Chapter Summaries

Fang Li told Beatrice that Emilia would soon leave for the Royal Capital as the Royal Selection began and asked her to protect Meli from the Witch Cult while he was away. Beatrice agreed after Fang Li promised to make her a Puck doll, then asked him to hold out his hand.

• Beatrice asked Fang Li why he had decided to leave the mansion after staying there for a month.
• Fang Li said the Witch Cult might target Emilia and that she was about to travel to the Royal Capital for the Royal Selection.
• Fang Li asked Beatrice to keep an eye on Meli while he and Emilia were gone, and said he knew the identity of the fifth Dragon Priestess.
• Beatrice questioned why she should help, so Fang Li offered to make her a fluffy Puck doll and threatened to tell Puck she disliked his dolls.
• Beatrice agreed to help, then turned serious and told Fang Li to hold out his hand.

Fang Li formed a temporary contract with Beatrice, allowing him to leave the mansion while she remained bound by its terms until his next return. After the meeting, Roswaal announced that he, Emilia, Rem, and Fang Li would travel to the Royal Capital.

• Beatrice took Fang Li's hand and invoked a contract granting his wish.
• Beatrice explained that the contract was temporary, did not make her Fang Li's spirit, and would last until he returned.
• Beatrice sent Fang Li out of the Forbidden Library, and he inferred that she would remain bound if he never came back.
• After the meeting, Roswaal announced that the group would prepare to leave for the Royal Capital.
• Fang Li joined Emilia, Roswaal, and Rem for the journey, while Emilia worried that he might be coming along unnecessarily.

Fang Li parted ways with Emilia and Rem in the Royal Capital, explaining that he had business of his own and someone to find. He promised to return to the mansion if the Witch Cult did not appear, leaving Emilia worried but reassured for now.

• Fang Li stopped the Dragon Carriage near a park in the Royal Capital and got out.
• Emilia asked whether it was all right for Fang Li to stop there, and he said he had his own matters to attend to and needed to find someone he knew.
• Fang Li explained that the Witch Cult was unlikely to appear so close to the royal castle and that there was no reason for him to keep following Emilia.
• Rem asked whether Fang Li would come back, while Emilia feared losing the friend she had come to rely on.
• Fang Li promised to return to the mansion if the Witch Cult did not appear, then left Emilia, Rem, and Roswaal behind.

Fang Li searched the noble district for Reinhard and found Subaru Natsuki being beaten in an alley. He knocked out Subaru’s attackers and drew the interest of a nearby girl.

• Fang Li considered going to the royal castle to find Reinhard, a Royal Guard Knight, rather than asking at a guard station.
• Fang Li heard Subaru Natsuki being beaten in an alley while he loudly tried to awaken the power in his right hand, then his left.
• Fang Li turned into the alley and saw three thugs attacking Subaru while a girl watched nearby.
• Fang Li kicked all three thugs unconscious and gave them no chance to continue beating Subaru.
• The girl looked at Fang Li with interest while Subaru remained on the ground.

Fang Li reunited with Subaru Natsuki in an alley, where Subaru complained about his miserable life and his envy of Fang Li. After Subaru’s attempted rescue of a noble girl ended in humiliation, she turned her interest toward Fang Li and demanded his name.

• Fang Li defeated three thugs and reached out to Subaru Natsuki, who suddenly sprang up and punched at him.
• Fang Li caught Subaru’s punches, and Subaru cried about being left alone in the Royal Capital and complained about his life with a justice-minded knight.
• Subaru learned Fang Li had followed a silver-haired beauty and was being served by twin maids, then begged him to reveal the mansion’s location.
• Fang Li pointed out that Subaru had tried to save the girl beside them, and Subaru imagined she would fall for him.
• The girl mocked Subaru for lying beaten on the ground, then introduced herself through her confidence and asked Fang Li to state his name.

Fang Li met Priscilla Barielle, a royal throne candidate known as the “Blood-Colored Bride,” while she watched Subaru and others face trouble in an alley. He left after provoking her, and Priscilla became determined to see whether Fang Li would revolve around her.

• Fang Li identified Priscilla as a royal throne candidate, and Subaru realized she was the famous “Blood-Colored Bride.”
• Priscilla scorned Subaru and demanded that Fang Li introduce himself properly.
• Fang Li explained that Priscilla’s Blessing of the Sun helped make her believe the world revolved around her.
• Fang Li lifted Priscilla’s chin and told her that men would not revolve around her, then dragged Subaru out of the alley.
• Priscilla watched Fang Li leave and resolved to see whether he would revolve around her.

Fang Li visited Felt at the mansion where Reinhard had confined her after discovering she was the lost princess of Lugnica. Felt rejected the revelation and remained furious at being kept there.

• Fang Li and Subaru Natsuki went to Felt’s room, where Felt attacked Fang Li with a wind-powered kick.
• Felt complained that Reinhard had locked her in the mansion and forced her to wear clothes she disliked.
• Fang Li reminded Felt that she had chosen to seek out Reinhard to learn about her origins.
• Fang Li revealed that Felt was the sole surviving member of Lugnica’s royal family, abducted as an infant fourteen years earlier.
• Felt refused to accept her identity as a princess.

