chapter 4: The Magic Knights Exam

"I'm going to be In charge of exams!" exclaimed Captain William Vangeance.

"It's the captain of the strongest magic knight squad, the Golden Dawns. William Vengeance," said a man from the crowd.

Asta, Rowan, and Yuno looked up at the proclaimed captain of the strongest squad in awe and admiration.

Suddenly, a powerful voice echoed across the sky. "[World Tree Magic: Descends!]"

A loud rumble was heard, and the ground began to shake as a tear in the sky appeared, roots of a massive tree appearing. Asta, Yuno, and Rowan looked up with determined looks on their faces as they gazed at the Golden Dawns Captain.

Captain William Vengeance looked at the crowd with a smile. "We shall now begin... The Magic Knight entrance exam! We're going to have you go through a multitude of tests, and the nine Captains of Magic Knights shall then select the candidates we want in our squad. I expect you all to give it your best effort!" he declared.

"Those who are not chosen by any of the Captains are judged to lack the talent of becoming a Magic Knight. The first test, then, is to fly using broomsticks," said Captain Vengeance. "It is basic to demonstrate mastery of the broomstick, as it is a necessary requirement for becoming a Magic Knight. Good luck, and may the best candidates be chosen!"

The broomsticks suddenly appeared in the hands of the candidates, having been created by the spell cast by Captain Vangeance.

Meanwhile, Asta struggled to even lift his broom off the ground, while Yuno and Rowan made it look like second nature.

Charlotte, one of the captains of the Magic Knights, stared at Rowan with a red face, 'Kyaaah... He's here!', she thought to herself, her face lighting up with a smile as she watched Rowan fly with grace and ease.

Yami glanced at Charlotte and asked, "Hey princess, you okay there?"

"Yes, no problem," said Charlotte while trying her best to calm herself down.

The examinees had to do several tests, from hitting targets to creating things. Despite his best efforts, Asta failed every single test. Yuno and Rowan, on the other hand, managed to hit all their targets and create the required items with ease, prompting admiration from the captains.

"This is the final test, and it will measure your battle prowess. You will be paired up with someone and engage in a fight. You are allowed to use your grimoires and show us your magical spells. Remember, the main job of the Magic Knights is to protect and fight, so show us what you can do!"

Asta and another examinee stepped forward, ready to engage in battle.

The guy seemed to say something to him before he yelled out to Asta, "I'm not going to hold back! Come and get me, Asta! Bhaa.."[Bronze creation magic: Sekke magnum cannon Ball]", as he raised his arms and started to cast a spell.

Rowan could hear some of the other examinees whispering about Asta.

"I think this match is already over. The hick's magic power isn't enough to make a dent, " a random person in the crowd said.

"Aw, man! I wish I could've fought the twerp," another guy said.

"Anyways, why is it so cold all of a sudden?" asked the guy from before as he felt a cooled breeze blow against his back.

"Don't hold back, I'm ready for ya." said Sekke as he raised his arms.

A smirk started to form slowly on Rowan and Yuno's face as Asta exclaimed, "Got it! Here I go!" In a blink of an eye, Asta was face to face with his opponent. With a single slash of his sword, he sent his opponent flying to the ground, making a hole where he stood. Everyone was surprised by the sheer power behind Asta's attack.

"I'm not here just to join the Magic Knights and have a blast without putting effort. I'm here to work my butt off and become the Wizard King," announced Asta. He then raised his sword in the air and declared, "I will become the Wizard King!"

After Asta's declaration, the battle continued. Yuno confidently stepped into the arena, his opponent following close behind.

He had a determined look in his eye, and he raised his hand and shouted, "[Wind magic: towering tornado]."

A fierce tornado appeared and engulfed his opponent, sending him flying across the room. When the dust settled, Yuno had emerged victorious. The crowd was left speechless as the boy managed to defeat his opponent with a single spell!

"Guess it's my turn," Rowan thought as he stepped into the arena and prepared to face his opponent.

"You should be honored, peasant. Few have the honor to face me in battle. I will show you the true power," said the opponent of Rowan with a menacing tone.

Rowan quickly understood who his opponent was and smiled, saying, "Of course, sir."

The guy had smirked plaster on his face. "[Water magic: water bullet]" The guy tried to attack Rowan with his magic.

A smirk started to form slowly on Rowan's face as he cast his spell. "[Ice magic: Ice Age]," he shouted and slammed his feet on the ground, and suddenly, the entire arena was frozen, including his opponent and his half-cast spell.

