With the heavy doors opening once more, several elderly men dressed in ornate robes slowly entered, led by fully armed knights.
The elders were all attired in formal wear befitting their status and the venue; even from their gait and demeanor, one could sense their dignity and profound experience.
Among them, the most eye-catching was an elderly man with a long beard that almost reached the ground.
Although his figure was upright, he was a head shorter than Natsuki Subaru.
His wrinkled face showed the marks of time, but his eyes were as sharp as blades, their keenness unconcealed.
"That beard... is he serious? Isn't he afraid of tripping over it while walking?"
Natsuki Subaru stared at the white-haired and white-bearded elder, unable to resist muttering a quiet retort.
"That is the representative of the Sage Council~ Lord Miklotov, who holds the most sway in the currently kingless Kingdom of Lugnica~" Roswaal lowered his voice, explaining to Natsuki Subaru in his signature peculiar tone.
"I remember the Sage Council is the organization that governs the country in place of the king, right?"
Natsuki Subaru nodded thoughtfully.
As a transmigrator, with the help of Ram and Rem recently, he had gradually mastered the writing of this world and had seriously studied the kingdom's political system.
The Sage Council of the Kingdom of Lugnica was composed of the kingdom's most prestigious nobles.
During the Royal Selection period, they effectively held the reins of the state, responsible for policy-making and adjudicating major affairs.
"Nominally, it's an advisory body~ but in reality~ the country's operation indeed relies on the Sage Council..." Roswaal shrugged, uttering rather disrespectful words. "After all, since the time of the previous king~ the actual power of the country has always been in the hands of the Sage Council~"
"So, even when the royal family still existed, the Sage Council retained considerable actual power. Is this a kind of... power balancing mechanism?"
Natsuki Subaru keenly noted the key information in Roswaal's words, stroking his chin.
"Clever~" Roswaal blinked his mismatched eyes appreciatively, then continued slowly, "They not only oversee the Royal Selection process~ but also have decisive power over candidate qualifications and election rules, directly influencing the succession to the throne~"
"That's some serious power they have," Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but comment. "If Emilia wants to become queen, doesn't she have to get past this group of old men first?"
Thinking about it carefully, the Sage Council not only holds administrative power and dominance over the Royal Selection but also possesses temporary ruling authority, practically consolidating all power in their hands.
"So then~" Roswaal smiled meaningfully. "If one wishes to establish a foothold in Lugnica~ gaining the approval of the Sage Council~ is even more important than currying favor with any particular Royal Candidate~"
"This is really troublesome..."
Natsuki Subaru let out a light sigh, his mind already calculating.
With the Sage Council holding so much power, Emilia's path to election will be even more difficult.
"Emilia-sama, the council is about to begin. Please proceed to the center."
Roswaal turned and gestured to Emilia.
"Don't worry, we're here, Emilia-tan."
Natsuki Subaru winked at Emilia, offering an encouraging smile.
"..."
Emilia nodded gently and walked towards the central position with steady steps.
"The Royal Selection is about to begin..."
Natsuki Subaru's gaze followed Emilia's figure, then swept forward.
On the semi-circularly arranged seats, the elders of the Sage Council had already taken their places one by one.
Only the throne in the center, symbolizing royal authority, remained empty, gleaming with a cold golden light under the candlelight.
And before them, four dazzling Royal Candidates already stood in line.
Led by Emilia, four girls of distinctly different styles stood in a row, like four brilliant jewels.
Priscilla, standing in the center with her hands on her hips, proudly puffed out her chest, the hem of her pure red dress swaying.
Even standing before the Sages who guided the nation, her expression showed no sign of wavering.
To Priscilla's right was a woman dressed in attire resembling a military uniform.
Her hair color was a very deep shade, close to ink-black, but upon closer inspection, one would see it was a green that radiated a lustrous sheen.
The ends of her long hair were tied up with a white butterfly knot, and her beautiful yet dignified face stared straight ahead.
Her height was considerable for a woman, about the same as Natsuki Subaru's, but the length of her thighs was vastly different.
A sword hung at her waist, engraved with the family crest of a lion baring its fangs – a beauty who fit the description of a "handsome woman in men's attire."
