The Black Bulls hideout always looked… tired.
Not destroyed, not filthy, not dangerous—just perpetually exhausted, as if the building itself was sighing from surviving the people living inside it. The wooden beams creaked. A faint smell of smoke drifted from a window. A few scorch marks decorated the outside wall in nearly artistic patterns.
Lencar stood before the entrance, cloak swaying, expression unreadable.
So this is where Noelle Silva lives now.
Asta practically bounced beside him. "Lencar, don't worry! It looks weird but it's not dangerous!"
A loud boom echoed from somewhere inside.
Asta did not blink. "Okay maybe a little dangerous."
Yuno, who had insisted on tagging along for "personal verification of structural safety," stared flatly at the hideout. "This looks like it collapses once a week."
Finral, the one who agreed to bring Lencar in, rubbed his temple. "More like every three days…"
Lencar just hummed. "The external mana density is irregular. Someone inside uses spells without discipline."
Finral blinked. "I… yeah. That sounds about right."
Asta slapped the door open with casual confidence.
"WE'RE BACK!"
Their voices echoed in the hallway. A faint thud, a "wait I wasn't ready!" and the sound of something heavy falling down the stairs greeted them.
A figure came sliding down the stair railing—involuntarily.
Luck Voltia hit the floor with a loud thump, then sprang up instantly. "Asta!! You brought a new person—IS HE STRONG?!"
His eyes were sparkling. Dangerously.
Lencar, sensing the wild mana around Luck, slightly shifted his stance.
"Strong," Asta said proudly. "Like, really strong."
Luck clasped his hands together like a delighted child. "Then I can fight him, right?"
Lencar shook his head. "Not today."
Luck deflated.
Asta added quickly, "He's here to help Noelle!"
Luck brightened again. "Oooh. Good luck! She explodes a lot."
Finral whispered to Lencar, "He's not exaggerating…"
Yuno stared at the group, already regretting every decision that brought him here.
They moved deeper into the hideout.
Noelle Appears — Graceful… and Immediately Chaotic
Noelle came around the corner with her head held high. Her silver hair flowed behind her like a proper noblewoman's. She had clearly been preparing herself for Lencar's arrival—posture perfect, expression composed.
"Welcome to the Black Bu—"
A small magical pop echoed behind her, and water suddenly burst from her grimoire in a tiny geyser.
She stiffened.
Everyone froze.
A drop hit Lencar's cheek.
She turned crimson.
"T-this isn't— I didn't—!" Noelle flustered, frantically trying to close her grimoire.
Lencar wiped the water from his cheek calmly. "I see you struggle with involuntary mana discharge."
Noelle nearly wilted in embarrassment.
Asta panicked. "Noelle, it's fine! Lencar said he'll help!"
Yuno added dryly, "Honestly this isn't even in the top ten strangest things I've seen today."
Noelle snapped toward him. "No one asked you!"
The building groaned ominously above them. Something shifted in the walls. The trio all instinctively ducked—but nothing fell.
Finral exhaled. "That was just Gordon opening a door upstairs. The hinges are… complicated."
Lencar blinked.
He wasn't sure he wanted to ask.
Inside the Main Hall
The main hall was… lived-in.
Not filthy. Just heavily used.
Scratches on the wooden floor. Scorch marks. A few paint patches. A single couch with stuffing peeking out. A table with one leg shorter than the rest, wobbling precariously.
Magna sat on that table, chewing on a stick of roasted meat.
He noticed Lencar and squinted. "Hey. Who's he?"
Asta grinned. "Our friend! He's helping Noelle!"
Magna jumped off the table. "Oh! Nice to meet ya! I'm Magna Swing—resident cool guy!"
The table chose that moment to collapse.
Magna froze mid-pose. "That wasn't my fault!"
Yuno rubbed his forehead. "I disagree."
Noelle, trying to salvage her pride, crossed her arms. "Ignore them. They're always like this."
Luck nodded. "True. But at least no one has exploded today!"
Something exploded upstairs.
They all looked up.
Luck corrected, "Well, almost."
Lencar inhaled slowly. He wasn't annoyed—just mentally categorizing the constant mana noise.
The Black Bulls were… chaotic, but not malicious.
Chaotic like a storm that somehow grew flowers.
Noelle led him outside to the training yard.
It was safer.
The ground outside was wide, open, and cratered in many places—a clear sign of frequent magical mishaps.
"This is where we practice," Noelle said, trying to sound composed.
