The three Magic Knights soared through the afternoon sky on their brooms, pink cloaks billowing behind them as they followed the dirt road northward from headquarters. Kenji had transformed his broom into his signature flying carpet again, lounging comfortably with one hand behind his head while Ash and Dmitri shot him envious glances from their wooden perches.
"According to the mission brief," Kenji called out over the wind, scanning the parchment in his hand with barely concealed boredom, "we're heading to Thornfield Village. Should be coming up soon."
As they crested a hill, the village came into view—though "village" was perhaps too generous a term. A small cluster of wooden buildings huddled together at the center of vast, sprawling fields that stretched as far as the eye could see. The fields were meticulously maintained, divided into neat parcels by low stone walls and wooden fences.
"Wow," Dmitri breathed, taking in the sheer scale of the farmland. "That's a lot of crops."
Kenji's eyes narrowed slightly as he noticed the organizational pattern of the fields, each section marked with different colored posts. He let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, well, no wonder we were sent for a mission like this. It's owned by a noble after all."
The comment hung in the air for a moment.
Dmitri tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean? Isn't that normal? Most farmland in the kingdom belongs to noble houses. They provide the land and security, the farmers work it, everyone benefits." He said it matter-of-factly, as if reciting something he'd been taught since childhood.
Ash let out a casual laugh, his eyes still focused ahead. "Haha, yeah, sure. Everyone benefits. Anyway, looks like we're almost there—better start descending."
Kenji glanced at Ash with an amused smirk, recognizing the deliberate deflection. Perceptive guy. He looked back at Dmitri's genuinely confused expression and chuckled. "Don't worry about it, Dmitri. We need to preserve that innocence of yours—it's sweet, really."
"What? What are you talking about?" Dmitri looked between them, clearly lost.
"Nothing, nothing," Kenji said with a lazy wave of his hand. "Just focus on the mission. Though honestly, I'm not expecting much excitement from hunting a wolf."
They descended toward the village center, where a few farmhands looked up from their work to watch their arrival with a mixture of curiosity and relief. The three knights landed smoothly near what appeared to be the largest building in the settlement—a two-story structure that served as both a storage facility and administrative office for the farm operations.
A burly man with sun-weathered skin and graying hair emerged from the building, his expression a mixture of hope and weariness. He wore simple but sturdy clothing—the practical attire of someone who worked with their hands but held a position of authority.
"Magic Knights?" he asked, straightening up as they approached. "Thank the heavens. I'm Gareth, the farm manager here." He clasped his hands together gratefully. "I was starting to worry no one would come."
Kenji stepped forward, holding up the mission parchment with a decidedly unimpressed expression. "We're from the Coral Peacocks. Got your request about a wolf problem?" His tone suggested he was already mentally preparing for the most mundane experience of his life.
"That's putting it mildly," Gareth said grimly, gesturing for them to follow him. "Come, let me show you."
He led them around the side of the building to a fenced area where several cattle grazed nervously. Even from a distance, Kenji could see the animals were skittish, constantly looking around with wide eyes.
"Started about two weeks ago," Gareth explained. "At first, we just found some of the cattle dead in the morning—throats torn out, clean kills. We figured it was just a particularly bold wolf from the nearby forest." He pointed toward a dense treeline about half a mile to the north. "But then it started getting worse."
"Worse how?" Ash asked, his hand unconsciously moving toward his grimoire.
Gareth's expression darkened. "Three nights ago, some of my men decided to keep watch, try to catch the damned thing in the act. They spotted it around midnight—biggest wolf they'd ever seen, with eyes that glowed in the darkness." He paused, his jaw tightening. "When they tried to drive it off, the beast turned on them. Moved faster than anything natural. Before they could even react properly, it had taken down two of my best workers."
Kenji yawned, not even bothering to cover his mouth. "Yeah, sounds like a mana beast alright. Probably a weak one if your guys managed to survive the encounter."
Gareth looked slightly offended but continued, "They survived, but barely. Deep gashes, broken bones. The village healer managed to stabilize them, but they won't be working for months." He shook his head. "That's when Lord Ashford—he owns this land—sent word to the capital for Magic Knights. We can't handle this ourselves."
"Of course he did," Kenji muttered under his breath, then spoke louder. "This wolf—it's definitely a mana beast, right?"
