The Star Festival continued well into the evening. Not only did the excitement show no signs of fading—it intensified as the crowd grew denser and the atmosphere more vibrant by the minute.
Gradually, waves of people and joyous laughter began converging toward the main boulevard.
"Is it starting already?"
"Hurry up! If we're late, we won't get a good spot!"
"This is the announcement of the Magic Knight Squads' merits, right? I wonder which squad ranks first this year!"
"It has to be the Golden Dawn!"
"I heard the new captains of the Crimson Lion Kings and the Purple Orcas are here too!"
Excited chatter rippled through the crowd.
Standing near the fountain, Yuuki listened with interest, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Shall we go over too?" Rebecca asked hesitantly, noticing his expression.
At present, among the nine Magic Knight Squads, only the Black Bulls maintained any real goodwill toward them. The others regarded them with varying degrees of hostility or caution.
And once the merits were announced, all the captains would appear.
As she spoke, Yuuki was already on his feet.
"This is the climax of the entire festival," he said lightly.
"There's no reason to miss it."
Rebecca blinked in surprise.
She had assumed Yuuki wouldn't care much for events like this.
Though puzzled, she quickly stood up and followed him. Her red hair fluttered in the breeze as she slipped into the flow of people behind him.
By the time they reached the enormous plaza at the heart of the capital, it was already packed solid with citizens. At a glance, it seemed as though more than half of the festival's attendees had gathered there—and even more people were still streaming in from the surrounding streets.
Faced with the congestion, Yuuki lifted his foot and tapped the ground lightly.
A surge of magic flowed into the earth.
Suddenly, part of the crowd ahead felt their footing falter, bodies swaying as people stumbled instinctively to either side.
Seizing the brief opening, Yuuki reached out, took Rebecca's hand, and guided her forward.
Only after they passed did the angry shouts and complaints erupt behind them.
Rebecca's face flushed crimson at the sudden contact, but she didn't resist, allowing Yuuki to lead her to a spot closer to the front.
Suddenly—
A ripple of commotion spread through the crowd, followed by a deafening roar of cheers.
Yuuki released Rebecca's hand and lifted his gaze with keen interest.
On the elevated platform ahead stood Julius Novachrono, the Wizard King.
"Thank you all for coming!" Julius said, his warm smile amplified across the plaza by magic tools.
After a brief pause—long enough to trigger another wave of cheers—he continued.
"As you all know, the Clover Kingdom currently faces grave threats. The Diamond Kingdom, the Spade Kingdom, and the terrorist organization known as the Eye of the Midnight Sun."
"Our nation itself has suffered attacks. Many citizens and Magic Knights have been injured—or lost their lives. I once considered canceling this year's Star Festival."
His tone grew solemn.
"But it is precisely in times like these that we must honor those who stood their ground and faced danger head-on. That is why this festival was held."
Yuuki raised an eyebrow slightly at the mention of the Spade Kingdom.
At present, Spade was likely the strongest of the four great kingdoms.
The Dark Triad—each wielding devil power—alongside their Dark Disciples, could easily overwhelm the other three nations at this point in time.
If not for the unresolved matter of the Word Soul Devil—and Julius, the "senior" among the Three-Soul entity believing everything remained under control, planning to seize Lucifero's heart in the safest way possible—
Spade would have already crushed the other kingdoms.
For devil hosts, battles between ordinary mages were little more than children's games.
"And now," Julius declared,
"Please welcome the pride of our nation—the captains of the Nine Magic Knight Squads!"
As his words fell, the captains emerged one by one from behind the stage, cloaked in the emblems of their respective squads.
The plaza erupted.
Yuuki's gaze instantly locked onto the figure standing at the center.
A woman with fiery red, slightly wavy hair. Arms crossed. Expression calm.
Yet her presence radiated an overwhelming, domineering aura.
"Mereoleona," Yuuki murmured to himself, a spark of excitement flashing through his eyes.
"That's the new captain of the Crimson Lion Kings?" Rebecca asked, her tone carrying both curiosity and gravity.
She already knew that her own power originated from Fuegoleon Vermillion, the former captain. That strength alone had made her understand Yuuki's expectations of her.
Now, seeing Mereoleona Vermillion—Fuegoleon's elder sister—with her own eyes, Rebecca couldn't help but feel curious… and inexplicably competitive.
"You haven't even reached captain-level yet," Yuuki whispered teasingly, sensing the flicker in her teal eyes.
"And you're no match for her right now. In terms of raw strength, none of the captains on that stage can defeat her."
Rebecca froze.
Her pupils widened in disbelief.
She could hear the seriousness in Yuuki's voice—there was no trace of exaggeration.
Someone this powerful… and she had never even heard of her before.
Then again, she had once been just an ordinary civilian.
Every woman in the Clover Kingdom had dreamed, at some point, of becoming someone like Charlotte Roselei of the Blue Rose Knights, or Dorothy Unsworth of the Coral Peacocks—strong, brilliant women admired by all.
But as Rebecca stared at Mereoleona's commanding figure, she realized something.
She wanted to become that kind of woman.
The same blazing red hair.
The same gender.
And she wielded fire magic—granted by Yuuki himself.
Rebecca felt, suddenly and powerfully, that she wouldn't lose to anyone.
Even Yuuki acknowledged Mereoleona's strength.
Rebecca's teal eyes shimmered.
If she could become someone like that…
Then she could truly stand beside Yuuki. Truly help him.
Yuuki hadn't expected his warning to ignite her fighting spirit instead.
He was both surprised—and amused.
Women really are hard to understand, he thought.
But…
He glanced at Rebecca beside him.
Not long ago, despite her confident exterior, she had been cautious, even self-deprecating inside.
Now she felt like an entirely different person.
A phrase from his previous life surfaced in Yuuki's mind:
When one holds a blade, the intent to strike is born.
Perhaps this was something else entirely—
Something called ambition.
Yuuki smiled faintly and chose not to discourage her.
In his eyes, this might actually be a good thing.
Rebecca's former dream had been simple: to run a tavern and take care of her younger siblings.
For an ordinary person, that was more than enough.
But for someone who now possessed real power—
That mindset could become a limitation.
Sometimes, ambition was what kept a person from losing their way.
(End of Chapter)
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