Simultaneous Travel: Becoming a Legend in the Heavens.

Chapter 521 The Chosen Ones
After the warm water washed away their fatigue, it was almost time to set off for the capital.

Luke didn't worry much, partly because he didn't place much importance on the outcome of the royal selection, and partly because Reinhard was quite useful and had already prepared everything meticulously for him.

Whether it was his own forces or his dealings with the court, the Sword Saint handled everything flawlessly, and he probably helped Luke gain a lot of prestige within the Royal Guard Knights because of his status.

While living at Roswaal's mansion, he was a highly anticipated candidate for the new throne, and the most popular one at that, yet he was never bothered by irrelevant people, which is probably partly due to his own efforts.

The tool is indeed useful; no wonder the origin of the world fawns over him so much.

Looking at the neatly ironed royal dress in front of him, with its simple yet elegant design, Luke couldn't help but praise Reinhard's versatility.

With the blessing of clothing, the sword saint can design top-notch items that can change the trend of the times, perfectly highlighting the charm of the person wearing the clothes.

The actual effect was quite good. Even though he had deliberately suppressed his charm, the girls were still quite shocked when the completely transformed Luke walked out. Even the usually sharp-tongued Ram became much gentler, blushing and turning her head away.

The two NEETs were also surprised, their mouths agape. Natsuki Subaru, who had an ordinary appearance and a slightly fierce look, was mainly envious, while Sato Kazuma complained in a low voice about why, even though they were all reincarnated men, the level of detail in their character models was so different.

"This dress suits you quite well; it seems my design didn't have any major flaws."

Reinhard offered a timely and sincere compliment, speaking with considerable humility and a hint of regret in his tone.

"It's a pity we don't have enough time, otherwise I could have designed a suitable hairstyle for you. My skills in this area are passable... How about we do it on the dragon carriage?"

He also has the benefit of haircuts.

The Sword Saint has a lot of life-related blessings. He even created a "Salt Blessing" because he couldn't distinguish between salt and sugar by their appearance. Later, he probably felt that such a detailed distinction was too troublesome, so he directly applied for the "Cooking Blessing".

"No need, that's too flashy. I don't like dressing up like a peacock."

Luke rejected Reinhard's suggestion and got straight to the point.

"Let's go to the capital and see what the so-called selection process is all about... that could make me happy."

"I really hope you don't make it sound like a picnic."

Reinhard gave a wry smile, took a deep breath, and respectfully gestured in deference:
"Then let's set off. No matter what trials the wise man may set, I will help you pass them smoothly and present you with the crown of a king."

"I swear in the name of Reinhard van Astreya."

…………

At the city gate of the royal city, Marcus, the commander of the Royal Guard, stood ramrod straight. When he saw Luke leading a large group of people, he visibly frowned.

On occasions like the royal selection ceremony, aside from the ministers, elders of the council of wise men, the chosen one and his accompanying knights, at most one or two servants are allowed. Luke bringing five is indeed a bit excessive.

Can you guarantee that your servants won't cause trouble?

Given that Luke is a popular candidate for the throne and is likely to be his future superior, the captain sighed and made a concession.

“My servants will not only not cause trouble, but may even be very useful helpers.”

Luke shrugged, his gaze sweeping from Ram, Rem, and Beatrice all the way to Kazuma Sato and Subaru Natsuki, his reply flippant and casual.

"You can stop them if you want, but they'll just take the same indifferent attitude afterward, which is fair."

The clueless answer obviously did not satisfy the captain, but after glancing at Reinhard beside Luke, he still decided to let them go. There was no need to make things difficult for the Chosen One and the Sword Saint over such a trivial matter.

…………

At this moment, the royal palace hall was decorated in a grand and solemn manner. The huge space, covered with bright red velvet carpets, had walls adorned with glittering gold ornaments and a ceiling with luxurious lighting hanging from it.

At the very front, the magnificent, golden throne of King Lugnica of the Dragon Kingdom awaits its master.

On either side of the throne stood the knights of the Royal Guard, dressed in white uniforms and with swords at their waists, as well as high-ranking ministers in embroidered robes and officials, or nobles of great renown and long history, dressed in magnificent attire.

In the center of the room, at the intersection of knights, ministers, and nobles, four "Dragon Witches" stood at the very top of the red carpet, each a uniquely beautiful woman.

The most eye-catching was undoubtedly Princess Priscilla, the Sun Princess, who wore a blood-red dress and was adorned with magnificent jewels from head to toe, exuding an air of elegance and nobility.

She opened her folding fan, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at the other "Dragon Witches".

"The people of the Sages' Society are really boring. The ceremony for selecting the king only needed me and Luke, but they dragged in three other guys to make up the numbers. These high-ranking people are truly masters at wasting time."

