"Hmph. A bunch of ignorant clowns."
Shendu gazed at the hundreds of stone statues. With a small wave of her hand, they shattered one after another, crumbling into dust that scattered into the nearby mountains and forests.
"Hey. Where is the bandits' hideout?"
After reversing the magic of the Rat Talisman and stripping those bandits of their lives, Shendu turned her gaze toward Wolles and asked bluntly.
"Over there!"
Wolles trembled all over, as did the people beside him. In mere seconds, more than three hundred bandits had been annihilated and reduced to ashes. Even Reinhard had never displayed such power.
Terrifying. It was truly terrifying.
Having witnessed Shendu's unfathomable strength, and then noticing Emilia inside the dragon carriage, Wolles seemed to understand something.
"Good. From today onward, there will be no more bandits in this place."
Shendu smiled as gently as a spring breeze, yet her tone was icy to the bone, making Wolles realize that not all beautiful girls were lovable.
She lightly snapped her fingers. Several purple magic circles rapidly formed. The soil, infused once more with the combined power of the Rat Talisman and the Monkey Talisman, began to reshape itself.
This time, instead of starving wolves, towering stone giants emerged—each nearly two meters tall. Their eyes glowed blood-red, and in their hands they wielded enormous spiked clubs.
There were only around a dozen of them, but they looked anything but easy to deal with. Shendu casually waved her hand, and the strange creatures she had created marched off with heavy footsteps toward the bandits' stronghold.
Witnessing this scene, Wolles silently mourned the bandits. In no more than a few minutes, the gang that had entrenched themselves in this region would likely vanish like smoke.
At the same time, he felt grateful for his own luck in having encountered such a terrifying woman.
"Alright. Consider yourselves fortunate. We'll part ways here."
Shendu waved her hand, glanced at them once more, and turned to leave.
"Wait! If you don't mind, please join our Hoshin Company. Chairwoman Anastasia will receive you with the highest courtesy and honor you as a distinguished guest!"
Seeing that Shendu was about to leave, Wolles refused to miss this opportunity. He attempted to recruit the mysterious girl before him.
Although the Hoshin Company was powerful and even had mercenary groups under its command, it lacked a powerhouse of this caliber.
"Tch. Not interested. It doesn't appeal to me."
Shendu shot him a cold glance, rose into the air, and in an instant flew back toward the dragon carriage.
Inside the carriage, Emilia's blue-violet eyes flickered with shock. Rem was equally stunned, while Felt and Natsuki Subaru were left staring blankly.
(Is this Sister Shendu's true strength? She's really strong.)
(It seems she wasn't lying.)
(Big Sister is amazing!)
(Unbelievable... a supporting heroine who can actually help the protagonist.)
Each of them had different thoughts, but they all gained a new understanding of Shendu.
After returning to the dragon carriage, the journey resumed. Shendu admired the scenery for a while before turning her attention to Emilia.
"By the way, as a candidate for the throne, how are your supporters? Compared to the other candidates, where do you stand?"
As if nothing had happened, she casually asked the question.
"Well..."
Hearing this, Emilia hesitated, unsure whether she should speak about such matters.
"I'll answer."
Seeing Emilia's conflicted expression, Rem spoke without hesitation.
"At present, Lady Emilia is the least favored among the royal candidates. Right now, only Lord Roswaal is willing to support her. She ranks at the very bottom."
"That's enough, Rem. Don't say any more."
Emilia looked troubled when Rem spoke without her consent. She glanced awkwardly at Shendu, whose expression remained calm, which finally allowed her to relax slightly.
...
"Furthermore, the kingdom is already plagued by both internal and external troubles. Relations with other nations have been severed. It is impossible for outsiders to enter the kingdom smoothly. Yet you arrived at the most critical moment and approached a royal candidate."
As she spoke, Rem's gaze gradually sharpened. She looked at them word by word.
"Don't you think someone appearing under such circumstances deserves suspicion?"
Indeed, from the very beginning, Rem had suspected whether Shendu and the others had been sent by another nation to approach her master. But just now, she had overturned that assumption.
Normally, spies who infiltrated the kingdom would not be overly powerful, nor would they act so high-profile.
Yet Shendu displayed her strength without the slightest concealment. Such overwhelming, despair-inducing power made it unlikely she was a mere spy. Even so, for one final test, Rem said everything that needed to be said.
If Shendu made the slightest suspicious move, she would not hesitate to risk her life to protect Emilia.
"That's enough, Rem. Sister Shendu is my friend. You can't treat her like this."
Seeing Rem's face-to-face suspicion, Emilia puffed out her cheeks and glared at her, feeling that the maid was being overly cautious.
"Lord Roswaal once said that any suspicious target must be doubted."
Rem replied seriously, still staring intently at Shendu.
"There's no need to worry. Sister Shendu helped me in my time of danger. She is absolutely not a bad person."
As a silver-haired half-elf, Emilia truly liked this mysterious girl who shared the same silver hair. For some reason, whenever she was by her side, Emilia felt at ease.
"That doesn't mean she is trustworthy."
Rem remained firm, insisting on her own principles.
"Enough, Rem. I was the one who wanted to keep them by my side. Lord Roswaal also said that we must repay those who help us."
Emilia gathered her courage and spoke sternly, even invoking Roswaal's name to finally make Rem fall silent.
"Very well. Since Lady Emilia has said so, I will say no more."
Rem sighed inwardly, feeling that Emilia was simply too kind and therefore easily taken advantage of.
After mustering the courage to say those words, Emilia fell silent. From time to time, she glanced at Shendu, as if worried that she might take offense.
"Alright, little maid. Your suspicion is understandable. But time will prove everything. When the moment comes, you will understand whether we are enemies or allies."
Shendu smiled, speaking without the slightest concern.
"We'll see."
Rem snorted coldly and turned her head away.
As for the Royal Selection, Shendu felt it was necessary for her to get involved. After all, she still needed to complete her task.