The roots that stretched before each examinee didn't stop changing. In just the span of a single breath, the tips of those roots solidified—transforming into broomsticks one after another.
Yuuki drew in a quiet breath, then raised his hand to take the broom in front of him.
From the stands above, William smiled faintly. Seeing that every examinee now held a broom, his calm, measured voice resonated through the arena.
"Then let us begin. The Magic Knights' entrance examination officially starts now."
The crowd below remained utterly silent.
Clearly, everyone was still stunned by what they had just witnessed.
Most were in awe of William's overwhelming power. But for Yuuki—and a few others—it wasn't just his strength that shocked them. It was the fact that he had so casually created so many flying broomsticks at once.
Since they were called flying broomsticks, that naturally meant they could be used to fly.
Yuuki looked down at the plain broom in his hand, which seemed no different from an ordinary one used for sweeping floors. Yet, a glint of excitement flickered deep in his eyes.
This was a treasure!
Just like in the world of Harry Potter, these brooms were essential magical tools for mages who lacked natural flight spells.
For most low-ranking mages, a flying broom was a luxury far beyond reach.
At least, Yuuki couldn't afford one himself.
And yet William had casually made hundreds of them in a matter of seconds. If Yuuki remembered correctly, there were originally 512 examinees—513 including himself.
In other words, William had just crafted 513 flying brooms in a few short breaths.
To say Yuuki wasn't tempted would be a lie.
If he had that kind of skill, he could get rich overnight!
Of course, he guessed the brooms were probably one-use creations. But that didn't change the fact that William could easily make genuine, permanent flying brooms if he wished.
After all, he wielded World Tree Magic.
But then again, a top-ranking noble like William wouldn't care about something as trivial as money.
Thinking of the spell he had just used—World Tree: Descent—Yuuki subtly shook his head. No matter how much he wanted to replicate it, he knew better than to try.
Even if he managed to copy it, using it would instantly drain every drop of his mana.
Speaking of mana…
Mages were actually divided by rank—but the systems differed from kingdom to kingdom.
In the Clover Kingdom, ranks were roughly measured by merit stars.
In the Spade Kingdom, they used the Eight Shining Generals system.
Meanwhile, the Heart Kingdom and Diamond Kingdom used a much clearer measure known as Mana Stages.
Under the Mana Stage system, strength was divided into ten tiers—with Stage 0 being the strongest and Stage 9 the weakest.
To even stand a chance against a devil, a mage needed at least Stage 1 power—that is, the level of a Magic Knight Squad Captain.
Yuuki glanced up toward the nine Captains seated above.
Judging by their auras, aside from William, most of them were likely around Stage 1.
William himself was probably at the peak of Stage 1, while the elf spirit inside him, Patry, possessed Stage 0 power.
Besides William, both Yami of the Black Bulls and Fuegoleon of the Crimson Lion Kings were also Stage 1 peak-level mages.
However, beyond Stage 0 existed two special tiers: the Underworld Stage and the Sacred Stage.
The Underworld Stage referred to mages whose magic could affect devils themselves.
The Sacred Stage, on the other hand, could only be reached by wielders of elf magic.
By Yuuki's estimation, his current strength was around Stage 7—perhaps bordering on Stage 6 if he pushed himself.
Ordinary Magic Knight members averaged around Stage 5.
But that didn't mean Yuuki couldn't defeat them.
If his Chain Magic: Magic Binding Iron Lock Formation managed to ensnare an opponent, the fight would be over before it began.
A mage's battle was ultimately one of mana and magic.
Whoever held the advantage there usually decided the outcome.
Of course, that depended on actually landing the spell.
If the enemy avoided the chains early, the difficulty would increase drastically.
That was why Yuuki was so eager to obtain Piercing Magic—combining it with Chain Magic would make his bindings undetectable, allowing him to secure victory before the opponent even realized it.
On the stands, William's calm voice once again drifted through the air.
"The examination will consist of several rounds. We nine Captains will observe and each choose candidates we find worthy. Those chosen will immediately qualify for squad membership. If more than one Captain selects you, you may decide which squad to join yourself. Those who are not chosen… will lose their chance to enter the Magic Knights."
A wave of tension rippled through the crowd.
"For now," William continued, his tone turning slightly firmer, "I want you all to ride the broomsticks before you. Any mage capable of controlling their mana properly will find this task quite easy. Flying is the most basic form of magical movement."
"If you can't even manage this… that would be rather disgraceful."
His smile returned—gentle but commanding.
"Now then, the first test begins!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the arena erupted into motion.
Many participants, clearly unfamiliar with broom flight, grew visibly anxious. Only a few from wealthy or noble families remained composed.
Within seconds, dozens of examinees began attempting takeoff.
Yuuki focused his mana, channeling it into the broom. It accepted his mana smoothly, with no resistance.
The broom immediately began to hover.
A knowing light flickered in Yuuki's eyes. "Not difficult at all," he murmured, stepping lightly onto it.
He continued channeling mana, feeling out its flow and control. After a few trials, he'd already figured it out:
—More mana meant higher altitude.
—Less mana lowered the broom.
—Concentrating mana toward the broom's tail controlled its speed.
In short, the test was one of mana control—a field Yuuki excelled at.
Even those with prior broom experience would gain little advantage here.
After all, the Captains' eyes were sharp enough to see through everything.
Hovering in midair, Yuuki looked around. Over half the examinees were now flying with varying degrees of control.
The rest were struggling—some wobbling just above the ground, some falling off outright, others clinging on upside-down in panic.
And of course, one person stood out above them all.
Asta—still firmly planted on the ground.
(End of Chapter)
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