Chapter 78: — Awakening (2)

As the participants lined up before the platform, Kael suddenly felt someone staring at him.

He turned his head toward the noble seating area.

His gaze landed on Jim.

The same young noble who, only yesterday, had looked down on him with undisguised contempt…

…now couldn’t even bring himself to meet Kael’s eyes.

Jim deliberately looked away, avoiding eye contact altogether.

Kael silently stared at him.

His expression remained calm.

His eyes, however…

…were as cold as ice.

Jim’s body stiffened.

He was terrified.

Only somedays ago, Kael had been nothing more than a poor commoner in his eyes.

Someone insignificant.

Someone he could bully without consequence.

Who could have imagined…

…that the boy was the beloved grandson of the Kingdom’s Archmage?

And who would have thought that the legendary Archmage had been quietly living in Korua all these years, with only the village chief, a handful of elders, and a few important figures aware of her true identity?

Jim cursed his own stupidity.

Out of everyone in the village…

He had chosen the one person he absolutely should never have provoked.

Kael merely looked away.

His gaze drifted to another familiar figure.

Jim’s mother.

Despite her advanced pregnancy, she maintained an elegant posture befitting a noble lady.

Her face remained composed, almost expressionless.

Yet beneath that carefully maintained mask…

Kael could clearly see the worry in her eyes.

She wasn’t concerned about herself.

She was worried for her son.

Finally…

Kael’s eyes settled on one last person.

An elderly woman sat quietly among the others.

Unlike everyone else…

She wore a warm, amiable smile.

Yet her eyes…

Her eyes were fixed entirely upon him.

They seemed capable of seeing straight through every lie he had ever told.

Truthfully speaking…

This kind old woman was simply known throughout Korua as the owner of the local dairy farm.

To most people, she was nothing more than a gentle elder who sold fresh milk and cheese every morning.

But to Kael…

She was the person who made him the most uneasy.

Because every time she looked at him…

He had the strange feeling that she could see through every secret he was desperately trying to hide.

All of the participants stood in a neat line before the three Royal Court elders.

Kael glanced around before quietly counting them.

Thirteen…

Including himself, there were thirteen participants.

Roughly five minutes after Eric had finished his announcement, Kael noticed movement from the nobles’ entrance on the opposite side of the stage.

Three more participants stepped onto the platform.

Unlike Kael, who had walked up together with Kyro and Kira from the commoners’ side, these three had entered through the nobles’ passage.

The moment Kael saw one of them, a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.

Jake.

The young noble was grinning from ear to ear, his eyes immediately locking onto Kael and Kyro.

Without the slightest hesitation, he broke away from the other noble participants and jogged straight toward them.

“Haha! Brothers!”

“I’m finally here.”

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

“Sorry about that.”

“Mother wouldn’t let me leave the estate until after the ceremony started.”

“You both know what she’s like.”

Kael and Kyro looked at each other before laughing.

“Sounds exactly like Aunt Sophia.”

“She was probably worried you’d cause trouble before the ceremony.”

Jake let out an exaggerated sigh.

“You two have no idea…”

Before another word could be said, the three boys embraced each other in a brief hug.

Kael found the entire interaction strangely natural.

This should have been the first time he had truly met Jake since awakening the memories of his previous life.

Yet…

There wasn’t even the slightest feeling of unfamiliarity.

It was as though his body already remembered years of friendship.

Looks like… Kael’s memories are affecting me subconsciously.

He couldn’t help but smile.

The warmth of those childhood memories didn’t feel fake.

They felt…

Real.

“Ahem…”

“Ahem…”

A polite cough interrupted the reunion.

One of the Royal Court elders smiled helplessly.

“Young master, if I may ask everyone to maintain a little order.”

“We are about to begin the Awakening Ceremony.”

Only then did the three realize every participant was staring at them.

Many of the children looked at Jake with obvious envy.

After all…

Among everyone present, he was the only noble openly friendly with Kael.

The others weren’t even acquaintances.

Some even looked disappointed that they had never tried speaking to him before today.

Understanding this wasn’t the time to catch up, the three nodded.

“We’ll talk later.”

Jake grinned.

“Definitely.”

The three quickly returned to the line.

Jake stood near the back, while Kael took his place directly behind him.

Once everyone had settled, the elder looked over the participants before speaking in a calm voice.

“Since everyone has arrived…”

“I know that many of you are already familiar with the awakening procedure.”

“Nevertheless, I shall explain it once more.”

He stepped aside, revealing a stone pedestal positioned behind the elders.

Resting atop it was a perfectly transparent crystal sphere.

Another elder carefully placed both hands on the crystal, activating the intricate magical formations carved into the pedestal.

The crystal began to emit a soft, azure glow.

The elder continued his explanation.

“Each participant will approach the pedestal one at a time.”

