“Great spirit—very good. Now, let’s invite His Excellency Eddie, a Seventh-Rank Earth Element Mage, to explain some of the essential rules for the Elemental Awakening Ceremony.” Alaya nodded in satisfaction, then sat back down.
Meanwhile, Elina was already drooping her little head, half asleep. After getting up so early and waiting around bored for so long, she’d started feeling drowsy ages ago.
Alaya patted Elina’s little head to wake her. “No nodding off. It’s starting.”
“Oh, right!” Elina jolted upright and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.
Just then, Eddie walked to the front of the platform. Facing the crowd and the youths below, he explained calmly, “All right, everyone. When your name is called, come up to the platform in order for your test. As you come up, put the token in your hand into the box beside the platform so we can collect it. For the Elemental Awakening, you need to relax. Simply place your hand on the elemental pillar and call to the elements in your heart. Your result is determined by how many elements answer your call—once they stop streaming toward you, the test is over. Understood?”
“Understood!” the children replied, nodding excitedly.
“Excellent. But before we begin, let’s have our Princess Elina say a few words. She’ll also be taking the test first to get us off to a good start. All right?” Eddie said with a smile.
“All right!” The children grew even more excited.
They’d heard all sorts of stories about Princess Elina ever since they’d come from far away. They’d been looking forward to seeing her for ages, and now they finally would.
Down below, Ryan clutched his token nervously. He was looking forward to seeing Princess Elina, but he was even more anxious about whether she was the girl who’d given him money yesterday. If she really was, then the gulf between them would be impossible to cross. He might spend his whole life trying and still never win her heart…
Up on the platform, Elina pointed at herself, looking completely bewildered. “Me?!”
“Who else? Your cuteness boosts morale, darling. Come on, it’s only a few words. You’ll be done in no time.” Alaya waved her on.
What do you mean, my cuteness boosts morale, nya~?
Does it really work that well…?
“All right, all right.” Elina stood up helplessly and walked to the middle of the platform.
Looking down at the youths whose eyes were filled with wonder, Elina parted her soft pink lips and smiled. “Friends from the Frank Empire, I hope you’ll achieve excellent elemental affinity here and go on to create even greater things for the Frank Empire in the future. Thank you, everyone. I’ll get us off to a good start, so let’s all do our best!”
“We will!” The boys’ enthusiasm burst into flame. How could Princess Elina be so cute? Every boy there had the same ultimate dream: to become a legend of the Empire and marry Princess Elina.
The girls’ eyes sparkled. If only they could have a cutie of this caliber as their own Barbie doll! They’d dress her in pretty outfits every day and keep her at home, nice and plump and well-behaved.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Eddie nodded in satisfaction. “Your Highness Elina, please come with me to the elemental pillar.”
Watching the crowd go wild, Elina’s mouth twitched slightly. Her pale blue eyes gleamed. She had a feeling her fame was only going to grow.
This was nothing like her usual strategy of quietly making a fortune, nya!!!
It was like someone had cranked her presence up to the max, nya!!!
……
Amid the joyous crowd, only one person stood with his head lowered and bitterness on his face. That person was, of course, Ryan.
He looked at the ocean-blue gleam in Elina’s eyes, his feelings in turmoil. She was definitely the girl from last night. He couldn’t be mistaken. He’d never forget the color of her eyes or her sweet voice, not for the rest of his life. But the ridiculous thing was…
He’d fallen in love with an imperial princess, while he was nothing more than a commoner from a tiny mountain village. How could he ever cross a gulf like that?
Ryan looked at the noble youths beside him, all of them so calm and composed. They came from prominent families, and thanks to their parents, every one of them had exceptional talent. It was rare for two people with high elemental affinity to have a child with low affinity. That was how cruel talent could be in this world. These were the people who could compete for Princess Elina. Someone like him didn’t even matter.
Of course, he wasn’t going to give up. His mom had told him that a man could make mistakes in his life, but he must never leave himself with regrets!
Maybe he could be the one to make it from nothing. How would he know unless he tried? What if he succeeded? Ryan gritted his teeth slightly and looked at the towering elemental pillar. Please—let the result of this test be his last hope. If his affinity was high enough, he’d have a chance to pursue Princess Elina too!
……
Elina followed Eddie to the elemental pillar. He spoke respectfully. “Princess Elina, please place your hand on it and sense the light element.”
“All right.” Elina nodded.
So it wasn’t exactly a secret that the Sacred Rite Clan controlled the light element. What mattered most was elemental affinity. After all, once your affinity reached ninety percent or higher, you had a chance to touch the Ninth Rank. Just a chance, of course. The Ninth Rank was almost beyond reach, and you still needed a bit of luck.
Elina sighed, placed her hand against the elemental pillar, closed her eyes, and sincerely called out to the light elements scattered throughout the world.
Light elements, nya~
Come to me!
Elina felt countless golden particles suddenly appear in her sea of consciousness. They surged toward her like the ocean, layer upon layer, without end. Each particle of light seemed as big as a cow as it shoved its way into her body. Some of the more hotheaded ones even rammed the other light particles aside and charged straight in.
Elina was completely dumbfounded. Was she really that popular…?
This probably isn’t good. Everyone, calm down a little.
At that, the crowd of light elements actually settled down. Like lively little sprites, they danced around Elina, and she could clearly feel the goodwill they sent her.
Elina was a little surprised. She could actually communicate with the particles of light! Was it because her elemental affinity was so high? This was a blind spot in her own understanding of the setting. She’d only known that high affinity meant great talent, not that it could have such a curious effect.
Still, it was a good thing. This meant she could maximize her training speed. Of course, no matter how high your affinity was, you still had to work hard, nya~
After all, if you didn’t actively take them in, they couldn’t enter you.
Mm, then let’s take them in slowly. But don’t panic, everyone. Even if I reach my limit, you can come home with me. When I train, I’ll absorb you all then.
……
