Felt being acknowledged by the Dragon Stone was one thing—but what really mattered was this:
Aside from Julius, who served Anastasia, every other knight in the Royal Guard clearly stood on Reinhard and Captain Marcos's side.
At least, that's how it looked on the surface.
Even though Reinhard wasn't the perfect "model knight" like Julius, the facts that he was the Sword Saint, had overwhelming strength, and came from the noble Astrea family meant that he naturally attracted a crowd of followers.
The strong always draw people in. It's easy for them to build their own power base.
And with Reinhard van Astrea backing Felt, in some sense she was already far ahead of the other candidates.
You could say the game was basically won.
Of course, all that "certain victory" only held true in a world without Hayashi Maki.
"Then, please stand over here, Felt-sama."
Marcos guided Felt to stand beside Priscilla. Now the five royal candidates were all in place.
But Felt's childish appearance immediately stirred doubts.
One skinny sage with a face that clearly screamed "hard to get along with" frowned and said unhappily:
"Even if the Dragon Stone approved her as a Dragon Priestess, isn't there a big problem with the choice of candidate?"
The moment he said that, other sages and nobles echoed the sentiment.
"Exactly. We're really supposed to make her king? Where'd this little brat even come from?"
As the murmurs spread, Captain Marcos's expression grew cold. He turned his gaze on the nobles.
"So what you're saying… is that we of the Royal Guard misjudged her?"
At that, the knights behind him all shifted into a stance ready to draw their swords, fixing the nobles with icy stares.
The nobles flinched, but still glared at small, scrappy-looking Felt with overt contempt.
The air grew tense, but none of the nobles dared outright accuse the Royal Guard of making a mistake.
In that moment, Sage Miklotov's heavy voice cut through the hall.
"Sir Knight Reinhard, where did you find Felt-sama?"
Given the doubts in the air, they had to at least formally explain where this Dragon Priestess had come from.
"Yes, sir," Reinhard answered, bowing before stepping forward.
"I found her in the slums and brought her under protection."
"The slums?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the nobles broke into a fresh wave of outrage.
"What kind of joke is this?!"
"A girl dragged out of that kind of filth, and we're supposed to make her king?"
"A stray from the slums?"
Hearing the naked scorn in their voices, Fell's temper exploded.
She glared at them, furious, and shouted:
"You were the ones who invited me here! So what if I'm a stray? If you high-and-mighty nobles let slums form under your rule, shouldn't you be reflecting on your own failures first?!"
That line instantly won over the knights.
For someone to stand here and accuse the nobles like that meant she actually cared about changing the slums. For a king, that kind of compassion and will to act were good signs—and made her much easier to rally around.
"Hmph, how vulgar. A wild brat from that kind of place doesn't even know basic manners."
"Exactly! And she dares to berate nobles…"
Felt only got more irritated.
Hands on her hips, she kept going, voice sharp:
"Even if you doubt me, shouldn't you be asking the Dragon why it chose me first? The fact is your doubts are useless and can't change a thing—so all you're doing is barking on the sidelines like mangy dogs!"
That line really set them off.
Barking dogs?
A little punk from the slums, daring to mock and insult nobles—unforgivable.
But they couldn't rebuke her directly, because the Dragon Stone had recognized her. Whether they liked it or not, she was a legitimate Dragon Priestess and thus one of the royal candidates.
"Hmph. A bunch of trash too scared to question the Dragon, and you still act like you're above me? Marcos, hurry it up already. I'm getting bored over here!"
Chin raised, Felt arrogantly ordered Captain Marcos around. Her confidence came from Hayashi Maki, Aqua, and the fact that Reinhard was now her very useful "subordinate."
She still found the redheaded Sword Saint annoying, but she had to admit Hayashi Maki had been right.
As long as she agreed to join the Royal Selection, Reinhard would be the sharpest sword in her hand—the easiest tool in the world to use.
Hayashi Maki had drilled into her what to watch out for before agreeing to participate. So even now, as nobles sneered at her, she felt absolutely no fear.
Marcos shot her a quietly approving look and answered seriously:
"Yes, Felt-sama."
"Then let us declare the Royal Selection formally begun."
"Would the royal candidates please step forward."
He first turned to the crimson-clad woman at the end of the line.
"Priscilla Barielle-sama, and her knight, Al — please come forward."
It was time for each candidate to declare their vision for the throne.
Priscilla Barielle threw Hayashi Maki a quick glance, then stepped forward in all her blazing confidence, folding her fan in front of her lips as she spoke:
"This whole Royal Selection farce is meaningless. It would be far simpler for all of you to bow your heads and obey my commands."
It was as domineering as it sounded—practically the manifesto of a dictator. The nobles' expressions tightened, but none of them dared look down on her.
Priscilla had turned the Barielle territory into a model of prosperity. She could point at any patch of land, have it farmed, and the harvest would surpass anywhere else.
Because of that, she was called the Sun Princess. In ability, status, and political instinct, Priscilla Barielle was an extremely strong contender.
When she finished, Marcos shifted his gaze to the woman in uniform.
"Crusch Karsten-sama, and her knight Felix Argyle — please step forward."
Crusch took her place with calm dignity, hands clasped behind her back as she looked up at the sages.
"When I become king, the very first thing I will do—"
"—is end the covenant with the Dragon."
"I will make this country truly ours—the people's, not one that lives as a mere dependent of the Dragon."
"The Dragon Kingdom of Lugnica belongs to all of us, not to the Dragon."
Her words hit the nobles and sages like a thunderclap.
Every gaze fixed on Crusch Karsten was suddenly full of shock and unease.
She was thinking far too boldly.
Even though the Dragon hadn't appeared in ages, ever since it and the Sage sealed the Witch of Envy, people—especially the Sage Council—still held deep fear and reverence for its power.
And the very founding of Lugnica's royal line was built on the Dragon's aid. To tear up that covenant—could they really be sure they wouldn't incur the Dragon's wrath and bring about the kingdom's destruction?
Then again, with no king, the kingdom was already halfway to ruin as it was…