"Shiro."
After Wilhelm and Felix left, Emilia came out of the reception room and approached Shiro on her own.
"You're going back to the royal capital to participate in the Royal Selection, right?"
Looking at Emilia sitting nervously across from him, her eyes wandering uneasily, Shiro immediately guessed why she had come.
"Eh? You already know?"
"Rem told me earlier."
"The two who just left are supporters of another Royal Selection candidate, right?"
Emilia sat down on the chair beside him.
Her pale thighs pressed together as she nervously rubbed them against each other.
"Um... I'm sorry!"
After a brief silence, Emilia suddenly lowered her head.
"Because you've been staying at Roswaal's mansion, Felix seems to have misunderstood and thinks you're part of my camp..."
Ever since Puck told her that Shiro had never discriminated against her because of her appearance, Emilia had gradually begun treating him as the first friend she had ever made outside.
And now—Because of her, he had accidentally been dragged into the mess of the Royal Selection.
The kindhearted Emilia felt deeply guilty about it.
"If this really bothers you, I'll explain everything clearly to the other candidates when the Royal Selection begins!"
She proposed it with complete seriousness.
"Hmm..."
"This feels strangely familiar."
"If I didn't already know what kind of person you are, I might genuinely think you were some kind of green tea."
"Green tea?"
Emilia blinked her blue-violet eyes and tilted her head.
"Is that the name of some new kind of tea?"
"...Never mind."
Looking at how genuinely innocent she was, Shiro could not help worrying about the future of this kingdom.
Hopefully, at least one of the other Royal Selection candidates was a little more reliable.
With that thought, he continued—
"Let them think whatever they want."
"It won't affect me much anyway."
"If it attracts a few powerful people, that would actually be even better."
"I happen to need introductions to some knowledgeable people right now."
"And if any of them have researched Od like Roswaal has, that would be perfect."
"But..."
Emilia still hesitated.
At that moment, the crystal on her chest began glowing faintly.
The light gathered together and formed the shape of a cat.
"My adorable daughter."
"Since this young man already said he doesn't mind, why not accept his goodwill a little more honestly?"
Puck emerged from the crystal and floated onto Emilia's shoulder.
"And haven't you been worrying lately because you can't find a knight to accompany you to the Royal Selection?"
"Why not ask him to help?"
"No!"
"That's the one thing I absolutely can't do!"
Emilia immediately rejected Puck's suggestion.
The values she had developed since childhood made her sincerely believe that asking for someone's help merely because they were friends, without giving anything in return, was terribly unfair.
The Royal Selection was not a game.
Getting involved carelessly could have serious consequences.
And worse—The side he would be supporting was hers.
The silver-haired half-elf.
Emilia understood better than anyone how much hostility her appearance would attract during the Royal Selection.
Long ago, she had already resolved not to drag unrelated people into her problems.
"What's wrong with it?"
Puck, on the other hand, did not seem concerned at all.
"You've already seen how strong he is, haven't you?"
"And didn't he just say he wanted to meet some powerful people?"
"In this kingdom, there probably aren't many people more impressive than those involved in the Royal Selection."
Puck turned toward Shiro.
"Why not be honest for once?"
"Besides, it ultimately depends on what he wants."
"Even if Lia agrees, it won't matter if he refuses."
"So, what do you say?"
Shiro thought for a moment.
Then—
"Sorry."
"I have no intention of playing knight."
Emilia quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
However—
Shiro immediately continued.
"But if I really can meet the powerful people you're talking about, I don't mind putting on an act for a while."
"Let me make one thing clear first, though."
"I won't actually do anything to help Emilia become king."
"At most, I'll publicly claim that I support her."
If it merely meant temporarily presenting himself as Emilia's knight during the Royal Selection, Shiro did not particularly care.
He had no attachment to his reputation in this country.
As long as nobody genuinely expected him to help Emilia seize the throne, it was fine.
After all—Shiro had already rejected Felt's invitation earlier.
That girl had even offered to let Reinhard help him.
If Shiro immediately turned around and joined Emilia's camp, it would feel far too disloyal.
If Felt found out, she would probably kick him hard enough to leave a bruise.