Gareth met his eyes with certainty. "Has to be. I've been managing these lands for over thirty years. I've dealt with wolves before, even bears. But I've never seen a normal animal that strong, that fast, or that vicious." He gestured to the treeline. "Whatever's out there, it ain't natural."
"Right, right," Kenji said, already turning toward the forest with his hands in his pockets. "Track it down, take it out, collect our pay. Standard stuff. You guys ready?"
Dmitri and Ash exchanged glances, both slightly taken aback by Kenji's complete lack of concern or even basic interest in what sounded like a genuinely dangerous creature.
"Just like that?" Dmitri asked nervously.
"Just like that," Kenji confirmed, already walking toward the treeline. "Come on, let's get this over with. The faster we finish, the faster we can get back for dinner. Franny's making something good tonight, and I don't want to miss it."
"Be careful!" Gareth called after them, but Kenji just waved lazily without looking back.
____
The forest was thick with ancient trees whose canopy blocked out much of the afternoon sun, casting everything in a dim, greenish twilight. The three Magic Knights moved through the underbrush, though "moved" was perhaps too active a word for what Kenji was doing. He walked with his usual lazy gait, hands still in his pockets, occasionally glancing at the ground with about as much interest as someone checking their grocery list.
Behind him, Ash kept his grimoire at the ready, several blades already materialized and hovering protectively around their group. Dmitri brought up the rear, occasionally glancing nervously at the shadows between the trees, clearly on high alert.
"There," Kenji said without breaking stride, nodding toward the ground.
A set of massive paw prints marred the soft earth—far larger than any normal wolf's tracks.
"How did you even see those?" Ash asked, impressed despite himself.
"Used to hunt mana beasts back home all the time," Kenji replied with a shrug, not bothering to elaborate. "These tracks are pretty fresh. Maybe an hour old." He continued walking, following an invisible trail that only he seemed able to see. "This way."
"Wait, you hunted mana beasts? Like, regularly?" Dmitri asked, jogging to catch up.
"Yeah. Village needed protecting, and the old man would've had a heart attack if I didn't help out. Plus, the trust points were—" He cut himself off. "I mean, the villagers appreciated it. Good way to train."
They tracked through the forest for nearly two hours, with Kenji leading them effortlessly through the increasingly dense underbrush. He barely seemed to be paying attention, occasionally humming to himself or making idle observations about the local plant life that had nothing to do with their mission.
"You know," he said at one point, "if this keeps up, I might actually die of boredom before we even find this thing."
"You seem... really unconcerned about fighting a mana beast," Ash observed carefully.
Kenji glanced back with a lazy grin. "I mean, it's just a wolf. I've dealt with way worse back in Hage. There was this one time when a pack of them attacked during winter, and another time when I had to clear out a cave system full of them. This is just one. Honestly, the most exciting part of today was breakfast."
The normal sounds of woodland creatures gradually faded until an unnatural silence pressed in from all sides, but Kenji's pace never wavered.
"We're close," he said casually, as if announcing they were approaching a particularly boring landmark.
The tracks led them to a small clearing where a rocky outcropping formed a natural shelter. Bones—both animal and worryingly large—lay scattered around the entrance to what appeared to be a shallow cave.
"This must be its den," Dmitri whispered, his voice tight with tension.
"Yup," Kenji confirmed, stifling another yawn.
As if in response, a low, rumbling growl echoed from within the darkness of the cave. Two points of luminescent green light appeared in the shadows—eyes that fixed on them with predatory intelligence.
The wolf emerged slowly, each step deliberate and measured. It was massive—easily the size of a small horse, with midnight-black fur that seemed to absorb the filtered sunlight. Its fangs were as long as daggers, and those glowing green eyes tracked their every movement.
"Oh good, it's finally here," Kenji said with the enthusiasm of someone who'd just been told they need to file paperwork. "Can we make this quick?"
The mana beast's lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing those impressive fangs fully. Its muscles tensed, preparing to strike.
Dmitri looked between Kenji and the clearly dangerous predator, his face pale. "W-what should we do?"
Kenji let out a long sigh, finally taking his hands out of his pockets. "Alright, listen up. Dmitri, you've got fire magic, right? I need you to trap it in a ring of flames—make it tight, about three meters in diameter. Ash, once it's contained, hit it with everything you've got. Aim for vital areas—neck, chest, head. Multiple angles so it can't dodge them all."
