As the sun started to get low on the first day of the journey, the capital seemed closer and a sense of calm filled the air. As expected, no bandits had attacked the two carriages.
On two occasions, the D-rank party and guards cooperated to drive away or fend off small groups of monsters lurking between the road and the nearby woods, ensuring a safe passage for the carriages and any travelers arriving within the hour. Since there were only two carriages crammed with people, however, the hunters could not take the corpses with them.
***
"When we passed travelers earlier, what did you communicate to them? I saw all of you making some hand gestures. Is that a code that you learned at the Adventuring Guild?"
“You noticed that from your carriage? Now, I'm surprised. Nobles usually don't pay any attention to us hunters or even speak to us during these missions.”
“Well, I have not interacted with a lot of commoners, so I am curious about your lifestyle and such. That is all.”
Alice indeed had never met a typical commoner that lived in a town. The only ones she saw were the cooks or maids in the mansion. These were not representative of peasants and the like though, as they were trained to talk politely to their masters. To begin with, they were able to come into the mansion because their families were rich and close to nobility.
Out of everyone she knew, Serena bore the closest resemblance to a typical commoner since she talked just like those adventurers. Still, she wasn't very representative either because she literally lived in luxury in the residence of someone from a marquis family.
All in all, the only commoners she knew were those she encountered within the confines of her family's estate.
Shaped by all those memories from a past life, Alice might have been conditioned to accept non-nobles. After all, she had lived in a country where nobility was barely present, and where the blood of someone had little to no effect on their value as human beings. Well, while it sounded progressive and open-minded, genetics were still important even in modern society where beauty was highly valued.
Still, it went even further in this world because, thanks to their ancestors, nobles possessed significantly more mana than commoners.
Throughout the establishment of kingdoms, those with vast mana reserves, and thus great power, were likely selected as representatives. After countless generations of deliberate selection, it was not at all surprising that nobles considered themselves superior to the peasants who only lived their life without betting on their descendants' mana or the complexity and versatility of their magic.
“Our initial exchange with the other party was about the pleasant weather.”
(E-eh? The weather?)
“W-what?! Is that not a rather lame subject to start a conversation with?!”
Alice’s mind apparently still harbored a few social traumas. Since she no longer planned to talk about the weather in any conversation for the rest of her life, she was shocked to hear that those D-ranks usually did just that.
“I wouldn’t say it’s lame… This kind of information is necessary for us to know if we’ll have to stop the carriage and prepare for rain.”
“When you put it like this, it does sound acceptable…”
”Then, Kris told them that we killed some monsters near the road and that they were free to collect all the materials they wanted. They thanked us and told us they saw no monster or bandit on their way.”
“I see… this language is more deep and intricate than I thought…”
The party taught Alice some of the common signs and playfully included now and then some nonsensical gestures that made all of them laugh as Alice unknowingly mimicked them.
But instead of feeling mocked by these commoners, Alice laughed with them. She was envious of them because they could be themselves all the time with their comrades. And here she was, being crushed by the burdens and expectations placed upon her as a noble.
For the night, the nobles used the carriages to sleep into. They were completely emptied by the servants so that the masters could be comfortable. Alice slept with her mother, Countess Leila in the best carriage lent by the Marquis while Alistair slept with his father in their own carriage. Even though it did not have a proper suspension system, it did not matter as they were immobile for the night.
As night finally descended, a makeshift encampment emerged, with tents providing shelter for servants, guards, and D-rank party members. In shifts, the guards and the D-rank party kept vigilant watch for monsters and bandits, while the others caught some rest.
After three days and two nights, the two carriages arrived at the capital. They had traveled smoothly, encountering few obstacles along the way. Moreover, the Count and Countess were happy that their children had so much fun, especially Alice who might soon encounter some opposition from other nobles.
Edgar informed the D-rank party they had two days before leaving, allowing them to engage in activities other than quests that might delay their departure.
After the servants managed to take reservations in a hotel for nobles, all the family went to a restaurant also made for nobles by nobles.
While Alice savored each bite, she still favored the cuisine from chefs working at the Vallmonts' manor over this restaurant's menu.
In comparison, Alistair's eyes widened in delight as he tasted the unfamiliar cuisine, clearly impressed by how good it was.
“I... I have never tasted anything like this! Father, can we not hire the chef who prepared this?!”
“As much as I would love to have this at home, I doubt we could afford it, Alistair. This is a chef working in one of the best restaurants in the capital, after all.”
Edgar was right. There was no way they could pay the chef for more than a week. In the first place, they went to a very good restaurant solely because the Kingdom would pay for all the expenses in food and hotels for all the nobles that came to the capital because of the coming-of-age ceremony.
For the rest of the day, the four of them visited the most renowned places to see in the capital, drinking in the sights and sounds. As Alice looked around this part of the city, she noticed only well-dressed, distinguished individuals. She quickly realized that commoners were relegated to the capital's outskirts, while the King's castle and noble district occupied the city's center.
And, not far from this castle, there was the giant temple that Alice would enter the next day for her ceremony along with other noble future adults born in the same week.
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***
"Mother, do I really have to wear this dress? It seems a bit much..."
"You have to, Ally. This is a standard for the ceremony, as all the girls will wear the same one. As I recall, it is supposed to represent maturity."
"But Father mentioned that I will be wearing a ceremonial robe over it."
