Even if I transform, I will never be captured.

He bowed slightly to Satella, then straightened up and looked directly at her with his blue eyes, saying, "Subaru has already been taken in as my squire."

"Huh?!?!"

This unexpected turn of events caused Satella to widen her eyes and cover her mouth in surprise.

Swish!

Natsuki Subaru suddenly struck a chuunibyou pose: right index finger pointing to the sky, left fist clenched and bent at the ground, lower body leaning to the right with a slight buttock protruding, flashing his gleaming front teeth at Satella.

"Although my current status is still very low, one day I will become a knight worthy of standing beside Satella-chan! I am very confident about that!"

"..."

Although the plot took an unexpected turn, which made Satella a little frustrated, at this moment, she really wanted to kick him in the butt!

"That's an admirable determination. I'll leave my sister in your care from now on."

"Lia, how could you say such things?"

Hearing Emilia say that, Satella became even more upset.

She wasn't the kind of person with lofty ambitions who found endless joy in fighting against fate; she just wanted to stay home quietly.

So, if the plot were to proceed as expected, why create so many unexpected twists and turns?

With that thought in mind, Satella was no longer willing to pay attention to Subaru Natsuki. Just then, someone called her, so she looked in the direction of the voice.

"Lady Satella, please sit here."

The one who extended the invitation was a girl with bright green hair, Crusch, one of the King's Chosen.

Besides her, there were also two other Chosen Ones, Priscilla and Anastasia, at that table.

To be honest, all three of them looked like they were in trouble, and Satella really didn't want to sit down with them. But when she saw Subaru Natsuki at the other table, radiating hormones, Satella decided to sit with them anyway.

"..."

The atmosphere changed the moment Satella and Emilia sat down.

Priscilla pulled out the peacock fan hidden in the ravine, unfolded it with a snap, half-covering her face, and stared at Satella with great interest through her red eyes.

Anastasia fiddled with her white scarf, her youthful green eyes sparkling with a cunning beyond her years, her gaze shifting between Satella and Emilia.

Kuroh sat upright, displaying the demeanor of a martial arts fighter, his solemn orange eyes fixed on Kanna.

Three restrained sharpnesses shone brightly on this small table, making Emilia appear significantly inferior in comparison.

Although her adorable appearance far surpasses that of the other three royal chosen ones, this excessively cute face is filled with too much fear and insecurity—without even confidence, she will naturally be looked down upon by others.

Satella shook her head slightly without speaking, and the others did not intend to speak first either. Instead, the maids began to serve the dishes after everyone had arrived.

This was the first time Satella had truly attended a noble banquet.

Honestly...

Such a glamorous and luxurious scene actually made people feel a bit restrained.

Thankfully, Kanna-chan is here.

A delicate dish of wild melon paired with raw ham was served.

"Awoo—"

Gone.

A whole turkey was served.

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"Awoo—"

It's gone again.

Kanna devoured the food on the table at a speed that rivaled that of a waitress serving dishes. If someone else did this, it would probably be considered impolite, but when a young girl like Kanna did it, it only looked adorable.

Kanna enjoyed the food, and Satella enjoyed watching it too.

—So this task is really simple, you don't even need to lift a finger to complete it!

So easy!

At that very moment, Crusch, who had been keeping a close eye on Kanna, finally spoke slowly:

"This country does not need dragons!"

His first words were earth-shattering.

Author's Note:

P.S. Thanks to DYCACG, RouRouShiTuiDui, PikaDaiYe, ChaoXiaoGaoJiJiJieCao, Tk凛灬ShiYu, XueYuanYiFen, TongZi, Asuna, JinXi, Ming灬Yuan, YuQiu, and ShuKe73138 for their donations and spicy strips, and also to SuiYuanJian for the dog food given to those who are destined to receive it.

Chapter 40 The Ambition of the King and the Chosen One

"The Kingdom of Lugunica, a nation that prospered by adhering to the covenant with dragons; war, disease, and even famine; all sorts of crises were avoided thanks to the dragons, and the word 'dragon' has never disappeared throughout the kingdom's long history."

With unwavering, watery orange eyes, Crusch fixed her gaze on Kanna, who remained completely oblivious to everything, and slowly spoke:

"Prosperity built on an alliance with dragons is perfect. In times of war, it provides reliable fighting power; if there is disease, it activates magic to heal people; if there is famine, it bestows blessings by infusing the earth with dragon blood. All suffering is saved by the noble dragons, glory is promised, and even the king of the kingdom must be prophesied by the Dragon Chronicle Stone... How sad."

...Although she was recounting a glorious past, Crusch's voice was very suppressed. Apart from Satella and Kanna, who were still eating their food without a care in the world, everyone else put down their forks.

Gazing at Crusch as her eyes slowly closed, I heard her soft murmur echoing in my ear:

"I ask you—don't you all feel ashamed?"

