Chapter 79

Part 4: The Princess's Awakening Ceremony (1)

Early in the morning.

Students were quickly making their way from the dormitories to their first class of the day.

I joined them and left the dormitory.

As time passed, some students greeted me with a nod.

They were either from commoner backgrounds or the third or fourth sons of small, unnamed estates in remote regions.

Unlike at the beginning of the semester, not all students ignored me.

However, no one openly acknowledged me as an acquaintance.

Being treated like a noble's illegitimate child, it was understandable.

Unlike the other students heading to class, I walked towards the academy's main gate.

Some students looked at me curiously, but no one directly asked me.

"Is it today?"

Actually, one person did ask.

The voice came from a group of female students heading to class on the opposite side of the road.

It was a significant group, not just freshmen but also upperclassmen.

They were happily chatting when the student who spoke to me caused everyone to stop their conversation.

The one who spoke to me was Vaea, the student who stood out for her beauty in the group.

Vaea's social skills were truly remarkable.

After making a contract with me, she became even friendlier towards me.

She often sat next to me during class and always acknowledged me when we passed each other.

Despite this, she managed to maintain her friendships with others.

Considering she was the daughter of a deceased noble, her ability to socialize so well with other nobles was a hundred times better than mine.

"Yes, I'm on my way now."

Among the female students, whispers began to spread.

"What's going on?"

"It's the princess's awakening day, isn't it?"

"Could it be that she's been invited to the awakening ceremony?"

"Surely not. She wouldn't be entering the place where the ceremony is held. Only family, or rather, the royal family, would be attending."

"Then is she going to offer congratulations separately?"

"Probably."

"That's impressive. Congratulating the princess on her awakening."

"Indeed. I haven't heard of anyone from the academy being invited."

"But she is the child of the Grecia Duke, even if she is illegitimate. Is that possible?"

"Shh! Don't say such things carelessly!"

"Still, it's quite surprising. How did she get to know the princess?"

At this distance, I could easily hear their whispers without needing to channel mana into my ears.

Thanks to this, I had to endure some not-so-pleasant comments.

Vaea, who knew I could hear them, didn't show any signs of it and said to me,

"Be careful and have a safe trip! Please convey my regards to the princess!"

She waved at me and walked away with the other female students.

The whispers about me gradually faded away.

As they said, I am on my way to the princess's awakening ceremony today.

Of course, I won't be entering the ceremony hall; I'm going to offer congratulations and because the queen summoned me.

The princess, her royal guard knights, and maids had already gone to the palace yesterday.

A carriage sent by the royal family was waiting at the main gate.

It wasn't for me.

"Come quickly."

It was for Katrin, the queen's younger sister and the princess's aunt.

Professor Katrin was in the carriage.

After I sat down, the carriage immediately set off.

The carriage sent by the royal family was incredibly luxurious, like the one from the Grecia Duke's main house.

"It's been a while since we've moved together like this."

Katrin said with a pleased expression.

"It really has been a while."

I smiled in response, remembering the times we explored dungeons together.

After a few words of conversation, Katrin sighed, looking at the academy's main gate, which was now far away.

"It's suffocating. If it weren't for Aisha, I wouldn't want to stay here at all."

Her usually stern face during class was now relaxed.

It seemed she was more at ease without others around.

I, too, was just another person, but I wondered if I should remind her to be careful.

Putting that thought aside, I offered some words of encouragement.

"You're doing well."

It was meant to be comforting, but she truly was doing a great job.

She was an excellent teacher for the first-year knight students and had improved their skills significantly.

Many students began to respect her, and her classes helped the students' abilities improve rapidly.

At first, the students had been humiliated by the knights, but as heirs with awakened abilities, they quickly showed their potential with proper education and training.

Now, some students could even match the knights in sparring, and others were no longer easily defeated.

"You think so? I'm just helping them use their inherited abilities properly. It's boring."

I remembered her sparkling eyes from her mercenary days.

She had become a mercenary to contribute to her family, but she didn't dislike the adventures and mercenary work.

"Being a mercenary is tough, but it's not as suffocating as this. Exploring dungeons was fun."

Given her taste for freedom, it was understandable that she found the professor's role stifling.

Frankly, I also found it stifling, so I silently agreed with her.

During the ride to the palace, Katrin and I had a comfortable conversation for the first time in a while.

We talked about various trivial matters and school life.

I had to leave out things that needed to be kept secret, but it was still a pleasant time.

Before we knew it, the palace was right in front of us.

