Subaru Natsuki, who returned from the new Three Kingdoms

But you should at least give her enough respect.

So Subaru Natsuki nodded: "Okay. But don't call me 'brother' anymore, I'm not used to it."

Not brothers? Then...

Al thought for a moment. Since Subaru Natsuki claimed to have traveled from the Three Kingdoms period, he remembered that Echidna had mentioned this when she taught him about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms:

People in the Three Kingdoms period addressed each other by their courtesy names to show closeness.

That means...

"Then may I ask what your courtesy name is?"

"courtesy name?"

Natsuki Subaru thought back for a moment and realized that he actually had a courtesy name when he first arrived in the Three Kingdoms period. It was given to him by Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to make it easier for them to insult him.

At the time, he didn't know what it meant to have someone use a courtesy name. He was quite happy, thinking that he had finally made good friends with the mighty Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Although he had doubts about Al's original intention in asking him what his courtesy name was, Natsuki Subaru still revealed his courtesy name out of respect for Priscilla.

“The Pleiades are a constellation, and the stars are the source of the sun.”

Our family name is Risheng.

"Okay, then I'll call you that from now on!"

Al whispered ingratiatingly, unaware that Subaru Natsuki's brows had begun to furrow.

"Risheng~"

"presumptuous!!!!!"

A roar that echoed across the Kingdom of Lugnica abruptly interrupted the ongoing selection process.

Everyone turned their gaze to Natsuki Subaru without prior arrangement.

"How dare you insult me!"

"My sword has slain countless heroes, and today I will slay you, you coward!!"

Having learned from his previous experience, the moment he heard Subaru Natsuki recite his opening lines, Al immediately covered his head and ran towards the outside of the hall!

Unexpectedly, an angry Subaru Natsuki chased after him with his sword in hand!

The children were looking at each other outside.

"Slay this fiend! If he doesn't die, he will surely return. Slay this fiend! Slay this fiend!..."

Natsuki Subaru stood at the entrance of the main hall, roaring like a madman!

Al watched in despair as his body was struck by all sorts of abilities.

There are bugs.

There are throwing knives.

There are flames!

In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the cracks spread from the ground to his body, until he was reduced to a pile of ashes...

Amidst the ruins of the royal palace, Al, standing beside the knight, suddenly awoke, his body trembling uncontrollably...

Horrible...this man...is absolutely terrifying...

Natsuki Subaru turned his head and glanced at him in confusion. What was this kid up to?

The fact that he's trembling even when he's not doing anything suggests he might be plotting something.

Subaru Natsuki then instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword inside his cloak.

Seeing Subaru's actions inside his cloak, Al felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, hoping only that he would not provoke Subaru's further hostility.

Otherwise, I'll get ambushed and killed at the save point again...

Fortunately, at that moment, Makrotov's voice rang out in the hall.

Natsuki Subaru's attention was diverted, and Al finally breathed a sigh of relief...

"Now, I invite all chosen ones to come forward and tell us your goals and reasons for wanting to become king."

Chapter 101: 098. The Tower of the Sage

"Now, all chosen ones, please come forward and state your goals and reasons for wanting to become king."

After McCrotov's voice faded, the dilapidated hall fell silent for a moment.

The palace had been through two consecutive battles, and a corner of its once solemn dome had collapsed, with broken stone bricks covering the ground.

A cold wind blew in through the gap, fluttering the hems of the nobles' robes and carrying the whispers to everyone's ears.

Five candidates for the presidential election stood in front of the main hall.

Priscilla was the first to step forward.

Her folding fan tapped lightly against her palm, and her heels clicked crisply as they stepped over the pebbles.

As she walked to the center of the main hall, she didn't even glance at the nobles around her with their complicated expressions.

Sunlight streamed in through the broken window and fell directly on her—she looked just like Kiyokawa… Natsuki Subaru was momentarily dazed.

Priscilla lifted her chin.

"There was no need for this election to continue."

She spoke as if it were a matter of course, as if stating a fact that had already been established.

“I am the most suitable person to rule this country. As for what you need to do, it is very simple.”

She unfolded her folding fan, covering half of her face.

"Submit, serve, and then kneel at my feet."

The atmosphere in the main hall suddenly became strange.

Some nobles looked grim, while others lowered their heads and remained silent. Priscilla seemed to have anticipated this reaction, a hint of disdain appearing in her eyes.

She had no intention of persuading anyone.

