After Emilia's frankly hopeless declaration, the atmosphere remained tense and hostile as usual.
The Wise Men, Miklotov digesting her speech, turned to Roswaal, who stood beside Emilia.
Miklotov: "Margrave Roswaal, would you like to add something as Emilia-sama's sponsor?"
Roswaal: "After everyone else, I feel terribly ooout of place here. Nonetheless, Miklotov-sama, I believe that Emilia-sama can achieve great things in the future."
Miklotov: "I see. Marcos, you may continue." He said to Marcos.
Marcos placed his hand over his heart, planning to continue, but was interrupted.
Roswaal: "Excuuuse me, Miklotov-sama. If you don't mind, I have a request. I wish to announce a rather important matter." He declared rather loudly, making sure all could hear him.
This definitely caught everyone's interest, while Marcos didn't appreciate the interruption.
Even Emilia and the other candidates paid attention, the latter being confused.
Miklotov: "Go ahead. What is the matter you wish to announce?" He gave his approval.
Roswaal: "Thank you, Miklotov-sama. This may sound sudden, but I find myself unfit to protect Emilia-sama as her sponsor. Hence, I have appointed someone as her 'Knight.'"
Both Emilia and Xeno were puzzled. Roswaal had never told either of them anything about this.
They weren't the only ones. The knights were also confused. No one, not even Marcos, had heard any news of this.
Miklotov: "A knight, you say? Who might this knight be, Margrave Roswaal?"
Roswaal's smile stretched wider in delight. He coughed before going fully theatrical, dramatically gesturing toward the person in question.
Roswaal: "The person I have appooointed as Emilia-sama's 'Knight' and guardian is thaaat man over there... Xenophanes, or you might know him as Xen-off-a-knees."
Xeno: "..."
Emilia: "..."
Felt: "..."
...
"Whaaaaaat!!!!?"
Several people shouted in surprise. Noise overtook the throne room as the nobles murmured amongst themselves.
The knights all silently gazed at Xeno with renewed interest.
The other candidates were equally intrigued and turned their attention toward him.
Yet the people who actually knew him felt like they had been hit by a train, except for Roswaal and Priscilla, who were amused as if this situation was the funniest thing they had seen all day.
Xeno: "Al? I think... I think the stress finally got to me. Did Roswaal just..." He addressed the helmet-wearing bandit behind him.
Aldebaran: "No, you heard that right, bro. Your master just promoted you to knight."
Xeno: "Well... Da fuck?" He didn't know how to react to... this.
Miklotov: "Xenophanes? I noticed him before. Who is this man? How did you come acquainted with this foreigner, Margrave?" He rubbed his ridiculously long beard.
What nobody expected was that Roswaal would stifle a laugh. Looking at Xeno, he called out.
Roswaal: "Xenophanes, if you dooon't mind, come here and introduce yourself." Even though the words sounded respectful, the tone was more of a command.
Aldebaran: "Well, bro, good luck. You're going to need it." He rested a hand on Xeno's shoulder.
Xeno: "Sigh... Thanks." He groaned, reluctantly moving forward.
He came to a stop, standing to Emilia's right side. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
Xeno: "Uhhh... Greetings, Sir Miklotov... My name is... Xenophanes. It's a pleasure to meet you."
He greeted him nervously, sweat forming on his brow. He curtsied stiffly, dropping his British accent.
Miklotov: "Young man, which kingdom do you hail from? And what type of relationship do you have with Emilia-sama and the Margrave?"
Xeno: "Oh... Um... I, you know..." He had no answer to this. His only pupil vanished from stress.
Xeno: 'Why did I think this was a good idea? I really want to go back to Rem. This is too scary for me.'
Meanwhile, Anastasia and Crusch, the only candidates who had never met Xeno, studied him, trying to figure him out.
The same held true for everyone else. Just who this "noble" was became the question running through their minds–
Felt: "Pfffff." She barely held back her laughter, which didn't go unnoticed.
Well... almost everyone.