"He is right, but you will have to take it off as the Cardinal calls your name. The robe signifies childhood, so the removal of it is the exact moment that you truly come of age."
"Even though I am technically not fifteen yet?"
"That is right, it does not matter. The ceremony makes you an adult, not your precise age."
"Mmh. I suppose I have no choice, then. Do you think it will go smoothly, Mother?"
"... Limit your talking, and try not to react if you overhear any unkind remark."
"... I will not."
(I was expecting her to say that everything will go well, but she's already this pessimistic...)
Alice had heard from her father that her mother's coming-of-age ceremony was quite tumultuous, so she might not know what a peaceful ceremony was like.
As dawn broke, the family prepared to step inside the temple's grand, imposing temple. Those seeing the interior of the temple for the first time were incredibly surprised by its beauty. Having seen grander cathedrals in her dreams, though, Alice appreciated the temple's beauty but wasn't entirely awestruck.
Not long after they entered, Alice reluctantly left her family's side to join the other children on stage, before putting on the ceremonial robe. Though this task was simple, Alice couldn't help but feel the weight of the scrutinizing gazes from the families in the temple.
That might have been because people recognized her, or because the ceremonial robe was available in only one size for all the children: it was way too large for Alice and it trailed on the floor.
(C-crap. I must look like a complete child...)
Hushed whispers, filled with questions about her family background and her age, reached Alice's ears. She tried to block them out, envisioning the crowd as harmless potatoes. As expected, though, it didn't work at all. She was also hearing snickers from the girls next to her, most likely mocking her appearance.
(I want to disappear...)
Just before she ran away from reality by closing her eyes and observing the night sky, Alice saw everyone in the room stop talking and stand up. She turned her head to her left and saw a man at least in his sixties whose outfit made clear that he was important in this place. Just the fact that every single noble stopped talking mid-way through their conversation was enough to get that he was highly respected.
“I am the Cardinal appointed by the King of the Ouronia Kingdom and chosen by the Gods who created our world. Today, I will welcome these children as adults and personally help them awaken their mana veins. Such is the will of Alcya, the Goddess of magic.”
(Eh… I already awakened though. I hope someone told him that not everyone needs that.)
He went on with a long and pious speech, before addressing the instructions for the ceremony. Just like Alice had been told by her parents, the children would take off their ceremonial robes immediately after being called, and only then would they walk toward the Cardinal.
“Kelton de Lockmond, first son of the Duke de Lockmond. Please remove your robe and come.”
As the priests took it off, a stylish dark-blue suit, complete with a bowtie, was revealed.
(The boys' attire is quite elegant, I'm a bit jealous. He looks far more impressive in this than in the ceremonial robe.)
Everyone in the room started to talk as soon as he started to walk toward the Cardinal. Some were surprised to hear this name here while others said things like 'I told you it was him!'.
Kelton was tall, incredibly good-looking, and on top of that he was from one of the most powerful families in the kingdom. His hair was naturally crimson, which contrasted with his blue eyes. Many of the noble girls approaching their imminent adulthood appeared so visibly smitten that Alice felt second-hand embarrassment.
As she sighed, she heard a similar sound beside her and glanced over.
She noticed another boy, who appeared equally irritated by the young girls' adoration of this Keldon guy. Frankly, he was not as good-looking with his plain brown hair. His facial features were kind of familiar to Alice, though.
Uttering a series of religious prayers, the Cardinal presented a spherical device to Kelton. It emitted a bright light, and the Cardinal immediately made the boy sit down on the chair behind him. The man finished the prayer, and the boy stood up to return with the other children.
(So, that's the famous artifact that artificially triggers an awakening. Surprisingly, it looks very machinery. I expected it to be a perfectly round ball containing divine power or something. Now I want to see it from close...)
“Horace de Brangett, son of the Marquis de Brangett, come forth.”
That was the boy who sighed close to Alice before. However, because he passed just after this good-looking red-haired noble, there were noticeably fewer mumbles from the public.
(Wow! He clicked his tongue!)
Weirdly enough, Alice was impressed. She had tried countless times to reproduce this tongue-clicking that she remembered from her dreams, but she had never managed to do it. At some point, she had even concluded that humans in this world were too different from those on Earth to perform this action. Upon witnessing someone else doing it in this world, Alice came to the realization that she was just terrible at it.
Noticing the shift in Alice's expression, Horace de Brangett responded with a furrowed brow. He must have interpreted it as a mockery.
(S-stop looking at me like this, you look like a villain! Is he that jealous of the duke’s son?)
***
The prayer was identical for each of the children, so it was incredibly boring for Alice. The only noticeable variations were in the artifact part. Some nobles, especially girls, appeared to almost faint as the artifact in their hands started to shine. While the first boy seemed entirely fine without even sitting on the chair, some girls would have surely collapsed on the ground without one.
(I feel a little less alone with my fever upon awakening by myself. Although I slept for several days.)
Just as she felt this sense of camaraderie, the Cardinal's voice rang out, announcing Alice's name and the onlookers appeared a tiny bit displeased by it.
Some priestesses took off Alice's robe and she walked toward the Cardinal, facing all those nobles. Sharp, stinging words reached her ears, but she had to prevent those feelings from showing on her face.
(I... I want to die...)
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/563044399261417475/1096779515520360498/SPOILER_Alice_temple.png.png]