Yuuki left the royal capital's plaza with Rebecca, heading back toward the tavern.
As for whether the festival could still continue after what he had done—that was no longer his concern.
That said, with Wizard King Julius Novachrono's reputation, restoring the atmosphere was hardly a difficult task.
"Yuuki, you were really amazing just now," Rebecca said, her light-green eyes sparkling as she walked beside him with her hands clasped behind her back. A smile never left her face. "Those nobles probably won't dare trouble us again."
Yuuki chuckled softly.
"They were never a real problem to begin with. Honestly, this whole thing wasn't part of my plan—but in a way, they actually helped me."
He shook his head slightly and continued in a calm tone.
"Helped you?" Rebecca tilted her head, her red hair swaying gently as she walked, confusion creeping into her voice.
"If you want to change a system," Yuuki said lightly, "the first step is breaking the way people think."
"Royals and nobles standing above all, commoners forever at the bottom—that belief was shattered tonight."
"That alone makes this evening worthwhile."
A faint smile appeared on Yuuki's face.
When they returned to the tavern, they found Mariella and Neige already waiting outside, both clearly worried.
It was obvious—the immense mana Yuuki had released earlier hadn't gone unnoticed.
"After wandering around the festival all day, I ate quite a bit," Yuuki said as he reached the tavern door, patting his stomach with a grin. "But it wasn't very filling."
"I'm hungry again. Since today's a special day, why don't we throw a banquet?"
Rebecca smiled. "Business hasn't been great lately, so there's plenty of food left in the tavern. We have more than enough for a feast."
Mariella had originally wanted to ask about the terrifying surge of mana Yuuki had released earlier. But seeing that neither Yuuki nor Rebecca bore any sign of battle, the tension in her heart eased considerably.
"…Alright," Mariella replied. Her usually cold, stiff expression forced into a small smile, her tone tinged with helplessness.
She really felt that Yuuki had a habit of doing inexplicable things.
"A banquet! That's awesome!" Neige cheered, clearly not thinking too deeply about it.
Yuuki didn't summon food with Cotton Magic this time. Instead, everyone pitched in together, and before long, a lavish dinner filled the table.
"It's a shame Miss Dominante and Miss Fana aren't here," Neige said regretfully. "Then everyone would be together."
"They're not in the capital right now," Yuuki replied with a smile.
"There's a troublesome task they need to handle. You probably won't be seeing them for a while."
Rebecca, Mariella, and Neige all looked curious, but seeing that Yuuki had no intention of explaining further, none of them pressed the issue.
"There's still a lot left to do. Next time we hold a banquet, everyone will be here," Yuuki said, lifting his glass of fruit wine.
"But for tonight, it's just the four of us."
"Cheers."
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Rebecca lifted her glass as well, her smile bright and genuine.
Meanwhile—
In a remote village on the fringes of the Clover Kingdom.
Dominante sat dejectedly on a large rock at the village entrance, a gray robe draped over her body.
Whoosh!
A figure in an identical gray robe descended from the sky, landing beside her.
"This village has been fully marked with magic," a gentle voice said from beneath the hood.
It was Fana.
"Right now, there's a big festival in the capital," Dominante grumbled, tugging irritably at her blonde ponytail. "That bastard Yuuki is definitely enjoying himself with Rebecca and the others."
"And here we are, sent all the way out here to work. It's infuriating!"
Fana covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "But, Miss Dominante… you were the one who agreed to this."
At that, Dominante's gloomy expression deepened.
Thinking back on it, she really had acted on impulse.
After all—Yuuki had casually placed several ancient magic tools in front of her, and that pure golden sword, along with the barrier hourglass, had made her eyes practically glow.
Artifacts of that caliber—ancient artifacts at that—were irresistible to a magic tool master like her.
It was like starving for ten days and suddenly being presented with a table full of gourmet dishes.
She hadn't been able to look away.
And so, without realizing it, she had agreed to Yuuki's tedious, time-consuming request.
With a sigh, Dominante stood up and sliced the air in front of her. A spatial gate glowing faintly red opened instantly.
"Next village."
"Thank goodness I was given Spatial Magic," she muttered while holding her map. "Otherwise, I'd lose my mind."
She and Fana stepped into the gate, vanishing in a flash.
Back at the tavern.
The table had been completely cleared—more than half of the food having ended up in Yuuki's stomach.
"Rebecca, your cooking is as good as ever," Yuuki said contentedly, leaning back in his chair and patting his slightly bulging stomach.
Ever since acquiring Beast Magic, his appetite had increased dramatically—along with his physical strength.
Compared to his body before obtaining Beast Magic, his current physique was on a completely different level.
"Yuuki," Mariella said after wiping her mouth with a napkin, "all the materials Mars sent have arrived."
Yuuki nodded in acknowledgment.
Since the materials were nearly complete, it was about time to begin engraving the magic arrays.
Just then—
A powerful, surging wave of mana entered everyone's perception.
Yuuki looked up sharply, a glint flashing in his eyes.
Mariella and Neige sprang to their feet at once, both turning toward the tavern entrance with guarded expressions.
Rebecca glanced at Yuuki first, then calmly shifted her gaze to the door.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the tavern doors were blown open.
"So, this is where you're hiding," a bold, relaxed voice rang out.
Wrapped in blazing crimson flames, Mereoleona Vermillion strode into the tavern.
(End of Chapter)
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