"Ah, I'll return your dagger today."

"Yes."

A few days ago, Katrin borrowed my dagger for research.

Since it originally belonged to her family, I could lend it to her for a few days.

Before getting out of the carriage, Katrin, with a look of sudden realization, said to me,

"I almost forgot. After the awakening ceremony, there will be some time before we head back to the academy. Let's stop by somewhere."

"Where?"

"My house."

You don't mean...

"The Latenhamar Viscount's house?"

"Yes. My house has a proper sparring room."

Is it because we haven't had a proper sparring session?

The academy's sparring areas were all public, so we couldn't have a proper sparring session.

She couldn't show her full abilities, and I couldn't reveal mine either.

I sometimes thought about showing my abilities due to the harsh whispers, but I was worried about the consequences.

"Do we have to spar there?"

I wanted to spar with her properly, but it didn't have to be at the viscount's house.

"That's... there's something else."

She looked troubled, as if there was more to it than just sparring.

"My father wants to see you too."

So, that's why she wants to meet at her house.

After all, the dagger I have is a Latenhamar family heirloom.

We obtained it during our exploration, and Katrin gave it to me, so it's now mine.

Still, I couldn't refuse an invitation to visit.

Seeing her apologetic expression, it was hard to say no.

In the end, I nodded.

* * *

The carriage stopped in front of the inner palace after passing through the outer walls.

There were quite a few carriages in front of the inner palace.

The awakening ceremony was a family event.

In the Grecia Duke's house, only the family, a few priests, and the butler attended.

I heard the royal family's ceremony was similar.

Since I came to the palace to offer congratulations, others must have come for the same reason.

"Let's go."

I just had to follow Katrin.

At her words, I got out of the carriage.

Naturally, there was someone to greet us.

"Welcome, Lady Katrine de Latenhamar and Prince Alex de Grecia."

The butler greeted us politely and led us into the inner palace.

We entered the inner palace, which was a sturdy and massive fortress known as the Knight's Castle.

We passed through the large corridors and crossed the palace to reach the back garden.

In the back garden, there was a large garden and a beautiful, grand mausoleum.

We stopped at the edge of the back garden, where many people had gathered.

I saw the maids I had met when I met the queen, as well as nobles, priests, and knights.

They were all there to congratulate the princess on her awakening.

I tried to remember the faces of the gathered people.

They had come to see the princess's awakening. While there might be other reasons, the probability of them being on the princess's side was higher than those who didn't come.

However, most of the gathered people didn't seem to have high expectations for the ceremony.

Some of the queen's maids were praying, but most were chatting with others without much expression.

"Will she definitely get [Mana Sensitivity]?"

"Maybe. Both princes have it."

"She might get one of the cultivation techniques. The first king, Carlos, had many."

"Most of them went to the Grecia Duke's house, didn't they?"

"Since it's a bloodline, it could come from the royal family."

"The first king had [Steel Body] and [Shield Technique] for physical optimization, so other abilities might come out."

"Or, abilities from the queen's side might transfer."

I overheard their conversation.

Most of them were discussing what abilities the princess might get. Their expressions suggested they were almost ready to place bets.

However, they didn't seem to be part of the princess's faction.

They might just be acquaintances.

Fortunately, the queen's maids were different. They were all of noble birth, even if they didn't have titles.

After finishing their prayers, the maids spoke in low voices, different from the others.

"It would be better if she got a different ability."

"Why? Wouldn't it be good for the princess to get [Mana Sensitivity]?"

"The two princes have been at odds because of that ability. If the princess gets it, she might suffer from the princes."

"Oh, that's true."

The ability to sense and use mana, known as [Mana Sensitivity], was an inherited ability that only the direct descendants of the royal family could obtain.

It was the best ability for using elemental powers, known as magic, or for knights to use cultivation techniques.

It was an ability that the first king, Carlos, considered the most important and eventually became a must-have for the king of the Kingdom of Carlos.

'Should I pray that she doesn't get it?'

For a peaceful academy life, the princess needed a less significant ability.

I didn't have a particular faith, but I closed my eyes and fervently prayed to a god I didn't believe in.

'Please let her get an ability from the queen's side. An ability from the Latenhamar family.'

Wait, would that make us fellow students?

At that moment, murmurs arose. Opening my eyes, I saw people looking in one direction.

People were coming out of the palace.

I saw the princess, handsome young men, Queen Lea, and a middle-aged man with a crown.

Everyone, including me, knelt.

The middle-aged man with the crown.

It was the king of this country.