Coco: Here we go, chapter 4~ In this chapter, Maryam will get to show her stuff! And in the next chapter, she'll be choosing a squad.

But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, am I right?

As the exam was about to begin, Maryam took a deep, calming breath to settle any nerves she still might have. Her eyes then fell on William Vangeance the Captain of the Golden Dawn as he started to speak.

"Attention, examinees." He addressed the crowd below. "Thank you for waiting. I will be administering this year's entrance exam."

He then held out a pale greenish-yellow grimoire, which he had flipped open. The pages turned until the captain seemed to land on the spell that he wanted.

"Magic Tree Descent." He said.

The grimoire began to glow and clouds gathered around the colosseum. A harsh wind blew in as well, which had many examinees gasping. Maryam watched in awe as tree roots started to grow down towards them from a blinding light from above. From those roots grew brooms. Enough brooms for each examinee. Maryam reached out to accept hers while amazed by the magic the captain of the Golden Dawn possessed.

"You've waited long enough," William said as he ended his spell. "The time has come. Let the entrance exam begin!"

The excitement from earlier returned in Maryam as her hands clenched the broom in her hands even tighter.

"In just a few moments, we'll begin the first in the series of tests." William explained. "The nine magic knight captains will be serving as your judges, and when the exam is complete, we will choose the individuals we want on our squads. If chosen, you are in. If more than one squad chooses you, you will decide which one you would like to join. However, if you are not selected by any squad, that means you have been deemed unqualified to join the magic knights."

As William spoke, Maryam's eyes swept over the nine captains for the second time since their arrival.

'So, all I need is for one of them to choose me, is that it?' Maryam thought.

Many of them looked very interesting, and while she kind of already had an idea of who she wanted to pick her, there were a few other captains that stood out to her. The pretty captain in armor that she believed was called Charlotte Roselei. The Silver Eagles' captain seemed interesting, but his stern expression was a bit off putting. That and she heard only nobles get into his squad, so best not to waste time thinking about that squad. Same with the Golden Dawn. Fuegoleon Vermillion also looked as if he might make her a good captain. But she shouldn't get too ahead of herself. After all, she had to pass the exam first.

'Challenge excepted.' She thought.

She was ready to show off the fruits of her labor. Ready to show not only those here, but herself that all that hard work she put herself through was worth every last second spent on it.

"And now for your first test," William continued. "You must use the brooms you've been given to fly."

His words brought a few worried murmurs from the other examinees. Like Maryam, it would seem as if some of them had never flown on a broom. She wasn't too worried though. If Father Orsi could pull it off, so could she.

"A mage who is in control of his or her magic power can do it on instinct alone," William told them as one of his subordinates demonstrated. "It is our most basic way to get from one place to another. If you cannot fly on a broom then you are not worth our time. Enough talk, now begin!"

Maryam gave a shrug before looking down at the broom in her hand. She floated it out in front of her before she sat down on it with her legs hanging on one side. She was wearing a skirt after all, and didn't wish to flash anyone. She took off into the air with a small laugh leaving her.

'Now, this is fun,' she said as she did a few loops around the area.

She spotted Yuno flying around as well as he stood up on his broom. She smiled at the boy as he stopped in front of her.

"Look at you, showoff." She said teasingly to him. "You just have to go the extra mile, don't you?"

Yuno's lips twitched up slightly at her jest as more examinees started taking to the air.

"How else am I supposed to show you and Asta that I am superior?" He asked in return.

Maryam snorted at his comment as she gave his shoulder a poke in retaliation. As the two conversed, the captains watched the examinees with keen eyes.

"It would seem as if the examinee you are interested in, Yami, has fair control over her magic," Fuegoleon commented.

Yami let out a scoff and a puff of smoke as he looked up at the blonde pipsqueak as she was speaking with another examinee. She seemed to know the other kid well as she was laughing and smiling with him.

"It's just the first test," Yami said. "Nothing to be impressed about yet."

"An examinee that Yami is interested in?" William hummed. "And who might that be?"

Fuegoleon's eyes shifted to the blonde, which had William's gaze following to where the vermillion-haired man was looking. He saw the blonde girl as she did a few circles around a raven-haired boy. Both appeared to be commoners based on their dress, but something about them had William's attention.

"That girl there?" William questioned. "Her mana is a bit interesting and so is the mana of that boy she is speaking with."