“You will place both hands upon the crystal.”

“When instructed, you will close your eyes, calm your mind, and enter a meditative state.”

“The crystal will stimulate the dormant mana within your body and guide it through your mana pathways.”

“The longer you maintain your concentration, the greater the benefits you may receive.”

“When the process is complete…”

He gently tapped the crystal.

“The artifact will reveal the results of your awakening.”

“Your elemental affinity, mana capacity, and overall magical potential will all be displayed.”

A murmur spread through the gathered crowd.

For every child present…

This was the moment that would determine the path their future would take.

With that, the Awakening Ceremony officially commenced.

The first participant stepped forward and placed both hands upon the crystal sphere.

He was a member of one of the kingdom’s lesser noble branch families, and his confident posture made it obvious that he had been prepared for this day his entire life.

The three Royal Court elders each placed a hand gently on his back before one of them nodded.

“You may begin.”

The boy closed his eyes and entered a meditative state.

For nearly a minute…

Nothing happened.

Then, a faint grey aura slowly began to emerge from his body, surrounding him like a gentle mist.

Five minutes later, the grey mana gradually flowed toward his hands before disappearing into the crystal.

The transparent sphere suddenly lit up.

A pair of glowing symbols appeared within it.

Mana Reserves: ★☆☆☆☆

Cultivation: ★★☆☆☆

From the elders’ earlier explanation, Kael already understood the meaning behind the stars.

Mana Reserves measured the amount of mana a person could naturally store, with a maximum rating of five stars.

The second category represented one’s initial cultivation level upon awakening.

Two stars meant the boy had reached the Second Rank of the Mortal Mage Realm.

Unfortunately…

The memories Kael had inherited only contained knowledge up to the Mortal Realm and the Junior Mage Realm.

Anything beyond that remained unknown to him.

One of the elders smiled politely.

“Congratulations, young man.”

“It appears your awakening leans toward Body Enhancement magic.”

“Work diligently, and you will have a promising future.”

“Next.”

Although the elder congratulated him, Kael could clearly see the disappointment on the boy’s face.

Likewise…

None of the nobles seated upon the viewing platform appeared particularly impressed.

Looks like this isn’t considered exceptional among the nobility, Kael concluded.

The ceremony continued.

One participant after another stepped forward.

Each awakened a different form of mana manipulation.

Some showed affinities toward enhancement magic.

Others displayed simple elemental talents.

The highest result so far belonged to another noble youth.

Mana Reserves: ★★☆☆☆

Cultivation: ★★★☆☆

Even that performance failed to draw much attention from the distinguished guests.

Then…

Kira stepped forward.

The timid girl quietly placed both hands upon the crystal.

Silence fell over the plaza.

Barely a minute passed before a deep sapphire-blue aura erupted around her body.

Unlike the previous participants, whose mana merely drifted around them…

Kira’s mana surged like ocean tides, swirling gracefully around her in powerful waves.

Gasps echoed throughout the audience.

Even the three Royal Court elders widened their eyes in surprise.

Kael observed the reactions carefully.

This must be an exceptional affinity…

Kira remained in meditation for a full ten minutes.

Finally, the swirling mana condensed above her head before gently dissolving into countless particles of light.

She swayed slightly from exhaustion but quickly regained her footing.

The crystal flashed brilliantly.

Mana Reserves: ★★★★☆

Cultivation: ★★★☆☆

The entire square fell silent.

She had achieved four stars in mana reserves.

Twice the highest score anyone else had attained.

Kael, Kyro, and Jake exchanged astonished glances.

None of them had expected the quiet daughter of the village milk lady to possess such extraordinary talent.

One of the elders smiled warmly.

“Congratulations, child.”

“You possess an elemental mana affinity.”

“With talent such as yours, your future is exceedingly bright.”

“Remember this—although elemental magic may not display its full potential during the early stages of cultivation…”

“…once your cultivation deepens, the sky will be your only limit.”

Kira’s cheeks turned bright red.

Unable to meet everyone’s gaze, she simply gave a tiny nod.

“…Mmm.”

She quietly returned to the line.

From the viewing pavilion, Eric glanced toward the elderly woman seated nearby.

“I imagine her performance pleased you.”

The old woman chuckled softly.

“Indeed.”

“I am very pleased with Kira.”

A mysterious smile appeared on her face.

“But…”

“There is someone whose awakening interests me even more.”

Eric blinked.

“Oh?”

“And who might that be?”

The old woman merely smiled.

“You’ll see soon enough, Chief.”

Eric smiled helplessly.

He knew better than to press further.

Although he governed Korua as its village chief…

There were many powerful individuals and organizations whose influence far surpassed his own.

The gentle old woman seated beside him was one of those people.

When she chose to keep a secret…

No one in Korua had the authority to make her reveal it.