After Kraken dispatched a joint force of soldiers and Royal Guard knights to subdue Shendu, the result left everyone utterly stunned.
Originally, they had believed that with so many people assisting, capturing a woman with no notable background would be a simple task.
Yet Shendu proved to everyone the true meaning of the saying that appearances can be deceiving.
Summoning the ninjas of the Shadowkhan, she had scarcely finished before the several hundred men who charged forward were all knocked to the ground, tossed together into a single heap.
Whether ordinary soldiers or stronger Royal Guard knights, not one of them could hold out for long.
Most were defeated within two moves and thrown onto the growing pile, leaving the guards and knights at the main gate too frightened to even consider stepping forward.
Was this a joke?
So many of them had attacked at once and still could not defeat those undying monsters. Charging in now would simply be throwing their lives away.
Having witnessed the power of the Shadowkhan, fear rooted them in place. Kraken trembled with rage.
"Trash. All of you are trash!"
Looking at his own men thrown into a heap, then at Shendu standing there as if everything were under her control, Kraken burned with anger. So many people, yet they could not defeat a single woman. It was a complete humiliation.
After dealing with them, Shendu summoned several more ninja clad in heavy armor. Leading them forward, she advanced with overwhelming pressure.
Thud... thud... thud...
The oppressive presence of the armored warriors was even greater, forcing Kraken to take an involuntary step back, terror written across his face.
"Hehe. What was it you just said? Say it again."
Shendu smiled sweetly, looking adorable—yet to Kraken she resembled a demon, filling his heart with dread.
No. Perhaps she truly was a demon.
However, noticing that Reinhard had yet to make a move, Kraken seemed to regain a shred of hope. Pointing at Shendu, he shouted his command.
"Reinhard, hurry and deal with this woman! Don't forget your duty is to protect the royal capital! Why are you just standing there?"
Kraken was furious. He could not rely on anyone else, and from beginning to end Reinhard had not moved an inch. It was exceedingly strange.
"Yes, Lord Kraken."
Upon receiving the order, Reinhard stepped forward, intending to stop Shendu from continuing her rampage.
Seeing this, Felt was about to intervene—but something unexpected occurred.
The famed strongest Sword Saint had taken only a few steps before he dropped to one knee, his face twisted in intense pain, unable to move another inch.
"What's wrong, Reinhard? Don't tell me you're pretending to be sick?"
Seeing his greatest support kneeling on the ground as if playing dead, Kraken grew even angrier, his mustache bristling. He felt Reinhard was utterly irresponsible.
Could he not see that Kraken's life was under threat? And he dared to feign collapse in front of him? It was outrageous.
"Hehe. Want to know the reason, old man?"
Watching the scene unfold, Shendu teased him with a half-smile.
"What did you do? How did you neutralize the world's strongest Sword Saint?"
Sensing deeper meaning in her words, Kraken stared at her in shock, desperate for an answer.
As the kingdom's trump card, if Reinhard were crippled during this meeting, it would be a tremendous loss. Kraken himself might be branded a sinner.
"Very simple. We signed an oath. If Reinhard dares to violate it, he will suffer punishment from the will of the world. His soul could very well be destroyed."
Shendu spoke calmly, and Kraken's face filled with terror.
The moment those words left her mouth, an uproar broke out. No one understood how she had managed to form an oath with Reinhard, as though she had anticipated this very day.
Now the legendary strongest Sword Saint was temporarily rendered useless. The old men of the council had lost their greatest reliance.
"You're a demon! I will never compromise!"
Even after learning the truth, Kraken stubbornly refused to yield.
"Heehee. As expected of my best friend. Becoming friends with her was truly an excellent choice!"
Priscilla watched with visible excitement. Shendu had made a dazzling display—she was clearly not to be underestimated.
Meanwhile, after enduring the pain for a time, Reinhard saw the mark of the oath on his body shift from pale blue to faint red. Only after it flared briefly did the agony subside.
"My apologies, Lord Kraken."
"Bound by the oath, I cannot raise my hand against Miss Shendu. Therefore, I will not take part in this matter."
Feeling the aftereffects of the oath, Reinhard spoke with evident awkwardness.
