"Alright, alright. Whatever you want to say can wait until the meeting is over."
"You can complain, get angry, or yell at me afterward. I'll listen to all of it."
"But before that, don't you have something more important to do?"
Seeing Felt's other leg beginning to twitch, Shiro hurriedly tried to calm her down.
Otherwise, he might end up grabbing both her legs and leaving her dangling from his body in an extremely questionable position.
"Hmph."
"If you don't give me a good explanation later, I'm definitely making Reinhard knock you down!"
Felt snorted.
There was a faint trace of grievance hidden beneath her anger.
After all, she had invited Shiro to join her before.
When Shiro said he had something to take care of, she had even offered Reinhard's help.
She had practically treated Shiro like one of her own.
And what had Shiro done?
He said he was too busy to help her—Then turned around and joined an opposing faction.
Worse, he was partly responsible for her suffering through so much at Reinhard's estate, where she could not even escape.
If Shiro failed to produce a proper explanation, Felt might genuinely cut ties with him the moment this meeting ended.
"There are too many people here, so I can't explain everything."
Shiro lowered his voice.
"Basically, I originally wanted to investigate and research a few things."
"Then Emilia happened to have some information I needed, which let one of my research projects successfully enter its second stage."
"So I came to the royal capital to see whether there was anyone suitable for me to study as a reference."
"Temporarily acting as Emilia's knight was more of a side job."
With so many people present, Shiro obviously could not openly say that he was investigating the Witch Cult.
So he could only give Felt a vague explanation.
"So we're still partners, right?"
Felt's expression immediately softened.
Then she grinned carelessly.
"If that's the case, you better help me teach those annoying bastards a lesson later!"
"Seriously, I've had enough of those assholes!"
"Old Man Rom used to beat me up pretty badly too, but compared to Grandma and Reinhard, he was practically an angel!"
"Wait."
"Was the whole reason you kicked me earlier because you were planning to make me help you mess with Reinhard afterward?"
"Quit whining. Are you helping or not?"
"Just so we're clear, I'm not helping you murder or rob anyone."
"Who the hell would ask you to do that?!"
Felt laughed and slapped Shiro on the shoulder.
Although the issue between Felt and Shiro had been resolved, her earlier declaration about despising nobles had already caused an uproar among those around them.
"She does not even understand basic etiquette. Just where did Reinhard find such a person?"
"How vulgar. To openly insult the nobility before the honored members of the Council..."
"Can someone like that truly be one of the Dragon Maidens?"
Similar whispers continuously spread among the civil officials on the right side of the hall.
Their expressions toward Felt also became increasingly complicated.
Bang! Bang—!
"Silence!"
Marcos slammed the sheath of his knight's sword against the floor.
The booming sound instantly drowned out every conversation.
"Reinhard, continue."
"Yes."
Reinhard nodded.
Then he took a dragon-shaped insignia from inside his uniform, a jewel embedded at its center.
"Lady Felt, we can continue catching up after the meeting."
"For now, please come here and hold this."
He placed the Dragon Insignia into Felt's palm as she walked onto the platform with a frown.
In an instant—Silver-white light burst from Felt's hand and illuminated her somewhat adorable face.
Seeing this, Marcos immediately declared loudly—
"The Dragon Jewel has recognized Lady Felt's qualifications!"
He placed his right hand against his chest and bowed toward Felt.
The members of the Royal Guard standing on the left side below followed his example in perfect unison.
However—Unlike the disciplined knights, the unease on the faces of the civil officials to the right became almost tangible.
The crowd grew noisy once again.
"Forgive my interruption. May I say something?"
At that moment, a hunched middle-aged man stepped out from among the civil officials.
The dark circles beneath his eyes were so severe that he looked as though he had not slept in several days.
"Before the meeting begins, there remains one matter I do not understand."
"I believe many others present share the same doubt."
He nervously stroked his beard while speaking in a roundabout manner.
"During the process of preparing for this Royal Selection, the efforts of the Royal Guard have been obvious to everyone."
"It would not be an exaggeration to say that without your efforts, we could never have found all the Dragon Maidens and stabilized the kingdom so quickly."
As someone who had spent years navigating politics, the middle-aged official began by showering the Royal Guard with praise.
Several knights who had initially been annoyed at the interruption immediately brightened.
"You flatter us."
Marcos, however, reacted differently.
After spending so many years in politics himself, he had already heard more empty praise than he could count.
He was thoroughly tired of it.
Usually, someone who began by excessively praising another person was merely cushioning the words that came next.
So Marcos simply responded politely and waited.
Sure enough—When the man saw that neither the knights nor the other officials intended to stop him, delight appeared on his face.
Then he finally revealed his true point.
"However, even though we acted according to the guidance of the Dragon History Stone..."
