Among the nine Magic Knight squads, only the Green Mantis and Black Bulls could truly be called commoner squads. The rest were practically monopolized by nobles.
And most of the time—
How much say did those two squads really have in the selection process anyway?
The numbers were called one after another until it was Yuno's turn.
Just as in the anime, all nine captains raised their hands for him. In the end, Yuno chose to join the strongest squad of them all—the Golden Dawn.
Next came Asta.
At first, none of the captains lifted their hands. But when Asta shouted with all his heart that he would become the Wizard King, Black Bulls captain Yami showed interest and recruited him on the spot.
Asta, with his wild energy and unconventional style, fit perfectly among the misfits of the Black Bulls.
"Number 166!"
The voice of the judge rang out again.
Yuuki drew a deep breath and stepped forward.
Judging by his earlier performance, he felt fairly confident—joining a Magic Knight squad shouldn't be a problem. Based on what he knew of the captains, at least four of them were likely interested in him.
The Black Bulls!
The Green Mantis!
The Purple Orca!
The Aqua Deer!
As for the remaining squads—even if their captains were impressed, they wouldn't pick him.
For instance, the Blue Rose only accepted women; the Silver Eagles had long since turned into a family-run squad; and the others each had their own restrictions.
Only someone like Yuno, a bearer of a four-leaf clover grimoire, could break those invisible rules.
As Yuuki walked forward, he mentally reviewed everything he knew about those four squads.
If he had to choose, he most wanted to join the Black Bulls.
Not just because some of their members possessed magic he greatly admired—but because he was already deeply familiar with that squad.
Still, wanting it didn't mean it would happen.
The Black Bulls had already taken two recruits this year.
One, of course, was Asta.
The other was Noelle, sister to the Silver Eagles captain Nozel—and one of the heroines.
Due to her poor control over her immense mana, Noelle was ostracized by her family and denied entry into the Silver Eagles. Instead, she was assigned to the Black Bulls.
On the surface, it looked like her family had given up on her.
In truth, Nozel had arranged it to protect her.
A captain's sister—and a royal at that.
Even Yami couldn't refuse her. Noelle didn't even need to take the entrance exam to be accepted.
It was clearly unfair to the other examinees present—but none dared complain. After all, she was royalty.
So in reality, the Black Bulls had already filled both their slots for the year.
Each Magic Knight squad in the Clover Kingdom had a fixed size, but few ever reached their limit. Each exam usually brought in only a handful of new members.
And with two recruits already chosen, the chance of Yami taking a third was very slim.
As Yuuki approached the stage, the captains watched him with mixed expressions—most of them intrigued.
Yuuki's versatile use of magic during his matches had stood out even among the many applicants.
As he expected, the captains who showed visible interest were Jack the Ripper of the Green Mantis, Gueldre of the Purple Orca, Rill of the Aqua Deer, and Yami of the Black Bulls.
Any mage capable of using diverse magic was a rare talent—difficult for enemies to predict and invaluable in battle for both offense and support.
Yami leaned back in his chair, his intrigued expression tinged with regret.
If not for the troublesome addition of that royal girl Noelle, he truly would have wanted to recruit Yuuki into his squad.
With their keen eyes, the captains could all see the nature of Yuuki's magic—an ability to replicate others' spells.
Given enough time, he could easily grow into a formidable mage.
"How interesting… what a fascinating magic."
A calm voice suddenly broke the silence, drawing every captain's gaze.
It was William Vangeance, captain of the Golden Dawn.
That was surprising—
William rarely spoke. Even when recruiting Yuno, the four-leaf grimoire bearer, he had only raised his hand without a word.
So when William spoke up now, the others assumed he was interested in Yuuki—something almost unheard of.
But his next words gave them pause.
"I recall this candidate did quite well in all tests… except the mana measurement, wasn't it?"
William's tone was light, almost conversational.
Yet that single remark made several captains frown thoughtfully.
The mana measurement was meant to gauge an examinee's magical attribute and output.
They remembered that Yuuki's result had been poor—his own mana had shown no external impact or destructive power whatsoever.
"I see."
Fuegoleon, captain of the Crimson Lion Kings, stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"So he can only fight by copying others' spells. His own strength is limited, then."
"The ceiling for that kind of magic might be lower than it looks."
Some of the captains nodded in quiet agreement.
Gueldre of the Purple Orca and Jack of the Green Mantis both lost much of their earlier interest.
"Even so," Rill, captain of the Aqua Deer, said with bright curiosity, "isn't that kind of magic still really—"
"Hmph."
A cold snort cut him off.
"Commoners are commoners," said Nozel Silva, captain of the Silver Eagles, lifting his chin with an air of disdain.
"Nothing but parasites."
"Every spell a mage creates is the result of personal effort and intellect. For another to wield those spells freely—it's an insult to all who've poured their lives into studying magic."
"Noble magic is not something a lowborn should ever touch."
His tone grew colder as he finished speaking.
Rill opened his mouth to respond but fell silent. As the youngest of the nine captains, his voice carried little weight among them.
Yami frowned slightly at Nozel's words—not out of surprise, but irritation.
He knew these nobles and royals far too well. Their arrogance didn't bother him anymore.
What did catch his attention, though, was William.
Something about that man's tone felt… off.
But when Yami thought about it, William hadn't really said anything wrong, had he?
At that moment—
Yuuki stepped up to the platform below the captains' seats.
"All captains who wish to recruit this candidate, please raise your hand!" the examiner announced loudly.
Yuuki took a deep breath, steadying his racing heart, and looked up at the nine captains.
Seconds passed in silence.
None raised a hand.
"Candidate No. 166—no squad selection!" the examiner declared.
(To be continued)
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