"Death, huh…"
After leaving Priscilla's residence, her warning still echoed in Lillian's ears. To him, the warning was indeed meaningful. He did not want to become a fool or a madman, nor did he wish to die. If he were killed by others, he might still revive and cling to life—but if he went insane and died by his own doing, there would likely be no second chance.
Still… after finally obtaining the opportunity to learn magic, was he supposed to abandon it just like that?
Without question, in this world—unless one reached the level of the Sword Saint or possessed some powerful divine protection—magic was far superior to combat techniques. Moreover, Lillian wanted to learn magic in order to see whether there existed any secret arts for prolonging life or removing curses. Such knowledge might be necessary in the future.
"It's all because of this seed…" He tapped his own head. If it were not interfering—
No, that wasn't entirely correct. In truth, he had no Gate within his body to begin with. Without the seed's power, he would not have been able to release magic at all.
"No matter what, I still need to continue researching."
After returning to his rented house, Lillian began conducting his own investigations. Since using magic consumed mental strength, he decided not to cast spells for the time being. Instead, he would focus on absorbing mana and practicing its circulation within his body. If he could not become a great mage, perhaps he could at least become a master of magical theory.
Being able to circulate mana internally made researching magical theory far more intuitive. At the very least, he could learn how different spells functioned. The number of possibilities was vast, because his attribute was what Priscilla called "None"—which was also, in a sense, "All."
He absorbed mana from the atmosphere, and when he released it, it manifested as golden energy. This energy possessed no inherent attribute, yet it could imitate other types of magic—and even produce superior effects. That was Priscilla's assessment.
Before he left the previous day, Priscilla had judged his attack to resemble the fire-attribute spell Goa. Yet under the golden energy, both its speed and power had increased severalfold. Under such circumstances, spells of other elements would likely show similar enhancement.
Of course, this was only theoretical speculation. Lillian had no intention of testing it recklessly. He did not wish to waste his mental strength blindly. Since mental energy was intangible and immeasurable—and he did not know whether it could recover naturally, as Priscilla suggested—it was best to conserve it.
Time flowed like water. While continuing his research, Lillian visited Priscilla every few days to ask questions he did not understand. She employed several mages under her command, so answering his inquiries posed no difficulty. Naturally, in exchange, Lillian found himself hoarse from recounting countless overused jokes and stories—he had nearly resorted to copying entire romance novels for her amusement.
During this period, he also completed the mercenary guild's examination. It was quite simple—a combat expert tested him briefly, and after blocking a few attacks, Lillian passed the assessment. He then undertook several dangerous missions, earning gold coins to cover his expenses. It had to be said that magic demanded enormous financial resources; the cost of certain magical experiments was staggering.
Thus, half a month passed, and Lillian's understanding of magical theory had reached an introductory level.
"Royal… selection?"
Lillian set down the magical tome in his hands and looked at Priscilla across the table. They were seated around a round table in the hall. Aside from Lillian, who had come seeking guidance, the others present—Al and Schult—were both among Priscilla's trusted retainers.
"Yes." She leaned back in her chair, appearing completely relaxed.
"The Royal Selection Conference will be held tomorrow. It will also mark my first grand appearance—when I inform everyone that I shall become the king."
"You're quite confident."
"Of course." Priscilla shot Lillian a displeased glance.
"This world revolves around me. Once I become the ruler of this nation, the country itself will grow better."
"Priscilla-sama is absolutely correct!" the pink-haired youth Schult said with a cheerful smile.
"If Priscilla-sama, who is blessed by heaven, becomes king, that blessing will surely be shared among the people of this nation. Then everyone will be able to live in happiness!"
"…"
Lillian was speechless. If such a thing were really possible, every other nation on the continent would probably be begging her to become their ruler. They might as well make her the ruler of the entire world—then everyone on it would be happy!
"Still, we can't ignore the competitors," Al said, scratching his helmet.
"No need to worry. They certainly won't be my match."
"I really don't know where you get that confidence…" To Lillian, Priscilla seemed the least reliable of them all. She didn't have bad intentions, but her arrogance was overwhelming. Even if she ascended the throne, she likely wouldn't bring meaningful change to the country. Moreover, her political strength wasn't particularly overwhelming—the great noble faction would not easily defeat the royalists and the military.
"And you?" Priscilla suddenly asked Lillian. "Will you support me?"
