Inside the castle, after the members of the Council of Wise Men had all arrived.
The civil officials and the Royal Guard stood on either side respectively. Once the five elders of the Council of Wise Men had taken their seats.
Marcos stroked his beard and glanced at the portion of black hair that had returned among his once-gray locks, before inevitably turning his gaze toward Shendu.
As one of the influential figures within the Council of Wise Men, having received the care of the Divine Dragon Merchant Guild, he had gradually regained his youth and was now able to reach the physical condition he had in middle age.
It was not only he who had grown younger. Miklotov and Wayne had also been won over by the Divine Dragon Merchant Guild, their lifespans extended to some degree.
Of the remaining elders, only Rickert and Kraken—both influential figures—had not been drawn in by the Divine Dragon Merchant Guild. It could be said that the entire Council of Wise Men had been successfully infiltrated.
Shendu merely glanced at those old men and quickly lost interest. She turned her head toward Emilia instead, admiring the young girls before her, each possessing a different beauty and temperament.
Without question, the first in ranking was the embodiment of arrogance and pride.
Known as the Bloodstained Bride, Priscilla stood among the crowd. Her eyes toward the Council of Wise Men were filled with contempt. The way she looked at them was as though they were nothing more than trash.
The second was the silver-haired half-elf, Emilia. She stood there with a serious expression, her hands hanging naturally at her sides, appearing slightly stiff and lacking the composure of the other candidates.
Due to her nervousness, the girl's gaze drifted toward Shendu. Shendu nodded at her, silently encouraging her to do her best.
Receiving Shendu's reassuring look, Emilia finally relaxed somewhat. Her emotions gradually steadied, and she regained a calm and solemn composure.
Standing at the center position, Felt was also somewhat nervous. Though she had enjoyed a period of comfortable days with Shendu, the self-imposed isolation deep within her heart had not fully faded.
However, just as she had done with Emilia, Shendu gave her a reassuring look as well, allowing the girl to settle down.
The fourth candidate was a young woman dressed in military attire.
She possessed long, dark green hair and wore a saber at her waist. Combined with her bearing, she resembled an iron-blooded general.
Her name was Crusch Karsten. A few days ago, she had dispatched an envoy to visit Emilia. She was the head of her family and commanded a considerable portion of the military forces, making her a powerful presence within the kingdom.
Moreover, she maintained close relations with other noble factions and was regarded as one of the most promising contenders to become queen.
As for the final candidate, she was the girl-next-door type who had glared angrily at Akane earlier.
The girl had light purple hair, wore a small white hat, and was dressed in white. At her waist hung a frog-shaped coin purse.
She gave off an innocent, harmless air, like the girl next door. Her full name was Anastasia Hoshin.
One of the five candidates, she had originally been born in the slums. However, after joining a merchant guild, she displayed extraordinary business talent. Eventually, she purchased the guild and renamed it the Hoshin Company.
Her origins were extremely humble, but she possessed a determined and ambitious heart.
Previously, her goods had been snapped up by various noble families in the royal capital. However, after the Divine Dragon Merchant Guild emerged out of nowhere, the Hoshin Company began to decline, its influence repeatedly suppressed.
Gradually, she became one of the less favored candidates. Thus, her hostility toward Akane was not without reason.
Judging purely by the surface-level strength of each faction, Emilia and Felt were undoubtedly the weaker sides, with Anastasia ranking third.
At present, the most powerful candidates were Priscilla and Crusch—at least on the surface.
The game of the Royal Selection had only just begun. Shendu looked forward with anticipation to what would unfold next.
Glancing at Elsa beside Akane, Shendu made a throat-slitting gesture, signaling that if action were taken, the target should be eliminated directly.
"Ara! So I finally get to slice open the bellies of those old men from the Council of Wise Men."
Elsa revealed a bewitching smile. She always executed Shendu's tasks with complete devotion. As a yandere, her sense of identification with Shendu had already surpassed that of her former organization.
...
"Miss Shendu, long time no see. Just as I expected, you would appear here."
Arriving right on schedule, the strongest Sword Saint, Reinhard, stepped forward and greeted Shendu warmly.
Reinhard was sincere by nature. Upon seeing Shendu's presence, he was not the least bit surprised.
After all, Shendu had once said she was Emilia's knight. Thus, Reinhard found nothing strange about her appearance and greeted her with a smile.
"Naturally. I came to see Felt and Emilia. There are certain matters they should not have to face alone."
Shendu answered firmly. Looking past him, she soon noticed several familiar figures slowly approaching.
They were the cross-dressing Ferris, a purple-haired man dressed in knightly attire, and the old man known as the Sword Demon, Wilhelm. The three walked over together.
"Meow! Miss Shendu, I'm so happy to see you. What do you think of my outfit today?"
Ferris was dressed with undeniable femininity. At the very least, compared to himself, it certainly appeared so.
"Very nice. Very beautiful. But unfortunately, I don't like men."
Shendu refused decisively. If it were a cute catgirl, she would naturally be unable to resist giving her a good pet. But as for the other kind—she would pass. What she liked were sweet, adorable girls.
Cute young maidens were her true preference.
"Meow, what a pity. I quite like you, Miss Shendu!"
Ferris put on a regretful expression, though in Shendu's eyes, it was merely a joke.
It had to be said, the formal attire Ferris wore was indeed beautiful. But unfortunately, he was still a man.
"Oh, right, Miss Shendu. This here is the Second Seat of the Royal Guard—a knight of considerable strength, meow."
Ferris introduced the purple-haired knight. The knight stepped forward, bowed politely before Shendu, and carried himself with composed elegance.
"Greetings, Miss Shendu. I have heard of your renown before. To meet you here is an honor for me as a knight."
Looking at the silver-haired, red-eyed girl before him, the purple-haired knight continued, "My name is Julius. I serve as President Anastasia's knight. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise. I have also heard of Lord Julius' deeds. It is a pleasure to meet you."
The purple-haired knight extended his hand, and Shendu politely shook it before nodding without further comment.
Thinking of the knight whom Akane had once severely beaten, Shendu could not help but feel a trace of pity for him. Of all people to provoke, he had chosen to provoke her subordinate—truly an unlucky knight.
If Shendu had not ordered Akane to hold back and not go too far, this famous knight might well have been bedridden for months.
Fortunately, he was still unaware of Shendu's hidden identity. Otherwise, he certainly would not be this friendly.
As for Shendu's presence, Reinhard and Julius were not surprised. They assumed she had entered under the identity of Emilia's knight.