As Arthur took his place among the crowd of about two hundred other awakening candidates, a murmur broke out.
"Who's the porcelain doll standing over there?"
"I heard he's the only boy in the Arcain clan."
"He sure is a sight to behold."
"Does he think being attractive will make him an awakened?"
A few young noblewomen chuckled from their seating area. "He should be learning embroidery or preparing for banquets, not attending an awakening."
One guy added, "Maybe he'll awaken the 'Divine Cooking' Authority, haha!"
Laughter erupted around.
Arthur glanced at them, his expression dull. 'Wow! I'm quite famous today too.'
He closed his eyes briefly and waited.
The awakening ceremony began with the High Mage of the Human Empire—Elenaor—stepping onto the platform and standing beside the awakening crystal.
The ancient mana crystal was taller than Arthur, almost as high as the colosseum.
"The Awakening Ceremony begins now," the mage announced. "Step forward when your name is called."
The first few names were forgettable, commoners or nobles who awakened nothing above C-rank. Some cried. Some forced smiles.
After many names were called, three S-ranks emerged from the Arcain clan.
Then—
"Luen Vantress, of the Noble Elven Bloodline!"
A tall elf boy with blonde hair and blue-green eyes stepped forward. Arthur could hear the shout from Zahard. As people noticed their resemblance, cheers followed.
Luen placed his palm on the crystal, visibly grinning.
The orb gleamed golden and the High Mage shouted:
"S-rank Talent, with a rare affinity for Light!"
Applause thundered. Nobles clapped with pride.
Luen passed a dwarf noble and joined the crowd behind those who hadn't awakened yet.
Next came the stocky dwarf.
"Grumli Ironforge of the Deep Halls!"
Another surge of mana burst forth as the orb turned a deep crimson-gold.
"S-rank Talent, rare Magma Affinity!"
The crowd roared again.
But then—
The Mage silenced the crowd. From that point on, only the direct lineage of the northern leaders remained.
"Emily Snowviel of the royal Snowviel family, step forward!"
Absolute silence followed as the beautiful young elf stepped forward. She had cold violet eyes and hair to match.
She placed her palm gently on the crystal.
The Mage swallowed hard as he felt the force exuding from the King of Elves.
The mana crystal dimmed and then, like a bomb explosion, shone brightly.
"S... SS-rank talent, with affinity for Darkness and Light! The first prodigy of the year has been revealed!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as Helric stood from his chair, nearly screaming at the top of his lungs.
Then another round of silence followed.
"Uhmm... From the noble house of Valtor... Ravian Roderick Valtor."
Silence followed. Everyone knew the name.
A tall youth with ember-colored eyes stepped forward. He glared at the mage, then smirked.
Without waiting for instructions, he placed his hand on the crystal.
Unlike Emily's awakening, a blinding light escaped the orb.
BOOM!
The platform cracked slightly beneath Ravian's feet as the orb turned blood red, then molten gold.
"Another SS-rank Talent! With a dual Affinity for Fire and B-Blood!"
Gasps. Even nobles stood to applaud.
"As expected of Lord Ravian."
"A monster... just like his father."
"And he's only the first Valtor."
The crowd, just as they had done earlier, stayed silent as another name was called.
"Next—Amelia Roderick Valtor."
A young lady stepped forward, cloaked in blue and silver.
The moment her hand touched the orb—rainbows danced in the air and the orb lit up in colors of different hues.
"I can't believe my eyes, an SS-rank Talent with Quad Affinity: Fire, Water, Earth, Air. Not only that, she's a rare type of Spiritualist."
The arena lost its breath.
"Two SS-ranks in one generation?!"
"No wonder the Valtors are considered the North's rising power."
Then came the final name.
The air grew still.
"From the demonic dragon race, the firstborn son of Queen Alica Arcain... Arthur Arcain, step forward!"
For a moment, the grand hall stood still… then:
"…Who?"
"Oh, it's that one."
"Selena and Thyra were the last monsters of the Arcain line. Do they think their princess can redeem them?"
"He's just the little brother. Probably got in from pity."
