"Finally… Lord Crimson and his attendant, the knight Reinhard van Astrea," Marcos announced.
Crimson stepped forward, his stride calm, collected, emanating regality, which didn't fit his earlier attitude. Reinhard followed closely, silent and solemn. Crimson momentarily glanced at her with what looked to be an apology.
A scoff rang out.
The same councilman from before, the one who had shown nothing but hostility toward Reinhard, muttered loud enough for the chamber to catch it:
"The Astrea family offers a cripple to rule us, while the Margrave Mathers endorses a half-devil. This is utter foolishness."
As if in perfect sync, Crimson and Subaru turned their heads, eyes locking on the man with subtle, simmering hatred.
Crimson's lips curled into a smile.
"That's strike two," he said coolly, his voice just loud enough to halt the whispering crowd.
Roswaal, halfway through his theatrical return to his place, paused. His eyes sparkled with delight as he looked back up at the speaker.
"My, my… It's quite impolite to call a half-elf a half-devil, wouldn't you say?"
His tone feigned an attempt at peacemaking, but his twisted smile revealed otherwise. His gaze angled, almost too eagerly, toward Subaru, who stood visibly trembling, fists clenched from restrained fury.
The air thickened with tension.
And then, Crimson tilted his head, breathing hard out of his nose. With feigned innocence, he began.
"Now, now… I may wear a blindfold," he began, voice smooth, "but did I ever confirm whether I was blind?"
A ripple of murmurs shot through the room.
"He's… not blind?"
"Then why's he wearing it?"
"Come to think of it, how did he move around so easily?"
"Yeah, he's too confident to be blind."
The accusatory voice of the same old councilman rose once more, indignant and provocative. "Then you were just mocking us, wearing something so misleading!"
Crimson slowly turned to face him fully.
"Of course not," he replied, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "It's for safety."
"Safety of what?" the wise man growled.
Crimson tilted his head slightly, the smile still lingering. "Well, judging by your voice," he said with mock consideration, "I was right to wear one after all. You sound ugly. if I saw your face, I might throw up on the spot."
A ripple of suppressed laughter burst from the audience, unsure at first, but growing.
Subaru was the loudest among them, nearly doubled over with stifled snickering.
Subaru's own hatred for the man who insulted Emilia made him feel satisfaction when he was put in his place.
"You—!" the old wiseman seethed red.
"And since we're on the topic of appearances…" Crimson cut him off, voice cold but calm. "If you judge others based solely on how they look, you'll never get far."
The room quieted.
Even the Emilia camp blinked, surprised. Was this candidate… sticking up for them?
The other candidates felt a sense of unease build up. Was this his way of attempting an alliance with the Emilia camp?
The wise man's lip curled. He turned sharply toward the audience, as if seeking their agreement.
"She matches the appearance of the Witch of Envy, as it has been described for generations!"
A few murmurs of agreement scattered across the chamber.
"Why do none of you realize?" he barked. "Even allowing her into the throne room is… It's dreadful!"
Emilia flinched.
Her eyes shut tightly, and, without a word, she turned and descended from the platform.
"You filthy woman!" the wise man growled after her, veins bulging.
Subaru moved.
He stepped forward instinctively, trembling, rage boiling over, until a small hand gripped his. Beatrice, eyes tight with conflict, clung to her contractor.
"Subaru…" she murmured. "Don't."
But Crimson wasn't done.
"Oh, I see now…" he said, voice goading. "So now you're switching sides, from feminist to misogynist?"
He turned slightly, mock-inquisitive. "Pick a side, old man. SOOO hypocritical.
Crimson let out a breath, slow and full of disappointment. He stepped forward, eyes scanning the hall like a teacher fed up with unruly children.
His voice rang out, loud and sharp like a whip.
"Shut up and sit down. Let me do my introduction, then you can make a ranting imbecile out of yourself."
He cracked a knuckle.
"Actually… you all need your confidence cut down. Every single one of you."
His gaze turned to the row of seated Wise Men, lingering on them with disgust.
"So, tell me… what's so wise about you?" he asked, his voice dropping into a biting mockery.
"Are you supposed to be intelligent government officials? Protectors of justice? Guardians of this kingdom's best interest?"
Many of the wisemen scowled at him, as he addressed them mockingly. Yet some sat listening to his words, contemplating them.
A pause. He gave them just enough time to believe he might stop there.
"…No. That's just a title."
