At the Black Bull headquarters, Magna organized a big eating contest to welcome back Adam and the others.
The food of choice—taro pie!
"Captain Yami, please be the referee!"
Yami nodded. "Stop talking nonsense and start already."
Adam was starving and immediately began devouring the pie in huge bites.
"It's delicious."
In this Black Bulls' eating contest, aside from Adam, Charmy and Asta were the most serious contenders.
The rest of the squad was as chaotic as ever...
Gauche was staring at Marie's photo again, his nose bleeding uncontrollably.
Finral used spatial magic to send food straight into Luck's stomach. It was absurdly effective—if that spell could be used against enemies, it'd be terrifying.
Could it be that Finral was "eaten" by Luck? After all, his magic only worked on places he'd been before...
Vanessa was already drunk and half-asleep. Noelle was nibbling on her pie in tiny bites, her eyes sneaking glances at Adam, her face red as an apple.
In the end, Charmy won the contest that brought the team closer together.
Asta couldn't eat another bite, while Adam had specially eaten the remaining Black Bull Tonic he'd brought back from Nairn City that morning—a spicy stir-fried dish.
Except for Adam, Noelle couldn't stand the smell. Asta tried a few bites, while Rebecca and her siblings didn't touch it at all.
Adam wanted to find a bug to test if he could explain the power of the Ox Talisman again, but that clearly wasn't possible.
The last page of his golden grimoire displayed a passage of text:
"The zodiac signs sealed due to forced overdraft can only be unsealed after obtaining the power of a new zodiac sign and restoring sufficient energy to the sealed one."
"The Rooster Talisman's fine but lacks its origin. The Ox Talisman has its origin, but it still needs new power."
Adam looked at the second page of his grimoire. The ox symbol had dimmed, and the glowing ring around it had moved halfway—it seemed the tonic had worked.
Not only did his body feel stronger, but his magic energy was surging!
A white light flashed as a magic carrier pigeon flew in, landing before Yami and delivering an envelope.
"A letter from the capital? Another mission?"
Asta was bouncing around with a mouthful of taro pie, full of energy.
"Calm down, brat."
Yami opened the envelope, scanned the contents, and said, "The Wizard King's summoned me to a meeting—and wants me to bring you and Adam along. Looks like something's going on."
"Me? Why?" Asta exclaimed.
"Me too?" Adam looked even more confused. Asta being summoned made sense because of Licht and his anti-magic powers, but him? That was harder to figure out.
"You'll find out when we get there."
The Next Morning
"Hello, Captain Yami, Asta, and Adam. I'm Marx, the Wizard King's personal guard."
The blue-haired, mushroom-headed man bowed politely—he looked stiff and overly formal.
"Where's the meeting, Mushroom Head?"
"It's Marx," the man corrected, clearly used to this kind of thing. "The meeting is being prepared. Please wait in the lounge, Adam. Asta, come with me."
"Okay," Asta said, confused.
Adam's mouth twitched slightly. The captain's lounge? He'd probably run into his "brother-in-law" again...
The Captains' Lounge
"Haha, your squad's got fewer stars than ours!"
"Hah! At least we don't use underhanded tactics like yours!"
"Calm down, you scrawny-faced monkey. The sausage guy's right this time."
"Shut it, you filthy commoner."
It was pure chaos—the Magic Knight captains were bickering like drunkards at a tavern.
Adam stood quietly behind Yami for once. Oddly enough, Nozel Silva hadn't picked a fight with him today.
Except for William Vangeance of the Golden Dawn and the comatose Fuegoleon Vermillion, all the other captains were present—Dorothy Unsworth of the Coral Peacocks, Gueldre Poizot of the Purple Orcas, and Rill Boismortier of the Aqua Deer.
"The Crimson Lion King's temporary captain still hasn't been decided," Rill said casually. "If Fuegoleon were here, he'd keep everyone in line."
The room fell silent.
Moments later, William entered, and Gueldre immediately started mocking again. The chaos resumed.
No one paid attention to Adam—he was too low in rank for their notice.
But Adam didn't care. He preferred to admire beauty rather than listen to a bunch of loudmouths argue.
The flowers are in full bloom. If I don't admire them, I'd be unromantic, he thought, eyes glancing toward Charlotte and Dorothy.
"Yami, what's with this kid behind you?" Gueldre asked suddenly.
"The Wizard King told me to bring him. If you've got a problem, take it up with him," Yami replied gruffly, clearly done with the man's nonsense.
Adam ignored the stares and thought back to his entrance exam. The Purple Orcas had tried to recruit him back then—was this guy really that impressed by his antics?
"Hey, brat, interested in joining—"
"Shut it, Ham Uncle. Can't you see I'm admiring the beautiful ladies?" Adam snapped.
His gaze lingered on Charlotte and Dorothy like he was studying two rare and elegant flowers—Dorothy even stirred slightly in her sleep.
"Tch, you little rascal."
Charlotte was somewhat used to Adam's attitude by now. Still, she couldn't help but think, If only Yami were as sharp as this kid instead of being such a blockhead...
"Damn brat, you looking to die?" Gueldre growled, standing up with an ugly expression. "I can't mess with the other captains, but I sure as hell can crush you."
"I said—shut up."
Just as Gueldre prepared to unleash his magic, he froze. Adam's magic surged out, bottomless and overwhelming.
Nozel and the others weren't surprised, but Yami's eyes widened slightly.
Isn't this kid supposed to have no magic? What the hell is going on?
Adam's magic power was usually impossible to detect—it was only visible when he allowed it. Rill was shocked too; Adam's mana was even greater than his own.
"How the hell did that brat do that?!"
Rhya, disguised as William, trembled inwardly. This kid's a variable. I'll need to get rid of him somehow.
"Alright, that's enough. The Wizard King is waiting. Everyone move."
A white light flashed, and Marx appeared once more, his presence dissolving the tense atmosphere instantly.
In the Clover Kingdom, the Wizard King's orders were absolute.
Adam withdrew his magic, and Gueldre felt his body lighten again. The captains stood up calmly, brushing off the episode as if nothing happened.
What the hell was that aura just now...
As Adam followed Yami out, his gaze drifted to William's back.
"This guy really holds a grudge," Adam muttered. "Still remembers the entrance exam, huh? And that aura of his... feels familiar somehow."