"Could there perhaps be some problems with the candidates themselves?"
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone has focused too heavily on whether they possess the qualifications of a Dragon Maiden."
"But we have forgotten the most important requirement for wearing the crown."
"No—rather, that matter has been neglected far too greatly."
Apparently emboldened by the repeated murmurs of agreement from the surrounding officials, the man seemed to imagine himself a hero saving the kingdom.
Ignoring the displeased expressions of several candidates, he stepped forward and nearly shouted—
"Lord Rickert, are you suggesting that the Royal Guard's tremendous effort in finding the Dragon Maidens may have caused us to pledge loyalty to the wrong people?!"
Marcos's thunderous voice nearly made Rickert shrink back on the spot.
"Th-That wording is somewhat different..."
"But broadly speaking, yes, that is what I mean."
Rickert was a civil official, not a warrior.
He lacked the courage of the knights.
Still, remembering the people behind him who shared his opinion, he shrank his neck and continued in a more indirect manner.
Seeing this, Shiro, standing among the Royal Guard, looked confused.
He leaned toward Felix beside him.
"Ferris, is this guy one of Crusch's people?"
"Hmm?"
"Ferri-chan has never seen him before, nya."
"Then you're just going to let him keep talking?"
"Ferri-chan doesn't really care, nya."
"No matter what that bearded guy says, Ferri-chan's loyalty belongs only to Lady Crusch."
"That's not what I mean."
Shiro shook his head.
"I mean that if you let him keep talking, there's a good chance Crusch will end up being attacked by the other four Royal Selection candidates."
"Are you fine with that?"
"Nya?!"
According to Rickert's argument, anyone who wanted to become ruler of Lugunica needed more than merely being a Dragon Maiden.
They also needed some corresponding "qualification."
Whatever Rickert meant by that—
Felt and Anastasia, both orphans, obviously lacked it.
And that went without saying for Emilia, a silver-haired half-elf treated as taboo throughout the kingdom.
In reality, every candidate except Crusch had something others could use against them.
Even Priscilla, whose status was closest to Crusch's, had been ominously called the [Bloody Bride] because several of her husbands had died.
So although Rickert appeared to be acting for the kingdom's sake—His words were indirectly trampling every candidate except Crusch.
"If he can't eliminate every other candidate right now and make everyone support Crusch..."
Shiro glanced at Rickert, who was attempting to persuade the Council with his eloquence.
"Then what do you think the remaining Dragon Maidens will do afterward to Crusch, who visibly holds the greatest advantage?"
Of course, Shiro left one thing unsaid.
His argument assumed that the other candidates were ordinary people who genuinely wanted the throne.
If he judged things according to their actual personalities—
Priscilla alone would never cooperate with the others merely to gang up on Crusch.
"Eh?!"
"You guys would team up against Lady Crusch and Ferri-chan, nya?!"
"My apologies."
Julius answered first.
"I have already offered my sword to Lady Anastasia."
"If she ordered me to do so..."
"Yeah, same here."
Al shrugged.
"If Princess ordered it, I'd have no choice."
Neither Julius nor Al mentioned the actual personalities of Anastasia or Priscilla.
After all, Rickert's behavior already amounted to openly favoring Crusch.
No matter what, they still had to consider the interests of their own factions.
"Then this is really bad, nya?!"
Felix cried out and looked toward Crusch.
She had clearly noticed the same issue and was standing with her head lowered in thought.
There were quite a few people present who shared Rickert's beliefs.
The authority of the monarchy had already been thoroughly eroded during the reign of the previous incompetent king.
Even without a monarch, Lugunica had continued functioning normally.
To these civil officials, the king was no longer primarily someone who ruled the country.
Instead—The king was a tool for maintaining the covenant with the Divine Dragon and a public face for Lugunica.
Naturally, they wanted someone pleasing to their eyes.
Thus, who became king was not the most important issue.
Determining who absolutely could not become king was their top priority.
Now that Rickert had volunteered to become the first person to voice these opinions, the other officials followed with the mentality that no one could punish an entire crowd.
"A person who is both maiden and king should possess proper awareness of the role."
"No matter how finely one decorates the exterior, one's true nature will still reveal itself through behavior."
"Lacking character and education... Can such a person truly be elevated as king?"
Anyone with eyes could tell who those remarks were targeting.
The candidates reacted in different ways.
Crusch remained deep in thought.
Felt looked openly irritated.
Anastasia narrowed her eyes slightly, a dangerous expression appearing on her face.
Priscilla merely crossed her arms and looked thoroughly bored.
Seeing this, Shiro sighed inwardly.
He knew that if nobody intervened now—Once the nobles finished targeting Felt, Emilia would be next.
Yet Emilia showed no intention of defending herself.
She merely lowered her head and silently endured the veiled insults.
