Soon, they arrived at Kiten, the nearest royal capital city. While smaller than the Clover Kingdom's main royal capital, it was still bustling with shops, markets, and the occasional shady alley.
But even here, the Black Bulls couldn't escape… well, other Black Bulls.
"Hey—isn't that Gauche?" Noelle pointed.
Sure enough, Gauche stood near a boutique with bags overflowing with expensive clothes. His eyes were bloodshot, a nosebleed streaming down as he muttered something about "Marie's elegance."
"Yep. Bought half the store for his little sister again." Vanessa sighed like this was routine.
"Why is he like this?" Asta asked, half amused, half disturbed.
"If my sister looked like Noelle," Asta continued with a smirk, "I might understand..."
"Shut up!" Noelle slapped him lightly, face pink.
"Look, over there—it's Charmi!" Noelle pointed again, this time to the tiny food-obsessed Magic Knight sneaking food from vendor carts.
"Looks like she's about to bankrupt another food stall," Vanessa said.
"And—crap—hide!" Asta yanked Vanessa and Noelle behind a pillar.
Coming down the street, Finral, in full Black Bull uniform, was mid-rejection by a well-dressed noble lady. He was attempting his usual smooth-talking… and failing.
"Abort mission, go, go!" Noelle panicked. "If he sees us, we're toast!"
"Agreed," Vanessa said. "Quick escape."
****
After narrowly avoiding further embarrassment, the trio regrouped in a quieter part of the city.
"Any shopping plans?" Vanessa asked.
"Not really," Asta and Noelle said in unison.
Most of Asta's needs could be filled through the [Huoying Mall], and Noelle—being a royal—wasn't familiar with common markets.
"Then let's get some basic supplies—herbs, antidotes, recovery ointments," Vanessa said, taking the lead.
After grabbing the essentials from a potion vendor, she led them into a narrow, seemingly forgotten alley between two brick buildings.
"This… is a sketchy-looking place," Asta said, eyes narrowing.
"It's called the Understreet Market," Vanessa said proudly, pointing to a rune-inscribed brick. "It's technically unlicensed, but you can find rare magical items here. Illegal? Maybe. Useful? Definitely."
Noelle frowned. "There's no visible door…"
"Watch this." Vanessa pressed her grimoire to the rune, and with a faint click, the bricks shimmered and shifted, revealing a shadowy staircase leading downward.
"A hidden black market…" Asta grinned.
"As a Magic Knight, you need to know every resource at your disposal—even the unconventional ones," Vanessa said with a wink.
****
"The people who developed this market are quite clever, turning a normal-looking wall into a concealed entrance."
Asta's expression was curious and intrigued. His eyes, while not magical like a Sharingan from another universe, gleamed with a heightened sense of awareness, honed from countless battles. Even though Asta had no magic, his anti-magic swords and instinct made him uniquely sensitive to magical anomalies. As he stared at the wall, he could faintly sense the presence of a spatial magic seal — a portal spell disguised as a solid structure.
"You can actually sense it?"
Vanessa asked surprised, raised an eyebrow. Asta was a magicless peasant, yet his ability to perceive complex spells often surpassed even seasoned mages. For someone seeing the black market for the first time, he'd already caught on to the trick.
"What? There's an entrance behind that wall?"
Noelle Silva, regal as ever, hesitated before following them. She winced as she neared the stone wall, fearing impact, but the moment her hand touched it, the portal activated, sucking her inside with a pull of spatial magic.
"Woah... It's amazing, but it smells kind of… gross."
Noelle wrinkled her nose at the dim, crowded interior — filled with sketchy stalls, loud peddlers, and questionable magical relics.
"You nobles really don't come to places like this," Vanessa chuckled. "But believe it or not, there are some decent vendors here who help mages control their magic."
She tugged Noelle toward a nearby booth selling enchanted jewelry.
"This one's a bit outdated, but give it a try!" Vanessa held up a gold choker with embedded runes. "It stabilizes your mana flow — could help with your control issues."
"Mana outbursts, huh…" Noelle glanced at Asta from the corner of her eye. He was off inspecting some grimy sword at a nearby stall, but her thoughts were elsewhere — on his words during their last mission. "No matter what, I'll protect you."
"Oi, little princess~ You're staring too hard. Be careful or Asta might catch on~"
Vanessa teased.
"What?! I'm not! Don't say nonsense!"
Noelle turned beet red, fumbling to put the choker on — mostly to hide her flustered expression. To her surprise, the item did slightly stabilize her mana. But the outdated style… Ugh. No way she'd buy it.
"If it's too ugly for your taste, let's find something better," Vanessa offered.
They resumed browsing until a gray-robed man dashed past, bumping into customers and shoving through stalls.
"Stop that thief! He stole my enchanted relic!"
An elderly woman cried out from behind, hobbling toward the commotion.
The thief was heading straight for Asta — who turned instinctively. With sharp reflexes honed through endless combat, he dropped the wand he'd been holding, grabbed the man's shoulder, and flipped him to the ground in a clean throw.
"Nice catch, Asta!" Vanessa grinned.
"Here you go, ma'am," Asta said, handing the stolen package back.
"Thank you, dearie! This old body's no match for these punks…"
Asta smiled kindly, but as he leaned closer, a strange pressure prickled in his senses. His anti-magic instinct flared — the woman's mana was far too strong for someone claiming to be a fragile old lady.
"Such dense mana... Could she be—?"
He blinked, but the sensation faded. Probably just my imagination, he told himself.
"Is something wrong, young man?" the woman asked with a warm smile.
"Ah, no, I was just impressed by your… luck. Winning this kind of artifact must be rare."
The old woman chuckled, and Asta rejoined Noelle and Vanessa.
****
"I bought a bunch of accessories," Vanessa sighed, "but Noelle didn't like any of them."
"She doesn't need to," Asta said with a grin. "I already found something that might help her. It boosts mana control — should make her magic easier to handle."
He held out the wand he had quietly picked earlier. Vanessa's eyes widened slightly in surprise — rare for someone as laid-back as her. Noelle was frozen, caught between joy and embarrassment.
He… picked something just for me?
Asta turned away, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
From a distance, the elderly woman smiled with interest. A ripple of light passed over her body — revealing not a fragile elder, but a youthful mage cloaked in magic. She was being watched.
A man with green hair — resembling Rock Lee by sheer coincidence — appeared beside her.
"You're using disguises again, Magic Emperor?" he said.
The youthful figure, now clearly the Wizard King Julius Novachrono, smiled as he observed Asta from afar.
"He's fascinating, isn't he?"
And then, in a burst of time magic, he vanished.
****
In the Skies Above
"Isn't that Yuno?"
Asta spotted a group flying overhead on brooms — all members of the Golden Dawn. Among them was Yuno, his childhood rival.
"Looks like they're on a mission," Noelle noted.
"Yeah. That guy being escorted — isn't that Shalim from the entrance exam?"
"Didn't he get rejected by Yuno?" Vanessa asked.
Asta nodded. "Why would he be involved with the Golden Dawn now?"
Vanessa floated behind them on her broom. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."
****
Elsewhere – Shalim's Game Begins
Yuno flew beside Klaus and Mimosa, his squadmates. Their mission: escort nobleman Shalim Hapshas to the Heart Kingdom border.
"I'm glad we met again," Shalim said with a friendly smile. "I never held a grudge about the exam — on the contrary, I respect your ambition."
Yuno frowned. "How do you know my goal?"