Zura spent the next week doing nothing but training, eating, sleeping… and jerking off. Twice a day on average—once before bed, and once in the middle of the night when he couldn't sleep. That was his life for seven days straight. No missions, no chaos, just a cycle of sweat, food, and questionable self-care.
On the morning of the eighth day, a knock echoed through the empty Black Bull base. Zura dragged himself to the door and opened it to find some random messenger standing there. The guy shoved a sealed letter into his hand, mumbled something official, and left without even a goodbye.
Breaking the seal, Zura scanned the contents. It was an invitation—more like an order—allowing him to temporarily join the Golden Dawn squad for a mission.
He was bored out of his skull after a week of that same dead routine. He'd even put in a mission request himself, but the higher-ups had rejected it since he was "the only member at the base." Now, finally, an opportunity to fight had landed in his lap.
And he was itching for it. Not just to break the monotony, but to test out the new spells and techniques he'd been grinding on all week.
He geared up and made his way to the Golden Dawn base. The second he reached the gates, the guards stopped him like he was some random peasant. He flashed the letter in their faces, and only then did they let him through.
No one came to greet him. No "Welcome, honored guest." Just… silence.
The Golden Dawn base stood like some smug bastard's castle—polished stone walls, tall spires, gold-tinged banners fluttering in the breeze. Even the damn gate had decorative carvings, like it was trying to remind everyone that yes, this is the number one squad in the Clover Kingdom.
Zura clicked his tongue. "Looks expensive enough to feed ten villages. Bet they even have gold-plated toilets inside."
The guards at the front stiffened the moment he approached, one already half-reaching for his weapon. Zura didn't even get a "hello" before they demanded his business. He flashed the letter in their faces, slow and deliberate, like he was waving around a winning lottery ticket. Their expressions shifted instantly—serious to slightly annoyed—but they let him in.
Inside, the air was almost too clean. Marble floors that looked like they'd never been stepped on, walls lined with pristine paintings, chandeliers hanging overhead. The place screamed "don't touch anything."
"Yeah, I'd last about two days here before they start throwing me out," Zura muttered under his breath as he strolled deeper in.
No one was there to greet him. No footsteps, no voices—just his own echo bouncing off the walls. It pissed him off, but to be fair, the letter hadn't exactly said when he was supposed to show up.
"Tch. Number one squad, my ass. Can't even send someone to show a guest around. What is this, a self-service welcome?"
He finally spotted someone in a lounge-like room—Mimosa Vermillion, sipping tea, and Klaus Lunettes, polishing his glasses like they were some holy relic.
Mimosa perked up. "Ah, Zura-san. Welcome."
'They know me?' Zura was surprised since he had never met them yet. 'I guess I am pretty famous.'
Klaus barely glanced up. "You're late."
"There wasn't even a damn time mentioned," Zura shot back, rolling his eyes. "Where is everyone? Thought I'd be walking into a full squad lineup."
Mimosa set her cup down. "They… actually left on a mission last week."
That made Zura pause. "Huh. So Black Bull and Golden Dawn went on the same mission or something? Wonder if all the other squads are short-staffed too…"
He tilted his head. "You know what kind of mission it was?"
Mimosa opened her mouth to answer, but Klaus stepped forward, nose already tilting up like he was about to give a lecture.
"Interfering in other squad matters is highly disrespectful. If you think I'm going to gossip about our operations with you, you're gravely mistaken." His tone dripped smug superiority. "Honestly, I'm not surprised—Black Bulls are known for their lack of discipline."
Zura grinned, but it wasn't friendly. "Yeah? At least we don't sound like we're reading from a rulebook every time we talk."
"Anyway, what's the mission?" Zura asked.
Klaus sniffed. "We haven't even selected a mission yet. Which, for your information, is what we're about to do."
Zura raised an eyebrow. "And how does that work? You just walk into some market and pick one off a wall like a restaurant menu?"
Klaus adjusted his glasses. "Hardly. Squad leaders receive mission lists directly from the Magic Knight headquarters. Since Captain Vangeance isn't here, I'll be reviewing the available postings myself. We'll be going to the central mission office in the royal capital to choose."
Zura smirked. "Great. Let's go pick something fun before I start falling asleep here."
Zura fell into step behind Klaus and Mimosa as they left the base. The sun caught on the massive gilded crest over the Golden Dawn's front gates, making it gleam like they'd polished it just for show. Zura snorted. "You guys shine your gates every morning, or is that magic too?"
Klaus shot him a sharp glare over his shoulder. "It's called maintenance. Something your rabble of a squad wouldn't understand."
"Oh yeah, because tripping over your own ego counts as upkeep," Zura muttered, hands in his pockets.
They moved down the cobblestone streets toward the mission center — a tall, ornate building with spires that looked like they were trying to stab the clouds. Gold trim ran along every edge, and the wide double doors had runes glowing faintly along the frame. The place was buzzing, mages from all different squads moving in and out with stacks of mission scrolls under their arms.
"Alright," Klaus said with that same clipped tone, "this is where we select missions. The Magic Knights' main registry. Obviously, we pick from the higher tier postings."
Zura looked around, spotting a couple of familiar faces in the crowd. From the Blue Rose, a tall woman with cropped hair gave him a once-over, muttering something to the girl next to her. From the Silver Eagles, a smug guy in silver-trimmed robes gave Zura a little smirk — the kind that promised trouble later.
"Oh, great," Zura said under his breath. "It's like a reunion of people I don't like."
"Try to act like you belong here," Klaus muttered under his breath.
"Why? I don't," Zura replied, tone flat, enjoying the twitch in Klaus's jaw.
Mimosa quickly stepped between them before Klaus could bite back, guiding them toward the mission board room. It was a wide, open chamber with multiple boards mounted on the walls, each one covered in sealed scrolls. Magic Knight squads could claim missions directly here—no long trips to the capital's request center unless it was something special.
Klaus walked straight to the Golden Dawn section, scanning the listings with the seriousness of a man choosing a family heirloom. Zura's eyes glazed over almost instantly. He didn't care about the political nonsense behind each mission—he just wanted something that let him throw spells and test his techniques without getting bored.
Mimosa walked ahead, scanning them with a calm focus. Klaus, of course, was already muttering about "standards" and "reputation."
Zura leaned on one of the display pedestals. "So, Klaus, you gonna pick the one where you stand around looking self-important? Or are we actually doing something fun?"
Klaus shot him a withering look. "Unlike you, I don't measure 'fun' by how many rules I can break before lunch."
"Guess we'll have to break your record then," Zura grinned.
Klaus ignored him, motioning to Mimosa as they started sifting through the listings.
Finally, Klaus pulled one down, unsealing it with a crisp flick of mana. "This one. Exploration and retrieval of ancient relics in an uncharted dungeon. High-priority."
Zura's brow lifted. Dungeon? That sounded familiar. Too familiar. He didn't say it out loud, but the description lined up almost perfectly with the mission he remembered hearing about—the one Yuno, Klaus, Mimosa, and Asta, Noelle, and a few Black Bull members had gone on before. The one that had ended up being far more eventful than they'd probably expected.
If it was the same kind of thing, then maybe this would be worth his time after all.
***
A/N- Hey guys, I am doing well now. I will be mass releasing 3-5 chapters tomorrow. Thanks for your patience and thanks for reading.