After a few days, on the day I made my first growth elixir on my first try, it was now the new year, 5045.
On such a great day, I would usually be reading books or training my body to awaken or maybe helping to set up a feast for the celebration, but except I was not... Why? It was because...
"So to awaken, you need to form a proper awakening form method. Of course, there are different kinds of awakening forms, such as being a mage if they know the awakening form, or they can also be proper knights. Of course, once you have manifested your awakening form, you will stick to it for the rest of your life, which is why most prefer to seek high-quality awakening forms on their own, but most would usually give up and form a simple awakening form..." Lourel explained on her wheelchair that, although it was not mealtime, Yukino, Aurelia, Rina, Sana, and I were sitting around the massive dining hall table to learn about awakening forms. As Lourel was explaining on a giant chalkboard, I did not even know this manor had one.
I glanced at the four women. Aurelia was paying close attention to her mother's words, with a serious expression that reminded me of the top student from my original life. Sana, on the other hand, was also paying attention, but her expression showed she was having difficulty grasping the lesson. Rina, on the other hand, was bored and already understood the theory lesson that Lourel was teaching. Yukino, on the other hand, was just here because she wanted to be here.
As for me, I felt this was a massive waste of time to be here but was forced to be here because during the expedition, I did use mana, which Yukino saw and reported to my mother, and due to Lourel having a lesson in trying to tutor the three women on how to manifest their awakening form, my mother thought it would be good to let me learn alongside them to learn how to manifest an awakening form in the future.
After all, we can only manifest an awakening form once, which would be part of us forever unless we self-destruct it, which would cause a massive backlash and permanently prevent us from ever awakening again. So, practically, we would be crippled. Fortunately, this world has an elixir that cures such a disability, allowing us to awaken again, but, from what I hear, it is costly.
'You were a crazy fellow. You kept self-destructing your awakening forms to find a suitable and perfect awakening form...' Wraith said, as his tone sounded low and carried fear.
'Agreed, he was very crazy...' Envy spoke with fear as well.
'...' I did not reply to them.
Back in my original life, I regretted manifesting a low-quality awakening form, especially for my original life body's talent, as an awakening form would stick to you for the rest of your life unless you self-destruct it, which is not recommended, as the consequence would be your life.
Which is why there is a saying, 'Once you manifest an awakening form, it shall stick to your life,' which I guess is what this world has also learnt. How do I survive such a backlash? It was a very straightforward method: quickly get medical help before you die or have the Gluttony Authority devour all the elements in the body, which is a much safer method.
Which is why, after many trials and errors and painful experiences, I managed to create a perfect, unique awakening form. From all these experiences, I gained enough knowledge and expertise to easily make an awakening form, or even replicate one from others.
I looked around the dining hall. Dawn was also here; she was napping beside the chalkboard, as this matter did not matter to her, as how could a baby wolf pup know what we are saying, though I do know an awakening form method suitable for a baby wolf pup, especially for Dawn's breed.
The dining hall was just Lourel, Yukino, Aurelia, Rina, Sana, Dawn, and me. Seraphina isn't here because, as a mage, she can teach my mother, who has an awakened mage form. After looking around, I looked back and listened to Lourel's teaching.
"What I could recommend is trying to join a great noble family's knighthood. Once you join their knighthood, you will be trained under them, and once you fit their criteria, you will be given an awakening method. For the knights' awakening method, you will be given an awakening method that will soon manifest a core that will serve as a core to your awakening, and then you will train under them until you fit their criteria. Once you fit their criteria, you will have to swear an oath of loyalty and devotion to their house, which means giving up your freedom. Then you would be given the full method of the awakening form." Lourel explained. Yukino, Aurelia, Sana, and Rina nodded, each with a different attitude as they listened to Lourel's explanation.
"Ma'am, I have a question," Rina asked as she raised her hand, wanting to ask a question and also showing respect to Lourel.
"Alright, Rina, what is your question?" Lourel asked, wanting to know what Rina was curious or confused about.
