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{3rd Pov}
It had been roughly eleven months since Natsuki Subaru first arrived in this world, and in that short span of time, his growth had been nothing short of absurd.
Like some kind of speedrunner exploiting every possible route, he went from being the weakest person imaginable to becoming one of the strongest individuals walking the world.
To make matters even more ridiculous, only two women had fallen in love with him—one being the literal Champion of the World, and the other the Demon King of the world itself.
Just that fact alone would have sounded like an exaggeration or a poorly written legend if anyone tried to record it.
And that wasn't all.
He had personally killed two Great Mabeasts that had terrorized the world for more than four centuries, creatures so dangerous that entire nations had failed to deal with them.
As if that alone wasn't enough to cement his name in history, he had also slaughtered three Sin Archbishops, dealing with them as if they weren't the equivalent of Demon Generals in this world—existences that everyone feared and avoided at all costs.
And if that still wasn't enough to sound unbelievable, he had gone even further.
Subaru had helped resolve problems in entirely different worlds, places that no one should have even been able to interact with in the first place.
Together with Echidna, he had casually created a form of magic capable of traversing timelines, a spell that was now considered the single most powerful magic ever devised.
The sheer implications of such an achievement were terrifying when thought about seriously.
But while the so-called Great Sage was busy basking in praise, recognition, and an overwhelming pile of documents that demanded his attention, the situation across the other camps was far from similar.
Their circumstances, struggles, and internal pressures were unfolding in ways that could not have been more different.
…
"How do we tackle this?" Crusch Karsten asked for what felt like the umpteenth time, her voice firm but strained, as the tension inside the meeting room continued to climb.
The atmosphere was heavy enough that no one present could ignore it, and every expression around the table reflected the same unease.
At the moment, Felix, Wilhelm, Crusch herself, and—somewhat unexpectedly—Anastasia Hoshin along with several key members of her camp were gathered in the room.
The fact that these camps had come together at all already spoke volumes about how serious the situation had become.
The meeting itself revolved around a single pressing issue: how to raise their standing against what they had started referring to as Camp "Zero."
It was no longer just Emilia's camp in name.
In reality, it had transformed into something far more dangerous and dominant.
The reason for that transformation was painfully clear to everyone present.
Emilia camp's strongest card—no, the outright game changer of this entire Royal Selection—was none other than Zero himself.
Because of him, the Emilia camp had risen from a group that was barely considered a serious competitor into what was now widely regarded as the strongest camp in less than ten months.
The results that Natsuki Subaru, known to them by his alias Zero, had produced were so shocking and overwhelming that the other camps were effectively forced into discussions of alliance.
Actions that would have been unthinkable at the start of the Royal Selection were now being treated as necessary countermeasures.
Even now, the Crusch and Anastasia camps were actively debating whether they should go a step further and invite Priscilla Barielle and Felt into a broader alliance.
It was a risky move, filled with political complications and clashing personalities, but the simple truth was hard to ignore.
If they failed to respond properly, Camp Zero would continue to widen the gap, and by the time a decision was forced upon them, it might already be far too late.
"Duchess… the world ultimately revolves around profits," Anastasia Hoshin said calmly, though the words themselves carried weight, causing her brows to knit together slightly.
"And at present, no matter how I look at it, I do not see any situation that can truly be considered favorable for us."
Her tone was practical, bordering on blunt, as if she were laying out numbers on a ledger rather than discussing political survival.
"We can invite the Felt and Priscilla camps," Crusch Karsten replied after a brief pause, her expression serious but composed.
"After all, no matter how strong the Emilia camp has become, its influence is still largely limited to Lord Roswaal's territory and Lord Zero's domain. The rest of the kingdom is still under our influence, and that influence remains strong and deeply rooted."
"That may sound convincing on paper," Anastasia responded, shaking her head slightly, "but reality is rarely so cooperative."
She folded her arms and continued, "Felt has been gaining momentum with her reforms in the slums, and from my own sources I've learned that she has even gone as far as making deals with certain underworld groups."
She paused briefly, clearly choosing her words carefully, revealing only half of the truth while deliberately leaving out exactly which gangs she was referring to.
"And as for Priscilla Barielle," Anastasia continued, her gaze sharpening, "she has become increasingly famous in the territories she has taken under her control. The people living there are prospering under her rule. Crops are abundant, trade routes are stable, and wealth is steadily flowing into her lands—not explosively, but consistently."