Besides—Emilia was not suited to be king.
At least, not yet.
If her only problem were that people criticized her appearance, that would actually be manageable.
Under the Divine Dragon's will, even those who despised her could only openly use her appearance against her before she became king.
Once she actually took the throne—Even politicians who hated her would hesitate to openly criticize her.
Otherwise, their enemies could easily accuse them of disrespecting the Divine Dragon.
At most, they would gossip in private.
Emilia's real problem was her personality.
Years of being feared because of her appearance had twisted her self-image.
To put it simply—Emilia did not believe anyone could genuinely like her.
In her mind, being hated because of how she looked was simply natural.
For an ordinary girl, that mindset would merely amount to low self-esteem.
She could still live a normal life without much difficulty.
But for someone expected to rule an entire kingdom—It was far too immature.
Even now, Emilia wore a cloak whenever she went outside simply to avoid unnecessary trouble by hiding her appearance.
Of course, in a world where magic existed, Shiro would not casually dismiss Emilia's potential.
But if she truly wanted to become king—She needed far more confidence.
She did not have to reach the point of believing herself supreme beneath heaven.
But at the very least—She should be able to openly stand before her own people without hiding herself.
So Emilia still needed to grow.
"That's plenty."
Puck grinned and waved one paw teasingly.
"Actually, if you really helped Lia become king, I'd start wondering whether you had some ulterior motive toward my adorable daughter."
"If you want to steal her away, you'll have to get past me first."
"Then I don't have a problem with it."
Shiro shrugged.
"As long as you don't stop me from getting close to the other Royal Selection camps."
The reason Emilia refused help was simple.
She did not want unrelated people to suffer danger because of her.
In other words—Anyone helping her needed to have a clear purpose.
They had to want something from the arrangement.
It sounded somewhat strange, but that was simply how Emilia was.
She could not comfortably accept kindness given without reason.
Only if helping her also served the other person's goals could she accept it with some peace of mind.
And Shiro genuinely did want to use Emilia's position to meet capable people like Roswaal.
Reinhard could probably make similar introductions.
But Emilia's needs perfectly aligned with his own goals.
Why take the longer route when the opportunity was already right in front of him?
Of course—
How much of that reasoning came from practicality and how much came from personal feelings was something only Shiro himself knew.
"Lia, you heard him."
Puck smiled.
"You two..."
Emilia stared at the man and cat who had suddenly reached an agreement right in front of her.
She wanted to complain—But for a moment, she had no idea what to say.
However—Even Emilia herself probably failed to notice it.
Although her eyes expressed dissatisfaction—The corners of her lips were quietly rising.
Until they became a beautiful smile.
...
On the main road connecting Roswaal's territory to the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica's royal capital—A dragon carriage raced forward at high speed.
Its exterior was extraordinarily luxurious.
Golden decorative lines covered the carriage in elegant patterns, while countless glittering gemstones Shiro could not even name were embedded across its body.
Inside, the floor was covered in a luxurious silk carpet.
The seats were broad and comfortable, complete with ornate cushions and soft pillows.
Everything displayed the extravagant tastes of its owner.
Naturally—The people riding in such a luxurious carriage were hardly ordinary.
A Dragon Maiden.
A Court Mage.
A legendary great spirit.
People bearing such impressive titles were all gathered inside the same carriage.
Aside from Betty, who needed to remain behind and protect the Forbidden Library—Almost everyone from Roswaal Mansion had come along.
With so many important figures gathered together, one might assume they were discussing something capable of affecting the entire kingdom.
Reality—Was exactly the opposite.
At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on a single man wearing a tacky tracksuit and possessing rather vicious-looking eyes.
The man possessed neither extraordinary physical strength nor astonishing intelligence.
So why was everyone staring at him?
For one simple reason.
His current condition was far too strange.
At this moment, Subaru lay horizontally across an entire row of seats.
Something resembling a belt extended from the carriage wall and wrapped around him again and again.
He was tied so tightly that he looked like a caterpillar, constantly wriggling in place.
"AAAH!"
"Why did I have to come along this time too?!"
