The Clover Kingdom was filled with excitement for welcoming the new mages that would serve the Clover kingdom there were a lots of stalls placed it was akin to a festival when suddenly
A golden shadow spread across the clouds, long and wide, like a second sun had appeared—but instead of light, it cast a deep, eerie shade.
In the capital, people stopped mid-step. Merchants dropped coins, women dropped baskets of fruit, and children playing in the streets looked up and gasped.
"W-What is that?!"
"Is something falling?!"
"Is it a dragon?! A spell?! Is the kingdom under attack?!"
The golden shape in the sky grew bigger, stretching over rooftops and towers. Panic quickly followed.
Guards on the castle walls raised alarm horns. Mages in patrol robes started forming protective barriers. Noble ladies screamed from their balconies, and in the lower districts, peasants ran for cover, pulling children indoors.
Inside a bakery, an old woman stared through her shop window, eyes wide. "I've seen magic for seventy years," she whispered, "but never anything like that…"
In a tall tower of the castle, Wizard King Julius Novachrono stood by a wide open window, tea in hand, eyes sparkling with pure joy.
"Oooooh! New magic!!" he practically squealed, spilling half his tea without noticing.
Behind him, several Magic Knight officials were scrambling, shouting reports.
"Something's appearing in the sky!"
"It's massive! Bigger than the arena itself!"
"Do we send backup?!"
But Julius raised a hand, still staring out at the golden shimmer in the sky, childlike wonder painted across his face.
"No... no, not yet," he said, grinning. "Let it play out. That's a new grimoire ability... and I've never seen anything like it."
He clapped once, beaming like a kid seeing fireworks. "Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent!"
An advisor behind him muttered nervously, "You call that magnificent? That thing could crush a mountain…"
Julius didn't respond. His eyes were shining.
Back at the arena, the tension had finally begun to ease. Whispers ran through the crowd like a slow ripple across water, a hushed tide of awe and uncertainty following the chaos Saru had just unleashed. Some examinees still glanced up at the sky now and then, as if expecting that massive golden pillar to descend again. But it was gone—vanished like a waking dream—and all that remained was the monkey boy who summoned it.
Some commoners stared at Saru in open wonder, their expressions half in fear, half in admiration. He had shown them something beyond their understanding—a magic unlike any they'd seen. A force of nature in human form, wild and untamed.
The nobles, however, wore very different faces. Most of them glared with cold disdain, though behind their furrowed brows and tightened jaws lay something else… unease. They couldn't explain what he was, but they knew what he wasn't—he wasn't one of them. And that unsettled them more than any display of power.
Saru, for his part, had retreated to a quiet corner, sprawled out in the shade of the stands. One arm dangled off the edge of a wooden crate, his head tilted back, mouth slightly open, eyes shut. Bored again.
He only stirred once during the rest of the matches—when a loud, sharp voice cut through the air.
"OUTTA MY WAY!" Asta's roar echoed like thunder.
Saru opened one eye and watched with mild interest as the tiny, muscle-packed kid smashed through a noble's magic shield with raw force and guts. The crowd gasped. Asta stood over his unconscious opponent, panting hard, eyes burning. Then he raised a trembling fist to the sky.
"I WILL BECOME THE WIZARD KING!!"
Saru blinked. Then, with a wide grin, he sat up and began clapping—loudly. "Yeahhh! Shout louder, Shorty! That was awesome!"
The crowd turned and stared. Asta looked over, confused, then grinned back and gave Saru a thumb's up.
When the last battle finished, Captain Vangeance stepped forward again.
"And that… marks the end of the examination," he said, his voice calm and clear. "Now, each examinee will step forward when their number is called. Any captain wishing to recruit them will raise their hand. The choice to accept a squad's offer is yours."
The crowd murmured with excitement as the numbers began.
One by one, candidates stepped into the spotlight. Some earned no hands at all. Others got one or two, a few lucky ones got three. The tension rose with each call.
Then it came.
"Number 117."
Silence.
The announcer cleared his throat. "Number 117, are you present?"
Still nothing.
"Num—"
A furious yell shattered the moment.
"HEY!! YOU STUPID MONKEY!! WAKE THE HELL UP!!"
Saru jerked awake with a loud snort, arms flailing. "Wha—?! Is it snack time already?!"
"You're up, idiot!" Yami growled from the captains' platform, veins bulging on his temple.
"Ohhh, right! My turn!" Saru hopped to his feet and casually strolled to the center of the arena, stretching and yawning like he'd just woken from a nap, not a near world-ending event.
The moment he stepped forward, hands shot up—seven of them, all at once.
Gasps spread through the crowd like wildfire.
Even Captain Rill, who'd been lazily doodling in the air with his paintbrush, straightened and raised his hand excitedly. Dorothy snored through her decision, but her assistant raised her hand for her with a polite cough. Jack's smile twisted wider as he raised his, and Fuegoleon nodded with calm confidence.
Even Kaiser silently raised his hand.
Charlotte, unsurprisingly, raised hers too—but with a more reserved elegance.
Everyone… except Nozel.
The captain of the Silver Eagles crossed his arms and turned his head with an expression of absolute disgust. "Tch. Undignified."
Yami's brow twitched. "Oi…"
The other captains began speaking at once, voices overlapping, almost desperate.
"I like your spirit, kid! You'd make a great canvas!" Rill beamed.
"We have snacks in the Coral Peacock… lots of them," said Dorothy's assistant.
"You'd thrive in a noble squad like mine," Fuegoleon added with a firm nod. "We value strength and discipline."
"Join me, monkey brat. I'll cut you into shape," Jack cackled.