Felt, Felix, and Priscilla were having the time of their lives with this drama.
Julius pinched the bridge of his nose. This farce was getting out of hand, while Reinhard could only give an awkward smile.
Xeno: "Uhhh... About that, Sir..." His next words were too low to be heard, his cheeks growing red.
Roswaal: "If I may?"
He was fully satisfied by the mess Xeno had made for himself, but alas, they had to get back on track.
Miklotov: "Go ahead, Margrave."
Receiving permission, Roswaal prepared to drop the bombshell.
Roswaal: "Allow me to answer all of yooour questions. You seeee..." He gestured toward Xeno again, taking a small dramatic pause.
Roswaal: "Xenophanes here... despite his appearance... is, in fact, my butler." He said it almost casually.
...
...
...
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Nobody could believe their ears. They blanked out, processing the words Roswaal had spoken.
"A butler?" A random noble asked.
What happened next could only be described as an outrage. Every noble in the throne room was furious.
"What is the meaning of this!?"
"How dare that butler make a fool of us!?"
Angry shouts and curses were hurled at Xenophanes, who stiffly laughed, having no idea what to do next amidst the chaos.
Felt: "Phahahahahahahah! You should have seen the look on your faces! Ahahahahahah!"
Priscilla: "You fools really are blind, to not figure out something so simple."
"Silence!"
The booming shout of Marcos commanded the room, and within moments everyone quieted down.
Marcos glared at Xenophanes, making him sweat buckets.
Marcos: "Xenophanes, was it? What is the meaning of this!? Why is a servant like yourself presenting yourself like this? Are you mocking the nobles here?" He said in a threatening tone.
Xeno: "W-What? No, I had no intention of doing that. I swear." He frantically waved his hands.
Emilia looked worried about him, wanting to speak up. Roswaal grabbed her shoulder. When she turned to him, he only shook his head, not allowing her to interrupt.
Marcos: "Then pray tell, what are you doing?" He narrowed his eyes.
Xeno: "Well, about that... It's my day off, so I'm allowed to wear any clothes I want... And I... always wanted to wear clothes like these... I'm not mocking anyone here... I didn't even know I was going to be here. I'm here accidentally."
He cowered under Marcos' gaze and told the truth. Well, he was leaving out some details, but they didn't need to know that.
Marcos stared at him for a moment, taking in his nervousness and panic. The way his hands twitched.
He was telling the truth.
Marcos just let out a tired sigh, shaking his head in disappointment.
Miklotov: "Hmmm, alright, young man. Since you're telling the truth, we will let it pass just this once. But something like this had better not happen next time."
Xeno: "Y-Yes, Sir Miklotov." He placed a hand over his heart and gave a very light bow.
Emilia relaxed, seeing everything went well. But not fully. There was still the main topic to discuss.
Marcos: "Margrave, you want this... butler to be Emilia-sama's knight? From his stance alone I can tell he has no formal training and appears to be suffering from an injury."
Roswaal: "What a sharp eye you have. Indeeeed, he has no training to boot and is suffering from a severe disability to the spine."
"You want a crippled butler to be a knight!? This is preposterous!!" one of the knights shouted, with almost all of them agreeing.
Before more could be said, Marcos raised his hand, silencing them.
Marcos: "Margrave, I hope you aren't treating the knights as a joke?" His voice was cold as ice.
Roswaal: "Nooot at all, Captain. I'm taking this matter veeery seriously."
Marcos: "Then tell us, what qualifications does this butler have to justify this?" He didn't look convinced.
While Roswaal and Marcos continued their exchange, Emilia leaned toward Xeno, trying not to draw attention to themselves.
Emilia: "Xeno, are you alright?" Her voice was laced with concern.
Xeno: "I'm fine, but I don't know how to feel about this. Me, a knight? I'm nowhere near diligent for that. And the responsibility? Ugh... I'm not ready for that." He shuddered.
Emilia: "That's okay, Xeno. If you don't want to, then no one will force you. I'll deny it if that's what you want." She promised.
Xeno: "Thank you, Emilia."