Recalling the terms they had agreed upon, he felt a trace of surprise. The two clauses were simple: he would not oppose Emilia's camp, and he would not interfere in incidents caused by Emilia during the Royal Selection.
It seemed that the woman called Shendu had been waiting for him here all along.
And as for Shendu's own oath—it was that she would not harm the kingdom.
Wait.
Strictly speaking, her actions did not seem to harm the kingdom at all. She was merely teaching these guards and knights a lesson for Emilia's sake.
It was neither a coup nor a rebellion. It truly could not be considered harming the kingdom.
"Why? You are the kingdom's strongest Sword Saint. How could you sign an oath with someone else?"
Hearing Reinhard's explanation, Kraken did not dare call him useless again. He merely questioned him sharply.
"For certain reasons, I had no choice. I ask Lord Kraken for your understanding."
After speaking, Reinhard returned to Felt's side and made no further moves.
And so it was settled. The strongest Sword Saint could not act.
The knights serving the other candidates each harbored their own thoughts.
After Reinhard finished speaking, silence fell over the gathering. Felt, however, looked quite pleased. Planting her hands on her hips, she leaned close to Reinhard's ear and whispered.
"Hey, Reinhard-whatever. That's the smart choice. Saves me the trouble of ordering you."
Seeing that Reinhard could not make a move, Felt was in high spirits.
"My name is Reinhard. It seems Lady Felt intended to stop me as well."
Embarrassed by the way the blonde girl butchered his name, Reinhard corrected her gently.
"Naturally. Big Sister has helped me a lot. If you dared act against her, I'd make you regret it."
Felt stared at the Sword Saint without the slightest politeness. In her eyes, Big Sister came first. This so-called strongest Sword Saint was merely a useful tool.
"Please, I sincerely ask you not to do that."
After a moment's hesitation, Reinhard could only offer a wry smile.
At present, Shendu had seized complete control of the situation. He could not act, and the other candidates had no intention of intervening. The matter had grown even more complicated.
The only reassurance was that Shendu would not endanger the kingdom. At least that allowed him to breathe a little easier.
"This is really unexpected, nya. Lady Crusch, should we step in?"
Felix looked at Crusch beside him with evident interest.
Shendu's sudden appearance and her brazen killing of a member of the Council of Wise Men should have earned her death ten times over. Yet instead, the girl had seized complete control of the situation.
Neither the strongest Sword Saint, Reinhard, nor the castle guards had played their expected roles for various reasons.
"We'll simply watch. We have no reason to interfere."
Understanding Felix's thoughts, Crusch considered briefly before deciding that involving themselves in this dispute would bring no benefit.
Besides, she rather admired Shendu's dominance and her willingness to act decisively. It resembled the temperament of a soldier—fearless in the face of anything.
"Nya, just as expected of Lady Crusch. Then let's see how this unfolds."
Felix had no desire to wade into troubled waters either. It would be thankless labor at best, and they might even end up serving as tools for the Council of Wise Men.
Moreover, that council had existed far too long, constantly pointing fingers at the kingdom's monarchs and instructing them what to do. It was long overdue for someone to teach them a lesson.
"A useless council should have vanished into the river of history long ago. It has existed far too long."
Gazing into the distance, Crusch murmured, her tone filled with disdain for the Council of Wise Men.
Meanwhile, at Anastasia's side, Julius observed the situation before him and quickly realized that Shendu was not someone to be trifled with. The ninjas she had summoned were certainly no ordinary beings.
After confirming that Reinhard could not act, Julius, as the second-ranking figure of the Royal Guard, naturally turned to the purple-haired candidate.
"Lady Anastasia, shall we involve ourselves?"
He could not help but ask, a trace of anticipation in his eyes.
"No. If that woman dares to act so boldly, she must have something to rely on. The Council of Wise Men is no ordinary organization. To kill one of its members in front of so many people means she does not fear the kingdom's retaliation in the slightest."
"Besides, hasn't the woman from the Divine Dragon Merchant Guild refrained from acting as well?"
Anastasia was no fool. She clearly understood that this matter was anything but simple. None of the other candidates had intervened—not even the vice president of the Divine Dragon Merchant Guild who had been invited.
