A red-haired girl with absurdly strong power appeared in the Royal Capital right on the eve of the Royal Selection.
The timing was too coincidental.
It was like before a storm arrived, when all the birds would sense the change in air pressure in advance and gather together.
Theresia’s appearance might not just be a coincidence.
“I am also thinking about this question. A powerhouse capable of taking down an entire bandit group with a single sword strike couldn’t just be here in the Royal Capital for sightseeing. But currently, there is no evidence indicating she has any connection with any candidate, and the time of her arrival in the Royal Capital is about the same as ours.”
Anastasia walked to the window, rested her hands on the windowsill, looked out at the bustling and noisy Royal Capital, and continued,
“Half a month ago, I sent people to investigate Theresia’s background, and so far, I haven’t received any useful intelligence. She is like someone who appeared out of thin air; there is no history of her past, and I couldn’t even find a record of her entry in the border logs of Kararagi. For a person like this, either she deliberately erased her own tracks, or she truly does not belong to any faction. Regardless of which situation it is, it is not a bad thing for us. After all, she is currently friendly toward the Hoshin Trading Company—at least, she is friendly toward Mimi.”
“That is true.”
Ricardo nodded, the expression on his canine face relaxing slightly, though his shoulder blades still felt a bit tight.
Because every time he recalled the scene of being pressed to the ground and rubbed by Theresia at the training grounds that day, his body would automatically react this way.
That sense of powerlessness—having his weapon knocked away just as he raised it, not even being able to see the opponent’s movements, and then discovering he was already lying on the ground.
He didn’t want to experience that a second time in his life.
“Big Miss, speaking of intelligence.” Ricardo walked to the window and stood side by side with Anastasia, his gray canine tail swaying slowly behind him,
“What do you think about the other Royal Selection candidates?”
“I have already had the latest intelligence on the Royal Capital candidates sent over.” Anastasia smiled slightly and pulled a neatly folded document from her sleeve,
“It cost a bit of money; the intelligence brokers in the Royal Capital are three times more expensive than those in Kararagi, but the information is indeed more complete. In the eyes of a merchant, intelligence is just a commodity; as long as the price is right, anything can be bought.”
As she spoke, she walked to the desk and spread it out on the table.
“First, you should already be clear about the rules of the Royal Selection.” Anastasia extended a finger, her tone switching from casual conversation to business briefing mode,
“Only a Dragon Priestess chosen by the prophecy of the dragon stone is eligible to participate in the selection; this is the only entry standard. It has no direct relation to one’s birth or status, nor to personal strength, and even less to popular support. If the dragon stone chooses you, you are a candidate. Only by possessing the potential qualifications to sign a covenant with the kingdom’s guardian dragon can one obtain that dragon-crest insignia to enter the Royal Selection venue.”
“In other words, becoming a candidate itself doesn’t rely on strength or influence, but purely on luck?”
Ricardo frowned, and his dog ears pressed back.
As a mercenary who had fought his way up from the bottom with sword and blade, he instinctively felt uncomfortable with rules determined by fate.
In his world, strength determined status and achievements decided reputation; there was no logic in letting a stone decide things.
“You could understand it that way, but luck itself is a form of strength, and it’s the most unreasonable one of all,” Anastasia chuckled.
“However, becoming a candidate is just obtaining an admission ticket; whether one can have the last laugh doesn’t depend on luck.”
Saying this, Anastasia extended a finger and began to list them one by one.
“The first is Emilia, the candidate nominated by the Lugunica Kingdom’s Chief Court Mage and Margrave Roswaal L. Mathers. A half-elf with silver hair, she looks exactly like the legendary Witch of Envy, at least according to rumors. I haven’t met her in person yet, so it’s hard to judge. But one thing is certain: Roswaal has placed a heavy bet on her. Although that Margrave acts strangely, the fact that he is willing to push a half-elf to run for election means either he is crazy, or this half-elf truly has some extraordinary qualities. I lean towards the latter.”
“Roswaal Mathers…” Ricardo repeated the name in a low voice, his tone carrying a trace of clear wariness,
“That court mage is said to be among the top three in strength in the entire kingdom.”
“Not just the top three; if he fights seriously, he might be second only to the Sword Saint Reinhard,” Anastasia shook her head, a rare look of gravity flashing in her light green eyes,
“However, that man is too calculating; no one can fathom his true thoughts.”
“He’s a troublesome opponent,” Ricardo said, crossing his arms.
“The second is Crusch Karsten,” Anastasia continued,
“The head of the Karsten Dukedom in the Lugunica Kingdom, she is currently the candidate with the strongest influence. With the army of the duchy in her hands and many capable people under her command, her political maneuvering and personal charisma are top-notch. Her knight is Felix, the kingdom’s premier healer. Additionally, there is an old gentleman in her camp as well.”
“That old gentleman?” Ricardo asked, following up.
“Wilhelm van Astrea. The husband of the previous Sword Saint, the Sword Demon. Although he is advanced in age, his swordsmanship is as refined as ever. With such a veteran present, the frontal combat power of the Crusch camp has increased by at least one level.”
Anastasia paused here, a subtle glint flashing in her light green eyes,
“But coincidentally, the late wife of the Sword Demon was named Theresia, and Miss Theresia is also named Theresia, and she has red hair… I don’t know if there is any connection, but there are many people in this world with the same name. Perhaps it is just a coincidence. We will talk about this later.”
“The third is Priscilla Barielle, the head of the Barielle family, who possesses an independent territory and armed forces. This princess is extremely arrogant, firmly believing that she is the most beautiful and noble existence in the world and that the world should revolve around her. She has some strength, but her level of arrogance might be far higher than her strength.”