Especially in close combat, the application of Ki was far more practical than ordinary mana detection.
When Yuuki voiced his request, the members of the Black Bulls all looked completely lost.
Yami, however, was different.
His previously lazy gaze sharpened instantly, a seriousness flashing across his expression—one that none of them had ever seen before.
"How do you know about that?"
Yami's voice turned cold as he stared straight at Yuuki.
"I know many things," Yuuki replied calmly, a faint smile in his tone. "So—what do you say to this deal? It doesn't require you, a Magic Knight Captain, to do anything that would harm the Clover Kingdom."
"Ki…? What's that?"
Asta muttered quietly without thinking.
Yami shot Asta a look, then glanced at the other squad members, all of whom wore the same confused expressions. He spoke slowly.
"It's a technique separate from mana detection—another way to sense an opponent's movements. In my homeland, it's called Ki."
Not mana?
Asta looked even more bewildered.
"That's awesome! There's a technique like that?!" Luck exclaimed, eyes sparkling with excitement.
But unlike the battle-hungry few, Gauche, Vanessa, and the others wore grave expressions.
They had never heard Yami speak of his homeland in detail—much less mention Ki. Yet this masked stranger knew about it.
That alone made Yuuki feel far more mysterious—and dangerous—to everyone present.
"…Fine."
After a brief silence, Yami smiled faintly, clearly aware the man wouldn't tell him the whole truth.
"I'll teach it to you. But tell me—how do you plan on learning it?"
Behind the mask, Yuuki smiled as well.
"That's not something Captain Yami needs to worry about. Just write the technique down and hand it to my subordinate."
"And don't try to cheat. Since I know what Ki is, that means I already understand it to some extent."
A subordinate?
Yami's eyes flickered, though his expression remained unchanged.
"In that case, I can't guarantee you'll be able to learn it."
"Then that will be my problem," Yuuki replied evenly. "I doubt Captain Yami would abandon future cooperation over a single Ki technique."
"…Tch."
Yami clicked his tongue.
"Asta, bring me some paper."
He wasn't the type to waste time. Though irritation colored his voice, he moved decisively.
At the moment, Yami badly wanted to punch the smug mystery man in the projection—but he couldn't locate him. And more importantly, he still needed information about the Eye of the Midnight Sun.
A short while later, Asta rushed back carrying a thick stack of paper.
Yami casually pulled out a few sheets and began writing.
The Ki technique itself wasn't complicated—but the simpler something was, the harder it often became to master.
On the surface, it resembled mana detection. In reality, the two were completely different.
For a mage to learn Ki, the first step was to shut out their perception of mana entirely.
It sounded simple—but mana use had long since become second nature to mages. Completely blocking it out was nearly impossible.
In fact, the stronger the mage, the harder it became.
Within the entire Black Bulls, Yami believed only Asta had any chance of learning it.
Five or six minutes later, Yami finished writing.
There wasn't much to record—and he didn't believe Yuuki would actually succeed anyway.
"The technique's on these pages," Yami said flatly. "So—where's your person?"
That was what truly interested him now.
Before the eyes of the Black Bulls, Yuuki didn't answer immediately. Instead, he fell silent.
Just as everyone assumed he would give a location for the exchange—
"They've already arrived."
Yuuki spoke suddenly.
Almost at the same instant, Yami raised his head slightly.
Luck snapped around, staring toward a point outside the base—then exchanged a look with Yami.
"Go."
Yami lifted his hand and passed the papers containing the Ki technique to Luck.
"Leave it to me, Captain!"
Electricity crackled beneath Luck's feet as he flashed to Yami's side, grabbed the papers, and grinned excitedly.
The next moment—
Luck turned into a streak of lightning and shot out of the base.
"My squad member's a bit impulsive," Yami said casually. "Hope that won't cause any trouble."
The words sounded apologetic—but his tone clearly wasn't.
Yuuki didn't reply.
Instead, he raised an arm cloaked in black robes and swiped it lightly to the left.
