Reinhard ignored Felt's furious shouting and looked directly at Shiro.
Shiro was the only person present capable of stopping him from taking Felt away.
And the meaning in Reinhard's eyes was obvious.
If Shiro refused to hand Felt over, then even if they had to fight again, Reinhard would forcibly take her with him.
If it were anyone else, they probably would have given up persuading Felt after seeing how strongly she rejected the Royal Selection.
But this man was Reinhard.
For the sake of what he believed to be justice, no matter how much others cursed him, he would quietly accept it—Then defeat whatever stood in his way.
Perhaps he would grieve along the way.
Perhaps he would lament his choices.
But regret was the one thing he would never feel.
So for the continued survival of this kingdom, Reinhard was willing to cast aside even his so-called chivalry and take Felt away by force.
Yet under Reinhard's silent threat, Shiro neither handed Felt over nor shielded her behind himself as he had earlier.
Instead, he turned around and lowered himself until his gaze was level with Felt's slightly violent crimson eyes.
"You really hate those nobles?"
Felt first shot Reinhard an irritated glare.
Then she nodded vigorously.
"Of course! Just looking at those annoying, hypocritical bastards makes me want to puke!"
"But even if you refuse to go with Reinhard now, he'll eventually find some way to drag you back."
"And I can't stay beside you forever."
"So why not pretend to cooperate, become king, then kick Reinhard out of his position?"
"Once that happens, he won't be able to tell you where you can or can't go anymore."
Shiro openly discussed removing Reinhard from office—Right in front of Reinhard himself.
And despite that, Reinhard merely continued smiling at them.
"Kick Reinhard out...?"
Felt clearly became interested.
Her crimson eyes repeatedly drifted toward Reinhard.
"Exactly."
"And once you become king, it won't just be Reinhard."
"All those nobles you hate? Kick them out of their positions too."
"Wouldn't it be fun watching them rage helplessly while being unable to do anything about you?"
In truth, Shiro was not simply making things up.
Under a system founded on divine right, defying the king was effectively equivalent to defying the will of the Divine Dragon Volcanica.
If Felt really became king, then no matter how unreasonable her policies were, all she had to say was—
"The Divine Dragon told me to do it."
And those nobles would have no choice but to swallow their anger.
Of course, some might take desperate measures if their interests were threatened.
But that was fine.
Wasn't Reinhard right there~?
Anyone in this world capable of assassinating Felt under Reinhard's watch probably would not be wasting their time serving as some petty official in the Kingdom of Lugunica anyway.
Since Reinhard was so determined to force Felt into becoming this country's ruler—Then he could handle every dirty and exhausting job for her.
Maybe once he became busy enough, he would no longer have time to control Felt's every move.
At that point, she could simply give up the throne and regain her freedom.
She would even have enjoyed royal treatment for a while completely free of charge.
Shiro wanted Felt to kick Reinhard out of office—While simultaneously exploiting him as the perfect unpaid worker and making him handle all the difficult work.
Even modern capitalists would struggle to come up with something this shameless.
And yet—Shiro really was persuading Felt to participate in the Royal Selection.
Technically, Reinhard should be thanking him.
Felt seemed genuinely fascinated by the suggestion.
By the time Shiro finished speaking, her eyes were practically glowing.
Then she revealed a rather nasty grin and looked toward Reinhard.
"Hey. You heard him, right?"
"If you're so desperate to make me participate in this Royal Selection, then prepare yourself."
"I might destroy this entire country—including you."
Seeing Felt change her mind, Reinhard immediately knelt on one knee.
He placed a hand over his chest and performed the highest salute of the Kingdom of Lugunica.
Then, in an unwavering voice, he declared—
"Yes!"
"I, Reinhard van Astrea, solemnly swear before the Divine Dragon that from this day forward, I shall use my life, strength, and wisdom to protect and support you."
Yet Reinhard's attitude only made Felt lose interest.
She did not even bother looking at him.
Instead, she turned toward Shiro.
"Hey, mister."
"This was your idea, so how about helping me too?"
"If those shitty nobles really have such terrible judgment that they somehow make me king, I'll even give you a noble title."
Shiro shrugged.
"If I get the chance, I don't mind helping you a little."
"Unfortunately, I have plenty of things I need to do myself."
His original purpose in coming to this world had been to find some kind of research expert who might help unravel the secrets hidden within his Device.
But after meeting Satella, the way she had reacted to him had caught his attention.
And his instincts told him—If he continued investigating along the trail of the Witch of Envy, he would eventually find the person he was looking for.
"Do you need me to send Reinhard to help you?"
Felt already spoke as though Reinhard were one of her servants.
The attitude left Reinhard unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Still, he did not object.
Instead, he genuinely stood quietly beside Felt like a proper guard.
Shiro waved his hand and declined her offer.
"Forget it."
"What I'm investigating is a little dangerous for you people."
"Reinhard should stay and protect you."
"Your identity is different now."
"To this kingdom, your life is far more important than whatever I'm doing."
Of course—If the people of this kingdom learned that the Witch of Envy was very likely still alive, and that Shiro intended to track her down—They probably would not agree with that statement.
"Fine."
"Counting what happened with the Bowel Hunter earlier, I owe you twice now."
"If you ever really need help, just come find me."
"Whoa."
"You haven't even entered the Royal Selection yet, but you're already talking like some noble."
"Should I start calling you Lady Felt from now on?"
Shiro teased.
"Gross! Don't call me like that!"
"I'm nothing like those bastard nobles!"
"People in our line of work take promises seriously, you know!"
"Yes, yes, Lady Felt."
"There you go again, talking to me like I'm a little kid."
"Whatever. I'll forgive you this time."
"But if you do it again, I really will bite you."
…