The man named Natsuki Subaru glared wide-eyed at Shiro, who had dragged him out of Roswaal Mansion and strapped him into the carriage.
"Because I have a feeling that if we leave you alone in the mansion, something extremely troublesome will happen."
"And my instincts are frighteningly accurate."
Naturally, Shiro was not going to say something like—
'I've already seen a future where you die repeatedly, so I'm taking you to Reinhard to avoid the hassle.'
Not in front of Roswaal.
So when Subaru questioned him, Shiro casually brushed it aside with the deliberately suggestive word "instinct."
"Really?"
Subaru clearly did not believe him.
He stared suspiciously at Shiro before demanding—
"Then why am I tied up?!"
"It's a safety measure to prevent you from getting thrown out of the carriage."
"Please bear with it."
That part was actually true.
A dragon carriage was still fundamentally a variant of a horse-drawn carriage.
Naturally, traveling quickly across rough roads caused plenty of jolting.
And because Earth Dragons possessed the [Divine Protection of Wind Evasion], they could run far faster than ordinary horses.
That also made the carriage easier to overturn.
Hence these straps—Essentially the equivalent of seat belts in a car.
"Like hell I believe that!"
"Do safety measures really need to go this far?!"
"None of you are tied up!"
"Rem is driving, and Ram is accompanying her."
"As for me and Roswaal, we could both just fly to the royal capital."
"And Emilia..."
Shiro glanced at her.
"She might not look like it, but if you competed with her in raw strength, she'd send you flying instantly."
The moment his words ended—The carriage wheels struck something on the road.
The entire vehicle jolted violently.
Subaru, who was lying face-down across the seats, nearly shot straight out through the window.
Faced with cruel reality—He lowered his head and finally stopped struggling.
"Damn it..."
"Why hasn't my cheat ability awakened even now?"
"Even my magic is just support-type Yin magic with almost no offensive ability!"
"If it's such a rare attribute, shouldn't it come with some absurd setting like being an ancient lost art?!"
"You do have a cheat ability."
Shiro silently stopped using his power over fate and replied.
"Eh?"
"EH?!"
"What is it?! Tell me!"
"Is it some legendary secret technique?"
"Did some hidden master pass their cultivation down to me?"
"Is today finally the day my glorious path toward becoming a Grand Mage begins?!"
"Don't protagonists usually awaken some absurd power right before death?"
Shiro smiled.
"Maybe your cheat appears when you're about to die."
"How about testing it?"
While saying this—
Shiro's gaze never left Roswaal.
This was a probe.
Ever since Shiro took Ram and Rem away from him, the aura Roswaal once possessed—That sense that even if the sky collapsed, everything remained within his calculations—Had suddenly disappeared.
Instead, whenever they discussed the relationship between Od and the soul, Roswaal had begun subtly probing Shiro for information.
As though he wanted to understand Shiro's abilities before doing something with them.
And the reason Shiro was bringing up Subaru's ability now—Was because Roswaal had previously seemed to mistake Shiro, due to his unusual nature, for someone Roswaal knew very well.
Only after the incident with Meili had Roswaal realized something was wrong.
That also explained why, when Rem was cursed, Roswaal had suddenly suggested that Shiro might know how to save her.
Because according to Roswaal's understanding—The person he thought Shiro was should have possessed a solution.
But when Shiro displayed an ability completely different from what Roswaal expected—Roswaal concluded that he was not the person he had been searching for.
Then—Who exactly was Roswaal searching for?
The answer was becoming obvious.
There had been one other unusual person who arrived at the mansion besides Shiro.
Natsuki Subaru.
The man who believed he had no cheat ability.
But unlike Subaru himself—Shiro knew that he possessed something resembling the ability to reset the entire world.
Combine that with what Roswaal had mentioned during their discussion of resurrection—That dragon blood would be required.
In other words—There was a very real possibility that Roswaal needed Subaru's ability as insurance for some future attempt to slay the Divine Dragon.
Shiro had deliberately hinted at Subaru's ability because he wanted to see how Roswaal reacted.
Did Roswaal know about it?
And if so—How much did he understand?
'Let me see what you're really planning.'
'Roswaal L. Mathers.'
…