"We already know about all of these things, but what we wish to know is an awakening form that allows us to awaken now," Rina said calmly and cheerfully. Lourel, who had heard Rina's words, looked at her daughter and Sana, who nodded in response to her look.
Though for Yukino, she already had an awakening form, and it was a high-quality awakening form, so there was no need to ask if she understood all of the things that Lourel explained or even answered. Which made me curious: where did she learn them? Is it from my mother's family? If so, I am very interested in my mother's background.
"Indeed, you all may know about it, but does Master Ragnar know about it?" Lourel nodded her head in understanding and then asked them if I knew about it. Rina, Sana, and Aurelia had a blank expression and soon nodded, as if they had forgotten I was here to learn about it, even though they already knew.
"My apology, I was too inconsiderate, Ma'am. I also wish to apologise to Master Ragnar for my inconsideration." Rina apologised properly, clapping her hands together and saying her apologies.
"It is all right; I understand your feelings, Rina." Lourel smiled warmly, forgiving Rina for not remembering that I was placed here to learn about awakening forms, as she did not mind.
"No worries, Rina. Your apology is unnecessary, as I also already knew about awakening forms. In fact, I already have an awakening form in mind that I will be using for my entire life." I replied calmly with an indifferent expression, not minding the inconsideration.
"I see. Thank-wait, what?" Rina wanted to thank me for my forgiveness, but stopped, shocked. It wasn't just her; everyone around me looked at me with a shocked expression.
'Oops...'
"Wait, Master Ragnar, what do you mean that you already have an awakening form in mind?" Yukino asked with apparent concern, as she was afraid I might stumble upon a suspicious awakening form somewhere and use it, not knowing its effectiveness or effects well enough. Lourel, Aurelia, Rina and Sana also understood Yukino's concern and looked at me.
Looking at them, I realised I had dug myself into a hole when I said that I already have an awakening form in mind. I believe it must be due to this body's mentality; I really need to awaken my mind's realm fast.
'Did you really have to blame your body's mind when it is your fault...' Wraith complained. I did not reply to him, as ignoring him would be better for me.
"Well, I have read some books about awakening forms and have tried to make a few high-quality awakening forms on my own. I have also made several other high-quality awakening forms when I was experimenting with my own theory," I answered without any hesitation and in a clear tone, showing that I was confident enough to prove that I made high-quality awakening forms.
"Could you show an example?" Lourel asked calmly, reaching out her hand with chalk on it. I stood up from my seat, walked towards her, slowly and gently grabbed the chalk, and then drew a simple human diagram.
When I drew a simple, complete human diagram, I started sketching the structure of the awakening method I planned to present, as this is effective for water affinity users. Though once I drew part of it, I was stopped before I could draw the other parts.
"Alright, Master Ragnar, you can stop. I can tell that you are drawing an actual high-quality awakening form for a water affinity user." Lourel said, with a gentle tone, knowing I knew a proper awakening method from her experience as an awakened, and stopped me, as awakening forms and methods are best kept secret.
"Alright," I answered calmly. I went back to my seat, sat down, and just relaxed.
Yukino, who was also an awakened, understood that I had drawn a high-quality awakening form and was quite shocked. Still, Aurelia, Sana, and Rina were looking at the chalkboard with the diagram and the part of the structure I had just drawn, though they wore different expressions.
"I can't believe that Master Ragnar managed to draw an awakening form, and a high-quality one at his age..." Rina was speechless as she said her thoughts.
"I do not understand anything at all. What is that structure for? I don't understand..." Sana was struggling, as she could not understand the meaning of the structure I drew.
"I feel amazed and proud of Master Ragnar's knowledge and wisdom, but also feel incompetent..." Aurelia said weakly as she felt that the boy she had given her loyalty and devotion to was way too competent.
"Isn't that a good thing, Aurelia? If Master Ragnar knows an awakening form method, he could grant you the method to awaken. I am so jealous..." Rina pointed out something that Aurelia missed, as she felt like her best friend was being down over nothing.
