"I hereby declare the start of the awakening!"
The majestic voice echoed throughout the square, causing the crowd to erupt in excitement.
"It has finally begun!" the people exclaimed.
"May my child bring glory to our family!" someone else shouted.
The excited voices of the crowd filled the square. They had all gathered here for one purpose, and they had not forgotten it.
If their child could awaken the core and catch the attention of the three important figures above, it would be a great honor for their family.
Perhaps even the Luvic nobles would take notice.
"Since this year's Awakening Day is special, I will lead the ceremony," David announced, addressing the Luvic nobles who were still waiting in line.
"All current Luvic nobles may proceed to your seats."
"And for those who brought their children to awaken their cores, please gather them next to Arthur," David instructed in a casual tone.
"Yes, my lord," the Luvic nobles replied in unison, bowing their heads respectfully.
Some had brought their older children to awaken their cores during their visit to Rozen.
The Awakening Day only occurred once a year, and they did not want their children to miss the opportunity.
Lucas, who was holding Anna in his arms, turned to look at her beside him.
"Alright, it's time for you to awaken the core in your body too," Lucas said to Anna.
"I look forward to seeing you awaken, my daughter," he added, smiling as he gently ruffled her hair.
Anna smiled back and clenched her fists with excitement. "Don't worry, Father! I won't disappoint you. I'll make you proud!" she declared.
Lucas nodded, pleased with his daughter's confident and mature attitude.
"Alright then, go ahead and join young Master Arthur," he said.
Anna dashed off towards Arthur with a big smile on her face.
Lucas watched her go with a sigh before turning to head towards the seats reserved for the Luvic nobles.
He didn't personally know Arthur, but he saw no reason to prevent his daughter from approaching him.
In fact, if Anna could befriend the future heir to Duke Asvold, it could benefit both her and the Weis family.
David's attention turned to the commoners with their children as he spoke loudly, "All children of common birth may gather in the center of the square."
Since all the Luvic nobles were present at this year's awakening, the children who were to awaken their cores would be divided into two groups: nobles and commoners.
Arthur, who had been observing the crowd, felt a tug on his robe.
He turned to see a small girl with a beautiful face and slightly chubby cheeks.
She wore a red dress and smiled gently at him.
Arthur looked at the little girl with a confused expression.
He had never seen her before and didn't recognize her.
"Hello, young Master Arthur," Anna greeted him politely.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"My name is Anna Weis, from a high-ranking Luvic family, the Weis Family," she added, tugging at her dress and bowing respectfully.
Arthur's confusion turned to surprise when he heard her name.
"Anna Weis?!" he exclaimed inwardly.
Arthur is familiar with this name.
In the novel, Anna Weis is a side heroine and a significant figure in Abel's growth.
Her role is not limited to the Balka Empire arc, and even when Abel becomes an Elemental Lord, she is still mentioned in the story.
However, Anna does not become one of Abel's harem members as she is known for her business sense and profit is her primary motivation.
Abel's success attracted her, and she helped him grow by providing resources.
Initially, Arthur also wanted to recruit Anna into his plan, but he put it off because Anna came from the Weis family, who were high-level Luvics.
He did not have the power to attract her to be his subordinate right now.
And now that he saw her coming to him herself, how could he avoid it?
If meat was sent to him, how could he not eat it?
"Hello, Lady Anna."
"Nice to meet you." Arthur smiled and looked at her gently.
That said, Anna was a very pretty girl; even at five years old, she looked really cute.
In the future, she would definitely not be inferior to Alicia and Runa.
Arthur couldn't help but admire Anna's beauty.
"It is also a pleasure to meet you, young master Arthur." Anna's face flushed at the sight of Arthur's smile, and her face heated up.
In the beginning, she already had a good impression of Arthur, and now somehow her heart was beating fast.
'So handsome!' Anna said to herself, and she couldn't help but look at Arthur's perfect face.
Arthur, who saw this, smiled slightly and waved his hand.
"Lady Anna, is there something strange about my face?" Arthur asked in a teasing tone.
"No, very handsome," Anna said absentmindedly, continuing to stare at Arthur's face.
Soon she suddenly woke up, and her face turned red up to the tips of her ears.
"No, no, I didn't mean to!" Anna waved her hand as if trying to explain her misunderstanding.
Artur said nothing and just smiled.
"Yes, I believe so. Take it easy, Lady Anna." He tried to keep her calm and not tease her.
"That's right!" Anna sighed and felt relieved for fear of being misunderstood as a frivolous little girl by Arthur.
However, her flushed face still looked very cute to Arthur.
Soon, all the children who were ready to awaken their cores had gathered.
The Luvic noble children had also gathered around, but of course, they dared not get too close to Arthur and kept their distance.