And the person standing to Priscilla's left, a stark contrast to the serious-looking woman just mentioned, was a light purple-haired girl who gave off a lively and cheerful impression.
Her hair, reaching her back, was wavy, its soft appearance reminiscent of cotton candy.
Compared to the other two, she was petite, wearing a white dress adorned with a large amount of fur.
Particularly eye-catching were the white fox scarf draped over her shoulders and the comically large, double-baubled clasp purse hanging below her waist.
Each was a beauty radiating a different kind of brilliance, their presence here clearly setting them apart from ordinary people.
"The ones flanking Priscilla should be Crusch and Anastasia... As expected, they're all youthful, beautiful girls, each with her own charm."
Natsuki Subaru's gaze shifted between the three Royal Candidates, suddenly recalling an experience from a certain IF route in the original work.
I remember in that world-line, I actually managed to become the King of Lugnica and openly married all five Royal Candidates.
It was truly reaching the pinnacle of life.
It was also the only perfect ending line; the other routes either led to revenge or a complete descent into darkness, which was too tragic.
"Ahem... What am I thinking... Snap out of it, me! Now's not the time for such daydreams."
Natsuki Subaru shook his head violently, interrupting his wild thoughts.
However, speaking of which, the ending of that IF line is indeed very appealing...
Just then, a hearty voice came from his side:
"Hey there, bro!"
"Eh?"
Natsuki Subaru turned in surprise to see an overly friendly fellow greeting him.
This person wore a pitch-black full-face helmet, his remaining right hand thick and strong.
He was draped in a faded brown cloak over rough linen clothes.
Most strikingly, he wore Japanese-style tabi socks with sandals, yet a chillingly sharp Azure Dragon Saber was thrust horizontally at his waist.
"So it's him... Priscilla's knight, Al."
Based on the memories in his mind, Natsuki Subaru immediately recognized this distinctively featured, one-armed man.
As a fellow transmigrator from the modern era, Al endured a cruel life as a sword slave in the Vollachian Empire, not only losing his left hand but also having his face covered in scars.
Now, Al serves Priscilla, always appearing with his helmet on.
However, what concerned Natsuki Subaru more was Al's special ability.
It's worth mentioning that Al's ability is named "Victim and Aggressor," and it's highly possible it's an Authority.
Its effect is similar to Izanami from a certain ninja anime.
The activation condition requires being in an enclosed space and can only target one individual.
Once activated, Al becomes the "victim," and the enemy is forced to become the "aggressor."
In this state, the enemy must continuously fight Al, but Al cannot be truly killed.
Each time Al is killed, the entire enclosed space resets to the state before the battle began, including the positions and physical conditions of both parties.
Ultimately, three outcomes are possible: Al successfully kills the enemy in one of the loops, Al voluntarily deactivates the Authority, or an external third party breaks the enclosed space.
In this special domain, Al can force a one-on-one deathmatch with the enemy.
Whether as victim or aggressor, Al has infinite chances to start over.
The difference is that as the aggressor, he doesn't retain memories from before the reset, while as the victim, he can retain all memories of the loops.
Simply put, this is an ability of infinite resurrection within a limited domain, the only difference being whether the opponent retains their memories.
Al's ability is like a simplified version of Return by Death, just restricted to a specific domain.
Looking at Al before him, Natsuki Subaru began to ponder.
Although Al's ability has a limited range, this capacity for infinite resurrection within a domain is still daunting.
"Bro, what are you spacing out for?"
Al's voice interrupted Natsuki Subaru's thoughts.
"Ah, nothing." Natsuki Subaru came back to his senses and looked at Al, pretending it was their first meeting. "Can I help you with something?"
"Bro, you're standing in the wrong spot." Al pointed to the other side of the hall, a muffled laugh coming from within his metal helmet. "We knights should line up on the left; the right side is for those civil official bigwigs."
Only then did Natsuki Subaru notice the seating arrangement in the hall: on the left were the Royal Guards in gleaming armor, and on the right were the lavishly dressed civil officials and nobles.
He had indeed accidentally wandered into the civil officials' area.