“You are too arrogant, Priscilla.”

The dashing Crusch cast an unpleasant glance my way, her tone harsh: "As far as I know, you seem to have already submitted to that new royal candidate. As a royal candidate, yet you submit to another royal candidate, I think you are the one who should step down the stage the most."

"My submission is merely relinquishing control in the relationship; it's just a matter of pleasure. My words are purely out of pity for the weak."

Priscilla smiled contemptuously, "You're too weak, Crusch. Even if you team up with Anastasia, you're no threat. My advice is to leave early. It doesn't matter if you don't listen; you'll be the one suffering anyway."

"Don't drag me into this. My relationship with Crusch is more like an employer-employee relationship than a business partnership."

Interrupting was Anastasia, the last royal candidate who had not yet appeared, and the president of the Kararachi Merchant Guild, "Hexin".

Compared to the two powerful figures, she appeared somewhat petite, existing in a delicate stage between girlhood and womanhood. She was very cute, and her entire body was covered in fur and a white dress, making her look like a soft snowball. The most eye-catching feature was the white fox scarf on her shoulders.

However, her skillful and experienced tone clearly indicated that this woman was not as naive as she appeared, but rather a ruthless character.

"After all, the Karlsten family is wealthy and can afford to hire me. Helping out is no problem. Ah... speaking of which, the Sun Princess's family is also quite wealthy. Why don't you try hiring me too? As long as you pay the penalty for breach of contract between me and Crusch."

Crusch's expression darkened upon hearing such unreliable remarks from her ally.

Anastasia is a profit-driven businesswoman. If she succeeds in the royal selection, her assets will encompass the entire Kingdom of Lugnica. Therefore, there is no real option for her to give up the royal selection.

He was only able to win her over because she thought, "It's not bad to have someone as a backup plan." But now it seems that an ally who could turn against him at any time is worse than having no ally at all.

"Speaking of which, could we start the process a little faster? My time is very precious..."

"Mr. Luke hasn't arrived yet. The meeting won't be held if the staff isn't all there."

Emilia, who had been silent all along, slowly spoke. She had wanted to join their conversation, but felt that their words were too intense, so she could only say what she knew.

"Really? You're quite arrogant, just because you're a popular player?" Anastasia said nonchalantly.

"It's not time yet, Mr. Luke isn't late, we're just a little early."

Anastasia glanced at Emilia, who seemed a little displeased that she had been refuted twice. For some reason, she was unusually irritable today.

She flashed a sweet smile and uttered sharp remarks she would never normally make:

"When did it become your place to speak, you half-baked demon? Can't you recognize your own identity? Hundreds of years ago, someone like you would have been mistaken for a witch's accomplice and hanged."

Because the Witch of Envy, Satella, was a silver-haired half-elf, all half-elves were called "half-demon," an insulting term, especially the silver-haired ones.

Emilia staggered back a step, her face pale.

Compared to the original timeline, the early royal selection meant that the already immature Emilia had even less opportunity to gain experience.

She didn't offer any meaningful rebuttal, but instead, like an obedient child, she restrained herself from making any rash remarks or actions, lest she cause others to retaliate even more. No one around her spoke up for her, not even Roswaal, who, having no longer needed her to become king and obtain the dragon's blood, no longer cared much about her feelings, merely observing everything coldly.

The Witch of Envy, who once devoured half the world, was a taboo hated by everyone.

"You lowly beings, how dare you..."

The air suddenly turned cold. Seeing his daughter being insulted like this, Parker was clearly enraged. The aura he unleashed surprised everyone present, who stared at the great elf in astonishment.

"No... Parker, I'm okay."

Emilia fought back tears and stopped the elf who stood up for her, forcing a smile.

"What a farce... Ugh~ Aren't you going to start? Kararachi is known for his famous saying, 'Time is money'..."

Anastasia said with a smile, which sounded more like a coquettish complaint than a complaint.

"So, can I buy your time by giving you money?"

A voice that seemed to appear out of nowhere made Anastasia look toward the gate.

Bang!
The magnificent golden gate was kicked open violently, and a well-dressed, handsome young man led a conspicuous group of people in, barging in like a massive intruder, disrupting the entire surrounding ecosystem.

"Is that the mysterious new royal candidate? He certainly has an extraordinary appearance."

"I've heard that the touchstone in his hands shines brighter than the king himself!"

"Without a doubt, he is a favorite of the divine dragon, Lord Polkenica..."

"Sword Saint Reinhard also chose him, so the outcome is basically decided, right?"

"No, we still have to wait for the selection ceremony of the Sages' Council..."

All eyes turned to them, and whispers buzzed like mosquitoes.

