"Have you decided how you wish to die to atone for your sins?"
Hearing this, Priscilla's fan snapped shut with a 'pa,' her crimson eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as scorching magical energy began to radiate from her.
"Although I don't usually hit women, if you insist on fighting, I'll gladly oblige!"
Natsuki Subaru assumed a combat stance, an invisible ripple of power flowing around him.
After the system's level-ups and physical enhancements, he felt no fear, even knowing his opponent possessed the Divine Protection of the Sun and the Yang Sword.
"Your Highness!" Al suddenly interjected.
His expression was unreadable beneath the metal helmet, but his tone carried a hint of helplessness. "If you continue making enemies like this, it will be very troublesome for your subordinate."
"Hehe..." Priscilla put away her fan, a flicker of admiration for Natsuki Subaru in her red eyes. "For such courage in risking your life for your master, I shall tentatively praise you for it."
"Who needs your praise!" Natsuki Subaru was ungrateful.
"However..." Priscilla's tone suddenly shifted, turning icy cold. "Next time, I won't be so accommodating."
"Likewise," Natsuki Subaru retorted, glaring back without yielding.
"—Everyone, you should all be feeling much more at ease now, shouldn't you?"
On the platform, Miklotov, the leader of the Sage Council, spoke up at the right moment, drawing everyone's attention.
"Way to go, little bro!" Felt excitedly gave a thumbs up.
"..."
Emilia looked at Natsuki Subaru with concern, her amethyst-like eyes filled with complex emotions—both gratitude and worry.
"Emilia-tan, I'm here, don't worry." Natsuki Subaru gave Emilia a reassuring smile, gently squeezed her hand, and then returned to the knights' ranks.
Emilia and Felt also returned to the line of candidates.
Crusch maintained her soldier-like upright posture, a glint of admiration in her jade-green eyes.
Anastasia, on the other hand, observed everything with keen interest.
Only Priscilla, the instigator, still wore an expression of boredom, showing no sign of remorse, though her red eyes occasionally flickered towards Natsuki Subaru, her thoughts unknown.
Seeing the dispute finally settled, Miklotov tapped his scepter again and solemnly declared, "Then, let us return to the original agenda—regarding the battle for the throne, I propose that each candidate participate in convening the Sage Council to jointly discuss subsequent matters."
He paused, then continued in a steady and dignified voice, "Although the Dragon Stones clearly state the need to gather five candidates, they do not specify the exact selection method. Therefore, we first need to understand the resolve and ideals of each candidate."
"Isn't this just an otherworld version of a campaign speech..." Natsuki Subaru thought to himself, arms crossed, standing in the knights' ranks.
After all, they're choosing the ruler of a country; the candidates have to present their governing strategies.
"Then, would the Royal Selection candidates please step forward to the front of the platform." The solemn voice of Marcos, Commander of the Royal Guard Knights, rang out. "First, we invite Lady Priscilla and her attendant, Al."
Priscilla strode confidently to the center, the hem of her magnificent scarlet dress swaying like flames with her steps.
Her red eyes swept over the members of the Sage Council, her voice clear and arrogant:
"The Royal Selection is meaningless. I am the only one fit to be king! All you need to do is kneel and follow me."
An uproar immediately erupted from below the platform.
Nobles exchanged whispers, buzzing with discussion about this incredibly bold declaration.
"This woman is as arrogant as ever..." Natsuki Subaru, arms crossed, was already unfazed by Priscilla's pronouncements.
At the Royal Selection, she first attacked Felt, then insulted Emilia's half-elf status, and now she dares to make such outrageous statements.
I really don't know what goes on in this woman's head.
Acting in such a way as to make enemies everywhere, isn't she afraid she doesn't have enough opponents?
Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but roll his eyes internally.
If Priscilla really ascended to the throne, she'd probably declare war on neighboring countries the very next day.
If she, as a mere candidate for the throne, already despises others so much, once she truly reigns, ordinary people in her eyes would probably become serfs, or even worse, less than the grains of sand used to build walls.
This isn't an intentional denigration of Priscilla's character, but an objective judgment based on facts.
Priscilla's innate arrogance and her 'I am the only one that matters' disposition are destined to be incompatible with the qualities of a wise monarch.
As Priscilla and Al returned to the candidates' ranks, the tense atmosphere finally eased.
"Then, we invite the next candidate." Marcos's voice broke the brief silence. "Lady Anastasia and her knight, Julius, please come forward!"
Anastasia stepped forward gracefully, her violet hair swaying gently with her stride, revealing a gentle yet shrewd smile. "I am very greedy, so I want everything. No matter how successful my business becomes, it cannot satisfy me. I want a country of my own. That's right, I want to turn the entire Kingdom of Lugnica into my private property."
