Chapter 12: My own awakening
The morning of my awakening ceremony arrived far quieter than Lilith’s had.
There were no massive crowds of nobles.
No royal mages.
No grand ceremonial hall filled with powerful figures from across the kingdom.
Instead, the Aldric Manor simply felt... warm.
Peaceful.
A small birthday celebration had been prepared inside the manor’s dining hall. Decorations hung across the walls while servants carried food between tables, and a few nearby nobles from surrounding territories had arrived to offer congratulations.
Compared to the Nightbane Duchy, it was incredibly modest.
But honestly—
I preferred it this way.
My mother had spent nearly the entire morning fussing over my clothes while Father pretended not to be nervous.
Alex, meanwhile, looked far too entertained by the entire situation.
"You look terrified," he said while leaning against the wall.
"I am terrified."
"That’s fair."
No matter how much I tried calming myself, my heart would not stop pounding.
Today determined everything.
My future.
My place within this world.
Whether or not I could survive what was coming.
A servant suddenly entered the room.
"Lady Lilith Nightbane has arrived."
The entire room instantly stiffened.
Even after several years, the name Nightbane still carried enormous weight within our small territory.
A few moments later, Lilith entered the manor.
The moment I saw her, I froze slightly.
She had changed again.
Ever since her awakening, something about her presence felt different.
Heavier.
More refined.
Though she still wore her usual elegant dark-purple attire, the pressure surrounding her now felt far more noticeable than before.
And yet—
The instant her deep purple eyes landed on me, her expression softened immediately.
"Happy birthday, Leo," she said gently.
Before I could respond, she walked directly over and hugged me in front of everyone.
Several nearby servants looked moments away from fainting.
"...Thanks," I muttered awkwardly.
Lilith pulled away before handing me a neatly wrapped box.
"I brought you a gift."
"You didn’t have to do that."
"I know."
That somehow made it feel more dangerous.
After greeting my family, Lilith remained beside me for nearly the entire celebration.
And honestly?
That only made me more nervous.
Because eventually—
The awakening ceremony began.
Unlike Lilith’s ceremony, mine was incredibly simple.
A small crystal rested atop a wooden pedestal near the center of the room while a local mage stood nearby to oversee the process.
That was it.
No grand magic circles.
No royal observers.
Just family.
Father placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You’ll do fine."
Mother smiled nervously beside him.
Alex gave me a thumbs up.
Lilith, however, said nothing.
She simply watched me silently from the side of the room.
For some reason, her gaze felt unusually intense.
I slowly approached the crystal.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
My heart pounded violently inside my chest.
This was it.
After thirteen years—
Everything would finally change.
I reached forward.
And touched the crystal.
...
Nothing happened.
I blinked.
The crystal remained completely still.
No light.
No mana.
Nothing.
The room fell silent.
The overseeing mage frowned slightly before stepping closer.
"...Please try again."
A strange uneasiness crept into my chest.
Slowly, I placed my hand against the crystal once more.
Still nothing.
Not even the faintest reaction.
The mage’s expression slowly changed.
"No... that’s..."
My stomach dropped.
Around the room, confusion began spreading across everyone’s faces.
Mother looked nervous.
Father’s expression stiffened.
Alex frowned deeply.
Meanwhile, the mage slowly stepped back from the pedestal.
His voice sounded hesitant.
"...Lord Leon possesses no mana capacity."
Silence.
Absolute silence filled the room.
My mind went blank.
No mana capacity?
That was impossible.
I stared down at the crystal in disbelief.
No.
No, no, no—
That couldn’t be right.
I touched the crystal again desperately.
Nothing.
Again.
Nothing.
Not even a flicker.
The reality slowly crashed down onto me all at once.
F-rank individuals at least possessed small amounts of mana.
Even the weakest people in the world could still use basic magic.
But this—
This meant I had absolutely nothing.
No mana.
No magic.
No possibility of ever becoming a mage.
The dream I had clung to since reincarnating into this world shattered instantly.
I would never become strong enough to protect my family.
Never travel the world freely.
Never stand beside people like Lilith.
I was weak.
Completely powerless.
A hollow feeling spread through my chest as my legs nearly gave out beneath me.
"...Leo?"
I barely heard my mother’s voice.
My thoughts spiraled violently.
No noble family would value someone like this.
Mana capacity determined status in this world.
