Mana, the source of all magic.
It was present in all things spiritual. Humans, too, could condense a mana reserve in their bodies through arduous hours of meditation, forming an internal pool for mana to accumulate. This was the first step towards becoming a magic user.
However, while it might take months or even years to condense their own mana for most people, there were exceptions to everything.
Throughout history, there had been rare appearances of geniuses who could condense mana with ease, and each of them had caused tumultuous waves on their paths to becoming extreme magic users.
Roland was born as one such genius, and he naturally understood how special he was.
That was the reason why despite being born into the royal family, he had no interest whatsoever in obtaining the throne, instead single-mindedly pursuing the pinnacle of magic.
Of course, he was not nearly foolish enough to neglect his physical training either, training both magical and physical aspects to great heights.
He was without weaknesses in combat, the strongest that the country had to offer.
But because he was always busy with training, not many knew of his appearances, much less his capabilities.
This day, too, he sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes closed, carefully circulating the mana in his body in meditation.
It was daily a routine for him, diligently meditating for an hour before even taking the first step out of bed. This had allowed his mana reserve to grow steadily over the years, until it had become the current monstrosity.
His sleeping chamber was large, as befitting of a prince, but it was also relatively empty. Roland had preferred it this way, clearing up a large space between his bed and the door, where he occasionally practised his battle techniques.
At the far end of the chamber, his personal maid was calmly seated on a chair that was placed against the wall. Her eyes were closed, but she was not resting.
Just like Roland, she was meditating.
As the personal maid of a training maniac, she had little to do, and Roland had forced her to train together with him so that he would have someone to practise with.
After all, people learn faster when there are peers whom they could compare with. This was just like how the existence of a rival would make one strive even harder.
The maid slowly opened her eyes, before walking over to his bed side. Her steps were light and silent, unnoticeable to an untrained person.
"Your Highness, it is time."
The maid gave a short bow before saying gently.
Hearing the reminder from his maid, Roland let out a deep breath as he ended his state of meditation, then walked to his wardrobe. His steps were similar to hers, producing no sound at all as he made his way across the room.
"What do you think will be fit for the occasion, Rose?"
"We have gone through this multiple times, Your Highness. You do not have a choice in this matter. Your outfit is already ready."
"Urgh, that's such a troublesome thing to wear though!"
Roland complained as he looked at the set of clothes that had already been specially laid out on a rack beside the wardrobe.
"It is time, Your Highness," Rose reminded once again, ignoring the obvious reluctance of her master.
"Fine, fine! Dress me," Roland finally gave up and stretched his hands out by his side.
"Yes, Your Highness," Rose nodded and immediately got to work, her well-trained hands moving in a blur.
The set of clothes was truly elaborate and gave off a kingly aura. But the multiple layers had to be fitted together through multiple buckles, making it a chore for someone to don the outfit by themselves.
Even with Rose's help, it still took him almost ten minutes just to dress up properly.
"Not bad!" Roland adjusted his heavy fur coat as he watched himself in the mirror, only to see Rose step up and readjust his coat for him immediately after that.
"Your clothes are already properly set in place, please do not mess it up, Your Highness."
"U-Uh, all right…" Roland stammered in surprise. "Let's go then!"
Rose pushed open the heavy wooden door before taking a step back, allowing her master to exit the room first. Unsurprisingly, she appropriately adhered to the etiquette expected of a servant of the royal family.
Roland let out a helpless smile as he looked at the row of people standing neatly in a row along the corridor as Rose closed the door behind her.
Princess Erin, his smart sister who seemed to always have the answers to everything.
Princess Helena, his beautiful sister who seemed to be in love with everything.
Princess Annabelle, his youngest sister who seemed to be interested in everything supernatural.
Prince Timothy, a boy still in his early teens who seemed to have a flair for magic.
His siblings, together with each of their personal maids, had stood outside his door to await his exit. They did not usually act this way, even bowing slightly in respect as he walked past them with Rose in tow.
But today was a special day. It was not a day that Roland was looking forward to, but that was hardly the case for everyone else.
The group followed silently behind Roland as he led the way to the front of another larger wooden door, where a plump old lady had been waiting patiently.
Veronica, the Head of Staff.
She was in charge of all internal affairs within the palace. A kind and capable lady, albeit a little touchy. Seeing the group approach, Veronica let out an amicable smile and scanned Roland from top to bottom.
Roland walked up to the lady, who naturally took his right hand between hers.
"Your Highness has truly grown up now…" her voice was soft and soothing, comfortable to the ears.
"Is everyone here, Veronica?" Roland gently pulled his right hand away from her grasp with an uncomfortable smile, but she immediately reached out to grasp his left hand after that.
"Yes, Your Highness. They are all waiting," Veronica nodded.
"Then let us not keep them waiting," Roland gently pulled his left hand away this time.
"Yes, Your Highness," Veronica reached out to adjust Roland's coat a little, but Rose quickly stepped in to readjust it once again.
Veronica was a little startled at Rose's sudden gesture, but smiled understandingly immediately after.
