Chapter 11: Awakening Ceremony (1)

Chapter 11: Awakening Ceremony (1) "Argh..." Arthur blinked awake. He tried to raise his hand to clutch his head only to freeze the moment he felt something heavy pressing down on him. A small body sat atop his waist, hands by each side of his ear, grinning like she owned the world. "Good morning~" said the intruder with a smug smile. Her pink hair fell across her face, and her oversized robes drooped so much they swallowed her hands and massive chest. Arthur stared at the figure directly in the eye. "What are you doing on top of me... Senior Alexis?" Alexis chuckled. "Kikiki... Did you get hard?" Arthur raised the weightless girl up, dropped her on the bed, then stood to his feet. She frowned. "A good morning wouldn’t be too bad." Arthur clicked his tongue. "Well, I didn’t have a good morning, so why should you?" He then whispered to himself. "It would have been better if Isabella woke me up like that." Alexis stared at him like she heard every word. "Hey..." she called out, her demeanor changing. "Do you think your maid is cuter than I am?" Arthur stared her in the eyes. If it was somewhere else this was happening, perhaps he could have gotten scared, but they were in Arcain property, plus his mom was around. "I will tell my mom and sister if you don’t leave. I doubt you would want a problem with them." Alexis immediately regained her composure, her cheeks then puffed up in a mock pout. "You’re so mean, Artie." ’Artie...’ Arthur tilted his head, but soon regained himself. ’No need to say anymore... I don’t want to get involved with characters that would lead me down any bad route.’ Alexis Noelle Ainsworth. The daughter of the Fairy Queen of the North and an Ancient Dragon from the Primeval Sea. A hybrid just like those of the Arcain Clan—except instead of demon genes, she had that of a fairy. In the game, she was a natural disaster in lolicon disguise. A hero, yes. But also a full-blown chaos elemental. No matter how much players tried to control her and bring her to their side, she never seemed to budge, and it always ended in the destruction of a city which Arthur Arcain was unfortunately always in. Even the protagonist had to settle for "weird friends with benefits" at best. That meant if Arthur wanted to stop any bad ending, he had to stay far away from her. ’There is also the option of recruiting her before anyone...’ He turned to Alexis, her blue eyes glowing ever so brightly, then he sighed. ’I would rather not...’ Even if Alexis was one of the strongest water-based mages with the strongest buff authority in the entire game, it was still not worth the risk, at least for now. He hadn’t awakened yet. Arthur tied the rope of his robe loosely, then moved towards the door. "You know," Alexis mumbled, face turning red, "this might sound like I’m a pedophile, but considering I look this small, I should be allowed to say it." Arthur paused, halfway from the door. "What?" Alexis pointed at him, grinning widely. "Arthur Arcain... I’ll give you the chance." She took a dramatic pause. "Marry me." Arthur stared at her. "No." "Huh?" Arthur turned back and headed out of the room. ’Crazy...’ he thought. Right outside, just like every other day, Isabella stood beside the door, her posture straight. Immediately she saw him exit the room, her expression brightened. "Good morning, Young Master." Arthur smiled. "Good morning." Her gaze turned to the door briefly. "Uhmm... Who was that, Young Master? The Matriarch would be disappointed in you if you have started playing around with girls." ’I don’t think mom would react that much, though.’ Arthur waved off her worries. "It’s nothing like that." He took a moment to stretch, then added, "Mind if I use your bath?" Isabella’s face turned crimson. "Y-You want to bathe in my room? Are you forgetting you’re royalty... a-and we’re not even in a relationship!" Arthur tilted his head innocently. "What do you mean ’relationship’? Didn’t we kiss yesterday?" "I—!" Arthur smiled at her. "I’m a man of commitment," Arthur declared with a dramatic flourish. "From last night on, you became one of my people." Her face burned red. "Young Master, what if someone hears you? I would have my head decapitated." Her voice turned softer, her face downcast. "But I know I won’t be the only woman, right?" Arthur didn’t reply and let her continue. Isabella looked up with conviction. "Can you at least tell me how many women will come after me?" Arthur lingered for a bit as if pondering. "...I don’t know." The two’s gaze lingered for a bit, then Isabella spun around and walked ahead of him, huffing. Arthur sighed softly, watching her back retreat. "Seriously... I can’t even tease her properly." He slapped his cheeks to reset his brain. ’Now isn’t the time. Today is the awakening ceremony.’ He looked left and right to make sure no one could see him from the hallway. His gaze shifted to the courtyard that was inches away from the pillar that supported the hallway. ’Notification.’ This was a new feature that Arthur had found out. Instead of always listening to each message the system sent to him, he could save them, at least the ones he didn’t see, and read them later. 『 Brain Core Formed 』 『 Necessary amount of mana has been transferred from main core to brain core 』 Arthur let out a satisfied smile. He couldn’t feel much difference, probably because he hadn’t officially awakened. But with this, at least he knew he was a step ahead of his peers, though if his illness is counted, it would be accurate to say he closed the gap that was between them from birth. ’I guess it is time to prepare.’ *** Despite Isabella’s words and actions, she allowed Arthur to bathe in her room. He did so quickly so he wouldn’t bring too much attention to herself. The awakening event was going to start within two hours. First, there was the official awakening that involved opening the unawakened’s main core, allowing them to feel mana and check their affinities and talent rank. After which, the semi-awakened would move to the Hollow Mountain and get their tethers. And the last stage would be the final awakening of authorities and traits. Out of all the stages, it was only the second stage that troubled Arthur since the remaining would be done in the presence of grown adults. Arthur sighed. ’No matter how many times I see it, I still can’t believe this is my reflection.’ He continued to admire his attire and appearance in the mirror: a formal knight’s uniform adorned with the silver-ice crest of the Arcain Clan. On his hip was a ceremonial longsword taken from the family’s mundane armory—nothing grand or even powerful, just for show. He stepped into the main hall where his mother awaited, already dressed in regal white robes laced with northern embroidery. Arthur’s hair was tied up in a ponytail. According to Isabella, most people wore their children makeup for the awakening ceremony, but Isabella thought it was meaningless since Arthur was already "too handsome" without it. Arthur bowed slightly. "Arthur Arcain greets Mother." "Oh, what a gentleman." A rather young lady who accompanied Alica Arcain spoke out. Alica’s eyes lit up. "Aww, my baby boy looks so adorable!" Arthur cleared his throat. "Mother... please, I’m meant to look manly, not adorable." The older women that surrounded his mother closed their mouths, and their cheeks turned red like they had just seen an adorable kitten. Alica bent down, cupping his cheek. "No matter what happens today, baby, just remember mommy loves you—whether you awaken or not, okay?" He smiled at her warmly. "Of course, Mother." He locked eyes with her. "Though I’m not planning on shaming our family." Alica nodded. ’So cute!’ she thought. As soon as Alica turned away, Arthur’s expression darkened. ’There’s no way I’m not awakening. Not when the fate of this world is always doom. Not with bad endings that are coming.’ He loosened his grip on the ceremonial sword. ’Still... I do wonder why I had traits before even awakening. Was it because of the system?’ Arthur quickly shook off the unnecessary thoughts and moved closer to his mother. They both followed the spacious courtyard to go to the gate, where Isabella and a large white carriage was waiting for them. Arthur, Isabella, and Alica entered the Arcain carriage, adorned in white ice crystals and pulled by two mana beasts with silver scales. The journey towards the Hollow Mountain’s peak took nearly an hour, which gave Arthur enough time to put his thoughts in order. Arthur and his mother sat in companionable silence until he asked, "Mother..." Alica lightened her expression. "Yes, baby." "What happened with the troops sent to fight that rebel noblewoman?" He asked without any filler. His mother raised a brow. "Are you worrying about the clan when you have an awakening ceremony ahead?" She ruffled his hair. "They’ve secured the perimeter but haven’t moved in yet. We’re trying to avoid collateral. So since today is your special day, focus only on yourself." He nodded, waiting for her to release the next set of instructions. She continued, with an instructive tone, "As you may already know, the awakening process begins with opening your abdominal core gate using refined mana. That will let your body circulate energy, reveal your affinity, and awaken your talent grade." This was already information he knew, but he still pretended to listen attentively. "After that, those who awaken with a D-rank talent or above advance to the Tether Ceremony." Her gaze shifted to the window briefly as the carriage shook. "Then," she added, "comes the Authority Ceremony, where one forges their first Authority and unlocks their trait." His mother continued to explain necessary information about the awakening ceremony, though she didn’t share anything that would give him an unfair advantage. ’Well, she is the hero of the people after all.’ Arthur took a deep breath. ’When was the last time I had cold feet?’ Perhaps it was because he never truly had responsibility or someone he desperately tried to impress, but now that he had, he felt like if he didn’t awaken as at least an SS-rank, he should just die. He closed his eyes. ’Calm down.’ An hour passed before he knew it, and soon enough the carriage reached their location. A massive gate made of lavender ice now stood in front of him. The guards, seeing them, bowed down and opened the gates, revealing the enormous Awakening Colosseum. The sound of loud cheering echoed through Arthur’s ears. He squinted his eyes as the bright light of the sun, which was somehow directed towards the arena, shone on his face. The thunderous clang of metal and magic echoed through the spectators’ seats. Nobles of the north, branch family members, and spectators rejoiced like they were sharing free food. ’What a good day to be alive.’ Arthur thought. ’At least there isn’t any internet to roast those who fail.’ But really, it was all magnificent, even the massive crystalline orb that glowed brightly from the center of the platform. ’It seems I’m the last.’ He took a single step forward—as all participants’ eyes turned to him. 『 #Scenario 4: Come out as number one in the awakening ceremony 』 『 Status: In Progress 』 ─── ✦ End of Chapter ✦ ───