Ethan leaned back, drumming his fingers on the rough wooden table. "I need a moment to think, to get my head straight. Plus…" He gestured subtly toward the lively crowd. "Sometimes you can overhear useful things in places like this. People let their guard down when they're drinking."
Lia nodded, though her gaze remained on him, searching for the deeper reason behind his sudden change in plans. Before she could press further, a barmaid approached, balancing a tray laden with mugs of frothy ale and a plate of bread.
"What can I get for you?" she asked, her voice warm and welcoming.
"Just water," Ethan said, his tone curt but not unfriendly. "And something to eat—whatever's quick."
The barmaid raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, turning her attention to Lia. "And for you?"
"The same," Lia replied politely.
As the barmaid walked away, Ethan glanced around the room. Groups of people were clustered at tables, their conversations animated. He caught snippets of talk—some about the portal, others about the kingdom's mages, and a few hushed murmurs about strange events in nearby towns.
Ethan's attention sharpened when a young man at a nearby table mentioned something about awakening. He tilted his head slightly, straining to listen without appearing obvious. Not that he had to. The person was bragging pretty loudly, loud enough for almost the entire tavern to hear.
"Heh! I awakened with an A-grade talent! Do you know what that means? I can become at least a C-Rank ascended easily! I am a shoo-in for any prestigious academy in the kingdom! I might even become a kingdom mage in a hundred years!"
Ethan arched an eyebrow, mildly amused by the loud proclamation. He leaned back slightly, his gaze shifting subtly toward the young man. The self-proclaimed prodigy was seated with a small group of friends, all of whom appeared impressed—though whether by genuine awe or obligatory flattery was hard to tell.
"An A-grade talent, huh?" Ethan murmured under his breath. He glanced at Lia, who was nibbling on a piece of bread but clearly listening intently.
The young man's boasting continued, his voice carrying over the din of the tavern. "You lot don't understand the rarity of an A-grade awakening. I mean, sure, there's S-grades, but those are practically legends! A-grade is the pinnacle of us normal folk. My elemental affinity? Fire!" He emphasized the last words, drawing exaggerated gasps from his companions.
"What class did you get?"
"Mage, of course. When I evolve from F rank to E rank, I will choose a better classpath. I have everything planned out."
The young man continued, basking in the attention of his companions. "I'll start with a specialized academy, one of the elite ones. With my talent, it won't take long to gain a noble sponsor. They're always looking for prodigies like me to align their names with success."
The group chatted for some more time when finally Ethan heard something of interest.
"Oh ya, one idiot awakened Thief class in my batch. The idiot tried to lie to the administrator but got caught immediately. The fool could have simply taken the banishment but now he is punished with execution."
Ethan froze, his fingers tightening slightly around the edge of the table. Execution for lying about a class? That was a severe punishment, even for a kingdom trying to maintain control. His mind raced as he tried to piece together what the young man had just revealed.
The young man's voice broke through Ethan's thoughts again. "It's what happens when you mess with the system," the braggart said smugly. "The kingdom doesn't tolerate rogue elements. You lie, you cheat, or you try to game the system, and they make an example out of you. And a good thing too. Otherwise, there will be chaos everywhere."
One of his companions frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "But… execution? Isn't that a bit harsh? What if he just panicked?"
"Doesn't matter," the young man replied, waving a dismissive hand. "Rules are rules. If you don't want to follow them, you don't get to stay. Simple as that."
"Besides, it's foolish to hide your class. Everyone needs to register their class in one way or the other. Its the law. The kingdom doesn't even condemn the less savory classes. They are simply asked to follow a different set of rules. Why try to get out of that?"
"When I become a kingdom mage.."
Ethan continued listening as the topic once again shifted to bragging about his personal awakening.
The rest of the day was spent in this fashion but Ethan quickly learned a few important things. These were pieces of information he would have known if he had grown up here but since he did not, he had to gather everything in bits and parts like this.
At the end of the day, one thing was clear to him. Unless he spoke out his damn class details, no one could pry it out of him. All he had to do was keep it as non-specific as possible. Registering either as a mage or a summoner would 90% work.
The checks were mainly on the thief class, warlock class, rogue class, and similar dark-class awakeners. Coincidentally, these awakenings were also rare as most of the kingdom prayed to the goddess of light.
Technically, Ethan should be fine. But… was it really worth risking it all?