Before Noelle could catch up, Yuuki had already split off from Asta and returned to the restaurant.
With the ten thousand yul she'd given him, he now had a decent amount of money to spend openly. And judging from how little Noelle's mana control had improved, she would almost certainly come back to him for more help—which meant more money.
A very promising income stream.
"Rebecca, I don't think I'll be able to tell Luca and the others a story tonight. Please apologize to them for me."
Yuuki placed a hand on his forehead, acting weak and depleted as he spoke.
Rebecca immediately stepped forward, worry flashing across her face.
"It's fine—what happened to you?"
"Used a bit too much mana. I just need to sleep it off."
Yuuki shook his head reassuringly. Then he took out a pouch and placed 1,000 yul on the table.
"This covers the meals and lodging so far. The rest will count toward future meals and lodging as well."
Rebecca's first instinct was to refuse—there was no rush to pay, after all—but then she remembered Yuuki had earned ten thousand yul today. After hesitating briefly, she nodded.
Yuuki smiled gently at her, then headed for the stairs.
"No wonder she's royalty… dropping ten thousand yul like it's nothing. That's crazy."
Watching Yuuki's back disappear up the staircase, Rebecca let out a quiet sigh of amazement.
And when she recalled the smile he had given her just moments earlier, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
"Two of his friends joined the Magic Knights, and even a royal acknowledges him… Yuuki isn't just gentle—he's really incredible."
Rebecca whispered to herself, cheeks faintly warm.
Meanwhile—
Yuuki stepped into his room and shut the door firmly behind him.
The moment the door clicked shut, the "weak and exhausted" expression vanished from his face.
"I remember the black market should be in Gika Town. That's not far from Lyon Town."
He murmured softly, raising a hand before him.
Space Passage.
A black spatial tunnel formed out of thin air, hovering silently in the air.
Yuuki stepped forward once—and vanished from the room entirely.
The Clover Kingdom was divided into three regions: the Noble Realm, the Common Realm, and the Forsaken Realm. The royal capital sat squarely in the Noble Realm, and the many towns surrounding it were collectively known as the Castle Towns.
Both Rebecca's Lyon Town and the black market's Gika Town were among those Castle Towns. Even though they sat only a short distance from the capital, they still counted as part of the Common Realm.
The black market's entrance was hidden in a narrow alleyway. At first glance it looked like a dead end, but the wall at the end was actually an illusion—very similar to a certain alleyway from another magic-themed world.
Yuuki had come prepared. Over his clothes he wore a long, oversized black robe, and a patterned mask covered his face.
Not the black mask he had worn when meeting the Eye of the Midnight Sun—just a different, decorative one. Masks were cheap; buying several was no trouble.
In the anime, when Asta and the others came to the black market, they didn't disguise themselves at all. Not because they were careless, but because they didn't have to—anyone wearing a Black Bulls cloak was someone few dared provoke.
The black market wasn't a pleasant place.
The stone tiles along the street had turned yellowish with age, giving the entire atmosphere a gloomy feel.
Yuuki expanded his sensory field fully, sweeping his gaze across the surroundings.
Perhaps because it was already late, there weren't many people on the streets. Only a few figures in gray or black robes passed by hurriedly.
There were some vendors set up along the sides of the street, though their numbers were sparse.
Hidden in the corners of the shadows were more people—figures he would've missed entirely if not for his sensory magic.
While Yuuki was observing others, several gazes also fell on him. But most of them withdrew their attention after a brief glance.
Yuuki didn't rush to buy what he needed. Instead, he wandered casually through the black market, inspecting each area and the goods being sold.
The black market sounded mysterious, but in the end, it was nothing more than a shady corner of society—a place neither royals nor nobles would ever set foot in. How could a place like this possibly offer anything truly valuable?
If not for the fact that most of his money came from questionable sources—and that the things he wanted to buy were better kept secret from the public—Yuuki would never bother visiting somewhere as troublesome as the black market.
After wandering around twice to get a feel for the layout, Yuuki finally turned and headed toward a shop that specialized in magic items and magitek tools.
There were no customers inside.
As soon as Yuuki stepped through the door, the old man behind the counter—white beard, deeply wrinkled face—opened his narrow eyes with a sudden glint and hurried over eagerly.
"What can I get for you, sir? I've got all kinds of magic tools—everything you could want," he said with a wide, ingratiating smile.
Yuuki didn't respond immediately. Instead, he scanned the items displayed openly on the shelves.
They looked finely crafted—at least expensive at first glance. As for what they did, there were no labels or explanations, and Yuuki had no intention of asking. He simply stayed silent.
The old man noticed but didn't rush him. At this hour he wasn't expecting many customers anyway.
"I need a magic tool that can conceal mana."
After a brief silence, Yuuki finally spoke, lowering his voice to a deep, calm tone.
As he continued absorbing magic grimoires, his mana would only grow faster and faster. At first no one might notice, but eventually, someone would.
Which was precisely why he needed something to hide his rising mana.
"You're in luck, sir! I happen to have just the thing."
The old man's eyes lit up instantly. He hurried to the counter with surprising agility for his age and picked up something displayed there—an item shaped like an earring.
He rushed back and held it out to Yuuki.
"This here is top-quality stock I received recently! Not only can it conceal your mana, it can even store a certain amount of mana inside!"
The old man introduced the item with a beaming grin.
Yuuki stared silently at the earring.
It was sky-blue, with a small pearl-like decoration set into it—delicate and beautiful.
But this was clearly a woman's accessory.
And no matter how he looked at it, it was definitely obtained through shady means.
Yuuki lifted his head, the eyes behind his mask growing cold as they fixed on the old man.
"What's with that look? If you don't want it, then don't buy it. You planning to fight me or something?"
The old man snorted and took a quick step back, though his expression remained mocking.
Yuuki still didn't speak.
He raised a hand and lightly grasped at the air—
A patch of black spatial distortion formed in front of his palm. A small money pouch slipped out of it.
"Space magic?!"
The old man froze for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise.
(End of chapter)