Anastasia's statement, so far removed from everyone's expectations, while not as shockingly outrageous as Priscilla's, was still enough to astound.
Most people in the hall wore expressions of disbelief, even doubting if they had heard correctly.
"Good heavens, she plans to directly manage the entire kingdom as private property." Natsuki Subaru silently retorted in his mind.
It has to be said, as the head of a major merchant company, Anastasia indeed has more advantages in terms of economic and political standing than Priscilla.
But to want to be king merely to satisfy personal ambition, viewing the entire kingdom as private property—if such a ruler came to power, I'm afraid even the kingdom's laws would be amended into commercial terms favorable to her.
"Next, we invite Lady Felt and her knight, Reinhard." Marcos's voice rang out again.
Felt, dragging the hem of her golden, magnificent dress, walked to the center with an impatient look, directly facing the elders of the Sage Council. "I hate nobles, I hate knights, I hate the kingdom! I hate everything here, so—I'm going to destroy it all. How about that?!"
"Wh-what?!"
"What nonsense is she spouting?"
"This is outrageous!"
The hall instantly exploded.
Felt's explosive declaration was no less shocking than Priscilla's disdainful arrogance or Anastasia's self-serving pronouncements.
The elders of the Sage Council looked at each other, some so angry their beards quivered.
"If I become king..." Felt, seeing everyone's panicked reaction, grinned, showing her small canine tooth. "I'll overthrow all of you! I'll completely change this dull country!"
"Felt is really..." Natsuki Subaru shook his head helplessly. "She's completely just venting her emotions."
He knew very well that Felt had no desire whatsoever to be king.
She was only forced to participate in the Royal Selection to save Old Man Rom.
To let someone with no political ambition whatsoever rule, she would have no competitiveness under any electoral system.
If she really came to power, the kingdom would probably fall into an even more chaotic state than it is now.
Miklotov, leader of the Sage Council, looked at Reinhard, his silver eyebrows slightly raised. "Your master... her words are quite intense."
"One day," Reinhard replied calmly, "Lady Felt's words will reach everyone."
"Then," Marcos, the Knight Commander at the side, opportunely changed the subject, "we invite the next candidate—Lady Crusch and her knight, Felix, to come forward!"
Crusch stepped forward and surveyed the assembly, her awe-inspiring gaze seemingly able to pierce through the dragon motifs depicted on the walls of the throne hall. "When I become king, I will make the Dragon forget the former covenant. The Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica does not belong to the Dragon; it is our country."
This declaration plunged the entire throne hall into dead silence.
A few seconds later, the venue erupted into a commotion, as if a pot had exploded.
"Wh-what does this mean?"
"Lady Crusch actually wants to abolish the Dragon Covenant!"
"This is a statement that could shake the foundations of the country!"
Exclamations of shock arose from everyone present, yet Crusch remained unfazed and continued, "The Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica has relied on the covenant with the Dragon for protection for hundreds of years. Whether it was war, plague, or famine, all crises were resolved under the Dragon's blessing. In our history, the word 'Dragon' has never disappeared."
Crusch paused, her voice becoming even firmer. "But it is precisely this reliance that has made us weak. To beg for the Dragon's help whenever we encounter a crisis—I cannot tolerate such a self-deprecating attitude."
"You've gone too far, Lady Crusch!" One of the Sage Council members stood up, expressing his anger at Crusch's inflammatory remarks.
"Not at all. These are my true inner thoughts!" Crusch shook her head slightly, her voice lowered yet still firm. "The road ahead will undoubtedly be fraught with peril. Perhaps crises that even the Dragon cannot resolve await us. But I would rather choose a path where we can stand tall. For a long time, I have harbored doubts about the kingdom's current state. This Royal Selection, I believe, is a chance given to us by heaven to correct our mistakes."
"Crusch's ideals are indeed correct. For a country to truly become strong and prosperous, it ultimately has to rely on the efforts of its own people, not forever on the protection of the Divine Dragon." Natsuki Subaru listened intently, evaluating her silently.
As a Royal Candidate, Crusch indeed possesses considerable strength and foresight.
It's just that this reform proposal is a bit too radical.
Thinking this, Natsuki Subaru's gaze shifted between Crusch's determined profile and the shocked expressions of the Sage Council members.
Although I agree with her core idea, directly challenging a tradition that has lasted for four hundred years is bound to cause a huge uproar.
If she is elected queen, the country might not immediately become prosperous, but at least it won't go to the extremes of the other three candidates.
Though proposing to abolish the Dragon Covenant right off the bat is a bit radical, such courage to reform is much better than the previous three.
The atmosphere in the hall seemed to agree with this point; no one was loudly refuting Crusch anymore.
This courage to face the kingdom's history directly, on the contrary, displayed the bearing of a monarch.
Crusch performed a standard courtesy to the Sage Council and gracefully returned to the candidates' ranks.