"That's it?" Dmitri asked, his voice wavering slightly.
"That's it," Kenji confirmed. "Trust me, this isn't complicated. We did this kind of thing all the time back home." He glanced at the wolf, which was now growling more aggressively. "Oh, and you might want to do it now before it charges."
As if on cue, the wolf lunged forward with supernatural speed.
"Dmitri!" Ash shouted.
"R-right!" Dmitri's grimoire flew open, glowing with warm orange light. "Fire Magic: Flame Ring!"
A circle of roaring flames erupted from the ground, surrounding the beast in a cage of fire. The wolf skidded to a halt, snarling as it tested the barrier with a paw before recoiling from the intense heat.
"Good, good," Kenji said, sounding like a bored instructor. "Now Ash."
"Blade Magic: Blade Storm!"
The floating blades around their group multiplied rapidly—ten, twenty, thirty weapons of various shapes and sizes. With a gesture from Ash, they all launched simultaneously at the trapped mana beast.
The wolf tried to dodge, its speed impressive even in the confined space, but there were simply too many projectiles. Blades pierced its hide from multiple angles, and the beast let out a pained howl that echoed through the forest.
It staggered, tried to rise, then collapsed as the flames began to die down.
Kenji walked forward casually, pulling a coin from his pocket. "Yeah, that'll do it."
Snap.
The coin transformed into a white sword. In one smooth, practiced motion—like he'd done it a thousand times before—he closed the distance to the fallen beast and delivered a clean finishing strike. The wolf's glowing eyes dimmed, and it went still.
"And done," Kenji said, the sword transforming back into a coin that he flipped once before pocketing. "See? Not that hard. You guys did great for your first time, though honestly, it's pretty straightforward once you've done it a few times."
Dmitri let out a shaky breath, his legs suddenly feeling weak as the adrenaline started to fade. "That was... we actually..."
"How are you so calm?" Ash asked, staring at Kenji with something between respect and disbelief. "That thing could have killed us if we messed up."
Kenji shrugged. "Eh, not really this thing was weak as hell.. Like I said, did this kind of thing all the time growing up. You get used to it." He walked over to examine the fallen beast with clinical detachment. "This one's actually pretty small compared to some I've dealt with. Help me get it ready for transport—the faster we get back, the faster I can take a nap."
"How... how do you know all this stuff?" Dmitri finally managed to ask, still trying to process how routine Kenji had made everything seem.
Kenji glanced back with that same lazy grin though now annoyed. "Sigh for the like what 4th time I did it back home growing up. Hage Village had mana beast problems pretty regularly, and someone had to deal with them. You do something enough times, it stops being exciting and just becomes work." He paused, then added almost to himself, "Which is kind of the problem, actually..."
Between the three of them, though mostly with Kenji directing and doing minimal actual work, they managed to secure the massive wolf's corpse using Ash's blade magic to create a makeshift sled.
"Next time we get a mission like this, we should bring an actual cart or something," Ash muttered. "This is so inefficient."
"Next time?" Dmitri asked weakly. "You're already thinking about next time?"
"Well yeah. If this is what Magic Knight missions are like, we're probably going to be doing a lot of this." Kenji's tone suggested this was absolutely not what he'd signed up for.
"And there really no need for all that extra work, although it was fun watching you guys struggle to secure it haha."
What do you me…" Ash said before being cut off.
Snap
And just like that they disappeared.
_____
Snap.
The three reappeared directly in front of the farm office with Ash still mid-sentence saying "—mean?"
He blinked, suddenly finding himself standing in the village square with the afternoon sun on his face instead of the dim forest canopy. The wolf's corpse materialized beside them with a heavy thud.
"What the—" Dmitri spun around, his eyes wide with shock as he recognized their surroundings. "How did we—we were just in the forest!"
"Did you just teleport us?!" Ash exclaimed, staring at Kenji with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
Kenji yawned and stretched, completely ignoring their reactions. "Man, I'm really looking forward to that nap."
The door to the office burst open as Gareth came rushing out, drawn by the commotion. He stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth falling open as he took in the scene before him—three Magic Knights standing casually in the village square with an enormous dead mana beast at their feet, having apparently materialized out of thin air.
Coming out of his shock, Gareth stammered, "By the gods... you actually got it. And so quickly!"
"Told you we would," Kenji said, with a yawn. "One oversized mana beast, as ordered. Can we get the paperwork done? I really want to get back before dinner."
