Zura leaned back in his chair as Klaus slapped the mission request down on the table.
"This one. Dungeon exploration," Klaus said, adjusting his glasses like he was dropping the most important news of the year.
Zura skimmed the paper. He didn't really care about the details. A dungeon was a dungeon. Monsters to burn, traps to smash, and treasure to take. Good enough.
Though, looking at the description, something clicked.
"This might be too much for just three people," she said. "We should ask other Magic Knight squads for assistance."
Klaus nodded like it was the most logical thing in the world. "Agreed. We'll gather at the Golden Dawn base in the evening. We leave for the mission at night. Understood?"
"Yeah, sure," Zura said, not really caring. As long as there was something to blast with his spells, it was worth it. He already had a pretty good idea what this mission was—it matched the one he'd seen in the manga. The dungeon mission. Yuno, Klaus, Mimosa… and back then, Noelle, Asta, and Luck were there too.
They split ways, and Zura strolled into the market. He picked up a few things, nothing special, just enough to keep his gear stocked. His stomach growled halfway through, and the idea of cooking made him want to gag.
"Screw that," he muttered.
He ducked into the nearest restaurant and plopped down at a table. When the food came, he almost forgot to breathe. The waitress? Red hair. Familiar face. Blue eyes.
Rebecca Scarlet.
Of course, as a manga reader, he recognized her instantly. But he couldn't just blurt out her name like some creep who'd been waiting for this moment his whole life.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair, giving her a quick up-and-down scan before grinning.
"Thanks," he said casually as she set the plate down.
"You're welcome," she replied with a polite smile before heading to the next table.
Zura wasn't done. After wolfing down the food, he flagged her again.
"Hey, I'll take another order of the same," he said, leaning on one arm. "And maybe bring it yourself again?"
She raised an eyebrow, just barely, before nodding. "Alright."
He got another look at her when she returned — close enough to notice the faint smell of flour and whatever herbs they used in the kitchen. Yeah, he could see why she had a fan club.
Before leaving, he slipped a few extra coins onto the tray.
"Keep the change," he said with a grin.
She blinked, a little surprised, then gave a small bow. "Thank you."
From there, Zura headed back to the Black Bull base. Evening was still a while away. He went to his room, shut the door, and handled some… personal business. By the time he was done, the sun was already low.
The sun was already dipping behind the horizon when Zura reached the Golden Dawn base. Klaus stood near the entrance, arms crossed, looking like he'd been waiting for hours. Mimosa was beside him, calm as ever.
And then there was the extra member—Sekke Bronzazza—standing there with his ridiculous smug grin, puffing out his chest like he owned the place.
"Yo, Klaus. Mimosa." Zura gave them a nod, then eyed Sekke. "And… this guy."
"This guy," Sekke scoffed, pointing at himself, "is your secret weapon. You should be honored to have the great Sekke Bronzazza on your team."
"Yeah," Zura said dryly, "I feel blessed already."
Klaus sighed. "Let's just move. The sooner we leave, the sooner I can stop listening to the both of you."
The group gathered outside the Golden Dawn base as the last streaks of sunlight faded. Zura stood off to the side, arms crossed, watching Klaus fuss over the route map like a man about to lead an army. Mimosa, as usual, wore that calm, polite smile, though she kept glancing toward the road like she was already imagining the mission ahead.
"Alright, everyone's here," Klaus announced, rolling up the map. "We'll head out now and stop at a few points along the way to rest. The dungeon is far, so conserve your magic."
Zura didn't care about conserving magic. If anything, he wanted a reason to throw some spells around. He gave a lazy shrug and followed along.
'I wish we could travel by air in that mat or wherever, but we don't have Yuno who had like crazy amount of mana. As Klaus said, conserving mana is the priority.'
The extra recruit stood near Mimosa, adjusting his ridiculous armor. Sekke Bronzazza. His shiny bronze gear caught the torchlight, but the smirk on his face was even shinier.
"Heh, lucky for you guys, you've got the Bronzazza Special on your team now," Sekke said, puffing out his chest.
"Yeah, yeah," Zura muttered under his breath.
'At least I won't be bored on the way since we now have a comic relief character.'
They set off, carriages rumbling down the road as night crept over the land. The journey wasn't rushed—they stopped at a roadside tavern for a quick meal, then again at a small village to rest the horses.
Sekke wouldn't shut up the entire time, bragging about his "Bronzazza special moves," while Zura kept finding new and creative ways to shoot him down. Mimosa stayed polite, but Zura swore he saw her stifle a laugh more than once.
By the time they reached the outskirts of their destination, the air was damp and heavy. A forest loomed ahead, mist curling between the trees. Deep within it, the entrance to the dungeon yawned open—a black maw in the earth, old stone stairs leading into the dark.
Klaus straightened his mantle. "Stay alert. No one knows what lies inside."
Sekke cracked his knuckles. "Whatever it is, it's about to meet the Bronzazza brilliance."
"Or your corpse," Zura muttered, stepping past him and into the cold mouth of the dungeon. The others followed, their footsteps echoing as they descended into shadow.