By the time they rode through the gates of the Magic Knights' outpost, dawn was breaking. The horizon glowed faint orange, mist curling across the training yard as soldiers stretched awake.
Roland dragged the bandit leader off his horse, tossing him to the waiting guards with a smirk. "Alive, like the scroll said. Though I can't promise he'll be useful—kid's spell cooked half the fight out of him."
The guards exchanged wary glances before hauling the moaning prisoner away.
Inside the strategy hall, the three of them stood before the captain. The veteran knight laid the scroll down, speaking clearly. "Bandit camp eliminated. Leader secured alive. Mission complete."
The captain's gaze swept over them, lingering a moment on Dave. His face gave nothing away. "Good work. Rest. New assignments will follow soon."
Dismissed, Roland left with a lazy salute, already making for the mess hall.
That left Dave and Elira walking side by side across the courtyard, the air cooler now with the sun still low.
Elira didn't speak at first. She was still turning the night over in her head, the image of black spears falling like judgment burned into her thoughts.
She was pulled back when a familiar voice called out.
"Elira!"
A girl her age jogged over, auburn braids bouncing. She was another recruit—one who had stayed behind during the bandit mission. Her eyes darted between Elira and Dave with eager curiosity. "How was it? Everyone's been waiting to hear!"
Elira hesitated. Her lips parted, but the words stalled. What could she even say? That she'd watched annihilation rain from the sky like it was nothing? That she'd stood near a boy who made death feel casual?
"…It was handled," she said softly, almost evasive. "Bandits won't be bothering the villages anymore."
Her friend pouted. "That's all? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Before Elira could answer, another pair of recruits approached, whispering to each other, eyes flicking toward Dave.
"…That was him, right? The one with the four-leaf grimoire?""Raymond said it was just shy of captain-class power. One spell, and the whole camp was gone.""No way. Not from a rookie."
The murmurs spread, trailing behind Dave like a shadow. He didn't react—didn't even look at them. Hands in his pockets, he kept walking toward the dorms as though none of it mattered.
Elira's friend leaned in close, lowering her voice. "Is it true? What they're saying about him?"
Elira glanced after Dave, her chest tightening again. She didn't answer right away. Finally, she whispered:
"…What he can do… it doesn't belong in a rookie's body."
Her friend shivered, falling silent.
And as Dave disappeared into the barracks, the rumors only grew louder—whispers of a recruit with a four-leaf grimoire, a boy whose magic already brushed against the edges of captain-level strength.
Even Captain Fuegoleon, reviewing the reports later that day, paused longer than usual at one particular name.
Dave.
The scroll listed the details plainly: rookie, four-leaf grimoire, combat spell strong enough to crush a fortified camp in one strike. The handwriting was professional, detached, but the weight of the words pressed on him. He had seen countless rookies over the years. None bore such strength so soon.
He leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "First Yuno, with his golden dawn-like winds. Now this boy, also from Hage Village. And Asta as well, the one with no magic, yet a will that shatters expectations…"
Fuegoleon's eyes narrowed slightly, not in suspicion but in curiosity that bordered on reverence. "Three of them. All from the same forgotten village at the kingdom's edge. A coincidence… or providence?"
He set the scroll aside, resting his hand briefly over the sigil of his squad. A faint smile curved his lips. "The future knights of Clover Kingdom may rise from the most unlikely soil. When strength like this blooms in obscurity, it is not chance. It is fate."
But even as he said it, a shadow of caution stirred in him. Power that came too swiftly carried risks—temptations, burdens, the gaze of enemies both within and beyond the kingdom.
Still, he resolved quietly: I will watch him. Guide him if I can. If he chooses the right path, he may burn brighter than even the fiercest flame.
And so, word spread not only among the recruits but up the chain of command. Whispers became recognition, recognition became attention. Dave was no longer just another name in the roster. He was a point of convergence—spoken of in the same breath as Yuno and Asta, a trio whose origins tied them together and whose futures promised to shake the kingdom.
By midday, the whispers had already changed. It wasn't just gossip among recruits anymore—it had weight. The kind that came when captains began asking questions.
"Did you hear? Even Captain Fuegoleon looked at his report."
"No way—he barely glances at rookies."
"First Yuno, now Dave… what is Hage Village hiding?"
Some recruits spoke in awe, others with thinly veiled jealousy. To them, Dave was no longer just a quiet boy with sharp eyes—he was being named in the same breath as Yuno, the golden prodigy, and even Asta, whose strange strength defied reason.
In the mess hall, heads turned as Dave entered, his tray balanced with absent care. The noise dimmed just a little, just enough to notice.
Elira sat across from him, stiff-backed. She caught the sideways glances, the hushed voices, the envy that rolled off some of their peers like smoke. She hated it, though she couldn't deny—part of her felt the same pull, that uneasy awe.
"What they did feed you in Hage Village?" She asked half serious and half jokingly to which Dave just shrugged.
Elira studied him carefully. No arrogance, no excitement—just that calm certainty, as though the noise around him was no more than wind.
The mess hall buzzed with the usual clatter of trays and chatter, but over it all came a firm voice.
"Dave!"
The noise dipped. Heads turned as a uniformed aide stepped in, scanning the room. His gaze locked on Dave's table. "The captain requests your presence. Immediately."
Elira froze mid-bite, her fork trembling. The room seemed to hold its breath.
Dave didn't flinch. He calmly set down his bread, stood, and slid his chair back without hurry. "Understood."
As he walked past, recruits whispered louder than before.
"Already? He's only been here a few days…"
"Getting summoned by the captain this soon… it's not normal."
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