The farm manager circled the wolf's corpse, shaking his head in disbelief. "I knew it was big, but seeing it up close... and you three took it down without any injuries?" He looked up at the knights with genuine gratitude and more than a little awe. "You've done us a great service. The cattle can graze in peace now, and the workers will sleep easier."
"Great, happy to help, signature please," Kenji said, holding out the mission slip with the air of someone who wanted this social interaction to end as quickly as possible.
Gareth blinked at the abruptness but disappeared into the office. He returned with the mission completion slip and a quill, signing with a flourish before handing it to Kenji along with a small pouch.
"That's a little extra from Lord Ashford's estate," Gareth explained. "He wanted me to express his thanks for such a swift resolution."
"Cool, thanks," Kenji said, pocketing the pouch without checking the contents or showing any real interest. "If you have any more trouble, send another request or whatever."
"Hopefully it won't come to that," Gareth said with a relieved smile. "Safe travels back to headquarters."
The three knights mounted their brooms—Kenji transforming his into the carpet again with obvious relief—and lifted off into the early evening sky.
As they flew back toward base, Dmitri seemed to be processing everything that had happened, occasionally glancing at Kenji with a mixture of respect and confusion. Ash kept glancing at the signed mission slip, as if confirming it was real.
But Kenji just stared at the horizon with an expression of profound disappointment.
That was it? That's what being a Magic Knight is? He replayed the mission in his mind—track the beast, corner it, kill it. The whole thing had taken less time than some of his training sessions with Yuno.
I really, really hope this isn't what my life is going to look like in the future, he thought, adjusting his glasses with a heavy sigh. Because if every mission is just hunting oversized animals for nobles who can't be bothered to deal with their own problems, I'm going to lose my mind from sheer boredom.
He glanced back at his companions, both clearly satisfied with their first outing as Magic Knights. Dmitri looked proud despite his earlier nervousness, and Ash seemed energized by the successful hunt.
Good for them, I guess. At least someone's enjoying this.
But for Kenji, who'd spent years defending villages, fighting bandits, clearing out entire camps of slavers, and dealing with threats that made this mana beast look like a house pet—this felt like a colossal waste of time.
As headquarters came into view on the horizon, Kenji couldn't shake the growing pit of dread in his stomach. He'd joined the Magic Knights hoping for adventure, for challenges that would push his abilities to their limits, for something that would make him feel alive.
Instead, he'd gotten the magical equivalent of pest control.
Maybe the next mission will be more interesting, he told himself, though even his internal voice sounded unconvinced. Or maybe I made a huge mistake and should've joined the Black Bulls after all. At least they probably get into actual fights.
Still, he plastered on his usual lazy smile as they descended toward the landing area, where Rick was already waiting with his perpetual frown.
"Mission report," Rick said curtly as they touched down.
Kenji handed over the signed slip with a casual salute and barely suppressed yawn. "One mana beast eliminated, zero casualties, farmers happy, noble satisfied. Took like two hours total. Super exciting stuff."
Rick's eyebrow twitched at the sarcastic tone, but he accepted the paperwork without comment. "Vice-Captain Kirsch wants a verbal debrief in the morning. Get some rest."
"Oh good, a debrief about the most boring afternoon of my life. Can't wait," Kenji muttered, already heading toward the main building. "Come on, guys. Let's hit the dining hall—I'm starving, and at least Franny's cooking is interesting."
As they walked through the halls of their new home, Ash clapped Dmitri on the shoulder. "Not bad for our first mission, huh? We make a pretty good team."
"Yeah," Dmitri agreed, his earlier nervousness replaced with genuine confidence. "Kenji made it look so easy. I hope I can be that calm during missions someday."
Kenji, walking ahead of them, let out a snort. "Trust me, you don't want to find things this easy. It means everything's boring as hell."
They reached the cafeteria where the warm smell of Franny's cooking wafted out. At least this was something to look forward to.
One mission down, he thought, pushing open the doors with perhaps more force than necessary. And if they're all going to be like this, I'm going to need to find some way to make things interesting. Because I did not leave home, travel across the kingdom, and join the Magic Knights just to be a glorified exterminator.
But deep down, he already suspected tomorrow would bring more of the same.
And that thought filled him with a restlessness that even Franny's excellent cooking couldn't quite satisfy.