"Greetings, Captain Yami."
Yami's brows rose slightly, the corner of his mouth twitching around the cigarette that hung from his lips. For a heartbeat, he just stared — then a slow, amused grin broke through his usual deadpan.
"Oh, it's you," he said, smoke curling from his mouth as he laughed under his breath. "I was really surprised when Julius announced that someone with Four Leaf Clover grimoire join our guild, kid."
He gave a light chuckle that quickly built into a loud, carefree burst of laughter — the kind that echoed across the clearing and made Finral flinch beside him. "Hah! You should've seen the faces of those other captains when they heard. They looked like someone told 'em the Wizard King named a commoner his heir!"
Finral, who'd been standing a step behind, blinked rapidly — his brain catching up a moment too late. Then his expression twisted in shock. "Wait—wait, hold up! He's a member of our squad?!"
Nova's smile widened slightly, his tone polite but edged with quiet amusement. "Indeed. Due to some reason, I decided to join your squad. So, take care of me, senior."
Finral blinked again, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Ah—well, yeah! Of course, of course! Senior… huh?" His eyes turned little watery," Finally someone normal is gonna join the squad."
Yami's laughter finally died down. He exhaled a thin stream of smoke, the shift in his tone immediate — casual ease replaced by a hint of gravity. His gaze sharpened, studying Nova from head to toe, a faint smirk still tugging at his lips.
"So," he said, voice low and even, "you prepared for today's battles? Afterall fighting four people back to back with only ten minutes rest is gonna be hard."
Celise's brows drew together sharply, her calm voice turning edged with restrained anger. "Only ten minutes?" she repeated, disbelief flickering in her tone. "That's outrageous."
With a clear look of anger on her face, she continued asking, "Who decided such ridiculous conditions?"
Yami's grin faded into something more neutral, though his cigarette still burned lazily between his fingers.
"Not me," he said, voice turning rough and grounded. "That's politics for you. Even though it was the King himself who proposed giving the Princess's hand in marriage to you, those four noble families still hold enough status and pull to sway the royal court."
He exhaled a thin stream of smoke, his tone carrying a trace of annoyance. "That's why we've got these duels—and that ridiculous ten-minute rest period. Their excuse is that it's a fair test for the Princess's hand, but let's be honest…"
He smirked faintly, eyes glinting with dry amusement. "They just want every advantage they can get. After all, they're going up against the man who holds the legendary four-leaf clover grimoire. Gotta try their best to save face, right?"
Nova smiled, "It doesn't matter. In front of absolute strength, all plans and schemes are child's tricks."
Yami raised an eyebrow, "You're quite arrogant, kid. Two of those heirs are ranked strongest after us captains."
Nova just continued smiling. It really didn't matter to him whether it was a ten-minute rest limit or even if they all fought him together. He would demolish them all and create a powerful image in front of the entire Clover Kingdom.
After interacting for a bit, the group parted ways, but not before Nova recommended Asta to Yami. Although in the canon, Asta joined the Black Bulls, he didn't want to tempt the butterfly to swap its wings.
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The Royal Capital buzzed like a storm. The grand coliseum, usually quiet under the King's shadow, now roared with the energy of hundreds of aspiring mages gathered for the Magic Knights Entrance Exam — a day where dreams, pride, and mana clashed under the same sky.
From nobles draped in gold to nervous commoners gripping their grimoires like lifelines, everyone had come chasing the same goal — to earn a squad robe and step into the world of magic knights.
Among the crowd stood two boys who couldn't have been more different — Yuno, calm and composed, and Asta, bursting with restless energy.
While Yuno's quiet presence drew curious glances, it was Asta who immediately stole attention — and not in a good way.
As soon as he stepped onto the testing grounds, a cloud of anti-birds began circling above him. The small, round birds swooped and chirped loudly, flocking tighter and tighter until they practically buried him under wings and feathers.
The crowd began to laugh.
"Look at that one!"
"Anti-birds love people with no mana — they're swarming him!"
"Poor fool, he's doomed before it even starts!"
Asta spun in circles, trying to shoo them away. "Stop—! Go bother someone else! Shoo, shoo!" he shouted, but the more he yelled, the more birds landed on him.
Blinded and flailing, he stumbled forward — and slammed face-first into what felt like a stone wall.
Except it wasn't a wall.
He looked up… and froze.
Towering above him was a man with a heavy, intimidating build, dark hair spiked upward, and a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. His very presence warped the air — heavy, suffocating, and sharp.
Asta blinked. "Ow… sorry, mister—"
Before he could finish, a large hand clamped down on his head — fingers digging into his scalp like a vice.
Yami Sukehiro — Captain of the Black Bulls — stared down at him, unimpressed. His cigarette flared slightly as he spoke, his tone calm but steeped in menace.
"Oi, brat," he said, voice low and even. "You got a death wish, runnin' into me like that?"
Asta's eyes went wide, legs kicking helplessly as Yami effortlessly lifted him off the ground by his head. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to— I swear I wasn't—!"
"Didn't mean to?" Yami repeated, his brow twitching. "What, you blind or just stupid?"
A wave of whispers rippled through the crowd.
"Captain Yami…"
"That's the Black Bulls' captain!"
"The worst squad in the kingdom!"
"They say he killed a man just for stepping on his cigarette!"
The ground beneath Yami cracked faintly as his mana flared, a crushing aura pressing down on everyone nearby. "You sure got guts, kid," he said, smirking slightly. "But maybe use your eyes before you go headbutting random captains, yeah?"
Asta blinked in confusion. "C-Captain? Wait— you're a captain?!"
Finral appeared beside him in a flash of light, opening a small portal and waving his arms frantically. "Captain, please! Almost all the captains are already gathered here. You really want to start something before the exams even begin?"
Yami exhaled, letting go of Asta, who dropped unceremoniously to the ground. He dragged a hand through his hair, muttering, "Tch. Fine. Not worth the paperwork."
Asta scrambled upright, rubbing his head. "T-thanks for sparing me, scary aura guy!"
The surrounding mages went silent.
"…Did he just call Captain Yami scary aura guy?"
"He's actually insane."
Yami blinked once, staring blankly at Asta, then turned and started walking toward the captains' platform. Finral trailed nervously behind him, mumbling apologies to anyone who would listen.
As Yami walked, a thought surfaced, unbidden.
So this is the kid Nova mentioned… he mused, exhaling a lazy stream of smoke. Loud, clueless, full of energy — and that wild ash-blond hair…
He smirked faintly, shaking his head. You better impress me, kid. Otherwise, I won't bother taking you on.
With that, he disappeared into the crowd of captains, leaving behind a sea of whispers and one flustered, feather-covered Asta trying to reclaim his dignity.
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THANK YOU, GUYS FOR YOUR SUPPORT. FOR ALL THE PAST MISSED CHAPTERS, I WOULD TRY TO COVER THEM IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS.
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CHAPTER:- [128 - NOVA VEN-DRIVE] IS AVAILABLE ON MY P@TREON