"Oh! He's the one from the rumors."
"Look at that grimoire!"
"A four-leaf clover… It's really the legendary four-leaf grimoire."
Countless gazes instantly converged, filled with shock, envy, and undisguised jealousy. Those eyes were involuntarily drawn to Yuno and his grimoire.
The previously impatient staff member, upon seeing the four-leaf clover emblem on the grimoire, immediately did a complete 180-degree turn in his attitude.
His voice instantly became respectful, even carrying a hint of fawning.
"You are Number 164."
With that, he respectfully handed the grimoire back to Yuno with both hands. His demeanor was completely different from how he treated the previous person.
After all, it was a four-leaf grimoire. Anyone not too foolish would understand what that grimoire represented.
Yuno calmly accepted the grimoire, oblivious to the various gazes directed at him.
"Next!"
The staff member cleared his throat, trying to regain his original formal demeanor.
Ryoma stepped forward slowly, handing over his grimoire. It was entirely silver-white, with no three-leaf clover on the cover, only circles of intricate and mysterious silver patterns.
Having just witnessed the impact of the four-leaf clover, the staff member now looked at this unique grimoire. While he felt surprised, there was more scrutiny and confusion.
He flipped through it several times, confirming the name on the recommendation list.
"Ryoma… you are Number 165."
He handed the grimoire back, his gaze lingering on the cover's patterns for an extra second.
Clearly, this grimoire without a three-leaf clover symbol was beyond his comprehension, but since he was recommended to take the exam, it should be fine.
The surrounding chatter quieted significantly, but the gazes directed at Ryoma were still full of inquiry.
The grimoire's cover was very distinctive, and being seen with the genius who possessed a four-leaf grimoire was enough to attract attention.
After all, the legend of the four-leaf clover was deeply ingrained in the Clover Kingdom.
Ryoma paid no mind to this, even feeling a bit fortunate. This was precisely the effect he wanted—a bit special, but not enough to cause deeper scrutiny.
"It's my turn! It's my turn!"
Asta excitedly rushed forward, roaring with his characteristic loud voice.
"I'm also from Hage! My name is Asta!"
The staff member gave him a dismissive glance, taking the tattered, charcoal-black five-leaf grimoire from his hand.
"Tsk, what a piece of junk." He muttered impatiently, quickly completing the registration.
"Number 166! Alright, don't block the way, next!"
Ryoma looked back, just in time to see a self-absorbed young man with a strange hairstyle looking at Asta's receding figure with what he thought was a cool pose, a smile present on his lips.
Ryoma chuckled inwardly. What was meant to come, indeed came.
Sekke guy, it seems, is destined to be the first experience package on Asta's path to fame.
Sekke intended to treat others as pushovers, but ended up becoming the clown himself.
The three of them followed the crowd, entering the interior of the massive arena.
The sight before them suddenly opened up—a huge circular field surrounded by towering stands, large enough to accommodate many spectators.
At this moment, the mages participating in the entrance exam gathered in twos and threes in the center of the field.
Just as everyone was nervously sizing up their competitors, a sudden flapping of wings sounded. Immediately after, a large flock of small birds with blue-black wings and a touch of red on their cheeks swooped down from above the arena.
"Get lost! What is this?!"
"It's anti-birds! Damn it! Don't come over!"
The crowd immediately stirred, but these small birds were not afraid of people at all, flying towards the examinees, circling and pecking at them.
Many wanted to use magic to drive them away, but, mindful that this was an examination, they dared not act rashly, only waving their arms clumsily with little effect.
At this moment, the scene in the arena was largely set.
Most examinees had three to five, or even seven or eight anti-birds circling them, making them appear flustered.
However, there were three places that were absolutely special areas.
The most striking of these was undoubtedly Asta. He was almost completely submerged by a swarm of anti-birds, with only parts of his face barely visible.
Instantly, all eyes in the entire square focused on him.
"Pfft!"
"Hahahaha! Look at that guy!"
"He's being swarmed by anti-birds. How dare he come to participate in the selection?"
"Even if he's from the most remote village, he's too pathetic."
Laughter, like a tidal wave, surged from all directions.
"Argh! Go away! You stupid birds!"
Asta waved his arms in exasperation, trying to drive away these annoying creatures. But his efforts only attracted more violent pecking and louder guffaws.
Watching this scene, Ryoma and Yuno, by unspoken agreement, moved several steps to the side, distancing themselves from Asta.
And the places where they stood were the other two special areas.
Centered around them, within a two-meter radius, it was completely empty, with not a single anti-bird approaching.
This absolute safe zone formed an incredibly stark contrast with the examinees next to them who were being harassed by the bird swarm, and Asta, who was completely submerged by it.
"Look over there! Those two people!"
"Not a single bird! That's… the one with the four-leaf grimoire from earlier."
"The one next to him with the silver-white grimoire too. Their mana…"
Everyone's gaze once again focused on Yuno and Ryoma.
This time, in addition to the previous shock, many now had a hint of apprehension, and many noble scions showed jealousy.
Ryoma remained oblivious to all of this. These small, fluttering birds, called anti-birds, possess the ability to sense mana levels. The lower the mana, the more likely one is to be entangled by them.
Ryoma watched Asta, who was being chased all over the arena by the bird swarm, and thought to himself, 'Are these anti-birds specially trained? Otherwise, according to their characteristics, Asta, who has no mana, should have all the anti-birds in the arena flocking to him alone.'
His gaze swept over the chaotic bird swarm above Asta's head, quickly locking onto a distinct bird.
'That should be… Secre Swallowtail.'
That bird was not pecking madly like its counterparts, but rather quietly perched on Asta's head. Moreover, its appearance also differed slightly from the other anti-birds.
This seemingly ordinary anti-bird was, in reality, a girl who served the first Wizard King five hundred years ago, transformed into this form by using forbidden magic.
She had long guarded the five-leaf grimoire until Asta unexpectedly obtained it.
Her Sealing Magic was quite unique, one of the few spells that could affect devils.
As he pondered, the "farce" on the field was nearing its end.
"Don't come near me! You stinky birds!"
Asta, dizzy from being chased by the bird swarm, blindly crashed through the crowd, unable to see the path ahead.
Bang!
With a dull thud, Asta seemed to have hit an indestructible wall of flesh. He was bounced back by the immense recoil, landing with a thump on the ground.
The moment the collision occurred, the anti-birds, which had been relentlessly pestering him, scattered like startled animals, vanishing without a trace.
The entire noisy arena, at this moment, fell into a deathly silence.
Asta dizzily rubbed his aching head, looking up. He saw a very burly man looking down at him.
The man had a messy head of black hair, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, and wore a Magic Knight Squad cape with a black bull's head emblem.
An indescribable, terrifying pressure emanated from the man.
Ryoma's gaze sharpened as he looked at the burly man.
He's here.
The Black Bulls' Captain.
The man slowly exhaled a smoke ring. He spoke in an extremely displeased tone, as if he was about to kill Asta the next second, "Hey, I'll kill you, kid.'