The boy's mana was interesting because there was a large amount of it. Especially for a commoner to have. The girl's mana was large by commoner standards though not as large as her compaion's. However, something about it felt a bit different.

"Perhaps I shall keep an eye on the both of them," William said.

"Do what you want." Yami said. "Like I said, it's only the first test. Nothing to get excited about yet."

And so, the tests continued. One after the other. In each one, Maryam did her best and felt confident in her results. The grin never leaving her face as the day went on. Then the moment finally came, the final test.

"On to the next test," William said. "The final and most difficult. A display of combat skills."

Some sounded nervous at this declaration. Many probably have never been in a fight in their whole lives. All Maryam has done was is get into fights when she was kid against anyone who dared to try and hurt her younger siblings. She's never been in a magic battle before, but she was ready as ever to get started.

"Prepare to duel!" Fuegoleon called out as he stood up from his chair. "You will break into pairs and fight each other! Use your grimoires to attack and defend. As knights, battle is our business. We want to see everything you're capable of."

Maryam had no trouble doing that. She just needed to pick the right partner. Though she was sure no one would be all too eager to partner up with a kid from Hage.

"The test will end when either one combatant surrenders or is unable to continue." William took over. "We have mages wielding recovery magic standing by for the injured."

"So, don't hold anything back!" Fuegoleon finished.

Many examinees started hurrying to find partners as Maryam took a moment to think.

'Well, I don't want to fight Asta or Yuno.' Maryam thought. 'What kind of big sister would I be if I kicked their butts in front of all these people and embarrassed them? Or worse they do that to me instead?'

So, fighting Asta and Yuno was definitely off the table. She hasn't really spoken to anyone else here besides the ba-ha guy, and while she vaguely watched her competition, she didn't pay them enough mind to even know what they were capable of.

'Though if I want someone who can really help show off my stuff then I need to go after a noble,' Maryam thought. 'Wipe the floor with one of them, and I'll definitely gain some attention.'

She grinned wondering who she might try to get her victim to be. She could spot the nobles from the commoners without a problem due to their fancy clothes and the fact most of them had their noses stuck high up into the air. Now, she just had to find someone willing to partner up with her.

"Ready for the first bout." One of the officials called out.

"We're coming!" Asta called out.

Maryam turned her head at Asta's shout as he hurried forward with Ba-ha right behind him. Her brow quirked as she got the impression that Ba-ha was up to something. She then grinned.

'He probably thinks Asta will be an easy win for him because Asta doesn't have his own magic,' Maryam realized. 'Well, he's about to get an unpleasant surprise now, isn't it?'

Before the two started fighting, Ba-ha seemed to say something that had Asta frowning. Maryam supposed Ba-ha showed his true colors, and Asta wasn't liking them. The two then separated with Ba-ha not hesitating to cast his first spell.

"Kick his butt, Asta!" Maryam called out. "Knock that stupid laugh of his right out of him!"

Many looked at her like she was crazy as Yuno just sighed at the older teen's antics. She paid Yuno's sigh no mind, however, as she continued to cheer for Asta.

"Ba-ha, it's hopeless." Ba-ha declared. "I mean, I get that he's your friend or something, but maybe you shouldn't give him such encouragement. It's obvious he doesn't belong here."

Maryam just continued to grin as Asta's grimoire floated to his side. The dark energy glowed around the book as it opened and Asta pulled his anti-magic sword from its pages. A split second later, Asta shot in front of Ba-ha and brought his sword down. He easily shattered that magic barrier Ba-ha had around him and hit Ba-ha with a crushing blow. The hit was so hard it cracked the ground underneath him.

"Yeah, way to go, Asta!" Maryam cheered as many gaped in shock.

Behind her, Yuno grinned as Asta brought his sword back to rest across his shoulders.

"Unlike you, Sekke, I'm not joining the magic knights just so I can slack off and have a little fun." Asta told the unconscious teen. "I've got a much bigger goal! I'm going to be the Wizard King!"

Yuno's grin widened as he felt his own excitement build. Maryam, who tilted her head back, smiled at his expression.

'Even Yuno is getting fired up,' Maryam said. 'Means I need to give it my all too.'

She then glanced at the other examinees when most of them were whispering about what just happened. Though none of the whispering was too encouraging as they all sounded skeptical over Asta's declaration.

"That's right!" Asta said. "You heard me! I'm going to become the Wizard King, you got it?! Got a problem with that?!"

