Squads of Magic Knights clad in white cloaks and green cloaks moved in coordinated fashion—driving the civilians of Leon Town outward while quietly forming a tightening encirclement around the tavern.
For a moment—
The air itself seemed to fall into an eerie silence.
Though two different Magic Knight squads were jointly surrounding the tavern, the line between them was unmistakable.
The knights in white cloaks wore expressions of aristocratic arrogance, openly looking down on the green-cloaked knights opposite them with disdain.
Meanwhile, the green-cloaked knights looked visibly displeased, their gazes filled with vigilance and irritation.
These two squads were none other than the Silver Eagles, representing the noble faction, and the Green Mantis, the squad most closely associated with commoner Magic Knights.
After sealing off the tavern, neither side acted immediately. Clearly, both were waiting for orders from their respective captains.
On a tall rooftop not far away—
Two figures stood quietly, observing the tavern surrounded below.
They were the Silver Eagles' captain, Nozel, and the Green Mantis' captain, Jack the Ripper.
"Tch. If I remember correctly, the mission was assigned only to the Green Mantis, wasn't it?"
Jack licked the corner of his mouth, the triangular markings around his eyes filled with annoyance as he tilted his head toward Nozel.
"I don't recall the Wizard King calling in other squads for support."
Faced with Jack's blunt dissatisfaction, Nozel kept his gaze fixed on the tavern, pale yellow eyes cold and unyielding.
"Rebels who attacked the kingdom are hiding in a town this close to the capital," Nozel said icily.
"It is a disgrace to the Magic Knights."
He paused, then turned his head slightly toward Jack.
"I am not here as a Magic Knight captain," Nozel continued.
"I am here as a noble, to wipe out the members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun in one sweep."
So—as a noble?
Jack clicked his tongue. Though displeased, he understood that Nozel's actions weren't technically part of the official mission—there was no real conflict of authority.
"How's the situation?" Jack asked calmly.
"No civilians left inside?"
A respectful voice responded through the communication device.
"At present, only three people remain inside the tavern. One is the owner, Rebecca. The other two are of unknown identity, reportedly newly hired employees."
"The two are suspected to be peripheral members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. No particularly large mana signatures have been detected inside."
"As for the other tavern owner, Yuuki, intelligence confirms he is a key member of the Eye of the Midnight Sun. Reports indicate he has already left the Witch's Forest, but has not reappeared in Leon Town. His current whereabouts are unknown."
Hearing that Yuuki had not appeared—
Both Nozel and Jack frowned slightly. Jack, in particular, looked noticeably bored.
"Hah. I thought this would be interesting," he muttered.
"Move in," Nozel said coldly.
"Capture the three remaining individuals."
Rebecca's status hardly mattered to him. Whether she was truly involved or not, anyone connected to the Eye of the Midnight Sun was to be arrested.
A mere commoner, after all.
With the captains' orders given, both squads moved simultaneously.
With only three people inside, there was no way to divide the targets fairly—so it became a matter of whoever caught them first.
BOOM!
The tavern doors were blasted apart by magic, exploding inward as both squads stormed inside at once.
"Surrender immediately, you filthy commoners!"
"Cease resistance, or we won't show mercy!"
Solid—Noelle's second brother—and Sekke of the Green Mantis rushed in at the front, shouting loudly.
Based on the intelligence, this was a low-risk, high-merit mission.
Naturally, everyone was eager to act, afraid that someone else might seize the credit.
As the dust from the shattered doors settled—
Three figures came into view inside the tavern.
Under normal circumstances, they should have been panicking or resisting desperately.
Instead—
Rebecca stood behind the counter, calmly wiping a plate with a clean white cloth.
Though her eyes showed pain and anger at the damage to her tavern, there was not a trace of fear on her face.
Neige, unexpectedly, was smiling—as though he found the situation amusing.
Mariella, dressed in a black robe with half her face hidden beneath the hood, calmly swept her gaze across the members of both squads.
Their composure made the Magic Knights feel… unsettled.
Sekke felt a bad premonition rise in his chest. He instinctively stepped backward, hiding behind Solid and letting the arrogant royal take the front.
"Let's go, Neige," Mariella said as she stood up, a bloodthirsty smile curling at her lips.
She could clearly sense two terrifying mana signatures not far outside the tavern.
Two captains…?
Her heart began to race with excitement.
In the past, whether it was the Diamond Kingdom's Eight Shining Generals or Clover Kingdom captains, the only thought in her mind would have been escape.
But now—
She wanted to fight.
This was something she never would have dared imagine before.
As Lord Yuuki had said—
this world is, at its core, a world of strength.
As long as you were strong enough, even nobles—no, even entire kingdoms—would be forced to compromise.
