A few months later …
'These are the nobles? No wonder this country is going downhill.' Alucard was barely able to keep his contempt within himself as he watched other teens register to take the exam.
Even though he could have easily moved to the front of the line or just joined a squad outright, Alucard preferred the chance he'd get to show up the snotty brats around him. 'You don't even have any rare magic! Not to mention only two clovers, what a fool.'
After finally getting to the front of the line, Alucard presented his Grimiore as the mage's eyes went wide. "F-four leaves!" The man nearly fell out of his chair in surprise as people looked over at the commotion.
"A four-leaf clover, here!" "Must be a noble, look at his clothes." "Hmph, I should have gotten it, my hair is better anyway."
Alucard kept a stoic face as he entered the arena, not bothering to stop despite several people calling out to him. 'I don't have time for you fools, be glad I'm even here to begin with.' He scowled as he spotted several nobles eyeing him like a chunk of meat.
He was tempted to tear their heads off, but he knew Julius would be watching from his office, so he'd rather not get scolded today. As he entered the arena, he noticed the space was full of Anti-magic birds, or Anti-birds for short. These small black and white birds had a strange aversion to magic and typically perched in areas with little mana, making them great at weeding out those with weak magic.
Since he had more mana than even the Captains who were hiding as of now, none of the Anti-birds wanted anything to do with him, except one. 'Oh, you're the bird who stays near the statue!' He recognized the bird, since, unlike the others, it had upturned horns and two tail feathers that were longer than the others.
It seemed to notice him as well, as it flew around his head for a moment before flying off to peck some poor commoner. Of course, the birds weren't the only ones to leave him alone.
It seems that the nobles had already singled him out, as he noticed them whispering to themselves, no doubt plotting who would get to take down the 'upstart'. It didn't bother him one bit; whoever came for him would get wrecked either way.
"ALL RISE, FOR THE GATHERING CAPTAIN OF THE CLOVER KINGDOM'S MAGIC KNIGHTS!"
There was a small hush as the Captains and their entourages entered, before the arena filled with excited chatter.
"Wow, I can't believe the Captain of the Golden Dawn is here!" "I hope Captain Charlotte picks me, I don't care if men get treated badly!" "It seems the rumors that Captain Dorothy always sleeps weren't false."
As the Captain waited for things to calm down, they silently sifted through the crowd, all stopping when they saw Alucard. 'Hah, it seems the brat really pushed past his limits!' 'He looks like he'd be fun to cut!' 'Ah, it seems he's still upset.'
Nozel noticed that Alucard pointedly avoided looking at him, already knowing why, as he cursed the dozens of dead family members once again. While the Captains were evaluating the examinees, Alucard was also gauging them for evaluation.
'Still not on Eagles, Orcas, and Mantis. Maybe Bulls, Yami would be fun. William has that strange feeling to him, though, I kind of want to explore that.' He frowned as he felt Gueldre looking at him, filing that away for later as William Vangeance stood up.
"Greetings, prospective Magic Knights! I will be the officiant of this exam. Let us begin." His voice was amplified by magic, reaching everyone as his Grimiore flapped open. "Magic Tree descent!"
The mana in the air surged upwards as a massive tree formed above the arena, and branches raced towards them before stopping short. At the end of each branch was a magic broom for each person, and as they took them, the spell faded away as light entered the arena once more.
"Your first test is this: no mage can be a knight if he cannot reach the battlefield. Show you won't be a liability as you soar through the air!"
Mana was then poured into hundreds of brooms as a few dozen figured it out fast, while others lagged behind. "Look, the guy with the Four Leaf Grimoire is still grounded!" "What a waste, even noble children can use a broom." "This'll be easy!"
Alucard eyed the shoddy broom in his hand as the Captains glanced down at him, "Surely Julius taught his son to use his magic?" 'There is no way I'm sitting on this thing.'
The eyes filled with glee at his apparent inability to channel mana turned to shock as a pair of flaming wings erupted from his back. Each one was almost one and a half times bigger than Alucard, who appeared almost 15 feet higher than the highest examinee.
While the examinees and audience were busy wondering how he could cast such a spell, the Captains and other Magic Knights noticed something entirely different. "He didn't use his Grimoire, he didn't even have to chant." Yami mused as Finral stared at him, then at Alucard way up high in shock. 'Even the Captain has to chant, how can he not?!'
Seeing the faces turned up to look at him, Alucard smirked and felt like flipping them the bird. He was able to restrain himself as William let a few struggle to get off the ground for a little longer before ending this test.
"Your next test is to hit targets from a distance, both moving and stationary." Dozens of targets were set up into two areas, one full of moving targets, one full of stationary ones. Each examinee then did their best as some nobles who'd obviously never practiced failed, while commoners who'd been training for months aced it.
When it was Alucard's turn, the arena got quieter as he chose the next element to unveil. "What! He's a double mage!" "Tch, he'll bend the knee like the rest." "How cool, that's a four-leaf grimoire for you!"
'So that's where Noelle learned that.' Nozel recognized the shape of the water bullets Alucard was using. Though he hadn't spoken to Noelle in a few weeks, he'd noticed how she'd dedicated herself to training as she could now form decent-sized mana bullets.