Charlotte remained quiet, giving only a small, graceful smile in Saru's direction. She didn't try to outbid the others—she knew she didn't need to.
Saru scratched his head with a grin, clearly enjoying the attention.
Yami, however, was seething. A small storm cloud formed above his head. "What the hell's wrong with you people?! He's mine! He already lives with us!"
"He hasn't chosen yet," Fuegoleon said coolly.
"He's a monkey, not a pet!" Jack added, laughing.
Saru put a hand to his chin in mock thought, pacing dramatically. "Hmmm… so many great offers… so many snacks… but…"
He turned to Charlotte and pointed dramatically. "I choose Big Sis!"
The entire arena went silent.
Charlotte blinked. "Huh?"
"BIG SIS CHARLOTTE!! I PICK YOUUUU!!" Saru shouted like he was proposing marriage.
He ran across the arena like a happy child—
—and was clotheslined mid-run by a flying kick from Yami.
WHAM!
Saru hit the ground face-first.
"OWWW! WHY?!"
Yami loomed over him, cracking his knuckles. "You little traitor…"
"But you said I could choooose!" Saru whined from the ground.
"I LIED."
The captains sweat-dropped. Charlotte looked away, a faint blush on her face.
As Saru whimpered and curled into a ball, Yami grabbed him by the back of his shirt and started dragging him off like a sack of rice.
"Let goooo! I want snacks from her squad!" Saru kicked helplessly.
"Too bad. You're comin' with me."
"But she gives me candyyy!"
"I'LL GIVE YOU A KNUCKLE SANDWICH INSTEAD."
The entire crowd burst into laughter—even the nobles couldn't help it. The fear they'd once felt for Saru now melted into something else: awe, yes, but also confusion, respect, and maybe even amusement. A monster with a child's spirit. A storm wrapped in laughter.
Yami stopped halfway up the stairs, still holding the whining Saru by the collar.
"…Stupid monkey," he muttered, though his mouth twitched upward in a half-smile.
"Yami," Saru grinned weakly, "I still get snacks though, right?"
"...Tch. We'll see."
As the final selections neared, the atmosphere inside the arena turned sharp with tension again. The crowd leaned forward, hushed and waiting. Everyone knew who was left.
Yuno.
The announcer cleared his throat and called the next number.
"Number 164."
Yuno stepped forward, his expression calm, eyes steady as ever. He stood in the center of the arena, sunlight gleaming against his golden grimoire that floated by his side like a divine emblem.
There was a moment of stillness.
Then—
Fwoosh.
Every single captain raised their hand.
The crowd gasped.
Even Nozel—cold, proud Nozel—had his hand up without hesitation. Fuegoleon's sharp eyes didn't waver. Charlotte raised hers with her usual grace. Jack's smirk widened, and even Dorothy's aide gave a polite nod on her behalf.
Rill nearly fell off his chair in excitement. "I want to paint him!"
Yuno didn't flinch. He only bowed politely, then lifted his gaze.
"I choose the Golden Dawn," he said.
The wind itself seemed to still.
Vangeance, arms crossed, nodded approvingly. "Welcome to the squad."
Saru let out a low whistle from the side, still rubbing the bruise on his forehead from Yami's earlier "affection." "Dang, Golden Boy got everyone. That's kinda unfair. I bet he even smells nice."
Asta clenched his fists behind Yuno, breathing hard, eyes burning.
Then—
"Number 165."
Asta marched forward, practically stomping into the center. His voice was louder than necessary.
"My name is Asta! I don't have any magic, but I'm gonna be the Wizard King!"
The crowd whispered in confusion.
"No magic?"
"Is he serious?"
"Didn't he just beat that noble earlier with raw strength?"
Asta stood tall, sweat running down his brow.
Then the captains… remained still.
No hands were raised.
Not one.
The crowd began murmuring louder.
Saru's grin dropped. His expression sobered instantly.
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Oi… seriously?"
Asta's breathing grew ragged. He gritted his teeth, trembling. But he didn't lower his head.
The silence was shattered—
By a familiar, gruff voice.
"I'll take him."
Yami stood, arms crossed, casting his shadow over everyone.
"Black Bulls."
Asta's eyes widened. "Huh…?"
Yami leapt from the captain's balcony, landing in front of him with a crash. The crowd flinched.
"You've got no magic, kid," Yami said, towering over him. "But you've got guts. And more importantly…" He leaned down. "I saw that look in your eyes. You got that same fire as the rest of us misfits."
A pause.
"You're in."
Asta blinked. Then a massive, tearful grin spread across his face.
"THANK YOU, CAPTAIN!! I WON'T LET YOU DOWN!"
The arena erupted into noise—some cheering, some shocked, some still murmuring about "no magic," but none could deny the raw power of the moment.
Yuno watched silently from the Golden Dawn's side, a quiet smile on his lips.
Saru stood up, arms stretched to the sky. "YEAAAHHH, LOUD SHORTY!! GET THAT CAPTAIN!!" he yelled, spinning in a circle before tripping over a bench.
He scrambled back up and cupped his hands to his mouth. "Yami's got enough crazies—he'll treat you right! Just don't touch my snacks!"
Asta looked over and gave him a huge thumbs up. "I won't! But I'll borrow one if I'm starving!"
"YOU'LL WHAT?!"
Yami smacked Saru on the back of the head. "Pipe down. That's your teammate now."
Saru rubbed his head. "Tch… fine. But if he snores like a demon, I'm locking him outside."
Asta laughed as he jogged to the Black Bulls' side, heart swelling with pride.
And just like that, the exam was over.