"Shit!!"

Everyone's jaws hit the ground in disbelief as they started to shout in amazement. Rowan managed to freeze the fighting platform in an instant with his spell.

Nozel Silva, Captain of the Silver Eagles, raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Humm.... he is not bad," said Fuegoleon, Captain of the Crimson Lions.

"What a show off," said Charlotte, but her eyes twinkled with admiration. 'So cool,' she thought in awe.

"Hahahahaha.... the old kid always likes to show off," said Captain Yami while laughing.

"That's so cool, I can create another masterpiece with him," said Rill, captain of the Aqua Deer Royal Knights.

Captain Vangeance smiled and said, "He is quite a talented young man."

Rowan slowly backed away from the arena, his eyes still locked on his opponent who was frozen in place. As he made his way back to Asta and Yuno, the examinees moved a couple of steps away, giving the three some space.

With that, the examiner announced the end of the examination. The examinees lined up in numerical order, and as their numbers were called out, they stepped forward to face the squad captains. If the captains raised their hands to show interest in the examinee, it was up to the examinee to accept or decline the offer. If more than one captain raised their hands, the examinee was free to choose which offer to accept. If no captains raised their hands, then the examinee would not be able to join the Magic Knights.

"No. 164, please step forward!" the announcer called out.

Yuno stepped forward, and all of the captains simultaneously raised their hands. "Please allow me to join The Golden Dawns," said Yuno. Captain Vengeance smiled and said, "Very well, welcome to the Golden Dawns."

"No. 165, please step forward!" the announcer called out.

Asta stood there awkwardly, feeling the eyes of the captains on him.

"No hands"

As the announcer said, Asta's heart sunk, and he didn't budge from his place.

"It's no surprise that no one raised their hands," Captain Yami said as he jumped on to the platform. "No matter how impressive your combat skills are, if your power is based on something suspicious, no one will want to be part of it. In the end, the most important thing about a magic knight is their magical power."

Yami let out a large amount of mana, and the atmosphere around him changed. Everyone around him seemed to take a step back. Asta's eyes went wide. Yuno had sweat going down his forehead as they felt the immense pressure emanating from Yami's powerful magic.

Rowan also struggled a bit but quickly regained his composure and stood his ground.

"You have nothing to say?" Captain Yami asked as he stepped closer to Asta, his powerful magic still looming in the air. "No one wants you because you have no magical power. This is the harsh reality. You said you wanted to become the Wizard King. That you were going to surpass us Captains. But how about with me in front of you now? Do you think you can even surpass those two kids over there with no magical power?" Yami pointed to Rowan and Yuno.

Asta clenched his fist and yelled out, "It's fine even if I can't join the Magic Knights today! No matter how many times I fall, no matter what anyone says, one day I WILL BECOME THE WIZARD KING!" He had an unbreakable determination in his eyes that was visible to everyone in the room.

Captain Yami roared with laughter as the atmosphere returned to normal. "Bwa ha ha ha! You are definitely interesting. Join the Black Bulls!"

"What?" Asta stood there, stunned and confused, trying to process everything he had just heard.

Yami's eyes suddenly turned a piercing white as he continued, his dark aura intensifying. "By the way, you can't refuse."

Yami grinned wickedly as he added, "I'll give you such a horrible time in the Black Bulls that you'll be ripped to pieces. Prepare for it."

"What?!" Asta yelled in disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.

"And one day," Captain Yami said with a mischievous grin, "prove everyone wrong and become the Wizard King."

"You too, kid," Captain Yami said, pointing at Rowan. "Show everyone what the peasants can do!"

"YES, SIR!!" Said Asta and Rowan in union.

The announcer called out, "Number 166!" It was now Rowan's turn to be assigned to a squad. As he walked into the arena, everyone in the room raised their hands in anticipation - everyone had seen his power in action before and were not surprised that he would be chosen.

Rowan then looked towards Yami and smiled. "Please let me join the Black Bulls."

Everyone in the room was in disbelief, shouting out in unison, "Why the hell, the worst of all?!"

Yami just smirked, looking at Rowan as he said, "Then I hope you're both ready, cause I'm going to put you through hell."

Rowan looked around and saw that Charlotte was staring at him. He smiled and waved his hands a little in acknowledgment.

"Humph!" Charlotte huffed and turned her head away from Rowan, a look of disapproval on her face.

"What's up with her?" Rowan puzzled on the Other Side Charlotte was blushing as she was thinking what to do.