The entire space fell silent instantly, as Crusch's opening remarks steered the banquet toward its true purpose.

"My family doesn't mind."

Speaking with a Western Kingdom accent similar to the Kansai dialect, Anastasia, with her youthful and adorable appearance, covered her mouth and laughed, "In fact, being able to draw upon the power of dragons is a major advantage for Lugnica. It would be a waste not to make good use of it."

"A businessman's foolish opinion."

Crusch offered her incisive commentary in a blunt and uncompromising tone.

"How can a country prosper if it cannot even achieve independence? If a kingdom will perish without the protection of dragons, then let it perish; too much favor breeds stagnation, stagnation leads to decadence, and decadence brings destruction—that is my opinion."

"Are you issuing a declaration of national subjugation?" a knight roared as he stood up.

"No. If the kingdom would perish without dragons, then we must become dragons, and the fate of the kingdom should be borne by the king and his subjects. Although this may involve unknown risks, I want to live in a way that my soul will not be ashamed of. Therefore, I say—this country does not need dragons."

Such a statement was quite audacious, and many knights who remembered history were already filled with anger.

but……

He couldn't utter a single word.

This is the king's quality. Although it seems somewhat unrealistic, faced with such a powerful statement, even if they were blushing, they couldn't say a word.

As Crusch spoke, her orange eyes remained fixed on Satella's face.

...Ugh, I knew it would turn out like this. I should have turned around and walked away when I was at the door.

With such intense stares, even if Satella wanted to pretend to be oblivious, she couldn't. Taking the napkin from the waiter and wiping her mouth, Satella's response was even more decisive than Crusch's:

"So, you want to be my enemy?"

"No, on the contrary, I would like to form an alliance with you."

The unexpected answer sparked a slight interest in Satella. Reflected in her beautiful red eyes, Crusch calmly began to speak:

"Qing is a person who acts recklessly, yet knows how to keep his distance."

After offering a sharp critique, Crusch continued, "Your speech in the Throne Hall this morning was quite ruthless, offending everyone. That's good; it showed the world the unbridled nature of dragons. I hope you continue in this manner. For this, our Karlsten family will provide all possible assistance."

Crusch's words elicited a strange expression from Satella.

"If I understand correctly, you mean you're giving me money to cause trouble in this country?"

"Although it's still somewhat biased, that's roughly the idea."

"Is it really okay for you to say this in public like this?"

"What I have believed in all my life is an open and aboveboard strategy."

Despite uttering such righteous words, Crusch's lips curled slightly, and she closed one eye with a girlish air, saying playfully, "Even though so many people heard it, they couldn't do anything to me, could they?"

Indeed, Crusch's words were correct in their direction, but for many people, what is correct is not necessarily right.

People are afraid of the unknown, and not everyone has the courage to make changes, as can be seen from the lingering fear on the faces of the knights and servants around them.

Crusch's theory of "independence" was inherently offensive to the old men of the Wise Men's Society who were already used to relying on dragons, and it was also unpopular with the civil officials who adhered to the old ways. Even many commoners resisted her because they were afraid of the unknown future.

Since there's nothing left to lose, there's nothing to be afraid of.

Is that all?

“Interesting.” Satella nodded slightly. “But I refuse.”

"—!"

"I admit you are a very charismatic person, and I sincerely admire your words. However, your political views mean that we are destined to be enemies... To admire the character of an enemy and then be sympathetic to them, even to let them grow and help them, is like a third-rate villain from some third-rate novel. The real boss will nip any danger in the bud."

Satella is now recognized throughout the country as a true Dragon Envoy, and the essence of the Royal Selection Competition is "to select the most qualified person to sign a covenant with the dragon god from among the five dragon priestesses appointed by the Dragon Calendar Stone."

Therefore, in this royal election, it can be said that Satella holds a crucial vote.

That's why the four chosen ones gathered here to express their ambitions to Satella.

Well, to put it simply, I came to Satella to make a good impression.

Even after Satella's denial, Crusch's expression remained unchanged; she merely frowned and said, "Is this your magnanimity?"

“This has nothing to do with magnanimity or anything like that.” Satella shook her finger. “Didn’t you say that I’m a willful and reckless person? In that case, whatever I do, my primary goal is to please myself.”

"Hehehe~ Pleasing oneself, what an interesting way to put it. You really suit my taste."

Priscilla laughed and snapped the peacock fan shut, pointing it directly at Crusch.

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"Boring! Utterly boring! To slander others as narrow-minded, how much more magnanimous can you be if you can't even tolerate a dragon?"

Priscilla's crimson eyes began to sparkle with pleasure. She placed one hand on her chest, her breasts, as majestic as the highest mountain in the kingdom, stood tall, giving her an aura of powerful confidence.