Chapter 101: Strange Development

[Third Person's PoV] 

As Stephen petted Nero, Noelle slowly approached him and asked, "Are you really alright?"

"Hm?" Stephen hummed, looking at her in confusion.

"I mean, earlier when you were injured... Are you all healed up?" Noelle asked softly, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink.

Stephen gave a faint smile. "Could it be... that you're worried about me now?"

"No. I just wouldn't want to make Mimosa sad if you were to die from some hidden injury. I'd have to be the one to tell her," Noelle scoffed disdainfully, crossing her arms and looking away.

When she didn't hear a response, she peeked at him and saw an amused look on his face. His lips twitched slightly as he tried to suppress a laugh.

Noelle's blush deepened. She punched his shoulder and snapped, "You can die and bleed out for all I care!"

"Hm? Are you sure?" Stephen teased. "Because I distinctly remember feeling some powerful rage coming from you when I got hurt. You were pretty scary~"

Noelle pointed her wand at him threateningly, a crazed look on her face. "That is not what happened. You're imagining things! You were delirious from your injuries."

Stephen patted her head lightly, smiling. "Sure, if that's what helps you sleep at night~ Thanks for getting mad on my behalf, though. I appreciate it." He turned and walked away before she could respond.

Noelle stood frozen, her hands on her head. She muttered under her breath, "Am I being too obvious? No, surely not…"

Meanwhile, Stephen joined Asta and the others. They were gathered around a nervous blue-haired girl who was covering her face.

"So, who's she?" Asta asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Grey?" Stephen asked, amused as he sensed her magical power.

"Waaah! Don't look at me! My magic is too low right now to transform!!" Grey exclaimed, her face burning with embarrassment.

"WHAAAAAAAT?! THAT'S GREY?!" Everyone shouted in unison.

"To think Grey was a beautiful woman all this time!" Finral exclaimed enthusiastically.

Vanessa smacked him on the back. "Don't freak her out, can't you see she's shy?"

As the group made their way out of the temple, Charmy walked beside Stephen. "Can you bring out the octopus? I'm going to cook it!" she asked excitedly.

"Sure…" Stephen replied, pulling the octopus from the mirror dimension and handing it to Charmy's large sheep companion.

Kohono and Kaito's eyes widened as they exchanged a look of surprise. Then they turned to their grandfather.

"Grandpa... is that?" Kohono asked in a low, almost frightened voice.

"Shhh, I know, I know," he whispered back. "Let's get them fed and rested first. They did save our temple, after all."

Kaito nodded solemnly, his expression serious.

---

Later, everyone was gathered in a room, recovering their magical energy thanks to Charmy's cooking and Stephen's healing magic.

Bloated from the feast, they could barely move. Charmy, the most bloated of all, lay sprawled contentedly when a sudden commotion erupted outside.

Peeking out the open window, they saw a large crowd gathered in the streets below.

"BLACK BULLS, THANK YOU!!!" the townspeople shouted in unison.

"You guys are the saviors of the Underwater Temple!"

"You were so awesome!"

As the cheers continued, the Black Bulls were stunned—especially the longer-standing members of the squad.

"Who... Who would've ever thought we'd be getting a thank-you like this?" Magna muttered, still processing the moment.

"I want to grow stronger…" Luck said quietly, staring at the crowd below.

"Huh?!" Magna shouted, snapping out of his thoughts. "Then I'm gonna become even stronger!"

Vanessa gave a faint smile. "Geez, getting thanked like this sure does feel pretty good, doesn't it?"

"I don't care. I just want to see my Marie…" Gouche sighed, ignoring the celebration.

Before they could continue basking in gratitude, a knock at the door silenced the room. The High Priest entered with Kaito and Kohono, their expressions unusually serious.

Immediately, the atmosphere shifted.

"What's the matter?" Stephen asked as he had been getting suspicious of their behavior since they first arrived.

The High Priest bowed deeply, along with Kohono and Kaito.

"We are deeply thankful to you all for putting an end to the Eye of the Midnight Sun's attack on our temple," the High Priest began.

"Yes, without your help, we would've suffered heavy casualties," Kaito added, his tone solemn.

"So when we say this, please understand it's not out of ingratitude but for your own safety," Kohono said, her voice heavy with emotion.

"Kohono, what's going on?"

"Yeah, Kohono, is something wrong?" Noelle and Wanda asked in unison, standing with concern.

Kohono didn't respond. Instead, her serious expression remained as the three of them bowed again. This time, it wasn't a gesture of thanks but of pleading.

"Please leave our temple," they said together, their voices heavy with unease.

Yami, leaning against the window with a cigarette in hand, raised an eyebrow. He read their ki carefully, noting their emotions. 'They're nervous… and scared. No... not just scared. Terrified.'

Stephen, too, noticed their fear and became increasingly curious.

"What?! Are you seriously kicking us out?!" Magna exclaimed in disbelief.

"Did we do something wrong?" Finral asked, tilting his head.

"Kohono?" Wanda and Vanessa called softly, but Kohono only turned away, biting her lip.

Yami nodded, pushing himself off his chair. "Alright then. We've overstayed our welcome. Let's get going, guys."

"But Captain, something's wrong. I can feel it," Asta protested, his worry evident.

Yami held up the mana stone Stephen had retrieved earlier. "We've already got what we came for. We've got no reason to stick around. Move your asses," he ordered firmly.

Magna grumbled as he crab-walked toward the door, sneering. "How're we just gonna save their temple and get kicked out like this?"

"They said it wasn't out of ingratitude. Maybe there's something we don't know about," Wanda countered.

Stephen, unsettled by the situation, decided to probe the High Priest's mind. But before he could act, a deafening noise shattered his concentration.

AAAPHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The foghorn's blaring echoed throughout the city, shaking the very walls. Everyone clutched their ears, grimacing in pain.

As the tremors subsided, the High Priest, Kohono, and Kaito began to tremble. Their faces were pale, and fear consumed their expressions.

"No…" the High Priest muttered, his eyes wide and trembling. "We were too late, I thought we would have had more time... They're already here."

Yami's gaze hardened as unease settled over the room.

"Who's here?" Stephen asked, narrowing his eyes. "What's got you so scared?"

The High Priest swallowed hard, locking eyes with Stephen. His voice was solemn as he answered, "The kingdom that rules all that is blue... The Kingdom of Atlantis."

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