The ruckus of nervous chatter, clinking boots, and flapping birds suddenly fell into a tense, heavy silence.
It wasn't an order.
It was a presence.
An oppressive wave of magic power flooded the arena like a storm cloud sweeping overhead. Every head in the stadium turned skyward, breath caught in collective awe. The Magic Knight Captains had arrived.
The anti-magic birds, once gleefully pecking and cawing, scattered with sharp cries, vanishing into the distance as if repelled by an invisible wall of dominance. The captains stood side by side on the elevated stone platform, each radiating an aura that made the very air tremble with pressure. Young hopefuls throughout the arena could only gape, spines straightening as their dreams took shape before their eyes.
The youngest boy in the crowd, however, did not seem the least bit impressed.
"Hey! Big sis! Big sis, look! It's me, it's me!" Saru waved both arms in the air like a lunatic, practically hopping in place.
Several heads turned toward the source of the noise, including a few captains. Captain Charlotte Roselei of the Blue Rose Knights flinched as her name echoed across the venue in the most undignified tone possible. Her eyes flickered to the monkey child calling out to her and sighed, visibly trying to suppress the flush of embarrassment rising in her cheeks.
Saru grinned like a fool, beaming at her with such enthusiasm it could melt stone.
Reluctantly—very reluctantly—Charlotte raised her gloved hand and gave the tiniest wave.
That was all it took.
Saru lit up like the sun, spinning around and whisper-shouting to the stunned participants around him. "See that?! Big sis waved at me! She likes me!"
The crowd collectively blinked, and then chaos erupted.
"Wait... Did Captain Charlotte just wave at him?"
"No way! That monkey... thing? Her?!"
"What the hell does he have that I don't?!"
Jealous mutters and spiteful glares sprouted like weeds. Some glared at Charlotte. Most glared at Saru.
Standing nearby, Nozel Silva let out a long, disdainful sigh.
"Tch. Why do you associate yourself with that wild creature?" he muttered toward Charlotte without bothering to hide his disgust. His eye twitched at the mere memory of Saru. There had been so many pranks. Soap in shampoo bottles. Booby-trapped doorways. Invisible tripwires. A magically summoned giant gorilla dancing outside the Silva manor one morning.
Most of the Silver Eagle squad still trembled at the name "Saru." The boy had carved a reputation not just in battle—but as a walking menace to noble pride.
Charlotte ignored Nozel's comment. Mostly.
Yami, standing arms folded with a lazy smirk, chuckled under his breath. "Heh. That monkey's really going all out today."
At the center of it all, calm and composed as ever, stood William Vangeance. The Captain of the Golden Dawn stepped forward as his mask caught the light, casting shadows across the crowd.
"Thank you for waiting, invited examinees," Vangeance spoke, his voice carrying clearly despite the arena's vastness. "I am going to be in charge of the entrance exams this year."
A wave of awe swept over the participants like a windstorm.
"Whoa… That's William Vangeance! The strongest Captain!"
"He leads the Golden Dawn!"
"I heard he's so powerful, even the Wizard King acknowledges him!"
Asta stared up, wide-eyed. Yuno remained quiet, focused—though his eyes flickered slightly with recognition and interest.
Then, Vangeance slowly opened his grimoire. The glowing golden book hovered before him, pages fluttering like leaves in the wind.
"Magic Tree Descent."
Suddenly, the sky trembled. The clouds above the arena parted like curtains. Roots of a colossal tree descended from the heavens, vast tendrils of glowing bark spiraling downward. But these were no ordinary roots—they twisted and reshaped as they fell, transforming into elegant brooms infused with mana. Each one stopped before a participant, floating in mid-air.
Even seasoned knights among the audience watched with admiration.
Saru's jaw dropped.
"WHOOOAAA!! So. Cool." His eyes sparkled. His hands clenched with excitement as if barely restraining himself. "I wanna ride one—I need to ride one—can I ride one now?"
He bounced on the balls of his feet, one step from launching into the air.
But then his stomach growled.
Saru froze. He remembered something vital.
Yami had promised him snacks if he behaved.
He looked back toward the captain's platform, spotting Yami's half-lidded, expectant glare.
Saru sighed. "Stupid snack deal…"
Still, his fingers twitched at his sides. The fun was so tempting.
"We shall now begin the Magic Knights Entrance Exam," Vangeance announced, closing his grimoire. His voice rang with quiet authority. "You will undergo a multitude of tests. The nine Captains of the Magic Knights will be observing your progress."
He glanced across the hopefuls, some standing tall, others shaking on their feet.
"Each of us will select the candidates we deem worthy of joining our squads. Those who receive no offers will be judged to lack the talents necessary to become a Magic Knight."
The weight of those words dropped like a hammer.
Around the arena, solemn expressions settled on the faces of nearly every candidate. This was it—their future.
…Except Saru, who was still leaning sideways to peer at the boy with spiky grey hair—Asta—and the quiet one with the sharp gaze—Yuno. His head tilted like a curious animal.
"The first test," Vangeance announced, his arms behind his back, "is to fly using the broomsticks you have just received."
His masked gaze swept across the assembled crowd of hopefuls. His voice remained calm, but there was a faint grin in it now, like a teacher who knew his lesson was about to expose some... interesting weaknesses.
"Any mage who can control their magical power should be able to do this instinctively. It is the most basic method of transportation for a mage."