Then—
"Knight representing Lady Emilia."
"What is your opinion?"
Miklotov's dignified voice echoed through the hall.
The entire chamber instantly fell silent.
At the same time, Emilia looked up in surprise toward the raised hand among the knights behind her.
"I have a question."
Bathed in everyone's gaze, Shiro remained perfectly calm.
He turned toward Rickert among the officials.
"You keep saying the crown should only be given to someone who is suitable."
"I'm an outsider, so to avoid any misunderstanding, could you explain what kind of person this kingdom considers qualified to wear the crown?"
"As expected of a fool who supports a half-devil."
Rickert immediately regained some of the courage Marcos had frightened out of him.
"You still fail to understand after we have explained this much?"
He brushed dust from his clothing and replied condescendingly.
"Listen carefully."
"To rule a kingdom, one must surpass ordinary people in birth, character, and education."
"Only then can we entrust the nation to her with confidence."
"So in your eyes, those things are more important than the Divine Dragon's instructions?"
"That is absurd!"
"The decision of our revered Divine Dragon is naturally of tremendous importance!"
"However, possessing the qualifications of a Dragon Maiden is not the same as being suited to become king!"
"But the instruction written on the Dragon History Stone was essentially—"
"'There are five new guides for the kingdom. Choose one maiden from among them to form a covenant with the Dragon.'"
Shiro looked at him calmly.
"It never said the new king needed any of the additional qualifications you just listed."
Then Shiro turned toward Miklotov on the platform as though genuinely seeking clarification.
"Isn't that right?"
"Indeed."
Miklotov appeared to have already guessed where Shiro was going with this.
His expression remained solemn.
"The revelation upon the stone represents the will of heaven."
"The Dragon History Stone has accumulated a long history since the covenant was first formed."
"Only when a crisis arises that may affect the fate of the kingdom will new words be engraved upon it."
"Knowing that those words will shape the history to come, it is our duty to obey."
"Exactly."
Shiro nodded.
"If Lord Rickert were speaking on behalf of someone he had pledged himself to, I could understand."
"But as far as I know, Lord Rickert has not sworn loyalty to any candidate yet, correct?"
"S-So what?!"
"Everything I do is for the prosperity of this kingdom!"
"If even the most basic virtues are lacking, how could we possibly entrust the country to such a person?!"
"That's precisely why the Royal Selection exists, isn't it?"
Shiro replied without hurry.
"It's a stage where every Dragon Maiden can display her ability and ambitions to the people."
"When the Royal Selection ends, the people can simply vote for whoever they believe will lead the kingdom farther."
"Isn't that why the Divine Dragon selected five Dragon Maidens?"
"If some special qualification were absolutely required, why not designate one person from the start?"
"Why go through the trouble of holding a Royal Selection at all?"
Rickert had tried to hide behind righteousness.
Shiro simply dismantled it piece by piece.
No matter how eloquent Rickert was—If he wanted to eliminate candidates he personally considered unqualified, there was one point he could never avoid.
The Divine Dragon itself had ordered them to choose one person from five Dragon Maidens to renew the covenant.
Even if Rickert personally opposed Emilia, Felt, or the others becoming king—He had no authority to strip away their right to participate.
Not unless he intended to oppose the Divine Dragon itself.
"The Dragon History Stone is undoubtedly a priceless treasure given to us by our revered Divine Dragon to guide us through calamity."
"And the Dragon's will absolutely cannot be ignored."
Rickert seemed rattled by Shiro effectively accusing him of disrespecting the Divine Dragon.
His words grew increasingly reckless.
"But does the prophecy written upon the stone truly represent our revered Dragon's actual opinion?!"
"Everyone, think carefully!"
"Why would the Divine Dragon include even a detested half-devil among the Dragon Maidens?"
"Could this not be a test of whether we possess the wisdom to distinguish right from wrong?!"
"What if we mistakenly pledge loyalty to the wrong person, and the Dragon becomes enraged enough to dissolve the covenant maintained with us for a thousand years?!"
"That is a price the entire Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica could never bear!"
Rickert's face turned bright red.
Spittle flew from his mouth as he shouted his argument.
Then—
After finishing, he raised his eyebrows proudly and prepared to see how Shiro would respond.
Only then did he suddenly notice something.
The atmosphere around him had somehow become strange.
It was not only the Council members and knights on the platform who were glaring at him coldly.
Even the officials who had previously surrounded him and treated him like a hero had fled far away.
They looked at Rickert as though avoiding some terrifying disaster.
Apart from fear—
Their eyes contained something else he could not understand.
Pity.
'Pity?'
'Why?'
Convinced that his argument had been strong enough to remove both the half-devil and the troublesome Reinhard from the Royal Selection—Rickert could not understand why everyone was looking at him that way.
…