– Six months later –
The army of mages… a legendary force composed of individuals who master the art of magic with supreme skill.
This army is divided into nine distinct squads, each with unique characteristics, abilities, and strategies. All operate under the direct supervision of the Wizard King, the most powerful and respected figure in the kingdom—a symbol of justice, strength, and wisdom.
Each squad is made up of highly trained mages, primarily specialized in combat magic. Many have heroic deeds recorded in the kingdom's history, capable of facing threats that ordinary armies could never contain.
They are more than mere soldiers: they are heroes who risk their lives daily to ensure the country's safety and its citizens. They confront magical beasts, invaders, and even rogue mages.
For their courage and dedication, they are admired, revered, and respected by everyone—civilians, nobles, and even other mages. The presence of one of these warriors commands respect and inspires hope.
---
"Uff…" A man sighed. "I'm starting to get nervous," he said, looking at the number of participants this year.
"How annoying! What are these birds!?" exclaimed a girl, wildly waving her arms in an attempt to shoo them away.
"Oh, they're anti-birds—common in areas where these exams are held," explained a man approaching, helping her repel the birds.
"From what I've heard, they peck anyone with little mana or no mana sense," added a young man.
"Shoo, get away!" shouted a boy, running away from some anti-birds chasing him.
"Hey, look at those kids!" a man called out, pointing in a direction. Curious people turned to look. "Not a single bird is near them!" he exclaimed, surprised.
"That's him—the guy from a town far away, the one chosen by the four-leaf grimoire!" a woman said in shock, realizing the rumor was true.
"Four leaves!"
"Hehe! Which one of us will become the Wizard King first? That's how our legend begins, Yuno!" Asta said determinedly, eating the octopus he bought at the market.
"What!?"
"You want to become the Wizard King?"
"I'll show you what six months of training can do!" he declared, releasing an aura that chased the birds even further away.
That aura stunned the doubters—remorse instantly swept over them.
Despite the density of his aura, one bird still approached—a tired-looking one, unwilling to be there, seemingly forced.
It came close to Asta, alighted on his hand, and pecked at the remaining octopus skewer.
Then it flew off with the octopus still in its beak.
Seeing this, Asta decided to chase after the bird to retrieve his skewer—it had cost him his savings, and no bird was going to steal it from him.
---
He ran, hoping to catch up to the bird carrying his octopus, but it flew far too fast. He even considered using one of his newly learned spells, but decided to save it for the later exam.
He continued running until, accidentally, he collided with someone—feeling as if he'd hit a wall.
"Huh?" He looked down to see a pair of feet. "I'm so sorry for bumping into you!" he said with a smile, scratching the back of his neck.
"I'm going to kill you, brat," said the man he'd bumped into. He looked like a vagabond, but Asta felt powerful magic radiating from him.
"Who is this guy? His eyes are scary—like an assassin's. His neck is way thicker than normal. Am I really going to have to compete against people like this?"
Becoming serious, Asta tried to calm himself and spoke politely. "I'm sorry again. Your face is very weathered… you must've suffered a lot to get here."
The man's expression shifted—his face would intimidate anyone.
In the next instant, he grabbed Asta by the head and lifted him off the ground.
"Ready to face death, boy?" he asked, terrifying Asta, who struggled to break free.
Fortunately, another stranger intervened, and this one seemed benevolent.
"Captain Yami, I finally found you!" a blonde young man exclaimed, his elegant appearance marking him a noble. "What are you doing down here?"
"I'm just trying to stop this brat from breathing ever again," said Yami, tightening his grip on Asta's head.
"No! A member of the Magic Knights can't go around killing people without reason! Also, why are you even down where the exams are happening?"
"Oh, that? I got lost on the way while, um, taking a dump," Yami grumbled, finally releasing Asta's head, who was deeply grateful for the interruption.
"Hey, that guy—Isn't he... Finral Roulacase? A mage with the rare spatial magic?"
"Yes, but if I recall, he's quite the womanizer—always flirting with girls."
"And the one with him—that's Gordon Agrippa, right? The poison-magic specialist?"
"He's pretty awful at socializing—his looks scare people off."
"Then that guy who grabbed the boy's head—he's..."
"The Lord of Destruction, Yami Sukehiro, captain of the Black Bulls—the Magic Knight squad known for causing more chaos than any other."
"True—no one wreaks havoc quite like them."
