Although Domina spent most of her time in the black market, at this hour the streets were deserted—and even the black market itself was empty.
Mariella dipped her head respectfully without a hint of hesitation.
"I'll take you to her, my lord."
Yuuki had assumed Domina lived somewhere inconspicuous within the town. Instead, Mariella led him straight into the black market and stopped before a low, shadowy alley house not far from where Domina usually set up her stall.
Yuuki's eye twitched.
He had not expected Domina to literally live inside the black market.
Knock, knock, knock.
Mariella stepped forward and tapped lightly on the door.
They waited. No response. She knocked again—still nothing. Yuuki was starting to wonder if they had the wrong place when Mariella calmly raised her hand and knocked a third time.
This time, from within the previously silent room, came an irritable voice.
"Alright, alright, stop knocking!"
"Do you people have no manners? It's terribly rude to disturb a lady's sleep."
Domina's annoyed voice drifted out as the door cracked open—only halfway.
Half her face peeked out, framed by a mess of orange hair still tangled from sleep. She blinked, bleary-eyed.
At first glance—
Domina's eyes landed on Yuuki. His outfit seemed familiar, and her expression eased slightly.
"Oh, it's you. How did you find this place?"
"The magic item you ordered isn't ready yet. Being impatient won't help."
She rubbed her still-foggy eyes and spoke with clear impatience.
Yuuki didn't bother arguing. He simply lifted the official document canceling Domina's wanted status and held it right in front of her.
After a brief silence—
Bang!
Domina yanked the door fully open, snatched the document from his hands, and stared at it wide-eyed. She read it over and over, then checked the Diamond Kingdom's unique magic seal embedded within.
Everything was legitimate.
"This… this…"
Domina finally looked up, her face filled with shock and disbelief. Her voice trembled with joy and excitement, even turning slightly stuttered.
She didn't even pause to question how he'd learned her identity.
"Perhaps the doorway isn't the best place to have this conversation?" Yuuki reminded gently.
"Ah—right. Please, come in."
Domina hurriedly stepped aside, trying to suppress her excitement. She felt almost dazed—she'd only taken a nap, and somehow her wanted status had been wiped clean.
But the moment she glanced at Mariella, she froze.
"...Master's wife."
Feeling her gaze, Mariella dipped in a small bow.
"Lady Domina."
"Mariella?"
Domina's expression instantly shifted to disbelief. Something clicked in her mind—she sprang backward, one hand coming up with a potion bottle ready to smash it against the floor.
She remembered well: Mariella's husband's disciple had joined the Assassination Squad.
"You're no longer wanted," Mariella said evenly, watching her tense movements.
Mm?
Domina stiffened.
Right—she wasn't wanted anymore.
Awkwardly, she tightened her grip around the bottle she'd almost smashed, shooting an embarrassed glance at Mariella's calm face, then at Yuuki's masked visage.
She couldn't see his expression through the mask, but she was certain it must've been spectacular.
"Ahem… reflexes. Sorry."
Domina coughed, cheeks reddening.
Once she had fully settled down, Mariella succinctly explained what had happened.
Only then did Domina realize that the identity she thought she'd hidden perfectly in the black market had already been uncovered by both of them.
She also remembered the strange promise this masked man had made before—
that he would "let her stand under the sun."
"Who exactly are you?" Domina asked once she regained her composure, suspicion and unease mixed in her eyes.
"Why is my identity so important to you?"
Yuuki smiled lightly.
"Revoking your wanted status wasn't only to repay the debt on Mariella's behalf. I simply couldn't stand seeing a master-class magic item craftsman hiding in a black market stall, scraping by selling trinkets."
"With your skills, that's far too great a waste."
He let out a soft sigh.
Domina cast a complicated glance at Mariella before turning back to Yuuki. By now she had fully calmed.
"So you want me to join your organization and craft magic tools for you."
Her pale-gray eyes were steady and unreadable.
"No."
To her surprise, Yuuki shook his head.
"Joining or not is your decision. I won't force anyone."
"But one thing you got right—I do need your craftsmanship. And I'll pay for every commission. If you want, I can even fund your research so you can experiment freely without worrying about money."
As he spoke, he lifted his hand and waved it lightly to the side.
A circular spatial gate appeared midair.
Clink.
A single gold coin fell through and hit the floor.
Then—
Clatter, clatter, clatter—
A torrent of gold coins poured from the portal like a shining waterfall. Within moments, a pile nearly as tall as a person formed in the middle of the room.
The reflected golden light brightened the entire place.
Domina's calm façade vanished instantly. Her beautiful eyes were locked onto the mountain of gold, pupils gleaming with barely restrained hunger. Her throat bobbed repeatedly.
Even Mariella, usually expressionless, looked stunned.
"This is my sincerity," Yuuki said with a gentle smile, seeing how thoroughly Domina's attention was captured.
He knew very well just how fiercely she coveted money. Otherwise, she wouldn't have risked being wanted to peddle magic items in the black market.
And to Yuuki, anything solvable with money wasn't even a problem anymore.
After a long moment—
Domina swallowed hard and finally tore her gaze away from the pile of gold, looking back toward Yuuki…
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