Chapter 81: — Awakening (5)

Silence lingered over the square.

Then Jim suddenly spoke.

“Father…”

He looked toward Kael before asking,

“Is there a chance… he’s connected to the anomaly outside the town?”

Every noble nearby immediately turned toward Eric.

Eric remained silent for a moment before calmly shaking his head.

“No.”

“There are several reasons.”

“First…”

“Kael has only just awakened.”

“His Mana Reserves are certainly remarkable, but his cultivation remains within the Mortal Mage Realm.”

“No mortal mage possesses enough power to create a forest spanning several kilometers.”

He raised a finger.

“Second…”

“The aura surrounding Kael’s mana is completely different.”

“When we investigated the forest yesterday…”

“The life aura there carried a wild, violent nature.”

“It felt untamed.”

He looked toward the flourishing plants surrounding the platform.

“Kael’s mana, on the other hand…”

“…is peaceful.”

“It nurtures rather than destroys.”

“And finally…”

Eric folded his arms.

“I firmly believe the being responsible for the forest was not human.”

His conclusion caused many of the nobles to nod in agreement.

Even so…

Eric couldn’t hide the admiration in his eyes as he looked at Kael.

“But…”

“It is still worthy of the grandson of Lady Emily.”

“It has been centuries since humans naturally possessed the ability to directly command vegetation.”

“And yet…”

“He has awakened exactly such a gift.”

The crowd erupted into whispers once again.

Plant manipulation was not an especially rare ability among the world’s races.

Elves.

Druids.

Fairies.

Dryads.

Many races possessed a natural affinity for plants and life magic.

Humans, however…

Had long since lost that talent.

For a human to awaken such an affinity in the present age…

It was an exceedingly rare occurrence.

And Kael…

Had done exactly that.

“That was very impressive, dear Kael.”

Emily’s gentle voice carried a hint of pride.

“The composure you maintained throughout the entire awakening was truly commendable.”

The three Royal Court elders also smiled warmly as they nodded in agreement.

“Indeed.”

“Very few children could have remained so calm under such circumstances.”

“You have done remarkably well.”

Kael smiled happily at the praise.

Before he could respond, Emily gently pulled him into a warm embrace his face getting Smothered in the softness of her tits,

Her hands affectionately stroked his hair.

The stern and untouchable Archmage from moments ago had completely disappeared.

In her place stood nothing more than a loving grandmother doting on her beloved grandson.

The elders couldn’t help but smile at the heartwarming sight.

The fear that had weighed on their hearts throughout the last hour finally vanished.

Truthfully…

They had already prepared themselves for the worst.

With the awakening lasting so long and the repeated eruptions of mana…

They had been almost certain the young boy wouldn’t survive.

Fortunately…

Kael stood before them completely unharmed.

To them, everything had simply been caused by a malfunction within the Awakening Crystal.

Kael, meanwhile, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately…

No one questioned him about the overwhelming vegetation that had engulfed the entire square.

Although he was fairly certain he had somehow caused it…

Everyone seemed willing to blame the crystal instead.

Just then, one of the Royal Court elders stepped forward.

He and the other two elders simultaneously bowed deeply toward Emily.

“Lady Emily…”

“We sincerely apologize for our failure.”

“It was our duty to ensure the safety of every participant during today’s Awakening Ceremony.”

“Yet through our negligence…”

“We nearly endangered your grandson.”

“Please forgive us.”

All three remained bowed.

Their expressions were filled with genuine guilt.

Had Kael died because of what they believed was a malfunctioning crystal…

Their lives would almost certainly have been forfeit.

Emily looked at them silently for several moments.

Finally, she spoke.

“I shall forgive you.”

“No harm came to my grandson.”

Her calm gaze swept across the three elders.

“But only because I was present.”

“Ensure the Awakening Crystal is thoroughly inspected.”

“I do not wish to see such an incident happen again.”

The three elders bowed even lower.

“Thank you for your mercy, Lady Emily.”

“We shall remember your instructions.”

Emily merely gave a slight nod.

