BLACK CLOVER: The Whisperer - Yuno Grinberryall

CHAPTER XIV. The Entrance Exam Pt. 3

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William's striking violet eyes looked down on the participants, holding great expectations within. He smiled, announcing, "You may use your grimoire. I'm sure that you have mastered one or two attack spells, right?"

His smile was unfaltering. So calm yet so pressuring. The way he walked back to his seat and joined the other captains made Xierra look at him one last time. There was something peculiar about that man and his way of speaking. And she wasn't saying that his manner of speech was out of place, no. He was very polite, unlike Yami who threatened Asta before. However, the meaning behind his gaze struck her cold.

She stared at him, thinking back at Inari's words. "Keep my distance from him", she repeated, but why?

The crowd began to murmur the captain's speech. They each looked at the grimoire in their hands, the ones that were tied behind their back, hidden in bags, hugged—they all thought of the same thing.

"The main job of a magic knight is to battle. Feel free to show us what you're capable of," one of the captains spoke.

"If you lose, it won't look good on the captains."

They began to run around, looking for opponents to fight. A few bumped into each other and fought in a corner. Others searched in all seriousness, finding the perfect partner to have a duel with.

"We need to choose our opponents wisely."

"Who should I partner with?"

"Perhaps I should go look for a weaker one..."

Although there were some that "cheated" their way through, there were never any rules that stated that they had to fight someone with the same strength.

The captain of the Golden Dawn listened in to the participants' mutters and continued the previous captain's words, "The match is over when a competitor gives up or can't fight anymore. We have a mage who can use healing magic in tow, so fight freely. Of course," he paused, "do refrain from the act of killing or destroying the colosseum."

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Ki▮l ▮▮em. ▮▮ll th▮m. K▮▮l t▮em▮

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"Urk—!" Xierra's head rang at the mention of "kill". Never had it happened before, but when she heard his voice mention the word, she staggered back, holding onto her head in an attempt to ease the pain. Her sudden movements surprised Yuno. He quickly caught the girl before she fell and propped her up.

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▮ w▮nt t▮ ▮▮ll th▮m al▮▮

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"What's wrong?" he questioned with worry.

William glanced at her somewhat limp form that quickly gained its energy back. He squinted his eyes, thinking of something one wouldn't be able to decipher.

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Oh▮ ▮ow I w▮sh ▮o▮ th▮m ▮▮ ▮uf▮er ▮s ▮el▮▮

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Xierra blinked a few times to adjust her blurred vision before nodding. "Sorry, I'm all right. Thank you," she said softly. She looked back at Yuno, mesmerized by the golden hues of his eyes. She shook her head, looking away to hide her flushed cheeks, and patted Yuno's arm to assure him. "You can let me go now."

He reluctantly let go of her. "All right, call me if you need me. You should go look for an opponent," Yuno suggested whilst looking around, trying to find an opponent.