Black Clover - By My Side (Asta X Noelle)

Chapter 20: The Royal Knights Exam (Part 2)

[It appeared as though humanity would be destroyed by demons. But a single mage saved them all. He was called the wizard king, and he became a legend.]

Noelle POV:

"Welcome everyone- to the Royal Knights Exam! I thank you all for coming here today."

The crowd roars as the Wizard King takes the stage. But then, the King makes his way behind the Wizard King, and the crowd goes silent. The King clears his throat and begins to speak, "The exam will be a team competition. In other words, a magic crystal destruction battle tournament! The rules are simple, protect your crystal that is placed in your area and destroy your opponents. There is a 30-minute time limit, and if each team is unable to destroy the crystal within that limit, then the team that has suffered the most damage will lose. We chose this format because... because..." The King forgets his line and stumbles on his words. Deep down, I feel sorry for him, but I also wonder how they let someone like him be the king of our country. 

Recovering the King's mistake, the Wizard King begins to speak, "in our battle against the Eye of The Midnight Sun, different squads will most likely have to work together. Therefore, we figured this would be the best way to test your cooperation and strategic abilities that you will have to use against them." Chatter emerges from the crowd, but that does not stop the Wizard King from continuing, "now, we will now announce your teams!"

Above the stage, a type of magic is used to display the teams that will be participating. I look around, and I finally find my name. P-team, huh? Who's En Ringard? And... Yuno. The thought of him leaves a sour taste in my mouth. Why do I have to be on a team with that jerk? I'd much rather have Asta on my team. I look at the board once more to see what team Asta is on. To my displeasure, it seems that Mimosa will be joining him today. It honestly makes me somewhat jealous and upset that it's not me, but I decide to drop it for now. The other person is... Xerx Lugner? Whose that?

"Whoops, my bad, sorry I'm late." A tall man stands atop the colosseum. He's wearing a mask. What's he doing? He jumps down, landing on the stage right next to the Wizard King. He wraps one arm around him and begins to talk to him. What's this guy doing? Is he insane? The crowd of Magic Knights shows their displeasure, yelling at the mysterious man. However, it does not phase him, and he continues talking to the Wizard King. Finally, he turns his attention to us," Hello, everyone. I'm Xerx Lugner. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He jumps down from the stage, landing before us. 

"How dare you make a scene like that after showing up late!"

"The Wizard King is the only man my sister respects!"

"What's wrong with you? You better show the Wizard king some respect!"

Xerx places his hand on the back of his neck, "I forgot, all of you must really respect the Wizard king, well I don't. And you don't need to push your stupid values on me either." Is this guy serious? He's supposed to be on Asta's team, isn't he? I hope they're able to get along, but I highly doubt it. 

"Make sure you don't hold me back," a voice from behind me says. I turn around and see Yuno approaching me beside some old-looking guy I assume to be En. 

"Yeah, you heard him! Don't get in the way of my Yuno!" Says the little fairy accompanying Yuno. However, I ignore it. "Are you listening to me? Don't you even think about getting in the way!" 

Getting flustered from the fairy and my encounter with Yuno earlier, I scream, "shut up!" Ugh, why do I have to be on this team? I guess it really wasn't a good idea to tell Yuno about Asta and me. I felt obligated to tell him, and since he and Asta are basically brothers, I thought Yuno would be happy for Asta. Instead, he just said that I'd get in the way of Asta's dream. Not only that, but he said I was probably dating him out of pity. I feel myself start to get angry. Why does he have to be such a jerk? 

Cutting off my train of thought, the Wizard Kings speaks once more, "It looks like everyone has found their team. Now let's move on to the battlefield. I'll be counting on you, Cobs!"

 The Wizard King hands the stage over to another Magic Knight, "of course, sir," he opens up a portal using spatial magic, "alright everyone, go through the portal." 

We all file through and end up on the other side atop a  large wall. Immediately, the battlefield is revealed down below. It's a large clearing with trees spread sporadically around, a river, and small mountains. This is it. I'll have to do my best to make sure that I can stay with Asta. I know he'll pass- without a doubt. 

"Alright, everyone," the Wizard King begins, "let's get started. These are the teams that will be going first." Above the Wizard King appears a magical display that shows the tournament bracket. I look around the board, looking for my team. When I finally find it, my heart drops. I'm playing against Solid in the first round. I take a deep breath and slowly turn my head over to Solid, who is already glaring at me. Afraid, I look away immediately. I can't catch a break today, can I? Why do I have to fight against him so soon? I look at the board once more and see that Asta's team will be going first. I look over to Asta and see that he and Xerx are arguing. I hope they're able to pull it together. 

"Now that everyone has gotten to look at the draw, we will be starting the first round immediately! A-team and B-team, prepare to be transported down," says the Wizard King.

Quickly, I run over to Asta. I need to wish him good luck. Right before he's transported, I get to him, "good luck Asta, you better win!"

Asta smiles and gives me a thumbs-up, "of course."

[Chapter 20 end]