"I'd never want to join the Black Bulls," someone muttered. (As if they would want you)
"Look, it seems the ceremony is about to begin!" said a young man, alerting everyone.
"Candidates... sorry for the delay."
Everyone turned to see all the captains assembled.
"Wow! All the captains are here!"
They possessed power equivalent to over a hundred mages—one among them would be the next Wizard King.
"It's starting," Finral remarked.
"Kid, you got lucky this time. Enjoy your life while you can, before I meet you again," Yami told Asta, walking away.
"This time, I will announce the tests," said a man wearing a strange red-and-blue mask.
"Wow—that's William Vangeance, leader of the most powerful Magic Knight squad... and the one closest to becoming Wizard King!"
---
William grabbed his grimoire and flipped through it until stopping on a specific page.
"Summoning Magic: Magic Tree!"
A small root erupted from the ground and rapidly grew into a massive tree. Upon witnessing the power, most participants were stunned.
"What!?"
At the tips of the tree's roots, magical brooms formed and flew toward each candidate.
"Incredible!"
Seeing this, Asta and Yuno shared the same thought: "Is this really the man closest to being Wizard King?"
"From this moment on, I declare the Magic Knight entrance exam officially started! You candidates will face various tests, and we, the captains, will supervise you individually."
"Afterward, we'll choose those who prove their worth to join our squads. The first test: fly on the broom you've been given." William sat down, making space for the man beside him, who picked up a broom.
The vice-captain held the broom by its tip, channeled some magic into it, and slowly took flight.
"This is a basic magic test—if you really are a mage, you'll manage easily. This is our most-used mode of transport. Don't tell me you can't fly on a broom."
With that, the testing began. Several participants imitated the vice-captain's demonstration. Some managed to fly a few centimeters off the ground; others rocketed into the sky, snapping their brooms. And a few flew easily without issue.
"You can tell everyone's sense of mana this way. This year's candidates are surprisingly strong." The crowd glanced at our humble plebeian, Yuno.
The boy flew effortlessly high in the sky—it was so easy that he even stood on his broom to show off.
"Even coming from so far away, he's amazing!"
"That's the genius chosen by the four-leaf clover grimoire!"
Behind Yuno, Asta concentrated his mana on his broom but hadn't lifted off yet—he needed time to stabilize the spell.
"Hey, look at that one—he's not even off the ground," some mocked, watching Asta close his eyes.
"Seems like that brat doesn't have any useful skills. But his mana… it's pretty high. What a waste."
"Hey, you're hilarious!" said a friendly-looking blond wearing a strange headband, approaching Asta with a smile. "I'm Sekke—nice to meet you!"
Asta opened his eyes—concentration is hard, after all. "I'm Asta," he replied, sweat on his brow.
"Having trouble with something so simple? Try relaxing a bit." Sekke grabbed his broom and easily lifted off—it was natural for him given his reserve of mana.
"Wow, that was amazing!" Asta said, impressed. "Maybe if I focus a bit more, I might manage to float."
"Haha! Just watch me, pathetic failure," Sekke thought, giving Asta a smug grin.
Asta caught that sneer before closing his eyes again. Internally, he smiled—he'd play along.
After some more concentration, Asta finally lifted off and flew high until he reached Yuno, who was enjoying the breeze aloft.
Sekke forced a false smile, hiding his thoughts.
---
Second test: Use magic to break a thick brick wall.
Sekke used his bronze magic to fire compressed bronze bullets that pierced the wall. He fired more until it collapsed.
Yuno extended his arm, unleashing a powerful wind blast that effortlessly destroyed the wall. A proud moment for the "Big Bad Wolf."
Asta scanned his grimoire for the right magic and found one that caught his interest. His grimoire floated in the air—surprising many, even the captains, with its unique appearance.
"What a beautiful grimoire!" thought one captain who had been dozing off moments before.
"I've trained a lot with chain magic. That's what I'll use now." His grimoire flipped open in midair, landing on a page.
Chains Magic: Dance of the Vipers!
Chains shot from a magical circle in the sky and slammed into the wall, gouging multiple holes. Within seconds, the wall crumbled.
The candidates around him gasped—chain magic was rare, and mastery of it rarer still.
"Hmm, that should do it." Asta closed his grimoire and stored it. "What's the next test?" he wondered.
"I've seen magic like that before... it was from Revchi. I didn't expect to see another user so soon," one captain said, surprised.
"Yup. That guy's behavior before he became a knight was totally un-knightly. I hope this kid's different."
