With Miklotov's announcement, the Royal Selection formally began.
Leaving the hall, Lillian watched the departing crowd and thought:
Three years is far too long. I cannot afford to wait.
After leaving the world of the AOT, he had set himself a three-year deadline—to find a solution to the lifespan issue of Titan power holders.
He had already spent half a year in the SAO World, leaving two and a half years. There was no way he could remain until the Royal Selection ended.
As for the candidates, he held no particular preference.
Priscilla relied solely on "fortune."
Crusch depended entirely on "self-reliance."
Anastasia trusted only in "capital."
Emilia focused exclusively on "equality."
And Felt… was not worth mentioning for now.
In Lillian's view, none of their goals were easily achievable. The ideal approach would be to integrate each of their ideas into a balanced policy.
"Let's go," Priscilla said, emerging from the hall with Al. She glanced at Lillian, slightly displeased.
"Why did you help that girl?"
Others might not have realized it, but Priscilla had spent enough time with Lillian to understand him. Knowing his character, she quickly figured out that his earlier provocation had actually been meant to help Emilia temporarily escape the mire of suspicion surrounding her half-elf identity.
"It was nothing really… I just thought that a group of people attacking someone based on their appearance was rather low," Lillian said calmly. For him, the more normal Subaru's personality remained—and the fewer times he died—the more beneficial it was.
First, if Subaru's personality became extreme because of such incidents, he might resort to repeatedly killing himself to obtain outcomes favorable to himself. Even if Lillian could perceive it, he had no desire to experience that process over and over again.
Second, the more Subaru died, the more uncontrollable the Witch of Envy within him would become. Without fully understanding the extent of her power, it was best to maintain the current situation as much as possible.
"Lillian!"
At that moment, Subaru ran over, his tone far from friendly.
"I didn't expect you to do something like that. Didn't you tell me before that Emilia was being slandered for no reason? Then why did you—"
He struggled to find the right words, but his anger was obvious. He was not simply upset because Lillian had challenged Emilia—many others had done the same. What angered him was that Lillian himself had acknowledged Emilia's unfair treatment, yet still appeared to join those attacking her.
"Hmph… ignorance," Priscilla said coldly from the side, unwilling to listen further. With a flick of her fan, she declared, "We're leaving."
"Please wait a moment."
Reinhard had arrived without anyone noticing. Before the meeting had begun, he had mentioned that he wished to speak with Lillian afterward, and now he had come to honor that promise.
"Lady Priscilla," Reinhard greeted the girl with a polite bow before smiling at Lillian. "Do you have some time now?"
"Yes."
Lillian ignored Subaru entirely. It was natural that Subaru could not grasp the situation, and Lillian saw no need to defend himself—after all, what he had done was ultimately for his own sake, not for Subaru's.
Watching the two leave together, Priscilla frowned slightly. She did not understand how Lillian had connections with the Sword Saint—surely he knew that man was her enemy?
"Princess, don't be angry," Al said helplessly at her side. "You just offended the Sword Saint yourself. And with that speech of yours, the other factions probably won't want to cooperate with us anymore."
"I have no desire to cooperate with mediocrities," Priscilla replied sharply, glaring at him. "Next time, do not allow Lillian to enter my residence again!"
"Uh…"
Al was already accustomed to his princess's unpredictable temperament. He helped her onto the dragon carriage, and they sped away, leaving Subaru standing there in a daze.
"So he even knows Reinhard…?"
"Subaru, what are you doing?" Emilia had also come out at this moment. Seeing him standing blankly, she asked curiously.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Subaru replied, "I was just… that guy Lillian…"
"…"
At the mention of his name, Emilia's expression became somewhat complicated. She had never held much affection for him—though she would not say she hated him either; she simply had no favorable impression.
At first, his earlier challenge had angered her, and after responding successfully, she had even felt somewhat proud. But upon reflection, it seemed he had spoken deliberately. If he truly belonged to Priscilla's faction, why would he help her?
The thought left her confused. Still, now was not the time to dwell on it. With the royal selection meeting concluded, she could return to the Mathers domain. Before that, however, she wished to speak with Lillian. When they were at Roswaal's mansion before, their interaction had been unpleasant, and they had barely spoken. Now she wanted to properly ask what he truly thought.
