Second Gate of Healing, Open!

That commotion was even more terrifying than the Earth and Stone Magic from earlier.

Sol Marron crashed straight into Carl's face, her two massive breasts producing an astonishing bounce that nearly sent Carl flying.

Fortunately, Carl had already awakened the power of the Eight Gates.

With just a slight movement, he steadied himself.

Even so, he was having a little trouble breathing at the moment.

Sol Marron froze for a moment before reacting. "Ah! Help! Sister, save me—!"

At that moment, Sol Marron looked as though she had encountered the greatest crisis of her life. Her entire body stiffened like stone, her voice filled with pleading as she begged Charlotte to save her.

However, Charlotte could only stand by helplessly.

What kind of joke was this? She was just about to regain her strength and suppress the curse. At such a critical moment, how could she possibly intervene?

Carl, meanwhile, grabbed Sol Marron and set her aside.

"I told you I'm saving your sister. Can't you see that? Charging in like that—what are you even doing?"

Sol Marron trembled all over.

She was utterly conflicted.

Her pale-blue knightly robe fluttered despite the lack of wind.

She pointed at Carl, then at Charlotte, then at herself. "You, you, you... I, I, I..."

Yet she could not form a complete sentence at all.

"Do you even know what just happened?"

"I'm not clean anymore. I, I'm going to—"

She had wanted to say, "I'm going to kill you."

But when the moment came, she found that she somehow could not say it.

When she looked at Carl again, her whole body stiffened before she slumped down dejectedly.

She raised her head and looked toward Charlotte.

After a long while, when she caught sight of Carl's abs, Sol Marron's face actually flushed red for the first time.

Then, as though she had thought of something, Sol Marron covered her face in disbelief. She then looked at Charlotte. "S-Sister, let's go."

Only after sensing that the curse within her had been completely suppressed did Charlotte finally calm down.

She gave Carl a deep look, then prepared to pull Sol Marron away.

But Sol Marron kept looking back every three steps, her expression unusually grave.

The instant the two stepped outside, Sol Marron asked Charlotte:

"Sister, I have a strange feeling."

"I don't know how to describe it. I just don't know why, but whenever I see Carl now, my face gets hot and my heart starts racing..."

"Did I catch some kind of illness?"

"If I'm sick, how will I serve you in the future? Sister, you have to save me!"

Charlotte froze instantly. Then, blushing furiously, she shot Carl an apologetic look before dragging Sol Marron away as though fleeing for her life.

There was nothing wrong with her vice-captain. She had simply been influenced by Charlotte too much and had become excessively disgusted by men.

Perhaps it was more accurate to say that she was the sort who wanted to slap any man she saw.

The only reason she had behaved herself while sitting down for drinks earlier was because the other party was Yami Sukehiro.

As the captain of the Black Bulls.

Even if Sol Marron had ten times the courage, she still could not defeat him, so she could only sit there obediently.

But even then, Sol's contemptuous gaze toward Yami could not be restrained at all.

Fortunately, Yami Sukehiro did not care.

But now, Charlotte suddenly realized that her little sister seemed to have undergone some inexplicable change because of what had just happened.

Calling it an illness? She was clearly falling for him, wasn't she?

Looking at her dear companion Sol Marron, Charlotte's expression kept changing.

Carl was undoubtedly special to Charlotte.

Especially after those two inexplicable encounters of fate, Charlotte felt that Carl was different from Yami. Even Yami's influence in her heart had diminished considerably.

It was only now, when Sol Marron developed such strange feelings toward Carl, that Charlotte finally came to her senses.

What kind of joke was this? Even Sol had become interested in Carl. This was completely over. What was she supposed to do?

She could hardly bear to look directly at her vice-captain, yet she still dragged Sol away at top speed.

It seemed she would have to make some sort of decision during tomorrow's Royal Capital Magic Knights selection.

If someone like Carl went elsewhere, perhaps it would become a lifelong regret for her—and for Sol Marron as well.

The more Charlotte thought about it, the more embarrassed she became. She dragged Sol Marron along in a frantic run.

As they raced through the city, everyone in the Royal Capital hurriedly dodged aside at the sight of the speeding figures.

What kind of joke was this? The captain and vice-captain of the Blue Rose, such proud and noble figures, were running in such a hurry. Something huge must have happened to the kingdom.

The people nearby immediately formed lines and flooded to both sides. Some even began maintaining order.

"Everyone, move aside! The Rose Knights have urgent business! Make way already—don't delay the ladies in saving the kingdom!"

Charlotte's face turned even redder at that.

Sol Marron, meanwhile, cried out chaotically in the wind:

"Sister! Sister, can you slow down a little? The tips of my feet are practically getting rubbed raw!"

Inside the tavern.

Yami and Asta were hugging each other, inseparable.

As for Yuno, when he saw the Magic Stone fragment that was practically shattered beyond repair, his heart ached so badly he could barely breathe.

Carl flashed a bright smile at Yuno. "Were you planning to set the Magic Stone into your necklace?"

After a moment of silence, Yuno nodded.

Carl smiled. He clenched his hand tightly, and the dull Magic Stone fragment in his palm instantly crumbled into dust.

Yet at its center remained a fragment the size of a grain of rice, still radiating dense magical light. The snowflake pattern on it was dazzlingly bright.

Under Yuno's dumbfounded gaze, Carl grabbed the necklace from Yuno's hand and placed the tiny Magic Stone into the large hole in it.

Yuno's expression was conflicted, but Carl ignored his restraint. He extended his hand and gave it a hard squeeze.

The hole that had once been large enough to hold an entire Magic Stone had now become a small diamond-shaped setting, perfectly fitting that fragment inside.

Carl even thoughtfully used his immense strength to pinch and shape it further.

After a while, a brand-new necklace appeared before Yuno. It looked quite exquisite. Around the gemstone fragment was the shape of a Four-leaf Clover.

Yuno hesitated for a long time, but seeing the incredibly beautiful necklace, he still accepted it and sincerely thanked Carl.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for obtaining 1 point of Favorability."

Carl looked at his panel and discovered that aside from Charlotte giving him another twenty-plus points of Favorability, Sol Marron had also given him twenty points in that brief collision.

It could only be called astonishing.

Adding Yuno's single point of Favorability—which was barely better than nothing—Carl's expression turned excited. He had finally reached his goal.

The second gate of the Eight Gates, open.

As Carl allocated the Favorability points in his mind.

The second gate of the Eight Gates opened immediately.

The Gate of Healing—it governed the regulation of the body's strength and stamina, even the fluctuations of magic power.

Carl only felt his physical strength surge upward once more in a straight line.

As for exactly how powerful he had become, Carl had no clear idea.

He only felt that if he fought his previous self now, he could casually take on more than ten of them.

Feeling the surging magic power within him, Carl smiled faintly.

Yuno was still holding the necklace and had yet to recover when the aura erupting from Carl's body stunned him.

"Y-You—"

Yuno rarely found himself at a loss for words.

Even though he was usually calm and exceptionally composed, watching Carl repeatedly shatter the limits of what he thought possible still felt surreal and unbelievable.

"How could your strength..."

Carl immediately grinned. "I gained some insight while drinking just now, so it seems my strength improved a little."

Yuno froze completely.

Yami, who had been lying on the floor, suddenly sat up and stared intensely at Carl.