4.1
The wild-eyed girl with scruffy blond hair had worn, grimy old rags. She was a
tempestuous girl of the slums, more grubby than hardy. That was the image of
the girl named Felt in Subaru's mind.
As Reinhard made his declaration, the ladies-in-waiting quietly accompanied
Felt as she walked into the throne room. Gracefully walking atop the red carpet,
she looked like a nobleman's daughter.
Subaru had thought long before, She might sparkle if someone polished her
up. But this unhewn stone, polished via the power of Reinhard's family, was not
only sparkling.—Indeed, the only term to do her justice was radiant.
Felt slowly passed by Subaru's dumbfounded gaze and stood before Reinhard.
He nodded with a charming smile at her appearance and addressed her with
the utmost respect.
"Lady Felt, thank you for gracing us with your presence."
Felt raised her eyes and called out to him.
"—Reinhard."
Reinhard responded to her clear-as-a-bell voice.
"Yes?"
Knight and lady, their eyes met. And then…
"—Why you. What's the big idea, dragging me in here with no explanation?!"
…she raised the hem of her dress, her long, slender leg tracing an arc—an arc
that was about to slam right into the tip of Reinhard's chin when the knight
raised a hand, stopping it short.
"I am quite surprised. What brought this on so suddenly?"
Remaining balanced on one leg, Felt violently slapped at her dress in anger.
"Don't block me and then play dumb! It's this place! These clothes! Them!
You! What the hell is going on here?! I can't take any more of this!"
It was an expensive dress, no doubt custom-ordered for her. Seeing it treated
so roughly sent the ladies attending her wilting to the floor as if their eyes were
spinning.
"You did not like the dress? I believe it looks very good on you."
"This isn't about the dress, and it's not that it's embarrassing! I'm saying that I
hate it! And not just the dress! I hate you too! Don't you think abducting and
holding a girl against her will is embarrassing for a knight of honor?!"
Reinhard declared without hesitation, "If it is for the prosperity of the
kingdom, it must be done."
Felt put a hand to her forehead as if he was giving her a headache.
Subaru remarked to himself, "I'm so glad. I thought she'd completely
changed, but it's only how she looks. I guess leopards really don't change their
spots, and it isn't just me!"
It would've made a sorry story for Old Man Rom if he'd had to report back
that she'd become a whole different person.
He was relieved at being able to confirm she was safe and sound in a place he
never expected. On the other hand, he couldn't help but think Felt being
dragged into becoming a royal candidate was prearranged rather than mere
coincidence. After all, Reinhard had met her in the first place because she'd
been the one to steal Emilia's badge…
Emilia, realizing who Felt was, had apparently reached the same conclusion as
Subaru.
"That girl…from back then…?! That's why Reinhard was so surprised…"
From Emilia's point of view, Felt had gone from the thief of her badge to her
rival for the very throne.
The other candidates, the knights, and the nobles all displayed appropriate
reactions to the newcomer's crude behavior, none friendly. Under the austere
stares, Felt clicked her tongue rudely.
In the short time Subaru had known her she'd never been this much of a brat.
He guessed that it was a product of various things during the last month.
Subaru had been through a lot, but her transformation from a street urchin to a
royal candidate was a Cinderella story to rival his.
Felt was scanning the chamber to size up her surroundings when she
suddenly noticed Subaru among the knights in the front row and brightened.
"Oh, hey! What are you doing here, mister?"
Felt shoved Reinhard away with a hand on his chest and walked over without
a care.
Where did all that ladylike behavior go? Subaru wondered as he raised a
hand, delighted to greet a friendly face.
"Hi, it's been a while. Looks like you're in good health!" said Felt.
The instant the sunny greeting escaped her lips, she kicked Subaru straight in
the stomach, sending him crumbling to his knees.
Violence out of the blue. Subaru groaned, forcing himself up with one leg as
Felt crossed her arms and nodded, remarking, "Looks like your belly's all healed
up, but you've got a whole bunch of new scars in other places. You okay there?"
"If you're worried, take it easy on me, damn it…! What's with the hard smack
instead of a hi? Geez, what if you'd broken something… It's not like it's been
that long, either."
Even though the wound was now fully closed, Subaru had a big, white
horizontal scar right across his belly. He had scars from demon beast bites all
over his body, too.
He couldn't talk about scars on the back being the shame of a knight any
longer.
Though calm and reserved on the surface, Marcus motioned toward the dais,
wanting to continue the meeting's proceedings.
"Lady Felt, if you are finished greeting your old friend, could you please come
this way?"
Felt scowled at the solemn look on his face, glowering as she stepped
forward.