---
Lillian followed Reinhard to a grand estate—the territory of the Astrea family.
Reinhard showed him no discourtesy, personally leading him into the main hall and instructing a maid to summon Felt. Still upset about the royal selection, she arrived wearing casual athletic clothes and spoke irritably the moment she entered.
"What is it this time?!"
"Felt-sama," Reinhard said gently, "I believe it is necessary for you to express your gratitude to this gentleman, Lillian."
"Huh?" Felt looked at Lillian, eyeing him suspiciously from head to toe. "You… aren't you the one who questioned Emilia? Why should I thank him?"
"Do you remember when I said that I was able to arrive in time to repel the Bowel Hunter because someone reported the incident promptly?" Reinhard explained. "Lillian was the one who reported it. Thanks to him, I was able to find you, Felt-sama."
"Oh… so that was him."
Felt looked at Lillian in surprise. She had indeed heard Reinhard mention this before. Without that report, both she and Old Man Rom would surely have died at the hands of that terrifying woman.
"Thanks, mister," she said frankly. Though somewhat unruly, she was not incapable of recognizing reason.
"It's nothing," Lillian replied, feeling somewhat strange about the situation. Once again, he was reminded of how terrifying the Witch of Envy's power of Return by Death was—completely erasing past encounters without leaving a trace.
"Alright, then I'm going to go play, I—"
"That won't do, Felt-sama," Reinhard said with a gentle smile. "You still have much to learn. Only through diligent study can you become a qualified king three years from now."
"…" Felt desperately wanted to punch that handsome face into a swollen mess, but despite countless attempts, she had never succeeded once.
"Tch… fine!"
Because of Rom, she had no choice but to participate in the royal selection.
Watching her run out of the room, Lillian remarked, "It seems you have great confidence that she will become king."
"Of course," Reinhard replied calmly. "Felt-sama carries the blood of the royal family. Finding her was the guidance of fate itself. As a member of the Astrea family, which has served the kingdom for generations, I bear an inescapable duty to assist her in ruling this nation."
Lillian thought to himself that it was fortunate Reinhard was such an upright knight. With his strength, he could easily crush all other factions if he wished—but such a thing would never happen. His power existed precisely because of his righteousness. If he were a dishonorable knight, he would never have obtained such invincible strength, nor the recognition of the Sword God or the blessing of the Sword Saint.
"Nevertheless, please allow me to express my gratitude once more," Reinhard said, performing a formal knight's salute. "Because of you, the future king has returned to the proper path of life. This debt to the entire nation is not something a mere knight like myself could ever fully repay."
"There's no need for that. If Felt truly improves the country in the future, I, as a citizen, will also benefit…" Lillian began. Just as he was about to continue, a knight suddenly rushed into the hall.
"Report! Sir Reinhard—there have been sightings of magical beasts on the outskirts of the city!"
"Magical beasts?" Reinhard nodded immediately. "I will depart at once." He then turned to Lillian. "Let us continue our discussion another time."
"…Very well."
Reinhard hurried away with the knight toward the scene, leaving Lillian feeling somewhat unlucky. He had planned to take the opportunity to mention the Witch Cult, but an unexpected incident had interrupted him.
Without further thought, he returned to his rented room, wrote a letter, and sent it out before heading toward Priscilla's residence.
Now that he had acquired a basic foundation in magic, he wished to study curse techniques and magic related to lifespan. Such knowledge was beyond the reach of ordinary people; perhaps Priscilla's household employed magicians who understood these fields. Learning directly from someone would surely be more efficient than studying alone.
However, when he arrived at the mansion gates, his usual unrestricted access was gone. The guards stopped him.
"My apologies," one of them said. "Her Highness has ordered that you are no longer permitted to enter from today onward."
"…So she really is angry."
Lillian sighed. He had anticipated this outcome. Reaching into his coat, he took out a tablet. Its battery lifespan had nearly been exhausted anyway, making it useless to keep.
"Please deliver this to her," he said, handing it to the guard. "It's a magical device—from beyond the Great Waterfall. She'll certainly be interested."