Among all Magic Knight Squads in the Clover Kingdom, the Black Bull has to be the most eccentric one. The reason is simply because this squad is composed of peculiar Magic Knights that can’t fit in the other squad. They are the troublemakers, the odd one out, the ones that nobody else knows how to deal with.
From a guy who can only live by feeding off the magic of the other members, to a SisCon who has an eye made out of glass, there’s nothing but weirdos and outliers in the Black Bull. However, the most enigmatic one of them all has to be this guy.
His Name Is Zora Ideale
In order to destroy the evil group called The Eye of The Midnight Sun, the Clover Kingdom held a tournament where the Magic Knight from all squads could participate. The winner and other individuals that manage to showcase their skills will be selected into the newly-formed Royal Knights. This tournament is the place where we see this eccentric man named Zora Ideale for the first time.
He entered the tournament under the name of Xerx Lugner, the vice captain of the Purple Orca that he trashed earlier. He deceived everybody there, including his teammate and fellow Black Bull member, Asta. Add to that his brazen attitude, sharp tongue, and mysterious magic powers, and we get one of the most perplexing participants in the tournament.
Zora would use the name of Xerx Lugner until the end of the tournament. It is only when the members of the Royal Knight are announced that Zora finally confesses that he is actually a member of the Black Bull, much to the surprise of the other members. After all, despite being one of the earliest members of this squad, Zora never shows his face even once in Black Bull’s HQ. But now that they think about it, Black Bull is definitely the perfect place for a strange character like him.
Zora Ideale’s Past
Truth be told, being a Magic Knight is not something that Zora wanted to do. After all, he realizes that it’s almost impossible for a peasant like him to get into such a prestigious institution like the Magic Knight Squads which is filled with nobles who are blessed with large mana capacity.
However, his father, whom he loves very much, is the exact opposite. He idolizes the Magic Knights so much and considers them to be the most honorable group of people, which is why he wanted to join their ranks. Although he failed the exams over and over again, Zora’s father kept on trying until he finally became the first peasant who joined the Magic Knight.
Zora felt so proud of his father’s achievement, but unfortunately for him, his father lost his life during one of his missions. Zora found out later on that it was actually his fellow squad members, which happens to be nobles, who attacked his father from the back and killed him. That is the beginning of his hatred towards the nobles of the Clover Kingdom. Since then, punishing disgraceful nobles has become his main purpose in life.
Zora As A Magic Knight
As mentioned earlier, Zora never wanted to be a Magic Knight. However, it is clear from the get go that Zora has the talent to be a first class Magic Knight. Because despite his hatred towards the profession, he still spent quite a lot of time studying and tinkering with magic. Which is why he managed to defeat any foul Magic Knights that oppressed common folks.
It doesn’t take a long time for Yami Sukehiro, who happens to be in the process of building the Black Bulls, to notice Zora’s ability and invite him to be a member of Black Bull. Zora refused, but Yami still gave him the black robe and told him to keep it and come by to the Black Bull’s mansion whenever he feels like it.
Nobody knows that Zora has actually become a magic knight, because he never uses the black robe in public. Not only that, he never goes on any official missions either. At that point, he basically dedicates his life to punishing as many corrupt magic knights as he can. At least that is the case until he met Asta at that fateful Royal Knight Tournament.
Zora Ideale’s Magic
Zora Ideale is the user of Ash Magic, which means he has the ability to create and manipulate all manner of ashes. Since Zora rarely displays his ash magic spells, we don’t really know the full extent of his ability. We do know, however, that his ash does have explosive power that can destroy a boulder in one attack, and it also has a paralyzing effect.
That being said, his specialty is Trap Magic, just like his father. Thanks to his extensive knowledge on mana and magic, Zora can use runes to draw magic circles that can produce all manners of traps. A simple magic circle can be drawn in a relatively short amount of time, but its ability is limited to binding traps, pitfall traps, and landmine traps. These types of traps are not particularly strong, but since Zora can place it whenever he likes, even midair, it can be an incredibly effective weapon to use during combat.
Having said that, given enough time to prepare, Zora can craft a super complex magic circle that can produce insane effects. One that he often uses is the Double Counter Trap. This trap can absorb any kind of magic attack that it touches, and shoot it back to the caster at double the power and speed. As if that’s not crazy enough, Zora also draws that particular magic trap on his body, which means he can execute the Double Counter Trap simply by standing still and taking on the enemy’s attack head on.
That insane yet crafty way to fight, that rude and brazen attitude, and that dedication to overcome whatever shortcomings and obstacles that stands in his way is the reason why Zora Ideale is the most enigmatic member of the Black Bull.