Everyone turned quiet when the priest and the acolytes came into view.
'I remember some of them, especially the shining bald head of the priests,' Voltaire cackled.
As everyone listened to the priest's brief speech before he signaled the beginning of the ceremony, Voltaire scanned the surroundings to pass the time.
As he glanced at the children's faces, and he observe a range of expressions—from confidence to nervousness to utter cluelessness—among them.
Not just the kids, even the parents have different expressions on their faces.
The noble parents are full of jewels all over their body, flaunting their wealth. Meanwhile, the commoner parents are clad in outfits that seem to be saved for rare events like the ceremony.
Then, he noticed Mathilda.
'Mom turned silent the moment we stepped inside.'
Voltaire thought, seeing Mathilda lose her relax face. Instead, he saw a tense and curious Mathilda for the first time in a while.
Voltaire lightly pulled Mathilda's dress just enough to get her attention.
"Mom, is there's something wrong?" He asked.
Mathilda smiled to reassure Voltaire and replied, "Don't worry, It's nothing big."
Voltaire halted his curiosity since his own mother herself said it's nothing to worry about.
Lastly, Voltaire directed his attention to the acolytes. Some of them felt familiar, but there were a few new and younger ones whom he hadn't seen years ago.
However, there's one thing that all acolytes have in common except their white robe——The look on their faces, somehow they look expressionless and white as a ghost.
It's indeed suspicious, but Voltaire nonchalantly dismissed it as if it were inconsequential. Simultaneously, the priests finished his speech, signaling the start of the first phase of the ceremony.
All of the kids repeat the priest's prayer, "Oh great and divine goddess, we humbly come before you today to offer our prayers for the children under our care. We ask that you bless them with your mercy and power."
Like the other familiarity, this prayer was still the same three years ago.
Obviously, Voltaire also prayed loudly together with the other kids.
Some of the children started to see mana for the first time, while nothing unusual happens to Voltaire.
Of course, it's not because he's unblessed. It's merely due to the fact that he's already an archon.
'So it's true that a person can't receive the blessings twice... Though there's a small hope inside me hoping to have another attribute.'
The unfortunate children, mostly of humble origin, left the temple with the help of the suspicious acolytes with their respective guardians.
With relief, the unblessed children managed to leave the temple unscathed, regardless of the acolytes' questionable behavior.
Now that the lucky ones remained in the temple, the next step involved asking the children who had received the blessings and become archons about the color of mana they could perceived.
Due to his mother 'go with the flow' advice earlier, Voltaire forget his problems regarding the ceremony all at once. However, one particular matter still bugging his mind.
Having a more clear and calm head right now, he wonders about his purple mana.
'What would happen if I tell them about my mana? Are they going to freak out? There are numerous potential outcomes to consider.'
His turn is getting closer as he was thinking about his purple mana.
Just as there were six more kids in front of him before his turn, he caught a glimpse of one acolyte smiling sinisterly beneath the robe.
With a firm grip, the acolyte closed its fist, causing a tiny hole, no larger than a pebble, to appear on Mathilda's foot in a blink of an eye.
The hole grow larger rapidly before everyone could react, expanding in size until it was large enough to engulf Mathilda's entire body.
With a sudden jolt, Mathilda plummeted into the hole and was instantly gone from sight. The hole also vanished into thin air right after.
Meanwhile, one of the acolytes closest to the priests took out a knife originally meant for the third phase of the ceremony and swiftly impaled the priests on his side.
Depriving the priests of any chance to recover, the acolyte twisted the knife while it remained lodged within the body of the priests.
The priests wailed in agony and fell on his knees. His blood starting to drip from the floor and his consciousness is slowly fading away until the priest completely lose his life.
It seems the wound is fatal, leaving no chance of saving the priest under these circumstances.
Devoid of any semblance of emotion, the acolyte remove the knights from the lifeless body of the priest, the emotions remained unchanged, as if it was a lifeless being themselves.
The priest lay on the floor, covered in his own blood, desperately fighting to stay alive until his last breath, while the queen vanished without a trace.
Despite all of this, the other acolytes didn't do anything nor show an intention to do anything.
It's clear to everyone that the acolytes are all into this mess.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
One of the nobles' maid let out a loud shriek that echoes inside the temple.
It's the start of the chaos, as most of them panicked.
The innocent kids started to cry loudly, while the non-archon servants of the nobles run towards the door, abandoning their masters.
The acolytes, positioned as guards, blocked their path, compelling them to retreat.
Given the small size and elevated placement of the temple's windows, which stood at ten meters above the ground, thus, attempting to escape through them is nigh impossible.
How about the backdoor where the unblessed left the temple?
There's a good chance it's not guarded yet but they need to pass through the acolytes in front of them to get there.
However, none of them took the initiative and gamble their life so they stay still.
There was no escape. The acolytes move forward and attack one of the servants.
Slice.
The blade grazed the servant's neck, causing blood to gush out.
The servant's fell on the floor like the priest earlier. Lifeless. The servant died on the spot.
The maids realized that they're going to die nonetheless so it's better to take a gamble.
It's all or nothing. The moment they stopped fighting for themselves, is the moment they will bid farewell to their respective lives.
Not only the servants, even the commoner parents who happened to stay inside because their child successfully became an archon, succumbed to despair.
Sure, their child now has an access to mana, but they only turned into archon just a few minutes ago. The first phase of the ceremony is not even ended, so relying on some children who doesn't even know yet their power is out of the question.
Some of them were hugging their children trying to protect them while the others joined the servants leaving their child behind.
The reason of their panic is simple; The queen, Mathilda's disappearance.
She's the symbol of hope. Her disappearance made the non-archon uneasy.
The nobles, the knights, and the archon servants are still there to help them, but the thought of them didn't even crossed their panicking mind.
Of course, Voltaire is no exception to this. Mathilda's disappearance took a huge toll on him mentally.
'...This, the acolytes are causing havoc. What should I do? ...It's not the same as those bullies from my past life. These people are actually trying to murder someone...'
He moved his gaze to the lifeless body of the priests then to the servants who got slashed on the neck.
Guagh
He couldn't prevent himself from vomiting. He's not new to violence as he already experience it in his past life.
He also witnessed the brutality of Leisha against Lance years ago in a sparring match.
Yet, all of those events fade in significance compared to what is unfolding at this very moment.
The acolytes are merciless attacking those who seem powerless. And they're doing it without a shed of remorse.
'I'm scared. I don't want to die the second time... Mother, where are you?'
He was bullied in his past life but he overcomes them later on. At the end of the day, he's a man who lived in a peaceful time on Earth.
Including his past life, this is the first time he witness someone got killed in front of him.
He's too scared to stand up for himself.
Voltaire stand still. He's starting to lose his energy to move. His whole body trembles.
And then... One of the acolytes dashed towards him preparing to attack him with its knife.