"I am well aware of the expectations you all hold for me—one who might ascend the throne." Crusch's voice rang out steadily in the hall.
She looked around at everyone, her gaze like that of a general surveying a battlefield.
"The Karsten Family is the head of the courtiers with deep ties to the royal family, and has influenced national affairs for a long time. If I succeed the throne, national affairs and the nation's destiny can continue smoothly—many of you present must think so, right?"
As she finished speaking fluently, many in the hall nodded subconsciously.
Crusch's tone suddenly shifted, becoming decisive. "However, I must tell those of you who have expectations of me—I cannot do that."
The throne room instantly fell into a deathly silence.
A few seconds later, whispers of shock and confusion rose like a tide, and the atmosphere vibrated violently.
"What does this mean?!"
"Crusch-sama?!"
Facing the commotion, Crusch remained unfazed. She raised her head, her green hair moving slightly with the motion, her gaze looking directly at the giant dragon relief on the wall.
"The Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica is protected by the covenant made with the Divine Dragon in the past, and has built prosperity because of it."
"War, plague, famine... all crises have been avoided under the protection of the Divine Dragon. In the long history of the kingdom, the word 'Dragon' has never disappeared."
What she described was the most fundamental history and understanding of the kingdom.
Hearing this familiar narrative, many people's expressions softened slightly.
However, Crusch folded her arms across her chest, and her tone shifted again. "The prosperity achieved through the Divine Dragon's Covenant is indeed wonderful. During war, the Divine Dragon's breath incinerated enemy nations. When plague ran rampant, the Divine Dragon used mana to heal the people. When famine struck, the land soaked in the Divine Dragon's blood bestowed a bountiful harvest."
"All suffering is rescued by the noble Divine Dragon—the kingdom is wealthy and strong because of it, and no one can deny that."
She narrated these glorious achievements, but her tone carried a hint of gloom.
"But..."
She closed her eyes, her voice suddenly dropping, yet carrying even more impact. "I ask you all—don't you feel ashamed?"
Tsukasa stood in the line, his eyes behind his sunglasses widening slightly, as he muttered to himself, "This girl... she's for real."
He immediately understood Crusch's intention. This idea of breaking hundreds of years of tradition might be a pipe dream for other candidates, but looking at the girl in the military uniform on stage with such determined eyes...
Maybe she really could do it.
The hall was quiet, the air tense to the limit. But in this space where various emotions were beginning to accumulate, the one who seemed most angry was Crusch herself.
"No matter what hardships or difficulties are encountered, as long as we rely on the covenant, we can be saved. The kingdom has exploited this for a long time, allowing itself to fall into depravity. Once a crisis of survival arises, it only knows how to beg the Divine Dragon for guidance."
"I can no longer endure this status quo, and I want to do something to change it."
"You've gone too far, Crusch-sama."
A member of the Council of Wise Men stood up abruptly, his face full of anger.
"Do not slight the covenant so! It is precisely because the covenant exists that the kingdom has been able to weather countless crises without excessive sacrifice. How can you easily deny the accumulation of history!"
Crusch's voice regained its calmness, yet it was even more determined. "Regarding the prosperity brought by the Divine Dragon in the past, I have just stated it was 'most wonderful.' Having never personally received this blessing, I cannot speak any words of disparagement."
"The Karsten Family is a family born alongside the kingdom. If the kingdom faces a crisis, it is equivalent to the Karsten Family facing a crisis."
"Since the nation was saved by the Divine Dragon, then the Karsten Family was as well."
Hearing this, Tsukasa nodded slightly. Over-reliance on external forces means that when a true disaster—one that even a 'god' cannot handle—descends, the result will only be...
"However, why do you not look at our current unsightly state? Has our over-reliance on the covenant with the Divine Dragon caused us to stop thinking? If war, plague, or famine were to sweep through the kingdom again, besides flattering the Divine Dragon and waiting for rescue, what else can we do?"
"This..."
The speaker from the Council of Wise Men was at a loss for words.
"Over-reliance on the covenant and over-superstition in the records of the dragon tablet have made this country fragile and lost its ability to survive independently."
Crusch's words were like a sharp sword, cutting through the silence. "Once we face a situation that shakes the foundation of the nation, we are helpless except to pray to the Divine Dragon and the prophetic tablet. But if one day, a crisis descends that even the Divine Dragon and the tablet cannot handle, do we dare say we have the strength to contend with it?"
She paused and threw out an example. "Several accidents that have occurred in recent years, especially the failure of the Great Expedition fourteen years ago, the root cause was precisely this weakness."
The content of Crusch's words left everyone present dumbfounded.
Bathed in gazes of shock and anger, Crusch raised her fist and announced in a dignified voice, "If it will be destroyed without the protection of the Divine Dragon..."
Crusch's voice continued to ring out, low and clear, reaching everyone's ears. "Then such a kingdom might as well be destroyed right here and now."
"You... are you going to destroy the country?!" The questioning voice trembled.
"No."
Crusch raised her eyes, her gaze sharp. "If we would perish without the Divine Dragon, then we shall become the Divine Dragon ourselves."
"Everything the kingdom has relied on the Divine Dragon for until now should instead be borne jointly by the monarch and the subjects."
She paused for a moment, and the hall became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
She continued, "For this reason, suffering surely awaits ahead. Calamities that might have been overcome with the Divine Dragon's power in the past, and even accidents beyond that, may descend. But..."
She shook her head slightly, her gaze dropping to the floor, her voice gaining a hint of near-desperate low tone. "I choose to live in a way that does not disgrace my own soul."
The moment Crusch's voice fell, the hall was in dead silence.
Anger, sadness, daze... all sorts of emotions were frozen on everyone's faces, and no one spoke.
In this nearly suffocating silence—
Clap... Clap...
Clear, even somewhat lazy-sounding applause abruptly rang out throughout the banquet hall. The applause wasn't loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into a stagnant lake, instantly attracting all eyes.
Several stubborn Civil Officials, their faces red from Crusch's remarks, suddenly turned their heads and glared at the source of the sound.
There stood the "knight" in Priscilla's camp, wearing a white knight's uniform and a helmet, clapping his hands calmly, one after another, as if no one else were there.
Seeing this, Al instinctively looked at Priscilla. Seeing the corner of his princess's lips curl up, Al understood her meaning and then erupted in applause even louder than Tsukasa's.
(End of Chapter)
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