Simultaneous Travel: Becoming a Legend in the Heavens.

Chapter 522 Witch x Selection x Rebellious Knight!

"Is this your gift?"

Luke glanced at Anastasia, who was trembling and bowing her head in submission, and saw the other half of her soul through her skin.

That was a part of the consciousness that the Witch of Greed had separated from her main body and existed independently. It initially remained in the artificial elf Dona Fox and gradually invaded Anastasia's body.

Seemingly sensing Luke's gaze, the beautiful yet chilling soul within Anastasia slowly raised its head, meeting Luke's gaze with its pure black eyes.

…………

"Hopefully, a 'Dragon Priestess' will bring you some joy."

A spiritual world of lush green grass and bright spring sunshine.

Under the parasol, the Witch of Greed revealed a smile whose amplitude and contour seemed to be planned. She held a silver chess piece in mid-air on the chessboard, her voice soft.

Anastasia was a shrewd and experienced woman who could hold a high position in a major merchant guild. How could she disregard the occasion and atmosphere and mock the silver-haired half-elf at such a crucial moment in the royal selection ceremony, thus making enemies for herself?

Naturally, this was her doing.

Anastasia feels annoyed, irritable, and more agitated than usual because of the other half of her soul.

"There's nothing I can do. I really hate Satella, so it's normal for my consciousness to hate that child too."

Echidona rested her chin on her hand and smiled softly.

"Despite possessing the most powerful strength and exceptional abilities among all witches, she remained like a child who never grew up, and was easily seduced by the witch Pandora, causing the witch genes within her to go berserk and devour half the world..."

Well, although it was precisely because she deliberately allowed Pandora to act that this outcome occurred...

After all, with Satella, who loves peace and is exceptionally powerful, other witches would have virtually no chance of dying even if they courted death, and they would never have the opportunity to obtain the power that she coveted, the ability to "rewind."

However, she also cleaned up the mess, getting the Great Sage, the First Sword Saint, and the Divine Dragon to join forces to suppress Satella and settle the situation. She also collected the souls of other witches and placed them in her spiritual world. Strictly speaking, she could be considered a savior, right?
The only villain is the charlatan Pandora, who attempts to overthrow the world, but she is actually a good witch who hopes the world will continue and see more possibilities.

"I'm quite confident in my hiding skills. To be able to discover Dona Fox so easily, is it an authority similar to the [Book of Wisdom], a higher-ranking observer, or a madman with unimaginable strength... Hmm~ No matter which it is, it's exciting."

An unnatural blush appeared on Echidona's face. She touched her lips with her index finger, her eyes glistened with tears, and she involuntarily brought her legs together.

"I like it... It's a mystery from head to toe, every part of it is 'unknown,' it's obviously seduction, it's unbelievable, this is the first time I've ever felt this way."

"Wanting to know all the mysteries, wanting to see all the future, wanting to grasp the light of the whole world, ah~ ah~ am I being too greedy..."

Echidona licked her lips, giving them a glossy, seductive sheen that contrasted with her black and white attire. She rested her chin on her hand, as if flirting with a figure that didn't exist on the other side of the chessboard.

"There's nothing I can do. She's the Witch of Greed, so... I guess I can get a little understanding."

…………

"You bastard, what have you done to Lady Anastasia? Answer me!"

Seeing his loyal master tremble and bow his head, submitting to Luke, Julius could not control his emotions. He ran out of the Royal Guard and was about to draw his sword.

"Calm down, Julius!"

Reinhard appeared in front of Julius in a flash, his expression serious as he pressed down on his friend's hand. This was not to protect Luke, but to save his friend's life.

Phyllis rushed over and slapped Julius across the face with such force that blood trickled from the "best knight's" mouth, and he roared in a tearful voice.

"Idiot, do you understand what it means to draw your sword against a candidate for the throne in this situation? Not only will you be executed, but you'll also implicate Lady Anastasia!"

The cross-dressing knight, who loved to play pranks, was now deathly pale, his usual feminine tone and movements gone, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

With just a few words, Anastasia subdued a royal chosen one with a strong sense of self, even when humiliated with the cheapest copper coins, and even in front of all the nobles and royalty.

Luke's methods are terrifying. How can Lady Crusch withstand such an opponent?
He and Reinhard worked together to drag the distraught Julius back, looking worriedly at the dark green figure among the five chosen ones in the center.

…………

"Anastasia, become a chair."

Luke gave instructions to the newly acquired slaves, and Anastasia showed signs of struggle.
Merchants are masters of judging the situation. Regardless of what means their "master" used, they were already the victors. Judging from how easily the Sun Princess was captured and enslaved, the "master" was undoubtedly an unfathomable figure, and seizing the throne was practically a foregone conclusion.

