Let the Competition Begin

Following the small talk with Julius, Wilhelm went back down where everyone was. There, he met his squad mates, who were ecstatic to meet him and showed it in their own unique manner. Especially Magna and Luck.

There, he also saw Finral, who had changed his hairstyle, and all in all, it was a pleasant moment. Especially because he met Noelle, but as if the luck would have it, this moment did not last very long.

Solid Silva crashed their reunion and started to humiliate Noelle by reminding her of her child abuse at his hands, and also had the gall to degrade Wilhelm, which brought us to this scene.

"Argh! LE-"

*THUD*

*CRACK*

"AH-MPPPHH!!!"

"Wilhelm! Leave him! You are going to kill him!" Noelle shouted with worry in her tone, while the rest were way too paralyzed to speak anything, seeing the look in Wilhelm's eyes.

Noelle too experienced this sensation, but…

'I am done being scared anymore. Also, he will never harm me.'

…due to her subconscious thought, she mustered up the courage to speak, to stop Wilhelm from bursting Solid's head that looked like eyes would pop out from his socket.

Keeping his even gaze that filled Solid with dread, he replied.

"Don't worry about him-"

"I couldn't care less about him. If he is permanently harmed, it could put you in trouble." Noelle said, cutting Wilhelm off mid-sentence, which caused him to stare at her for a moment before breaking out in a small imperceptible smile.

He lifted his foot from Solid's head and said with a smile.

"Aww~ You care about me~ That is so sweet~" He said in a manner which brought blush to Noelle, who was just moments ago fussing over his actions against Solid.

But then, she steeled herself, and putting as much of a mask as she could, she replied in a bit of a shaky tone.

"S-so what if I care? Do y-you have any pr-problem with it?"

As she said this, the group of Black Bulls was looking at it with disbelief in their eyes.

'Did he just flirt with Noelle after beating her brother?'

"What is happening?"

"Wilhelm just got hitched."

Finral commented wisely to Magna's question, which caused Noelle, who was hearing all this behind her back, to blush more each second.

But among all of this, the one person who was having more of a crisis than Solid, who was breathing in the dust on the pavement, was Mimosa.

'They are…together?

When did this happen?' She thought as she started to feel down, then glanced at Noelle.

This caused some negative emotions to creep into her heart, but before they could take hold, she shook her head off.

'No, I am not going to do anything to harm Noelle. She deserves Wilhelm more than I do. After her mother, he is the only one she has left.

And it is not like we cannot meet later on.

We can always be good friends.

...'

The last part of Mimosa's thought seemed more like something to persuade herself, but despite that, she tried to give the best smile she could muster. This did not escape Wilhelm's eyes for two reasons.

She was not good at lying.

Wilhelm was good at catching lies, being a good liar.

'We will need to have a good talk-*sniff* *sniff* Oh, no, he didn't.'

Wilhelm's train of thought was interrupted as he looked back to see the source of the smell of ammonia and found…

"Hehehe! Mr. Royalty pissed himself! Wilhelm, quickly create an image of this! I'll buy it!" Magna exclaimed by laughing at the top of his lungs at Solid, who was about to glare at Magna, but all it took was one look from Wilhelm to make him release his control over his bladder and piss himself even more there, much to the amusement of the many magic knights who were gathered there.

It was then, they felt a shift in mana, which caused them to move towards the change, and found it to be Wizard King himself, with a free Kira Clover.

Julius arrived, followed by Marx, but before he could say anything to the expectant-looking knights below, Kira latched on to the chance.

'No way I am letting Julius get one over me! This is my moment to shine and show people who is their one true ruler.'

Thinking this, he began, oozing overconfidence.

"Hear me all! This Royal Knights exam, created by my vision, will show who truly deserves greatness!

I, Augustus Kira Clover XIII, fashioned this elite challenge, and only I can lead it to success!

Let these battles prove the nobility of your blood and my wisdom!

So praise your king, show your strength, let every blast of Light Magic demonstrate that royalty reigns supreme!

Now go, and win for your king, for your crown, for me!"

He ended by closing his eyes, arms spread wide, waiting for an applause that never came.

This suffocating silence caused him to glance below with his face filled with confusion, which quickly turned to humiliation when he noticed none of the awe he expected.

'What is wrong with them?! Why are they not rooting for their king? These ungrateful ingrates.' Kira thought through gritted teeth, when Julius seeing the atmosphere, took a single step, but it caused everyone's attention to fall on him, eyes filled with expectation of what he was about to say.

With a smile that soothed souls, he began.

"Magic Knights of the Clover Kingdom!"

He steps forward confidently, voice ringing clear across the arena.