"Yes, let us not keep them waiting," Veronica walked over to the door and pushed it wide open to reveal an extremely large chamber.
The throne room was the largest chamber in the palace, able to comfortably house hundreds of nobles at the same time. The ceiling was high, supported by marble pillars that stood at regular intervals at the sides.
A red carpet stretched from the door all the way to the other end, up a small flight of stairs and right to the foot of the throne.
"Announcing the arrival of His Highness, Prince Roland!" Veronica's voice took a complete change from the previous gentle tone, to one that powerfully bellowed across the throne room, causing echoes that seemed to be reiterating her point.
The countless nobles standing by the sides of the red carpet took a slight bow as Roland slowly made his way across the throne room, taking the path marked out by the red carpet.
As a trained warrior, he had particularly keen senses, and could tell that some of these nobles were taking sneak peeks at him.
Roland had never been one who enjoyed attending such ceremonies, and had previously tried to avoid going to any if he could. So it was not surprising that some nobles did not recognise his face.
They would definitely have to remember how he looked like from now on though, and thus trying to take a few more peeks was understandable.
However, that did not reduce how nervous it made Roland. He had never received such overwhelming attention before, and was definitely not used to it at all. He was careful with every step, hoping not to trip and embarrass himself.
Of course, as a trained warrior, every step he took was steady, so there was no risk of tripping in the first place.
There were merely five steps to the stairs that led up to the throne, and a well-dressed man was standing before the very first step, with a small table set up beside him.
As Roland walked up and stood before the man, his siblings branched out from behind him and joined the many nobles on both sides of the red carpet, leaving only Rose who remained.
"Everyone, please raise your heads to witness the beginning of the Coronation Ceremony!" the man in front of Roland exclaimed aloud.
The room was now silent, so even if he was not as loud as Veronica, his voice still managed to reach the last noble.
"Your Highness, shall we begin?"
"Please do."
"I, Duke Ivan, tasked as the Chancellor of the State, shall humbly present myself as the Master of Ceremony. We have gathered here today, to witness the Coronation of the 13th King of our Great Manta Kingdom. We have with us the one to be crowned, Prince Roland, heir of the late King Turner. If there are any objections, speak up now, or forever hold your tongue."
Silence.
But Duke Ivan was patient, and waited out a full minute before continuing.
"There are no objections! Prince Roland, do you accept the coronation?" Duke Ivan reached out for a small plate of water on the table, and held it firmly in his hands, his eyes looking straight into Roland's.
"I accept."
"Then let this water represent the blessings of the people! Be washed of your previous identity!" Duke Ivan started sprinkling the water all over Roland.
There was not a lot of water, so it was over quickly. Duke Ivan then placed the plate down and took the crown that was resting on a small stand atop the table.
"With your previous identity removed, you shall no longer be known as Prince Roland!" Duke Ivan carefully placed the crown atop Roland's head.
After he was done, he stepped aside, and Roland took the last few steps up the stairs, finally taking his seat on the throne, with Rose standing by his side.
"All hail King Roland!" Duke Ivan was the first to yell out and fall to his knees.
"All hail King Roland!"
"All hail King Roland!"
All the nobles followed suit immediately, and this time nobody looked up to steal a glance at him.
It was a grand scene as everyone in the chamber kneeled before him, except for Rose who had the duty to remain vigilant and act as a representative of his authority. Roland immediately felt goosebumps growing on his skin, but they were fortunately hidden by the multiple layers of clothing.
"All of you, rise!"
No matter how nervous Roland was, he had gone through this routine countless times in his mind, and even had Rose watch him practise until it was satisfactory. So there was no way he would screw up at this point.
The nobles got up in order, starting from the first row where the Prince, Princesses, and Dukes were positioned. The hierarchy among nobles was strict, and they dared not stand before those of higher authority did.
From Roland's point of view, it was like a wave which slowly spread out from him to the end of the throne room.
All eyes were cast upon him at this moment, and Roland couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva nervously.
Here comes the hard part. Don't screw this up!
He slowly stood up, and cleared his throat softly.
"I do not know of any flowery words, nor do I have the heart to make any empty promises. But what I do have is the heart to serve this Kingdom well. And as your King, I beseech you, wise nobles of the realm, to aid me with all the strength you have at your disposal! If you have any suggestions, do not fear that I will shoot it down. Bring your opinions to me in court, and I shall listen! I might not have the best solutions, but with the hundreds of brains in this chamber today, I am sure we will be able to find the best way to make things work!"
Roland had already come to the end of what he prepared, but what followed was an awkward silence as the nobles continued staring at him, as though they were waiting for him to continue.
W-What? There's no more! You should be clapping now!
Roland could feel cold sweat forming at his back right now, but a barely audible whisper from beside him woke him from his daze.
"Al-All hail the Great Manta Kingdom!" Roland punched his right fist into the air as he shouted out at the top of his voice.
"All hail the Great Manta Kingdom!" all the nobles followed suit and punched the air.
And with that, the Coronation Ceremony finally ended, much to Roland's relief.
It was the most tiring ten minutes of his life.