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*****
"Are you... Nokia?"
Magna stared at George for a few seconds, a look of deep concentration on his face. He eventually spoke up, his tone laced with uncertainty.
He knew all the kids from Saussy Village; after all, he used to frequent the place back in his delinquent days. But several years had passed, and children tended to change as they grew. More importantly, George's current temperament was worlds apart from the Nokia he remembered.
"It's been a while, Magna. Though I go by George now," George replied smoothly.
He saw no reason to hide his identity. In this world, he was Nokia. There was no need to painstakingly mimic the boy's original personality, either; people change over the years, and a child undergoing a drastic transformation after leaving home was perfectly plausible.
"It really is you! What are you doing here? Did something happen back at the village?"
Magna gave George a fierce, enthusiastic hug before pulling back with a worried expression. Though Magna wasn't originally from Saussy, the village chief had been his mentor and life guide. If it weren't for the old man's encouragement, Magna would still be a aimless thug. If Saussy was in trouble, he'd be the first to charge back.
"Nothing like that. I came to the capital for the Magic Knight exams, but I ran into the Captain at a casino last night. He recruited me on the spot."
George gave a brief summary of the events. Magna didn't seem even remotely surprised that the Captain had gambled away his pants or that he'd recruited a member over a card game—that was just Yami's style.
What did surprise him was George's talent for gambling.
"I can't believe it! You actually inherited the old man's skills? Dammit, he won half a year's worth of my salary last time he was in town!"
The chief of Saussy Village had once been a Magic Knight himself before retiring to his hometown. While his combat strength had been average by Knight standards, his gambling skills were legendary. He visited the Royal Capital once a year, cleaned out the casinos, and used the winnings to buy supplies and gifts for his villagers.
Half a year ago, both Yami and Magna had sat down with the old man and nearly lost their underwear. Seeing George's success, Magna naturally assumed he was the chief's star pupil.
"Hahaha, it's mostly just luck. I couldn't possibly compare to the old man," George replied modestly.
In truth, Nokia's original memories contained no mention of the chief being a master gambler. It was a complete coincidence, as the chief never gambled while in the village.
"A new member! Do you like fighting? I love fighting! Want to go a round? Want to go a round?"
Luck, the boyish-looking mage with a permanent, cheerful smile, zipped over and began circling George with manic energy.
George declined with a polite smile. "I use support magic. I'm not much of a fighter."
"I seem to recall you using... recovery magic, right?" Magna asked, racking his brain.
George nodded. "More accurately, it's Restoration Magic. Healing is just one aspect of it. My focus is on dispelling negative effects and returning things to their optimal state."
"Recovery" was limited to biological healing, but "Restoration" had a much broader scope. It could mean returning a wounded body to health, a shattered vase to its whole state, or a filthy room to its clean condition. His earlier feat of "restoring" Vanessa to her pre-drunken state fell perfectly under this definition.
By framing it this way, he could justify almost any utility spell as a "Restoration" mage.
"Restoration magic, huh? That's great. Your mana pool is a bit shallow, but support mages don't need massive reserves anyway. Do your best, kid!" Magna patted George's shoulder encouragingly after sensing his modest mana levels.
"And I'm Finral Roulacase. I'm a total 'nice guy' who is incredibly popular with the ladies! Pleased to meet you!" The handsome spatial mage introduced himself with a flourish.
Just then, a massive figure descended from the second floor, letting out a cavernous yawn. "Seems I don't need to do introductions. You lot already found the rookie."
"Captain! Welcome back!"
The moment Yami appeared with his cigarette, the squad members' eyes lit up like stars. It was clear that despite his questionable habits, Yami held absolute authority and was deeply beloved by every misfit in the room.
He really is a good Captain, George noted.
After everyone got acquainted, it was time for lunch. The Black Bulls didn't hire a chef because Charmy wasn't just a glutton; she was the squad's resident cook.
Using her Cotton Creation Magic, she summoned a fleet of "Sheep Chefs" who whipped up a massive feast with incredible speed. Not only did her food satisfy hunger, but it also restored the mana of whoever ate it.
George spent the afternoon chatting with the members, subtly analyzing their magic.
Vanessa used Thread Magic, though George sensed a hidden "Fate" attribute within it. Gauche used Mirror Magic, Gordon specialized in Poison and Curse Magic, Magna wielded Fire Magic, Luck had Lightning Magic, and Captain Yami possessed the rare Dark Magic.
For the next three days, Yami and Magna dragged George to the casinos every night, returning only at dawn. However, the honeymoon phase ended quickly. The two veterans realized that with George at the table, the "thrill" of gambling vanished because they simply couldn't lose.
Grateful for the peace and quiet, George spent his free time studying his teammates' magic. He even discovered a hidden member: Henry Legolant.
Henry possessed a strange constitution that forced him to drain mana from those around him just to survive. He had been abandoned by his family to die until Yami found him and invited him to join the Bulls. The base was built around Henry's room so he could survive on the ambient mana leaked by the members. In exchange, Henry could manipulate the entire castle into a giant magical construct for combat.
Time flew by, and soon the day of the Magic Knight Entrance Exam arrived. As a Captain, Yami was required to attend. George, eager to see more variety in the world's magic, decided to tag along.
(End of Chapter)