The next two tests were more than easy for Alucard, who spent his time wondering how in the world the nobles could stay in power if their children were idiots with magic. 'I can't wait for this to be over.'
The two tests were making a magical construct and then pouring mana into a seed to make it grow. For the construct, all he made was an earthen golem, which earned him a glare from Sol up above. That seed they gave him? A massive tree, almost as tall as the balcony where the Captains were sitting.
'As much as I've enjoyed the look on Nozel's face the more magic I show off, I can't wait to deal with the little twerp who keeps looking at me.'
For the past few tests, he'd felt a hostile gaze boring a hole into his head. The one looking was smart enough not to start anything in front of the Captains, but he knew the brat wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
"The final test will be a combat test. Fighting is what you will be doing most as a Magic Knight. What use do we have of someone who won't fight our enemies?"
"You, you are fighting me. It's about time someone put you in your place!" A boy with black hair snarled as he jammed a finger at Alucard.
He shrugged and followed the fool, as the Captains watched their match with interest.
"I don't know how a peasant like you got that grimoire, but it means nothing in front of the power of Nobility!" The boy continued ranting as Alucard felt like tearing his ears off. 'Let's show off a little, send a message.'
"START!" The boy started chanting as Alucard stayed still, not even moving as he waited. "Hah, scared silly in front of true power!" "I hope he does all right, look at those eyes!"
'He'd better not kill him.' Was the unified thought of every Captain watching. For years, they'd known about the little monster before them; now they were just hoping he didn't tear the kid's arm off.
"Diamond Magic: Eternal shards!" Dozens of glittering diamond shards formed around the boy as he cackled madly. "Bow before me, and I might let you serve me until I get bored!" That immediately took his chances of being a Knight as the Captains glared down at him.
"You? You can't even pierce my skin with that pathetic excuse of a spell!" Alucard suddenly yelled as the noble released his magic with a savage grin, hoping to see him skewered, before the diamond shards shattered against Alucard's body.
"WHAT! IMPOSSIBLE!" The audience shared his thoughts as everyone leaned in. "Not even his clothes were damaged, just what kind of magic does he have?!" Alucard lightly dusted himself off as he looked confused.
"What happened? I thought you were going to attack me?" Seeing the boy still confused and angry, he grinned, "No? Then it's my turn!" The crowd stilled as the Captains looked on, surprised, 'Since when did Julius raise such a monster?'
Above the arena, two massive dragons circled in the air, one was a flaming western dragon, the other was a graceful eastern dragon. Before anyone could react, they opened their mouths as hundreds of magic bullets of their respective elements rained down from above.
As the flaming bullets and watery bullets got closer, the diamond boy wondered if this was how he died, until everything froze. As the two massive dragons faded away, every pair of eyes snapped towards the boy who had finally opened his grimoire, Alucard.
"How pathetic. You nobles are all the same, pampered idiots who wave around magic like a stick." He spat as he glared at every noble he could see. Up above, the Captains felt a headache forming since they'd been hoping Julius son wouldn't be a nerd like him, they got a fanatic.
After being declared the winner, Alucard went to the side of the arena and meditated. He wasn't agitated, but he'd rather have enough mana to cast that dragon spell several times, so he refilled while he could.
After all the other contestants finished their fights, they finally called up the examinees for selection.
"When your number is called, step forward. If any of the Captains raise their hand, that is the squad you will join. If two Captains raise their hands, you get to choose which squad you join. If no one raises their hand, you have not been selected and will have to try again next year."
They then went down the line, and none of the first 50 examinees were selected. That really dampened the mood until Charlotte selected a promising fire mage; hope was rekindled as Rill and Fuegoleon picked a few further down the line.
When it was finally his turn, Alucard stepped forward and as one, all but one Captain raised their hands. "What?! They all raised their hands!" "I wonder why the Silver Eagles didn't raise their hand?" "Who cares, it gives us a chance!"
Faced with all the choices before him, Alucard didn't hesitate once. "I select the Golden Dawn." He then joined them up top as William smiled at the other Captains. The only ones not downcast at the loss of such a gem were Yami and Fuegoleon, who both knew William would have plenty of trouble with his new addition.
For the rest of the selection, only a handful were selected. Alucard didn't care much as he spent the time meditating before William called to him.
"Are you ready to leave?" He asked, and he nodded. A portal then opened as they went through and entered the Golden Dawn Headquarters.
"How divine." He murmured aloud as the Golden Dawn's base spread out before him. Either they had deep pockets lined with gold, or the sun happened to be hitting just right as he was nearly blinded by the light.
"Although I'm sure your father has told you where everything is, take some time and explore. The Vice-Captain will be waiting for you in the main hall, inside the big building over there." He pointed to a large building that looked like it cost more than some villages made in a decade.
He nodded and started walking as Wiliam watched him go. 'His soul is that of a human, but it feels weird.'
Walking through the manicured gardens, Alucard was starting to wonder if he'd joined a country club instead of a Magic Knight squad. All the knights he'd seen so far were nobles; their mana said as much, as did their faces.
