Chapter 228: Crusch's Ideal!
"Then, Lord Miklotov, I'll take Lady Felt and withdraw for now."
Reinhard reported to Miklotov before leading Felt back down from the platform.
"Not bad."
As she passed Shiro, who was also returning to formation, Felt flashed her trademark fang and grinned cheerfully at him.
"Lord Rickert was simply unlucky."
"He said something the Divine Dragon misunderstood and got punished for it."
"What does that have to do with me? Don't falsely accuse an innocent man."
"I never mentioned that noisy old guy."
Felt smirked.
"And what kind of innocent man willingly follows a thief to fence stolen goods?"
"Your expression told me what you meant."
Shiro replied righteously.
"And I didn't follow some thief to sell stolen goods that day."
"I was accompanying the esteemed future ruler of Lugunica on an incognito inspection of how people in the slums normally live."
After firmly dumping responsibility for Rickert's heavenly punishment onto Rickert himself, Shiro ignored whether Felt believed him.
He returned behind Emilia beneath the fearful gazes constantly coming from the Royal Guard.
Seeing this, Miklotov calmly nodded.
"The subject of today's meeting is naturally who shall become king."
"The Dragon History Stone instructed us to gather the candidates, but it did not explain how the final victor should be chosen."
"So before determining the method of selection, we shall first hear the resolve of each candidate."
This was the solution the members of the Council of Wise Men had developed together.
It was somewhat similar to presidential candidates giving speeches throughout a country before an election.
There were two main benefits.
First—Each candidate could tell the people what direction Lugunica would take if she became king.
That made it easier to attract supporters who shared the same ideals.
Second—Public speaking itself was a form of ability.
Through these speeches, the officials present could roughly judge each candidate's talent.
A Dragon Maiden skilled at stirring people's emotions through words would hold a considerable advantage here.
"Marcos."
"Yes!"
After making the announcement, Miklotov returned control of the proceedings to Marcos.
Marcos answered firmly and quickly moved from the side of the platform to the front.
"Then first, Lady Crusch and her knight, Felix Argyle, please step forward!"
Most people immediately turned hopeful gazes toward the striking beauty in masculine military attire.
After witnessing that bizarre heavenly strike earlier, nobody dared question whether a Dragon Maiden had the right to become king anymore.
But if they absolutely had to choose one among the five candidates—Crusch of House Karsten was undoubtedly the favorite in the minds of most people present.
"My apologies."
After stepping onto the platform, Crusch straightened her back and looked down at the crowd.
"I believe many of you have misunderstood something."
Her opening words immediately confused quite a few people.
"I roughly understand what everyone expects from me."
"House Karsten is a pillar of the court with deep ties to the royal family and considerable influence over Lugunica's government."
"If I successfully inherit the throne, then both national policy and the kingdom's fortunes could continue without major disruption."
Crusch immediately laid out her own advantages.
Many people below nodded repeatedly.
Since the royal bloodline died out, House Karsten had already been deeply involved in adjusting and maintaining Lugunica's national policies.
If Crusch, who understood the kingdom's systems intimately, became king—There would be no need for sweeping reforms.
She could guide the kingdom forward in a gentler and more stable manner.
Everyone present was a high-ranking official or noble.
None of them normally worried about food or shelter.
Compared to reform whose outcome could be either good or disastrous—A peaceful and stable life was what most of them truly wanted.
"That is what all of you are hoping for, correct?"
The instant Crusch said those words, many people below felt something was wrong.
The next moment—
Their unease became reality.
"I apologize to everyone who has placed those expectations upon me."
"But I must say this clearly."
"I cannot give you what you want."
Crusch's expression remained completely calm.
She raised her head slightly.
Her sharp gaze settled upon the distant wall bearing the image of the Divine Dragon, as though looking through it toward something far beyond.
She took a deep breath.
Then—
Her arm swept forward.
In a clear and powerful voice, Crusch declared—
"I will sever the covenant with the Divine Dragon!"
...
...
...
"??!!"
"Lady Crusch, have you lost your mind?!"
"Even Lady Crusch intends to commit an act of rebellion?!"
The hall fell silent for a single heartbeat—Then exploded.
The shock Crusch caused was no less intense than the Divine Dragon's supposed manifestation earlier.
The history of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica could practically be called the history of its coexistence with the Dragon.
Most of what the kingdom possessed today had been built upon its covenant with the Divine Dragon.
Breaking that covenant?
It was something these people would not even dare imagine in their dreams.
Especially when the Divine Dragon had seemingly just proven that it might still be watching the kingdom.
The officials below turned pale with horror.
Many looked as though they wanted to rush onto the platform and physically cover Crusch's mouth.
Yet Crusch, despite speaking words that sounded almost treasonous, remained perfectly composed.