"That's right. Isn't that a good thing? Aurelia, you could become a knight-level knightess now," Sana said as she realised Rina was right.
"You are correct..." Aurelia said weakly, not feeling any joy at all. Rina and Sana could not understand why Aurelia was not feeling any joy, as it was a good thing for her.
Lourel, who understood why Aurelia was not feeling joy, gently knocked the chalkboard to get everyone's attention, and they all looked at her.
"Mhmm, mhmm. It is very understandable why Aurelia is feeling sad; after all, this world is ruled by your affinity and your body's ability to store the elements. So if you are going for an awakening form that does not suit your affinity, even a high-quality awakening form could become a low-quality one, as the output you would do, would not be as great as its true form." Lourel explained calmly and gently with a warm smile.
Hearing her explanation, the three apprentice knights understood. Yukino nodded her head as she knew this.
Using an awakening method for knights that doesn't match their affinity, like a fire-affinity person using a water affinity form, leads to inefficient aura conversion. The conversion from water to fire is costly and yields minimal results. While anyone can transform their aura into different elements, the conversion rates make it impractical. In contrast, mages can create elements like fire directly from mana without wasting much mana, making their awakening forms more effective.
If this is the benefit of a mage, then what is the point of leaning towards the knight path? Well, there are a few differences and similarities between the two paths.
Mage Awakening focuses on absorbing and storing the natural mana from the surroundings into their body, which could easily be used to cast any magic without much cost.
The conversion speed would be pretty fast, as it is just converting the natural mana into a specific element mana, which would then be used for what they wish to use it for.
Though it requires time to manifest into an attack or defence, it depends on the mage's control and understanding of manipulating the mana, as controlling mana is very difficult and takes time to understand.
If the mages' mana control is good, they can instantly manipulate the mana freely and cast their attacks freely. The power of their defence or attack depends on their affinity as well.
Mage Awakening forms are complex and risky, requiring mages to prioritise their health through proper hygiene, balanced meals, and rest. Though they lack physical strength, their awakening comes with tremendous firepower, and the quality of the awakening form significantly increases the challenge of awakening it.
Knights convert natural mana into a specific elemental mana aligned with their awakening form. This process has a medium conversion speed, allowing for quick manifestation into strong attacks or defences. Additionally, knights benefit from a healthier body and extended lifespan due to the reinforcing effects of mana. While easier to understand than other forms of awakening, it still carries risks.
The Knights' awakening form has drawbacks; switching between elements takes time and depends on affinity, resulting in lower effectiveness if the element contrasts with your main one. Unlike mages, Knights can't perform long-range attacks and have significantly less firepower, showcasing mages' superior strength.
Everyone knows this and understands why Aurelia was feeling down, as if she were taking an awakening form for a water affinity user. Depending on her affinity, if it's bad, she would still be a knight rank knightess, but her combat prowess would prove otherwise.
"Then, Aurelia, what is your affinity?" I asked, curious about her affinity. If she gave me her affinity information, I could give her an optimal awakening form that suits her. She would still be a knight rank knightess, but her combat prowess could become the level of a junior rank knight.
Everyone who heard my question turned to her, since they did not really know each other's affinities. Aurelia, who was the target of everyone's stares, answered her affinity weakly.
"My affinity would be High Fire, High Light, Medium Darkness, and the rest are Low," Aurelia confessed. Everyone except me and Lourel, who heard that, was confused. For me, I was not confused, I was very confused as I do not understand what she had just said by saying High, Medium or Low, but I could understand what it meant, I didn't know the value of it, if only I had awaken my mind realm, I could use Greed's Authority Ability, Eyes of Avarice, to check the value of living beings and gain an estimate value but I have not unlocked it yet.
"Wait, your light and fire are high. Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in the Aremflaris' family? Or maybe the Solendriel's family? They have the awakening forms for your affinity," Rina asked, but then realised why, as Lourel was bedridden with Aura Degeneration, which forces Aurelia to be a knight here, as a knight's salary is good. When she realised it, her expression showed it easily, and Aurelia nodded her head.