He waved a hand dismissively toward the council, his smirk spreading like venom.
"Let's have a little confessional."
And with that, Crimson raised one hand.
The hall fell still.
Crimson smiled, a knowing smile.
It was the smile of a man who held all the cards.
"You." He pointed straight at the wiseman who had insulted him and Reinhard earlier. "Lord Colev, right?"
The man sat up straighter, clearly unnerved. " Why do you know my name? What are you implying?"
Crimson's voice dropped to a near whisper, but the room heard every word.
"Let's start with the basics. Perjury. Arson. Sexual assault. Embezzlement. Fraud. Bribery."
With each word, Colev's face paled, jaw clenching tighter.
"You have no proof—"
"Oh?" Crimson said, raising a brow behind the blindfold. "Would you like the full list? Because I have it. All of it."
He turned, pointing to a man sitting farther back.
"You. Murder, extortion, kidnapping."
Then to a councilman seated near the edge.
"You?" A half-smile tugged at his lips. "You're just an overall dick."
That man leapt to his feet, red-faced and shaking. "This is slander! He's insulting the council, this is beneath the throne room!"
Crimson shrugged, voice calm.
"Your hasty response only makes you look more guilty."
The room was frozen.
The wisemen, red-faced and seething, stood abruptly, hands raised in unison, mana surging at their fingertips. A wave of hostility rippled out, the air shimmering with a preparing attack magic.
Marcos shouted. "Are you insane using magic in the throne room?"
Subaru, seeing the erupting chaos, looked to Beatrice.
"Beako, we should do something." He looked frantic.
However, Beatrice looked at the scene with a sly smirk.
"There is no need for Betty or Subaru to assist, as long as she is here, no one innocent shall be injured."
"She?" Subaru asked in confusion.
Julius and Felix stepped in front of their respective ladies, protectively. As they might suffer backlash from the attack.
"Lady Anastasia, you are safe with me." The elegant purple-haired knight drew his sword, as multiple different color lights converged on his sword's edge.
"My lady, this Purrrfect, body will be your shield." Felix's tail flicked from side to side, showing that despite his words, he was quite nervous.
"Still joking at a time like this, Felix," Crusch asked the cat boy exasperated. Felix, in response, stuck out his tongue teasingly.
Al attempted to do the same, jumping in front of the fiery, arrogant, orange-haired lady. But unlike the other knights, he was harshly kicked in the side by Priscilla.
"Did I ask for your protection, Aldebaran?"
Al, who staggered, groaning, managed to muster out an apology.
Other wisemen hastily shouted at their enraged members to stop.
Roswall scowled. Why was everything so complicated? Waving his hand in a circular motion, the clown conjured a barrier as a yellow glint similar to stained glass emerged between the attackers.
Crimson didn't flinch. He stood still, arms crossed, a sneer curling his lips. Balls of water and earth spikes, preparing to launch at his position
But before a single spell could be cast—
Boom.
A pulse of pure pressure burst through the hall as Reinhard stepped forward protectively, eyes blazing as she planted herself between Crimson and the council. Her sword remained sheathed, but the air itself seemed to bow to her. The mana hanging in the air was all absorbed suctioned toward her abdomen, blue and brown colors being snuffed out like candles. Every person felt it… a chill crawling up their spines.
They shuddered.
Reinhard with her sky blue eyes cold, filled with fury, made a declaration. "Anyone who attempts to harm my lord will die by my hand." Her red hair was flowing despite the lack of wind.
No one had ever encountered the sword saint expressing such emotion; the thought of it made everyone uneasy.
From her pedestal, Priscilla opened her ornate fan and waved it lazily, a smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"While he lacks even the most basic manners," she mused, "he is quite the jester. Perhaps I could make use of him… as a footrest."
Anastasia narrowed her eyes, tapping her chin in thought, her usual grin growing sharper.
"If what he's saying is true," she whispered to Julius, "then he must have a well-connected intelligence network. Hm… I wonder if I could hire him."
Crusch, ever composed, stood slowly. Her eyes, steel-cold, locked onto the wisemen.
"If the accusations hold any truth," she said, voice stern and deliberate, "then the guilty must face justice. No one is above the law."
"Enough!"
The command boomed like thunder across the hall.
Marcos, the lead knight, stepped forward, brows furrowed, his gaze sweeping the room. First, he looked to the agitated Wise Men, then to the boy who dared to accuse and insult them so openly.