Fang Li urged Felt to reconsider the Royal Selection as a chance to prove herself rather than an undeserved royal windfall. Felt was left pondering his advice, while Reinhard listened from the doorway and decided to thank Fang Li.

• Subaru Natsuki questioned why Felt refused the wealth and status of her royal heritage, and Felt explained that she wanted to build her own life rather than accept handouts.
• Fang Li asked whether Felt intended to reject the Royal Selection and return to the slums, and Felt hesitated over both choices.
• Fang Li told Felt that becoming a candidate was only an opportunity to prove herself, not a gift that threatened her dignity.
• Fang Li left the room, and Subaru Natsuki hurried after him, leaving Felt to consider his words.
• Reinhard listened from the doorway and said he should thank Fang Li.

Fang Li visited Subaru Natsuki at the Astrea estate and warned him that the world was too dangerous for his get-rich plan to keep him safe. He confronted Subaru about running away again and left him facing the truth that he was afraid of Fang Li.

• Subaru showed Fang Li his luxurious room and bragged that he had better accommodations than Fang Li.
• Subaru presented his notebook, titled “Plan 2.0: Getting Rich in Another World Through Modern Knowledge,” and prepared to explain his scheme.
• Fang Li warned Subaru that turbulent times were coming and told him not to leave Reinhard's estate if he wanted to stay alive.
• Fang Li's warning brought back Subaru's memories of dying, and Subaru tried to change the subject to his plan.
• Fang Li said Subaru had run away from Emilia again because he was afraid of Fang Li.

Fang Li explained that Subaru Natsuki had feared him because his strength and knowledge made his origins seem mysterious, then told Subaru they were not so different. Fang Li left the manor without joining Emilia at the Royal Selection conference, while Reinhard thought others would want to invite him.

• Fang Li revealed that Subaru had acted hostilely and parted ways with him because he feared Fang Li might exploit his Return by Death.
• Fang Li told Subaru that he did not consider him uniquely important and had other people he could observe.
• Subaru demanded to know why Fang Li could thrive in their world while Subaru had to rely on others for protection.
• Fang Li said he had once been a shut-in like Subaru and that only his death-recording soul had made him numb to death and changed him.
• Fang Li left the room and told Reinhard he would find an inn rather than attend the Royal Selection conference with Emilia.
• Reinhard watched Fang Li leave and remarked that many people would want to invite him.

Fang Li met Al, who used the Witch Cult’s name to persuade him to meet Priscilla. Fang Li left Al battered and boarded Priscilla’s Dragon Carriage, where he presented his treatment of her knight as a special meeting gift.

• Fang Li booked an inn in the Royal Capital and decided to focus on the Witch Cult after settling Subaru Natsuki’s affairs.
• Al approached Fang Li outside the inn and asked him to come along, but Fang Li refused until Al mentioned the Witch Cult.
• Al explained that Priscilla had told him Fang Li would stop to listen if he heard those words.
• Fang Li threatened Al, then went with him to meet Priscilla.
• Inside Priscilla’s Dragon Carriage, Fang Li sat across from her while standing on the battered Al and called it a special meeting gift.

Fang Li confronted Priscilla in her carriage and realized she likely knew nothing about the Witch Cult. He asked who had told her he was investigating it, but Priscilla refused to answer, leaving their exchange tense.

• Priscilla scolded Al for being subdued by Fang Li, and Al explained that resisting would have gotten him killed.
• Priscilla said Fang Li had proven worthy of speaking with and treated him as an amusing object of interest.
• Fang Li asked Priscilla what she knew about the Witch Cult, then concluded she had lured him there because she was interested in him rather than the cult.
• Fang Li asked who had told Priscilla he was investigating the Witch Cult, and Priscilla refused to tell him.

Fang Li confirmed that Priscilla had learned about him from the person he suspected, but when he tried to leave, she climbed into his lap and declared that she wanted him as her husband. After Fang Li rejected her and challenged her threat, Priscilla backed down as the Dragon Carriage entered the royal capital, leaving him unable to leave.

• Fang Li told Priscilla he had already guessed who had given her the information and tried to end their conversation.
• Priscilla stopped Fang Li from leaving, sat in his lap, and declared that he would become her husband.
• Fang Li rejected Priscilla because he already had a lover, and Priscilla threatened to kill him for refusing her.
• Fang Li challenged Priscilla to consider who would die if they fought, and she dropped her oppressive pressure.
• Priscilla dismissed the confrontation as boring as the Dragon Carriage entered the royal capital, where Fang Li could no longer leave.

Fang Li accompanied Priscilla and Al into the royal castle’s audience chamber, where the kingdom’s high-ranking officials had gathered for the announcement of the Royal Selection. Emilia was startled to see him as the meeting’s central figures awaited the proceedings.

