The remainder of their journey passed without major incident.
While they encountered a few small bandit groups along the way, nothing matched the size of the Fierce Dragon Bandits.
Eventually, the massive stone walls of the capital rose up before them on the horizon.
“So this is the Royal Capital…
Man, it’s big,” Asta said out loud.
In his head, he couldn’t help but add, It’s even bigger than Konoha.
Yuno, standing beside him, gave him a strange, bewildered look.
Asta caught that look immediately and turned to him.
“What?”
Yuno just sighed and shook his head slightly.
“…You know, forget it.”
“Hey!
Yuno!” Asta called out again as Yuno started walking ahead, but Yuno just kept walking without hearing.
Asta rolled his eyes and followed him into the bustling streets of the capital.
After asking around about the location and schedule for the Magic Knights Entrance Exam, they checked into a comfortable inn.
Thanks to the loot collected from the bandits along their route, money was no object.
Three days later, fireworks erupted over the capital sky, accompanied by deafening cheers from the grand arena ahead.
The Magic Knights Entrance Exam had officially begun!
“Asta, hurry up!
We’re going to be late!” Yuno urged impatiently, looking back at the table in the inn.
“Mmmph—wha—I’m coming, I’m coming!” Asta mumbled, his cheeks puffed out like a squirrel’s as he frantically stuffed the remaining bread, meat, and pastries from the table into his mouth.
He didn’t even bother swallowing before grabbing two more rolls and sprinting after Yuno toward the exam plaza, still chewing and swallowing on the go.
By the time they cleared the registration desk and presented their grimoires, the gatekeepers practically shoved them through the giant stone archway—they were literally the last two examinees to enter!
As they stepped into the vast open-air arena, hundreds of eyes immediately turned toward them.
High above the courtyard sat nine grand thrones awaiting the Magic Knight Captains.
The late arrival made them instant targets for the waiting crowd, which had already divided into aristocratic nobles and anxious commoners.
Before Asta could even finish swallowing his last bite, a massive flock of blue-feathered anti-birds swarmed into the sand.
Instantly drawn to the person with zero magic power, the entire flock descended upon Asta like a dark cloud, perching on his shoulders, head, and arms until he was barely visible beneath a mountain of feathers.
The crowd erupted into loud laughter.
“Pfft!
Look at that last guy!
Is he a joke?” a noble youth snickered, pointing at Asta.
“He’s completely covered in anti-birds!
He must have literally zero magic power!” another sneered.
“To arrive last and be swarmed like that…
what a complete country bumpkin!”
“How embarrassing!
Doesn’t he know anti-birds only cling to the weakest mages?”
Around them, other examinees hastily swatted away the few birds near them, desperate to avoid looking weak in front of the Captains.
Asta’s face darkened, his eyes glaring through the pile of birds on his head.
“If you birds don’t get off me right now…
I’ll turn every single one of you into dinner!”
CHIRP!
Sensing the sheer, terrifying physical pressure radiating from him, the anti-birds scattered in complete panic.
Within seconds, a ten-meter radius around Asta was completely clear—and the surrounding examinees quickly backed away, startled by his intense aura.
While the audience was still chuckling at Asta’s expense, their gazes shifted over to Yuno, who was standing right next to him.
Not a single anti-bird was anywhere near Yuno.
In fact, his immense, overflowing magic power naturally repelled them completely.
“Wait…
look at that black-haired guy who came in with him!”
“Not a single bird is going near him…
His magic power is insane!”
“Look at his grimoire…
Is that a Four-Leaf Clover?!”
“Incredible!
He has the same grimoire as the First Wizard King!”
In an instant, all the mocking laughter vanished, replaced by breathless admiration, envy, and awe focused entirely on Yuno.
The crowd completely ignored Asta, treating him as nothing more than a background clown compared to the prodigy standing beside him.
Asta rolled his eyes, put away his imposing aura, crossed his arms, and arrogantly raised his chin.
On the pathway above, Yami’s eyes widened slightly as a subtle panic flashed across his face.
He quickly looked over, his mind racing.
Who released that beast-like aura?!
Was it that woman…?
Wait…
huh?
It’s just a kid!
Is he from the same breed as her?!
The cigarette dangling from Yami’s mouth burned down to the ash.
He had originally planned to skip this boring exam entirely—since coming was usually no different from not coming at all.
But now, he had just spotted a remarkably interesting kid!
Glancing at Asta one last time, Yami turned and continued walking up the balcony toward the second floor of the examination arena, where the leaders of the nine Magic Knight Squads were taking their seats.
“They really are a colorful bunch…
every single one of them dressed like they’re at a costume party,” Asta muttered, making observations as he looked up at the balcony.
Although, he couldn’t blame them—unlike a shinobi whose job is to remain discreet, a Magic Knight’s job is to make a grand show of themselves so the public knows everything is under control.