Though a few looked at him with disdain, he noted that a few knights recognized him, probably from some banquet that Mimosa and Julius had dragged him to. He then made his way into the training grounds, where he found a few knights sparring as others watched.
The air was filled with static as the two mages in the ring went at it. One was a lightning mage, striking from afar with speed and precision, as a sand mage used the arena itself to shield himself from the strikes.
"Excuse me, who is down below fighting?" He asked the nearest knight, a tall noble with light blue hair and glasses. "The Sand mage is Alecdora Sandler, the lightning mage is Striker Hapshass."
'What a waste of mana, these idiots are just showing off.' He frowned at the display but sat and watched. If he were paired with them for a combat mission, he'd rather know what they can do beforehand.
For the next ten minutes, the two fools in the arena went at it as the idiots around me cheered them on. At this point, he was seriously considering quitting the Magic Knights and just chasing after Mereoleona, beating up thugs around the kingdom.
Perhaps feeling the judgmental gaze boring holes into them, Alecdore and Striker finished their 'spar' as they encouraged the others to pick someone and spar with. Seeing him not move, Striker smirked as he set his sights on Alucard.
"You, sitting up there like you're better than us. Face me!"
One of the knights below recognized him, but was silenced with a look as Alucard entered the arena. "It's important to remember that there is always a stronger mage. Let this be a lesson in humility!" Striker, proclaimed as Alucard, frowned.
'This idiot likes to talk, what a waste of air.' Before he could prattle on, he interrupted, "What a waste of air, apologize to the trees whose hard work you're wasting!"
Striker froze as he turned to face Alucard with a glare that screamed murder. "Finally, I was wondering when you'd shut your stupid mouth. I thought I was in a Magic Knight Squad, not a church. I'm here to fight! Don't listen to the crap leaving your mouth!"
Arcs of lightning magic crackled across Striker as he smiled with all his teeth. "Good, good. At least now I have an excuse to beat you!" Alucard snorted. "You couldn't even pierce my skin with that pathetic little spark. Go back home already."
That was the final straw as lightning spells flew towards him, Alucard gladly absorbed the ones necessary before making distance and returning fire with a dozen bolts of different elements. For all his talk, Striker was not a pushover as he blew bullets out of the sky and dodged those he could as he chanted as fast as possible.
Alucard didn't let up, however, as he opened his grimoire and cast a serious spell. 'Water Creation magic: Spiral Lance!' Of course, three lances raced towards Striker as he called down a bolt of lightning that evaporated the lances.
Another bolt raced towards Alucard, who snorted as a dome of earth covered his head as the lightning failed to pierce it. 'Earth Creation magic: Earthen beast!' Striker now had to deal with a mage blasting spells, and an earth monster shaped like a wolf that harassed his flank.
He still didn't let up, however, as he flipped to another spell. "Lightning Creation magic: Raijin!" A bolt of lightning slammed into him as he emerged within a suit of armor. "Just another shell for me to crack!" Alucard called out as the enraged Striker closed the distance.
'Fire Creation magic: Suit of Sutr!'
Like Striker, a flaming suit of armor formed over Alucard as the two traded blows. Drawn by the commotion, Langris, the Vice-Captain of the Golden Dawn, found himself in the training grounds as he wondered where the new recruit was. 'Ah, I wish the Captain had told me it would be him.'
Langris had met Alucard only once, when Julius had dragged him to a War Merit ceremony. Langris had been one of the knights promoted, and he remembered quite vividly the boy who'd nearly ripped the head off a knight who tried harassing Mimosa.
Since then, he'd kept an eye out for the 'devil' as the nobles called him when they thought no one was listening. Langris actually liked the sound of him, not another one of the pampered nobles that usually strutted around like they owned the world.
Yet to think he'd joined the Golden Dawn and not the Crimson Lions. He wanted to be happy, but the fact that Alucard might very well tear the squad apart from the inside in his crusade against the noble brats worried him.
Still, he didn't intervene in the battle just yet. 'Maybe this will teach them they aren't invincible. It would do them good to get knocked down a few pegs.' He took a seat closer enough to the arena to intervene in case things got bad, as he picked apart Alucard's fighting style.
Despite the obvious power, he still felt something was off. 'He could easily tear Striker apart, just from the sheer volume of fire. Yet he keeps toying with him, plus he obviously has more spells he hasn't used yet, look at how many pages his grimoire has!
I won't be able to keep him at base like the other nobles either, but I can't let him lead a squad yet. There has been an increase in Diamond Kingdom activity, so I'll send him with the next rotation, let him earn some merits where he won't burn the noble pride.'
Langris continued watching as Striker was slowly torn down a little at a time by Alucard, as he decided what to do with the boy. 'Only 15, and already giving Intermediate Knights problems. Of course, the Wizard King has a monster kid.'
He then noticed something, 'Since when did he get that?' As he watched, Alucard slowly stopped moving as wild arcs of lightning raced along his body.
"I've had enough of this farce. Time to die." He said calmly as Langris jumped from his seat.
Striker felt his body freeze up for a moment as a massive bolt of lightning streaked across the sky towards him. Langris didn't wait to start chanting as he erected several barriers, as the sky split in two.