"You... what are you doing?!"
"How dare you touch the Dragon History Stone?!"
"This is a desecration of the dragon!"
"Such disrespect!"
As Fang Li boldly stepped onto the high platform and even touched the Dragon History Stone, the officials below were all shocked and horrified and they all began to shout at him in dismay.
Even the members of the Sage Council looked alarmed and voiced their disapproval.
"You!"
"Step away from the Dragon History Stone at once!"
"What are you trying to do?!"
The loud cries filled the hall, causing the entire assembly to fall into chaos.
"Knights of the Royal Guard! What are you waiting for?!" The neurotic official screamed at the top of his lungs. "Arrest that man immediately!"
Even without the official's orders, the Royal Guard had already drawn their swords, their blades gleaming sharply in the hall.
Reinhard furrowed his brows tightly, hesitating whether to take action.
But before he could make a decision, Felt spoke up.
"Don't you dare take action! Just watch!"
Hearing this, Reinhard dismissed the thought of acting. After all, he was now Felt's knight.
"Anna-Sama..." Julius spoke quietly.
"Ma Ma, isn't this interesting?" Anastasia chuckled. "Let's wait and see what happens."
"Crusch-Sama?" Ferris also looked to Crusch for guidance.
Crusch was silent for a moment before calmly responding, "Let's wait and observe as well."
Priscilla and Al didn't even need to exchange words; they both watched the scene unfold with a sense of amusement.
Only Emilia seemed genuinely alarmed.
"W-wait a minute!"
Unfortunately, Emilia didn't have the chance to voice her concerns before Fang Li interrupted her.
"Emilia, just stay back and watch."
Fang Li's words were steady and calm.
"I'll shut them up for you."
With that, Fang Li turned his attention back to the Dragon History Stone.
Then, as if addressing the entire assembly or perhaps some greater presence not present here, he spoke up.
"They say where the Dragon History Stone is, the Dragon's Will is present too. Today, I want to see if the mighty dragon is really watching this unfold."
"If you are watching, I will not allow you to remain an observer."
"You made a prophecy, and a silver-haired Half Elf became a Dragon Miko."
"You used this Dragon History Stone to recognize the silver-haired Half-Elf as having the qualifications to inherit the throne."
"You opened the curtain on this Royal Selection."
"And you brought about the current state of affairs."
"Perhaps you are truly far above us, and humans seek your protection, and you have the right to express your will to humans."
"But if you stand by and allow the person you chose to be subjected to such scorn, and if this is your idea of entertainment, then I must say, I have overestimated you."
Leaving those words hanging, Fang Li turned his gaze toward the Dragon History Stone. His icy blue Mystic Eyes flickered with intensity.
"I said, I only know how to kill."
A sharp dagger appeared in Fang Li's hand.
"Even if it is a dragon, if it is a living being, I will kill it for you to see."
A brilliant starlight flared around Fang Li's body.
"Now, it is time to show your will."
"If you choose to remain passive, then come fight me, and let's see if I can kill you."
Such bold statements echoed clearly throughout the entire audience hall.
At that moment, everyone was stunned. Because everyone present understood what Fang Li was doing.
He was threatening the dragon.
This left the crowd momentarily speechless.
Then, before anyone could react, a sudden phenomenon occurred.
"Zheng—!"
The Dragon History Stone suddenly burst into a blinding light.
"What?!"
"What is happening?!"
"How could this be?!"
The audience erupted in shock.
Only Fang Li stood calmly in the intense glow emanating from the Dragon History Stone. He met the gaze of the stone with his Mystic Eyes.
Then, everyone saw it.
In the Dragon History Stone, a line of small script began to appear.
It read:
—"Acknowledged the silver-haired Half-Elf as the rightful successor to the throne"—
When these words appeared in everyone's view, the entire audience froze.
Even the neurotic official trembled with disbelief and began to mutter to himself with a crazy look in his eyes.
"The dragon... has manifested..."
Yes.
The dragon had manifested.
Moreover, it had acknowledged Emilia's right to the throne.
Emilia covered her mouth in shock, her purple eyes wide with disbelief while the rest of the crowd was left speechless, their hearts filled with awe.
Even Priscilla, Felt, Anastasia, and Crusch fell silent, unable to speak.
Reinhard, Julius, Ferris, and Al also remained speechless.
Roswaal, on the other hand, smiled softly, clearly elated.
As for the elder members of the Sage Council, they were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
Fang Li's Mystic Eyes of Death Perception vanished as he turned back to face the crowd before he spoke calmly.
"Now that even the dragon has acknowledged Emilia's right to inherit the throne, proving she has an equal chance to compete with the others."
"Do you still wish to claim that the silver-haired Half-Elf is a curse?"
The hall was silent.
The neurotic official turned pale, speechless.
Since the dragon had acknowledged Emilia, people who believed in the dragon's authority would have to accept her, regardless of their views on her appearance.
Since the dragon acknowledged Emilia, her protection meant other nations would have to reconsider their intentions of attacking the kingdom.
Thus, all the previous prejudice and baseless accusations were shattered, without a trace.
Finally, the captain of the Royal Guard, Marcos, looked at Fang Li and asked a question. "Who are the people you have killed?"
Hearing this, Fang Li answered directly. "I killed those who deserved it."
Marcos continued his questioning. "Did you kill evildoers?"
Hearing this, Fang Li answered. "They were not good, nor were they evil but I still killed them without hesitation."
Marcos asked one final question. "Then, who deserves to be killed?"
In response, Fang Li smiled, pointing his dagger towards the neurotic official, and gave his answer. "Those who slander others! They deserve to die!"
