After the flying test concluded, the examinees were quickly herded into the next phase of testing. The second and third examinations passed in a blur of magical displays and nervous energy— an attack demonstration against reinforced stone walls followed by target practice.
For the wall-breaking test, Kenji found himself near the back of the line, hands buried deep in his pockets as he watched the other contestants with barely concealed boredom. The variety of magic on display was impressive enough, though most of it fell into predictable categories.
A blonde kid with manic energy, Luck the lightning user he'd spotted earlier, stepped up to the wall and launched a crackling bolt of electricity. The stone barrier exploded in a shower of sparks and debris, leaving nothing but smoking rubble.
Next came Magna with wild hair swinging what looked like a baseball bat made of fire. He conjured a fireball and smacked it toward the wall with surprising technique yelling out "Haahhh" loudly, causing a satisfying crunch as chunks of stone went flying and spider-web cracks spread across the surface.
Does this world even have baseball? Kenji wondered idly.
The serious-looking boy with glasses—Klaus, if memory served—summoned a steel drill that bored straight through the center of his wall with mechanical precision. Clean, efficient, thoroughly unimpressive.
Then came the sexy tanned girl who simply grabbed a handful of dirt, transformed it into a boulder the size of a small house, and hurled it at her target. The wall didn't break so much as get completely obliterated under the crushing weight.
The magic broom he'd been carrying from the previous test rippled and reshaped itself, wood grain flowing like liquid until it had transformed into a pristine white sword. The blade was long and double-edged, with elegant proportions that spoke of both beauty and lethality. At the hilt, a white X stood out against the polished metal.
He took a low stance, bringing the blade up beside his face so that its edge reflected in his tinted glasses. Mana flowed into the weapon like water into a vessel, and with one smooth motion, he unleashed a horizontal slash.
The arc of pure energy that erupted from the blade was almost too fast to follow. It carved through the stone wall as if it were made of paper, leaving a perfectly clean cut that divided the barrier into two equal halves. The upper portion slid sideways and crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact.
Without waiting for reactions, Kenji turned and walked away to join the group of examinees who had already completed their tests.
The third examination—moving target practice—proved even more entertaining.
Paper targets danced through the air on invisible currents, weaving unpredictable patterns that challenged even the most skilled marksmen among the examinees. Some candidates managed to hit a few targets with concentrated effort. Others missed entirely, their spells flying wild while the papers continued their mocking dance.
When Kenji's name was called, he stepped into the designated firing area with his customary hand-in-pocket stance, looking for all the world like someone waiting for a bus rather than participating in a crucial examination.
"Begin," announced the examiner beside him.
Snap.
Reality shifted around Kenji like paint bleeding across wet canvas. Everything in his field of vision transformed into a bright orange animated world that looked like it had been designed by a street artist on a serious caffeine high. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, each floating target now moving with the lazy drift of autumn leaves.
Another snap echoed through the transformed space.
In the span between one heartbeat and the next, every paper target in the arena simply ceased to exist—not burned or torn, but shredded into confetti so fine it looked like snow drifting on the breeze.
A final snap brought reality crashing back to normal.
To the watching crowd, it appeared that Kenji had done absolutely nothing but snap his fingers. One moment the targets were dancing through the air, the next they were gone. No visible spell, no obvious expenditure of mana. Just a single snap of his fingers and total devastation.
The reaction was immediate and varied.
"What just happened?"
"Did he actually do that?"
"Hmph, this guy's trying to show off."
"Who does this guy think he is?"
Up in the captains' viewing area, Dorothy's eyes cracked open slightly, a curious "Hmmm" escaping her lips as she tilted her head with newfound interest.
William Vangeance, seated beside her, caught the subtle change in her demeanor. "It seems that got your attention. Have any insight you would like to share with us?"
All the other captains turned toward Dorothy with obvious curiosity—all except Nozel, who was clearly still nursing his wounded pride from earlier.
Dorothy's smile was mysterious and slightly dreamy. "Hehehe, oh nothing. Just seemed familiar, is all."
Before anyone could press for details, she had already drifted back into what appeared to be sleep, leaving the other captains to exchange puzzled glances.
"Oi, don't just fall asleep after saying something like that!" Yami growled, but his only response was a small bubble that formed at Dorothy's nose.
After the target examination concluded, William once again took center stage, his voice carrying clearly across the arena through magical amplification.
"Now is the time for the final examination—one-on-one battles. You will use your grimoires to attack and defend yourselves. As knights, fighting is our duty. Show us your skills. We want to see everything you're capable of."
He paused for dramatic effect, letting the weight of his words settle over the nervous examinees.
