Noah and the others were led by the same manservant that led them to their rooms the previous day. He led them through the main castle of the palace until they arrived in a large hall. In the hall, all the eligible nobles were already gathered, along with the heads of their families. There were many others, as some noble families were separated into main and branch families.
Looking around, Noah spotted the legitimate children of Balor Orsted gathered in one corner, interacting with some other children from another noble.
With nothing to do, the four boys looked around and mingled with some of their half siblings that also bore the illegitimate status. Half an hour passed like this before a guard broke the peace. The guard announced the entry of the Royal Family before a pair of double doors to the side of the furthest part of the hall opened up. The door led up to a raised platform where whoever stood on it could clearly address the crowd.
As the doors opened up, six people walked in. Their steps were calm and steady. Their backs were straight, and their eyes pointed straight ahead until they all climbed the stage and turned to face the guests.
"Announcing the Royal Stars! His Royal Highness, First Prince of Argast, Prince Desmond! His Royal Highness, Second Prince of Argast, Prince Oscar! His Royal Highness, Third Prince of Argast, Prince Jacob! Her Royal Highness, First Princess of Argast, Princess Rebecca! His Royal Highness, Fourth Prince of Argast, Prince Mica! And Her Royal Highness, Second Princess of Argast, Princess Lena!"
Noah mentally complimented the herald whose job was introducing the members of royalty as they appeared. The man's voice was loud and clear and his actions made the Princes and Princesses look even more dignified than they already did.
The children of the Royal Family were often referred to as Stars. This term was meant to elevate their position in the kingdom in the hearts of the people. This was also because of the fact that the Royal Family of the Argast Kingdom always produced eye catching Avatars. All the children of the Royal Family usually got picked as Avatars, and none of them were useless in the long term. If an Avatar that emerged from the Royal Family seemed mediocre, then there would come a time where that mediocre Avatar would perform in a spectacular manner using their bestowed abilities.
After this had happened several times, the people came to understand that maybe the Argast Family was just too favored by the Patron Gods, seeing potential in their lineage and investing in them for the long term. Otherwise, how could one explain the constant rise of Avatars within the family over the time they had established the kingdom?
After the introduction, the first prince, Prince Desmond stepped forward with a smile on his face.
"Greetings, everyone!" He addressed the crowd whose attention was already on his person. He had a natural air of authority that made people focus on every word he spoke, every action he took. It was a natural born air that was fit for a ruler. That was part of the reason why he was the crown prince of Argast.
"I officially welcome you to the capital of the Argast Kingdom, Mosgrove City. I will not waste you time with long explanations, or introductions, as I believe that you already understand why we are all here." He gave a knowing smile to everyone. "I wish everyone the best of luck in the coming ceremony. May the Gods bless us all!" Prince Desmond declared and a faint glow emanated from him.
Noah's eyebrows rose slightly. He had noticed the faint glow coming from Desmond. He recalled some rumors that he had heard recently as the date of the ceremony neared. Apparently, if a person's family were to consistently produce Avatars, then there was a chance for some traits to permanently become part of their bloodline. Later generations would be able to display some abilities and special traits without being Avatars!
What Desmond had just displayed was one such example of the traits that could be gained if one's lineage had a history of repeatedly producing Avatars. In the thousand years where the Patron Gods had ruled over the world, there were quite a number of families and groups with these special people among them. There was a term that was used to refer to these people in these rumors. That term was 'Born Avatars'.
The reason why these special people were referred to as Born Avatars was because the chances of them being selected by a Patron God due to their special traits was much higher than the chances of a random average person being selected.
Taking note of this, Noah put the matter aside. Desmond was only there to give them a short address before the ceremony officially began. Without too much delay, Noah soon found himself looking down at the crowd in the special open court before the Royal Palace that they had passed the previous day.
The nobles were seated in special rooms that were built into the walls that surrounded the court. There were quite a number of them, reaching well into the hundreds. But they were all given space to sit in rooms consisting of four people each. Noah and the other young men stuck together.
No one spoke in the time that ensued as they were all too nervous. Joseph tried to crack a few jokes as the clock ticked in the corner, but ended up just falling silent in the corner.
Tick. Tock.
Slowly, the time reached eleven o'clock and a bright light from the sky flashed. At this point, everyone, including the nobles had gotten to their feet.
As everyone waited pensively, a majestic, layered voice reverberated through the air, shaking the minds of everyone who heard it.
"Rejoice, mortals! You shall once again taste the power of the Gods on your lands. Prepare yourselves! The Bestowal Begins!"