If Aurelia had the opportunity to serve under them, she would. Still, because her mother was bedridden in the town near Destenebres' territory, she had to train as an apprentice knight under the Destenebres' family, to attain their awakening form and sign her fate under the Destenebres' family, as a knight's salary is good enough. She wanted to spend more time with her mother in her last moments. Fortunately, her mother is cured by me, which allows her not care about achieving their awakening form. Still, she had already sworn an oath to me, preventing her from leaving, as it would be a sign of betraying. Of course, I could cut our ties but...
"Erm, no worries about it, Master Ragnar, I feel happier in serving under you than serving under other families, and you are a benefactor I owe my loyalty and devotion to, you know what, maybe I can use that awakening form that you just drew," Aurelia tried to find an excuse, as it felt like it was my fault that she was tied here with her potential.
Everyone who realised this looked at me and tried to comfort me. Still, sadly, I wasn't listening as I was deep in thought, which made everyone think I was taking the matter seriously and try harder to comfort me with words, saying it wasn't my fault. Even Lourel said she was grateful and that Aurelia was kidding.
'Solendriel... one of the hero family that reigned light. One of the five protagonists is from there... Castriel Solendriel, a male protagonist whom I hated the most. He reminded me of him back then...' I thought to myself calmly when I heard about Solendriel's family from Rina.
'By him, do you mean-' Envy asked, but was interrupted.
'Yes, one of the ten lords, one of the nine righteous lords, [The Supreme Golden Flash Lord], Hwang Geumgwangjeon, well, to be precise, back when I was still an irredeemable piece of trash, he was someone I used to hate.' I thought calmly as I think back to the past with regret.
'Oh, that gay man...' Lust said boredly.
'...' We all did not respond to Lust's words.
"Well, I do know a high-quality awakening form that suits your affinity, Aurelia", I said calmly as I noticed everyone was silent about Aurelia's situation. Everyone looked at me, including Lourel, who felt guilty for her daughter being forced to become a knightess here.
"What do you mean, Master Ragnar?" Aurelia asked softly, worried that I was finding excuses and probably trying to comfort her, but then she saw me standing up.
I stood up, walked towards the chalkboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and drew an awakening form I knew suited Aurelia's affinity. Lourel and Yukino, who saw me, picked up a chalk and drew the structure of the awakening form; they were shocked. Rina, Aurelia and Sana were also watching but could not understand what I was drawing. Once I drew one part of the structure, which was the core first and soon the structure around the core, but then I was grabbed gently, prompting me to stop.
"That's enough, Master Ragnar. I can already see that you do have an awakening form that seems to suit Aurelia," Lourel said with a warm smile as she saw one part of the structure.
"I agree, though it is one part, I can tell it could work..." Yukino agreed calmly.
Everyone looked at Aurelia, wanting to know if she wanted to take the risk of trusting my words and use the awakening form that I only just drawn one part of.
"Unfortunately, my core is already established, with that structure, I don't think I can awaken with it, it is not that I do not trust master Ragnar or my mother or Yukino's words, it is just that my core is different," Aurelia answered weakly, but it was an unfortunate answer. Rina and Sana looked at Aurelia with pity. I scratched my head when I heard the answer that I expected.
"Aurelia, do you remember the secret I told you to keep back then?" I asked calmly. Everyone who did not know the secret looked at Aurelia, wondering what I was talking about. Aurelia, who remembered it, looked at me and answered.
"I do, I remember it very well. Why do you ask, young master Ragnar?" Aurelia asked.
"I can use it to remove that core of yours without any consequences, I can swear upon my life, so how about it? Want to do it? To awaken?" I replied calmly with an indifferent expression.
Everyone who heard my words looked at Aurelia and me repeatedly, curious about what I was talking about. Even more curious about the secret that both of us know that could remove an awakening from the core without any consequences, it felt like nonsense.
"I..." Aurelia thought carefully