In the surging sea of people filling the royal capital's plaza, a circular empty space roughly six or seven square meters wide had been forcibly carved out.
Hostile, furious gazes poured in from all directions, converging on Yuuki and Rebecca, who stood at the center.
The once lively, festive atmosphere of the Star Festival suddenly fell into an eerie stillness. Even the long-anticipated announcement of the Magic Knight Squads' rankings on the platform above was unconsciously pushed aside.
For a moment—
Nearly all eyes in the plaza were fixed on Yuuki.
The combination of the words "Eye of the Midnight Sun" and "peasant" ignited uncontrollable anger in the hearts of the crowd.
Especially since the two rookies just ranked first and second—Yuno and Asta—were also peasants.
It was like throwing another bundle of firewood onto already raging flames.
Human emotions are blind.
When alone, a person may still think rationally—but within a crowd like this, emotions amplify invisibly, feeding on one another.
Wizard King Julius Novachrono frowned slightly. Seeing the situation spiral, he was just about to speak—
"Wizard King."
Behind him, his aide Marx François stepped forward and spoke in a low voice:
"This isn't an appropriate moment for you to intervene. If you do, it may only provoke a backlash."
"It would be best to let Yuuki handle this himself… It may also serve as a test of his stance."
Marx swept his gaze over the crowd, his expression solemn.
From his perspective, while the situation was unexpected, it was not uncontrollable.
All Magic Knight captains were present. If anything truly went wrong, it could be suppressed instantly.
And with Julius's prestige, even a riot could be calmed.
The real issue lay with Yuuki—this troublesome peasant.
Whether Yuuki could handle the situation or not was irrelevant to Marx.
What truly mattered was that the Wizard King's authority must not be damaged in the slightest—
Especially not for the sake of a peasant.
Julius sighed helplessly after hearing Marx's words.
On the platform, most of the captains watched from on high, their expressions aloof and indifferent.
Only Jack the Ripper and Mereoleona Vermillion looked openly irritated and impatient.
In the eyes of the others, Yuuki had only one real option—
To leave the festival in disgrace.
However—
In the very next instant, the expressions of all the captains changed.
Even Yami Sukehiro, standing at the edge of the plaza with an annoyed look, abruptly straightened, his face darkening.
"…This is bad."
Because—
Someone in the crowd suddenly picked up food they had bought and hurled it straight at Yuuki.
The moment that happened, every captain's expression hardened.
No matter how indifferent they were, they all understood one thing clearly—
Yuuki was powerful.
This was no longer mere provocation.
If Yuuki exploded here, it would result in mass casualties in an instant.
Every captain tensed, eyes locked onto him.
At the same time, another realization spread among them—
This was deliberate.
With the Wizard King and all the captains present, even someone as strong as Yuuki would be suppressed if he retaliated.
At worst, only ordinary civilians would die.
Such blatant disregard for common lives—
Only nobles would act this way.
Seeing food splattered with broth flying toward them, Rebecca's eyes turned cold as she instinctively prepared to move—
But Yuuki raised a hand and gently pressed it against her shoulder, forcibly suppressing the magic surging within her.
"Easy."
His voice was calm, almost gentle.
At the same time, silver mana overflowed from his body, instantly forming a semi-transparent silver barrier that enveloped them both.
The thrown food struck the barrier and fell harmlessly to the ground.
But that single act was enough.
The crowd ignited.
Food, objects—even stones—began raining down from all directions.
Rebecca's teal eyes burned with anger, yet she also looked at Yuuki with worry.
She couldn't understand—
Why were they doing this?
But when she looked at Yuuki, she realized something startling.
He wasn't angry.
He was abnormally calm, as if none of this concerned him at all.
"It seems the people of the capital hate the Eye of the Midnight Sun more than I expected."
Yuuki spoke lightly, even curiously observing the crowd around them.
Hearing his calm tone, Rebecca didn't know whether to worry—or feel helpless.
Was this really the time to analyze public sentiment?
Yuuki's gaze flickered.
From the very beginning, they had intended to provoke him.
And their target wasn't just him—but Yuno and Asta as well.
The Black Bulls shielded Asta somewhat, but Yuno was different.
He was too outstanding, and that made him a magnet for noble jealousy.
This situation—
Wasn't just spontaneous noble malice.
Someone was fanning the flames.
Even the Eye of the Midnight Sun was likely involved.
"They're venting their hatred of the Eye of the Midnight Sun onto us," Rebecca said angrily, understanding Yuuki's implication.
If Yuuki hadn't restrained her magic, she would've already lashed out.
How dare these people treat Yuuki like this?!
"They're just pawns and an incited crowd," Yuuki replied calmly.
Then—
A trace of coldness flashed in his eyes.
He lifted his head, looking toward the Magic Knight captains on the platform, all of them visibly on guard.
The corner of his mouth curved slightly.
He wasn't a good person.
But he would never strike at ordinary people who had been manipulated.
That much restraint, he still possessed.
But those high-and-mighty figures above?
They were genuinely irritating.
They wanted to provoke him?
Fine.
In a sense, they'd succeeded.
But to force him into attacking innocent civilians just to fit their plan?
Yuuki wouldn't fall for it.
With Fate Magic at his disposal, even if the Wizard King personally intervened, Yuuki was confident he could retreat safely from the Clover Kingdom.
But if he did that—
Asta and Yuno would be left in an unbearably awkward position.
And that—
Was something Yuuki would not allow.
(End of Chapter)
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