"So what do you want me to do here?"
Reinhard replied, "'Act more like a lady,' I would like to say, but instead, I
would have you hold this."
Felt scowled at Reinhard's joke. Reinhard took a dragon emblem out of his
pocket and deposited it in her palm. The gemstone immediately emitted a
white light.
"I thought this back when I stole one of these, too, but these are strange
rocks. Why do they glow?"
Felt had blithely said something very dangerous. Marcus seemed to notice her
careless statement.
"Stealing?"
But Reinhard immediately followed up, "As you can see, the Dragon Jewel
acknowledges Lady Felt as a maiden. Now that her participation has been
confirmed, I believe that this royal selection now begins in a true sense."
Marcus put a hand to his chest and knelt down on one knee. Reinhard
followed suit, then all the Knights of the Royal Guard.
The knights reported their mission was a success. Thanks to their efforts, five
Dragon Maidens had been found—in other words, the candidates for the next
queen of Lugunica had been assembled.
Priscilla remarked, "I see. Thus, this day will go down in history."
This was the very definition of a huge, must-see event. Surely, everyone
present had to be deeply moved by the occasion, or so Subaru thought as he
watched—and noticed that, for their part, the government officials appeared
troubled, with bewilderment and astonishment plain in their expressions.
And one man from among them stepped forward.
"Pardon me, if I may?"
He was a middle-aged man with a stoop and unhealthy-looking bags under his
eyes. He stroked his thick beard as an apparent nervous tic.
"I have no words sufficient to thank the knights of the kingdom, and the
Knights of the Royal Guard in particular, for everything related to this royal
selection ceremony. Without their assistance, it surely would not have been
possible to arrange this in such a short time."
Marcus replied, "You are too kind."
"However, and it brings me no joy to say this, even though we are following
the Dragon Tablet, are there not various…issues, with those selected?"
"You are saying what, exactly?"
"I am wondering if we have been too focused on those qualified to be Dragon
Maidens, and not enough on those qualified to wear the very crown of the
kingdom without becoming an object of ridicule?"
The declaration of the hunchbacked man was clearly tinged with anger.
"Hear, hear!" said a few other civil officials in a display of support.
He continued, "The Covenant with the Dragon is the gravest matter. Lugunica
has come this far as the Dragonfriend Kingdom and cannot survive as a nation
without the Covenant. But valuing the Covenant so much more than the people
will sow the seeds of future discord."
"In other words, the Dragon Maidens that we knights spilled our blood to
search for would not make kings worthy of our fealty?"
"Th-that is not how I would put it, but essentially, yes."
The man broke out in a cold sweat at Marcus' frank summation, and after a
moment he acknowledged the true meaning of his oblique comments. The
knights had desperately toiled to solve a nearly unsolvable problem. This
ridicule of their efforts did not exactly instill pleasant emotions in them.
Subaru, standing with the knights, felt the hot anger all around him on his
skin. He remarked, "Smells like something's burning in here…"
Hearing Subaru's murmur, Al cheerfully spoke to two other people in the
same row.
"Well, it sure sounded like he was insulting the knights. I don't mind, but what
do you two think?"
The two he'd addressed, Julius and Ferris, turned their heads toward Al and
Subaru. Ferris spoke first.
"Your dear Ferri doesn't really mind, meow? I mean, whatever Beardy says,
Ferri's fealty is already to one person alone, you see."
Julius followed up. "I will not go quite as far as Ferris, but I feel the same. I
have already pledged my blade. One day, they will offer their fealty to another.
I do not intend to be so narrow-minded that my heart should be disturbed prior
to that day."
Not one to be outdone, Al said, "Ha, that's mighty fine of you. Of course, it's
the same with me where Princess is concerned."
The two others could only make wry smiles at that.
Subaru wasn't exactly enjoying being the odd man out.
Ferris had Crusch. Al had Priscilla. That would have to make Julius a supporter
of Anastasia. They were three knights, bearing the full trust of their masters.
Comparing their position to his own sent a keen sense of inferiority through
Subaru, even though he no doubt wanted to fulfill Emilia's wishes at least as
much as any of the rest…
Subaru felt a strange feeling of unease as the back and forth in the throne
room intensified. The earlier opinion was only the beginning as the civil officials
aired their discontent one by one.
"One must be both maiden and king. Perhaps they are not sufficiently aware
that they must wear the crown?"
"No matter how dressed up they are, their demeanor exposes their true
natures."
"They are not refined enough. Their education is lacking. How can they be
monarchs like this?"
A familiar voice interrupted the civil officials.
