Sally waved both arms enthusiastically, greeting Yuuki from above.
"I knew you'd be drawn here."
She leapt down from the cave entrance, excitement written all over her face. Spreading her arms wide into a big "X," she plunged toward Yuuki below.
Yuuki flickered out of place, reappearing several meters away.
"Ah! Help me—!"
Sally screamed midair, though there wasn't the slightest trace of fear in her voice—only excitement.
Squish—
Just as Sally was about to hit the ground, a mass of gelatinous, elastic material surged up from the earth, forming a cushion. Her body slammed into the purple gel pad, which absorbed all the impact before bouncing slightly, gently depositing her back onto the ground.
"Couldn't you at least catch me?" Sally pouted at Yuuki, flailing her arms in mock anger.
Nearby, the Eye of the Midnight Sun member who had led Yuuki here stiffened nervously at the sight of Sally.
Within the organization, Sally's reputation was infamous. A madwoman who treated people as experimental material—someone you absolutely did not provoke, lest you die without ever knowing how.
"Lady Sally… I've brought Lord Yuuki here, as instructed," the member said shakily.
The moment he spoke, Sally froze.
Without moving her body, she slowly twisted her head to stare at him. Her eyes widened, crimson pupils brimming with icy indifference and a thread of killing intent.
"Can you not interrupt a thrilling reunion?" she said sweetly.
"Or do you want to stay here and let me dissect you?"
The man's face went deathly pale. Trembling, he turned and fled without hesitation, disappearing as fast as he could.
Watching his retreating back, Sally flicked out her soft crimson tongue and licked the corner of her lips. Then she turned back to Yuuki, her cheerful grin restored—as if she were a completely different person from moments before.
"So?" Yuuki asked calmly. "Where are they?"
He didn't bother asking how Sally knew he was searching for the brothers Neige and Baro.
Yuuki had joined the Eye of the Midnight Sun less than two months ago. In terms of influence, he couldn't compare to Sally and the others who had been members for far longer. It wasn't surprising that information from his subordinates had leaked to her.
Nor did Yuuki feel any dissatisfaction.
He never trusted those members to begin with. Licht's reason for letting him join the Eye of the Midnight Sun was simply to prepare a backup vessel in case Rhya's ran into trouble.
"I kept my promise, you know," Sally said, pushing up her glasses with a finger tipped in red nail polish, hands clasped behind her back as she smiled at Yuuki.
"I didn't touch that manaless kid named Asta. You didn't forget what you promised me, did you?"
There was a hint of clear displeasure beneath her playful tone.
Yuuki paused.
He had almost forgotten. There had been too much to deal with lately, and his agreement with Sally had slipped his mind entirely.
Though he knew he was at fault, Yuuki showed no sign of it. He coughed lightly and spoke as if this had always been his intention.
"Five hundred years ago, in the region known today as the Forsaken Realm of the Clover Kingdom, there lived a race called the elves."
"Elves?" Sally interrupted, red eyes flashing with surprise.
(T/N: I think I've mentioned this earlier but the Chinese call Fairies, Pokemons, Summoned monsters and small animals too Elves so yeah it's something that reads better in Chinese.)
"Not the legendary Four Great Elemental Spirits," Yuuki continued evenly.
"But a race known as elves. They were born under the blessing of mana, naturally possessing terrifyingly powerful magic. On occasion, they even helped humans fend off natural disasters."
"But jealousy is an intrinsic part of human nature. A race born with such overwhelming mana inevitably inspired fear. In the end, the elves were exterminated by humans in a war."
Yuuki spoke as though recounting the simplest of stories, his tone unhurried and flat.
Sally didn't respond right away. She blinked at him, irritation creeping into her crimson eyes.
"Are you making this up?"
Yuuki merely smiled faintly.
"About five hundred years ago… even in the Clover Kingdom today, there's still a widely circulated legend, isn't there?"
He looked at Sally with a knowing expression.
She lowered her hands from behind her back, her face turning thoughtful.
"When humanity was on the brink of destruction by a demon god," she murmured,
"a mage saved the world. That mage became the first Wizard King."
"Exactly," Yuuki nodded.
"The Clover Kingdom's prince five hundred years ago—the first Wizard King, Lumiere. There are countless stories about him."
"You could think of these two tales as one and the same."
Yuuki shrugged lightly.
Sally frowned deeply. Suddenly, she clutched her head and began hopping in place.
"This is so annoying! Even if I combine the stories, what does that prove?!"
Her red eyes widened, urgency burning within them as she stared at Yuuki, desperate for an answer.
She felt as though she was on the verge of understanding something—but her thoughts were hopelessly tangled, like a mass of thread with no loose end to pull.
Just like her experiments—when it felt as though she was only one step away, yet completely lost.
"In every story about the first Wizard King," Yuuki said calmly,
"there's one crucial person missing."
"The Clover Kingdom's princess from five hundred years ago—the younger sister of the first Wizard King, Lumiere."
"Tetia."
Seeing Sally's impatience, Yuuki continued:
"If you can uncover information about Princess Tetia, many things may finally become clear."
At those words, Sally unexpectedly calmed down.
Her grin returned, playful and bright.
"Five hundred years ago? There's no way that can be investigated properly. Even if records still exist, they'd be locked away in the hands of the royal family."
She suddenly darted right up in front of Yuuki, eyes shining with excitement.
"You clearly know more. Hurry up and tell me."
Yuuki's words had unconsciously drawn her thoughts to Licht and the others. She felt as though she had seized hold of something important.
"I do know a little," Yuuki admitted.
"But some truths, even if spoken aloud, you wouldn't believe."
"The stories and records of the first Wizard King are widespread. You can start by investigating those yourself."
Then his tone sharpened slightly.
"One warning—don't tell anyone about this."
"Why?" Sally asked.
"Because you'll die."
The moment the word die left his mouth, Sally's pupils shrank violently.
A bone-chilling sense of death surged from Yuuki, sending shivers through her entire body and making every hair stand on end.
In that instant—
Sally snapped out of her obsessive curiosity.
Whether it was the story Yuuki had told, or the secrets surrounding five hundred years ago, none of this was knowledge an ordinary person should possess.
(End of Chapter)
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