I love time travel the most!

Chapter 372 Prelude to the Royal Selection

Although Kobayashi kindly took the blame upon herself, Emilia was currently agonizing over her rival, who was also a Chosen One. The silver-haired half-elf, in a bad mood, would probably have to give Subaru Natsuki a good interrogation when they got back.

The result was naturally an unhappy parting.

As dusk fell, the master and servant returned to the Sword Saint's residence. Reinhard and Felt had already returned, and the group gathered together to discuss the day's events.

Reinhard said with concern, "Is the royal capital starting to fall into chaos now? It was definitely the right thing to have Lady Felt participate in the election as soon as possible."

"what?"

Xiaolin blinked. Was there something wrong with what the other person was concerned about?

I had intended to ask him to keep an eye on Priscilla, but Reinhard was more concerned about the security of the capital. Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that this was actually normal, since he was a knight before.

"But what I mean is, what do you think of Priscilla?"

"She's an excellent..."

"I don't want to hear you say something like 'she's an excellent candidate for the throne,' but rather whether she poses a threat to us as a rival."

Before Reinhard could finish speaking, Kobayashi forcefully interrupted him.

This swordsman, whose strength is the strongest in history, always likes to say, just like that man, "His strength is no less than yours or mine," and then he kills his enemy in one move.

Those who know understand that he is being modest, while those who don't think he is being sarcastic.

After doing it too many times, you'll eventually get tired of it.

"But Lady Priscilla is indeed an excellent candidate for the throne, otherwise she would not have won the love of her people in just one year after taking over the territory."

Reinhard was right about that.

Priscilla possesses great personal charm, evident in her open acceptance of even defeats. Furthermore, with the blessing of the sun, she can effortlessly bring prosperity to her territory, making her beloved a natural outcome.

"You mean she's a formidable rival?"

"...Although I hate to admit it, that's true for us."

Reinhard smiled wryly.

In fact, it wasn't just Priscilla; the other royal candidates were no pushovers either.

The election for the next king involves many tests, including lineage, upbringing, knowledge, and personal charisma—qualities that can be compensated for by other strengths. However, without achievements that earn the people's trust and support, a candidate for kingship fundamentally loses the qualification to become the next king. And coincidentally, Ferut, who started the election the latest, lacked precisely this quality.

Felt's current situation is only slightly better than that of the silver-haired half-elf.

"Kobayashi, you're not really disappointed, are you?"

“Reinhard, not everything can be judged by appearances. Have you forgotten what I said about investment?”

Although Ferut has nothing now, as long as she manages her royal bloodline well, she will soon have a lot of help coming to her.

Kobayashi wasn't worried about that at all.

"Besides, tomorrow is the most important day, so let's leave it at that for today."

"Yes, tomorrow is the day Lady Felt will make her debut."

Reinhard sighed softly.

They've been keeping the royal selection a secret from Felt until now, but the little girl's clever mind has spotted some signs. She wonders if tomorrow's royal selection will proceed smoothly.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll be here tomorrow."

"...I'll leave it to you then, Kobayashi."

Ferut is actually quite vengeful.

Ever since Reinhard forcibly took her away, the little girl has been at odds with him.

But Kobayashi, who had once saved her life, was different. Not only was he exceptionally diligent in learning magic, but he also sweetly called her "teacher."

Even Reinhard, who was never jealous, couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Silent all night.

Early the next morning.

With Ryuko's help, Kobayashi changed into new clothes.

It was entirely black, like a formal dress, with a cape of the same color at the back. Overall, it looked very simple and seemed to be the same style as Roswaal's.

Yes, this is the uniform of a court mage.

Since there are knight's robes, there's no way there wouldn't be mage's robes as well.

As Ryuko straightened Kobayashi's clothes, she said, "Although it's not as good as the formal wear made by Sato-sama, it's at least tasteful. I thought it would be an even more unbearable medieval costume."

“At least it’s a court uniform; it has a certain aesthetic sense,” Reinhardt, standing at the door, retorted.

Xiaolin stood in front of the mirror, striking poses and admiring herself, saying, "Is it possible—I mean, possible—that my good looks are making this outfit look better?"

His hair, meticulously combed to perfection, accentuated his handsome features. Combined with a black tuxedo, he exuded an air of grandeur.

The waiter beside him said, "Although I really want to deny it, Lord Kobayashi is indeed very handsome today, like a peacock spreading its tail to seduce the opposite sex."

"I accept your praise, Liu Zi."