Mariella firmly believed that Yuuki possessed the power to make the entire kingdom yield.
And so—
They needed to show enough strength to make that truth unmistakable.
Neige stood up as well, curiosity gleaming in his eyes as he looked at Solid.
Sensing Neige's relaxed gaze, Solid's eyelid twitched.
"You filthy trash—have you not grasped the situation yet?!" Solid roared.
"Die!"
HUM—
A massive surge of water gathered before him, compressing into a bullet-shaped mass.
"Water Creation Magic — Holy Water's Fierce Bullet!"
BOOM!
The spinning water projectile tore through the air toward Neige.
Neige simply raised one finger and tapped the air.
Instantly, freezing cold swept outward.
The water bullet froze solid in midair, turning into a block of ice suspended before him.
"So weak," Neige muttered.
He gently tapped the ice.
Crack—!
It shattered into fragments that scattered across the floor.
"Impossible!" Solid stared in disbelief.
He hadn't held back at all—how could his attack be stopped so casually?
The Magic Knights outside hadn't sensed any powerful mana from them either!
Sekke, who had retreated earlier, felt his fear confirmed. His pupils shrank.
Outside—
Jack crossed his arms, unimpressed.
Nozel, however, was already considering how to capture Yuuki. If Yuuki refused to show himself, then other methods would be required.
He had investigated Yuuki beforehand—a commoner from a remote village.
Knowing his background meant knowing how to deal with him.
As for the reports of Yuuki's rapid growth in strength, Nozel found them concerning.
Half a year ago, Yuuki had been nothing more than a failed applicant in the Magic Knight entrance exam.
That was precisely why Nozel had come personally.
Jack, clearly, had similar thoughts.
The three inside the tavern were insignificant—hardly worth attention.
Or so they thought.
BOOM—!!!
The Magic Knights who had rushed into the tavern were suddenly blasted out—even faster than they had gone in.
Screams filled the street.
Nozel's expression darkened instantly as he vanished from the rooftop.
Jack's eyes, on the other hand, lit up with savage excitement as he flicked his tongue.
"Now this is getting interesting."
Outside the tavern, groans echoed.
Solid lay sprawled on the ground, half his body frozen solid, his former arrogance gone.
"How… how can those two commoners be this strong…?"
His face was deathly pale.
"These are royals?" Mariella said coolly, stepping out of the tavern with an ice blade in hand.
"How disappointing."
"Y-you—!"
Solid coughed blood.
WHOOSH!
A mercury whip lashed down from above.
Mariella halted and leapt backward—
Yet the whip followed her movement midair.
"Don't hurt my friend!"
Neige's angry voice rang out.
A two-meter-tall snowman burst from the tavern, positioning itself in front of Mariella and catching the mercury whip.
Crack!
Frost spread rapidly along the metal before the snowman snapped it apart.
Nozel now stood before Solid, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at the broken mercury whip.
"Brother—" Solid whimpered.
"Disgraceful," Nozel said coldly.
"Trash."
He turned his gaze toward Mariella and Neige.
BOOM!
A green figure slammed down beside him, cracking the ground.
Jack grinned sharply.
"Hidden mana, huh?"
He glanced at his squad, then fixed his gaze on Sekke.
"Quit playing dead. Use your Bronze Magic and get everyone out of here."
Sekke jolted, scrambled up, and hurriedly complied.
This was about to become a true battlefield.
Mariella barely spared Sekke a glance.
Small fry.
What mattered were the two in front of her.
"Silver Eagles captain Nozel… Green Mantis captain Jack," she said gravely.
"I'll take the silver-haired one," Neige declared.
"Then I'll take Jack," Mariella replied.
In the next instant—
Both removed the magic-concealing necklaces from their necks.
BOOM! BOOM!
Two terrifying waves of mana erupted.
Four monstrous auras collided, forming an invisible pressure field that made the air itself grow heavy.
Far away, Sekke ran even faster.
At the same time—
Several figures arrived at Leon Town.
Finral emerged from a spatial gate, with Asta and Noelle right behind him.
"We're late… They've already started fighting. That mana—"
Finral froze when he recognized the two captains.
"Yuuki is a good person! He helped us so many times—why are they arresting him?!" Asta shouted, trying to rush forward.
Finral and Noelle grabbed him at once.
"Don't be reckless! Charging in now could get you killed!" Finral warned.
"This is the Wizard King's order," Noelle said tensely.
"Captain Yami has already gone to the capital. We can only wait."
Asta clenched his fists—
"You're still as impulsive as ever, Asta."
A calm, familiar voice came from behind.
"Yuno!"
Asta's eyes lit up as he turned around.
(End of Chapter)
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