"Surely it is not a proooblem. I would think such a bounty of personaaality will
make for a highly amuuusing royal selection."
"You be quiet!"
Subaru looked at Emilia and the others. No doubt Felt's crude, in-your-face
attitude earlier was what had really set the civil officials off. But he couldn't say
the other candidates hadn't sparked any unease themselves.
In truth, Emilia's expression, as if trying to endure the pain, hurt him acutely.
He wanted from the bottom of his heart to rush over that moment and give her
a shoulder to lean on.
Miklotov's single word quieted the throne room.
"—Silence."
As the man of highest stature there, Miklotov narrowed his eyes as he
regarded Felt. After keeping his silence for a time, the old man let out his
breath.
"Mmmm. That was somewhat irreverent behavior, so I do understand Mr.
Rickert's view. In that light, I believe everyone should hear a brief summation of
the candidate's personal history."
A bald, stern-faced old man seconded Miklotov's opinion.
"…Indeed. We can decide whether she is suitable or not from that."
Seeing the rest of the Council of Elders nod, the civil official apparently named
Rickert took a step back. Miklotov continued, "Sir Reinhard. We would first hear
the highlights of what you know."
After he was called, Reinhard bent down on one knee in a show of the utmost
respect. Subaru wasn't even involved, but a cold sweat broke out over him
nonetheless. After all, a blunt telling of the truth would naturally expose Felt's
life of crime and stir up more problems.
"Until approximately one month ago, Lady Felt was living in a corner of the
Lower Quarter of the royal capital—also known as 'the slums.' An occasion
arose where she had an opportunity to touch a Dragon Jewel. Having judged
that she was qualified to be a Dragon Maiden, I brought her with me as a
matter of course."
Assuaging Subaru's concerns, Reinhard made his report while deftly dancing
around the problematic parts. The explanation had huge, glaring gaps, but the
assembly did not focus on those, but rather, certain other things.
"A waif from the slums… Sir Reinhard, are you insane?!" Rickert exploded.
"You bring a vagrant from the streets to a ceremony to select the monarch who
must shoulder the future of Lugunica?! Just what do you think the royal throne
is?!"
"…"
Reinhard had done as asked, expressing utmost courtesy to those on the
platform. His gallant profile did not reveal the slightest hint of negativity.
Rickert directed his words at Miklotov next.
"Someone should be selected who is suitable for the crown. We cannot
simply lay our hands on whoever happens to walk be—"
As Rickert eloquently attempted to sway Miklotov, a familiar voice dashed
cold water over his efforts.
"Mr. Rickert, you are sliiightly too heated over this matter, are you nooot?"
"Nonsense, Roswaal. Nor do I approve of your conduct. Not only I, but all of
the officials. Until now we have overlooked this because we are in a time of
crisis, but I shall still my tongue no longer. Not about the House of Astrea
hauling a waif into these halls, nor you, the fool nominating a half-demon to be
monarch…!"
"—Mr. Rickert. I would suggest you amend your comments."
The frigid words reverberated throughout the chamber. Rickert's face, red
from indignation, paled. Roswaal continued, "It is poor manners to address a
half-elf as a 'half-demon.' Furthermore, Lady Emilia remains a royal candidate…
Do you understand which of us should remember his place?"
Roswaal's tone of voice was unchanged from the norm, but the power behind
it made Rickert avert his gaze. He shook his head, as if to conceal his
intimidation, and dramatically motioned to the dais.
"A-and what of it? I do not believe my claim to be in error. Qualified as
Dragon Maiden does not mean qualified to be king. Lord Miklotov! Please
reconsider! The future prosperity of the kingdom cannot be built upon the
election of an obscene royal candidate such as—"
"—Sir Reinhard."
The sage addressed not Rickert, attempting to sway his view, but the red-
haired knight.
"Is this girl…?"
"I cannot be absolutely certain, for the means to prove with certainty no
longer exist.—However, I must resist the urge to call this coincidence
happenstance."
"What would you call it, then?"
"—I would call it fate."
At Reinhard's reply, Miklotov closed his eyes as if that statement held some
special meaning.
Neither Subaru nor those around him had any idea what the two were talking
about. It seemed only the pair knew to what they referred. Surrounded by such
confusion, Miklotov put a hand to his forehead, as if lamenting the situation,
and looked across the other old men.
"Have you not noticed? Take another good look at Lady Felt.—If you cannot
tell even then, I must question your fidelity to your own kingdom."
In response to Miklotov's challenge, the occupants of the chamber held their
breaths and gazed at Felt. Felt, at the eye of a storm of unrestrained stares,
scowled openly.
