Lord Wayne was younger than Yuki expected.
Mid-thirties, sharp-featured, wearing a nobleman's travelling coat over what was clearly a mage's underlayer — runed fabric, mana-conductive threading visible at the cuffs. He carried no visible weapon but his mana signature was substantial. Not Platinum-level, but well above average. A trained mage who'd studied at an academy and climbed the noble ranks with magic as his foundation.
He stood at Yuki's front door flanked by twelve soldiers and an expression that was equal parts curiosity and caution.
"Good evening. I'm Lord Wayne Alderton, administrator of Veldara's Northern District. I apologise for the late hour — we only just confirmed your address."
Yuki leaned against the doorframe. "Confirmed my address."
"You're not an easy man to find. The gate records had a name and a Gold guild tag. The guild had a file with very little in it. The property registry finally gave us a location." Wayne paused. "You flew over my gate. Twice. In front of several hundred people."
"I've been told."
"Flight magic is — to be direct — something most people in this country have never seen. The mana cost alone makes sustained flight impractical for even our strongest war mages. They'd drain themselves in seconds." Wayne studied him. "You flew for what appeared to be extended periods. With two children in your arms."
"They're light."
Wayne's expression suggested that was not the relevant variable.
"I'd like to come in, if that's acceptable. I have questions. Nothing adversarial — I'm genuinely curious."
Yuki glanced at the soldiers. "Your men can wait outside. I'd rather not frighten my daughters."
Wayne nodded. Gestured to his escort. The soldiers took positions along the courtyard wall without complaint.
Behind Yuki, two sets of ears peeked around the hallway corner. Silver and black. When Kana heard daughers, her tail began wagging involuntarily. Hana pressed closer to her sister but kept watching, dark eyes tracking the nobleman.
Elena appeared from the kitchen — ladle in hand, posture shifting seamlessly from cook to household steward. She bowed to Wayne and guided him to the receiving room with the practiced grace of someone who'd welcomed nobles into grander houses than this.
"May I offer tea, my lord?"
"Please."
She caught Yuki's eye on the way out. A look that said I have this handled. He nodded.
They sat across from each other in the receiving room. Tea was served. Wayne took a measured sip and set the cup down.
"I'll be straightforward. When the gate soldiers reported what they saw, I assumed it was an exaggeration. Flight magic performed casually, in public, by an unregistered mage — it sounded like a tall tale. Then I checked the guild records."
He pulled a thin folder from his coat. "Gold rank. Achieved in five days at the Millhaven branch. Solo quest completions across multiple tiers. A monster processing submission yesterday of fifteen Gold-ranked tempest serpents — extracted from what the clerk described as 'impossible spatial storage.' And no history whatsoever prior to your guild registration."
He set the folder on the table. "Who are you?"
Yuki scratched the back of his head. From behind the couch, a silver-eared head slowly rose.
"Honestly? I grew up in a monster-infested forest. Very isolated. I learned magic from a young age out of necessity — survival required it. I developed my own spells, my own techniques. When I finally left the forest, Millhaven was the first settlement I found."
"No formal training?"
"None."
"No academy, no mentor, no institutional affiliation?"
"Just me and the monsters."
Wayne processed this. His mana sense — Yuki could feel it, a polite but thorough scan — washed over him. Yuki kept his signature suppressed. Tight. Small. What Wayne would sense was a strong mage, but not the sun behind the curtain.
"And the flight magic? Self-taught?"
"Combination of spatial displacement, telekinesis, and wind magic. I developed it to travel over the forest canopy."
Wayne's eyebrows rose. "Three schools combined into a single sustained spell. That's — that's doctoral-level magical theory. Academy researchers have proposed spatial-kinetic hybrid casting as a theoretical framework. You're telling me you built it from scratch in a forest?"
"I had a lot of free time."
Kana chose this moment to spring from behind the couch.
"Yuki is the strongest!" she announced, silver tail at full mast. "He can cast tons of spells and he killed a dragon and a hundred bandits and he makes the best clothes and—"
"Kana."
"—and he built a whole house with magic and—"
"Elena."
Elena materialised. "I'm so sorry, my lord — she slipped past me." She scooped Kana up, bowed, and carried the protesting fox child out of the room.
Wayne watched them go with an expression caught between amusement and recalibration.
"Your daughter is... enthusiastic."
Wayne got to the point.
"I'd like to request that you visit the guild tomorrow for a formal assessment. A demonstration of your combat abilities and magical capacity."
Yuki set his tea down. "Why is that necessary?"
"It's standard practice — required of all citizens and residents of Veldara who possess high magical abilities or unique affinities. It's a public safety measure. We need to understand the capabilities of powerful individuals within the city for the wellbeing of the general populace." Wayne paused. "And frankly — with the Dominion on our border, the Confederation needs to know what resources are available to it."
Yuki looked at Lira. She'd been sitting quietly in the corner, listening, her green-gold eyes tracking the conversation.
She nodded. It's fine.
"All right," Yuki said. "Tomorrow."
Wayne stood. "Thank you. I apologise again for the late visit — we located your address and I felt it better to come directly rather than send a summons."
"I appreciate that."
He guided Wayne out. The soldiers reformed around their lord. The gate closed.
"So," Lira said. "Assessment."
"Assessment."
Kana and Hana sat on the couch, ears up, listening.
"Just hold back," Lira said. "Show enough to satisfy their requirements. Don't show everything."
"That's the plan. I will cast a few spells. Nothing flashy."
"Nothing flashy. You. The man who uses telekinesis to enforce screen distance and built a nuclear-proof basement in an afternoon."
"I can be subtle."
Her expression said she did not believe him.
"I'll be subtle," he repeated.