For Satou Kazuma, if what Crusch said was true, it would be a bit troublesome.
Maybe Aqua's pretending to be a candidate might be discovered then.
And if she really has this blessing ability, what extent can she reach?
Precisely because of this, Satou Kazuma needed to confirm in advance whether her words were true.
"Huh?"
Aqua looked at Satou Kazuma blankly. Before, the latter had firmly refused to let her introduce herself. Why did he agree now?
Satou Kazuma whispered a few words in Aqua's ear, telling her about the general situation. Only then did Aqua nod in understanding.
"Did something happen?"
Crusch looked at the two people in front of her, a bit puzzled.
"It's nothing. Since it's our first meeting, I must introduce myself properly!"
Aqua gently placed a hand on her chest, with an eager smile on her face.
She had been waiting for this day for a long time!
"I am Aqua, the goddess of water! The founder of the Axis Church! The controller of water elements in the divine world!"
Aqua waved her arms and shouted out her true identity loudly.
Satou Kazuma, on the other hand, stared unblinkingly at Crusch's face, wanting to see the change in her expression.
Any normal person who heard Aqua's words would definitely scoff and treat her like an idiot, right?
But Satou Kazuma couldn't deny that Aqua, this guy with a slight mental deficiency, was a genuine goddess.
If Crusch could really discern lies, then she should realize that what Aqua said wasn't a lie.
And at this moment, Crusch's brow was already furrowed.
She possessed the blessing of Wind Reading, able to see and interpret the true wind and the wind of human emotions, and wouldn't confuse the two.
Generally, Crusch could read the other person's superficial emotions without any difficulty, so she could determine whether their words were lies.
Aqua's words did sound a bit absurd, but Crusch didn't sense the wind of lies -
What Aqua said was not a lie.
This also made Crusch fall into deep thought.
Aqua claimed to be a goddess, and there was no lie in the wind.
If it were normal times, Crusch would definitely think she was a crazy person who had even completely deceived herself.
But...
Crusch had also seen the miracle Aqua had caused earlier.
And there had been many rumors about Aqua recently.
Aqua was an existence related to the Dragon God.
This made Crusch wonder if Aqua was really some kind of being beyond ordinary people.
However, Crusch couldn't be sure what Aqua's true identity was. Perhaps, in her mind, the goddess of water was some kind of position or title, it was possible.
"Aqua-sama is really interesting, meow!"
Felix said with a smile from the side. His reaction was like a normal person's, thinking Aqua was saying something joking.
But Crusch said with a serious expression:
"No, Ferris, Aqua-sama is not joking. What she said is true."
"What?"
Felix's face showed an unbelievable expression, his gaze moving back and forth between Aqua and Crusch.
"See it, see it, Kazuma! Finally, someone here can understand me!"
Aqua said with a smile.
"I apologize to Aqua-sama on behalf of Ferris. Although... although I also find Aqua-sama's words a bit difficult to understand."
Crusch bowed slightly to Aqua.
Unlike Aqua's joy at having her identity recognized, Satou Kazuma's face showed a somewhat troubled expression.
This is bad.
Crusch didn't say she was lying when she heard such outrageous words.
She really does have the ability to detect lies...
I have to be careful with my words and actions from now on.
"Then, Kazuma-sama, may I ask what is your job before?"
Just as Satou Kazuma was thinking, Crusch turned her head to look at him.
"I am... a guardian responsible for fighting against capital and protecting family and companions..."
"Mr. Kazuma isn't telling the truth."
Crusch captured the information that Satou Kazuma was lying.
"Hiss..."
Satou Kazuma's brain worked quickly, thinking about how to speak without making himself look too embarrassing.
"I was a student before, I guess."
"Mr. Kazuma is still hiding something."
Damn it...
Satou Kazuma bit his lip tightly.
He couldn't possibly reveal that he was a NEET shut-in at home!
Please don't ask anymore!
Just then, the door of the hall was opened again.
First to enter were Julius and Anastasia.
After that, Emilia, accompanied by Roswaal and Natsuki Subaru, also arrived here.
"Ah! Aqua-sama! Kazuma-sama! You're already here!"
Emilia immediately greeted everyone with a smile and politely bowed to Crusch's side as well.
Emilia, you're really a savior!
After Emilia's arrival, the topic between Satou Kazuma and Crusch finally had a chance to be diverted.
"Hey, Subaru, why are you here too?"
Aqua turned her head and asked Natsuki Subaru.
"Um... is it strange for me to be here?"
"Theoretically, only the candidates' supporters or knights can participate, right? Subaru, you should just be a servant."
Aqua's face was full of curiosity.
"I..."
Natsuki Subaru wanted to say something, but he couldn't open his mouth at all.
He couldn't possibly say that he had begged Emilia to bring him here.
Natsuki Subaru and Satou Kazuma exchanged glances. The latter immediately understood what the former was thinking.
It seems like they're in similar situations.
Only NEETs can understand other NEETs.
"Hey, hey, hey, you should pay a little more attention to the atmosphere when you speak."
Satou Kazuma pulled Aqua to the side.
"I'm just curious!"
Crusch, on the other hand, silently looked at Satou Kazuma from the side.
He still hadn't revealed his true identity.
Who exactly is he?
Although Crusch was puzzled, since Aqua was one of the candidates and Satou Kazuma was her supporter, then his identity shouldn't be too much of a problem.
After waiting for a while, the last candidate slowly stepped into the venue.
The scarlet dress was like flames burning, outlining an incredibly proud curve, and beneath the golden hair was a face that was almost capable of overthrowing kingdoms and cities.