Rickert bluntly pointed out Felt's shortcomings.
"Looking at her, of course one can tell…she is still very young, and there are
far too many things she would have to learn before setting foot near a thro—!"
Suddenly, his face stiffened as if he'd realized something, his eyes opening
wide in shock.
"B-blond hair and crimson eyes—?!"
Once Rickert said it, the other officials were struck with similar force like a
row of dominos. The only one not affected was Subaru, ignorant of common
knowledge in that world.
When Subaru glanced to the side, Ferris and Julius appeared to understand.
He couldn't tell what in the world Al was thinking, per usual, but Al showed no
special sign of surprise.
"Blond hair and crimson eyes—these are peculiar to the bloodline of the
Lugunica Royal Family. But! It cannot be! The entire royal bloodline passed
away in that incident half a year ago! It is simply impossible that this girl could
—"
Reinhard calmly interrupted Rickert's forceful denial.
"—Mr. Rickert, are you aware of a certain incident in the palace some
fourteen years ago?"
The words from Reinhard's lips struck Rickert with even greater force.
"Sir Reinhard… Surely, you are not saying that…"
"Fourteen years ago, thieves infiltrated the castle and abducted the daughter
of the late second prince, Lord Fold. The thieves were permitted to escape, and
the daughter was never found."
This was the kind of national failure that was never leaked to outsiders.
"As the matter was not written upon the Dragon Tablet, the thieves were
easily permitted to infiltrate the royal palace at the time. Since there were a
number of other urgent matters, an all-out search for the daughter was not
conducted."
"Mmmm. That incident was the trigger for the dissolution and reconstitution
of the Knights of the Royal Guard. Your kinsmen were not uninvolved in this
matter, I believe?"
"Thus, I have information that would otherwise be unknown to me. And
based upon this…"
Miklotov replied to Reinhard's minimalist reply with a nod of his own.
However, Rickert's frenzy showed no sign of diminishing.
"That is an extreme—no, an irrational position! Are we to believe a daughter
of the royal household vanished without a trace fourteen years ago, came to
live in the slums, and now you incidentally discovered her with the royal
selection nearing?! And furthermore, you just so happened to find out that she
is qualified as a Dragon Maiden?!"
Even after the barrage of information Rickert was still standing.
"This is absurd!" he laughed. "This is all too contrived. You could easily have
found a girl with maiden qualifications and dyed her hair and used magic to
alter the color of her eyes.—Surely you have not engaged in such shameful
behavior?"
"I swear it upon my sword."
Reinhard laid the sword at his hip upon the floor, offering it in a show of the
highest respect. Rickert, seeing the knight among knights displaying such
deference, sank into a heavy slouch.
"…With all of the royal family already lost, no means exist to confirm whether
she has royal blood or not. I do not think anyone will bow their heads based on
mere supposition about her identity."
"That is natural. However, I am certain that Lady Felt is worthy of throne…
even without a claim by blood."
Reinhard's unshaken reply drew a resigned sigh from Rickert.
"It seems that the Sword Saint of our age is rather invested in her."
Once more, he turned his gaze to Felt, the subject of the matter at hand.
"Setting aside your maiden qualifications, you hail from the slums.—And it is
possible you possess the royal bloodline, presumed lost. I cannot even begin to
fathom the distress this must bring you. Are you determined to see this
through?"
The statement sounded like a test, a ritual so that Rickert could use her reply
to let go of his misgivings. Only when he received Felt's reply could he allow the
discussion to end.
But Felt flatly denied her qualification, completely ignoring the flow of the
conversation to that point.
"Huh? What are you talking about, old guy? I never said one word about
being king."
The unexpected reply caught everyone in the chamber off guard.
"I got dragged here out from the slums against my will," she continued. "I told
him to take me back and he wouldn't, and he hid my old clothes so I had to
wear this stupid thing. I am way past ticked! I'm annoyed a million times over!
No, I don't accept this!"
Felt's rage-filled rant brought another awkward silence over the hall. Even
Subaru, famously unable to read the mood, could tell that things were going
south.
Among the silent remaining candidates, Priscilla, her arms crossed with a
bored expression, spat out, "—How long are you going to entertain this boring,
pointless discussion?"
As all eyes fell upon the girl, her full bosom shook above her folded arms.
"Even if it is in name only, five have been assembled so the process can
commence. All we need do is begin, and the unworthy will be culled in due
course. After all, I shall be the last one standing. Whether the excess baggage is
qualified to be king or not is completely beside the point."
Priscilla's brash, irrational argument drew a heated reaction from Felt.
"Ahh…?"