---
Third test: A shooting-range game—hit floating moving targets with magic.
Both Yuno and Sekke used bow-and-arrow-like spells to hit their targets. Asta watched Yuno from a distance… his eyes glowed golden and a new leaf appeared on his grimoire.
Opening the book with eagerness, he found a new magic. Smiling slightly, he moved to face his target.
He focused and cast: Wind Magic: Gale Arrow!
A wind-forged bow and arrow formed in his hands and launched a quick shot, striking the fast-moving target.
The entire place fell silent. This boy had used—and perhaps appropriated—another candidate's magic. In any case, it was impressive: a magician wielding two distinct magics. The captains now focused on him.
---
Fourth test: A magic modeling challenge—create an object using only magic.
Asta copied someone else's model and passed the test, moving to the next one.
---
"Next and final test... a real battle simulation! Pair up with anyone willing to fight. You may use your grimoires. After six months, you should've learned some spells, right? A Magic Knight's job is to fight—now show your strength!" William announced, beginning the final test of the day.
A loss carried heavy weight in the evaluations, so competitors should choose wisely—someone they could outperform and catch the captains' attention.
"Damn, I couldn't find anyone to battle me—people seem to avoid me for some reason," Asta thought, resigned that no one wanted to fight him.
Unnoticed, the blond hair guy he'd met earlier approached again, with the same friendly smile.
"Asta, fight me!" he said, extending his hand.
Asta turned and saw Sekke offering a duel. Asta guessed his intentions.
"Sekke!? You really want to fight me?" Asta asked, feigning being moved.
"Ha—of course! Fu-ha!"
Nearby participants overheard and thought Sekke was foolish to fight this kid.
---
"As soon as someone gives up or is incapacitated, the test ends. Healers are standing by to help afterward, so fight at full strength. Now, first challengers—step forward." William said.
At his call, Asta and Sekke stepped onto the battlefield.
"Let's fight with all our might!" Asta said, excited—this was his chance to show his skills.
"Don't bother trying so hard," Sekke scorned, his smile gone. "This isn't your place, filthy rat!"
Asta simply stared at him, expecting the hostility once the battle began.
"Well, it didn't take long for him to show his true colors—makes things easier," Sekke muttered.
"Don't worry—I'll create great memories as a wizard in your name. Now go back to the pigsty you came from and keep living your shitty life." He retreated to the opposite side of the ring.
"Ready? Figh..." William shouted from above, signaling the start.
"I'll use all my power—this is a duel, Asta!" Sekke yelled, drawing his grimoire.
Bronze Magic: Cannonball—Sekke Magnum!
He covered his body in a blue bronze sphere; the perfect defense for his mindset.
"So, what do you think of my magic? With bronze, I can defend and fire projectiles simultaneously. If I block this kid's past attacks, I'll definitely get noticed by the captains," Sekke thought.
"That's a lame attack—I refuse to copy that…" Asta decided not to mimic it. Instead, he shelved his copied spells—escaping that ugly magic.
---
(With the captains… but really just with Yami)
"That's a decent spell—even for a rookie, right captain?" Finral whispered.
"It's like a venomous beetle," Yami thought.
---
(Back to the battle)
"Come at me with all you've got! Fu-ha!" Sekke yelled confidently, throwing cannonballs that Asta easily dodged.
"Just watch me!" Asta shouted, sprinting toward Sekke with his grimoire glowing a brilliant gold.
"Thanks for your lessons and your magic, old man! Wind Magic: Wind Blade." He whispered, forging a wind katana and brandishing it.
---
(With the captains)
"High-speed wind magic?" William wondered silently.
"No," Yami responded in his mind, "that's just raw muscle."
---
(Back to the battle)
"What!?" Sekke cried, startled by Asta's sudden proximity. He didn't even have time to react when his bronze shield was bisected. Just as he was about to strike Asta, he stopped—but the impact was too much.
He fainted from shock.
"Ah…" Sekke groaned before collapsing.
---
"I'm not joining the Magic Knights just to make an effort and make good memories. Even if I die trying…"
I will become the Wizard King!
To be continued.
---
Spells for now:
Chain Magic: Dance of the Vipers; Demonic Chains Prison.
Wind Magic: Gale Arrow; Wind Blade; Wind Sword; Wind Blade Formation; Wind Barrier.
(For those who don't know, these are the spells of Asta's teacher, Fanzel Kruger.)