There was the Silver Eagles Captain with hair styled like an eagle’s head; the Crimson Lions Captain who actually looked relatively normal; the Green Mantis Captain who looked like an overgrown praying mantis; and the Blue Rose Captain wearing a fierce iron mask—although she was surprisingly pretty.
Then came the Purple Orcas Captain wearing a heavy purple cloak like a knockoff superhero; followed by the Coral Peacocks Captain, who was literally fast asleep while standing up.
Hmm…
I wonder if she sleeps through everything else too?
Asta found her strangely amusing and almost wanted to jump up there and test it out.
Next was a young prodigy, the Captain of the Aqua Deer—a squad Asta would never join, simply because taking orders from a kid would be too embarrassing.
Beside him was a man dressed in elaborate, colorful robes like a prized exotic bird.
Regardless of his strength, his appearance was far more flamboyant than a peacock in mating season.
That was William Vangeance, Captain of the Golden Dawn—currently recognized as the strongest squad in the kingdom.
Finally, there was the rugged, intimidating man in the white tank top—Yami Sukehiro, Captain of the Black Bulls, a famous squad across the kingdom for being an unpredictable group of misfits.
Suddenly, a blond youth in a burgundy suit arrogantly strolled up to him.
Having been far away earlier, he had completely missed the moment Asta scared away the anti-birds with sheer physical pressure.
All he saw now was a country kid standing calmly in place.
“Bahaha!
These Captains are each capable of taking down a hundred men on their own!
How about it?
Pretty overwhelming, right?” The youth grinned, stepping closer.
“The name’s Sekke!
On a big occasion like this, the most important thing is to relax, bah-ha!”
Sekke’s eyes gleamed with smug confidence.
He knew that standing next to someone weak was the easiest way to make himself look good.
Intelligence, not just strength, was the key to standing out!
So from the moment he entered, he had looked for the weakest examinee based on the anti-bird swarms.
When he saw Asta, his eyes lit up—what kind of pathetic magic power could draw so many birds?
He was the perfect stepping stool!
“How did you tell I was nervous?” Asta raised an eyebrow, his tone completely flat.
“Uh…
well…” Sekke choked on his own words, momentarily rendered speechless by Asta’s unbothered reaction.
Meanwhile, the surrounding examinees who had witnessed Asta’s terrifying physical pressure earlier began whispering among themselves, looking at Sekke with pity and amusement.
“Look at that idiot trying to mess with him…”
“He has no idea what he’s getting into.”
Sensing the strange shift in atmosphere, Sekke glanced nervously at his own clothes.
What’s wrong?
Why is everyone looking at me like I’m a complete moron?
“Examine!”
A clear, powerful voice echoed over the sand, cutting through the chatter.
William Vangeance stepped forward on the balcony, taking charge of the proceedings.
“I will be conducting this examination!
You will undergo several tests reviewed by the nine Captains.
If you demonstrate sufficient talent, you will be recruited into a Magic Knight Squad.
If multiple Captains select you, you will have the choice of which squad to join.
If no Captain raises their hand…
you will fail!”
Asta’s eyes gleamed as he surveyed the balcony above.
Fighting even a single Captain…
my blood is boiling!
However…
joining the Magic Knights isn’t going to be simple.
Asta frowned slightly.
Even though he had obtained his five-leaf grimoire, he still possessed zero magic power.
If a test relied strictly on casting spells, he would need to find a workaround.
Before he could think further, William opened his grimoire.
A dazzling green light burst forth from the pages, and the sky abruptly darkened as heavy clouds gathered over the stadium.
“World Tree Magic: Descent of the World Tree!”
From the heart of the storm clouds, a massive, sky-blotting tree descended into the sand, sending a powerful gust of wind sweeping across the courtyard.
The examinees gasped and shouted in shock—such large-scale magic that altered the weather itself was staggering to beginners!
“Impressive magic,” Asta noted, his clothes fluttering in the gale while he stood firm as a pine tree.
Even seeing magic on this scale, he remained completely unbothered.
Drawing upon his internal chakra network to sharpen his senses, he could clearly perceive the intricate flow, density, and circulation of mana weaving through the spell—treating it almost like an opposing chakra signature waiting to be dissected.
Mages in this world relied entirely on their spells while neglecting physical conditioning.
Without barrier magic, their bodies were as fragile as ordinary humans—leaving them completely vulnerable to close-range physical combat.
Since no high-level taijutsu existed in this world yet, no mage had ever prepared to fight a pure physical powerhouse!
With his body conditioned through relentless martial arts and the advanced physical stress of constantly opening his inner chakra gates just to keep pace, coupled with the deep tactical perception and battle-hardened instincts forged in his past life as a shinobi, Asta carried himself with the quiet, effortless confidence of an elite veteran like Kakashi—poised, highly analytical, and deceptively dangerous.
He was confident that between his rigorous training, his mastery over the early gates, and the Anti-Magic properties of the Demon-Slayer Sword, he could hold his own against anyone in this arena!