Since that's the case, she might as well obediently submit to this future king. After all, becoming a maid to the king of one of the four great kingdoms isn't shameful at all. Perhaps if she performs well, she might even have a chance to rise in rank and become king.

Anastasia took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and slowly lowered herself to the ground on all fours, her senses amplified to an extreme degree.

Although she had a clear plan for what to do next, the sudden change in her status, the disdainful and contemptuous looks from others, and the whispers from them still made her feel extremely ashamed.

"This is what it feels like to be discriminated against and looked at with disdain. Can you empathize with that a little now?"

Lu Ke sat on the warm, human-shaped chair, deliberately maintaining a level that was bearable but somewhat strenuous. Feeling that something was still missing, he stretched out his hands.

"Oh~"

"what!"

Two figures were simultaneously embraced. The former merely raised an eyebrow and revealed a smile, while the latter reacted more strongly, seemingly caught off guard by the sudden attack, his face flushed red, but he did not struggle.

Luke sat on Anastasia, the president of the Grand Chamber of Commerce, with his legs crossed in a somewhat nonchalant manner. He had his arms around the gorgeous Sun Princess Priscilla and the charming silver-haired half-elf Emilia.

The visual impact is indescribable, like the unrestrained pleasure of a tyrant in an oil painting, or like a god overlooking all living beings being surrounded by worshipping witches.

Crusch's face was grim; she pressed her lips together and remained silent.

In the blink of an eye, all the "Dragon Priestesses" except for her among the five royal chosen ones were wiped out. The situation was terrible. She had really been deceived by the other party's gentle and kind appearance.

Time seemed to slow down, each second an unbearable torment. As Crusch's spirit was further crushed, the door opened again, and a group of elderly men in white robes, with gray hair and deep wrinkles, walked in.

The Council of Wise Men is a system that temporarily takes over the state power after the death of all members of the royal family.

The leading elder walked to the top of the hall, level with the chair symbolizing the throne, and stroked his beard with a deep gaze as he looked at the plight of the chosen ones below.

"It seems a lot of interesting things happened before we arrived."

Luke shifted his body, causing Anastasia beneath him to whimper softly, and then raised his chin with interest.

"Indeed, would the sage be unhappy with my actions? Using the Dragon Priestess as a cushion and lovers or something?"

"Love...lover?" Emilia asked in confusion. Puck quickly leaned close to her ear and whispered a few words of explanation. The silver-haired half-elf's face immediately turned red to the roots of his neck.

"No, the profession of the Wise Men's Council is to temporarily rule the country on behalf of the king. You are candidates for the throne, people who may become king in the future. We are not qualified to comment on or manage you. We can only represent the country to select the most suitable king."

The elder of the Wise Man Society chuckled kindly twice, “Instead of saying that your actions are good-natured among us.”

Luke was confirmed by the Sword Saint to have received great favor from the dragon Polkenica, almost equivalent to Polkenica's personal presence. The "Dragon Priestess" was originally a servant of the dragon, so it would certainly be a good thing to be able to conquer the "Dragon Priestess" with one's own strength.

Furthermore, the royal family is all dead, so if the new king gets into trouble, they will have to take over again.

From a purely practical standpoint, disregarding moral standards, it is more convenient for a man to impregnate multiple women and leave behind a bloodline than for a woman who needs a long time to conceive.

To put it more accurately, the more harem members the better, and the more abundant the harem, the better, ideally producing enough heirs within a limited time.

"Then, let's begin the explanation again."

The elders of the Sages' Association straightened their faces and began to read the text in a solemn tone.

“A few months ago, all the royal family members died from a mysterious illness, and the Kingdom of Lugnica, which is ruled by the Dragon King, was temporarily replaced by us, the Society of Wise Men.”

“A new prophecy appeared on the Dragon Stone.”

"【From among the five potential new leaders of the nation, one priestess will be chosen to sign a contract with a dragon】"

"This is the purpose for which the five were recruited here."

The elder of the Sages' Guild stroked his beard. "Initially, we thought there would be five Dragon Maidens, from whom one would be chosen to sign a contract with the dragon and become the queen."

"However, since the fifth candidate, Prince Luke, who can make the touchstone shine, is male, the prophecy must be in two parts. That is, among the five candidates for the throne, one is Prince Luke, who will become king symbolizing the 'dragon,' and the other will be chosen from among the four 'dragon priestesses' who serve him, to sign a contract with Prince Luke and become his partner..."

"Wait! This isn't what I heard!!!"

