd advise you to give up on that idea."
Domina brushed aside the orange fringe over her forehead and glanced at Yuuki before continuing:
"Magic tools and magic arrays are ultimately support. To use Rune Arrays in combat, you'd need to complete the formulas instantly mid-battle. That requires enormous mana, sharp perception, and absurd adaptability."
"My point isn't that you can't do it—it's that there's simply no need. If you have those qualities, it's far more efficient to just use your own magic instead of wasting time on this."
Yuuki remained quiet, not refuting her.
She wasn't wrong. But the secrets of this world ran far deeper than Domina knew.
Normal Rune Arrays might be less convenient than one's own magic… but the future enemies were devils. Anything below Arcane Realm–tier magic was useless against them.
Ordinary magic knights were lambs before devils.
Yet the overlooked Rune Array formulas had once shone brilliantly.
The Heart Kingdom's natural mana–drawing script allowed magic knights to fight devils. And then there was Magna of the Black Bulls—
He had neither mana nor talent, and couldn't learn the Heart Kingdom's Rune Array.
So he created his own—Soul Chain Deathmatch.
The true fifty–fifty miracle.
It proved Rune Array's ceiling was unimaginably high.
"…Do you have any magic tools that let someone disguise themselves?" Yuuki suddenly asked.
"I do."
Domina promptly pulled out a mask-shaped magic tool and handed it to him.
It had been one of her emergency tools for escaping pursuit—but now that her wanted status was gone, it wasn't of much use anymore.
"If anything comes up, activate your grimoire three times to signal me. We're heading out now."
Yuuki accepted the magic tool, gave a few quick reminders, and then left the manor with the silent Mariella.
The two of them returned to the same alley in Lyon Town.
"My lord,"
Mariella said respectfully when Yuuki looked her way.
"You've been out for quite a while. It's about time you return—before the other assassination squads get suspicious."
"Oh, right. If we use Vanger as bait, how many assassins could we lure out?"
Mariella thought for a moment.
"That's impossible to determine. It depends entirely on the commander's orders."
Yuuki nodded lightly.
"So we can't expect to draw out all of them."
"When you return, investigate all the hiding spots of the assassination unit members stationed around the royal capital."
Mariella stiffened, understanding instantly—
Her lord planned to wipe them all out.
"Yes, my lord!"
"Come back to this location tomorrow morning."
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