[So handsome! So handsome! So handsome!]
[This is insane!]
[Is this a demolition project or what?]
[Demon king confirmed. What kind of protagonist starts this strong?]
[I'm in love!]
[Husband!!!]
The final battle pushed everything straight to the peak.
Under Satoru Gojo's gaze, the popularity value skyrocketed, finally stopping at twelve thousand.
That was pretty easy.
Gojo thought leisurely.
"Could I get another serving of biscuits, please?"
He suddenly raised his hand and called out to Reinhard van Astrea.
Watching the broadcast had felt just like watching a movie. Without even realizing it, he had finished all the snacks in front of him.
"Looks like you've got quite the appetite."
Reinhard had already finished asking the necessary questions and smiled gently.
"We've prepared rooms for you. If you don't mind, you can stay here for the night."
"That broken blade will need to be kept as evidence for now. I've already reported the bounty. Once everything is verified, it'll be issued to you."
"Thank you very much."
Gojo leaned back in his chair. "Just like when we first met, you really are a good guy."
"Oh, and because of the royal selection, there may be some unusual people appearing in the capital for a while."
"Our knight order will increase patrols. You should be careful as well."
"If you run into any trouble, you can come to me. Just try…"
Reinhard hesitated slightly. "Try not to cause anything as big as what happened today."
"If that's your request, Reinhard, then of course I'll listen."
"Don't worry. We'll be careful."
"Then I'll take my leave. If you need anything else, feel free to speak with the others."
Reinhard said this politely, then stood up and departed.
Julius followed after giving a brief farewell.
Once the two of them left, only Gojo and the others remained in the room.
"Hah…"
"Seriously, what a mess."
The moment they were gone, Felt flopped face-first onto the table.
Her slightly thin face was squished against the surface, giving her cheeks a bit of extra roundness. It actually looked kind of cute.
"That lifeless look doesn't suit you."
Gojo rested his elbow on the back of the bench and spoke lazily.
"Don't act like you know me that well. This is only our second time meeting."
Felt muttered weakly, protesting his tone.
"Still, you really do have it rough, Felt."
Subaru Natsuki nodded in deep agreement.
"At this point, unless we pray that person doesn't actually end up on the throne, the only option left is probably to run. Leave the country."
"The climate in the Holy Kingdom of Gusteko is awful."
"I don't know much about Vollachia. If we're leaving, Kararagi might be better. I hear things are more relaxed there."
"Even old men and kids like us can survive."
Old Man Rom joined the discussion as well.
Gojo blinked as he looked at the three of them.
Why did it feel like they were talking about something he knew nothing about?
"You guys are terrible. Leaving me out and talking about things I can't even jump into."
"Is this because the warehouse got destroyed, so you're planning to leave?"
"If that's the case, then I really feel guilty…"
"That's not it."
Subaru rubbed his forehead and sighed.
"When Reinhard started questioning us, you completely checked out. You were just eating biscuits the whole time and didn't hear a word he said."
Gojo turned to Felt with a questioning look.
She sat up, slapped her cheeks lightly, and said in a drained voice.
"That woman Elsa hired me to steal from someone named Emilia. She's one of the four current royal selection candidates in Lugunica."
"And the thing I stole was her candidate insignia."
"If a candidate loses their insignia, they basically have no chance of taking the throne."
Hearing this, Gojo showed a look of admiration and started clapping.
"Impressive, Felt. I thought stealing from me already took guts, but you actually went after a candidate."
Felt glared at him, grinding her teeth.
"Are you treating me like an idiot?"
"I didn't know any of that, okay!"
"If I had, how could I possibly have done something like this!"
"But from the way Reinhard talked earlier, it sounded like the royal selection is common knowledge, right?"
Subaru asked, confused.
"That's for other people, not me!"
"Just figuring out what I'm going to eat tomorrow already takes everything I've got. Who has time to care about that stuff?"
"What does it matter to me who becomes king? It won't make our lives any better."
Felt crossed her arms and scrunched up her nose in frustration.
"If that's the case, then I really did misunderstand you. Turns out you're just unlucky."
"Huh? So you really were treating me like an idiot before!"
Felt snapped, about to teach Gojo a lesson.
The room instantly turned noisy.
After a good while, Felt finally calmed down.
"Actually, I don't think we need to rush into leaving."
"If we learn what those candidates are like, we should be able to tell whether there's real danger."
Given the situation, Gojo offered his suggestion.
"But before that, can someone explain this royal selection thing to me?"
"That girl Emilia, even though she's a Spirit Arts User and a candidate, shouldn't she have at least one attendant with her? She was completely alone."
Last time, Emilia had seemed generous and did not blame Felt at all.
But for Felt, who had already offended her, it was hard to feel at ease without clearing things up.
"I'll explain."
Old Man Rom cleared his throat and spoke slowly.
"About a year ago, for reasons no one knows, the Lugunica royal family died out from an unknown disease."
"For Lugunica, the royal family is essential. Long ago, they formed a covenant with the Divine Dragon."
"When the country faces a crisis, the Divine Dragon will step in to protect it."
"Because of that, after the royal family died, the Dragon Tablet, which connects to the Divine Dragon, prophesied that five Dragon Priestesses would appear."