Crusch angrily interrupted the elder's speech, her expression icy: "Wasn't it said that one of the five chosen ones would be selected to become king? Why is it that now Luke has become king directly, and the others are competing for the position of queen!"

"Please listen to me patiently, Mr. Karlsten."

The elder frowned slightly, calmly comforting Crusch while looking at Luke with a scrutinizing gaze.

"As Lord Crusch said, although the interpretation is as such, we are not sure whether such an arrangement is a correct prophecy."

"Moreover, we have been searching for His Highness Luke's background with all our might during this period of time, but we have not found any clues at all. His past life is like a blank sheet of paper. His background is unknown, yet he perfectly meets all the conditions to be a king. Such a situation is too bizarre and coincidental. Therefore, we will not directly arrange for you to become king, but will instead adopt a selection ceremony."

"After discussions with our ministers and nobles, we have made the following judgment."

"Completing the selection means becoming king; failure means the time of the prophecy has not yet come. We will continue to wait for a new time that aligns with the prophecy."

Having finished explaining, and seeing Crusch breathe a sigh of relief, the elder of the Sage Association stated the selection criteria without any expression.

"The selection criteria for the King's Selection are—to destroy the Witch Cult!"

"The Witch Cult, which wreaks havoc throughout the continent, is recognized as a scourge by the four great nations. If the chosen one can resolve or weaken this internationally recognized scourge, then becoming king is only natural."

"Each of you chosen kings who kills a high-ranking priest of the Witch Cult will gain the King's approval, and on that basis, you will be tasked with hunting down the high-ranking priest who has the largest number of high-ranking priests..."

The elder paused, then solemnly announced, "He will become the King of Lugnica, the Kingdom of the Dragon!"

Upon hearing this, Natsuki Subaru, who was mixed in with the knights, gasped, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He looked excitedly at Sato Kazuma beside him, who was also looking at him with equal excitement.

Good days have arrived!
Since this is what the selection is about, Luke has no choice but to take action. Then Subaru Natsuki's "Archbishop of Sin" profession can finally grow and carry Kazuma Sato!
It's a win-win!
"I see... It's pretty much as expected. I thought it would be about defeating the three great demonic beasts."

Crusch gradually calmed down from the oppressive feeling of Luke and regained her usual composure.

The elders of the Sages' Council coughed twice, glanced around at the important figures who were digesting this information, and began to formally introduce the chosen ones to the kings according to the established procedure, and asked them to expound their governing philosophies.

"First is His Highness Luke, the one favored by the dragon, and his attendant Reinhard."

Luke released Priscilla and Emilia, letting them prepare, but showed no intention of getting up from Anastasia, merely waving his hand dismissively.

"Don't expect me to govern the country properly. I'll just leave the troublesome things to others and indulge in debauchery, enjoying the power of a king while refusing the obligations of one."

Reinhard stepped forward with a smile. "His Highness Luke means that he will make good use of capable people and refuse the foolish act of issuing orders arbitrarily."

Luke: 6
"The head of the Karlsten family, Lord Crusch, and his servant Phyllis."

Crusch's expression was serious as she spoke eloquently: "I reject the prophecy's arrangement, I reject the dragon's affection. The dragon-owning kingdom of Lugnica has been under the dragon's protection for too long, and I will take the kingdom back from the dragon!"

Phyllis looked worried, glanced at Luke, and spoke hesitantly.

“I…I will prioritize protecting Lady Crusch.”

Anastasia, still in her chair, was skipped over. Having sold everything to Luke, she had lost her right to the throne; a slave could not become king.

“Amelia, without attendants, recommended by Count Roswaal of the Borderlands.”

Emilia straightened her clothes, trying to remain calm: "I only have one demand, and that is fairness."

Roswaal chuckled softly: "It's a bit strange to be standing in the knight's position~ Luckily, Lady Priscilla is on the same side as us."

"Want to experience the feeling of your soul being burned away, you 'Six-Colored' magician?" Priscilla opened her folding fan and snorted, revealing a hint of displeasure.

At this point, the elder announced the last candidate for the throne.

"Princess Priscilla of the Sun, too, had no attendants..."

Priscilla glanced at Luke, about to speak, when she suddenly frowned and looked up.

boom!
The palace dome was shattered, and a strong figure fell straight down, the impact creating a huge shockwave. He raised his head, which was covered by an iron helmet, and his voice was icy.

"Who said the princess doesn't have servants? Aren't I one?"

Al's gaze lingered on Luke for a moment before he bent down and knelt before Priscilla, extending his right hand.

"Your Highness, I've come to fetch you."

(End of this chapter)