After laying all of that out, Anastasia turned her eyes directly toward Crusch Karsten and added, "From their perspective, there is very little incentive to join us. Simply put, they will see no real profit in aligning themselves with our camps."
Crusch Karsten fell into silence, the weight of the situation finally settling in as she realized just how far they had fallen.
Not long ago, her camp had been considered one of the strongest competitors in the Royal Selection, if not the strongest.
Now, however, that position was steadily slipping away, and the fear that they were slowly fading into obscurity was no longer something she could ignore or dismiss.
The only real saving grace left to them was the Karsten family's long-standing connections with the nobles and Anastasia Hoshin's extensive influence over the merchant class.
Even so, cracks had begun to appear in those foundations as well.
Several nobles had already withdrawn their support from Crusch, choosing instead to back Priscilla Barielle or openly shifting their allegiance toward Emilia's camp.
Each defection weakened Crusch's position further, making it harder to maintain her authority and presence in the political arena.
Anastasia's situation was hardly any better.
With the emergence of a new company known as Seven Sisters and its covert ties to the Emilia camp, she found herself in an increasingly dire position.
This was not just a problem for her standing as a Royal Candidate, but also a direct threat to her authority and credibility as the president of the Hoshin Company.
The balance she had carefully maintained for years was beginning to crumble.
What made matters even worse was the nature of Seven Sisters' products.
They were releasing goods so advanced and unconventional that they could not be replicated through any known magical means.
No spell, no enchantment, and no established technique could copy what they were producing.
This single fact placed Anastasia at a massive disadvantage, as her greatest strength—commerce and innovation—was being challenged in a way she had never anticipated.
Flooding the book market with brand-new storybooks that were not only plentiful but also shockingly cheap and affordable was already bad enough.
She couldn't even begin to comprehend how they had managed to acquire such an absurd quantity of paper in the first place.
That alone should have been impossible under normal circumstances. Even more baffling was the question of who was writing them.
The speed was inhuman, and the precision was flawless.
Every letter was perfectly shaped, evenly spaced, and completely consistent, as if the text itself had simply manifested onto the pages without the use of a human hand.
The writing was so clean and concise that it bordered on the unnatural.
Even if she attempted to compete in the same market, it was utterly hopeless.
At first, she had considered a more aggressive approach.
If she couldn't replicate their methods, then she would simply buy them out, even if it meant emptying her coffers and taking a massive financial risk.
However, not only did the company flatly refuse her offer, they responded by doing something even worse.
They immediately proceeded to release additional products, as if deliberately proving that they didn't need her money or influence in the slightest.
One such product was a wooden pen, an entirely new kind of writing instrument.
It allowed people to write without smearing ink across the page, and once someone got used to it, they could write far faster than with traditional quills.
This single invention alone flipped the entire writing and stationery market on its head almost overnight.
Merchants, scribes, and even nobles began demanding it in bulk.
What made the situation even more infuriating was the fact that the pen was being produced on a massive scale.
Her magicians, metal tinkerers, and even her most skilled blacksmiths worked together to analyze it, yet none of them could deduce what the ink was made of or how such a design was even possible.
No magical formula matched it, no known material explained it, and no amount of experimentation brought them any closer to understanding it.
The mystery only deepened, making the growing dominance of Seven Sisters feel less like competition and more like an unstoppable force.
Then there was the product simply referred to as "Fertilizer", created by the company and distributed freely throughout the territories governed by Roswaal and Zero.
At first, she had dismissed it as nothing more than a political gesture, a cheap attempt to win favor with farmers.
However, her opinion changed the moment she secretly acquired a bag of it and ordered people under her command to test it in controlled conditions.
The results were nothing short of shocking.
Crop yields increased dramatically, far beyond what conventional farming methods or even basic magical enhancement could achieve.
The farmers who tested it were left genuinely astonished by how effective it was.
That was the moment she truly felt the Royal Selection slipping out of her grasp.
If farmers could consistently achieve higher yields, it would directly and massively strengthen the Emilia Camp and, by extension, the Seven Sisters.
The situation was even worse because the only way to legally acquire this so-called super fertilizer was through the Seven Sisters Company, and only via Emilia's territory.
There were no alternative suppliers, no black market substitutes, and no way to replicate it.
As a result, every farmer who benefited from it might as well have already pledged their vote elsewhere.
From her perspective, those votes were effectively gone for good.
Initially, she hadn't given much thought to the inclusion of commoners in the voting system.
Compared to nobles, their votes carried far less weight, and the disparity was so extreme that she had assumed their influence was negligible.