Priscilla Barielle.
"Making mortals wait is not without its pleasures."
Priscilla held a fan in her hand. Her face wore an incredibly arrogant smile, and her contemptuous gaze swept across everyone, as if everyone around her was just a foil.
Looking at Priscilla's appearance, Satou Kazuma couldn't help but recall the first time he met Aqua.
That arrogant face was really punchable.
But who could have imagined... she was actually such an idiot.
"Princess, can you say that a little quieter..."
Satou Kazuma's gaze was quickly attracted by the man next to Priscilla. He was wearing only old, worn-out clothes and was missing an arm. What was most special was a huge helmet that completely covered his face.
Aldebaran, Priscilla's knight.
Before long, the members of the Council of Sages appeared one after another, sitting in the upper positions of the hall, with Miklotov sitting in the very center, indicating his position within the group.
"This old man's position is higher than I imagined..."
Satou Kazuma recalled what happened last night and couldn't help but feel a wave of lingering fear.
"All the candidates have arrived, so I, Knight Commander Marcos of the Royal Guard, will boldly take the liberty of presiding over this meeting."
A brawny man wearing knight armor walked to the front of everyone and said in an incredibly loud voice.
"He really fits the stereotypical image of a knight commander from another world."
Satou Kazuma muttered quietly.
Just when he thought the meeting was about to start, Anastasia's voice rang out first:
"I'm very busy, and I don't have time to waste. Tell me quickly why you've gathered us here! In Kararagi, there's a saying that time is money!"
Does this world also have such sayings?
No?
Kansai dialect?
Satou Kazuma never expected that this seemingly very cute girl could speak with such an accent.
But she can just say that in this kind of situation?
A premonition arose in Satou Kazuma's heart.
I'm afraid...
None of these candidates are easy to deal with.
"That's true."
Crusch nodded from the side.
"Crusch-sama, you, as the head of the Karsten family, saying such words..."
"Although paying attention to etiquette is important, it's also a fact that time is limited, right? Besides, this meeting was brought forward for some reason, causing changes to almost all of our schedules, although I've guessed about it."
"Crusch-sama, gathering you five Dragon Maidens – who are also king candidates – here, you already know why?"
Miklotov asked Crusch.
"I understand, Miklotov"
A smile appeared on Crusch's face.
Satou Kazuma turned to look at Crusch. Although she always seemed serious and unsmiling, this kind of character setting should be very proper and earnest in various games and anime –
"It's going to be a drinking party, right? Although we're rivals who will have to compete sooner or later, as long as we drink together around a table, we can understand each other's character!"
Crusch replied with absolute confidence.
Wh, what's going on?
The corners of Satou Kazuma's mouth twitched slightly.
He never expected that Crusch would say lines like those of Aqua, a single-celled organism.
Wait –
Another ominous premonition suddenly rose in Satou Kazuma's heart.
A drinking party, that's like a keyword for Aqua!
"Drinking party, that's great!"
Without waiting for Satou Kazuma to stop her, Aqua had already walked to Crusch's side, saying with an expectant look on her face,
"When is it?! I didn't get my fill of drinking last night!"
Aqua had already thrown Satou Kazuma's advice to be careful with her words to the back of her mind.
"It should be tonight!"
"That's great! I can't wait."
"Um, you two, this is not..."
Miklotov wanted to force the topic back to the meeting -
However, his voice was quickly drowned out by the voices of Aqua and Crusch.
"What kind of alcohol is there? Is there sparkling wine?"
"Sparkling wine? What's that?"
"It's alcohol that has gas injected into it! If you shake it, it'll bubble! It's super good!"
"I've never heard of it. If possible, I'd like to try it too."
Apart from Satou Kazuma having Aqua introduce herself to verify Crusch's blessing ability, they hadn't had much conversation before, but at this moment, they seemed to have found a common topic and began to discuss it frantically.
"When it comes to alcohol, the alcohol from our Kararagi is definitely the best!"
Anastasia also unknowingly joined the conversation.
"You vulgar mortals can only drink those rough wines. The red wine that I taste is a high-end existence that you poor people cannot touch. But it's also because it's drunk by me that it has this value."
Priscilla was still arrogant, saying to the others.
Emilia didn't say anything, but secretly clenched her right fist, cheering herself on:
"I think I got a little drunk last time... I have to do my best this time!"
The group had a heated discussion about the topic of drinking parties, and they had even thought about what alcohol to drink and what snacks to eat.
Miklotov looked at the people in front of him with a confused expression, wanting to interject, but he couldn't get a word in.
It wasn't until several minutes later that the discussion between the candidates gradually stopped.
"Miklotov, there's nothing wrong with the drinking party, right?"
"That goes without saying. Isn't that so-called 'Royal Selection' starting right about now? How about we drink and take turns giving speeches?"
The eyes of several people instantly turned toward Miklotov.
As a seasoned minister of Lugunica, he had been part of the Council of Wise Men for over forty years.
Yet today marked the most flustered day of Miklotov's political career.
The meeting was originally meant to officially announce the commencement of the Royal Selection, as all five candidates chosen by the Divine Dragon had already been revealed
However, it now seemed the very nature of the meeting had completely changed.
Faced with countless pairs of expectant eyes, Miklotov knew he could hardly refuse.
He glanced toward his colleagues in the Council of Wise Men, only to find them wearing expressions that seemed to say, "We have no other choice."
Miklotov could only swallow hard and say,
"Y-yes, indeed. Next, we will hold a banquet... where, over drinks, each candidate will deliver a speech... Captain Marcos, please, could you make the necessary arrangements..."
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