The legend of the Crimson Demon clan started from Suqing

#237 - Pull the bubble big

Clad in dirty clothes that looked like tattered rags, with dull golden hair and violent eyes, her first reaction to strangers was to reveal harmless little tiger teeth.

Invisible thorns surrounded her, as if rejecting the entire world. Rather than describing her as tenacious, the term 'street-smart' better suited this stubborn girl from the slums.

"When did Felt become so outstanding? I'm truly moved."

"Yes, yes, I feel the same."

Outside the main hall doors.

Zun Zun and Old Man Rom's eyes were teary. The two of them were like old fathers who had finally seen their son become a dragon, moved to send Felt into the uppermost palace hall.

Old Man Rom wiped his eyes.

"I'm just getting old and sentimental, it's embarrassing."

"Yes, yes."

"... Brat, why are you crying? You're not old, and you don't have any deep relationship with Felt."

"Because I'm touched. I've seen Old Man Rom's long-cherished wish and Felt's hard work all this time. It's wonderful, Old Man Rom."

Zun Zun also wiped away the tears from his eyes.

Ah, finally... finally, I can go home. This time has been too long. If Reinhard hadn't insisted on Felt participating in the royal selection to feel at ease, he would have returned to Konosuba long ago.

After that, he only needed to wait for Felt to agree to participate in the royal selection. Once the ceremony officially started, he could leave with peace of mind.

"Brat, you seem very concerned about Felt."

"To be honest, I'm probably the person in this world who most wants Felt to participate in the royal selection safely."

"...More than I do?"

"More than Old Man Rom."

Zun Zun said this with utmost seriousness. The giant elder gave him a deep look, his eyes somewhat strange.

"Instead of that, let's listen to what's happening inside!"

"Oh, oh... !"

The two of them stuck their butts high in the air, peering at the palace door with lascivious expressions, trying to hear the voices inside.

Because they hadn't been summoned, they weren't allowed to enter and could only wait outside, feeling slightly annoyed. However, considering that they might be irrelevant later on, they didn't care too much.

It was just that the two of them made the guards at the door feel troubled.

"Um... gentlemen, isn't this a little..."

"A little improper?"

The guards tried their best to use wording that wouldn't anger them, only because the two of them had attended with Reinhard, and because of the loud declaration of the fifth royal selection candidate that had just come from the palace hall, they really didn't dare to do anything excessive.

"Shh—"

"Quiet, I can't hear."

Zun Zun and Old Man Rom glared at them with dissatisfaction. Under the guards' helpless gazes, they stuck their butts even higher and pressed their ears even closer, feeling at ease as they eavesdropped on the conversation inside.

"—Reinhard, what's going on? I've reached my limit!"

What entered their ears was Felt's loud shouting.

Knowing her true nature, Zun Zun knew very well that the red-eyed, golden-haired little girl was using this method to cover up her nervousness. After all, there were many dignitaries in the palace hall, and no matter how thick-skinned she was, a slum girl would still feel uneasy.

"Don't you like this dress? It suits you very well."

"Who's talking to you about clothes! You just brought me to this kind of place without a word, I hate it! Why do you have to do this kind of thing, don't you feel ashamed?"

"This is for the prosperity of the kingdom."

Reinhard didn't hesitate to conclude.

Natsuki Subaru, seeing this scene, finally recovered from the shock just now and exclaimed, "I thought she had changed completely, luckily it's only her appearance, that's great—as expected, the inherent nature in people's bones won't change, it's not just me!"

"Hmph, some boring people have entered this hall."

Priscilla rocked her fan.

Despite saying that, what appeared in her red eyes was an interesting meaning, not feeling flustered by Felt's arrival, but a sense of superiority from standing at the peak of absolute advantage and looking down.

On the other hand, Emilia was a little incredulous. She didn't expect the relationship between the two of them to evolve from competing for the insignia to competing for the throne.

Headed by the other candidates, the attending knights and nobles also showed surprised reactions, but all of them didn't like Felt's rude behavior.

Zun Zun inferred the reactions of the above people from Felt's extremely dissatisfied clicking of her tongue.

However, she still greeted Emilia, Natsuki Subaru, and even Priscilla, although her manners were polite, Felt couldn't change her inherently prickly nature, so her behavior was very rude.

But these three, including Priscilla, didn't resist but accepted the greeting, surprising Al, who thought she would be angry, and he scratched his helmet.

"Lady Felt, it's good to relive old friendships, but please come here."

A low and magnetic male voice came.

This person was the leader of the kingdom's knights, Marcosias. His serious expression made Felt frown and reluctantly return to the front.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I would like to say something about ladylike behavior, but please take this first. Please be careful."

Reinhard walked forward from the side, took out the Dragon Insignia from his arms, and placed it on her palm. The gem in her palm immediately emitted light.

