At that moment, the cat-eared person standing not far to the front-left of Tsukasa—Felix—suddenly twitched his nose slightly, as if catching a scent in the air.
Then, his cat-like eyes darted around, quickly locking onto Tsukasa's direction.
"Nya?"
He let out a very soft nasal sound, tinged with surprise and amusement, glanced at him, and then quickly looked away.
Standing beside him was none other than that purple-haired knight, Julius. He seemed to have noticed the gaze Tsukasa cast his way, turned slightly, nodded politely to him, and showed an impeccable, gentle smile.
Before Tsukasa could respond, a loud and clear voice echoed from the front of the hall.
A knight standing to the side of the high platform, clad in polished armor—evidently the leader representing all the knights present—formally announced in a volume loud enough for every corner of the hall to hear.
"The esteemed members of the Council of Wise Men, as well as the Royal Selection Candidates, are now all present. Forgive my presumption. I, Marcos, the Captain of the Royal Guards, will be in charge of presiding over these proceedings."
"Mhm. Thank you for your service."
Miklotov, sitting in the central seat, folded his hands and nodded slightly, his white beard moving with the gesture.
Marcos bowed to the Council of Wise Men, then turned around to face everyone in the hall with a serious expression.
"The reason we have troubled you all to gather at the Royal Castle and requested the presence of the Council of Wise Men is to select the next King—that is to say, to deliver a major announcement to all those involved in the Royal Selection."
Marcos's voice was not particularly high-pitched, yet it strangely reached every corner of the hall with equal clarity.
"The origin of this matter dates back approximately half a year."
He continued, his tone heavy, "Starting with the late King, the royal bloodline has perished one after another. The predicament of a nation without a ruler is the greatest crisis our Kingdom faces. Especially for the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica, this is closely related to the crucial matter of the Covenant."
"Covenant..."
The word reached Tsukasa's ears, immediately reminding him of the fragments of conversation he had occasionally heard from Roswaal and Emilia.
'It probably refers to the Covenant with the Dragon?' He thought.
The Covenant—namely, the ancient contract concluded between the Kingdom and the Dragon.
This word had appeared many times in fairy tales and in conversations at the Roswaal Mansion. However, the specific details remained shrouded in mist, much like the Royal Selection itself.
"The relationship between the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica and the Divine Dragon can be traced back several hundred years."
Marcos's voice pulled Tsukasa's thoughts back. "The King at that time, Lord Farsale Lugunica, concluded a sacred Covenant with the Divine Dragon, Volcanica. Since then, the Kingdom has encountered catastrophic disasters several times, and each time it was saved by the Divine Dragon's intervention, allowing it to prosper to this day under its protection."
"The Divine Dragon Volcanica is a being that keeps its word and values righteousness. Even as eras change and time flows on, it still silently guards our nation."
Marcos paused briefly.
Miklotov on the platform gently stroked his long white beard and nodded in agreement.
Below the stage, whether they were knights, nobles, or Royal Selection Candidates and their attendants, everyone held their breath and listened intently.
Tsukasa was no exception. He was curious about these dusty past events and the foundations of the world.
Marcos's voice rang out again, even more solemn. "Because of this, maintaining the Covenant is vital to the survival of the Kingdom and must not be compromised.
However, it is regrettable that the royal bloodline was completely consumed by illness. Therefore, we must decide on the next Dragon Priestess as soon as possible."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the four girls below.
"In the Dragon Communion Ceremony to renew the Covenant, there is a need for a priestess who can communicate thoughts with the Divine Dragon and who has been selected for possessing the corresponding aptitude."
"This was originally a heavy responsibility passed down through the royal bloodline. Now, we are seeking a new successor for it."
Marcos finished speaking in a steady tone that suppressed any emotional fluctuations, took a step forward, and pressed his hand to his chest before the elders of the Council of Wise Men.
"To this end, we, the Royal Guards, were commanded by the lords of the Council of Wise Men to undertake the heavy responsibility of finding the priestesses chosen by the brilliance of the Dragon Jewels."
As he spoke, he reached into his robe, and when he withdrew his hand, his palm held a small insignia embedded with a gemstone.
Tsukasa recognized that object, he had seen it several times with Emilia and Roswaal—it was the proof of qualification for a Royal Selection participant.
Marcos stepped down from the platform, bowed solemnly to the four girls standing in a row, and then held the insignia high for all to see.
"Now, candidates, please present your Dragon Jewels."
The four girls moved as instructed. They raised their respective insignias, which represented their qualifications, to their chests.
In an instant, the entire Throne Room was illuminated by a brilliant light. The source of the light was the jewel in the center of the insignias.
The insignia in Emilia's hand burst into a clear red glow, and the other three insignias also lit up in distinctly different colors.
Several beams of light intertwined, dyeing the solemn hall with dreamlike, variegated colors.
The surrounding Royal Guards let out low gasps of admiration. Even on the wrinkled faces of the Council of Wise Men elders, a look of slight relief appeared.
Marcos's voice rang out again, sounding as if he too had breathed a sigh of relief. "As you can see, every candidate undeniably possesses the qualifications of a Dragon Priestess. After confirming this, we shall follow the guidance of the dragon jewel..."
"Haven't you said enough?"
A voice tinged with impatience, completely out of place with the solemn atmosphere, suddenly interrupted the Royal Guard Captain.
Tsukasa raised an eyebrow and immediately looked for the source of the voice.
The one who had interrupted Marcos was the girl whose Dragon Jewel was emitting a blue light.
She wore a white dress decorated with a large amount of fur, and her light purple wavy hair draped behind her.
At this moment, she tilted her head slightly, looking at Marcos with an expression of almost innocent confusion that was completely inconsistent with this solemn occasion.