Dozens of broomsticks hovered before their chosen candidates, waiting like silent messengers of destiny.
"Now—begin."
With that word, chaos bloomed.
Participants scrambled to mount their brooms, fumbling with clumsy jumps, some falling flat on their faces, others gripping their brooms like they were wild animals instead of magical tools. It was an awkward ballet of desperation.
Asta, already trembling with energy, leapt onto his broom with a battle cry. "LETS GOOOOO!!"
…And the broom didn't move.
He stood on it, shook it, yelled at it, but it remained as lifeless as a stick of wood.
A cluster of participants snickered.
"Is he serious?"
"Did he forget the magic part of Magic Knight?"
"Look at that musclehead! He's just yelling at the broom!"
Meanwhile—
WHOOSH!
Yuno stood calmly atop his broom, hands in his pockets, the wind swirling around him in elegant spirals. He didn't even need to try. His cloak flapped behind him as he drifted smoothly into the air, surveying the stadium like a hawk. The Golden Dawn captain's interest visibly piqued.
Gasps and whispers followed Yuno like stardust.
"Did you see that?"
"He's… floating! Not even sitting!"
"He's amazing…"
And then—
"WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!"
A brown blur rocketed into the sky, spinning wildly, upside down, twirling around like a mad bird on a sugar rush.
It was Saru.
He was upside-down, clinging to the broom by his legs, arms spread out as if he were skydiving. Then he twisted sideways, spun into a cartwheel, and stood upright, balancing on one foot like a circus act.
"YEAHHH! LOOK MA, NO HANDS!"
He rocketed past several participants, swerving through midair obstacles, diving and looping around Yuno with a cheeky grin.
Yuno glanced at him midair, completely unfazed.
Saru grinned. "Hey! You're the broody one, right? I'm Saru! You're cool, I like you!"
He shot off again before Yuno could answer.
On the captains' platform, most of the commanders broke into laughter or at least amused smiles.
"Pfft… that monkey's got some moves," Jack the Ripper snorted, his face twitching with a savage grin.
"Such unrefined grace…" Dorothy twirled her parasol, giggling softly behind it.
Charlotte sighed deeply and looked away, pretending she didn't know him.
Nozel, on the other hand, looked like he'd swallowed a lemon.
"Absolutely disgraceful…"
The rest of the flying test proceeded smoothly—except for Asta, who still hadn't left the ground and was now kicking his broom in a rage.
"WORK!! FLY, YOU STUPID STICK!!!"
More snickers echoed around the field.
"Someone give that guy a ladder."
"Try flapping your arms next, maybe that'll help."
Saru did a mid-air spin above Asta, looking down. "You sure you're not cursed or something?"
Asta pointed up. "I'LL SHOW YOU, MONKEY BOY!! I'LL BEAT YOU IN THE NEXT TEST!!"
Saru beamed. "I like him. He's spicy."
—
Time passed as more tests were conducted…
Target aiming. Spell casting. Mana control. Speed and agility.
One by one, the participants were filtered through rigorous trials.
Saru passed every test with flying colors—literally. Whether it was blasting the bullseye off the target with a light flick of his fingers or dodging magically summoned projectiles while laughing, he moved like a boy who belonged in the sky.
But soon… he got bored.
Yawning midair, Saru began lying on his broom like a hammock, swinging his legs and letting out the occasional sigh.
"Can I eat something yet?"
Yami stared at him from afar and slowly raised one fist in silent warning.
"…Okay fine, I'll behave. For now."
But then—
"Next, the final test!" Vangeance declared. "In this round, you will engage in actual combat. You will pair up with someone and demonstrate your ability to fight. You are permitted to use your grimoires. I trust that by now, you've mastered at least one or two attack spells."
A low hum of tension crackled across the arena.
Vangeance's voice carried clearly.
"The primary duty of a Magic Knight is battle. Show us what you're capable of."
That was all Saru needed to hear.
His ears perked up, his body straightened, and that familiar, dangerous grin spread across his face like wildfire.
"Oh… now this is the fun part."
He dropped down from his broom and landed with a light bounce, already stretching his arms.
"I was getting tired of playing nice…"
Flashes of old sparring matches danced in his head—Luck charging at him like lightning on two legs, the beasts he wrestled at the Black Bulls' base, the time he annoyed Mereoleona so much she punched him into the side of a volcano. He remembered crawling out, half-conscious, telling her he was still standing.
She broke his legs for that one.
"I'll show that fire hag one day," Saru muttered with a smirk.
Participants began pairing up quickly, many with excitement—others with fear.
But Saru noticed something strange.
A lot of people were… looking at him.
A lot.
And not kindly.
He remembered the pranks. The fake poop spell in someone's boots. The howling fart charm during roll call. The banana peels in the noble barracks.
Now those same nobles were narrowing their eyes at him like they were looking at a pest.
Saru grinned.
"Looks like I've made some friends."
Suddenly, one of them stepped forward—a noble boy with spiky pink hair and a twisted smirk, puffed up like a peacock.
"Well, well. Why don't we be opponents, monkey?" he sneered, crossing his arms. "I'd love to teach a pest like you some manners."
Saru tilted his head.
The crowd quieted slightly, watching them.
The noble grinned wider, thinking he had already won.
Saru… just blinked slowly.
"Oh, sure," Saru said, smiling sweetly. "I'd love to."
But his eyes gleamed.
And the monkey was already thinking of twenty ways to humiliate this guy.