"The fight will end as soon as one of the fighters is unable to continue or yields. We have healing mages standing by, so do not fear permanent injury. Please choose a partner and inform the examiners around you once you have done so. Your names will be called when it is your turn to take the stage."
The announcement triggered a flurry of movement as examinees began looking around nervously, trying to size up potential opponents and find suitable partners. Some sought out friends for what they hoped would be friendly matches. Others looked for opponents they thought they could easily defeat.
Kenji was doing his own assessment, scanning the crowd for someone who might provide an interesting challenge, when footsteps approached from behind.
"Hey you there. What is your name? What house do you belong to it I dont think ive seen you before"
The voice carried the unmistakable tone of someone accustomed to being obeyed without question. Kenji turned to find himself facing a boy with perfectly styled white hair and clothing that probably cost more than most people earned in a year. Everything about him screamed nobility—from his posture to his expectant expression to the way he looked down at Kenji despite being roughly the same height.
Oh my god, Kenji thought with barely contained excitement, is the cliche young master scene finally happening to me?
When Kenji didn't immediately respond, the noble boy's expression darkened with irritation.
"Well? Are you going to answer me?"
"Huh? Oh, I don't belong to one," Kenji replied with studied casualness.
The boy looked genuinely confused by this response. "Where are you from?"
"Forsaken realm."
If Kenji had announced he was secretly a demon, the reaction couldn't have been more dramatic. The noble's face twisted into a mask of disgust and outrage.
"Some commoner scum, and you were chosen by a four-leaf grimoire? How preposterous! I refuse to believe a hick like you would be chosen over a noble such as myself for such power!"
Oh my god, it's happening, Kenji thought gleefully, while maintaining a perfectly straight face.
"Oh no," he said in the most deadpan voice he could manage, "I don't have your approval. Whatever shall I do?"
The mocking tone was unmistakable, and the noble's face began turning an alarming shade of red.
"It seems you do not show any respect to your betters. I guess I will have to beat that lesson into your small mind. It is no surprise that some backwater scum like you doesn't have th—"
His tirade was cut short as a blonde blur suddenly shoved him aside with enough force to send him stumbling. The newcomer—the same manic lightning user from earlier—grinned at Kenji with an expression that was equal parts excitement and barely contained violence.
"You seem strong! Let's fight to the death!"
He began breathing heavily, his grin widening to genuinely unsettling proportions.
Kenji, who had been anticipating his destined cliche young master moment with something approaching religious fervor, let out a long sigh and ran his hand through his hair, slicking it back in frustration.
The absolute last thing he wanted right now was to deal with what was clearly a battle-obsessed maniac. Before he could formulate a polite decline, the white-haired noble shoved Luck aside with righteous fury.
"How dare you lay your filthy hands on me, peasant! Do you know who I am?"
Luck tilted his head with genuine confusion. "Nope."
Without missing a beat, he turned back to Kenji with renewed enthusiasm. "Well, let's fight! Come on! Let's kill each other!"
Other examinees were beginning to stare, clearly put off by Luck's increasingly manic expression and casual talk of murder. Kenji's mind raced for an escape route that wouldn't involve actually fighting this psychopath.
Then inspiration struck.
"Oh, if you want a strong opponent, you should fight him," Kenji said, pointing at the noble kid with a mischievous smile. "He's way stronger than me, after all. It would be way more fun fighting him."
Luck looked skeptical, glancing at the noble with obvious disappointment. "This weakling? No fun."
"Trust me, it will be way more fun fighting him," Kenji insisted. "Go on, look at him—he's getting fired up already."
Indeed, the noble's face was now completely red with fury from being repeatedly ignored and dismissed. His hands were clenched into fists, and magical energy was beginning to crackle around him in visible arcs.
Luck's crazy smile returned full force. "Okay!"
Without further preamble, he turned to the noble and declared, "Come on, let's fight!" before calling over an examiner to announce their pairing.
As the unlikely duo walked away toward the registration area, Kenji let out a long exhale of relief.
Although it sucks that I lost my young master moment, he reflected, at least I dodged that nightmare. I definitely would have won, but I do not want Luck coming to find me in whatever squad I end up in, looking for fights. That sounds like a complete hassle.
The announcement came quickly: the first match of the final examination would feature the noble whose name turned out to be Salim Hapshass against the lightning mage called Luck Voltia.
Kenji found himself a good vantage point to watch the proceedings, genuinely curious to see how this would play out. As the two fighters took their positions in the center of the arena, the proctor stepped between them with practiced authority.
"Let the first match of the final examination begin!"
He swung his arms down and leaped backward, signaling the official start of what promised to be either a spectacular battle or a spectacular disaster.
Kenji settled back to enjoy the show.