Kobayashi didn't mind the doll girl's sharp tongue; rather, she saw it as her way of praising others.

"Alright, now that we're ready, let's set off."

"Yes, the battle ahead is going to be tough."

The group boarded a carriage and headed towards the royal city.

The royal palace is an important place, and it is generally not open to anyone except authorized personnel.

Logically, Ryuu should be the same, but through Reinhard's actions, she was temporarily transformed into Felt's maid, so she can be considered a related person for now.

Soon, the dragon carriage arrived at the royal city.

After passing through a long corridor, you'll see two massive city gates that you have to look up to see.

From the tightly closed door, something overwhelming emanated, making one feel compelled to stand up straight just by standing there.

Looking up at the majestic and imposing royal city, Kobayashi showed no unusual expression. After all, he had been the Pope for a period of time in "Akatsuki no Akame ga Kill!", and the royal city there was no less impressive than this one.

The dragon carriage was parked at the main entrance.

"We've been waiting for you, Lord Reinhard!"

The soldier standing in front of the door stepped forward, took off his helmet and tucked it into his waistband, and bowed respectfully to the carriage.

After all, the insignia of the Sword Saint family on the carriage was extremely conspicuous, and no one in the capital would be unfamiliar with it. In addition, Reinhard had an excellent reputation, so it was normal for him to receive such treatment.

"I'm sorry, but for some reason I can't let you inspect the carriage. However, I guarantee with the honor of the Sword Saint family that the people in the carriage are definitely not suspicious."

"You are joking, Lord Reinhard. You would never do anything to harm the Royal Palace."

The soldiers simply did not inspect the carriage.

But Kobayashi keenly realized that this wasn't about using Reinhard's reputation and credibility; rather, it seemed like they had made arrangements beforehand.

So that's how it is, is it to avoid attracting other people's attention?

With such an ambiguous response, the soldier straightened his posture and looked at the gate, which then slowly opened.

"Lord Reinhard, please come in."

"Thank you."

The carriage then proceeded smoothly through the main gate.

Then Reinhard explained that, just as Kobayashi had guessed, he had already made arrangements.

Afterwards, they arrived at a room in the palace, settled Felt in, and then headed towards the palace hall, which was the most important place to go next.

A massive doorway appeared before them, and as they walked further in, the doorway grew taller, creating an overwhelming sense of oppression.

At the entrance stood a well-dressed knight, a rather rugged middle-aged man of about forty, with a stern face etched like rock, exuding the aura of a seasoned warrior.

Reinhard greeted first, "Knight Commander Marcus."

"You've come, Reinhard."

The middle-aged man named Marcus greeted Reinhard calmly, offering no particular flattery. This was because he was the Grand Master of the Knights, Reinhard's superior.

The man then looked at Kobayashi and said, "Is he the newly appointed court mage? Are you going to start preparing too?"

"You misunderstand. I recommended Kobayashi because he has sufficient ability, and I submitted the recommendation to the council after considering various factors."

"Hmph, I hope so."

Reinhard's explanation was not accepted, but given the relationship between the two and the current chaos in the capital, he had no reason to say anything nonsensical.

After exchanging greetings, the two stepped through the door.

—What spreads out in the field of vision is a vast space covered with a bright red velvet carpet.

The walls are adorned with glittering gold decorations, and the ceilings are very high, with luxurious lighting hanging from them.

In contrast to the spaciousness of the interior, in the few most striking and deepest part, there were five chairs with slightly different heights.

The one in the very center has an exquisitely carved dragon head on its back.

Looking down.

Standing in front were three girls with very different styles: a loli, a girl in military uniform, and a familiar silver-haired half-elf girl.

Emilia was slightly surprised to see Kobayashi, but she knew it wasn't the right time to ask, so she suppressed her curiosity. Kobayashi smiled back and didn't rush up to disturb her.

Next came two neatly arranged square formations: on the left were knights in white uniforms identical to Reinhard's; on the right were mages dressed in the same attire as Kobayashi.

"Should I go over there?"

"No rush, the meeting won't start for a while, let's chat first."

Reinhard guided Kobayashi towards the ranks of knights, saying, "I have some friends I'd like to introduce to you."

"Over here, over here, meow!"

The one who raised his hand and cheerfully greeted them was a cute-looking cat-eared man.

He seemed excited when he saw the two arrive, but considering his personality, he didn't cause any dissatisfaction among others, though he was still reprimanded by the person behind him.

"Philis, this is the royal palace hall, please be a little careful here."