After entering the great hall, Priscilla walked straight to the central area beneath the throne and stood there, arms folded across her chest, maintaining her usual proud bearing. Two people were already standing there, and both nodded slightly upon seeing her arrive.
One of them was petite in stature, dressed in a white formal gown adorned with abundant fur decorations. Her light purple curls draped over her shoulders, and most striking was the lifelike white fox scarf resting upon them. She appeared younger than the person beside her, with a delicate and youthful look.
Despite her fragile appearance, this girl was actually the president of the kingdom's largest trading company, Hoshin. She possessed exceptional business talent and ambition. She also commanded numerous supporters—not only a group of knights led by Julius, but several major merchants and her own "Iron Fang" mercenary corps. Her faction was extremely powerful.
Standing to her right was a green-haired woman in military attire with a slender figure. At her waist hung a crest bearing a lion baring its fangs. Compared to the others, she appeared especially heroic and resolute, the determination in her orange eyes surpassing that of her rivals.
She was one of the royal selection candidates—Crusch Karsten, head of the House of Karsten. Her family had long been involved in the nation's administration, granting her the highest prestige among civil officials. Her firm convictions and formidable strength had also earned her widespread support.
One could say that Crusch herself was the strongest contender for the throne—if she were willing to change her campaign declaration.
Unlike the other candidates, her platform was: "Lugunica does not belong to the Divine Dragon—it belongs to us."
Attempting to change the beliefs of a nation that worshipped the Divine Dragon was, unsurprisingly, a stance that erased her advantages almost instantly. Ministers and commoners alike found it difficult to support her.
In this era of "divinely granted royal authority," the Divine Dragon was equivalent to a god—at least in the eyes of the people. In truth, Crusch's very qualification to participate in the royal selection existed only because the Dragon Insignia had chosen her and shone in her hand. Without that, she would not even have been eligible. Even the Council of Sages, who held actual governing power, neither had the authority nor the courage to deny the Divine Dragon's certification.
Whoever the Dragon Insignia chose had the right to compete.
Thus, even someone like Emilia—a half-elf resembling the Witch of Envy—or Felt, a child of royal blood raised in the slums, could participate. Did the Council of Sages object? Certainly—but they dared not oppose the will of the Divine Dragon.
Why did the Council, despite holding real power, still conduct the royal selection? For the same reason—they were compelled to do so. Such was the Divine Dragon's influence. Even if the newly chosen king might not hold actual authority, the process itself was mandatory and could not be ignored.
Therefore, although Crusch had received the Divine Dragon's certification, she intended to overturn the dragon's supreme status in Lugunica. Naturally, this dissatisfied many people—especially the common populace, who found it difficult to support her. As a result, despite her faction's formidable strength, she could not completely dominate the other camps. If she had instead declared support for the Divine Dragon, her approval would likely have risen to the very top.
At present, the four candidates stood together:
Emilia, Priscilla, Anastasia, and Crusch.
Here's a smooth English translation of Chapter 302, keeping the story consistent and natural:
One more was missing.
Lillian's gaze fell on the red carpet stretching across the hall, leading to the far end where several chairs were arranged. Five on each side, with one in the middle. Behind the central chair, a wall bore an engraving of the Divine Dragon. Whoever sat there, backed by the dragon, would naturally be the king of this nation.
"Is it you?"
Lillian was examining the throne when a gentle yet commanding voice spoke from the side. He turned his head to see a handsome red-haired knight looking at him in surprise before breaking into a smile.
"I've been wanting to find you," Reinhard said gratefully. "You've done a great service for this country, and I've wanted to properly thank you for a long time. But…" He glanced at Al beside Lillian, "…I didn't realize you were Lady Priscilla's knight."
Lillian felt his chest tighten and muttered inwardly: Not good.
When he first met Reinhard, he had deliberately appeared timid—so timid that even the thought of killing frightened him. How could such a person become Priscilla's knight? Conversely, if Priscilla's knight appeared timid, it would have to be a disguise… a deception.
"No," Lillian quickly denied, not wanting Reinhard to think, He was deceiving me back then.
"I am not Priscilla's knight."
"This brother here is just a friend," Al suddenly interjected. "I'm the genuine knight, haha!"
"…Is that so."