Her attendant, Felix, wiggled his cat ears joyfully. "Lady Crusch, that was wonderfully said, meow~"
With that, the fourth candidate's address was concluded, and a brief silence fell over the hall.
"Then," Marcos's voice rang out again, "the next candidate, Lady Emilia, and her knight, Natsuki Subaru, please come forward to speak."
Under everyone's gaze, Emilia took a deep breath.
Natsuki Subaru immediately gave her an encouraging smile. "Let's go, Emilia. I've got your back."
This time, he could finally stand by Emilia's side as her knight.
"..."
Emilia nodded slightly, her silver hair swaying gently with her movement as she stepped forward, Natsuki Subaru following closely behind.
The two walked together towards the center of the hall; Emilia's Royal Selection speech was about to begin.
However, even during this short walk to the center, those malicious whispers never ceased.
Due to the multiple enhancements to his physical attributes from the system, Natsuki Subaru's hearing was far superior to that of an ordinary person, and every piercing word reached his ears clearly:
"..."
"To actually let such a monster participate..."
"Exactly, she looks just like that Witch..."
"These guys..." Natsuki Subaru's brow furrowed tightly.
He noticed Emilia's steps falter slightly; she had clearly heard these discussions too.
Seeing this, Natsuki Subaru immediately took half a step forward and whispered to Emilia, "Don't pay any attention to their idle talk. Just say what's on your mind."
"Mm, I know, Subaru." Emilia replied softly.
Then, after composing herself, she faced the Sages, her voice steady and clear. "It is a pleasure to meet the esteemed members of the Sage Council for the first time. My name is Emilia. I have no surname. Please just call me Emilia. I am..."
"Half of your bloodline comes from humans, meaning you're a so-called half-elf, correct?"
A jarring voice suddenly interrupted Emilia's speech.
Natsuki Subaru snapped his head up, his sharp gaze locking onto the source of the voice—a bald elderly man in the Sage Council seats.
That old man was glaring at Emilia with an expression full of disgust, his green eyebrows contorted in anger, the veins on his forehead bulging visibly, making him look like a puffing toad.
"Filthy! Vile!" The old man slammed his hand on the table and shot up, spittle flying everywhere. "To actually allow a silver-haired half-devil to step into the sacred throne hall! What are you guards doing?! Why did no one discover this defiling presence?!"
This bastard! Natsuki Subaru instantly felt a surge of rage rush to his head, his fists clenching unconsciously.
But he immediately forced himself to calm down: Calm, I must remain calm...
Lashing out now will only make things more difficult for Emilia.
"Your Excellency Bordeaux, you overstate things," Miklotov, as the leader of the Sage Council, attempted to ease the atmosphere.
"His Excellency Miklotov should know better than anyone!" Bordeaux said excitedly. "Isn't a silver-haired half-devil the incarnation of that Witch of Envy? The embodiment of destruction that once consumed half the world and plunged all living beings into despair!"
Miklotov remained silent; this fact was indeed irrefutable.
Meanwhile, the nobles below began to whisper among themselves again, their words slithering into Natsuki Subaru's ears like venomous snakes:
"Her appearance alone is terrifying enough..."
"Make her queen? Simply absurd..."
"Don't forget, this is the land where the Witch slumbers..."
"Just because Emilia looks like that so-called Witch of Envy, she has to endure so much baseless malice. Enough, this is truly enough..." Natsuki Subaru felt the anger in his chest about to boil over.
"Your Excellency Bordeaux, that is enough," Miklotov said gravely. "Lady Emilia is one of the official Royal Selection candidates."
"The half-devil is merely a candidate in form only," Bordeaux persisted relentlessly. "Her appearance, identical to that of the Witch of Envy, would make anyone recall that catastrophe. To us, she is nothing but a disposable pawn!"
"Lord Bordeaux speaks sense."
"A mere half-devil, how can she become the ruler of Lugnica..."
"We still have four other candidates; we don't necessarily have to choose her..."
A chorus of agreement rose from below, as sickening as the hissing of vipers.
Faced with the overwhelming malice and slander from all around, Emilia's face instantly turned as pale as paper.
Natsuki Subaru clearly saw her lips trembling slightly, and her crystal-clear amethyst eyes shimmered with a hurt expression, as if they would shatter in the next moment.
"Half-devil." Bordeaux looked down on Emilia condescendingly, his voice full of contempt and disgust. "And those silver hair and purple eyes, identical to the Witch of Envy. Do you truly believe you are worthy of the throne?"
"I..." Emilia lowered her gaze, not knowing how to respond.
In this suffocating silence—
"She isn't worthy, so are you?!"
Natsuki Subaru suddenly strode forward, firmly shielding Emilia behind him, and glared furiously at Bordeaux.
___
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