Ryoma's gaze retracted from the direction Yuno had departed, a ripple stirring in his heart.
Wind Spirit Sylph.
He had detected her presence with his naked eye even without her actively revealing herself, which was not something an ordinary Magic Knight could do.
Was it because his soul was special? Or was it because the magic in his body was different from this world's?
Ryoma shook his head, temporarily pushing this question to the back of his mind.
In any case, Yuno's surge in strength was a fact, and for him, it was actually a good thing. This way, he hadn't completely disrupted Yuno's growth trajectory.
"Ignoring others is the worst!"
Asta's full-throated roar from below pulled Ryoma's thoughts back.
He looked down to see Asta still bouncing around, punching the air in the direction Yuno had disappeared, while Noelle stood by, covering her ears in disgust.
Ryoma chuckled, his figure flickering as he silently landed beside them from the broken wall.
"Yo!"
"Whoa! Ryoma! When did you get here?" Asta jumped in surprise.
"Just arrived." Ryoma shrugged. "Saw the whole thing."
"Damn it! That guy, greeting us like that! Next time we meet, I'm definitely going to punch him flying!" Asta was still fuming.
"Want some? For energy." Charmy held out a small cake to Ryoma.
"Thanks." Ryoma smiled.
He took a bite, and found the taste surprisingly good.
"Since everything's handled, let's head back to the base."
There was nothing left for them to do in the Royal Capital for now. The subsequent reconstruction and cleanup would be handled by specialized personnel.
"Alright! Yuno got stronger! Then I'll become even stronger!" Asta instantly reignited his fighting spirit.
The group, chattering and bickering, walked towards the Black Bulls' base.
—
As they arrived in front of the familiar, crooked building, a commotion sounded from inside the base.
Boom!
Accompanied by a loud bang, the half-repaired main gate was once again blown open from the inside.
"Hahaha! Magna! Our combined move 'Crackling Magna Typhoon' is really good, right?"
Luck's figure, accompanied by crackling electric light, leaped out from the smoke and dust.
"Damn it! Luck, don't use that move a second time!" Magna thought of the previous encounter, shaking his head with a headache and shouting.
"Yo, Asta, Ryoma, you're back." Magna grinned when he saw the group at the entrance.
He proudly walked up to Asta, patted him on the shoulder, acting like a senior.
"Listen up, kid. This time, I also successfully earned a star for the mission. As long as you follow me, you'll also become a full-fledged man in the future."
Magna spoke with spittle flying, his face practically screaming "Come worship me."
Asta blinked, his face innocent as he spoke, "Wow! That's amazing, Magna-senpai."
"Of course!" Magna's chin was practically pointing to the sky.
"Oh, right!"
Asta said excitedly, as if remembering something, "My active performance in the Royal Capital was recognized, and at the impromptu War Merits Conferment Ceremony, I became a Third Class Junior Magic Knight."
Magna's smile instantly froze.
"Huh?"
He dug in his ear, suspecting he'd misheard.
"Wh... what is that Third Class Junior Magic Knight?" Magna asked Luck, looking bewildered.
Luck, beside him, stopped discharging electricity, a confused expression on his face as well.
"I don't know."
Ryoma watched from the side, a slight smile on his lips.
As expected of the Black Bulls.
Truly the legendary rogue Magic Knight Squad, completely ignorant of even the Magic Knight ranking system.
To be honest, it was a miracle that such a Magic Knight Squad hadn't been disqualified for such poor performance.
"That's the rank for Magic Knights." A lazy voice sounded from inside the room.
Everyone turned to look, only to see Yami sprawled on the sofa, smoking a cigarette and reading a newspaper, without even lifting his eyelids.
"By the way, you two, from the time you joined until now, you've both always been Fifth Class Junior Magic Knights."
"Eh?!"
Magna and Luck simultaneously let out incredulous shouts.
As if to add to the shock, Yami coolly added, "Which means, Asta is now two ranks higher than you two."
He finally looked up from the newspaper, glanced at the dumbfounded pair, and grinned. "You two should use honorifics when addressing Asta from now on."
"..."
"..."
The air seemed to freeze at that moment.
Magna's body began to petrify, his expression shifting from shock to bewilderment to despair.
"You're kidding, right?"
However, it wasn't over yet.
Yami's gaze turned to Ryoma, who had been quietly watching the show. "Oh, right, and Ryoma."
"Your contributions were the greatest this time. You've been promoted several ranks, and are now a Fourth Class Intermediate Magic Knight."
Rumble!
If the previous news was merely a bolt from the blue, then this statement was nothing short of the end of the world for Magna.
Fourth Class... Intermediate?
Wouldn't that be even higher than Asta? Many ranks higher than him?
"Pfft—"
Magna could no longer support himself, his legs gave out, and he fell to his knees with a "thud," turning completely ashen.
A desolate cold wind seemed to blow from behind him.
"How... how could this be... My junior..."
"In the blink of an eye... became my senior..."
"And two of them..."
Magna knelt there, utterly distraught, hands on the ground, forehead pressed against the cold floor, radiating an aura of utter despair.
He felt his worldview collapsing. His pride as a senior was shattered at this moment.
On the other hand, Luck's reaction was completely different. He didn't care about ranks at all.
"Fourth Class Intermediate?"
Luck's eyes instantly burst with excited light, and violent lightning once again crackled around him.
"Which means... Ryoma, you've gotten stronger, right?"
"Awesome! Let's fight! Ryoma! Right now! Let me see how much stronger you've become!"
Luck wore a look of wild joy, assuming a battle stance, his mana instantly rising to its peak.
Watching this chaotic scene—one kneeling in despair, one brimming with fighting spirit—Asta scratched his head, a little at a loss.
Noelle, however, after a brief moment of shock, quickly accepted the facts.
She looked at Ryoma, a complex expression on her face, but her words were still sharp.
"Hmph... Only a Fourth Class Intermediate."
"Ryoma, congratulations." Charmy handed him another pastry.
Ryoma smiled helplessly, just about to say something to appease the two problem children.
Just then—
Buzz!
An oval, glowing spatial gate opened out of thin air in front of everyone.
Immediately after, Finral's upper body emerged from within.
His gaze locked onto Asta. "Asta, you look like you could use a break."
Finral smiled, winking at Asta. "Perfect timing. Want to come to a mixer with me?"