Felt looked at this crest worth 20 gold coins and subconsciously exclaimed, "When I stole it, I thought this stone was really strange, why does it glow?"

"Stole it?"

Marcosias was very sensitive to this word.

Reinhard immediately perfunctorily said, "That's because Lady Felt has been recognized by the dragon as qualified."

"That's right, the Dragon Orb does recognize Lady Felt as a priestess. Since the dragon has agreed to her participation, this royal selection can be considered to have truly begun."

After Marcosias finished speaking, he placed his hand on his chest and bowed, and all the royal guards followed suit.

A day that could be called a historical milestone was indeed a grand scene not to be missed, and everyone present should have felt very emotional... However, even Zun Zun outside the door noticed the strange atmosphere in the palace.

At this time—

"Excuse me, may I say a word?"

A man walked out from the group of civil officials, a middle-aged man with a hunchback and dark circles under his eyes. When everyone's eyes focused on him, he slowly opened his mouth and said:

"In this ceremony to elect a king, the royal knight order, led by the royal guard, has done its best and there is nothing to say. However... although we are following the situation revealed by the Dragon Stone, are there any problems with the candidates?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Everyone is too concerned about the qualifications of the Dragon Priestess, but they have forgotten that the qualifications to wear the crown are key, and this aspect can be said to have been overly neglected!"

—Tsk!

Zun Zun heard an undisguised click of the tongue.

It was Old Man Rom.

Don't look at the giant elder's rough appearance, he was very meticulous. He could tell from here that someone was making things difficult for Felt.

Because she was chosen by the Dragon Stone, they weren't afraid that Felt wouldn't be able to participate in the royal selection, but if Felt herself refused to participate in the royal selection... Knowing her true nature, Old Man Rom felt a sense of crisis.

After only a moment of pause.

"Ah, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts—"

"...Old Man Rom?"

"Sorry Zun Zun, I seem to have eaten something bad this morning, I urgently need to go to the toilet, you keep an eye on things here, I'll be back soon!"

Old Man Rom looked embarrassed, covering his stomach and even squeezing out a foul fart. The guards covered their noses, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.

To this, Zun Zun only wanted to say—

You're lying to ghosts!?

Breakfast was personally prepared by him. Not to mention eating something bad, that little bit wasn't even enough to fill his teeth! Besides, if there was something wrong with the food, why didn't Felt have a stomachache?

Of course, he wouldn't be foolish enough to expose this lie that couldn't be more fake.

He waved his hand.

"Go, go."

"Oh, I'm going first."

Old Man Rom pinched his butt and tiptoed towards the passage. He didn't even ask the guards where the toilet was.

"—Old Man Rom!"

"What's wrong?"

The giant elder turned his head, looking at Zun Zun who gave him a thumbs up with a puzzled expression.

"Be sure to take a big dump!"

"...Isn't that obvious?"

Old Man Rom smiled lewdly, pinched his butt again and walked out. This time he asked for the location of the toilet, and the guards disgustedly pointed him in the direction.

Zun Zun didn't care.

Old Man Rom would definitely not get lost in the palace, and he even knew the location of the secret passage very well, so Zun Zun once again stuck his butt up and eavesdropped on the door.

The palace hall had now become a vegetable market.

The civil official group was quite dissatisfied with Felt becoming a royal selection candidate, and the royal knight order thought that the other party was making things difficult for them, so the two sides quarreled.

When they learned that Felt was a slum orphan, they were even more shocked, but Roswaal didn't know what he was thinking, but he actually pulled Emilia—the silver-haired half-elf—into the vortex.

Seemingly wanting to stand up for Emilia, Zun Zun felt that he wanted to muddy the waters even more.

The evidence was that Roswaal's words caused a strong backlash from the civil official group. After all, compared to a slum orphan, it was even more unbearable for a silver-haired half-elf to become a royal selection candidate.

But after Reinhard clarified that Felt was a royal descendant and bet the Dragon Sword as proof, everyone fell silent.

Even the civil official who had made things difficult at the beginning.

The Sword Saint family... no, just Reinhard's opinion alone, everyone had to consider. Whether it was his talent, martial power, appearance, or talent, he was an existence that broke the mold.

"To actually bet the sword, although he is known as the contemporary Sword Saint, he is quite a crazy person."

Admitting defeat.

The civil official who made things difficult clicked his tongue unwillingly, and he stared again at Felt, who had caused the topic.

"The qualifications of the priestess are put aside for the moment, but coming from the slums... and also possibly being a lost royal bloodline, the hardships you will face next can be said to be beyond imagination, are you prepared?"

The words that seemed to be testing were a ritual, as if to bid farewell to his dissatisfaction with her own answer. Only by getting Felt's clear answer would the conversation end.

That's right, just say that sentence.

However, the slum orphan revealed her strange personality at this time.

"What nonsense are you talking about? Uncle, I never said I wanted to be king!"