But what caught Lucian’s attention most were the two figures standing behind the Duchess: Cecilia Winter and Alicia Winter, the first and second daughters of House Winter.
So this is what the aura of two prodigies feels like — both already at Arch Core by nineteen and twenty, Lucian mused, quietly impressed. Two tiers above me, and I’m still stuck at Spark Core. We’re practically the same age.
Alicia suddenly stopped directly in front of him, studying him with sharp interest. Cecilia yanked her sister back by the arm, hissing a warning. "Alicia! What are you doing? Stay away from him!"
"Why?" Alicia asked, genuinely confused, stepping back regardless.
"Ehh?! Haven’t you heard the news about him? The rumor is he’s—" Cecilia leaned in, whispering something that made Alicia’s eyes go wide.
Even from that distance, Lucian’s sharpened hearing caught every single word of the whisper with perfect clarity.
Why does it suddenly feel like I’ve become public enemy number one?! WHO started spreading garbage rumors like that?! Lucian screamed internally, fighting to keep his expression neutral.
Before he could spiral further into despair, Bishop Owen’s voice cut through the tension once more.
"Does Duchess Amelia also intend to interrupt this ceremony?" the Bishop asked, his tone heavy.
Duchess Amelia offered a thin smile. "Of course not, Bishop. We simply have urgent matters to attend to. I only hope you might grant a small allowance so my daughter can undergo her Awakening sooner."
Bishop Owen shook his head firmly. "Lord Lucian’s matter is still unresolved. Even House Kayden’s turn has been delayed. And now you wish to cut the line as well?"
"We mean no disrespect, Bishop Owen. We’re simply pressed for time."
"And if everyone claims to be pressed for time, must this sacred cathedral bend to every single demand?!" Bishop Owen’s voice didn’t waver, radiating the unshaken authority of the Order.
Watching the situation spiral further, threatening his own plan to slip away quietly, Lucian let out a short breath and stepped forward.
"Bishop Owen..." he called out gently, but with quiet weight behind it.
Something in the young man’s tone made the Bishop hold his breath for a moment before releasing a long sigh.
"Very well," Bishop Owen relented. "Since Lord Lucian himself permits it, you may proceed. So — who wishes to go first?"
Lucian exhaled in relief. Phew... good thing this Bishop isn’t nearly as dangerous as Lumina.
In another corner, Boien son of Marquis Kayden — shot a glance at his servant, Arlo. Catching the signal instantly, Arlo stepped forward with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Naturally, our young master goes first! We were here before them!" he declared, his blatant rudeness toward a Duchess almost breathtaking.
Strangely, Duchess Amelia didn’t so much as acknowledge the outburst. She regarded his existence as little more than background noise.
"Mother... are we really going to let them go first?" Cecilia whispered beside her.
Amelia glanced at her daughter. "And? Are you that tempted by the title of Saintess? Is your Tier A Blessing not enough for you?"
"A-ah, no! Of course it’s enough, Mother," Cecilia backpedaled quickly. "But Alicia hasn’t had her Awakening yet. With her talent, she could easily earn white, or at least purple."
The Duchess shook her head slowly. "Cecilia... do you know Saintess Lumina’s current power level?"
"No... has she reached the fifth tier, Arch Core?"
"Last year, the moment she received her white Awakening, her strength leapt straight to the seventh tier. Golden Core."
Cecilia’s eyes went wide with disbelief. "How could someone only twenty years old reach Golden Core?! Isn’t that just one tier below you, Mother?!"
"If you think your sister’s fifth-tier Core is enough to earn white or purple, do you truly believe either of you could ever surpass a monster like her?" Amelia’s whisper turned icy.
Cecilia fell silent at once, shaking her head.
"Which is exactly why I’m warning you both," Amelia continued, firm. "If you cross paths with Saintess Lumina, mind your conduct. Never let yourselves be fooled by that gentle face of hers. Behind that smile lies a power far more terrifying than either of you can imagine."
Cecilia swallowed hard, her gaze drifting toward Lucian. "But Mother... how could that blind Sarnel boy possibly receive a white Awakening? Is he hiding his true strength?"
Duchess Amelia said nothing, studying Lucian’s figure with calculating interest.
"It’s obviously because the obelisk is broken!" Arlo cut in without a shred of decorum. "There’s no way a man like him could receive a white Awakening! With talent so pathetic he’s barely scraped Spark Core Tier 3 at his age, this makes absolutely no sense!"
