A Puppet Not Worth Killing

What happened next was so obvious that no explanation was needed.

Meltoroft, who had been silently observing everything unfold, finally spoke in the name of the Sages.

"Since she is the heir to the throne recognized by the dragon, then in accordance with the dragon's will, we acknowledge that Emilia has a fair chance to compete. From now on, no one will be allowed to slander the candidate for the throne on the grounds of being Half-demon. Anyone who violates this rule will be considered guilty of the same crime as insulting the king."

One sentence determined the entire outcome.

Now, those civil officials who could only talk big no longer dared to speak out, Yuiyui hid meekly in the queue, desperately trying to minimize their presence.

The neurotic civil official was utterly terrified, remaining in a daze until he was eventually led out of the audience hall by the guards.

As for Emilia, after realizing that she would be treated fairly from now on, she kept her eyes closed, her delicate body trembling slightly, desperately trying to suppress the emotions welling up in her heart.

Otherwise, Emilia would surely weep with joy, shedding shameful tears in front of all the nobles and knights of the kingdom.

The rest of the people remained silent and did not make any further statements, allowing the entire Royal Selection meeting to proceed smoothly to the end.

Clearly, the appearance of the dragon had an indescribable impact on everyone present, leaving them speechless and unable to offer any further opinions.

Of course, there is another reason that led to this situation.

That was Fang Li, who left the audience hall immediately after that.

Recalling the man who questioned the dragon before the Dragon Stone in front of all the kingdom's high-ranking officials and nobles, ultimately causing the dragon to appear, everyone believed.

After today, Fang Li's name will spread throughout the entire Dragon-Affiliated Kingdom of Lugnica.

It became known to everyone.

At the top of the royal city, on the city platform facing the Royal Capital.

At this moment, Roswaal stood facing the oncoming wind and waves, one hand on his tall hat, his head down, his expression unclear, only the slightly upturned corners of his mouth remained unchanged, allowing people to glimpse the smile on his profile.

Not long after, Roswaal laughed out loud.

"You came out so quickly? You really want to confront me and demand an explanation?"

As Roswaal finished speaking, a figure slowly appeared behind him.

You should be grateful.

Fang Li held the Moon Blade in his hand, nimbly twirling it between his fingers, and spoke indifferently under the cold gleam of the blade.

"I'm glad I didn't just rush up and stab you."

Upon hearing this, even Roswaal couldn't help but smile wryly, saying, "Just because I let you get involved in the Royal Selection without your permission and helped Emilia, you're planning to kill me?"

"So, haven't I already said it many times?" Fang Li said with a sneer, "All I know how to do is kill people."

"Is that so?" Roswaal's wry smile was replaced by a comical expression. He turned around, spread his hands at Fang Li, and said in a surrendering manner, "But I don't want to die yet. Can you just let me go like this?"

Fang Li did not answer, but looked directly at Roswaal, his eyes flickering slightly before speaking.

"Using such a formal Matoba as the Royal Selection Meeting, to announce to the entire Dragon-Affiliated Kingdom of Lugnica that I am Emilia's knight—is this 'your' will, or the 'world's' will?"

These words caused Roswaal's smile to freeze abruptly.

Fang Li, however, seemed not to have seen anything and continued asking questions on his own.

"It's no use hiding it from me; I know you have the Gospel."

The Gospel are a degraded version of the Book of Wisdom that record the world's memory and understand the past, present, and future.

Although it's a downgraded version, the Gospel do indeed record a certain degree of the future.

According to the original work, Fang Li knew that Roswaal possessed a Gospel.

Therefore, Fang Li had long predicted that Roswaal would know of his existence before encountering him.

"And I know even more that, according to the Gospel, at some point in the future, you will be able to fulfill one of your wishes."

Fang Li said, "However, the future is not fixed and can be changed. If you want to realize your wishes, you must strictly follow the future recorded in the Gospel to ensure that the future does not deviate from its course."

That's why Fang Li asked Roswaal whether this development was something Roswaal himself planned and orchestrated, or something based on the future recorded in the Gospel.

Is it "your" will, or the will of "the world"?

Fang Li asked again.

"I will decide whether or not to kill you based on your answer."

Roswaal's smile finally vanished.

Pressing his tall hat down to hide his expression beneath the brim, Roswaal didn't answer Fang Li's question either. Instead, he chuckled and spoke in this way.

"That's true, but judging from your expression, you probably already knew the answer, right?"

That's right.

Fang Li had already guessed the answer.

Fang Li knew that the reason Roswaal would support a silver-haired Half-Elf in the Royal Selection was because it was one of the stages in the Gospel that led to the future he hoped to see.

Only by supporting Emilia in the Royal Selection can Roswaal ultimately achieve his goal.

In order to revive his teacher.

Roswaal intends to slay the dragon.

Previously, the reason Roswaal expressed such obvious covetousness towards Fang Li and hoped that Fang Li would join his camp was because he valued Fang Li's abilities.

————"The One Who Can Kill All"————

This is the account Fang Li the Gospel.

Such a person is exactly the kind of help Roswaal, who hopes to slay the dragon, most desires.

Since even supporting Emilia was based solely on what was written in the Gospel, Roswaal would certainly not allow Fang Li to assist Emilia in the Royal Selection based on his own will.

In other words, the declaration that Fang Li is Emilia's knight, thereby allowing Fang Li to get involved in the Royal Selection, is all recorded in the Gospel.

Roswaal was simply acting based on this information.

Fang Li's gaze toward Roswaal then became filled with pity.

Immediately, he turned and left.

"Hehe..."

Seeing Fang Li leave without hesitation, Roswaal's face, hidden under the brim of his hat, broke into a laugh again.

That laughter was full of self-deprecation.

Then, Roswaal spoke up.

"Isn't a puppet who only knows how to live his life according to what is written in books worth killing?"

"But so what if it's a doll?"

"As long as I can achieve my goal, I would choose to fall into depravity, even if it means becoming a vengeful ghost, let alone a puppet."