If they involved themselves now, they would gain nothing and merely become hired muscle for a few old men.
There was not the slightest benefit, yet they expected a merchant like her to step forward. What a joke.
"Understood, Lady Anastasia."
Having received his candidate's decision, Julius remained where he stood, quietly observing how events would unfold like everyone else.
Earlier, several elders of the Council of Wise Men had briefly discussed the matter. Most of them seemed unconcerned, as if only a chicken had died.
Only one elder had stubbornly refused to let it go, leading to the present chaos.
"All right. The annoying one has been dealt with. Does anyone else harbor prejudice against a silver-haired half-elf? Speak up."
"I can offer you a small suggestion."
Standing in place, Shendu swept her icy gaze across the Royal Guard and the soldiers. They immediately lowered their heads, not daring to meet the eyes of the silver-haired girl.
The pressure she exuded was overwhelming. So many knights and soldiers had already been stacked into a small hill. Charging forward now would only result in the same fate.
A suggestion? Everyone present felt certain that her so-called suggestion would involve being beaten senseless by those ninjas.
"Wait, Sister Shendu, why are you doing so much for me?"
"I haven't even repaid your kindness yet."
Emilia looked at Shendu with a face full of emotion, almost unable to believe what had happened.
Just moments ago, when she was being discriminated against, only Shendu had stepped forward to shield her from those hurtful words. Emilia's favor toward her had risen to its peak.
Yet she did not fully understand why Shendu would go so far for her. She could only ask.
"It's simple. I am Emilia's knight. Protecting the candidate I value is only natural, isn't it?"
Shendu's expression was serious as she looked around at the gathered crowd and spoke words that stunned everyone present.
The moment her voice fell, an uproar swept through the hall. They had assumed Shendu was merely Priscilla's friend. None had expected this silver-haired, red-eyed woman to be the knight of the silver-haired half-elf.
"I object!"
"Knights are men. You have no qualification to become a knight!"
Councilor Kraken's eyes blazed with fury. Sensing that no one supported him—not even Miklotov and Marcos—he lashed out in protest, glaring at Shendu without the slightest courtesy.
"Heh. There's no rule stating I cannot become Emilia's knight. So you'd better shut your mouth."
With a casual wave of her hand, a hulking Oni ninja stepped forward and halted not far from him, clearly prepared to beat him senseless at the slightest provocation.
"You..."
Faced with Shendu's intimidation, Kraken burned with anger but had no recourse. He could only glare viciously at her.
"By the way, Commander Marcos, wasn't it said earlier that the kingdom's candidates are chosen by the Divine Dragon?"
Suddenly, Shendu turned toward the middle-aged knight and asked with a light smile.
"Yes. The Divine Dragon's decision is the highest authority. It is precisely because of its judgment that the five candidates were born."
Answering her question, Marcos cast a displeased glance at Kraken. He considered the councilor an utter fool.
If it was the Divine Dragon's will, then why continue prattling on? His reckless words had led to the current situation, infuriating Marcos.
If you know how to speak, then speak wisely. If not, speak less.
Kraken clearly lacked even basic sense. With a single outburst, he had offended three different factions.
With that kind of attitude and quality, who would willingly help him solve his problems?
"In that case, the barking earlier was also pointing fingers at the Divine Dragon."
"So I believe someone betrayed their faith and forgot their place. Being dealt with seems entirely reasonable."
Shendu's reasoning left no room for rebuttal. In a sense, she was defending the authority of the Divine Dragon.
Many civil and military officials present—including Miklotov and Marcos—felt her words made perfect sense.
The Divine Dragon had not spoken. Why had that man interfered? Now he lay dead, his body already cold. It was simply the consequence of courting death.
"Hmph. That is no justification for killing a member of the Council of Wise Men. Setting aside the facts, you still bear responsibility."
Kraken seemed determined to clash with Shendu, refusing to yield in the slightest. He believed her reasoning was nothing but twisted sophistry.
No matter the cause, for a knight to dare kill a high-ranking member of the Council of Wise Men was unacceptable. He had resolved to make this woman pay the price.