Without it, I was useless.
A defect.
No military future.
No political value.
Most noble houses would never even consider marriage ties with someone incapable of using magic.
Why would they willingly weaken their bloodline?
I slowly clenched my trembling hands.
"...No..."
The word escaped my mouth weakly.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
I remembered the years spent studying magic theory.
The dreams I built for myself.
The future I wanted.
Gone.
All of it was gone.
Before I realized it, tears were already falling down my face.
"...Why...?"
Mother immediately rushed toward me and pulled me into a hug, but even that barely registered in my mind.
Father stood frozen silently nearby while Alex looked completely stunned.
The entire room felt suffocating.
And through all of it—
Lilith quietly watched from the corner of the room.
Hidden behind the concern on her face...
A small smile slowly formed.
Possessive.
Calculated.
Dark.
Almost relieved.
Though no one noticed it.
Not even me.
The atmosphere inside the room felt unbearably heavy.
Mother continued holding me tightly while Father stood nearby in stunned silence. Even Alex, who usually found a joke for every situation, looked completely speechless.
The small celebration had completely fallen apart.
Several servants quietly lowered their heads while the visiting nobles awkwardly avoided looking in my direction.
Pity.
I could already feel it.
That subtle shift in the way people looked at me.
As if I had suddenly become lesser.
Broken.
My hands trembled weakly as I stared blankly at the floor.
Then—
A soft pair of footsteps echoed through the room.
Lilith slowly walked toward me.
Everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward her.
The awakened A-rank prodigy of the Nightbane family.
The future heir of one of the most powerful duchies in the kingdom.
She stopped directly in front of me before quietly kneeling down to meet my eyes.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Lilith softly grabbed my hand.
"Leo," she said gently, "then marry me."
The entire room froze.
"...What?" Alex choked.
Mother’s eyes widened in shock while Father looked utterly speechless.
Even the overseeing mage nearly dropped the crystal.
Lilith, however, looked completely serious.
"If Leo marries into the Nightbane family, then none of this matters," she said calmly. "No one would dare insult him."
The room went silent again.
Then slowly—
My family’s expressions began changing.
Hope.
Relief.
Father immediately straightened himself while Mother looked moments away from crying again, though this time for a completely different reason.
"Lady Lilith..." Mother whispered emotionally.
Father looked genuinely overwhelmed.
"To think the Nightbane family would still value Leon so highly..."
Even the nearby nobles began murmuring amongst themselves.
And honestly?
They were right.
An engagement to Lilith Nightbane would completely erase the issue of my lack of mana capacity.
No noble family in the kingdom would dare mock someone personally chosen by the Nightbane heir.
My future would instantly stabilize.
I would still have status.
Protection.
Purpose.
It was the perfect solution.
So why...
Why did my chest still feel so hollow?
I slowly looked up toward Lilith.
Her deep purple eyes stared directly into mine.
Waiting.
Hopeful.
Possessive.
Even through the haze clouding my thoughts, I could feel something strangely intense hidden beneath her expression.
But right now, my mind was too broken to fully process it.
"...I’ll think about it," I said quietly.
The excitement in the room faltered slightly.
Lilith’s expression froze for the briefest moment.
But before anyone could say anything else, I slowly pulled myself away from Mother’s arms and walked toward the door.
No one stopped me.
The room remained silent as I left.
My footsteps echoed heavily throughout the hallway while servants quickly moved aside to let me pass.
Right now, I just wanted to be alone.
Back inside the room, everyone’s attention remained focused on the doorway Leon had just exited through.
No one noticed Lilith standing silently near the center of the room.
No one noticed the way her fingers slowly tightened.
Or the faint twitch in her expression.
"...Tch."
The quiet sound escaped her lips almost involuntarily.
Lilith bit lightly against her thumbnail, her deep purple eyes narrowing toward the hallway Leon disappeared into.
For the first time since arriving—
Genuine irritation appeared on her face.
Why?
Why would he need to think about it?
Did he not understand yet?
Did he still not realize that staying beside her was the only future he had left?
The possessive emotions swelling inside her chest only intensified further.
But after a few moments, Lilith slowly calmed herself.
The irritation faded.
And once more—
A soft, beautiful smile returned to her face before she turned back toward Leon’s family.
"Please don’t worry," she said gently.
"I’ll make sure Leo is happy."
