"So this is my grimoire?" said a woman with a small smile, holding a medium-sized grimoire.
"Look, mine is pretty big!" said an excited man, showing his grimoire to his friend.
"So what! Mine's thicker! (🤨)" replied the man's friend with a somewhat suspicious line.
Nearby, an old man watched the scene smiling. "Haha, looks like you're all ready to head to the city!"
"I'll definitely help out with my family's business!" declared a determined man, looking at his grimoire with pride.
"I'll decide that once I get used to my grimoire," said a random boy wisely.
"We'll be taking the test to join the Magic Knights in six months," one of the nobles said arrogantly, along with his friend, who was also a noble.
However, a peculiar scene drew the attention of all the young people attending the grimoire ceremony.
At the center of the hall, Asta was kneeling with his arms stretched forward, waiting for his grimoire to appear. But nothing came. A look of terror took over his face.
Just what he needed — not only did he have no magical aptitude, but now he wouldn't even get a grimoire. What else could go wrong?
"My grimoire isn't coming," Asta said, desperation growing in his eyes.
"In that case, try again next year. Maybe you'll have better luck," declared the Tower Chief seriously.
"What!?" Terrified, he couldn't stand the idea of waiting another year for his grimoire. And Yuno would gain a huge advantage over him.
"What do you mean!? Kekeke"
"This is incredible!"
"I can't believe it, this is hilarious!"
Several youths made rude comments about Asta's situation, laughing out loud. The nobles took advantage of the moment and mocked him.
"Of course, only a commoner from tha—"
His sentence was cut off by a suffocating pressure that filled the room. Everyone there could feel it.
Before them, a large grimoire glowed green, but what caught everyone's attention were the four-leaf clover symbols on its cover.
"The four-leaf clover?!" everyone thought, stunned.
More whispers followed:
"The four-leaf clover… isn't that from the legends?!"
"The one used by the first Wizard King…"
"The one said to grant unmatched power and bring good luck?!"
Yuno listened to the comments with his usual stoic expression. As the grimoire floated closer to him, he reached out and grabbed it.
"I will become the Wizard King," Yuno said with determination, turning to walk past Asta, who was on the ground, defeated.
Everyone in the room shouted in excitement. It was the moment when the main character declared their iconic line — and he said it at the perfect time.
But more emotional than everyone else were the church members, beaming with pride.
"Yuno is the hope of our village!" said the old Father Orsi, tears streaming down his face.
The nobles squirmed with disgust — and jealousy. How could a mere commoner steal all the spotlight? It was unacceptable.
"Yuno!" Asta shouted, making Yuno pause, waiting for him to finish his sentence. "Wait for me, because I'm going to catch up to you! I'm your rival!"
"What's this idiot who didn't even get a grimoire talking about?"
"You're not even close to being worthy of calling yourself his rival!"
Some extras commented. Yuno turned to Asta without changing his expression.
"It's not possible."
He walked toward the tower's exit, not sparing a glance at Asta, who was left shaken by those words.
In a corner of the tower, a man with a scar over his eye observed everything.
"Who would've thought someone so troublesome would come out of this dump…" the mysterious man said with a sinister smile.
...
Asta's heart was in turmoil as he recalled everything that had happened.
He couldn't understand. There must've been a mistake — he had an incredible amount of mana, yet couldn't cast a single spell.
He began to think he was born defective, that something made him incapable of becoming a mage.
His last hope — receiving a grimoire and becoming a knight — was crushed.
"I bet Yuno doesn't even remember our promise…" Asta said with melancholy. Then he slapped both cheeks.
"Like I'd give up now! Don't underestimate me, fate! I'll come back in a year — or even two if I have to!"
He declared, shouting into the sky with determination.
From the corner of his eye, Asta noticed Yuno stopping near a large gate at the city's edge.
Behind him, a suspicious-looking man was secretly following him.
Speeding up, the man got close to Yuno and began to speak: "After what I saw today, I can't let you live."
Yuno turned abruptly and saw a hideous man with a scar cutting through his eye.
"Chain Magic: Demonic Chain Prison!"
Several chains burst from the ground, flying toward Yuno at such speed that he couldn't react. They bound him tightly.
"Anyone caught by this spell has their mana and movement paralyzed."
"Who are you?" Yuno asked, observing the man with curiosity and growing fear.
"Until recently, I was a Magic Knight…" he paused dramatically before continuing. "I was known as Revchi, the Chain Mage."
He stepped closer to Yuno, nearly touching him. "But now, I'm just a thief," he said with disgust. He then looked at Yuno's grimoire.
"Only the chosen can use a grimoire. However, your four-leaf one is worth a fortune on the black market."
"What I'm about to do is a shame, but don't worry — it's for my own good! I'll end your story before it even begins!" Revchi declared with fury, preparing to cast a spell.
But before he could release it, he heard something fall nearby. Looking to the side, he saw Asta, the boy who hadn't received a grimoire, standing up and dusting himself off.
He had jumped from the top of a hill, trying to make a dramatic entrance — but slipped mid-way. This was the result.
"What do you think you're doing, you thief!?"
"Asta!" Yuno exclaimed.
"Well, well, if it isn't the loser who didn't get a grimoire! Kekeke," Revchi mocked with a strange laugh.
"Good to know you remember me, but listen well — a grimoire is important to its owner. So give it back to Yuno, you bastard!"
"Out there, things work differently, you know? You think you can challenge me without even leaving your trashy little village?!"
