The next day, the Black Bulls' base was, for once, almost entirely present.
Yami, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, sat lazily on the sofa, tossing bags filled with Yul to his squad members one by one.
"This is your salary for the month. Spend it wisely."
He yawned and waved his hand dismissively. "You all have the day off today. Get out and don't bother me."
Ryoma took his share of the salary, feeling a bit speechless.
A day off?
It was as if they weren't always on vacation, unless there was an emergency or a mission.
Just then, a rich, sweet aroma suddenly wafted from the kitchen, instantly seizing everyone's sense of smell.
"It's the smell of food!" Asta's mouth instantly watered.
Charmy was seen riding on the back of a sheep made of Cotton Magic, followed by several other sheep, also made of Cotton Magic and wearing chef hats. Each of them carried a huge platter piled high with various sweet potato dishes.
"Everyone, come and try my new dishes." Charmy puffed out her small chest, her face full of pride.
"Ohhh! Sweet potatoes!"
Asta was the first to rush over, grabbing one and stuffing it into his mouth, savoring the long-lost taste of home.
"Delicious! So delicious!"
The others also gathered around, and the base was instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.
Ryoma picked up a roasted sweet potato. Its skin was slightly charred, but the inside was soft, glutinous, and sweet—truly a rare delicacy.
He looked at Charmy with some curiosity. "Charmy, where did you get so many sweet potatoes?"
"Hehe."
Charmy smiled smugly, patting the large sheep beneath her.
"I specifically ordered them from Hage."
Hage?
Ryoma's movements paused slightly, wasn't that Yuno's hometown?
He suddenly remembered something, and a knowing smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
It seemed that even without that old witch's "matchmaking" back then, some destinies would still unfold quietly in another way.
Yesterday, Charmy probably experienced something he didn't know about, which made her take a liking to Yuno and then want to try the specialties of Hage.
The power of love is truly great.
"Ryoma! Aren't you eating? This is super delicious." Asta, his mouth full of food, called out indistinctly to Ryoma.
He held a whole sweet potato pie in his hand, his face smeared with it.
...
After the sweet potato feast, everyone, satisfied, dispersed.
Asta wiped his mouth and ran to Magna's side.
He said earnestly, "Magna-senpai, can you take me to Nairn?"
"Huh? To Nairn?" Magna dug at his ear, a little surprised. "What are you going there for?"
"Let's talk on the way."
Magna looked at Asta's clear eyes and was momentarily speechless.
This idiot...
He sighed, scratching his hair.
"I can't do anything with you. Let's go."
"Oh!"
Unknown to them, their conversation drifted, every word, into Noelle's ears not far away.
Nairn?
Going again?
Did that shorty Asta hook up with some girl yesterday, and now he's taking his salary to go on a date today?
What if he said something that would damage the Black Bulls' reputation?
Noelle's cheeks instantly turned crimson, half from anger, half from anxiety.
"I... I must go supervise him."
She found a perfect excuse for herself, while a suspicious blush spread across her cheeks.
She looked left and right, confirming that no one was paying attention to her, then quietly followed them.
All of this, of course, did not escape Ryoma's eyes.
He was standing in the corridor on the second floor, taking in the scene unfolding downstairs.
This tsundere royal girl is becoming less and less able to hide her feelings.
She spoke with disdain, but in her actions, she cared more than anyone else.
Unfortunately, Asta, that blockhead with only Sister Lily and getting stronger in his mind, will probably never figure it out in this lifetime.
Ryoma shook his head helplessly, no longer bothering with the youthful romantic comedy of those lively characters.
The people at the base gradually dispersed, each enjoying their rare holiday.
Ryoma weighed the bag of salary in his hand but had no desire to go out and spend it.
He walked straight to the forest outside the base, arriving at the clearing where he usually practiced magic, ready to thoroughly study his power.
Ryoma extended his right hand, and a thick, silver-white grimoire automatically floated before him, flipping open on its own without any wind. Apart from some faintly glowing mysterious symbols on the first page, the book did not record a second spell.
This Space-Time Magic was the second power he had awakened after coming to this world, but it was not easy to master.
"Hoo..."
Ryoma took a deep breath and began to mobilize the magic power within his body. He attempted to draw out a faint wisp of Space-Time Magic, trying to fuse it with his Ice Magic.
Although he could previously achieve teleportation by using Ice Magic to envelop the Space-Time Magic mark, it wasn't perfect.
Essentially, it was a jump achieved by the burst at the moment the frozen mark shattered, and if not controlled well, it could easily lead to problems.
He needed to research and upgrade it, and improve his control over Space-Time Magic.
Buzz—
The ice crystal emitted a faint tremor, and its surface seemed to distort light for a moment.
But the next second—
Crack!
The ice crystal instantly became covered in cracks, then shattered, turning into specks of ice dust that dissipated into the air.
"Did it fail?"
Ryoma opened his eyes, not discouraged.
Fusing two completely different magic systems was never an easy task.
Ice Magic was about construction and shaping, while Space-Time Magic, based on his current understanding, was more about conceptual distortion and transmission.
If he were to directly create a more stable ice crystal that could withstand spatial effects, the consumption would be too great and not worth it.
However, Yuno had the Wind Spirit, and Asta had Anti-Magic power, they were both growing rapidly. He couldn't afford to stagnate, or they might catch up to him.
Ryoma took a deep breath and once again calmed his mind, beginning a new round of attempts.
Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...
Time slowly passed in the monotonous practice.
From instantly shattering at the beginning to being able to last for one or two seconds later, and then to the ice crystal's structure becoming increasingly stable.
In this process, his understanding and control of spatial power were improving at a slow but steady pace. At least on the spatial level, he felt increasingly at ease.
However, regarding the other half of Space-Time Magic—time—he still had no clue.
Apart from that extraordinary Wizard King in this kingdom, he had never heard of anyone else mastering Time Magic.
This was a power even more forbidden and mysterious than Spatial Magic.
Just as Ryoma was continuously circulating the silver-white magic power within his body, his grimoire suddenly emitted a barely perceptible warmth.