Asta nodded eagerly. "You got this, Noelle!"
Yuno stood a short distance away, observing quietly.
Finral hovered nervously near an exit point for easy escape.
Noelle swallowed. "So… what do you need me to do?"
Lencar's calm gaze sharpened slightly. "Release your magic freely, without holding back. I want to see its natural flow."
Noelle hesitated—but after a reassuring nod from Asta, she opened her grimoire.
Water surged instantly, swirling out wildly.
She tried to form a sphere.
It exploded.
She tried to form a whip.
It melted into a puddle.
She tried to form a shield.
It became a fountain spraying upward.
Every attempt made her sink deeper into embarrassment.
"See?!" she snapped. "This is why it's pointless!"
Asta punched his fist forward. "Noelle, you can do it! You're amazing!"
She blushed aggressively. "T-that's not helpful!"
Lencar stepped closer.
His voice remained even.
"Noelle. Breathe."
She blinked. The word hit differently.
"Again," he said. "Breathe."
He extended his mana outward for her to sense.
It was calm. Controlled. Steady like a silent moon.
"Don't strangle your magic," he instructed. "Guide it as if it's a part of you, not an animal you're trying to cage."
Noelle's shoulders relaxed.
"Let it flow," Lencar said, "then shape it second."
She tried again.
Her mana released—less violently this time, swirling around her like a misty halo.
Asta gasped. "Noelle! That's amazing!"
Even Yuno's expression softened a little. "It's cleaner than before."
Noelle blinked—then almost smiled.
But the hideout behind them suddenly rattled, as if reacting to the stable mana for the first time in its life.
Finral muttered, "Oh no. The house isn't used to normal magical behavior…"
A window popped open and fell out.
Luck cheered. "Nice!"
Lencar ignored the chaos entirely.
His attention was only on Noelle.
"Good," he said softly. "Again."
Training continued for an hour.
By the end of it:
Noelle's magic was flowing more consistently.
Her water spheres held their shape for a full three seconds.
Her mana drifted with purpose rather than thrashing wildly.
She wasn't perfect.
But she was better.
And she knew it.
Breathing a little heavier, she looked at Lencar. "Thank you… I mean—this is just the first step, of course—but… thank you."
Lencar nodded. "Your potential is higher than you think. You only need precision, not restraint."
Asta practically vibrated with pride. "NOELLE! I TOLD YOU YOU COULD DO IT!"
Noelle shoved him lightly. "S-shut up… but… yes."
Yuno simply said, "Good work," because he was Yuno.
Finral wiped sweat he didn't earn. "Great. No one died. Success."
Luck raised a thumb. "Next time, fight me!"
Lencar did not answer that.
Before Leaving — A Funny Misunderstanding
As they returned inside briefly before heading out, a quiet figure suddenly stepped from the shadows of the hallway.
"Eeeh… welcome," Gordon whispered.
Asta waved cheerfully. "Oh! Gordon!"
Gordon stared deeply at Lencar.
"…friend?"
Lencar nodded politely. "Friend."
Gordon's eyes sparkled. "I'm… so happy…"
Yuno whispered to Asta, "Was he always standing there?"
Asta whispered back, "Probably."
Noelle sighed. "Typical."
Lencar didn't flinch. "Interesting mana signature."
Finral whispered to Asta, "He said interesting… is that good?"
Asta beamed. "Yeah! Means Gordon is special!"
Gordon melted emotionally.
It was a strange family.
Chaotic, noisy, unpredictable.
But there was warmth.
And Lencar—though he didn't show it—felt the faint trace of something familiar.
Belonging?
No… not yet.
Coexistence, perhaps.
As he stepped outside with Finral preparing a portal back to Halkona Village, Asta shouted:
"Lencar! Thank you! Come back anytime!"
Noelle crossed her arms, cheeks pink. "If—if you have time, that is. I don't need help. But… maybe… a little."
Yuno simply nodded. "We'll visit your restaurant again."
Finral smiled nervously. "Please don't bring anything dangerous from your home…"
Luck yelled, "WE'LL FIGHT SOMEDAY!!"
Magna shouted from a window, "BRING FOOD NEXT TIME!"
Charmy, half asleep, murmured: "Food…"
Lencar paused, glancing back only once.
A strange, subtle warmth lingered in his chest.
"…I will return," he said simply, then stepped through the portal.
The hideout groaned again behind him.
A final thud echoed.
Finral sighed. "That was the door. The door always falls off after visitors."
And the portal closed.