"Me? I don't really support anyone."
He truly had no interest in such matters. Whoever became king had nothing to do with him. Besides, the final decision wouldn't be made for several years, and even then it was uncertain whether the chosen candidate could seize real authority from the Council of Sages. Since this was something beyond his influence, he had no intention of taking a stance.
If he had to say, he didn't support Priscilla. Her reason for joining the royal selection might simply be that the title "king" sounded impressive—the residence would be larger, and the crown would be adorned with more diamonds. As for governing the nation? She probably had no such intention and would simply delegate everything.
"Hmph. Whether you support me or not is irrelevant. But tomorrow, you will attend the conference with me."
"Huh?" Lillian was surprised. "Why should I go? I'm not your knight."
"Ahem…" Al leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Brother, she just wants you to stand with us publicly—to show everyone you're on our side."
"… "
"Al! What are you saying?" Priscilla glared at him. He chuckled awkwardly. "Nothing, really."
Preventing him from joining other factions? Lillian thought that made sense. If he were in Priscilla's position, he would also feel disgusted if someone he had trained ended up helping the enemy. After all, he was genuinely grateful to her for helping him discover the seed and open his Gate.
"Fine," Lillian agreed. He had no intention of helping anyone's campaign anyway. "Just showing up, right? No problem."
Seeing his reluctant expression, Priscilla snorted. "Hmph. Being able to appear at the conference alongside me is a great honor."
"Yes, yes, a tremendous honor," Al added, winking at Lillian through his helmet—though whether anyone could see his expression inside was questionable. Still, the hint was received, and Lillian simply replied, "Got it."
---
The Royal Selection was the true beginning of the world's main storyline—the moment when crises would begin arriving one after another.
The next morning, while adjusting his clothes in front of a mirror, Lillian thought to himself: whether it was the Sin Archbishops who would soon begin moving frequently, the enormous terrifying mabeast, or the struggles between various factions—each posed a fatal threat to him.
Therefore, his future actions had to be carefully considered. He could not act recklessly or impulsively. While ensuring his own safety, he needed to accelerate his magical research, fully master the fundamentals, and then begin studying curses. At the same time… he was also interested in the Divine Dragon revered by this nation. According to legend, dragon blood could cure all ailments. So if he ever had the chance…
The reflection in the mirror revealed a somewhat dark expression. Lillian snapped back to his senses, adjusted his shoulders, and finished dressing. A refined and elegant figure appeared in the mirror.
He wore a slightly extravagant deep-red suit—something Priscilla had forced him to wear. Her original words had been, "Entering the venue with someone dressed in coarse cloth would lower my chances of winning." In short, she had disliked his usual appearance.
He would quickly finish this matter, repay Priscilla's favor, and return to his magical research.
Leaving his residence, Lillian arrived at Priscilla's mansion. After waiting briefly at the entrance, she emerged with Al and Schult. Seeing Lillian, she nodded in satisfaction, looking proud.
"As expected, my taste is impeccable. This outfit suits you perfectly."
Al gave a thumbs-up. "Brother, you look great!"
Lillian glanced at Al's usual bandit-like attire and twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"Priscilla, doesn't Al need formal wear?"
"He's exempt," Priscilla said dismissively. "The entire royal capital already knows that my knight is a strange man dressed like a bandit. There's no need for pretense. You, however, are different—the public does not know you. I have no desire to gain a reputation for 'collecting eccentrics.'"
"Hehe," Al laughed and whispered slyly to Lillian, "Better to arrive early than late, brother."
"... "
"Enough. We depart immediately."
Priscilla boarded the dragon carriage, with Schult driving. Lillian and Al sat on either side, and before long they arrived at the gates of the royal castle.
By coincidence, the moment Lillian stepped down, he saw Subaru approaching with a stranger. The person's appearance and clothing were utterly ordinary—the kind one would forget within seconds.
Who is that?
Watching Subaru speak happily with the "ordinary" person, Lillian suddenly realized—the "ordinary" figure was Emilia. She was wearing a cloak, a magical item that interfered with others' perception, causing them to treat her as an unremarkable passerby.
They also noticed the group. Priscilla's extravagant dragon carriage at the gate was impossible to ignore. Upon seeing Priscilla, the "ordinary" person's expression changed slightly. But when she saw the elegantly dressed Lillian standing beside her, her expression grew even more complicated.