Zura wiped the sweat from his brow, his chest rising and falling fast. The lightning around him fizzled out, dying like a fire running out of fuel. He took a deep breath—and felt it. That strange weight. Like his blood had turned to lead. His limbs weren't tired, but his nerves were screaming. Twitching. Like someone was tugging at invisible wires in his bones.
Low on mana.
So this was what it felt like.
He hadn't held back. He used the new lightning spells like toys. Tossing them out like candy at a parade, drunk on the thrill of real combat.
And now?
Now he was tapped out.
"…Shit," Zura muttered, flexing his fingers. "Got too hyped."
Vanessa noticed. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just overdid it." He stepped back. "You two take point now. I'll direct."
Magna cracked his knuckles. "Tch. About damn time I got to burn some assholes."
With Zura pulling back, he focused on analyzing. He studied every bandit left on the field—their movement, the spells they used, their grimoires. Each one gave him a clearer picture.
"Vanessa, thread around the ice guy. Trap his casting hand."
"Got it."
"Magna, take the left side—flame sweep from the side. He's got a wind barrier."
As they followed his instructions, the tide turned quick. Within minutes, ten of the bandits were dead, their charred, broken bodies scattered on the blood-stained grass.
The remaining six?
They ran.
Tails between their legs.
But the Black Bulls and Silver Eagles weren't letting them go. Not after what they'd done.
"Split up!" Vanessa called out.
They chased them down, one by one. A blade through the back. A fireball to the spine. A web of threads pulling one right into Magna's fist.
Eventually, it was over.
All the bodies were dragged and dumped in one place, reeking of blood and burnt clothes.
Silver Eagle's squad leader adjusted his collar, barely breaking a sweat. "We'll take our leave now," he said flatly. "We'll report the completion of the mission."
Magna's brow twitched. "What the hell? We did just as much—if not more!"
But Zura didn't say a word. He stood there, quiet, arms folded, letting them leave.
Magna hissed, "That ain't fair…"
Vanessa placed a hand on his shoulder, calming him. "Let it go. The mission's not done yet."
Magna blinked. "Huh?"
"We haven't found the loot," Vanessa said. "The merchants' stolen goods. If we recover that, Black Bull gets the credit. Maybe even the golden star."
"But we killed everyone," Magna muttered. "There's no one left to ask."
Zura smirked.
"Not everyone."
Zura's steps were heavy, but his smirk still lingered. His muscles ached. His veins felt tight, like threads about to snap. His whole body was screaming at him to sit the fuck down—but the thrill of combat still buzzed under his skin. That was the cost of burning mana like fireworks. A lesson learned.
"Shit," he muttered under his breath, flexing his fingers as he walked up to the pile of corpses.
Venessa and Magna flanked him—one calm, the other still pissed off.
"I swear, if those pompous bastards take the credit again—" Magna grumbled.
Venessa placed a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, hothead. Zura's got something planned."
Zura crouched and dug through the heap of bloodied corpses. One by one, he shoved bodies aside until finally—he found him.
A man, trembling, pretending to be dead. Blood on his face, but it wasn't his. Clever rat.
Zura grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out. "Morning sunshine."
The man gasped, coughing and pleading all at once. "W-Wait! Please, don't kill me! I got a daughter… she's only three. I—I was forced into this!"
Zura stared down at him, unimpressed. "Yeah? That's why you sliced open merchant throats like cattle?"
"N-No, I—I didn't do any of the killing, I just carried bags and helped—"
Zura pressed his boot on the man's chest, shutting him up.
"Here's the deal," Zura said, calm but sharp. "You talk. You walk. Lie to me or play smart… and I'll let Magna finish what I started."
Magna cracked his knuckles in the background.
The bandit swallowed hard. "O-Okay! Okay! The loot—it's hidden in a hollow behind the cliffs outside the village. There's a false wall made of earth magic. I'll show you!"
Zura leaned back, looked at the guy for a moment, then nodded. "Lead the way."
Venessa glanced at Zura as they followed. "You really didn't kill him back then?"
"I needed one of them alive," Zura said. "Not for mercy. Just for strategy."
Magna whistled. "You're cold, man."
Zura didn't reply. His smirk said it all.
They reached the cliffs. Just like the bandit said, there was a false wall—blended perfectly with earth magic. Once dispelled, it revealed a wide cave packed with crates, jewelry boxes, and merchant bags stuffed with goods.
Gold. Spices. Armors. And at least five carriages' worth of supplies.
"Holy shit," Magna muttered. "This is it. This is all of it."
Venessa grinned. "Golden star, here we come."
Zura dusted his hands and turned to the bandit. "You did good. Now scram before I change my mind."
The man didn't wait. He bolted like a rat chased by fire.
Magna raised a brow. "We're just letting him go?"
Zura shrugged. "He'll spread the word. Next time they hear Black Bulls are on a mission—bandits will think twice."
Venessa chuckled. "You're colder than captain Yami."
"Nah," Zura said, finally allowing himself to slump against the wall and breathe, "I'm just getting started."
Venessa looked at the mountain of loot stacked near the trees—sacks of coins, jewelry, rare fabrics, even some enchanted trinkets. It was more than enough to make any commoner's mouth water.
"So…" she whispered, sliding her hand onto Zura's shoulder again, leaning close enough that her breath tickled his ear, "how do we even carry all this back?"
Zura tilted his head slightly. "The Silver Eagles came here in a carriage."
"And?"
"They left on their brooms."
Venessa blinked. Then her lips curled. "Which means the carriage's still here."
Zura nodded. "Exactly."
"I'll go get it!" Magna shouted, already jogging away into the forest, muttering something about those smug bastards under his breath.
That left just the two of them—Zura and Venessa—standing there surrounded by the stolen riches.
The silence was comfortable.
Venessa swayed slightly, then closed the distance between them again, her arm resting lazily around his shoulder.
"So," she said softly, "what's got you staring off into space now?"
Zura took a breath and muttered, "If Noelle was here... she would've scolded me for killing the bandits. Said something about restraint. Justice. Rules."
Venessa chuckled with a lazy grin. "Yeah, that sounds like her."
Zura turned his head a bit toward her. "So I guess I'm glad you and Magna came instead."
Venessa smirked, eyes gleaming with a sultry glint. "Well, if you like having me around, Zura… I wouldn't mind tagging along wherever you go."
Zura raised a brow, amused.
He then looked back at the loot.
"…You know," he said slowly, "we could take a little bit for ourselves."
Venessa looked at him with a raised brow. "Are you serious?"
Zura shrugged. "It's not like they're gonna count every coin. The merchants should be thankful they're getting anything back."
"True…" she said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "But if we get caught, Captain Yami's gonna throw us through a wall."
Zura grinned. "We won't get caught."
Venessa stared at him a moment longer, then laughed softly. "Fine. But you gotta promise to keep your pretty mouth shut."
"I will. Cross my heart."
Zura walked over to one of the sacks and opened it, letting the coins glimmer in the moonlight. "Let's take thirty percent. Ten for you. Ten for Magna. Ten for me."
Venessa looked at him and smiled slyly. "Our little secret?"
Zura nodded. "Our little secret."
She leaned in close and whispered, "I like having secrets with you."
****
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