"Is this the person you mentioned to us before?"
The purple-haired man who had been standing solemnly beside Reinhard finally spoke after hearing how Reinhard described Shiro.
Although an elegant smile remained on his face, his eyes continuously examined Shiro from head to toe.
"Ah, let me introduce you. This is—"
"There is no need, Reinhard."
"It would be rather discourteous if I required someone else to introduce me."
The purple-haired man interrupted Reinhard.
He opened his right hand, turned the palm toward himself, and placed it over his heart.
"My name is Julius Juukulius."
"I belong to the Royal Guard of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica, though at present I serve as Lady Anastasia's first knight."
"Please forgive my impolite staring earlier."
"I had heard about you from Reinhard, but as expected, there are some things that are difficult to believe without seeing them personally."
The atmosphere visibly tightened after Julius finished speaking.
What could Reinhard possibly have told Julius?
Given Reinhard's character, he certainly would not spread the matter concerning Felt before her candidacy was formally announced.
That left only one obvious possibility—His battle with Shiro.
And Julius saying he found the story difficult to believe naturally sounded like—
"So should I take that to mean you want to find some time later to spar with me?"
Shiro's eyes sharpened as he studied the knight radiating elegance from head to toe.
He had already heard Julius's name before coming here.
As the eldest son of House Juukulius, a family that had served the kingdom as knights for generations, Julius had apparently received elite education from childhood to become a member of the Royal Guard and a sword of the kingdom.
Even his bloodline was that of an elite.
[Finest of Knights].
[Kingdom's Sword].
Those were titles the people of Lugunica had given Julius in recognition of him.
Yet despite appearing nearly perfect in every respect—Within the Royal Guard, Julius had always stood beneath Reinhard.
Whether in martial strength or other capabilities, the so-called [Sword Saint] left Julius far behind.
The two hardly seemed to exist on the same level.
So it would be perfectly understandable if Julius felt dissatisfied.
'He heard from Reinhard that I fought him, so now he wants to fight me and prove himself?'
Shiro could hardly be blamed for reaching that conclusion.
After hearing words that sounded this provocative, most people would probably think exactly the same thing.
Unexpectedly, however—Julius showed none of the fighting spirit Shiro expected.
Instead, he frowned in confusion.
"I apologize for provoking your hostility."
"It appears my wording caused an unnecessary misunderstanding."
"If I were to invite you to discuss this matter later, would you object?"
Now Shiro was the one left awkward.
He had never expected Julius's earlier words to genuinely be nothing more than a greeting.
After all, Julius had been scrutinizing him ever since Shiro first approached Reinhard.
Then he openly expressed doubt about Shiro's abilities in front of everyone.
And yet—
He genuinely held no hostility toward him?
"That's why I've told you so many times, Julius."
Reinhard stepped in at the perfect moment.
"If you let me introduce you first, things won't become this awkward."
"You seem unusually easy to misunderstand, especially when meeting someone for the first time."
"Exactly, nya!"
Felix immediately joined in.
"When Julius first met Ferri-chan, he started commenting on Ferri-chan's appearance right away too!"
Apparently, Julius's colleagues in the Royal Guard had accumulated plenty of grievances about his conversational skills over the years.
"But—"
"Everyone is now assembled."
"The Council of Wise Men will enter shortly."
Before Julius could explain that he was not actually terrible at conversation, a loud voice echoed throughout the hall.
"My apologies."
Julius turned back toward Shiro.
"Allow me to explain myself after the meeting."
The moment he finished speaking, the luxurious doors opened once again.
The guards who had been waiting outside entered first, followed by a group of elderly men.
Several white-haired elders among them were especially eye-catching.
They wore formal attire befitting the grand hall, and their gazes carried the authority accumulated through decades of holding power.
With steady, commanding steps, they climbed onto the platform and took their seats on either side of the throne.
"That man is Lord Miklotov, representative of the Council of Wise Men."
When Shiro's gaze settled on an elderly man whose beard nearly reached the floor, Reinhard quietly introduced him.
The Council of Wise Men.
The name alone made its nature obvious.
It was an organization formed from the wisest and most influential figures in Lugunica.
Its duty was to assist the reigning monarch in governing the kingdom.
However, the previous king had been far too incompetent to properly move the country forward.
Because of that, even while the royal family still existed, the Council had already taken considerable political authority into its own hands.
Now that no new king had yet been chosen—These members of the Council of Wise Men effectively possessed overwhelming authority throughout Lugunica.
Reinhard's quiet warning was partly because Miklotov's appearance was so distinctive that he was worried Shiro might casually say something offensive.
Then—Starting with Priscilla, the Royal Selection candidates stopped their arguments and lined up before the elders of the Council.
"Still..."
Shiro muttered quietly.
"Why are they all women?"
The Divine Dragon was definitely male.
Otherwise, why would all five Royal Selection candidates be beautiful women with completely different personalities?
If Shiro did not already know this was a Royal Selection—
He might have mistaken it for some kind of Lugunican beauty pageant.
"It's about time we took our positions as well."
Leaving those words behind, Reinhard stepped forward first.
He took the only position at the front of the formation that was not directly behind one of the four candidates already present.
"Aah... My clothes really don't fit in with you guys at all."
Al complained as he followed Reinhard.
"Other than my helmet looking awesome, everything else is completely inferior to the other knights."
Despite all his grumbling, his body honestly carried him straight to his place behind Priscilla.
"What does it matter, nya?"
Felix followed.
"Still better than Ferri-chan. Being in the Royal Guard is way too much work for me~"
Then Felix, Shiro, and Julius moved almost in unison, each taking position behind the candidate they supported.
The armored knight standing upon the platform swept his sharp gaze across the formation.
Apparently satisfied, he gave a firm nod.
Then, in a clear and resonant voice, he announced—
"The members of the Council of Wise Men and all candidates for the throne are now assembled."
"With your permission, I, Marcos, Captain of the Royal Guard, shall preside over today's proceedings."
The meeting that would decide the future of the kingdom—Officially began.
…