She leaped down from the dais and glared at Priscilla head-on.
"I was thinking earlier you were a good-looking chick, but I guess it's a flower
bed inside your head, too, huh? If you wanna pick a fight, I'm game. Everyone
knows with me you get more than you bargained for."
"Such arrogance. Do you know who I am…?"
"Ha, like I'd know…!"
Felt brushed off Priscilla's statement with a loud laugh. Priscilla's eyes cruelly
narrowed.
With Subaru's breath catching from the decisive change in the atmosphere, Al
shouted from beside him, "Princess, this is—"
He must have known exactly what Priscilla was about to do.
Then, at Al's shout, a gust wind cut across the chamber. Reinhard moved
directly in front of her in a split second and spoke in a quiet voice.
"—Pardon me, Lady Priscilla."
In the literal blink of an eye, the knight, on one knee on the dais a moment
before, had come between the two royal candidates. The red-haired knight was
facing the orange-haired girl—and behind him, Emilia held Felt close to protect
her.
Emilia's violet eyes filled with anger as she chewed Priscilla out.
"Such hostility in an important place like this… What are you thinking?!"
However, Priscilla waved off the nuisance with a hand, numb to any pangs of
guilt.
"I am merely teaching an untrained bitch her proper place. After all,
impoliteness toward me can only be repaid with one's life."
Emilia pressed the point against the unrepentant Priscilla.
"Won't you say you're sorry? Or do you actually not realize you've done
something wrong?"
For an instant, the words made Priscilla's face go blank. Then, she glanced at
Emilia with barely constrained laughter.
"Ahh, this is most amusing. I have rarely been so entertained. You may take
that as a compliment."
"What a disagreeable child you are. What are you talking a—"
"One should apologize for doing something wrong, you say? If that is the case,
why do you not apologize, silver-haired half-elf? In your case, 'I'm sorry I was
ever born.'"
Even Subaru could tell that the shock had shot right through Emilia's entire
body. Her shoulders shuddered, and her fearlessness faded from her eyes,
replaced by acute pain.
"I-I have…no relationship to the Witch…"
"Does such an excuse mean anything to anyone? You are the spitting image of
the being that is taboo to the world. The very sight of you fills people with fear
and makes their hearts tremble. Is that not why you cover yourself and obscure
your appearance?"
Assaulted on all sides by Priscilla's acrimonious words, Emilia silently bowed
her pale face.
Even Subaru understood Priscilla's meaning. He understood it, but he could
not accept it, for it unjustly brought pain to Emilia for reasons that had nothing
to do with her whatsoever.
He couldn't take it anymore. Yet, once again, Subaru had to wait to act as Al,
his face unreadable under his helm, offered a frank critique of Priscilla's
despotism.
"Princess, can we leave it at that? Adding more enemies here seriously puts
us in a bind, especially if one of 'em's the Sword Saint. How 'bout you just
apologize?"
"My vassal should not make such a pathetic display. And what of the Sword
Saint? Merely the supposed mightiest in the land. Do something."
"I wouldn't last one minute…"
Al had calmly assessed the tale of the tape, raising the white flag in short
order. His demeanor brought exasperation to Priscilla's face, and all the malice
and enmity to that point seemed to dissipate.
No one in the room, Subaru included, could conceal their shock at Al's skillful
handling of such a ferocious beast. But at the very least, the immediate threat
of an explosive situation had been defused.
With that matter settled, the chamber settled into silence once more.
Abruptly, a high-pitched ring echoed throughout—the sound of a coin being
tossed into a bowl. Miklotov thus gathered the group's attention.
"—Is everyone satisfied? It would seem that both Lady Felt and Lady Emilia
have calmed sufficiently…"
Emilia replied first.
"Y-yes… I'm all right. It would seem she is also…"
"Let me go, already! It's not like I even did anything!"
In response to Felt's outburst, Emilia hastily nodded and let her go.
"I was fine, so you didn't need to do nothin'!" she fumed. "Do I look like some
weak little kid to you?!"
"…Yes, it was unnecessary. I am sorry."
"—I'm not thanking you."
Felt scowled. Noticing her attitude, Reinhard politely nodded to Emilia before
returning to the knights, leaving Emilia and Felt to uncomfortably line up with
the other candidates. Only Priscilla seemed unchanged, wearing the same
bored look she had begun with. She didn't look like she was reflecting on the
error of her ways in the slightest.
Either way, Miklotov, seeing that the dispute had been settled, announced
anew, "Then, let us proceed with our agenda—the dispute over the royal
succession. The Council of Elders hereby proposes a meeting between all the
candidates for the royal selection."