At the sound of these words, the neurotic official fell to the ground with a loud thud, his face turning deathly pale.
Marcos then raised his hand in front of himself and offered Fang Li a respectful knight's bow.
Then, he declared,
"You are a knight worthy of respect."
...
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You can read ahead up to 70 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395
What followed was self-explanatory. Miklotov, who had been silent throughout the developments and spoke on behalf of the Sage Council, finally gave his verdict.
"Since the dragon acknowledges Emilia as a legitimate heir to the throne, we must follow the Dragon's Will. We recognize Emilia's right to fair competition for the throne. From now on, no one shall disparage any royal candidate on the grounds of being a Half-Elf. Those who do shall be treated as though they have insulted the king himself."
That statement put an end to the discussion.
The overly talkative officials dared not voice any further opinions and tried their best to avoid drawing attention to themselves in the crowd. The neurotic official was thoroughly shaken and remained frozen in shock, eventually escorted out of the audience hall by the guards.
As for Emilia, upon realizing she would now be treated fairly, she closed her eyes and struggled to hold back her emotions. If she couldn't maintain her composure, she would cry tears of relief and joy in front of the entire kingdom's nobility and knights.
The others remained silent, allowing the Royal Selection meeting to proceed smoothly to its conclusion.
Clearly, the dragon's manifestation left a profound impact on everyone present, leaving them with no desire to voice any further opinions.
Of course, another reason for the calm atmosphere was the presence of Fang Li, who had left the audience hall immediately after the event.
Remembering the man who had questioned the dragon directly in front of the kingdom's high-ranking officials and nobles, eventually causing the dragon to manifest, everyone understood one thing.
After today, the name Fang Li would spread throughout the kingdom of Lugnica.
He would become known far and wide.
...
At the top of Royal Castle, on a terrace overlooking the capital, Roswaal stood with one hand holding his tall hat against the wind. He bowed his head, his expression unreadable, but the faintly upturned corners of his lips hinted at his contentment.
After a while, Roswaal spoke with a smile.
"You came out sooner than I expected. Are you so eager to confront me?"
As soon as Roswaal spoke, a figure emerged behind him.
"You should be thankful."
Fang Li held Moonlight Dagger in his hand, spinning it casually between his fingers, its cold glint reflecting his indifference. "Thankful that I didn't charge up here and cut you down."
Roswaal couldn't help but chuckle at this, saying, "So, because I brought you into the Royal Selection without your consent and helped Emilia, you want to kill me?"
"Didn't I tell you many times?" Fang Li scoffed, "Killing is all I know how to do."
"Is that so?" Roswaal's expression shifted to a playful one as he turned to face Fang Li, spreading his hands as if to surrender. "But I don't want to die just yet. Can't you spare me?"
Fang Li didn't answer. He stared intently at Roswaal, his eyes glinting briefly before he spoke.
"Using the formal setting of the Royal Selection meeting to declare me as Emilia's knight in front of the entire kingdom of Lugnica— was that your own decision or the world's?"
That statement made Roswaal's smile freeze.
But Fang Li continued as though he hadn't noticed.
"Hiding things from me is useless. I know you have a Gospel Book."
The Gospel Book is a lesser version of the Book of Wisdom, which records the world's memory and reveals the past, present, and future. Although a lesser version, it does contain a glimpse of the future.
According to the original story, Fang Li knows that Roswaal possesses a Gospel Book.
Therefore, Fang Li predicted that Roswaal would have prior knowledge of his existence before their encounter.
"And I also know that according to the Gospel Book's records, you can achieve a certain wish at some point in the future," Fang Li stated. "However, the future is not fixed; it can be altered. If you want to achieve your wish, you must adhere strictly to the future outlined in the Gospel Book and prevent any deviation."
It is precisely because of this that Fang Li questioned Roswaal about whether these events were initiated by Roswaal's own will or if they were dictated by the Gospel Book.
"Is it your will? Or the will of the world?"
Fang Li asked again.
"Based on your answer, I will decide whether or not to kill you."
Roswaal's smile finally faded.
Pressing his tall hat down, obscuring his expression beneath the brim, Roswaal chuckled softly and replied, "You seem to have already guessed the answer, haven't you?"
Indeed, Fang Li had already anticipated the answer.
He knew that Roswaal's support of a silver-haired Half-Elf in the Royal Selection was based on the Gospel Book's prediction of the path leading to Roswaal's desired future.
Only by supporting Emilia in the Royal Selection could Roswaal achieve his ultimate goal.
To resurrect his teacher.
Roswaal planned to slay the dragon.
Previously, Roswaal's overt interest in Fang Li and his hope for Fang Li to join his camp stemmed from recognizing Fang Li's capabilities.
The Gospel Book described Fang Li as the "man who can kill everything."
Such a person was the greatest asset for Roswaal, who sought to slay the dragon.
Since Roswaal's support of Emilia was solely based on the Gospel Book's content, he would never let his own will dictate Fang Li's involvement in supporting Emilia's Royal Selection.
In other words, declaring Fang Li as Emilia's knight and bringing him into the Royal Selection were all part of the Gospel Book's records.
Roswaal's actions were merely following the Gospel Book.
Therefore, Fang Li looked at Roswaal with a sense of pity.
Then, he turned and left.
"Hehe..."
Watching Fang Li leave without hesitation, Roswaal's hidden face beneath the hat brim broke into laughter.
The laughter was filled with self-deprecation.
Roswaal spoke softly to himself.
"A life lived by following the book, without ever truly choosing for oneself— is such a person not worth killing?"
"But so what if I am nothing more than a puppet?"
"If it helps me achieve my goal, then I will embrace becoming even a devil."
...
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