"You are gathered here today not merely to compete, but to prepare for the threat approaching from inside our borders, the Eye of the Midnight Sun. To stand against them, we must prove something greater than individual strength; we must demonstrate unity, strategy, and unwavering resolve."

He pauses, letting his gaze sweep over the assembled squads.

"This exam is about more than just rankings, it's a trial designed to test your ability to produce results, to work together, and to stand as a shield for our people. Only through cooperation between squads can we truly defend the kingdom."

Following this, suddenly a screen materialized above him using magic. This displayed the scene on the field, where they were meant to fight, and hovered over two crystals, before continuing the patter.

He continued.

"Now, the format, you will compete in three-person teams. Each team is given two magical crystals, one on your side, one on the enemy's. You have 30 minutes to destroy the opposing crystal using any tactics you choose. If neither crystal falls, the squad that inflicts the most damage will claim victory. No lives shall be taken, but your skills, coordination, and creativity will determine the champions of this trial."

He straightens, voice changing from pleasant to something befitting of the Wizard King.

"You are free to attack in any way you see fit, combine spells, cover each other, adapt on the fly. High-class healers stand ready, so you can rest assured. Prove your worth, not just to me or to the crowning of the Royal Knights, but to every citizen who believes in you.

Magic Knights, rise above. Stand together. And let this trial be a stepping stone to protecting the Clover Kingdom as one united front."

"YEEAAAAHHHH!!!!"

"WIZZARD KING!!!"

"DEATH TO THOSE BASTARDS!!"

"WE WILL NOT DISSAPPOINT YOU!!"

Various cheers resounded through the arena from magic knights who were brimming with energy. This display of charisma caused Kira to look like he had sucked on a lemon, as he shot daggers from his gaze at Julius.

'What is wrong with him?

His purpose is to protect and serve me, but this ungrateful cur, instead of serving me, keeps stealing credit for my hard work like a thief, and promotes those lowly peasants and commoners.'

Kira thought through gritted teeth when Julius raised his hand, silencing everyone. Following this, he continued to speak.

"Now, I will release the list of teams and matchups."

At his word, the screen behind him shimmered and started to display the matchups and teams.

Everyone started to find their name along with their team members.

'Asta and…Xerx?' Mimosa muttered internally, feeling dejected.

'Nils and Rubin? Never heard of them.' Wilhelm thought seeing the unfamiliar names.

'En and Noelle. Is she the girl from Black Bulls?' Yuno thought, seeing the names of his team members, but Noelle did not look at it. Her focus instead was on the team that she was going to be pitted against soon.

'Sander, Dimitri and Solid…'

Her hands were clenched at the thought, but taking a deep breath, she unclenched them and calmed down.

Following this, everyone started to walk around and find their teammates to discuss a preemptive plan with.

Instead of finding his teammates, Wilhelm stood in place, as his team members were more likely to find him after his actions at the Star Festival.

And true to his thoughts, they came.

"Um…are you Wilhelm?" One of the men who was wearing a robe of Crimson Lions asked hesitantly, clearly intimated by Wilhelm's whole black armor and blood red hair.

At those words, Wilhelm turned in the direction of the sound and looked at the two men in front of him, who seemed to be squirming in place.

Especially the other person from Silver Eagle, in whose mind the scene of Solid, a royal and brother of Nozel Silva, his captain, being beaten up and trampled upon was still fresh.

In reply, Wilhelm gave a brief nod that served to relax the person from Crimson Lions, but caused the man from Silver Eagle to feel even more jumpy.

Following this, trying to be as approachable and friendly as possible, the man from the Crimson Lions walked forward with his hand extended for a handshake and said, "Nice to meet you. My name is Nils Kurem, and I am a member of Crimson Lions."

For the sake of pleasantries, Wilhelm shook his hand back, then turned back to the other person with half-lidded eyes, which caused the other person to flinch, and started to speak like a train.

"MynameisRubelRortonNicetomeetyou!"

Barely sparing him a glance, Wilhelm turned to Nils, who, taking it as an opportunity, began to speak.

"Wilhelm, why don't we discuss our plan of action and introduce ourselves?"

"It won't be needed." But Wilhelm said in a monotonous voice that caused the friendly look on Nils' face to stiffen.

"I know you are stro-"

"You don't know how strong I am. Any plan requiring your cooperation would be unnecessary. Let me do my own thing, and enjoy winning."

Wilhelm replied, as he walked away, but stopped at the commotion from just above Julius.

A man with red hair, wearing a facemask full of jagged teeth and a half coat, jumped from the top of the stone pillar and directly landed beside Julius.

****

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