After finishing his explanation of the more powerful fire-based spell, Yuuki turned his gaze toward Mariella—only to meet her eyes, filled with barely concealed anticipation.
Unlike Rebecca, Mariella already possessed a combat style that was entirely her own. The stealthy nature of Spatial Magic suited her perfectly.
In the earlier battle, she had combined Ice Magic and Spatial Magic quite effectively. However, Mariella pursued simplicity and one-hit kills too obsessively.
That very efficiency, ironically, exposed her weakness.
Once she failed to eliminate an opponent immediately—especially against a stubborn or experienced mage—she could easily be dragged into the enemy's rhythm instead.
Yuuki had no intention of changing Mariella's combat philosophy.
If she sought simplicity, then the answer was obvious—
Push her strengths to their absolute limit.
In Yuuki's understanding, Ice Magic was among the sharpest offensive attributes. When developed to its extreme, it could even reach the level of freezing space itself.
Of course—
That was something Mariella absolutely could not achieve right now.
Even Yuuki himself couldn't do it yet. This wasn't merely a matter of raw magic power.
To reach that level, one would at least need to master a Mana Zone.
Still—
Just because it couldn't be done now didn't mean it couldn't be approached.
"You inherited the Spatial Magic of the former assassination squad captain," Yuuki said calmly.
"He could create a small, independent space. You should be able to do that as well, correct?"
"No problem, Lord Yuuki," Mariella replied respectfully after a moment of thought.
"However, that spell consumes a lot of mana. Aside from restraining the target, it doesn't offer much advantage in combat."
Yuuki smiled faintly.
"That's not necessarily true. Take me into that space."
Mariella was surprised, but she activated her magic immediately.
"Spatial Creation Magic — The Unopened Red Room!"
Crimson spatial mana surged forth, enveloping both of them before vanishing.
Rebecca glanced toward the spot where they disappeared, then turned her attention back to the flames burning in her hands, her eyes filled with focus and determination.
She needed to master the spell Yuuki had just taught her—quickly—so she could be of use to him.
Inside the Red Space
The two appeared inside a crimson space roughly thirty square meters in size.
Yuuki observed his surroundings.
Just as Mariella had said, the space was too small. Aside from trapping an enemy, fighting here would actually put her at a disadvantage.
But small spaces had their merits.
"Ice Magic."
A smile tugged at Yuuki's lips as his mana shifted, transforming into an icy attribute.
An overwhelming wave of cold burst from his body.
In an instant, a piercing frost wind swept across the red space, and the temperature plummeted rapidly.
Within just a few breaths, the entire area turned snow-white. The cold became so intense that even exhaling once caused frost to form.
Mariella felt her entire body go numb in an instant. Her limbs stiffened, and even basic movement became difficult.
Yet—
Her eyes lit up.
She immediately circulated her own Ice Magic, alleviating the stiffness.
"Do you understand now?" Yuuki asked with a smile.
"Yes, Lord Yuuki," Mariella replied excitedly.
How could she have overlooked something so simple?
By transforming the entire space into an extreme cold environment, any enemy without Ice Magic would be crippled the moment they were dragged inside.
The outcome was obvious.
"The temperature can continue to drop," Yuuki said.
"The only inconvenience is that you must constantly supply mana to maintain the space."
"But for others, that's a flaw. For you, it isn't."
"Your combat style is assassination-based. You're not suited for large, mana-intensive techniques anyway. Using your mana to maintain this space as a trump card is ideal."
As long as Mariella sustained the space with mana, the temperature would continue to fall over time.
Eventually, it could form something close to—
Pseudo–Space Freeze.
Moments later, the two returned to reality.
"That concludes today's training," Yuuki said.
"Mariella, deliver this letter to Noelle of the Black Bulls."
He retrieved a sealed envelope from subspace and handed it to her.
"Yes, Lord Yuuki."
Mariella bowed respectfully and vanished using Spatial Magic.
"Let's head back to the tavern," Yuuki said to Rebecca with a smile.
"I've realized I haven't seen Marr and the others for a while."
"For them, it's more like they see you every day," Rebecca replied gently.
Whoosh.
Spatial mana surged, and the two disappeared from the valley.
Leon Town
Business in the tavern was as lively as ever.
Yuuki moved between the noisy tables with a faint smile.
Lately, he had been busy with too many matters—especially the evolution of grimoires, which still showed no progress. That alone had begun to weigh on him.
The Witch's Forest was his last hope.
If even that failed, he would have to find another path.