In her view, the fact that she was willing to reveal her goals already showed these people enough respect.

When Priscilla returned to her original position, she did not pause for a moment.

Al, who had finally found an opportunity to get a little further away from Subaru, hurriedly went to greet him.

The second person to take the stage was Crusch.

Her mere appearance caused a chill to run through the ranks of nobles and ministers below.

Since Crusch took over the palace these past few days, her summons-like methods, resembling a grim reaper's roll call, have almost given them a psychological aversion to her green hair.

If these nobles were truly allowed to choose for themselves, they would never support such a person as the new king of Lugnica.

Crusch lowered her eyelashes slightly for a moment, then raised her head again.

She straightened her back, her expression still confident, and strode to the front of the crowd. She stopped at the front of the stage and raised her hand to adjust her gloves.

Unlike Priscilla's arrogance, Crusch's gaze swept across the hall, landing on each nobleman, and finally settling on the tattered banner behind the throne.

"If I become the king of Lugnica, the first thing I will do is to break the contract between the kingdom and the dragon."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was clear to everyone in the hall.

"The kingdom has relied on the protection of the dragon for generations, and over time, the people have even forgotten that Lugunica should be protected by humans themselves."

She gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist.

"This land belongs to the people who live here. The future of the country should also be decided by ourselves."

These words caused quite a stir.

Some nobles frowned, while others looked thoughtful.

Crusch ignored those gazes.

She knew her goal sounded radical, and that some people would see it as an offense to the dragon.

She also knew that because of her previous actions, her path to becoming a queen had become difficult.

But now that she's standing here, she won't change her decision because of other people's reactions.

As she walked back to her original spot, Felix immediately went to greet her.

"Lady Crusch, your aura just now was really cool, meow."

Crusch nodded without saying anything more.

The third person to stand in the center of the hall was Anastasia.

She reached out and pressed down her skirt, then smiled and bowed to the nobles.

"Our family's goal is actually very simple."

She paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Our family wants everything."

This answer clearly surprised many people.

"Wealth, land, power, and a country where we can sleep soundly at night."

She spread her palms out, as if she were assessing the value of a commodity.

"No matter how big the chamber of commerce becomes, or how much money it makes, there will always be bigger goals waiting for us. In that case, why don't we just take the whole country under our control?"

The nobles exchanged bewildered glances; this reason... was even more outrageous than the previous two...

"Our family wants to establish and run a country of our own."

After Anastasia finished speaking, she turned and walked off the stage. As she passed by Subaru Natsuki, her gaze lingered on his face for a moment.

He hadn't looked closely before, but now, upon closer inspection, she quickly realized that although the dark-haired man before her had a completely different appearance and demeanor from Friguel, the position and proportion of his facial features were almost identical...

Unlike Freuger, who only had eyes for her, the dark-haired youth stood with his arms crossed, his expression calm and composed, seemingly unaffected by her recent speech...

Anastasia's fingertips tightened slightly inside her sleeve.

The fourth to step forward was Emilia.

When she walked to the center of the hall, she felt everyone's eyes focused on her white hair and pointed ears, and her shoulders visibly tensed up.

Her long silver hair swayed gently in the wind, and her purplish-blue eyes swept over the silent nobles before settling on Mycroft on the throne.

The old man nodded to her.

That tiny bit of encouragement made Emilia take a deep breath.

"I hope to build a country where everyone can live equally."

Her voice was still trembling slightly, but she spoke each word earnestly.

"Whether human, demi-human, or elf, regardless of where they were born or what their appearance is, they should all receive the same respect."

When the first three candidates spoke about their campaign goals and aspirations, the audience would applaud a few times.

The applause may not have been enthusiastic, but it at least proved that someone was willing to respond to them.

But when it was Emilia's turn, she mustered all her courage and spoke out her wish word by word.

But even when she had to take a breath halfway through, there was still no sound from the audience.

Her voice was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, failing to create even the slightest ripple.

Only a few nobles were talking in hushed tones, their gazes darting back and forth between her silver hair and face. Their eyes held fear, and also undisguised disgust.

Emilia instinctively lowered her head.

At that moment, an elderly nobleman suddenly stepped forward, leaning on his cane.

"Enough! Enough is enough!"

His voice drowned out the surrounding chatter.

"Does a half-elf have the right to stand in the palace and talk about the future of the country?"

Emilia's shoulders trembled slightly.

The nobleman stared at her silver hair, his disgust growing deeper.