Wait, they are the protagonists of this show, Black Clover.
Ah, yes, they're here to take the Magic Knight Exam, both aiming to become the Wizard King.
Marcus paused for a moment, piecing everything together.
So, which one is the main protagonist and which one is the rival?
He observed them carefully.
That white-haired, hyperactive guy, all excited about everything—definitely your typical high-energy MC, and he's got no magic.
Then there's the neat, black-haired guy with the handsome appearance, looks cool, and, on top of that, has enormous magic.
Marcus chuckled to himself while observing them,
Damn, these are two types of shows. One has the MC as a hyperactive, less knowledgeable, dense kid with perks like hard work and great battle IQ—like Naruto or Luffy.
And then there are shows where the MC is calm and smart, but the rival is hyperactive, like in My Hero Academia.
But then something caught his eye
I'm not sure which direction this show is going, but... wait, is that hyperactive guy eating fried dead snakes? and the food is smeared all over his face…Okay, then that black-haired guy is the MC for now.
And it'll be easier for me to digest that fact.
I'm not fully knowledgeable about the show; I only watched an episode, and that was a long time ago.
Marcus left the place, still uninterested in making friends with the main characters.
He started exploring the town. The town clearly resembled a medieval settlement, with people dressed in era-appropriate clothing. Everything was peaceful.
He bought some snakes and candies, eating them as he wandered around.
After exploring for a bit, he stopped at a bookstore. He wanted to learn everything, but didn't have much time now due to the exam.
"I'll take some time to see how the books in this world look. After the exam, I'll buy many books."
While browsing the bookstore, his eyes landed on one particular book.
"Family Lineages of Clover Kingdom."
He became interested and bought the book and has a question about his own family name.
As he stepped out of the bookstore, a bell rang. Everyone around him started heading in the same direction. Marcus asked the bookstore owner what was happening.
The bookstore owner glanced at Marcus. "You look like you want to participate in the Knight Selection Exam."
Marcus nodded.
"Then what are you waiting for? The Knight Selection has started. Go and register!"
The bookstore owner urged him.
Marcus quickly mounted his broom and sped toward the location.
There was a line in front of the entrance to a colosseum, with people walking down the middle, while citizens and spectators cheered from both sides.
Marcus joined the line and noticed the protagonists ahead of him.
He looked around and saw the crowd cheering for him.
This is the first time some one unknown people cheered in him in this and his past lives.
A small smile appeared on Marcus's face.
He entered the colosseum, where there was a line in front of him, with everyone registering for the exam.
He also took note of the protagonists. As numbers were called, another person stepped forward to the inspector mage, who would register their grimoires.
As time passed, Marcus read the book he had purchased while waiting in line.
When the number 164 was called, one of the protagonists, Yuno, stepped in front of the mage and handed over his grimoire.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the line. Marcus stopped reading and listened.
"Hey, is that the kid with the legendary four-leaf clover grimoire?"
"Yeah, I heard whoever gets that grimoire will become great."
"And I heard he comes from the outskirts of the kingdom, from the forsaken realm."
"No, that's not possible."
"You moron, he's the secret child—"
As people spread their theories, Marcus observed another protagonist, Asta, who handed a black, filthy-colored grimoire to the mage.
Both grimoires looked special and powerful—maybe plot armor.
He returned to his reading, and after some time, his turn came.
"Name and place"
"Marcus from Ryuma village"
He handed his grimoire to the inspector mage. As soon as the mage saw it, he seemed shocked.
It was a star-shaped grimoire.
"Are you from Clover Kingdom?" the mage asked. Marcus nodded.
The inspector mage examined the grimoire for a moment, flipping it upside down, touching every part of it. Then, he placed his hand on the grimoire.
"This mana signature belongs to Clover Kingdom, but—"
"Maybe I have a special grimoire," Marcus replied.
While people in the line complained about the delay, the inspector mage sighed. "Okay, whatever. I'll register it." He placed his hands on the grimoire and registered it.
"Number 185," he said, handing the number to Marcus.
Marcus entered the colosseum, where many people were waiting for the exam to start.
Several birds circled around, but none landed on him.
As he listened to the chatter, he learned that the birds were "anti-birds," known to prefer people with low mana.
Looking for a quiet spot, a loud scream suddenly cut through the air. Marcus turned to see the source.
"I will become the Wizard King… ow... ow... ow... ow!" A flock of anti-birds began pecking him.
And then, he started running.
Is that kid seriously mana-less? Marcus thought, still surprised.
Just then, Asta bumped into a giant of a man. Enormous mana was practically radiating from him.
Marcus, with his advanced mana detection, could feel the overwhelming mana from the towering figure, while everyone else seemed oblivious.
As he watched, Marcus's jaw dropped.
Not only did that kid not apologize, he called the giant "old"—does he have a death wish?
Marcus slapped his face. "RIP, one of the protagonists," he muttered. He didn't have the heart to watch the upcoming beatdown.
He found a quiet spot, sat down, and went back to reading his book.
As Marcus opened his book, he came to the page that described the family lineage of the Kira family.
Yes, the same family name as his mother: Vivenna Kira.
The book stated that the Kira family was part of the royal bloodline, holding the highest authority in the Clover Kingdom for several centuries.
They were the kings of the Clover Kingdom.
Marcus was initially shocked by the statement. He closed his eyes, but a scene quickly flashed through his mind:
In the slums of a town, the sun was slowly sinking in the evening. A beautiful woman with dark violet hair stood in front of a vegetable shop.
"Madam, since I know you well, how about 500 rals for this batch of potatoes?"
The silent woman took a deep breath, then opened her mouth.
"What kind of bullshit rate is that for a small batch of potatoes? Are you trying to make a fool of me? What a colossal amount for these expired potatoes!"
"Madam, please calm down. Let's discuss the price," the shopkeeper said, starting to negotiate.
"What's there to discuss?" she snapped.
"30 yuls,"
"What?!" shopkeeper shouted.
"25 yuls," she lowered.
"No, that's too low," shopkeeper started crying.
"20 yuls. That's already generous for your stale potatoes,"
The woman continued to argue loudly, and in the end, the shopkeeper submitted to her arguments, handing her the batch of potatoes for just 10 yuls.
Marcus opened his eyes, looked around, and slapped his face with his palm.
In all my memories, there's not a single one where she acted like royalty. Of course, she has kindness, beauty, and patience as vast as the sea, but noble aura and royalty... nah.
Maybe my family copied the royal name. Even so, my mother lived a lonely life with only me. Either she was abandoned by her family, or there's just no family left for me.
If it's the last one—no family—then it's fine. But if her family abandoned her, I'll deal with them soon enough.
But like I thought, I shouldn't use the family name carelessly. What if the name is really a family name of the king? Wait, we have a king?
A sound of footsteps and cheers snapped Marcus out of his thoughts. He turned to see the source of the commotion.
A group of people surrounded by strong mana—Magic Knight Captains—appeared on the stage. The Magic Knight Captain wearing the mask was Captain Vengeance.
"Let's start the magic knight test," Captain Vangeance declared.
A smile appeared on the faces of Asta, Yuno, and Marcus.