At the meeting, Subaru looked at Emilia, who was facing opposition and discrimination from everyone because of her half-elf identity. He stood up without hesitation and declared himself her knight, saying that as a knight, he had to stand up when he saw his lord being insulted.
"You claim that a silver-haired half-elf is not fit to participate in this Royal Selection, believing that the lord I serve is not qualified to sit on this throne. Then I ask you, is the nation of Lugnica decided by you elders sitting in this meeting? If so, why even hold a Royal Selection? With such great power, couldn't you just select one from among yourselves to be king, or simply change to a council system?"
"You clearly believe in the Dragon God and speak of the Dragon God's protection, yet you say that the Candidate selected by the Dragon God's insignia is not qualified to participate in this ceremony. Doesn't that prove you have begun to question the Dragon God's existence, and even intend to use this as a start to target all Candidates and become the supreme political arbiters of this country yourselves?"
"It's truly strange. You reject her so strongly just because Emilia resembles the former Witch of Envy, but in that battle back then, Lord Dragon God also participated! Could it be that you have begun to question Lord Dragon God's wisdom and majesty, and thus intend to use this method to test the limits and do something treasonous?"
This series of words and accusations left the noble elders looking at each other in dismay. Because of the words that might target the interests of all Candidates present, the others who were originally just watching also turned their gazes toward the elders sitting on the high seats.
Subaru felt that after awakening the gift given by Caelus, his thinking and eloquence had improved. If it were before, he probably wouldn't have been able to speak so many words fluently under the gaze of so many people.
In short, with Subaru's help, Emilia finally gained recognition and the qualification to sit on that throne. Even if her reason for becoming king was somewhat naive and laughable, the fact that she was recognized by the Dragon God was indisputable. Therefore, to avoid being hit with any more major accusations, those elders could only grit their teeth and acknowledge her.
Of course, these elders could not completely allow Subaru to treat their dignity with such contempt, so they questioned his identity and asked what qualifications he had to become a knight for a royal Candidate.
If one did not have a proper status, the consequences for a commoner daring to clash with the dignity of nobles would be quite dire.
Subaru naturally knew that his identity was an issue. Although he had received Emilia's recognition and become a knight upon arriving at the Royal Capital, in truth, he was just an obscure nobody without any title.
Emilia's own status had already been attacked and questioned, so how many people would care about a knight appointed by her?
Subaru pondered for a moment, thinking that although he could muddle through by simply having Emilia acknowledge his status as her knight, that would mean losing this opportunity.
If he could make Emilia's knight worthy of attention and discussion, he might be able to boost her reputation slightly. Such an implicit bonus might just provide a small boost to Emilia's political resources.
Thinking of the ability gifted to him by a friend, Subaru exhaled, then gave Emilia a look full of confidence and affirmation before stepping forward.
He stated that although he was just a Traveler who had only recently arrived from afar, he was deeply captivated by Emilia's dream and personal charisma. Since they felt he was not worthy of the status of a knight, he asked them to choose a knight from among them to duel him, as that was the best way to verify whether someone had the qualifications to be a knight.
The first person everyone thought of was naturally Reinhard, but Reinhard shook his head, indicating that he would not participate in this duel. Although the two had not become friends due to Caelus's interference, Reinhard felt that because Subaru could stand up when his liege was insulted and leave the elders speechless, he could already be called a knight.
In the end, Julius participated in the duel.
However, unexpectedly, although Julius had originally intended for it to be fair and for both sides to compete only in swordsmanship, Subaru stated that his close-combat skills were terrible and that all his strength lay in his special abilities, so they would not restrict any abilities.
On the dueling ground, looking at Subaru, who indeed stood with a slouch and had no proper grip on his sword, Julius could not help but say, "Without restricting abilities, there are many times when it's impossible to hold back. This is a duel where lives are at stake. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Ah, I have confidence in my abilities, so bring it on."
Subaru smiled at Julius and gave him a thumbs-up, then held that pose.
Julius found it a bit strange, feeling as if Subaru was pointing that thumb directly at him.
However, he did not dwell on it. As the signal for the duel to begin fell, he charged toward Subaru like lightning, preparing to end the battle with his sword as quickly as possible.
However, accompanied by a roar, a sense of extreme crisis suddenly appeared in Julius's heart, forcing him to shift his trajectory and dodge rapidly to the side.
And in the middle of the path where he had originally charged, a small pit had inexplicably appeared, as if pierced by something.
Subaru smiled, and then ripples seemed to appear in the air behind him.
Modern firearms emerged from those ripples, even mixed with quite a few artillery pieces several hundred millimeters in caliber.
"Recreate the Past" did not just mean returning things to their past state. It could also make things that Subaru had seen before reappear before his eyes.
This was why he dared to participate in this duel in another world filled with swords and magic.
"I am the protagonist of this other world!"
Subaru smiled, and then the muzzles and cannons behind him roared in unison.
The duel ultimately exceeded everyone's expectations. Everyone had originally thought that the boy who looked like he hadn't undergone any rigorous training, stood with a slouch, and couldn't even hold a sword properly would be very weak, and that the duel would be easily ended, but they hadn't expected the opponent to be so terrifying.
The entire dueling ground was nearly plowed over by his strange ability. Julius fought with all his might, relying on his spirit power to try and counter those unknown weapons.
The two sides were deadlocked for a time.
But Subaru knew that his ability could not last long. If he fought a war of attrition, he would definitely be in trouble, so in this situation, he had no choice but to use his final trump card.
"Recreate, the Past!"
Since that one time he shouted that phrase and pulled off a miraculous comeback, Subaru had become particularly fond of shouting it.
Then, the phantom of a man with short gray hair and a black trench coat was summoned.
The man had originally looked like nothing more than an illusory projection, but he slowly walked out of that projection.
The man looked at Subaru, who was standing to the side in a daze. The latter realized at that moment that his ability had spiraled out of control.
"You certainly have a lot of courage to dare to recreate me directly. Don't use my projection casually in the future. Something bad will happen."
After the gray-haired man gave this warning, and following the sound of ice crystals shattering, the crowd snapped out of their daze and saw Julius lying on the ground, having fallen unconscious.
"I have embarked on a long journey once again. If you need help in the future, go find Reinhard. He is my friend, and I think you two will also become good friends."
He said this, then his figure turned transparent and disappeared.
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
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