Chương 122: Fireworks

The crowd around them first fell silent. Then a wave of quiet gasps swept through the area.

"Wait... he actually got it?"

"His luck is insane!"

"I want that too..." Even Zelier himself was stunned for a moment. Huh? He actually won? The stall owner's smug expression froze instantly, twisting into a bitter grimace. He stammered for a while, desperately trying to come up with an excuse. But in the end, he had no choice but to reluctantly hand over the wooden cat sculpture to Zelier. As he did, he muttered under his breath.

"How did someone even manage to ring that..."

"Here, it's yours." Zelier didn't even bother examining the sculpture. He simply handed it directly to Auro.

"Really? You're giving it to me?" Auro's eyes widened in surprise. All the frustration from earlier vanished in an instant. She carefully accepted the wooden sculpture, holding it in both hands as she admired it from every angle.

"Thank you, Zelier!" Her smile curved into a radiant expression, revealing her adorable little canine teeth. Happily, she tried to place the wooden cat into the cloth bag she carried with her. However...

"Eh...?" Auro searched left and right. The smile on her face slowly faded.

"Where's my bag?!" Where did her bag go?! Auro anxiously scanned the surroundings. It didn't take long before she spotted a thin, scraggly-looking man nearby, secretly pushing his way through the crowd. And the item concealed beneath the loose fabric at his chest was unmistakably Auro's bag.

"Thief!" Auro shouted in shock and anger. Her cry instantly threw the surrounding crowd into chaos. The sudden commotion caused people to jostle and panic, but that only gave the thief the perfect opportunity to escape. The skinny man realized things had gone wrong. He stopped pretending to be subtle, turned around, and bolted. With all his strength, he forced his way toward the densest part of the crowd. Zelier turned his head and immediately locked onto the target.

The night market streets during the Autumn Harvest Festival were packed beyond belief. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. If that thief disappeared into the crowd, recovering the bag would be nearly impossible. Auro was just about to chase after him when she noticed Zelier extending one hand toward the thief's escape route. A few soft rustling sounds echoed. Shhhk! Shhhk! Several thin vines burst out from the cracks between the hard stone pavement!

Like extensions of Zelier's own arms, they precisely slipped around the people blocking the path and shot straight toward the fleeing thief. In the blink of an eye, they wrapped tightly around his ankle. The thief, running at full speed, suddenly felt his footing tighten. His balance vanished. He stumbled forward and slammed face-first into the ground.

"Ugh!" But the vines didn't stop there. They rapidly spread across his body, wrapping around his arms and legs until the skinny man was completely restrained, unable to move. The sudden scene left everyone nearby completely dumbfounded. Vines... Growing from the ground? This young man... Was he actually a mage? Auro also stared in shock, her small mouth slightly open. She knew Zelier was a mage. But hearing about magic and witnessing it firsthand were completely different things.

This was the first time she had actually seen a mage cast a spell. With nothing but a wave of his hand, he could summon vines? That was incredible... Zelier walked forward. The crowd instinctively parted, making way for him. The thief, trapped by the vines, struggled desperately like a fish thrown onto dry land. When he saw Zelier approaching, fear filled his eyes. He opened his mouth several times, but he couldn't even force out a single word.

"What could you possibly do that was better than learning how to steal?" Zelier's expression remained cold. He reached into the thief's chest, pulled out Auro's bag, and handed it back to her.

"Check if anything is missing." Auro quickly opened the bag and inspected the contents. After confirming that her money and small belongings were still there, she finally relaxed.

"Everything's still here."

"Good." The commotion quickly attracted nearby patrol guards. When one of them pushed through the crowd and saw the skinny thief bound tightly by vines growing from the ground, even he looked stunned.

"What... what happened here?"

"He stole my friend's bag and tried to escape into the crowd." Zelier explained calmly.

"I had no choice but to stop him with magic." As he spoke, Zelier took out his Junior Mage insignia. The surrounding spectators also nodded and began confirming his story.

"So that's what happened, Mage." The patrol guard's attitude immediately became respectful after seeing the mage insignia. He straightened his posture and hurriedly bowed.

"We apologize for the disturbance. We will make sure this shameless little thief receives proper punishment." He stepped forward, cut through the vines, grabbed the now limp thief by the collar, and delivered two merciless kicks before dragging him toward the guard station. As he walked away, he continued cursing.

"Stealing from a mage's friend? You've got a death wish!" The disturbance soon faded. Auro placed the wooden cat sculpture Zelier had given her into her bag, then looked at him with a sincere smile.

"Zelier, you were really cool just now."

"Was I?"

"Of course!" Auro's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"In an instant, you made the vines catch the thief! That was amazing!" She looked genuinely fascinated.

"I can't help but imagine what it would look like when you fight monsters."

"It would only be more impressive than that." Zelier smiled. The night slowly passed.

"Dong... Dong..." The ancient clock tower in the center of Blackstone Town rang out with deep, resonant chimes. This marked the arrival of the grand finale of the festival. The spectacular fireworks show carefully designed by the Mage Guild was about to begin. The previously noisy plaza gradually fell silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing almost at the same time. The crowd began moving toward the open fields outside the town, where the view of the sky was much clearer.

The town gates, which normally required careful questioning before anyone could enter or leave, were now fully opened. Even the guards on night duty lowered their spears. They couldn't help but crane their necks upward, just like everyone else, eagerly watching the sky.

"It's starting!" Auro pulled Zelier through the crowd and squeezed onto a small hill with an excellent view. The moment her voice faded— A sharp whistle tore through the night sky. A silver-glowing magic projectile shot upward, leaving a brilliant trail behind it. When it reached the highest point, it suddenly exploded.

"Boom... crack!" A gigantic dandelion bloomed across the dark sky. Countless silver sparks drifted downward like falling rain, creating a dreamlike scene. The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers. But that was only the beginning. One after another, magical fireworks of different colors soared into the heavens. They exploded across the night, transforming the sky into breathtaking works of art. There were tiny glowing butterflies fluttering and dancing through the air.

There was also a small green spark that rose into the sky before rapidly spreading branches and leaves, transforming into a towering ancient tree. And then another firework exploded. This time, it formed the majestic silhouette of a griffin. The creature circled proudly through the sky before slowly fading away, earning the loudest applause of the entire night.

"So beautiful..." Auro stared upward, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. Her face was filled with wonder and amazement. These miracles created through magic were far more beautiful than anything she had ever imagined.