There was also the issue of Mana Zone.
"Mastering Mana Skin leads to Mana Zone"—it sounded simple, but in practice, it was far more complex.
Yuuki even considered sparring with Mereoleona again. He still possessed Fuegoleon's grimoire; perhaps it could provide insights into Mana Zone.
The problem was that Mereoleona's whereabouts were unpredictable. Encountering her last time had been sheer coincidence.
Shaking his head, Yuuki pushed those thoughts aside.
Right now, the priority was achieving a qualitative leap in strength.
Everything else could wait.
Strangely enough, in the noisy atmosphere of the tavern, his thoughts became clearer.
Before he realized it, night had fallen.
The tavern was nearly closed—
When a familiar figure in a gray robe stepped inside, his face pale and lifeless.
"…Valtos?"
Yuuki's eyes flickered with surprise.
Valtos entered silently and sat down in a corner.
Yuuki didn't rush over. He finished cleaning, waited for the last guest to leave, then took a dish from Rebecca in the kitchen and placed it in front of Valtos.
"Thank you," Valtos said hoarsely, staring at the steaming food.
Yuuki sat across from him without speaking.
For a long while, only the sound of eating filled the air.
When Valtos finally stopped, the plate was spotless.
Yuuki blinked.
"That's not like you. A core member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun looking this defeated?"
A self-mocking smile appeared on Valtos's pale face.
"Someone no longer trusted by Lord Licht… can hardly be called a core member."
To Valtos, Licht was the very reason he lived.
From the moment Licht pulled him out of a filthy alleyway, Valtos had been willing to give everything—including his life.
Watching him like this, Yuuki's lips twitched faintly.
The most rational-looking man was, in fact, the one most deeply brainwashed.
Yuuki's gaze sharpened.
"What truly troubles you," he said calmly, "isn't Lord Licht's lack of trust."
Valtos snapped his head up, eyes cold and piercing.
Yuuki continued unhurriedly.
"You know very well that Lord Licht never suspected you of betrayal. Nor did he believe you leaked any information."
"On the surface, this looks like misfortune. But the real reason lies elsewhere—and someone as rational as you should already understand that."
"What do you mean?!"
Mana surged violently from Valtos's body.
Rebecca instantly appeared at the kitchen entrance, eyes icy—
Then stopped.
Yuuki had signaled her not to interfere.
He sighed inwardly.
Rebecca was becoming more dangerous by the day.
Looking back at Valtos, Yuuki spoke with quiet resignation.
"Given how Lord Licht usually treats us, such distrust shouldn't exist over something so trivial."
"There's only one explanation."
Yuuki paused, then continued slowly:
"Lord Licht never trusted us to begin with. Everything he showed was an act."
Bang!
Valtos slammed both hands onto the table.
Mana erupted, forming two dark-gray orbs that shot toward Yuuki—
Only to stop inches from his face.
Valtos's eyes were bloodshot. After two ragged breaths, he slumped back into his chair.
The mana spheres dissipated.
"…Sorry," he muttered.
He had already realized it.
And precisely because he had realized it—
He couldn't accept that the holy, radiant Lord Licht had been pretending all along.
"But even so!" Valtos suddenly looked up, voice firm.
"I will still help Lord Licht realize his ideal!"
Yuuki tilted his head.
"And if that ideal itself is false?"
Valtos froze, staring at him in shock.
"Don't you think that ideal is far too dreamlike?" Yuuki pressed.
"Do you truly believe it can be realized?"
Valtos stood abruptly and stormed toward the exit.
"Valtos," Yuuki called after him,
"Words can be true or false—but actions, over time, prove everything."
Valtos's steps faltered for a split second.
Then he quickened his pace and vanished into the night.
Yuuki rubbed his forehead.
He'd said too much.
Still, Valtos's illusions had been thoroughly shattered.
Unlike Sally or Rades, who joined for personal gain, Valtos was someone who would truly sacrifice himself for an ideal.
That made him dangerous.
"Things are moving faster than expected," Yuuki murmured.
"I should start preparing ahead of time."
Even with foreknowledge, he couldn't afford to underestimate the original story's top-tier figures.
Black Bulls' Base
The atmosphere in the main hall was heavy.
The members sat in silence.
They had just learned that Asta's arms were afflicted by an ancient curse—one that might never be undone.
"A curse, huh…" Yami said, exhaling smoke as he leaned back.
"If the Clover Kingdom's top recovery mage says so, then it's probably true."
The room fell into even deeper silence.
(End of Chapter)
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