In the blink of an eye—
The circular communication projection stretched outward, split down the middle, and transformed into a second, separate projection.
Within it stood another masked figure in black robes.
Judging by her build, she appeared to be a young woman—quietly standing atop the branch of a massive tree.
It was Mariella.
Yuuki had placed a magic mark on her long ago, allowing him to project her surroundings through the communication device.
As the Black Bulls watched, Luck's figure appeared in the projection as well.
After only a few exchanged words, the two clashed.
Lightning from Thunder Magic collided violently with attacks of Ice Magic. The two figures crossed paths at extreme speed—locked in a deadlock.
Seeing this, the Black Bulls stared in disbelief.
"…Looks like you'll need some time before fully obtaining the Ki technique,"
Yami remarked, glancing at the battle before fixing Yuuki with a deep gaze.
He hadn't expected one of Yuuki's subordinates to fight Luck evenly.
If that was the case, the masked man's strength would need to be reevaluated.
"I'm in no hurry," Yuuki replied calmly. "Now that the deal is complete, I'll naturally provide the information regarding the Three Evil Eyes."
"In the Eye of the Midnight Sun, the strongest—and highest-ranking—are four individuals. The leader is Licht."
"As for the remaining three:
Vetto, known as Despair.
Fana, known as Hatred.
And Raia, known as Falsehood."
"Vetto uses Beast Magic. Fana uses Flame Magic. As for Raia—I've never seen him fight, so my information on him is limited."
Yuuki shrugged lightly.
Raia's Copy Magic resembled Yuuki's own abilities. He had no intention of letting Yami make that connection.
"One more thing," Yuuki added. "Your Magic Knights have already fought Licht, so you know how strong he is."
"But the Three Evil Eyes… each of them possesses power no weaker than Licht himself."
Yami's expression darkened instantly.
He had personally fought Licht—the Light Magic user—and knew firsthand how terrifying he was.
If Yuuki's information was accurate, then the Eye of the Midnight Sun was far more dangerous than they'd imagined.
A massive threat to the Clover Kingdom.
"Oh—looks like the fight's ending."
Yuuki's voice drew their attention back to the projection.
There, Mariella suddenly revealed spatial abilities.
Caught off guard, Luck was blasted back—and the papers containing the Ki technique slipped from his grasp, landing in Mariella's hands.
After securing them, Mariella dipped her head slightly toward the air, then vanished as spatial magic wrapped around her body.
"Dual magic?!"
Magna shot to his feet, flames erupting from his fists as he shouted in disbelief.
Noelle, Vanessa, and the others wore the same stunned expressions.
"With the item secured, this concludes our transaction, Captain Yami,"
Yuuki said lightly, as though completely unfazed by Yami's darkened expression.
"Oh—one more important thing."
Yuuki's tone turned low and meaningful.
"The information I shared today—best keep it to yourself. Don't spread it freely."
"Your Magic Knight order isn't as unified as you think."
Yami's face grew even darker.
"You mean that boneheaded Gueldre," he said irritably.
"Not at all," Yuuki replied with a faint chuckle.
"Why assume Gueldre is anything more than an open card?"
A low laugh echoed—
And the communication projection vanished completely.
Silence filled the hall.
Asta and the others cautiously glanced at Yami.
They knew him well enough to tell—he was standing right at the edge of an explosion.
Yet to everyone's surprise—
Yami exhaled a puff of smoke.
The earlier irritation and grim expression vanished as if they'd never existed.
"Tomorrow, the entire squad moves out," he said casually.
"We're heading to the coastal town of Raquey."
With that, Yami stood and headed upstairs.
But as he turned—
His gaze darkened.
Yuuki's final words lingered in his mind.
The Eye of the Midnight Sun… the deeper they dug, the stranger it became.
A dual-magic user.
A masked mastermind.
Their true objective remained unknown.
The situation was only growing more troublesome.
No matter what, Yami thought,
we need to secure those magic stones—fast.
(End of Chapter)
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