Just as he reveled in his own theory, a light suddenly erupted from Boien, who’d stepped up to touch the obelisk. A dull brown glow enveloped the stone.
This time, it wasn’t the Bishop but an ordinary priest who announced the result, his voice flat.
"Congratulations to Lord Boien of House Kayden. You’ve received a Brown Awakening Tier G."
"IMPOSSIBLE!!" Boien shrieked, his voice cracking through the hall’s silence. His face drained white. "This obelisk must be broken!! There’s no way I heir to House Kayden would only get a Tier G Awakening!! My family doesn’t even own a Grimoire that low!"
"Lord Boien, please remain calm. If your family doesn’t possess one, the Order will provide it for you."
A young priest approached, holding out a worn brown grimoire.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Boien slapped the priest’s hand away so violently that the sacred grimoire fell to the floor and the priest stumbled backward.
"HOW DARE YOU THROW A SACRED GRIMOIRE TO THE GROUND?!" Bishop Owen roared, killing intent radiating off him, his fist clenched as though ready to crush Boien on the spot.
The other priests tried to hold Bishop Owen back and calm him down
Arlo panicked, throwing himself in front of his master. "Bishop Owen, please, calm yourself! Our family will take full responsibility!"
"Remember, House Kayden this isn’t the first time I’ve seen your family behave this way."
Arlo spun back toward his master, gripping his shoulders. "Young Master Boien, please, get ahold of yourself..."
But Boien had already lost all reason. His breath came ragged, his face flushing red with humiliation and panic. He bit down on his own nail hard enough to draw blood, seething with frustration.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!! How could I only get Tier G?! With results this pathetic, I’ll never get into Orvis Academy! Father will cut my allowance and strike me from the bloodline entirely!! This has to be that cursed obelisk’s fault! Yes... it must be broken! I need to prove it!"
Boien’s wild gaze swept across the hall until it landed on Cecilia and Alicia. With unbearable arrogance, he pointed straight at the two Winter sisters.
"I can prove it! This obelisk is broken! I guarantee even a Duchess’s daughter would only get a brown Awakening if she touched it right now!"
WHOOSH!
The temperature in the hall plummeted instantly. A bone-deep chill crept across the cathedral floor.
"It seems House Kayden fails not only at raising servants, but at raising children as well," Duchess Amelia said, her voice colder than ice, eyes glinting with open threat. "How dare you curse my daughter."
Before the Duchess could step forward to teach him a lesson herself, Alicia walked straight past her mother toward the obelisk.
"Wait, Alicia!" Amelia called out, but her daughter paid no mind.
"Mother, don’t worry. Don’t listen to what they say," Alicia said, calm and composed.
The moment Alicia’s palm touched the obelisk’s surface, a blood-red light surged violently upward! Pure, crackling frost enveloped her entire body. Her magic surged outward, radiating the unmistakable dominance of a true prodigy’s talent.
Bishop Owen’s tense expression melted into relief. "Congratulations to House Winter! A Red Awakening has been achieved — Tier A!"
Thunderous applause and gasps of admiration swept through the hall. Alicia walked back to her mother and sister with a proud smile on her face.
"Congratulations, Alicia. Now we can go to Orvis Academy together."
"Thank you, sis."
In another corner, Boien sank deeper into fury and ruin. Envy, spite, and fear for his own future twisted whatever reason he had left.
"No... this can’t happen! If I’m seen as a failure here, my reputation is finished! I’ll be cast aside! I need to fix this... I HAVE to!"
His eyes darted wildly until they landed on Lucian, standing nearby blind, weak, seemingly helpless. A cruel idea sparked in his mind.
Boien strode toward him while Lucian remained focused on the commotion elsewhere.
"Hey, Blind Boy!" Boien barked. "Catch this!"
He hurled a handkerchief straight at Lucian’s chest. Without thinking, Lucian caught it on reflex.
"What is this?" Lucian muttered, confused, feeling the fabric in his hands.
Boien burst into triumphant laughter. "Excellent! You Lucian Sarnel have officially accepted my challenge! Now, we duel!"
"Duel?" Lucian froze. A second later, as his mind processed exactly what he was holding, his eyes narrowed sharply behind his blindfold. Wait... accepting a cloth from a man, in noble tradition, means...A DUEL?!
This fat bastard set me up! He just needed a scapegoat to salvage his ruined reputation!
The entire hall erupted into chaos. Every eye locked onto the sudden showdown between the heir of House Kayden and the Sarnel boy. Boien grinned wide, thrilled his scheme had worked so spectacularly.