|| Black Clover || Valiant [OC INSERT]

[8]

The arena remained quiet with everyone's eyes still on Iris. They couldn't look away even if they had wanted to. What felt like an eternity was just a few seconds. The examinees were still being overwhelmed by the amount of magic power that she was releasing.

Iris sighed before smiling brightly, dispersing the power she had been emitting. She crossed both her arms over her chest and looked back at the two mages. "You should be careful. In an actual battle, you have to be constantly aware of your surroundings." She shifted her hands to her hips, tilting her head slightly. "With the amount of power you packed into that attack, you could've done some serious damage"

Yami looked at Iris, a glimpse of curiosity grazing his face. 'This Kid is fucking hilarious,' he blew out a puff of smoke, trying to keep his face from contorting into one of laughter. 'Just when I thought the runt would take something serious she ends up doing the complete opposite.'

Iris' words lingered in the minds of the witnesses. The mage who had created the attack bowed slightly, apologizing for the inconvenience. "I apologize for my careless actions. I'll make sure to be mindful of what I do." Their voice quivered, despite the confidence they radiated.

Upon hearing the apology, the crowd of examinees fell into whispers, enrapturing the once quiet arena. Iris still had her amused smile on her face. She turned to look at the one who had been conducting the fight, glancing around the multitude of people. 'I don't know how many have gone, but considering there's this many examinees, I doubt they've gotten far,' she examined.

"Resume your battle with that in mind." She directed her words back to the two nobles who had been previously fighting. She noticed their hesitance--or was it fear?

She deflated at the sight of them not listening to her. Deciding to fix the mess she made, she spoke up once again. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she taunted. Seeing them resume their original fight, she smiled happily.

Iris stepped back as the fighting continued. She had her arms crossed while leaning against Yami's seat. 'I don't want to be here anymore. In my little outburst, I drew more attention than necessary,' she thought, exhausted by her stupidity.

"Captain, I think I'll head out. There's something I'd like to do." Iris turned to look at Yami, waiting for his response. 'Maybe I should have said that a bit nicer. If he thought that I was demanding anything, he'd crush my skull!' She shuddered at the thought of being brutally murdered at the young age of fifteen.

"Yeah, yeah. I don't care about what you do. Make sure you don't break anything." Yami wished that he could do the same. He envied the carefree Iris--more like her lack of responsibilities. 'At least one of us gets to get out of this. Lucky brat,' he thought.

"Thanks, Captain! I'll be going then." Iris waved goodbye to her three squad members. She practically dashed out of the exam. She sighed, relieved that she wouldn't have to deal with any more formalities. 'Geez, it's exhausting being me,' she huffed.

What Iris hadn't noticed was the watchful eyes of the captains who sat close by. Their thoughts varied, some thought that Iris was the one who was being reckless, while others thought that she was interesting. Nonetheless, they all had an opinion, good or bad.

Exiting the arena, Iris looked at the sky. It was still fairly bright, so she had plenty of time to herself. 'I think I'll go and see Al, as well as Mother and Father.' She smiled to herself, wanting to see her family as soon as possible. 'I'm sure they'll want to know everything that has happened.'

Iris made her way to the castle. While on her way, she would get distracted by the smallest things, taking an extreme interest in them. She would entertain anyone who would call for her or take the time to approach her. By the time she arrived, it was well into the day.