Many laughed at his words, which had Maryam's brow twitching. Though she tried to remain calm. If she killed any one of these people, she was sure she'd be disqualified or something. As some mages came to get Ba-ha, Asta finally put away his sword and walked back to the crowd of examinees.

"That was awesome, Asta!" Maryam congratulated. "You really knocked him out cold."

Asta blushed at his sister's praise as he rubbed the back of his head while grinning.

"Oh, thanks, Mary." Asta said then clenched his fists in excitement. "But I bet your match will be even better!"

"Well, I have to find a partner first before I can even have a match," Maryam said as she placed her hand on her cheek. "Wish I had some idiot like Ba-ha so eagerly wanting to challenge me. It'd make things move a whole lot quicker."

As Asta blinked in confusion at her comment, Yuno shook his head at Maryam. Where the captains sat, William's eyes fell on the three from Hage.

'So, she knows that boy well too it seems,' William thought as he watched the girl converse with the magicless boy. 'How peculiar that such interesting examinees all have ties to each other.'

He watched them for a bit longer as the next examinees were getting ready to fight.

'One has a high abundance of mana, another's mana has an odd feeling to it, and the last has no mana at all,' William thought. 'I wonder just what the first two will show us in their own matches.'

Maryam watched from the sides as some nobles were going at it. Their fight was definitely impressive, but she wanted to have a match of her own. But so far, she had no takers. It was starting to get on her nerves.

'Maybe I just need to grab someone and force them into the fighting area before they can refuse,' Maryam thought then shook her head. 'No, that wouldn't look good on you at all, Maryam. You don't want to make yourself look like a desperate fool. Just wait a bit longer and surely—'

"Hey, you…commoner girl," A voice broke through her thoughts.

Maryam turned her head to see who called out to her to see some boy. He appeared to be a noble based on his fine clothes and the smarmy expression on his face. Her brow quirked at him.

"Yes?" She inquired.

"You're friends with that little runt from earlier." The boy said. "The brat who wielded that oversized sword, right?"

Maryam narrowed her eyes as she didn't like the tone this guy had when speaking about Asta.

"That's right," Maryam said. "What of it?"

"No need to get so defensive," The boy said as he flipped a strand of his long hair over his shoulder. "I'm here to offer you the role of being my sparring partner. You should feel grateful."

Maryam leveled the guy with a you've-got-to-be-kidding-me-look as she crossed her arms over her chest. Though she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers.

"I don't think grateful is the right word," Maryam said then shrugged. "But fine. I wanted to fight a noble anyway. It'll make me look all the more impressive when I beat you."

Her words caused the noble boy to lose his smirk as he narrowed his cerulean orbs at her. She ignored the look as her eyes flickered forward to see Yuno was about to fight.

"You beat me?" Her new opponent scoffed. "In your wildest of dreams perhaps, common girl. Don't get cocky just because your friend beat Sekke Bronzazza. That idiot just let his guard down."

"Isn't that exactly what you're doing?" Maryam retorted. "You chose me because you think a girl from the middle of nowhere will be easy to beat. Maybe you should stop underestimating those of us from Hage Village. If you don't want to take my word for it, just watch this next match closely."

She jerked her head in the direction of Yuno as he and his opponent were getting ready to dual.

"You may have been chosen by the four-leaf clover," Yuno's opponent was saying as they faced off. "But you're still a mere commoner. I'll show you how superior we nobles are to your kind in rank and power. Oh, and wealth too, obviously."

Yuno kept a cool expression as his opponent taunted him, but Maryam was sure he felt a bit of annoyance towards the other boy's words. She sure did.

'Yuno will shut him up soon enough,' Maryam thought.

It would probably only take one blow just like in Asta's match, which means Maryam will have to give the same impressive showing when it's her turn. She can't be undone by her little brothers after all. The official called the match to begin, but the noble seemed to be in no hurry as he smirked at Yuno.

"Having the opportunity to battle the great Salim Hapshass that alone is quite an honor," Yuno's opponent—Salim—gloated. "It'll give you something to talk about when you return to your little village."

The blonde noble then pulled out his grimoire, which floated before him as it glowed a pale blue.

"You won't go empty handed," Salim assured Yuno. "Take this as a souvenir. A special noble move that I call, God of Lightning Rising Salim."