Internally, however…

She knew perfectly well that the crystal had done nothing wrong.

The true cause of everything…

Was simply that her grandson was an absurdly gifted little monster.

The surrounding crowd also applauded the elders.

Rather than hiding from responsibility, they had openly admitted what they believed to be their mistake.

That honesty earned the respect of both nobles and commoners alike.

Once Emily released him, Kael immediately walked back toward his friends.

Kyro wrapped an arm around his shoulders and laughed.

“Damn, brother!”

“You scared me half to death.”

“I honestly thought something had happened to you.”

Jake grinned mischievously.

“Half to death?”

“If Kael had stayed in there another ten minutes…”

“I’m pretty sure you would’ve started crying.”

Kyro glared at him.

“I would not!”

Jake burst into laughter.

“Oh?”

“So those watery eyes a little while ago were just my imagination?”

“You—!”

The three boys laughed together.

The tense atmosphere that had gripped the square moments earlier quickly melted away.

Just then…

A soft, hesitant voice came from behind them.

“…Kael.”

He turned around.

Kira stood there with both hands clasped together, avoiding everyone’s gaze.

“Are…”

“Are you alright?”

Kael smiled gently.

“I’m fine.”

“Thank you for worrying about me, Kira.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly.

“…Mm.”

She gave a tiny nod before quietly returning to her place.

She’s really shy, Kael thought with a faint smile.

Around the plaza, most people accepted the elders’ explanation without question.

To them…

Everything had simply been an unfortunate malfunction of the Awakening Crystal.

Only two people silently watched Kael with thoughtful expressions.

The first…

Was the elderly owner of the dairy farm, whose gentle smile had never once disappeared.

The second…

Was Emily herself.

Unlike everyone else…

Neither of them believed the crystal had malfunctioned.

Both knew…

The extraordinary phenomenon had originated from Kael alone.

The three Royal Court elders quietly gathered together, speaking in hushed voices while watching Kael from afar.

“That child truly possesses the mana affinity of a genius,” one elder said with admiration.

“But unfortunately…”

“His Mana Reserves aren’t quite extraordinary enough.”

He let out a small sigh.

“If they had reached five stars…”

“We would have recommended him for direct recruitment into the Royal Academy in the capital.”

Another elder hesitated before speaking.

“…Does he even need that?”

The other two looked at him in confusion.

The elder smiled wryly.

“With Lady Emily personally guiding him…”

“…what could the Royal Academy possibly teach him that she cannot?”

The two elders were momentarily stunned.

A moment later, they exchanged helpless smiles and shook their heads.

“…You’re right.”

“Compared to the Kingdom’s Archmage herself…”

“The Royal Academy has very little to offer him.”

“If Lady Emily chooses to teach him personally…”

“Then the capital would only be a change of scenery.”

The three couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Very few people in the kingdom were fortunate enough to have the greatest mage alive as their personal mentor.

Kael was one of those few.

—

For every mage…

Mana Reserves were among the most important aspects of cultivation.

In many cases…

They were considered just as important as one’s elemental affinity.

Sometimes…

They were even more important.

After all, possessing an extraordinary affinity meant little if one lacked the mana necessary to sustain powerful spells.

Even if a mage could comprehend an advanced spell…

Without sufficient mana…

Casting it would simply be impossible.

Fortunately…

Mana Reserves were not entirely fixed.

As a mage’s cultivation advanced, their body gradually became capable of storing larger quantities of mana.

However…

That growth was directly influenced by one’s innate talent.

The star rating determined how efficiently a mage’s mana capacity increased with each breakthrough.

Thus, two mages at the exact same cultivation realm could possess vastly different amounts of mana.

A four-star mage would always be capable of storing considerably more mana than a three-star mage of the same realm.

Likewise…

A three-star mage would consistently surpass someone with only two stars.

The gap only became more pronounced as they climbed to higher realms.

It was precisely because of this that the star rating revealed during the Awakening Ceremony held such tremendous importance.

It wasn’t merely an evaluation of a child’s present.

It was a glimpse into the limits of their future potential.