However, when she later sat down and did the actual calculations, the reality hit her hard.
The sheer number of commoners made their collective voting power far more substantial than she had ever anticipated.
Individually weak, yes—but together, they formed a decisive force.
The problem was further compounded by the fact that she wasn't competing against a single rival.
There were four other candidates in total, and each of them siphoned off portions of the noble vote for different reasons—alliances, ideology, regional loyalty, or sheer popularity.
Every fraction of support she lost to them weakened her position even more.
That was why the conclusion became terrifyingly clear.
As long as the noble votes were divided among four candidates, if a fifth candidate managed to secure the overwhelming support of the entire common class, that candidate would win the Royal Selection with ease.
And right now, everything pointed to Emilia being exactly that candidate.
She still could not understand what compelled the Wise Men to include such an absurd and unbalanced rule in the Royal Selection system, especially someone like Miklotov.
To her, it made no sense at all.
Allowing the votes of commoners to accumulate into something so influential felt reckless, almost as if the system had been deliberately designed to destabilize the traditional balance of power.
Was it a direct order from the Divine Dragon?
That possibility crossed her mind more than once, but there was no way to confirm it.
No matter how wide her intelligence network spread, her informants had never managed to penetrate the true core of Lugunica's administration.
The inner workings of the Sage Council remained frustratingly opaque, and any answers she sought were buried far beyond her reach.
"What else do you suggest?" Crusch asked sharply, grinding her teeth as she turned toward Anastasia Hoshin.
The tension in her voice was impossible to miss.
Anastasia raised an eyebrow in response, her expression calm but calculating, as if she had already accepted how dire their situation truly was.
"Our only remaining options," Anastasia said evenly, "are to accomplish a feat on the same level as what Zero achieved… or it might be better to simply call this alliance off altogether."
The words were blunt, leaving no room for misinterpretation.
Crusch's eyes widened slightly at the implication.
"Are you suggesting that we kill the Black Serpent?" she asked instantly.
The idea wasn't entirely foreign to her. After all, she had a history with Great Mabeasts.
In the past, she had successfully lured one away from her territory, an act that not only saved countless lives but also cemented her reputation and earned her the fame she was now known for.
"Indeed, Duchess… we have been attempting different approaches for several months now, and let us be honest with ourselves—we should have reached this conclusion much earlier, don't you think?" Anastasia Hoshin said, openly pointing out their collective carelessness and hesitation up until now.
Her tone was calm, but the words themselves carried an unmistakable edge of frustration, as if she was tired of pretending that time had not already been wasted.
Although Zero had gained overwhelming momentum after being crowned as a hero—slaying two Great Mabeasts and personally killing three Sin Archbishops—they had still believed that his poor reputation within the noble circles would prevent him from completely overtaking them.
That assumption, however, had slowly begun to collapse under its own weight.
For the past several months, they had continued running their own political campaigns, trying to stabilize their standing through traditional methods.
They were even forced to imitate the strategy of Emilia Camp, particularly the use of public speeches, after witnessing just how effective that approach had been.
Crusch, to her credit, had achieved a certain level of success through this method, enough to momentarily slow their decline.
However, that success was fragile at best.
During those speeches, common citizens began asking increasingly pointed questions—questions about what major changes Crusch intended to bring to the world, changes on the same scale as those promised and demonstrated by the Emilia Camp.
Those questions gradually turned the atmosphere against her.
If not for the pressure coming from the common people themselves, Crusch's campaign might have gone far better than it ultimately did.
In the end, speaking boldly without possessing achievements to back those words—or worse, having accomplishments that were utterly incomparable to those of the so-called great hero, Zero—proved to be far less effective.
Compared to the momentum and tangible results displayed by the Emilia Camp, their efforts felt hollow, and the gap between them continued to widen with every passing day.
Only then did Crusch Karsten truly come face to face with reality.
Her speeches—delivered by someone renowned for military strategy, battlefield leadership, and morale-boosting rhetoric—were having less impact than those of a single half-elf.
Worse still, that half-elf was a silver-haired one who openly resembled the very image of the Witch of Envy.
The irony of it was not lost on her, and it stung far more than she cared to admit.
That was the moment Crusch finally realized just how far behind she truly was in this race.
Panic did not seize her, but urgency certainly did.
From that point onward, she began trying her best to replicate Emilia's methods.
If Emilia held one public speech, Crusch would hold three.
