A ragged black cloak, the emblem of a bull skull.
Charles immediately recognized the cigarette-smoking, muscular man—Yami Sukehiro, captain of the Black Bulls, known as the God of Destruction.
As Charles observed Yami, the surrounding spectators had already begun noisily explaining what the Black Bulls were like. Charles couldn't help but glance at them in confusion—who were they even explaining this to?
Still, it had to be said: there was a reason Yami was called the "true protagonist." The magic power radiating from him, honed through countless battles, was truly extraordinary.
The ridiculous scene between Asta and Yami continued, and Charles was happy to sit back and watch. After all, it wasn't a bad thing for Asta to leave a strong impression on his future captain.
Especially when Asta tried to break free from Yami's grip—Charles clearly saw Yami's expression shift. No doubt he had already realized the condition of Asta's body and the extent of his physical training.
Yami might've said he was going to kill Asta, but even as unruly as he was, he wouldn't actually do it at a place like this... probably.
Sure enough, just as Yami counted down the "seconds of Asta's life," magical fireworks exploded in the sky, signaling the official start of the Magic Knights Entrance Exam.
Yami let go of Asta's head and said, "Congrats, kid. You just won yourself a second chance at life. Better make good use of it."
With that, he turned and walked off with his two squad members.
No one paid attention to Asta anymore—because now, all eyes were on the nine captains of the Magic Knight squads, who had taken their seats on the high platform.
Sekke Bronzazza, with his bizarre verbal tics and smug air, took the opportunity to sidle up to Asta and began explaining who each captain was.
He wasn't doing this out of kindness. The exam wasn't based on a scoring system—it was essentially a live audition. Performance during the test determined everything.
At the end of all the trials, if any captain raised their hand to recruit a candidate, that person passed. If no one raised a hand, the candidate failed.
Sekke's true motive was to use Asta—who looked like a guaranteed failure—as a backdrop to make himself stand out more.
That said, the nine captains really were a colorful bunch. As Sekke introduced them one by one, Asta's nonstop commentary echoed loudly beside him.
Naturally, Asta and Yuno were most focused on the man seated at the center, wearing an ornate mask—William Vangeance, captain of the Golden Dawn and the man considered most likely to become the next Wizard King.
Vangeance stepped forward and addressed the gathered candidates.
"Thank you all for waiting. I will be presiding over this year's exam."
As he spoke, he opened his grimoire and summoned a green glow of magic.
"World Tree Magic: Tree of Arrival."
Charles looked up and saw countless branches extending from the air above. As the branches lengthened, the tips transformed into magical broomsticks.
Magical broomsticks were the most basic type of magical tool, usually used as flying transportation by mages.
Even so, they were still magical devices. The fact that Vangeance created hundreds of them with a single spell was a clear testament to his magical prowess.
Even more impressive was how each broomstick was delivered directly and precisely into every examinee's hands—his control over magic was astonishing.
"So that's the man closest to becoming the Wizard King, huh…"
Asta and Yuno stared at Vangeance, determination blazing in their eyes. Until now, the title of "Wizard King" had been a vague dream, but seeing Vangeance's power finally gave them a concrete target to chase.
Charles also accepted his broomstick and looked up at Vangeance. Even after casting such a large-scale spell, Vangeance's mana hadn't weakened at all—what a terrifying man.
He couldn't help but wonder: was this strength partly due to the reincarnated elven soul within Vangeance? After all, that elf had also been chosen by a four-leaf clover.
Among the nine captains, Charles could clearly sense that Vangeance's mana was the strongest. The rest were roughly on par with each other—only he stood a step above.
As for the broomsticks—they were the first test of the exam.
Using them required not only a decent amount of magic but also fine control. A candidate's ability to fly properly reflected their fundamental magical competence.
Charles had never used a magical broomstick before, but when it came to raw magic and control, he had no doubts. Confidently, he mounted the broom and—
"This was a huge miscalculation."
Though Charles managed to get airborne, he looked like a lifeless salted fish, flopped over the broom.
"Urgh! This thing… is considered transportation?!"
Everyone knew one thing about Dragon Slayer mages: their greatest weakness wasn't fighting—it was transportation.
"Damn it! Didn't my World Magic negate all the side effects? Why am I still—URGH!"
Charles was completely disoriented. He hadn't expected the Dragon Slayer weakness to motion sickness to be so powerful that even World Magic couldn't suppress it. This was basically a curse!
"Hahahaha! What's with that kid? He's hilarious!"
Yami nearly burst into tears from laughing, slapping his thigh as he guffawed at Charles's miserable state.
Fuegoleon Vermillion, captain of the Crimson Lion Kings, said in his booming voice, "So he's the other four-leaf youth? His mana is impressive, and his control as well. But… is he ill?"
Charles, at least, managed to stay airborne. Asta, on the other hand, sat on his broom looking like he was trying to pass a kidney stone. No matter how much he shouted, the broom didn't budge an inch.
Eventually, Charles landed with a deeply relieved expression. He tossed the broom aside with contempt and swore never to ride anything like it again. That had been utterly miserable.
The next parts of the exam were no trouble for Charles. Whether it was mana emission, mana shaping, or mana reinforcement, he completed each trial with ease.
After all, these tests were designed to assess various aspects of magical strength. The captains could easily tell who had natural talent and who had trained diligently.
Only Asta went through the entire exam shouting loudly… but never used any magic.
Soon, the final part of the test arrived.
Vangeance announced, "And now, we proceed to the final phase: the combat test."
Fuegoleon, brimming with passion, immediately stood and declared, "It's a battle! Pair off and fight! Use your grimoires to attack! Battle is our profession—show us your strength!"
Vangeance continued, "If one side concedes or is unable to continue, the match ends. Healing mages are on standby. So fight without holding back."
The crowd immediately erupted in discussion. Everyone knew this was the most important part of the exam—it was their last chance to impress.
The Magic Knights were a military force. Combat ability was paramount. No matter how well someone performed earlier, if they couldn't fight, they were out.
That meant finding the right opponent was key. Many examinees had already begun scanning the crowd for a suitable match.
Just then, a hand shot up into the air, drawing everyone's attention.
The crowd parted—and standing there was Charles.