• Priscilla led Fang Li and Al through the guarded corridor, while Fang Li said he expected to be drawn into the matter regardless of whether he came now.
• Al teased Fang Li about marrying Priscilla, and Fang Li replied that neither of them could make him fear death.
• A Royal Guard Knight questioned whether Fang Li and Al were Priscilla’s knights; Priscilla identified Al as her knight and declared Fang Li her future husband.
• The group entered the audience chamber, where the kingdom’s military officials, nobles, and other important figures had assembled for the Royal Selection announcement.
• Emilia saw Fang Li enter and reacted with shock and unease.

Fang Li appeared at the Royal Selection with Priscilla, leaving Emilia worried that he had joined her camp. After Fang Li encouraged Emilia to speak her true feelings, she told him she was glad to see him again, and he said he felt the same.

• Emilia was shocked to see Fang Li arrive with Priscilla and wondered why he was there.
• Priscilla called Fang Li her future husband, but Fang Li dismissed her claim as something she said herself.
• Priscilla, Al, and Roswaal left Fang Li and Emilia alone.
• Fang Li urged Emilia to express the truest feelings in her heart.
• Emilia told Fang Li she was glad to see him again, and Fang Li replied that he felt the same.

Fang Li watched Emilia join the Royal Selection candidates as the Sages were summoned, then reunited with Reinhard and recognized the other candidates. The five candidates assembled before the platform, and two Royal Guard Knights approached Fang Li.

• A Royal Guard Knight announced that the Sages were about to enter and called the candidates forward.
• Emilia joined the candidates after Fang Li said he would stay and watch, though she asked him not to act recklessly.
• Reinhard greeted Fang Li and noted that he had arrived with Priscilla rather than Emilia or Felt.
• Fang Li identified Crusch Carsten and Anastasia Hoshin among the assembled candidates and saw Felt avert her gaze.
• Reinhard thanked Fang Li for helping persuade Felt to participate in the Royal Selection.
• A catgirl Fang Li had met at the mansion greeted him as she and another Royal Guard Knight approached.

Fang Li met Julius Juukulius and Felix Argyle, the knights supporting Anastasia and Crusch, who had come to assess him as a potential rival. With Reinhard and Al also present as knights backing other Royal Selection candidates, the gathering left a clash seemingly imminent.

• Julius introduced himself as the Royal Guard Knight known as the Finest Knight, and Felix introduced himself as the Blue, Crusch's supporting knight.
• Felix said Wilhelm had praised Fang Li, and Julius revealed that he had heard Reinhard's Dragon Sword had drawn because of Fang Li.
• Fang Li recognized that Julius and Felix had come to test him because of his connection to Emilia and his unusual abilities.
• Reinhard explained that his presence also mattered because he supported Felt, and Al arrived as Priscilla's knight.
• The knights and Fang Li faced one another as onlookers watched, and the tension grew toward a clash.

Fang Li joined the other candidates’ supporters at the Royal Selection assembly rather than risk damaging Emilia’s standing. The five candidates proved their qualifications with their Dragon Stones, and a mysterious power began to emerge from the dragon carving as the Dragon Stone was summoned.

• The Sages’ representative, Lord Meltoroft, entered the audience hall, and Reinhard identified him to Fang Li.
• Julius, Felix, Al, and Reinhard urged Fang Li to take his place with them, and Fang Li agreed to join the supporters’ formation.
• Marcos, leader of the Royal Guard Knights, explained that the assembly had been called to choose a king and renew Lugnica’s covenant with the dragon.
• The five Royal Selection candidates presented their Dragon Stones, which shone to confirm their qualifications as Dragon Priestesses.
• Marcos called for the Dragon Stone, and the dragon carving on the wall began to glow as Fang Li sensed a mysterious power emerging.

The Dragon Stone appeared, and Marcos declared that all five Dragon Priestesses had been found and the Royal Selection could begin. After the other candidates’ knights pledged their support, Marcos called Fang Li’s name as Emilia’s knight, leaving Fang Li to recognize Roswaal’s pleased expression.

• The Dragon Stone materialized before the throne, and Marcos announced that the Royal Selection could officially commence.
• Reinhard pledged to help Felt ascend the throne, and Julius swore to support Anastasia.
• Felix affirmed his loyalty to Crusch, while Al stepped forward for Priscilla without making a solemn oath.
• Marcos called Fang Li’s name after Emilia waited without a knight, and Fang Li looked toward Roswaal, who smiled with satisfaction.

Fang Li exposed Roswaal’s scheme to draw him into Emilia’s camp and declared that he was not a knight, but someone who understood killing. When officials and members of The Sages insulted Emilia for being a silver-haired Half-Elf, Fang Li confronted them and put his hand on the Dragon Stone.

• Fang Li recognized that Roswaal had maneuvered him into joining Emilia’s camp because he would not let Emilia face criticism alone.
• Fang Li told the hall that he was not a knight and that the only thing he understood was killing, prompting the Royal Guard Knights to take him seriously.
• A civil official mocked Emilia and Fang Li, and several members of The Sages called for the Royal Selection candidates to be reconsidered.
• The civil official denounced Emilia as a filthy Half-demon and a symbol of disaster while she silently endured the insults.
• Fang Li challenged the official and the other critics, then stood beside the Dragon Stone and placed a hand on it.