Roswaal: "That's an easy matter. Xenophanes has already shown himself to be reliable in protecting Emilia-sama. At his peak, he was able to fend off the Bowel Hunter, Elsa Granhiert, indefinitely."
Miklotov: "Emilia-sama, is this true?" The Wise Men were surprised.
Emilia: "Y-Yes, Miklotov-sama. If it wasn't for Xeno... I don't think we would have made it."
Felt: "Damn right! If Big Bro wasn't there, none of us would have made it out." She couldn't help but agree.
Marcos: "If you don't mind, Felt-sama, could you elaborate further?" He didn't expect her to interject.
Felt: "That bitch would've killed me, Old Man Rom, and Big Sis if Big Bro wasn't there to help. Because of him, I was able to escape and get Reinhard to help us."
Reinhard: "Felt-sama is correct. I swiftly arrived at the scene. Fortunately, no one was heavily injured, I took care of the rest. It was because of that event that I was able to discover Felt-sama."
A wave of shock and chatter swept across the throne room. Everyone knew how terrifying Elsa was, yet this crippled butler had been able to fend her off.
There weren't many people who could pull that off.
All this praise about him made Xeno embarrassed. He thought everyone was being too generous.
Roswaal: "And don't let his current state fool you. My butler here was able to kill around a hundred or so mabeasts all by himself AFTER getting crippled."
He was talking like a merchant presenting a high-value item and bragging about it.
Roswaal: "Sooo, Marcos-sama, are these good enough qualifications for him to be Emilia-sama's knight?"
Marcos: "...While his feats are impressive, is he up to the task? From the looks of things, you didn't inform Emilia-sama or the man himself about this matter." He questioned.
Roswaal: "That I did not. This is something I decided upon after hearing the other candidates' passionaaate speeches."
Marcos: "Well then, in that case... Emilia-sama?"
Emilia: "Y-Yes? Marcos-sama?"
Marcos: "Do you wish for this man to be your knight?"
Emilia was about to deny it and explain that Xeno himself didn't see himself as worthy enough, choosing to honour his wishes.
Yet before she could—
Xeno: "If Lady Emilia wishes for me to be her knight, I will gladly accept that responsibility."
He straightened himself as much as he could and spoke seriously.
She looked at Xeno in shock at the sudden change of heart. Roswaal, who had changed positions to stand next to Xeno, looked pleased by his answer.
Emilia: "Are... Are you sure, Xeno? You told me y—"
Xeno: "I changed my mind. I know it will be hard, but I'm willing to do my best." His pupil radiated brightly, with small wisps of purple smoke coming out of it.
He really was serious.
She didn't want to burden him with her safety. He already had a lot on his plate. Yet his resolve was clear as day.
She wasn't sure about this, but...
If she said yes... wouldn't that mean he had to stay by her side? Have fun with her, go out with her, and generally spend more and more time with her?
The thought made her strangely happy for some reason. She quickly rationalized it as concern for his well-being. If he stayed close to her, she could keep a better eye on him.
Emilia: "..."
Emilia: "Yes, Marcos-sama. I will gladly accept Xenophanes as my knight."
Marcos nodded, accepting the answer.
Marcos: "If you desire him as your knight, I have no objections."
Miklotov: "I have no objections either. Before we move on, Sir Xenophanes, as Emilia-sama's newly appointed knight, do you have anything to add to Emilia-sama's speech?"
All of Xeno's attempts at looking serious crumbled as he simply blinked, not sure what to say, nervousness pouring into him.
Xeno: "Sorry, Sir Miklotov. I don't have anything grand or useful to add. I guess... I believe in Lady Emilia's ability to improve?"
Miklotov: "that is fine. You may return to your original position."
With that, the three returned to their original positions.
The moment Xeno turned toward the knights' side, he could feel every eye on him once again. Unlike last time, these were filled with scorn and discontent.
They glared at him, some gritting their teeth, while others kept their hands tightly on the hilts of their blades.
Xeno had become the ire of the knights.