If Emilia appeared before the people once, Crusch made sure to be seen repeatedly, determined to close the widening gap through sheer effort and persistence.
However, confusion soon followed.
When Emilia abruptly stopped holding public speeches altogether, Crusch could not understand why.
Despite that uncertainty, she continued her own speeches regardless, believing consistency would eventually pay off.
That belief lasted only until the moment the Seven Sisters Company released something entirely new—an invention known as newspapers—which instantly became a massive sensation.
All four royal camps were caught completely off guard by the idea.
The concept of systematically gathering information and intelligence, recording it onto paper, and then distributing it to the public was nothing short of revolutionary.
It was such a brilliant and efficient method that even Anastasia Hoshin, someone who prided herself on commercial foresight, was left genuinely shocked by its execution and effectiveness.
Crusch Karsten watched as these newspapers began functioning as a campaign tool in their own right.
They openly listed the achievements of the Emilia Camp, detailed their actions, and spread Emilia's promises far beyond what speeches alone could ever accomplish.
Even commoners within the Capital—people who previously held little interest or loyalty—began shifting their allegiance after repeatedly reading those reports.
Realizing the danger far too clearly, Crusch immediately called for a private meeting with Anastasia Hoshin.
That decision, born from urgency and growing pressure, ultimately led them directly into the situation they now found themselves trapped within.
"I agree," Crusch Karsten said after thinking it through for a long moment.
Her expression was calm, but her mind was already moving ahead, weighing risks and outcomes.
In the past, she had successfully lured the Great Rabbit away from populated territory.
While she herself had not slain the beast but it gave her experience against the Great Mabeasts.
Because of that experience, she did not believe the Black Serpent would be fundamentally different in terms of execution.
Yes, the Serpent possessed a different category of abilities, and yes, its poison-based nature made it uniquely dangerous, but unlike some other threats, its behaviors and patterns were extensively documented.
Compared to unknown variables, this gave her a significant advantage.
With sufficient preparation, manpower, and coordination, she was confident that the Black Serpent could be dealt with effectively.
After all, she had already faced a great mabeast during an unexpected and chaotic situation and still managed to guide events toward a favorable outcome.
Compared to an impromptu crisis like that, a planned operation—even against the strongest of the great mabeasts—felt manageable in her eyes.
The risk was undeniable, but it was not beyond reason.
More importantly, the Black Serpent's long history of atrocities made it a symbol of fear and suffering across the land.
Slaying it would not merely be a military victory; it would be a political one as well.
If she succeeded, the fame and recognition gained from eliminating such a notorious threat would likely surpass even what Zero had earned from slaying the other two great mabeasts.
In her mind, this was not just an option—it was the decisive move they had been searching for.
"Very well, Duchess… I will provide you with my full financial backing, along with my mercenaries and, of course, my finest knights," Anastasia Hoshin said decisively, her voice calm but resolute, as if the matter had already been settled in her mind.
At those words, Julius Juukulius, who had been standing silently at the side of the room until now, flinched almost imperceptibly.
A wry, self-deprecating smile formed on his face before he could stop it, his gaze lowering slightly.
'Finest of knights?' Julius repeated the phrase in his mind with bitter irony.
Ever since his crushing defeat at the hands of Zero, followed by the overwhelming list of achievements that man had accumulated in such a short time, Julius had been drowning in shame and embarrassment.
The gap between them felt insurmountable, not only in strength, but in presence and impact.
Just recalling how he had once tried to put someone like Zero "in his place" sent a sharp pang through his chest.
What he had believed to be righteousness back then now felt like arrogance and blindness.
Instead of earning admiration, his actions had only brought him regret, and the weight of those mistakes lingered heavily on his conscience.
He had not earned praise from the people.
Instead, he had earned their scorn.
The common folk no longer spoke of knights like Julius with awe; their eyes shone only when they spoke of Zero, the man they believed to be their greatest hero.
Standing there in silence, Julius could not help but feel that the title of "finest knight" no longer belonged to him at all.
While the Royal Knights, due to their previously unfavorable stance toward Zero, still held complicated feelings about him, they could no longer deny his achievements.
Even among those who disliked him or disagreed with his methods, Zero was held in high regard now.
No one dared to badmouth him openly anymore, and those who had once spoken ill of him either stayed silent or quietly changed their stance.
Some individuals had even shifted their allegiance entirely, and others simply avoided the topic altogether whenever Zero's name came up.
Since that turning point, Julius Juukulius had been desperately searching for a way to redeem himself.