"Since ancient times, the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica has developed beneath the Divine Dragon's protection through the covenant we formed with it."
"When war came, we prayed for the Dragon to unleash its breath."
"When plague came, we prayed for the Dragon to heal our people."
"When famine came, we prayed for the Dragon to grant abundance to the land."
Her voice sharpened into something almost accusatory.
"Tell me."
"Do none of you find that shameful?"
"No matter what crisis appears, our first thought is never how to overcome it ourselves."
"Instead, we spend every day hoping the Divine Dragon will save us."
"Relying on our covenant, we willingly stagnate and refuse to advance."
"Whenever difficulty appears, we simply pray for the Dragon to provide the answer."
"I can no longer pretend not to see this."
"You go too far, Lady Crusch!"
One of the sages seated behind her slammed the table and rose to his feet.
"Do not belittle the covenant!"
"Even if this kingdom has relied too heavily upon it in the past, as you claim, that reliance also allowed us to avoid countless needless sacrifices during our development!"
"This is history accumulated over generations!"
"Do you intend to overturn all of it with a single declaration?!"
"I do not deny the contributions the Divine Dragon has made to this kingdom."
Crusch did not reject the sage's argument.
Instead, she redirected everyone's attention toward the Divine Dragon itself.
"But have any of you considered that even the Divine Dragon possesses thoughts of its own?"
"If it possesses its own mind, then growing tired of something that never changes would hardly be strange."
Indeed—
If Rickert's punishment earlier had not been caused by Shiro, then it meant even the Divine Dragon could become angry when its prophecy was questioned.
No one dared claim anymore that the Divine Dragon would remain completely indifferent to everything humans did.
And no one could guarantee that their covenant would continue forever.
Crusch seized precisely upon that uncertainty.
"If one day the Divine Dragon grows tired of Lugunica when this kingdom falls into hardship and tears apart the covenant formed a thousand years ago..."
"What will we do then?"
"When we lose the Divine Dragon's protection, how will we overcome disaster?"
"Find someone else to flatter and beg?"
"Or simply stop struggling and wait peacefully for death?!"
Her voice resounded throughout the hall.
"So if this country has truly become so fragile that it will collapse without the Divine Dragon—"
"Then we ourselves shall become the Divine Dragon that sustains it!"
"Everything the Dragon once carried for this kingdom..."
"From now on, we shall carry it ourselves!"
Crusch swept her gaze across everyone present.
"Remember this well."
"This country does not belong to the Divine Dragon."
"It belongs to us!"
With those words—Crusch's speech ended.
One had to admit—Crusch truly possessed the talent of a leader.
Even while standing on the platform and voicing ideas many considered outrageous, the commanding presence within her words still captivated numerous listeners.
The knights were especially affected.
Many of them possessed proud, passionate spirits by nature.
As they stared at Crusch on the platform, admiration appeared uncontrollably on their faces.
However—Compared to the number of people who had supported Crusch before the speech, considerably fewer were willing to continue supporting her afterward.
Crusch herself understood that perfectly.
She could easily have taken advantage of her current lead in support, first ascended the throne, and only afterward considered severing the covenant with the Dragon.
But she chose not to.
Instead—From the very beginning, she openly revealed her ultimate goal to everyone.
Because the people Crusch wanted to recruit were not nobles seeking nothing more than stability.
She wanted talented people who shared her desire to lead Lugunica out from beneath the Divine Dragon's wings—And teach the kingdom to spread its own wings and fly.
"I believe I now understand Lady Crusch's position."
After a long moment, Marcos finally recovered from his stunned silence.
He turned toward Felix.
"Knight Felix Argyle, do you have anything you wish to add?"
"Thank you for the opportunity, but Ferri-chan has nothing else to say, nya."
Felix gazed gently toward Crusch.
"Lady Crusch's will is Ferri-chan's will."
"Whether Lady Crusch's path is ultimately right or wrong..."
"Ferri-chan firmly believes that Lady Crusch will become king."
The absolute trust within his words was unmistakable.
Anyone hearing them would find it difficult to question Felix's loyalty.
Below the platform—Al nudged Shiro with his elbow.
"Pretty hot-blooded, huh, bro?"
"Don't start."
Shiro gave him a flat glance.
Having a sword and choosing not to use it—Was completely different from never possessing a sword in the first place.
Not relying on the Divine Dragon—And completely severing the covenant with it—Were equally different matters.
Crusch's ideal was simply too ambitious.
Too idealistic.
The kingdom was nowhere near stable enough to support her all the way until that ideal became reality.
With the Divine Dragon present, at least there was something capable of stepping in if the worst happened.
But once the covenant was completely severed—If even one serious problem occurred along the way, the entire kingdom might fall into ruin with her.
Shiro did not believe that Al, another transmigrator, could possibly fail to understand that.
…
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