Xeno himself was immensely frustrated as well by the entire situation. He didn't want this.
Somehow, back when everyone's attention was on Emilia's answer, Roswaal had come to his side and whispered something to him.
Roswaal: "It would be a shame if Xeno-kun denied the effort I put in... and disastrous for Emilia-sama if even a crippled man refused to be her knight. Imagine the blow to her reputation."
Xeno: 'If even someone like me hesitates to stand by her side, it would ruin her standing even more.'
That clown had exploited his paranoia and his protective nature toward Emilia, making him overthink the worst possible outcome.
Something he only realized thinking about it after making his choice.
Xeno: 'That bastard.'
...
Marcos: "Now, finally, Felt-sama and her attendant knight, Reinhard van Astrea."
Felt just huffed, not wanting to be here, before flashing a wide, troublemaking smile, which immediately put Xenophanes on edge.
Xeno: 'Felt, please don't do something dumb.'
Felt and Reinhard stepped onto the platform. Felt looked at the nobles with irritation in her eyes.
Felt: "Look, I was dragged here against my will, forced to participate in some stupid competition for some dumb throne I didn't even want. All of you nobles suck. You're assholes, and even the kingdom abandoned everyone in the slums to rot. I had to spend my entire life working for my food, learn to defend myself from thugs, who were in the same desperation as me, while all you did was sit on your fat asses and eat, leaving the rest of us to starve. Then this idiot Reinhard took me away from that, making me live the same life you shitheads live, and I HATED IT.
Even in the slums, no matter how bad things were, I was free as the wind to go wherever the hell I wanted. But your so-called 'noble life,' with these pretty dresses, your eloquence, your everything, was so shallow and disgusting. I hated it. I hated you even more. I hated the fact that I had to live like you rotten bastards. I hated that I could do nothing about it."
Her voice was laced with resentment, venting her frustration at everyone. The nobles were shocked by her words.
Felt: "Then it hit me. Since I'm stuck in this shithole, why not make the most out of it? So, once I become king—" She smiled, full of mischief.
Xeno: 'Oh no. No, no, no! That smile... she's about to say something bad.'
Felt: "I'm going to tear this entire kingdom down to the ground."
Crusch's reaction was intense, but nothing compared to the uproar that followed. The entire room erupted like a volcano.
Xeno: 'Stop! Stop! Reinhard, stop her!' He signaled Reinhard, desperately trying to make him stop her.
Felt, undeterred, continued pouring fuel onto the fire.
Felt: "Exactly! I despise this kingdom. It's all corrupt and rotten! I'll tear it down and make a new kingdom that actually cares about its people."
Xeno: 'Ugh... so much for my promise to Rom. Sigh... at least she didn't declare war against the nobility. She just... declared it on the entire kingdom. So I technically did my job.' He let out a defeated sigh.
"Sword Saint!" one of the nobles shouted at the redhead.
"Did you not hear what she said!? How could someone disrespect us like that!?"
Reinhard turned to him with a smile.
Reinhard: "While Felt-sama's words may be a bit scandalous, I truly believe she has the nation's best interests at heart. Which is why I swore to be her knight."
Felt: "And I'll make sure to work you to death. So don't forget that."
She retorted with a huff, dismissing the shouts directed at her, which only fueled their rage.
Reinhard merely smiled.
Xeno: 'Sigh... well, at least she has Od Lagna's secret love child by her side.'
"This is a joke! I overlooked it because the situation was urgent, but to drag it out this long is senseless!" another noble shouted.
"He's right! The Astreas offer us a gutter rat to rule us, while Margrave Mathers endorses a half-devil. Utterly foolish!"
One of the Wise Men, a bald old man with comically large blue eyebrows, nodded in agreement.
Roswaal: "It's not nice to caaalll a half-elf, 'half-devil,' Bordeaux-san." He interjected, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Bordeaux: "That silver-haired half-devil matches the description of the Witch of Envy as it has been described for generations. Why do you not realize that even allowing her into the throne room is dreadful? Filthy woman." He sneered at her with disgust.