Yuno just calmly activated his own grimoire as a large ball of lightning appeared between the two. The magic power coming from it was indeed amazing, but Maryam felt no worry. She knew Yuno would be just fine.

"Hahaha!" Salim laughed. "I'll arrange for your transportation home."

He sent the large ball of lightning hurtling towards Yuno who was ready to counter it.

"Wind Magic: Towering Tornado." He casted.

A large pillar of spiraling wind appeared between Yuno and the attack. The gusts from it, sending clothes and hair flying left and right. The two attacks clashed with everyone watching closely to see what would happen. In the end, Yuno's attack not only hit Salim, it also sent the noble's attack right back at him.

"Yes," Maryam said as she clenched her hand into a fist and grinned at Yuno's victory.

After the magic died off, Salim hit the ground with many not believing the outcome. The silence that came after the match was soon broke as Maryam cheered.

"As always, you're remarkable, Yuno!" Maryam called out to the ravenette. "You make your sister proud!"

Yuno just looked away from Maryam as if that'd somehow save him from the embarrassment.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" She said with a laugh. "I'll just cheer louder."

"Please, don't," Yuno said as he walked away from his fallen opponent towards her and Asta.

He then sighed when she reached out to ruffle his hair though he didn't stop her. Maryam then turned towards her opponent.

"You see that, pal?" She asked. "We mages from Hage aren't pushovers. If you aren't convinced, let's take our turn. I'll end things quickly, so to spare you from too much embarrassment."

Her opponent scoffed at her words though did start heading forward to start their fight. Maryam grinned before waving at the boys. She went after her opponent as Asta wished her good luck. The two made it to the center where their match would be held, and the official called their match to begin. Maryam made no move for her grimoire, however, as she kept her relaxed stance and waited for her opponent to make the first move. In the viewing area, Rill tilted his head.

"That girl seems really relaxed." He commented as he looked to the other captains. "She's been pretty cool this whole time, huh~"

He said this with a chirper smile as he pointed down at Maryam who stood with her hands resting at her sides.

"She might have done well up until this point, but I doubt a mere commoner will stand a chance against a noble of House Audovera." Nozel said. "This won't be much of a match."

"Keke, you so sure about that, Silva?" Jack retorted. "Did you miss the last match or something? It was a commoner who beat that prissy noble you all thought would do well."

Nozel didn't reply to Jack as the noble boy below looked ready to start the match.

"You shouldn't talk so big, you little rat." The noble boy said. "You obviously don't know who I am, so let me tell you. I am Aloy of House Audovera."

Maryam just blinked. Though based on how those around acted when he gave his name, she was going to assume he was from some kind of bigshot family.

"Yeah and?" Maryam countered. "That doesn't really mean anything to me since I don't care enough to know about you nobles and your houses. So, try again if you're trying to impress me."

Her words had Aloy's face turning red in anger to the point she thought he resembled a strawberry.

"I'll teach you some respect!" He snapped as he pulled out his grimoire. "Fire Creation Magic: Exploding Lotus!"

A fire in shape of a lotus flower bloomed in front of Aloy, and while it was beautiful to look at, Maryam merely smirked.

"Well, looks like I lucked out on opponents," Maryam said as she brought out her grimoire. "Plant Creation Magic: Blazing Tulip."

A sprout appeared at Maryam's feet before a small red flower bloomed. A flower that took on the appearance of a pair of red lips. At the sight of it, many people laughed and pointed.

"Is that girl crazy?" One asked. "She's done for!"

Asta frowned at the guy and all the others who mocked Maryam. Yuno frowned as well, but kept his attention on the match.

"That's how you're going to deal with me?!" Aloy howled in laughter. "A mutated looking plant. How ridiculous! Now take this!"

He sent his magic right at Maryam, but the girl remained calm and made no show of moving. The attack was right on top of her and exploded, which had the examinees gasping at the sheer force behind it.

"Mary!" Asta called out in worry.

He was going to move forward, but Yuno placed a hand on his shoulder to keep him back.

"Have more faith in her, Asta." Yuno said. "Maryam wouldn't be taken down so easily."

Asta looked down not replying. Though he was mentally berating himself for having that moment of doubt.

'He's right!' Asta thought as he shook his head. 'Mary wouldn't lose to this guy.'

Said guy was laughing behind his hand as he flipped his hair over his shoulder once again.

"Haha! See, I told you that you would learn your place, Commoner!" Aloy chortled as smoke filled the area.

