'What the heck? I remember the carriage not being this fast! How did we arrive here so quickly? I'm not prepared yet.'
He panicked inwardly.
"Are you gonna sit still forever?"
"I'm coming."
Voltaire hopped off the carriage, holding Mathilda's left hand with his right hand as they walked.
Two of the knights are walking ahead of them while Vivienne and three more knights are a little behind.
Little by little, step by step, he's getting closer inside the temple.
"I was like that too when I participated in the ceremony. My heart was beating fast in anxiousness but you know, you don't need to get nervous when participating in the ceremony," Mathilda said, trying to soothe her son as they walk side by side towards the temple.
""We, of the Geayforth family, never even once fail to receive the goddess blessings. We are destined to be one of the pillars of the world. You shouldn't act nervous like the common folks of our kingdom do."
Her tone was full of strong sense of conviction, leaving no doubt about her unwavering beliefs.
'This is the first time I had witnessed mom speak in such fervor. Is she trying to lighten up my mood by speaking highly of our bloodline? Is it to reassure me that I will definitely received the blessings?
'Again, I'm really grateful that she is my mother but I'm not anxious about being unblessed.' Voltaire reacted inwardly.'
"Mom, what about the commoners? Do you have a prejudice against them?"
Is what he said, curious to know about the last statement of his mother.
"No, I have nothing negative against them, after all, your father is a former commoner. Do you know about that?"
"Yes. Lance actually mentioned it a while ago while we were practicing swordplay."
"So, you're already informed about it. Then, let's speak candidly without sugarcoating things. The harsh reality is, not every commoner can achieve what your father has. Some will receive the blessings, while others won't.
"Those commoners who become an archon are given a chance to rise up. On the other hand, those who remain without power should accept their place and stay in their lane.
"Of course, if those powerless people are skilled and talented enough like Julia, then they have the chance to change the course of their lives, although not to the same extent as the archons."
Mathilda halted momentarily, confirming that her son was listening intently.
She saw Voltaire walking leisurely with his small but quick steps but his eyes are clearly fixated on her.
After confirming her son is indeed listening to her, she carried on with her words.
"Now then, let me ask you a question. I know you're smart and mature for your age, but if you're unsure of the answer, feel free to admit it. Don't feel compelled to burden yourself unnecessarily."
"I understand, mother."
"Let's ponder for a moment: How many sides do you think the world has?"
'Sides? What does she mean by it?'
"...Two or more." Voltaire's guessed.
"You've hit the nail on the head," Mathilda commended her son, "If there's good then there's the evil. The beautiful and the unsightly. The strong and the weak. It's similar to a coin with its two sides.
"Everything that consists in this world has at least two or more sides that if you put them all together, they will shape the world we all live in.
"It's either you're born to the positive side or struggle for all your worth on the negative side until you cross the line.
"And it happens that you're born in the Geayforth family. A family that stands at the summit along with the other great families. As long as we're standing at the top, we know everything this world has to offer.
"These includes the perils that exist in our world, primarily the monsters. In the face of the monsters, a normal people can only hope to die a swift and painless death. It is our duty to shield them, or at the very least minimize the threat, in order to alleviate the burdens of our people's lives.
"As for your question earlier, my answer is still the same. Again, I have nothing negative against commoners. Can you hear the enthusiastic cheers from the crowd for every participant in today's ceremony?"
Voltaire shifted his gaze and scanned the surroundings. Indeed, people are cheering and applauding the kids that are on their way to the temple.
However, the loudest hails are directed towards him.
'It's the same three years ago, except these people are cheering for me, not for the triplets.'
"You understand now? Most of their cheers are for you, a royalty and a member of the house of Geayforth. The majority of these people are unfortunate to receive the goddess blessings. Despite being powerless, why are they keep smiling like that?"
"Is it because they know everything will be fine? If our family continues to thrive, so will the kingdom."
Voltaire answered in reflex, reminiscing about his father's speech the last time he came to the temple.
(Basically, the speech after the ceremony when the triplets were part of.)
"As expected, you truly are a bright child. You may even be more intelligent than Luke."
'That rascal is smart?' Voltaire sneered inwardly.
"You're spot-on. They can smile like that because of our existence. Just like you said, they know deep in their hearts that everything will be fine as long as we're here.
"The ordinary people of our kingdom once dream to become an archon like us, but the goddess didn't grant their wishes. In this world full of strong monsters and wicked people who uses their power for evil, those powerless continue to persevere and survive.
"Archons must shoulder humanity's hope with a big smile to ensure that they can live without worry. It is for this very reason that we should be confident no matter what. We can't show them the least bit of weakness."
"So, my dear, there's no need for you to carry the weight of your problems on your shoulders. Just go with the flow, filled with confidence, and everything will work out fine."
Voltaire listen to Mathilda from the beginning until the end. As an adult inside, he has a pretty good grasp of what his mother is trying to say. However, he still don't know the gravity of each word as he yet to experience the real nature of this world.
Those final sentences left a lasting imprint on his mind, deeply etched into his memory.
'Just go with the flow, huh. I should do that.'
"Thanks, mother. My head is clear now." His voice is genuine.
Mathilda smiled at him in return, "Glad I'm able to help you calm down. It's amusing how I only understood the value of my own words as I grew older. I wish someone had helped me calm down when I received the blessings."
She said, her eyes looking off into the distance probably recalling the blunder she did when she received the blessings.
"In any case, just enjoy the show for today."
"Right." Voltaire replied with new found resolution.
And then finally, they entered the temple as they walked through the door.