Reinhard pulled Kazuma Sato and Subaru Natsuki into the knights' ranks, while Ram led Rem and Beatrice into the crowd of nobles and royalty with ease. Given Luke's status, no one objected to the two maids' blatant overstepping of their bounds.

Ignoring the gazes directed at him, Luke walked straight to the front of the chosen ones' group and greeted Emilia, who was staring at him in a daze.

"Emilia."

“Mr. Luke…”

"You will encounter this situation when you are alone. Although self-reliance is a good quality, it is not a big mistake to rely on others occasionally before you have grown strong enough."

Emilia opened her mouth, feeling a sense of relief, like finding a lighthouse in a storm of confusion, and she could barely suppress the stinging in her eyes.

At this moment, Priscilla smiled, her face, which was even more noble than when they parted, revealing a smile more captivating than a poppy, and her spoiled voice suddenly became gentle.

"So you've finally learned to dress properly, you barbarian."

Luke raised an eyebrow, shifted his gaze from Emilia, pulled the Sun Princess into his arms, and pinched her delicate cheek: "Don't talk like I don't wear clothes in front of you."

Although I didn't wear it most of the time...

“Luc, this is the royal selection ceremony, not your or Priscilla’s private domain. At least behave properly.”

Crusch frowned and warned, feeling somewhat displeased at the sight of the two being intimate.

"Don't say that, Crusch. Since we might become kings, we're free to do whatever we want, as long as we're prepared to bear the consequences." Anastasia smiled as she looked Luke up and down. "Luke, you just said you wanted to buy my time?"

Luke released Priscilla, his tone indifferent: "Of course, I want to buy your entire life, your body and soul, your joys and sorrows, your pain and pleasure..."

"Oh dear, you're so greedy, young man. But this sounds like a courtship proposal. I'm very sorry, I'm only interested in money. Men are irrelevant to me."

Anastasia's eyes were full of laughter.

Luke continued, "...I also want all your assets, your Holy Gold Coins, your 'Hexin' Merchant Guild, your territory, and all your servants and relatives."

"No, no, no, if it includes the assets under my name, this deal can't possibly be done. If I want everything, it's a zero-cost deal..."

Anastasia frowned, feigning distress. "But what price are you planning to offer for daring to make such an outrageous request?"

Lu Ke held up one finger and said calmly, "One copper coin."

"..."

Not only Anastasia, but everyone else was stunned by Luke's words.

Emilia lowered her head and remained silent, gently stroking Puck in her hand. The cat elf looked up and saw the light shining in her daughter's eyes.

Sure enough, I still have to find a way to sell my daughter to Luke!
A commotion arose from the Knights' side. Anastasia's personal guard, Julius, was furious and wanted to draw his sword on the spot, but Reinhard stopped him from doing so immediately.

"You're insulting me, Luke."

Anastasia's face turned cold, and she no longer cared about pretense: "If you want to declare war, I will fight to the bitter end. Not only me, but Duke Crusch is the same. Don't think that you can rest easy just because you have the favor of the dragon and the support of the sword saint. There are more dangers in the world than you can imagine!"

"Sorry, sorry, it seems my joke went a bit too far."

Luke leaned close to the businessman's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, "What I actually want to buy is that fairy scarf you're wearing, the one that looks like a fox collar."

Anastasia's body suddenly stiffened, her anger replaced by fear, and she looked at Luke with suspicion, unsure of what he knew.

"Echidona's authority, the Book of Wisdom, a book that records all events, though now lost, was a vast treasure trove of knowledge when it was possessed..."

"It's very useful, isn't it? With the help of this Dona Fox that contains Echidona's consciousness, I've made a fortune, rising from a small merchant to one of the top merchant guilds in Kararaki. Now I even want to use it to annex the Kingdom of Lugnica... But there's a price to pay for this blessing, Anastasia."

Anastasia trembled uncontrollably as her biggest secret was easily revealed, her face drained of color and life, and she lost all her previous composure.

If others find out that I have a connection with the witch, let alone being chosen as the king's son, being executed would be a very light punishment; I wonder what kind of treatment I would receive...

"Anastasia, I'll buy everything you have for a single copper coin. Would you do?"

As she was gripped by extreme panic, Luke asked the question for the second time.

Anastasia's teeth chattered, her mind reeling from the terrifying threat. A certain will seemed to awaken within her under these circumstances, and she suddenly shuddered, replying in a trembling voice:

"I...I do."

Amidst everyone's horrified gazes, Anastasia, the "Dragon Priestess," looked at the mysterious fifth chosen one with pleading, pitiful eyes and uttered an answer that surprised everyone.

Julius stared at Anastasia in disbelief and let out a roar of astonishment.

"Lady Anastasia!?!"

(End of this chapter)