The sudden turn of events plunged the entire arena into an eerie silence.
Yuuki stood stiffly in place, a thin layer of cold sweat forming on his forehead. Even though Captain Yami hadn't done anything yet, Yuuki felt as if an enormous boulder was pressing down on his back.
What's going on?!
He couldn't make sense of it at all. He was sure he hadn't said anything that could have offended the man.
"Captain!"
Finral, startled by his own captain's completely unexpected behavior, rushed over in a panic.
Yami ignored him, his calm gaze still fixed squarely on Yuuki's back.
Under that gaze, Yuuki didn't dare to move a muscle.
"Um… I'm really sorry about earlier," Asta said nervously, realizing something wasn't right. He assumed he had somehow angered the captain and hurried to apologize.
But Yami continued to ignore them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fireworks suddenly exploded overhead, painting the sky in bright colors.
"Hah~ So the exam's starting already?" Yami drawled, his expression relaxing into its usual lazy indifference. With a yawn, he turned and walked toward the stands surrounding the arena.
Finral let out a long breath of relief, smiling apologetically at Yuuki and Asta before following after his captain. The silent member beside him, Gordon, went along as well.
Once Yami was gone, Yuuki finally felt the crushing pressure lift from his body. He couldn't help but exhale sharply.
"Man… that was unexpected," he murmured under his breath.
"Yuuki, are you okay?"
Asta turned toward him, genuine concern on his face.
"I'm fine."
Yuuki smiled faintly and shook his head.
Yuno came over next, his tone slightly stern. "Asta, this isn't the village. You should be more careful with what you say and do here."
To Yuno, Yami's reaction had clearly been triggered by Asta.
Surprisingly, Asta didn't argue this time—he just nodded heavily.
"It's not Asta's fault."
Yuuki gave a reassuring smile and patted Asta on the shoulder.
He knew it had nothing to do with Asta. As for the real reason, even Yuuki couldn't figure it out.
All he could say for sure was that Captain Yami of the Black Bulls wasn't someone an ordinary person could understand.
"Did you see that just now?"
Yuuki lifted his wrist slightly as he looked at Yuno.
Yuno frowned at Yuuki's trembling hand and shook his head. "Too fast. I couldn't see a thing… so that's the power of a captain, huh?"
As the three spoke quietly, more and more eyes in the arena turned toward Yuuki.
Before, everyone's attention had been on Yuno—the boy who possessed the four-leaf grimoire.
But now, Yuuki had become the second contestant whose presence made the others feel genuine pressure.
When Yami had suddenly moved, most people hadn't even realized what happened.
And yet Yuuki had reacted fast enough to catch Asta midair—the very Asta Yami had thrown with tremendous force.
The deep gouge left in the ground said everything about the strength behind that throw.
Off to the side of the crowd, a man with short golden hair and a red cloak draped over his shoulders stroked his chin thoughtfully. He wore brown boots and carried himself with a refined air. His blue eyes watched Yuuki and the others intently.
"Heh… to think two talents like that came out of a filthy little border town," he murmured with a low chuckle.
Meanwhile, Yami, now seated in the viewing stands, yawned again, looking thoroughly disinterested.
"Captain, what was that all about earlier?"
Finral followed him, still looking puzzled. His captain could be eccentric, sure—but attacking an examinee was out of character even for him.
"That kid… actually looked at me like I was prey."
Yami paused for a moment, then continued walking, amusement thick in his voice.
"Prey? You're kidding, right, Captain?!"
Finral's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Prey… I wish someone would see me as prey," Gordon muttered hoarsely under his breath.
Above them, the fireworks continued to bloom across the sky—signaling that the Magic Knights Entrance Exam had officially begun.
The tense silence that followed didn't last long.
Footsteps echoed from the passageway at the top of the arena, growing louder with each step.
Everyone instinctively turned to look.
Nine figures appeared atop the high platform, walking unhurriedly toward the nine ornate chairs that awaited them—each one representing a squad captain.
"The nine Magic Knight captains are all here!"
"Incredible!"
"My mana's boiling over from excitement!"
"...!"
Excitement, awe, and admiration spread like wildfire through the crowd.
Every gaze was fixed firmly on the nine strongest individuals in the Clover Kingdom.
"Yuuki, Yuno—are those really the nine strongest people in the whole kingdom?"
Asta asked breathlessly, eyes shining with excitement as he swallowed hard.
Yuno nodded solemnly.
Yuuki opened his mouth to respond—but before he could, a voice spoke from nearby.
"Each of the Magic Knight captains possesses enough power to take on a hundred opponents single-handedly, you know."
They turned to see the golden-haired man in the red cloak approaching them with a friendly smile. He stopped beside Asta.
"And you are?" Asta asked, blinking in confusion.
"My name's Sekke—Sekke Bronzazza. Pleased to meet you," he said amiably.
"I'm Asta!" Asta replied immediately, grinning back.
Sekke smiled and then turned toward Yuuki and Yuno. "And greetings to you two as well."
What greeted him in return, however, was cold indifference.
Sekke, huh…
Yuuki's expression didn't change. He couldn't be bothered with someone like him.
He knew exactly who this man was—a minor character in the story.
A Bronze Magic user who acted polite on the surface but was arrogant and self-serving underneath. Though he lacked real ability, he somehow managed to avoid the worst battles through sheer luck, picking up scraps of credit from the sidelines.
"They're both like that," Asta said, trying to ease the awkwardness. "So, Sekke—do you know much about the captains?"
Yuno was always cold to everyone, and Yuuki wasn't much better. He could be friendly with people from the church, but toward strangers… he was often even colder than Yuno.
To Asta, Yuuki and Yuno ignoring Sekke was perfectly normal.
(End of Chapter)
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