Reinhard nodded, then glanced around the hall. Seeing most people had arrived, he turned to Lillian.
"The meeting is about to begin. Please make sure we speak after it concludes."
"All right."
There was no reason to refuse. Reinhard smiled slightly and moved to the front of all the knights.
"The Council of Sages will now enter—"
At that moment, someone shouted from outside. The shrill tone made Lillian feel almost like he was listening to a eunuch. A few elderly figures entered the room. Their expressions were solemn, and they radiated authority—clearly men who had seen much in life.
Among them, the most striking was a white-haired elder with a long beard nearly touching the ground. Though shorter in stature than the others, his aura of authority surpassed them all—he was clearly the one with the greatest power among the sages.
"Brother, that old man is formidable," Al whispered, leaning in. "Right now, this country is basically under his word. His name… I think it's Miklotov?"
Lillian nodded, understanding. The elders took their seats along the sides of the hall, while the central throne remained empty.
"The Council of Sages, as well as the royal candidates, are all present. As the captain of the Royal Guard, I will take the liberty of overseeing the proceedings. Marcos will execute the meeting."
The speaker was a tall, imposing middle-aged man. Miklotov, seated above, nodded slightly.
"Much obliged."
Marcos saluted, then turned solemnly to the assembly: "Everyone gathered here at the royal castle, and all the distinguished members of the Council of Sages, are here to select the next king."
"The cause began roughly six months ago, with the previous king. The royal bloodline has dwindled. A kingdom cannot go a day without a monarch—especially in our 'Divine Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica,' where the king's existence is closely tied to the 'Covenant.'"
The Covenant—the contract between the kingdom and the Divine Dragon.
Lillian had previously studied the writing of this world, reading through various documents. At first, only fairy tales, but as he learned more characters, he read historical records, many of which mentioned the Covenant.
The world knew the Divine Dragon protected Lugunica, but why and what the Covenant entailed was unknown. Lillian himself knew very little. The anime had shown only the tip of the iceberg.
He speculated the Covenant might involve the "Sages" from human history. When the Witch of Envy was sealed, the Divine Dragon, the Sages, and the Sword Saint had cooperated. Both the Sword Saint and the Sages were human. What exactly happened then, Lillian could only guess.
"The kingdom's relationship with the dragon dates back hundreds of years. At that time, King Farsale Lugunica made a Covenant with the dragon Volcanica. Since then, whenever the kingdom faced crises, the dragon intervened, bringing prosperity."
Marcose continued: "Volcanica, the Divine Dragon, is known for trustworthiness and righteousness. Even as ages pass, it still watches over our nation from the great waterfalls."
Following Marcos's signal, several candidates revealed their Dragon Insignia. The jewels on each glowed in different colors, a clear display of the dragon's power. Everyone—elders, civil officials, knights—gasped at the sight.
Lillian deliberately looked at Crusch. Her expression was complex. Though courageous, she still needed the dragon's approval to qualify for the election—a bittersweet moment for someone like her.
After a few seconds, Lillian felt someone staring at him. In that direction was a knight with cat ears, whose features were more feminine than masculine. The knight smiled kindly at him.
Ferris…
Crusch's "First Knight," a master of water magic, known as "Blue." (Red, Green, and Yellow were Roswaal; Yin and Yang were vacant.)
Though cross-dressing, Ferris's loyalty to Crusch was unquestionable. His healing ability was powerful, but his combat strength was weak—he could not match Roswaal, let alone the Sword Saint Reinhard.
Lillian realized that having solved the forest monster incident meant Subaru hadn't overused his magic and exhausted his "Gates." Therefore, he wouldn't need Ferris's treatment, reducing their contact.
Consequently, many events would change. Even though no major divergences had appeared yet, Lillian could already sense hints of the butterfly effect.
"As you can see, each candidate possesses the qualifications of a Dragon Priestess."
Seeing the jewels glow, Marcos continued:
"Thus, we shall follow the Dragon Insignia's guidance—"
"…That's enough."
A petite girl interrupted, her name Anastasia, president of the Hoshin trading company. A practical businesswoman, she justified her interruption: "I understand Captain Marcos wants to explain everything fully, but my time is precious. In Kararagi, there's a saying: 'Time is as valuable as money.' Could the captain spare us both some time and directly state the real purpose of this gathering?"