"Asta, run!" Yuno shouted, more fearful than before.
"Like I'd run from a bastard like him!" Asta yelled, charging at Revchi, slipping on some dirt mid-run.
"Even as a thief, I learned a few things back when I was a Magic Knight. There's no way you can match me!" Revchi said arrogantly.
Before Asta got close, Revchi once again used his magic to bind the boy.
"Not yet!" Asta shouted, trying to resist the chains. But it was no use; his movements were restricted.
"No, boy… it's already over." His grimoire flipped pages rapidly until it stopped. Revchi smiled. "Chain Magic: Serpent Dance!"
Above, a nearly invisible magic circle formed. From it, snake-like chains emerged.
They launched at Asta, and in his current state, he couldn't dodge them. The chains pierced several parts of his body, targeting vital areas and weakening him.
One thought echoed in his mind:
"Is this really the level of a Magic Knight?"
"Thanks for the warm-up. Since you tried so hard, I'll tell you something," Revchi said coldly, then smirked. "You'll never be anyone in life. I sensed your mana — I even envied it a bit. But even with all that power, you couldn't get a grimoire? I'll say it clearly..."
"You'll never become a Magic Knight!" He stomped on Asta's shoulder. Asta stared blankly.
"Someone like you is hopeless! That genius friend of yours is probably just making fun of you. Even if you don't give up, in the end, you'll always lose. You've been a loser since the day you were born!"
He stomped again, making Asta collapse to the ground, powerless.
Asta was about to give up on everything — until he heard something...
"Hey, who are you calling a loser? Asta is…"
[Flashback]
Yuno: Asta!
He shouted, seeing his brother take a direct hit from the scumbag's spell.
Asta: Not yet!
He said determinedly, rising again.
???: You...
Asta: Not yet, you bastard!
Not yet!
Still...
Asta: Still not over!
He stood again, body battered, wounds across his torso.
The man watched in shock, and not wanting more trouble, decided to flee, dropping the necklace he stole.
???: F-fine, take your stupid necklace back.
He ran away, hoping no one else saw him beat up a kid.
Yuno: Thanks, Asta. Are you okay?
Asta: In this world, magic is everything, right? Then I'll show them — even the poor, the abandoned, even those without magic can become someone.
I'll become the Wizard King!
Yuno: Me too. I'll become the Wizard King too.
Asta: Really? Then…
He always gave Yuno the courage he lacked, even when unsure of himself. Even behind Yuno, he never stopped chasing after him.
Asta had never given up — not until now. But to make sure that wouldn't happen...
[End Flashback]
"He's not a loser. Asta… is my rival!"
A click echoed inside Asta, like a trigger. He stood up, clearing all negative thoughts.
As Revchi prepared to stomp on him again, he felt something grab his leg — tightly. Curious, he looked down.
Asta, now with a much more serious face, stared back.
"Not yet!" He pushed Revchi's leg, making him stumble and fall.
"What!?" Revchi shouted in disbelief, struggling to rise.
"I almost showed my pathetic side, didn't I, Yuno? But don't worry. I'm taking this guy down!" declared Asta, full of confidence.
Asta — the one cursed by fate, the boy who didn't receive a grimoire — finally fought back.
A powerful pressure filled the air. Yuno, terrified, used his magical senses to analyze the situation.
But this… this was something else. He stared at Asta, now shrouded in a heavy, celestial aura — something beyond royalty.
Even Asta, lacking Yuno's perception, could feel this massive magical force. He looked forward and saw it.
"A grimoire!" he said in disbelief, watching the floating book radiating a majestic aura.
"Of course Asta was chosen," Yuno said softly, smiling despite his serious look.
"What grimoire is that... such majesty. How can a commoner possess it?!" thought Revchi, filled with envy.
...
The three leaves of a grimoire symbolize faith, hope, and love. In the fourth dwells good luck.
In the fifth... resides a demon.
But what about one with no leaves?
It had a dazzling look — gold and white, lined with intricate markings around its cover.
Despite lacking clovers, it seemed superior to all others.
...
"D-don't think that just because you got a grimoire, you're better than me!" Revchi said, hiding his fear.
"Even as a mere commoner, with all obstacles in my way — I'll become the Wizard King!" Asta's grimoire floated, glowing golden. The pages flipped rapidly, landing on the first spell.
Curious, he looked at it — and smiled. He stared at Revchi, who had kept a safe distance.
"Chain Magic: Serpent Dance!"
Hearing that, Revchi thought Asta was mocking him — until a golden magic circle appeared above him, vivid and radiant.
Unlike Revchi's dark ones, Asta's were golden with white highlights. From it, snake-like chains shot out.
But unlike Revchi's black, charred chains — Asta's were brilliant white, radiating celestial energy.
Twice as fast as Revchi's attack, the chains flew at him. He watched in terror.
He never imagined his day would end like this — defeated by his own magic.
Without time to react, the chains struck him, grazing some vital points but not lethally. The man passed out.
"He couldn't even take one proper hit. That's what happens when you depend too much on magic," Asta said seriously, then smiled. "Finally! I thought I wouldn't make it this year. I'll take good care of you, my grimoire!" hugging it warmly.
Yuno approached, smiling faintly.
"Asta, you saved me again. One day, I'll repay the favor," he said confidently.
"Hey, Yuno/Asta… do you still remember our promise?" they said together, raising their fists.
"A contest to see who becomes the Wizard King first!" they shouted, bumping fists — sealing yet another promise.