Chapter 230: Doubt and Suspicion!
"Hah? Didn't you say we were going in order? Then shouldn't the next one be..."
Felt trailed off.
Her crimson eyes landed on Emilia's downcast face, and she clicked her tongue disdainfully.
"Tch. This is exactly why I said nobles are so damn irritating."
"Lady Felt, it is time for your speech."
"I know, I know."
Felt turned toward Reinhard with a mischievous smile.
"But no matter what I say up there, you'll still stand on my side, right?"
"Yes. I am your knight."
"Is that so?"
"Then watch closely."
Standing on the platform, Felt took a deep breath.
She thrust out one white-gloved hand and pointed straight at everyone below.
"I've only got one thing to say!"
A cheerful smile spread across Felt's face.
Yet the words coming from her mouth were the complete opposite.
"I hate nobles!"
"I hate knights!"
"I hate this kingdom!"
"I hate everything in this country, including the ground under my feet!"
"If I become king, I'm going to wipe out everything I hate!"
"Maybe after that, the things left around me will finally look a little less annoying."
"That's my declaration."
"How's that?"
Felt's completely unrestrained declaration of destruction shook everyone to the core.
For once, the civil officials and knights below shared exactly the same thought.
'We absolutely cannot let her become king!'
"Have you lost your mind?!"
"To declare that you'll destroy our kingdom at a gathering meant to choose its king?!"
"I will never recognize such a candidate!"
"Reinhard!"
"Shut those noisy bastards up!"
"Yes!"
The instant Felt gave the order, the red-haired young man vanished from the platform like a passing breeze.
"This is Lady Felt's time to state her resolve."
"If you have any objections, I ask that you wait until she has finished speaking before discussing them."
By the time the noble who had shouted at Felt reacted—
Reinhard was already standing directly before him, his right hand placed over his chest.
It was an undisguised threat.
"Do you still not understand the situation?!"
"Your master just declared that she intends to trample everything we have worked to build!"
"And even after hearing that, you still intend to remain her knight?!"
"Reinhard van Astrea!"
"It is my duty as a knight to fully support my master."
Reinhard closed his eyes calmly.
"Furthermore, I believe it is everyone else who has failed to understand the situation."
"Please take a careful look at Lady Felt's appearance."
"Golden hair and red eyes..."
The young noble scoffed.
"Don't tell me you intend to claim she is Lord Ford's daughter who disappeared fourteen years ago."
"Don't make me laugh."
"A missing princess from fourteen years ago just happens to be found precisely when Lugunica needs a new king?"
"And she just happens to possess the qualifications of a Dragon Maiden?"
"That is far too convenient."
"Lady Felt was not discovered by me."
"Lady Emilia and her knight found her first."
"I merely discovered afterward that Lady Felt could make the Dragon Jewel shine, which is why I brought her to this meeting."
"Hah."
"That half-devil?"
The noble sneered.
"Compared to the absurd coincidence of you discovering Lord Ford's lost daughter, who also just happens to be a Dragon Maiden..."
"Wouldn't it make far more sense if House Astrea had planned this from the start?"
"Perhaps you cooperated with the half-devil to steal Lugunica's throne."
The young noble had realized that Reinhard would never openly attack him in a setting like this.
So he pressed forward relentlessly.
Hearing his argument, several other officials fell into thought.
Emilia's support was unquestionably the lowest among all the Royal Selection candidates under ordinary circumstances.
If House Astrea truly intended to seize control of Lugunica—
They could have prepared a Dragon Maiden in advance, used magic to alter her hair and eye color to resemble the royal bloodline, then offered some benefits to Emilia, who had almost no chance of becoming king, in exchange for endorsing Felt.
It was not completely impossible.
Still...
With the [Sword Saint] backing them, did House Astrea truly need to go to such lengths?
"What's wrong, Reinhard?"
"Why are you silent?"
"Did I strike the truth so accurately that you don't know how to respond?!"
Seeing Reinhard refuse to answer, the young noble grew increasingly arrogant.
He intended to use this opportunity to tie Felt and Emilia together politically.
If he succeeded—Both of their situations would become extremely delicate.
Neither possessed much political support despite commanding tremendous combat power.
Felt was slightly better off because House Astrea stood behind her.
Emilia genuinely had almost nothing beyond Roswaal.
However—If the two camps actually joined forces, combining the strength of the [Court Mage] and the [Sword Saint] would create a military force almost impossible for anyone else to resist.
Naturally, if the other candidates could not compete in raw combat strength—They would need the support of nobles even more desperately to expand their political influence.
And when that happened—The nobles could demand far greater benefits than they could now.
Just as the young noble was happily imagining that future—
Crack—!
A silver-white ray silently sliced through the air.
Along with the noble's pleasant fantasy—
It carved a groove several centimeters deep into the wall of the hall.
The sudden attack stunned the members of the Royal Guard.
A moment later, their hands immediately moved to their swords as they stared warily at the culprit.
"Sorry."
"My temper isn't as good as Reinhard's."
Shiro slowly lowered his right hand.
"I let it go earlier."
"But if I hear the word 'half-devil' again..."
His gaze settled on the faint line of blood across the young noble's neck.
"As Emilia's knight, I believe I have the right to defend her dignity."
Then Shiro turned his eyes toward the sages on the platform.
"Or has this so-called Royal Selection become such a joke that any noble can casually slander a Dragon Maiden standing on this stage?"
"If that's really how things work here, then I have nothing else to say."
"You...!"
"Only this once."
Miklotov's judgment immediately cut off whatever the noble wanted to say.
"There will not be a second time."
"Hey, Julius."
Felix gently tapped Julius on the shoulder after witnessing the entire exchange.
"Did you see that clearly, nya?"
As Crusch's knight, Felix was famous throughout Lugunica for his miraculous healing ability.
His combat ability, on the other hand, could hardly be called impressive.
A moment ago, all he had seen was a blur—And Shiro's hand was already back at his side.
"Mm."
Julius nodded slightly, his expression turning serious.
"At that speed, responding would be difficult."
"But I could still barely exchange blows with him."
"However..."
Julius understood something very clearly.
At his level—The speed of a casual strike and the speed used in a serious battle were worlds apart.
That movement, which had been almost too fast for Julius to see clearly...
Might not even qualify as a warm-up for Shiro.
"Ugh..."
Felix's cat ears drooped.
"Another monster just like Reinhard, nya."
"And Lady Crusch made that declaration earlier too..."
"Things are going to become troublesome from here on out, nya."
…
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