"That's right! Her existence here is a stain on the throne room!"
"Who does she think she is, acting as if she knows anything about the kingdom?"
"I'd rather lose my land than let that half-devil rule us."
Xeno: "..."
His grip on his cane tightened. His pupil vanished, leaving his socket pitch black.
Slowly but surely, the nobles' insults shifted from Felt to Emilia. Mockery, disdain, and disgust flew at her.
Xeno: 'Inhale... Exhale.'
First it was the nobles, then a few of the knights. Then more of them.
Xeno: 'Inhale... Exhale.'
Eventually, it reached a point where, except for a small few, were shouting insults over and over at Emilia.
Xeno: 'Inhale... Exhale.'
Emilia was crestfallen. Her gaze lowered to the ground. Her determination and resolve shattered.
She was powerless to stop this.
Xeno: 'Inhale... Exhale.'
Nobody attempted to help her.
Not even Reinhard, not because he didn't want to, but because Marcos had ordered him not to make an even bigger scene.
Xeno: 'INHALE!... Exhale.' His pupil returned–
Reinhard was conflicted. He wanted to move and help Emilia, not only because of his promise to Xeno, but because she was his friend.
He was powerless to stop this.
Xeno: 'INHALE!... EXHALE!' But it was different this time–
Emilia silently endured, like she always had.
But it hurts... Her dreams, her ambitions. Her very existence...They were all being mocked.
She was hated for something completely out of her control.
Xeno: 'INHALE!... EX-FUCKING-HALE!' His pupil wasn't purple or red–
Emilia felt like she was suffocating. Her usually bright eyes struggled to hold back the tears.
Despite being in a room full of people... She felt utterly alone.
Xeno: 'IN-FUCKING-HALE!... EX-FUCKING-HALE!' It burned bright yellow–
Her heart ached, no matter what she did ,one agonizing truth always remained.
Xeno: 'GRAAGAAAAAH!!!' In that moment—
She was completely alone.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP ALL OF YOU!!!!!"
Xeno screamed at the top of his lungs, snapping.
Xenophanes was filled with WRATH.
...
His voice boomed throughout the room, making the people nearest to him grab their ears in pain.
The silence that followed was one of surprise. Everyone's attention turned to Xenophanes.
He was livid. He breathed heavily, his face contorted into one of pure rage. His grip on his cane tightened so much that it groaned, cracks spreading through the handle.
He walked forward toward Emilia, his footsteps echoing throughout the throne room.
All eyes were on him yet again.
Crusch and Anastasia observed Xenophanes with calculating gazes.
While Priscilla looked on in amusement, she was getting bored, and Xenophanes was yet again about to provide her entertainment.
Felt was in the same boat. She too was excited to see what her Big Bro was about to do. Though if he hadn't intervened, she would have had to save her Big Sis.
Roswaal simply watched with a smirk. Everything was going smoothly.
Emilia snapped out of her trance and turned to Xeno as he approached her. She was shocked, happy, and alarmed all at once.
Emilia: "Xeno?"
"What is the meaning of this!?" a noble shouted, infuriated.
Snap.
The cane Xeno was holding snapped, its handle splintering within his hand. His coat fell to the ground.
Xeno: "That should be my question. What the FUCK is the meaning of THIS?"
Xeno: "Who the hell do you think you are? In fact, who the hell do ANY of you think you are!? You think you're soooo fucking clever, do you? Insulting her like that. You've trruuuuly outdone yourselves."
The Wise Men, nobles, and knights all gasped at his words, fury once again boiling up.
Bordeaux: "How dare a butler speak like that to us! Do you know what you're doing, boy!?"
Xeno's head snapped toward the Wise Man.
Emilia: "Stop! Xeno, don't!" But it was too late.
Xeno: "I sure do, Bush Brows." He gritted his teeth.
Felt: "Hahahahahahaha! Bush Brows! Hahaha!" She laughed while Reinhard tried to stop her.