Crimson stared back, unblinking, his sneer untouched.
"Is this all true?" Marcos demanded.
Crimson grinned wide, tilting his head.
"Yep."
"Of course not!" Lord Colev barked. "This cripple is lying, twisting stories and slandering our honor!"
Marcos didn't even look his way.
Instead, he turned to the group of Wise Men with cold, cutting eyes.
"We will investigate these claims… after the ceremony."
"There is no need."
A calm, assertive female voice rang out.
"Lady Crusch!" Felix gasped in surprise, ears twitching.
Marcos turned toward the speaker, his expression sharpening when he saw the green-haired duchess standing tall.
"You say there is no need?" he asked seriously.
Crusch nodded, her tone steady and eyes unreadable.
"Yes. With my Divine Protection of Wind Reading, I can confirm that Lord Colev's last statement was a falsehood."
Silence fell. Then, all eyes turned to Colev.
His complexion turned a ghastly shade of white.
"Subdue them," Marcos commanded.
Bababam.
Soft thuds rang out in rapid fire as a white-and-red blur streaked across the hall, then vanished just as fast.
"Wh-What just happened?!"
In an instant, every Wise Man who had begun to prepare offensive magic collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The nobles and spectators stared, struggling to process what they had just witnessed.
Subaru blinked, a grin creeping across his face as he crossed his arms.
"Wow… that was fast. Wait… Beako, by she, did you mean…?"
He turned his head slowly, eyes settling on Reinhard, who stood exactly where she had been, serene, unmoving, long, shoulder-length red hair swaying gently. She was leaning slightly toward Crimson, whispering something in a low voice, her face unusually tense, almost concerned.
Crimson stood still, as if zoned out, but he was staggering slightly.
Adjusting his blindfold lower, he tugged it over his ears.
Subaru frowned.
He could've sworn he saw something red dripping from Crimson's ears.
Blood?
…No, that had to be his imagination.
If he were injured, he would've said something.
Right?
Three knights were immediately ordered, to tie the unconscious wisemen.
After the room settled Marco cleared his throat.
"I apologize for the disturbance today. Too much has happened."
"They've gotta be guilty. These people are all full of crap… They should apologize for assaulting Emilia."
"Subaru, it's all right."
Emilia's soft voice cut through his frustration.
She stepped forward.
With a quiet breath, she faced the council, her voice trembling slightly but steadying with each word.
"Allow me to formally introduce myself to the honored council of elders. My name is Emilia. I…"
She paused, glancing briefly to her side as if expecting someone who was no longer there.
"…was accompanied by Puck, a great spirit who controls fire. And I am… a silver-haired half-elf."
It was then that her teeth clenched as she grabbed her scalp, as if in pain.
A ripple of mutters and gasps echoed through the chamber.
Still, Emilia turned, now facing the entire hall.
"I understand that the circumstances of my birth, my elven blood and… the similarities in appearance to the Witch of Envy, will subject me to scorn."
She gripped her hands tightly on her temple.
"However… I adamantly refuse to let all my potential be dismissed because of that. I will not allow fear of my connection to the witch to dismiss my actions."
There was a brief silence.
Emilia then glanced to the side, her voice softening.
"…Thank you… for your support."
She looked directly at Crimson, who was swaying.
But Crimson didn't return her gaze. His expression tensed, jaw clenched, focused anywhere but her face. He looked… regretful. Almost ashamed.
"You shouldn't," he murmured, turning slightly away.
"…I shouldn't what?" Emilia asked gently.
"You shouldn't thank me."
Crimson's voice was low. Measured.
"…You're next."
Her eyes widened. "What do you mean…?"
(AN: Okay, serious question is the pace too slow where you just want quick pace summarizations to get to the next destination, or do you want it even slower, more dialogue, and more detailed descriptions? I have no idea if what I'm doing so far is okay.
So on Tuesday, we had already reached 3/4th of the PS requirement, and I'm stunned. I thought 100 PS would be difficult. Thank you for the support. There were so many hints and reactions from characters that I wanted to add, but it legitimately will take too long. I don't want to spend over 5 chapters on one scene, so I had to cut a lot. Soon, we will get to Julius versus Crimson.
I've set an official release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Although when I get bored, I add extra.
Bonus chapters will drop on Saturdays if my demands are met. 🔫
Trade deal:
You give me 100 power stones, and I give you a bonus chapter.
Sounds fair, right?)