"Thanks for the heads-up." Natsuki Subaru nodded, unable to resist looking over Al's peculiar attire. "But your mix-and-match style is really... unique?"
It has to be said, this guy's fashion sense is too wild.
"Ahaha..." Al laughed heartily, his single right arm patting Natsuki Subaru's shoulder forcefully. "This is called personality. Compared to those stiff uniforms, I prefer to dress freely."
Then, Al introduced himself, "By the way, I'm Al, Priscilla's knight. Looking at your getup, bro... you must be the knight of that silver-haired half-elf, right?"
"I am Natsuki Subaru, Emilia's exclusive First Knight."
Natsuki Subaru introduced himself solemnly, while secretly raising his guard.
He always maintained a sense of caution when facing this fellow transmigrator from the modern era.
"This guy isn't suddenly going to say, 'It's all the stars' fault,' is he?"
Natsuki Subaru muttered in his heart, recalling Al's crazy actions in the original work.
After Priscilla's death, he deliberately had the Divine Dragon Volcanica read his Book of the Dead to rewrite his memories, created a clone to fight Reinhard, and even sealed the original Subaru and Beatrice in a black sphere.
"You call me 'bro' when you're pleased, and not when you're not. This damn fickle brotherhood is really something else!"
Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but retort wildly in his heart.
At this moment, the elders of the Sage Council had all taken their seats, and the solemn meeting was about to begin.
Al seemed to notice Natsuki Subaru's unusual gaze, his metal helmet tilting slightly. "What's wrong, bro? Staring at me? Don't tell me you're stunned by my handsomeness?"
"Handsome my foot! You've been wearing a helmet from start to finish..." Natsuki Subaru rolled his eyes in annoyance and continued to retort, "But, speaking of which, doesn't wearing that helmet for so long get stuffy?"
"Hahaha..." Al laughed upon hearing this, his empty left sleeve swaying gently with his laughter. "This is my signature look! Let's go, bro, the meeting is about to start."
The two walked towards the knight's procession, one after the other.
Looking at Al ahead, Natsuki Subaru thought as he walked.
At least, for now, this guy is still friendly.
But who can say what the future holds?
It's always right to be a little cautious.
Arriving at the front of the Royal Guard's formation, the red-haired handsome man, Reinhard, gave Natsuki Subaru a bright smile. "You're here, Subaru."
"Of course. As Emilia-tan's First Knight, how could I be absent from such an occasion?"
Natsuki Subaru puffed out his chest and replied seriously.
"To be honest, sometimes I truly envy your ability to express your feelings so frankly. Your pure devotion to Lady Emilia makes even me feel inadequate," Reinhard praised with a sincere tone.
"Hold on!" Natsuki Subaru quickly waved his hand to interrupt Reinhard. "What's with such high praise? Other than shouting for your help, I don't think I've done anything particularly impressive in front of you, have I?"
"You not only protect Lady Emilia from harm but also always make the most appropriate choices. Excessive modesty is also a virtue, or so I believe." There was no hint of falsehood in Reinhard's words, and he even gave a casual shrug.
"Alright..." Natsuki Subaru waved his hand helplessly. "I give up on you. Even your compliments are so dead serious."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Natsuki Subaru stood beside Reinhard, with Al on his other side.
Only then did he realize that the three of them were standing at the very front of the entire knightly order.
"This position is way too conspicuous... It's just like the front row in a classroom, always at risk of being called on by the teacher to answer a question."
Just as Natsuki Subaru was thinking this, a familiar voice called out:
"Meow-ho~ Subaru-kyun~"
Turning his head, he saw Felix, playfully waving at him.
Although this time Felix wasn't wearing a cute dress but had changed into the pure white uniform of the Royal Guard, that slender figure, delicate face, and that pair of adorable cat ears...
Hmm... no matter how you look at it, he doesn't look like a boy.
"Long time no see, Ferris."
Natsuki Subaru smiled and greeted Felix, but couldn't help sighing inwardly.
Ferris is as cute as ever.
Too bad he's a boy, a boy, a boy...
Just then, a young knight with purple hair gracefully walked up, and the position at the front of the small group of five was finally complete.
___
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