---
The one everyone was looking at was Valin.
Among the crowd, Valin, like Yuno, was one of those present, and they were the only ones not surrounded by any annoying birds.
"Really! There are no disgusting birds around him either."
"Maybe his magical book is a four-leaf clover as well!" someone asked curiously.
"How is that possible? Stop joking."
"It seems there are killers in this year's knight exam. There are two individuals with strong magical powers."
Of course, the mana he possessed was considered his end.
Another thing Valin didn't know was that the annoying birds felt fear from him, especially since his aura resembled that of a sleeping beast; if it awakened, it would devour everything in its path.
Suddenly, at that moment, there was a commotion among the crowd.
Valin unconsciously looked over and realized that Asta had bumped into him, the leader of the Black Bull team, Yami Sukehiro.
Asta was immediately lifted by Yami, who was leading the team.
The Black Bulls, a group of rogue knights, were known for their negative achievements outweighing their merits.
All team members were suspected of having questionable morals. Due to their poor grades, none of the squad members could be promoted, but their combat abilities ranked among the best of the nine magical knight squads in the Clover Kingdom.
Valin smiled slightly after sensing Yami's aura; he knew he was strong and a good fit, but he didn't enjoy excitement much, so he walked toward the edge of the tower and waited for the exam to start.
On the side of the castle tower, another woman was hiding behind a pillar, quietly observing the crowd.
She had tied her hair in braids and wore luxurious clothing that seemed slightly out of place among the ordinary people outside. Indeed, she was Noelle Silva, a future comrade.
She was the youngest daughter of the Silva royal family, with two brothers and a sister, all of whom were mages with strong magical abilities.
Her mother died from complications during childbirth, and only Noelle was neglected due to her weak magic control, but she continued to train hard nonetheless.
However, after the patriarch's death, she was immediately cast out by her brothers and sisters.
Except for occasional living expenses, she was completely ignored.
Whenever she encountered her sister, she was mocked and insulted by her siblings, making her reluctant to face them.
Today, she also wanted to attend the knight's medal exam.
When she found out Valin was also walking toward the edge of the tower, she unconsciously pulled her eyes to look outside.
Valin: "She's beautiful. I shouldn't fall in love with a girl, because as the saying goes: it will affect my spell-casting speed."
She leaned against the pillar, glancing at Valin from time to time.
But Valin ignored it, leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and looking out calmly.
"Bang bang bang!"
Fireworks shot into the air again, signaling that the knight's medal exam was about to begin.
This time, the exam was presided over by the leaders of the nine knight ranks, who were directly accountable to the magical emperor.
These nine knights, like the magical emperor, enjoyed great admiration and love from the people.
The nine knight ranks included the Red Lotus Lion King, the Golden Dawn, the Black Bull, the Silver Eagle, the Blue Roses, the Emerald Mantis, the Water Deer, and the Purple Peacock.
After the sound of the flourishing fireworks stopped, the leaders of the nine knight squads slowly walked from the corridor on the second floor to the seats on the second floor. Valin heard the sound:
[Ding ding]
[Detected that a host is participating in the story]
[Received an unlimited storage ring]
[Description: Features unlimited space and can store any non-living items. Time in the storage ring is frozen.]
Valin smiled slightly.
On the second floor of the tower, Yami sat still.
While complaining: "Hey, this is really annoying. Hurry up and finish it for me!"
The leader of the Golden Dawn looked at Yami and smiled slightly: "This is an important test that determines the future of the youth. I hope you take it seriously!"
Yami took a drag from his cigarette and said: "Yeah, are you serious?"
The leader of the Golden Dawn ignored Yami's comment but turned his attention to all the candidates below.
He said: "Candidates, I have waited long enough, and I will preside over this exam."
Then, he held a yellow-covered spellbook in his hand, flipping to the page containing the instructions.
"The magical tree is coming!"
Suddenly, his spellbook glowed green.
Suddenly, dark clouds covered the sky, and a strong gust of wind struck the examination hall.
Suddenly, in the midst of the dark clouds, green and yellow light appeared.
Immediately, massive roots of a tree slowly descended, branching out and spreading toward each candidate.
Finally, at the end of the tree roots, they transformed into magic brooms and were handed to each candidate.
Everyone stared in astonishment at the magic broom before them.
"It's no wonder that the leader of the Golden Dawn is known as the strongest magic knight! The power is truly impressive."
"Yes, I was just scared."
"In comparison, we're just ants!"
"Ah, if only I could join the Golden Dawn squad."
"Don't think about that, you fool. I told you that these two squads only accept the elite from the royal family or nobility."
---