The castle

The very next day, all of the candidates for the throne of Lugnica were to arrive at the castle. Subaru was told to stay in the house that belonged to Roswaal while the rest of them went to the castle. Subaru wasn't happy with it so he sneaked out, and tried to hitchhike, and it worked as a carriage stopped in front of him.

While Subaru was going to the castle, even though Emilia asked him to stay at home, Kaji was wondering if Subaru would show up. He wanted to cause some trouble in the castle, some might think of it as unnecessary or troublesome, but Kaji just wanted to have some fun. He didn't care if he insulted the whole noble faction or the old fart's in the counsel, all he knew was that he was stronger than them so why should he follow their rules.

Of course, if something went badly it would be troublesome to fight some people, but Kaji just didn't care anymore. He was smiling while thinking of a way to insult or to rattle the counsel. And then he got a great idea, after all, he was sure that at least one of them would insult Emilia, and he could use that to his advantage.

"Kaji-san, why are you smiling so much today?" Emilia asked while looking at the Oni, who was smiling happily while they walked through the castle.

"Hmm, it's because something interesting will happen today, and I'm sure it will be fun to watch or participate." Kaji spoke, white a smile that seemed to be a bit unnatural.

"Umm…what do you mean?" The girl asked, but she didn't understand what Kaji was talking about.

"You'll see, and don't worry if anyone tries to do or say anything to you that's uncalled for or disrespectful, I'll deal with it in my own way is that alright?" Kaji asked while looking at the silver-haired half-elf.

"I understand, but you don't need to do anything like that. I don't want to trouble you, as it could cause trouble for you." Emilia spoke worriedly.

"Emilia, what do you think matters most when facing other people? One might say that the heart matters the most, another might say that intelligence matters the most, everyone has their own opinion. But in the end, the stronger one will always win. Think about it, if one of the witches was here, would they dare to insult her right in her face?" Kaji asked while they walked through the castle.

Emilia didn't know what to say as she looked at Kaji, she wanted to say something but no words came out of her mouth.

"No they would be too scared to do that, do you know why? It's because they were stronger than the rest, and if they did insult a witch, I highly doubt that they would stay alive unless the witch had a good heart. But in the end, it just won't matter if one was good or bad, it all comes down to who is stronger or who has a stronger backing." Kaji spoke while grinning.

Emilia looked at the red-haired Oni and wondered why Kaji was talking about power, but she managed to realize that this might be something she needed. After all, she was a royal candidate, and more than on one occasion she was insulted by some people of the royal faction. She started wondering if she needed to display or show her strength, or should go and try to find strong people to support her, or maybe become stronger herself. She didn't know but Kaji's words made her think.

While the two walked down the corridor they soon met up with Roswaal, and headed towards the entrance to the great hall where the candidates to the throne were supposed to gather. After they entered, Kaji found Reinhard and walked right up to him. He wanted to know how the guy was doing these days. While Kaji was talking with the red-haired knight, the doors of the hall were opened one more time and liked what he expected, the ones to arrive last, was Priscilla, and her knight Al, while Subaru followed after the two of them.

Kaji looked at Emilia who was surprised by Subaru's arrival. She did tell him to stay back in the house where they were staying in the capital, but he didn't listen to her. She felt hurt for some reason, but while she was in the middle of asking him why he came here even though she asked him to stay at home. A guard started to declare the entrance of the counsel.

"The counsel of the wise men will now enter!" An older knight declared as a group of old men walked into the hall. They all walked to seats that were prepared for them.

The knight who declared their entrance was Marcos Gildark who is the captain of the Royal Guard and Knight Commander. Marcus has a chiseled face that–rather befitting of his stern personality and earth-based abilities–is often compared to a boulder or a craggy cliff. He is a large man with an abundance of muscles that are usually concealed underneath his armor. Thanks to his bulging muscles, his neck and shoulders are impossibly thick, in comparison to an average person's. His eyes are blue and his green-colored close-cropped hair is cut into the shape of a square. Unlike most members of the Knights of Lugnica, Marcos wears a suit of plate armor with gold trimmings. Transfixed to his waist is a sword he uses in battle. Overall, his appearance exudes the martial spirit of a disciplined warrior.

Kaji knew the guy, he met him one while visiting the capital, they didn't talk to each other. But Kaji could tell what kind of person he was, Marcos is a stern and strict man who takes his position as the captain of the Royal Guard seriously. He is composed at all times, allowing him to calmly deal with emergencies. He is also surprisingly thoughtful and perceptive which has allowed him to look for his soldiers on and off the field.

But now the meeting was starting as Kaji took his place, near the knights.