"Yo, kid. I was just looking for you," Yami called out, appearing suddenly. "You see, I'm in immediate need of some money."
"How much?" Julian asked.
"Twenty thousand yuls," Yami said casually.
"Twenty thousand?! That's my income for two months! What do you even need that much money for?" Julian exclaimed, clearly annoyed.
"I lost everything in gambling and now I'm in debt," Yami replied with a shameless smile. Julian sighed, noticing how Yami was getting more comfortable with him each day. Different thoughts ran through his mind, trying to make this situation useful.
"Sure, why not. I can give you the money and you don't have to return it, but on one condition," Julian said, a plan forming in his mind.
"Go on, brat. Say what you want," Yami replied.
"You have to teach me your KI technique and train me in your sword arts," Julian proposed. He was taking a gamble here; KI was Yami's technique, and he didn't know if Yami would teach someone outside his squad.
"You sure you want to be trained by me?" Yami asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Why not, kid? Be sure to survive. Bring the money here tomorrow, and I'll take you to my base to train you. But you can't quit until I'm satisfied," Yami warned.
Julian returned to Church to inform Sister Theresa and left with the money. Sister Theresa knew Yami, so she was confident Julian would be safe.
**************
Julian arrived at the Black Bulls' base, a structure in shades of black and grey, nestled in one of the forests in the common region. As he entered, he was greeted by pure mayhem. Luck and Magna were constantly firing spells at each other and shouting. Charmy was eating cakes, Gordon was in a corner muttering something incomprehensible, and Finral was sitting in another corner, covering his ears with a distressed expression. Julian noted how Gordon looked eerily creepy and Charmy exactly resembled a doll.
Yami used his mana to smash a nearby wall and shouted, "Stop making noise, or I'll smash you next!" This caused an immediate reaction, making everyone sit in a line. "This is Julian. I made a deal with him. He'll stay here for a while, so take care of him." He then turned to Julian and said, "I'm going to pay off my debt. I'll train you starting tomorrow," and left, leaving Julian alone with the crew.
Immediately, Julian was bombarded with questions.
"How did you meet Yami?" Magna asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
"What deal did you make?" Luck chimed in, eager for details.
"Are you strong?" Gordon whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Do you like food?" Charmy asked, holding out a piece of cake.
Julian answered their questions as best as he could, explaining his background and the deal he struck with Yami. Magna then gave him a tour of the base, all the while praising Yami and recounting his own journey from a remote village.
Finally, they reached Julian's room. Though it had a bed, table, and window, it was covered in spiderwebs and dust.
"Looks like you'll need to clean up a bit," Magna said, scratching his head.
Later, Julian tasted Charmy's food and found it to be the best he had ever had. He ended up eating a lot, much to Charmy's delight. Meanwhile, Finral kept asking him about girls in his neighborhood.
After dinner, Julian promised Luck a battle. "You're on," he said, as Luck's eyes sparkled with excitement.
He tried talking to Gordon but only understood half of what he was saying. Despite the initial chaos, Julian found himself getting along with the Black Bulls surprisingly well.
That night, Yami returned, signaling the start of Julian's battle with Luck.
---
Meanwhile, at the church, Sister Theresa was watching the children play outside when she noticed an old woman approaching. She greeted her, "What a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect the Wizard King to visit me."
The old lady put a finger to her lips. "Shh! Don't say it out loud. I ditched my work to come here."
"Let's talk inside," Sister Theresa said, leading her into the church. "You must want to know about Julian. I heard he met with Yami."
Light enveloped the figure of the old woman, transforming her into a blond-haired man. "Yes, I wanted to know more about Julian."
In the quiet of the church, Sister Theresa and the Wizard King sat in deep conversation. "Julian is special," she said. "He has immense potential. Meeting Yami might be the turning point he needs."
The Wizard King nodded thoughtfully. "I'll keep an eye on him. Thank you, Sister."
As he left, Sister Theresa couldn't help but smile, thinking of the bright future awaiting Julian.