Bordeaux: "Y-You dare—!" He steamed with embarrassment.
Xeno: "Yeah, I dare, Bush Brows. Or do you want me to repeat it again!?"
Marcos: "Xenophanes, I order you to stop. One more word, and you'll be spending the rest of your life in the dungeon." He gave a clear warning, his face darkening.
Xeno: "Sorry, Sir Marcos, but you aren't my boss. I'm not planning on stopping myself from doing my job."
He wasn't intimidated. His fury overrode his fear of the consequences.
Miklotov: "And what would your job be?"
The only one who wasn't furious was him, and calmly asked the question.
Xeno: "My job as a knight, obviously! Sir Miklotov, I'm not going to just stand there and watch every one of these jackasses belittle my Lady. Sorry, not sorry."
As the only man who hadn't insulted Emilia, Xeno's voice was somewhat respectful toward him.
"Don't get cocky just because you were chosen as a knight!"
"How dare you! A cripple like you doesn't deserve to call himself a knight!"
"It's disgusting. Someone as disrespectful as you was chosen. Do you even understand what it means to be a knight?"
The knights were insulted, their earlier ire finally leaking out.
Xeno: "Oh, that's hilarious! You know why? Because—"
He turned to them with an amused yet disgusted smile, glaring at all of them.
Xeno: "I think the same about YOU!"
"What did you say?" one of them demanded, his hand ready to draw his blade.
Xeno: "You heard me. You question me being a knight when I should be questioning you? I'm cocky? I'm disgusting? I'm undeserving? Don't make me laugh. Unlike you lot, I'm actually doing my job! What were you doing? That's right, standing around like statues, watching it all happen. Oh, sorry! Only a few of you were doing that, my bad! The rest of you scum actively engaged in insulting my Lady. And you call me disgusting."
Julius and Reinhard flinched at his words, being one of the few who had stood around like "statues."
"W-We—" one of the knights tried to argue.
Xeno: "Shut it! I'm not done yet! You ask me if I know what it means to be a knight? Well, do YOU understand that? Because clearly our definitions of 'knight' are different. I don't know about you, but to me a knight is someone who upholds justice, integrity, and order. But you? You value this event, right? Then where was your 'Order' when everyone hurled insults at Felt and my Lady?"
"Where was your damn 'Integrity'? You failed to do your own job, but instead of reflecting, you came at me for actually stepping up."
"And don't even get me started on 'Justice.' You threw it out the window when you actively participated in public harassment against someone who couldn't defend herself."
"And YOU have the audacity to question me being a knight? You people are the disgusting ones."
"Not. Me."
...
...
...
No words came out of their mouths.
They were insulted beyond compare, yet... the reactions varied some looked guilty, some angry but not disagreeing and some pride were so wounded they didn't listen.
Xeno was about to continue even further, but a firm grasp on his shoulder stopped him.
Looking to his side, he saw Reinhard.
His expression was serious, but Xeno could see it...Just how pained he felt.
His disappointment, yet it didn't feel like it was pointed at Xeno but himself.
Reinhard didn't say anything. He simply shook his head.
Emilia: "Xeno, that's enough!" she exclaimed, trying to stop him from saying anything else.
Xeno: "...Tsk."
He turned away from the knights before softening as he faced his friends.
Roswaal: "Yesss, Xeno, that's far enough. Dooon't you think that was rather extreme?" He questioned with amusement.
Xeno: "Sorry, Lord Roswaal, but what good is a position if it values 'Order' more than a lady's well-being and allows her to be belittled? If I'm expected to sit around while it happens, then... To hell with being a knight!"
Marcos: "Enough! You have gone too far. Reinhard, kick this man out of the castle this instant!" His command traveled throughout the throne room.
Reinhard: "At once, Marcos-sama." He bowed.
He bent down, picking up Xeno's coat and the remains of his cane, then proceeded to guide Xeno out of the room, remaining gentle so as not to disturb his spine.
Emilia watched him being escorted out with a conflicted look.
Everyone watched as Xeno left, leaving silence in his wake.