Princess Seraphina continued, "The ceremony's trials will kick off soon. If you've already awakened and aren't joining in, time to say goodbye to your friends and leave this area."
As a result, Damien, the half-elven twins, and many others had to step out of the forest.
As the sun was still high up in the sky, Damien was wearing a black cloak that covered his entire figure, including his hair and face.
Thus, no one realized who he was. If not for that, everyone would be going bonkers, including the princess!
If it were made known that he was in the capital, the entire empire would be rocked!
That's just how unique and special his identity was.
Once they'd exited, Princess Seraphina laid out the ground rules. "Our awakening ceremony involves various trials and tests. You've got to conquer them all to earn a place on the awakening platform. So, ready for your first challenge? It's a test of strength and magic." With a graceful wave of her hand, she summoned a line-up of strength evaluators and tables adorned with crystal orbs. "To pass the first trial, you'll need to hit that strength evaluator with everything you've got. Score 40 points or more, and you're in. Now, for our magic users, just place your hand on this evaluator. It'll reveal your mana sensitivity and the size of your magic sea. If the readings are impressive, you pass. Anyone who aces this test moves on to the next round. If you don't, well, you're out."
A murmur of anticipation stirred among the crowd as their attention shifted towards Roy.
"Alright, Roy, why don't you lead the way?" one man challenged, a devilish grin spreading across his face.
Roy replied, nonchalant as ever, "If I go first, you might just end up regretting it."
Laughter erupted from the crowd. "What, do you think you're Lord Damien or something?" a voice from the crowd jeered.
"Nope, I'm not him," Roy shrugged, seemingly unbothered. "But, he did train me. Even told me once that I could surpass him. The third heavenly knight said the same thing."
The crowd fell silent for a moment, taken aback by his words. But then, laughter echoed again through the open air.
"Who do you think you are? Why would those big shots even bother interacting with you?" a voice heckled.
Deciding to let his actions speak for him, Roy stepped up to the strength evaluator. He tightened his fist and, with a swift, powerful motion, let loose.
Boom!
The explosive sound echoed — a thunderous bang that reverberated across the area, followed by a sweeping shockwave. Only those within the protection of Roy's aura remained standing while the rest were swept off their feet. His fist's impact on the strength evaluator caused it to explode in a blaze of sparks and flying metal. His punch seemed to have catapulted it into the distant sky. Even the trees surrounding the scene seemed to tremble and uproot in response to his show of strength.
The crowd's reaction was nothing short of comical. Jaws dropped so low a bug could comfortably make a detour through their gaping mouths. Eyes were so wide they resembled saucers. Words failed them, leaving them to stutter and stammer in disbelief.
In the sea of stunned faces, a young man stood out. With blond hair and blue eyes, he seemed ordinary enough, blending in with the crowd. But in reality, he was Prince Victor, the empire's youngest prince, and the son of the Sun and Queen Mother Teresa! His eyes sparkled with excitement as he blurted out, "He's so strong!"
"That's my guy!" Lyra chimed in, pride clear in her voice.
Amelia echoed her sentiment, saying, "That's my master for you."
Caught off guard, Princess Seraphina found her voice, "Who are you?" she asked while looking at Roy.
"I'm the Divine Executioner of the Empire's Northern Region. I'm Roy Baldulf Baldwin!" Roy proclaimed with an air of casual confidence.
Princess Seraphina was taken aback. 'Divine Executioner? Wasn't he the one who single-handedly wiped out an entire army of rat men, according to Count Constantine's report? I didn't expect him to be so young!'
Confusion spread through the crowd like wildfire.
"Who's the Divine Executioner?"
"Never heard of him."
"Do you think he just made that up?"
The news from Constantine County had been carefully suppressed to keep the public calm, so none were aware of Roy's true standing.
But Roy was unfazed by their ignorance. He thought to himself, 'I'll show them exactly who I am!' He had every intention of letting his actions prove his worth, leaving a mark they wouldn't soon forget.
Forget about them. He wanted the entire Far West to know that there a monster greater than Damien had emerged! And he was here to save the world and free it from Death and Chaos!
"So, does that count as passing?" Roy had the humility to ask.
"Yes, it does." The princess nodded.
"Actually, I'd like to take the mage test too. I've got both gates in my body, you see. Is that okay?" Roy questioned, all casual like.
The moment he said that his identity was confirmed. After all, only Baldwins were known to possess both Aura and Magic Gates.
So it was like what he said. He was from the Baldwin Clan, which was renowned for producing monster-like geniuses.
No wonder he is no heaven-defying!
Princess Seraphina nodded. "Absolutely, go right ahead."
Striding over to the crystal on the table, Roy touched it lightly. At his touch, the crystal burst into radiant light.
First, it displayed Roy's Mana Sensitivity - a perfect 100%.
Then, it began assessing the size of Roy's Magic Sea, a measure of his mana storage capacity.
The number 100 flashed on its surface.
"100? Not bad for someone still unawakened," an onlooker commented.
"Idiot, take another look! It's not 100 anymore!" someone in the crowd countered.
The first onlooker's face blanched as the number on the evaluator shot up to 1000!