After all, Arthur's status made them afraid to engage him in conversation.
The group of commoners had also gathered, and Arthur saw that probably more than ten thousand children had come, which was indeed a large number.
Compared to the surrounding noble children, who numbered around a hundred or so, it was truly an incomparable number.
"Alright, get ready, everyone."
"All children from both groups, please sit cross-legged on the ground, and I will create a magic barrier to awaken your core power."
"Close your eyes and try to feel the elemental power inside your body as I create the barrier."
David, who was above the sky, immediately spoke in a loud voice to all the children in the square.
Immediately, all the children from both groups sat cross-legged on the ground and closed their eyes, including Arthur, who had been preparing from the beginning.
After all, he was ready and knew all the procedures for this awakening.
"Young master, I-I feel a little nervous," Runa said in a trembling voice as she looked at Arthur with a doubtful expression.
Earlier, she had been standing behind him and would also undergo the process of awakening the core power within her body.
She was scared and nervous, worrying that if she couldn't awaken her core, her young master might abandon her.
Arthur noticed her nervousness and smiled slightly.
He rubbed her small head and said, "Don't worry, Runa."
"I'm sure you can do it."
"After all, you're my personal maid, and I'm sure your talent is exceptional, right?"
Runa's eyes lit up, and she nodded excitedly.
"Yes, young master! I won't disappoint you!"
Arthur smiled and sat cross-legged on the ground with Runa.
Anna, who was standing beside Arthur, felt a twinge of jealousy at their intimate interaction.
"Hmph, I want to be close to young master Arthur too!" she thought to herself.
But she knew it was impossible, considering they had only just met.
"I'll be the closest to young master Arthur!" Runa declared coldly, sitting cross-legged beside Arthur.
"Everyone, get ready!" David called out from the sky, raising his hand.
In an instant, a fire barrier appeared in the center of the square, enveloping both groups of children.
The fire barrier was so large that it could cover the square; furthermore, the fire contained no heat whatsoever.
"Wow, what an incredible elemental power!" Roy, who was sitting in the noble seat, couldn't help but admire Duke Asvold's power.
"Indeed, creating a barrier like this would quickly deplete one's elemental power, but Duke Asvold shows no signs of running out of mana," Lucas said, gazing at the magical barrier in awe.
He, an early-stage elemental saint, knew that he couldn't achieve the same feat.
Everyone present was amazed, and they felt that Duke Asvold was truly beyond their imagination.
"Alright, close your eyes and focus." David's voice echoed through the square where the children were gathered.
"The process might be a little painful, but it will awaken your core."
Arthur closed his eyes and focused on sensing the core of his heart.
"I have to do this!" he thought to himself.
"If I don't, all my efforts will be in vain, and I'll never be able to see Mira, Chloe, Luna, and Mom and Dad again."
Arthur attempted to sense the abundance of mana being collected by the fire barrier that David had erected to assist the children in their core awakening process.
The barrier was very strong, and the mana was abundant, making it easy for the children to condense their cores.
Arthur struggled for a while, but eventually, a stream of mana rushed through his body, seemingly awakening his core.
The mana flow headed towards his heart, where the formation of the core was taking place.
Suddenly, Arthur's heart began to thump rapidly, and he let out a cry of pain.
"Argh!"
He held his left chest, which had become incredibly painful.
"Why now?" he cursed inwardly, trying to endure the pain.
"Arghhh!!!" Arthur screamed and writhed on the ground, still clutching his chest.
However, no one around him, including Runa and Anna, noticed as their consciousness was locked away in the process of awakening their core power.
The people outside the barrier were also unable to see what was happening inside.
Arthur remained in agony, but no one noticed his distress, not even David and the two others.
"Shit!"
Feeling weaker by the moment, Arthur cursed under his breath.
He could no longer move and could barely withstand the mounting pain.
Eventually, he felt his consciousness begin to slip away.
"Ugh!" Arthur groaned as he closed his eyes and eventually lost consciousness.
...
"Where am I?"
"Didn't I suddenly lose consciousness?"
Arthur opened his eyes in confusion, wondering where he was and how he had lost consciousness.
His surroundings were completely white and empty, devoid of any signs of life.
"Finally, we meet again, my dear, Arthur~" Suddenly, a seductive and soft voice spoke behind him, causing him to feel uneasy.
Startled, Arthur quickly turned around, and his expression changed to one of shock and amazement.
"You?!"
-------
I rushed to finish this volume quickly, so there are more words than usual.
My plan was to finish today and then jump into the next volume, where Arthur has already skipped into adolescence.
Just a heads up: there may be some R18 scenes and other mature content in the upcoming volume, so be prepared~
Thank you~