The weight of his past actions and words never truly left him, no matter how much time passed.
The idea of atonement lingered in his thoughts day and night, gnawing at his pride and sense of duty as a knight.
Apologize to Zero?
No, that was not an option.
Doing so openly would only bring shame to his Lord and further diminish the dignity of the knighthood he represented.
Julius could not allow himself to take a path that would stain the honor of the very position he was sworn to uphold.
Yet now, as he considered the possibility of achieving something on the same level as what Zero had accomplished, a spark of hope ignited within him.
The thought alone stirred his blood and strengthened his resolve. If he could perform a feat that only a true hero could accomplish, then perhaps he could finally reclaim what he had lost.
'Maybe I can live up to my title… again,' Julius thought to himself, clenching his fist quietly.
He wanted to prove it—not just to Zero, but to the people, to the knights, and most of all to himself—that he too can become a hero.
(A/N: Young man We all know how it ended, don't worry you will get your minimum wage XD)
"Yes, my Lady," he said as he stepped forward, deliberately unsheathing his sword and holding it firmly in front of him.
The sound of steel leaving its scabbard echoed clearly in the room.
"I swear upon this sword that I carry—I shall not fail you."
Anastasia Hoshin nodded in response, her expression composed and steady.
Although she maintained her calm demeanor, the memory of her knight's defeat at the hands of Zero still lingered painfully in her mind.
Even now, that loss stung her pride.
However, she also acknowledged an important truth: her knight had not fought at his full potential during that confrontation.
He had neither used his spirits nor relied on his magic at the time.
After all, Julius Juukulius was not simply known as The Knight.
He was the Spirit Knight.
Without his contracted spirits and the magic that complemented them, he was only a shadow of his true strength.
Julius was never meant to fight as a lone swordsman; his true power only manifested when he fought alongside his spirits.
And this time, unlike before, he would be fully prepared for battle.
"I believe in you, Julius-kun," Anastasia said firmly, her voice carrying confidence.
She then turned her gaze slightly to the side.
"And you as well, Ricardo."
The large wolf-man beside her—Ricardo Welkin—gave a confident nod in response, his posture relaxed yet ready, as if already anticipating the coming fight.
"~Nyaah! Lady Crusch, ya can trust me to have yer back and heal any injuries ya get!" Felix Argyle chimed in cheerfully, his usual playful tone contrasting with the seriousness of the situation.
Crusch Karsten nodded with a confident smile, clearly reassured by Felix's words.
After that, she shifted her attention toward the final figure in the room.
Standing silently was Wilhelm van Astrea, who had yet to speak.
A great deal had changed ever since Reina had left him behind.
Although Heinkel had not completely severed their familial ties, the relationship between father and son was far from healthy, and the distance between them felt wider with each passing day.
There were conversations left unfinished, emotions left unspoken, and wounds that neither of them knew how to address properly.
For months, Wilhelm had been trapped in his own thoughts, endlessly contemplating the value of his continued existence.
More than once, the idea of ending his life crossed his mind, especially during the quiet nights when memories resurfaced without mercy.
However, in the end, it was not despair that defined him.
Drawing strength from the memories of his late wife—her smile, her resolve, and the way she had always faced danger without hesitation—he managed to steady himself.
With that borrowed strength, Wilhelm returned to service under Crusch Karsten, choosing duty over surrender.
"Lady Crusch," Wilhelm said as he stepped forward, his posture straight and his expression solemn.
His voice carried neither hesitation nor fear, only quiet resolve.
"I swear upon my sword that I will see that beast slaughtered," Wilhelm stated firmly, his grip tightening around the hilt as if reaffirming his resolve through steel itself.
He understood the truth well enough.
He knew that it was not the beast that had taken his wife from him.
He also knew that his chance for true revenge had already ended when the White Whale was finally slain.
That chapter of his life was closed, whether he liked it or not.
Even so—Wilhelm would still raise his sword.
Not for vengeance, not for glory, but to protect what still mattered to him in the present.
His vow to Crusch Karsten was now the sole purpose guiding his actions, the last remaining goal in a life filled with regret and loss.
He refused to abandon it, no matter the cost.
Even if he were to fall in battle, he would do so just as his wife once had—standing tall, sword raised, protecting others until the very end.
"Very well," Crusch said as she rose from her seat, her voice firm and commanding as it filled the room.
"Then the preparations to confront the Great Serpent begin now."
With those words, the decision was finalized, and the path forward was set.
To be continued...
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