"I heard he can't even sense energy."
"Ugh. Damn demon-dragon hybrids."
Booing followed.
The High Mage barely looked at him. His gaze was indifferent, even disdainful.
"Place your hand. Let's not waste time," the man muttered under his breath. "Why is he even here when he can't sense mana or force?"
Arthur said nothing. He simply placed his hand on the orb.
Nothing happened.
The crowd erupted in laughter.
"Hah! Of course!"
"Pretty face, empty core."
Several important guests, including nobles who had interest in him because of the Arcain twins, turned away in disappointment.
Arthur kept his composure.
The reason Arthur usually never awakened in every route was because he couldn't sense or use energy.
This was because the latent energy formed in the core of an unawakened was what the crystal reacted to.
He regulated his breathing and sent his latent energy into the crystal.
Crack!
A soft sound echoed through the entire colosseum, making all heads turn to the center.
CRACK–KRRRRSSHH!
The sound was deafening, and in an instant...
The orb shattered into tiny fragments.
A million shards of light burst into the air like stars. They spun, swirled, each fragment turning into a singular pure element—flames, water, stones, wind, lightning, vines, golden light, shadow.
Different colors that resembled glimmering stars had somehow converged with the rainbow.
Gasps erupted from the stands.
The mage scrambled, almost dropping the microphone.
"Deploy a barrier now...!"
The shards shot out into the air, completely tearing the barrier apart.
The high-rankers from the pavilion and members of the sixth generation leapt forward, forming another protective dome around the spectators.
The fragments shimmered like a sun made of stars, then scattered into a beautiful spectrum of light.
Every awakened could tell—
It was energy, pure energy. Not just mana but force too.
The silence was deafening as every single person gazed upon the beautiful light surrounding the stunning boy.
The High Mage's knees almost buckled. He was shaking profusely as if he had seen a ghost.
Added to the sharp stare from Arthur, he felt like his world was about to collapse.
The person he had intended to look down on... was a monster.
"I… I can't believe it… It's—It's real…"
He steadied his legs, raising his voice.
"The legendary rank has returned!"
He turned to the audience.
"Another SSS-rank has been born!"
The crowd froze. No one could even say a word. Even people from the Arcain clan were shocked by what they heard.
The High Mage continued. "And he isn't just any SSS-rank…" he gulped, staring at the scorched remains of the crystal. "He possesses affinity with every known natural element. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Ice, Lightning, Light, Shadow, and even Wood…"
Gasps echoed.
Murmurs turned to screams:
"The Arcain family has birthed a prodigy, no... a true genius."
"I always knew their bloodline was the strongest."
Even friends turned to enemies as they began picking out who said what, and who didn't.
From the crowd of newly awakened, Ravian stared, stunned.
Amelia blinked, frozen in shock.
Even Emily, the elf princess, changed her expression.
Arthur didn't need to see through the glass of the sixth generation seats to tell that Selena and Thyra were smiling.
Down in the noble seats—
Mira, Matriarch of the Northern Dwarf Clan, clicked her tongue. "Damn it, just when things were getting good." She turned to Alica. "You must be damn proud of your brat."
But when she looked at Alica properly, she saw her eyes were wide. A tear streamed down her cheek.
Alica clutched her chest.
"…My baby… he's grown so much…"
Beside them, Reynolds clenched his fist.
"I always believed in him," he said, half-proud, half-panicked. Then he laughed louder, "So how does a marriage sound to you, Queen Alica…"
Back in the center, Arthur stood still.
A quiet grin stretched across his lips.
『 #Scenario 4: Come out as number one in the awakening ceremony 』
『 Status: Complete 』
He stared up at the blue sky. 'That felt really good," he smiled. "Feels like I'm in a proper fantasy now.'
His smile turned into a smirk. 'No one can tell me I'm not the protagonist, right?'
Then his face darkened.
'But still…'
He glanced down at his palm.
He could feel something brewing inside him, and something told him it wasn't the elements he had.
Arthur sighed. 'Let me bask in my glory first. Other thoughts can come later, right?'
『 Appraising Reward... 』
─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───