Without Charles interfering, Asta defeated Revchi just like in the original story.
Revchi's strength was mediocre at best—Asta took him down with a single strike of his sword.
At this point, Asta hadn't even unlocked his true power with the five-leaf clover grimoire. What he relied on was merely the anti-magic residual in the Demon-Slayer Sword—formerly the weapon of the elven king Licht—not the full anti-magic power of the devil within his grimoire.
Currently, Asta could only wield a trace of anti-magic embedded in the sword. His true awakening wouldn't come until he developed his black form and achieved full resonance with the devil Liebe. That would mark the moment he truly mastered that power.
A devil with no magic, born from hatred of other devils, creating a power that resisted magic—Charles found it fascinating.
In the days that followed, life became much more peaceful. Asta and Yuno both trained with unwavering dedication.
Asta trained near the Demon God's skull, honing his swordsmanship, while Yuno used wind magic to chop wood beside the church, creating a literal mountain of firewood.
Both trained so hard for one goal: the upcoming Magic Knights Entrance Exam scheduled six months later.
In the Clover Kingdom, there was only one organization tasked with national security and maintaining order—the Magic Knights, directly under the Wizard King's command.
The nine squads of combat-specialized mages were the most prestigious destination for all magic users.
Come to think of it, the system of nobles and a hero-like leader sounded familiar… the hierarchy of Daimyō and Kage from that other world definitely came to mind.
The difference was that the royal family and Magic Knights were much more closely connected here. All royals possessed immense magic power and naturally occupied many high-ranking positions within the Magic Knights.
To become Wizard King, joining the Magic Knights and accumulating achievements was the only path. So both Asta and Yuno trained furiously for the exam.
There were no special restrictions to apply. As long as one was fifteen and had a grimoire, anyone in the Clover Kingdom could sign up.
But passing the Magic Knights' exam wasn't easy. Just having the courage to take the test filtered out a significant portion of hopefuls.
After all, not everyone was like Asta, ready to chase their dreams with reckless determination. "Knowing one's place" often gave cowards a convenient excuse to give up.
With tearful farewells from the church children, the three set off on their journey to the capital.
Hage Village was one of the outermost fringe settlements in the Fringe District. Reaching the capital on foot took a lot of time.
They pushed hard, and the day before the exam, they finally arrived in the royal capital.
Having seen modern cities in his past life, Charles wasn't particularly impressed by this capital with only medieval-level civilization. At most, he appreciated the exotic architecture.
Asta, on the other hand, was bursting with curiosity the moment they arrived. His shouts of amazement never stopped.
It was rare to see someone like Asta, so unabashedly displaying his country bumpkin roots in the royal capital. Passersby weren't sure if they should feel amused or insulted.
The Clover Kingdom was extremely class-conscious, and society was strictly divided into three layers.
At the top was the Noble District, where the royal family and nobles lived. This included the central castle area, walled off from the rest of the capital. The Wizard King and Magic Knights Headquarters were located there too.
The Common District came next, which was where the three currently found themselves.
At the bottom was the Fringe District, which included Hage Village. Those who lived there were called "lowborn." The term alone made their social status in this kingdom abundantly clear.
Asta looked up at the Noble District and asked, "Does the Wizard King live up there?"
Yuno replied, "Probably the King too."
Charles laughed. These two were practically treating the King like he didn't matter! Then again… that miserly King really was… hard to describe.
Asta declared confidently, "That'll be my castle someday!"
Yuno countered without hesitation, "No, it'll be mine."
Asta pretended not to hear and said, "I'll let you live there too, Yuno! And of course, Charles too!"
Yuno actually smiled a little. "That's my line."
Charles scratched his chin and grinned. "Looks like I'm the real winner here. You two better work hard!"
The three of them laughed as they walked along. Suddenly, Asta darted off toward something.
Charles looked over and saw him run up to a food stall. A small charcoal fire was roasting skewers of some unknown meat.
The stall was run by a squinting old woman—she looked like an ordinary grandma. But to Charles, staring at her felt like gazing into the abyss.
Yuno, noticing Charles zoning out, gave him a nudge and asked, "What's wrong, Charles?"
Charles snapped back to attention and smiled. "Nothing. I just saw someone really important."
Yuno looked confused, but before he could ask, Asta returned with grilled purple snakeskin skewers in hand, and Charles turned away.
A grandma? What kind of grandma gave off such an overwhelming aura? Charles could only guess that that person had come out again to "encounter magic."
Back at the stall, the old woman lifted her head and smiled faintly as she looked at Charles's departing back.
"So he noticed me? Another amazing kid this year… I really want to see what kind of magic he'll use!"
Julius Novachrono, the 28th Wizard King, was once again looking forward to a new magical encounter.
The venue for the Magic Knights Entrance Exam was easy to find. The massive coliseum-like structure was well-known throughout the capital.
The three didn't arrive particularly early, and soon it was their turn to register.
When Yuno and Charles presented their four-leaf clover grimoires, they could clearly feel the heat of the surrounding stares. Even the exam official cracked a smile and registered them personally.
When it came to Asta, his grimoire was almost mistaken for not being a grimoire at all.
As in the original story, Yuno received number 164, while the number 165 that was supposed to go to Asta ended up with Charles. Naturally, Asta got 166!
Soon after, everyone entered the arena. Moments later, a large flock of black birds flew down.
These were Anti-Magic Birds, a local specialty of the exam arena. They swarmed the examinees—some more than others.
"Hey! Look at those two—not a single bird!"
Someone pointed at Yuno and Charles. Others followed their gaze and began murmuring in admiration.
Yuno frowned slightly, still unfamiliar with the situation.
Charles smiled and explained, "Those are anti-magic birds. They're attracted to people with weak magic. You could say this is the first test."
Yuno nodded in understanding.
At that moment, Asta exclaimed, "Let's see who'll be the Wizard King, Yuno—this is where our legend begins!"
That was all well and good, but… Asta was in a miserable state. Most people had three to five birds around them, but Asta had at least a dozen.
One even climbed into his shirt collar, apparently thinking it found a new nest. Who could be more beloved by anti-magic birds than someone with no magic?
Just like back in Hage Village, Asta's proclamation earned waves of laughter.
Maybe because he was used to it, Asta paid no mind. What really bothered him was the sheer enthusiasm of the birds clinging to him.
"Ow, ow, ow! What's with these birds?! Damn it, get off me already!"
Fleeing in panic, Asta didn't watch where he was going and crashed straight into someone.
The birds, which had been relentless, suddenly scattered like they'd seen a monster.
Just as Asta was breathing a sigh of relief, a huge hand grabbed his head and lifted him off the ground.
"You little brat… I'll kill you!" The man's body exuded a dark, terrifying aura as he growled.