"Huh, I'll admit, Noble, that was a pretty strong attack." Maryam's voice came from the smoke.

He gasped and whirled around to look for Maryam within the smoke. When it finally cleared, Maryam stood there unharmed and the little plant that she grew was now larger than her. A glow came between its petals as well as smoke.

"But it wasn't enough." Maryam continued.

"H-how are you still standing?!" Aloy demanded.

As Maryam pointed to the flower beside her that was swaying and waving its leaves around, the captains watched on in interest.

"Blazing tulips aren't like most plants," Maryam said. "They live off of fire and heat. So, prefer hot environments to grow in. Like near volcanos. So, you can shoot that spell at me all you want, but my plant will just gobble it all up. Not that she'll complain, of course. Fire made from magic is her favorite. Along with fire mages."

As soon as the words left her mouth, vines shot out from the tulip to wrap around Aloy. The boy screamed shrilly while dropping his grimoire as he was lifted off of his feet. He was brought over the flower, which opened up its petals to reveal sharp teeth and what looked like a pool of molten lava at the center.

"She'll probably want to cook you first." Maryam continued. "Blazing Tulips like their food nice and hot after all."

Fire licked up between the petals, which had Aloy crying and screaming even more.

"She's a bit of a glutton, so I don't think a nibble will do." Maryam said as she tapped her chin. "But if you surrender now, I'll call her off. How does that sound?"

As Aloy surrendered the match very quickly, many stared at the plant-mage with similar thoughts.

'She's crazy,' they thought in unison.

Ignoring the stares, Maryam clapped her hands together once as she smiled brightly.

"Wonderful." She said then looked to her plant. "Blazy, you need to put the boy down now."

The examinees were then thrown for another loop when the plant actually reacted to Maryam. The plant turned towards the young mage, and those watching got the distinct impression that it was pouting as it tilted its petals at her.

"Yes, I know you want to eat him," Maryam said causing Aloy to whimper. "But if you eat him, I'm sure we won't get into the magic knights. Besides, he's a teenage boy. They're typically gross with a few exceptions, which I'm sure he isn't. You don't want an upset stomach, do you?"

The plant shook its petals back and forth like someone shaking their head. Before turning towards the captains. Its attention mostly seeming to be focused on Fuegoleon. The plant dropped Aloy, who screamed again, unceremoniously to the ground as it leaned in towards the older mage. Said captain didn't seem concerned as his brow quirked.

"No," Maryam said with her voice turning firm. "You can't eat a captain either. Are you trying to get me into trouble?"

'That plant wants to eat him?!' Asta thought with wide eyes.

Said flower seemed to droop in disappointment as those watching wondered if this match could get any weirder.

"Just get some rest," Maryam said. "And thank you for the help."

She then shut her book with the large flower disappearing as it turned into a bunch of petals that faded away.

"Well, that was fun," she said as she started to walk away. "Thanks for the match, Nobleman. Maybe if we both make it into the magic knights, we can fight again sometime."

As she rejoined her brothers who congratulated her, Fuegoleon looked to Yami.

"It would seem as if the girl is something fascinating indeed." He said. "I've never seen magic produce something so sentient."

"Man, she's a little weirdo," Yami laughed. "I knew something was wrong with that kid."

"Wrong with her?" Charlotte spoke up. "Though a bit unrefined, I think her magic has potential. I find her fascinating the same as Fuegoleon."

Yami looked to the two captains who seemed to take an interest in the little plant mage. William had seemed interested in her as well either, too. He wonders if they'll all offer her a spot in their squads. If they do, he wonders who she'll choose. One of them…or him. Of course, she wasn't the only one he was interested in. His eyes fell to the boys who were speaking with her. The magicless boy was grinning and talking excitedly as the wind boy only smiled.

'Those three are something different,' Yami thought.

Coco: I hope you liked the chapter and the first proper look at Maryam's magic which will be better explained and more detailed later on. Though I will tell you now that all these magic plants I'm using, are based off of actual plants. Like the Blazing Tulip was inspired by the Hot Lips flower. Maybe as we go on, you'll even be able to guess what real world flower/plant inspired some of Maryam's spells.

Now, I only have one more chapter that's already been prewritten before I even posted the first chapter. Not sure if I'll hang onto it as I work on Chapter 6 or post it tomorrow. We'll see.

But until then, be safe, everyone, and keep being your beautiful selves!