I have been here for a week now.  After helping Emilia find her badge and then making friends with Reinhard, Felt, Ram, and finally Emilia, I beat Elsa twice, escaped several murder attempts, and now I am the knight of  'Emiia;  candidate for selection, the half-elf from Elior Forest.

“There you go! We have arrived at the capital! Not too nervous?”

"A little, yes... But not too much. I have confidence in my knights and well, I know that my speech is almost ready"

Looking out over the capital, she takes a deep breath.  This is the day, the day she will run and speak to all sides in front of everyone.  She must remain calm and confident to do this;  what I understand.

"Louis, I have to ask you one last thing. Can you accompany me today? You will be my knight, that way, if any of the knights have any objections, they will know that they cannot make me  of badness."

"I'm here to accompany you and not let anyone hurt you."

“Thank you, Louis. I appreciate your confidence in me. Let’s go.”

She nods resolutely and begins walking towards the meeting place.  I stay by her side, to the point where she walks with confidence and, if I'm not mistaken, a subtle wink addressed to her.  A wink that makes him smile, because it comforts me before the speech I'm about to give.

"Hello! My name is Emilia, just Emilia.  I am a half-elf from the Forest of Elior.  I am a candidate for the throne of Lugnica, sponsored by Margrave Roswaal L Mathers.  Additionally, I have hair  silver and amethyst eyes, just like the Witch of Envy who destroyed 1/3 of the world 400 years ago.  This made me the target of a lot of discrimination."

The four candidates, one of whom I did not suspect at all was already present, will each give their speech in turn!  I don't know why but I have a very bad feeling, especially about the one in the red dress.  She smells like Vollachia!

My name is Priscilla Barielle, candidate for the throne.  Why should I be chosen to be queen?  Because I am worth it and this throne is owed to me.  You can abandon the rest of you and join me!  It will be easier, believe me!”

I barely heard him speak when a voice that I thought I hadn't heard for over 400 years spoke up: "Kill her!"  The worst thing is that this whore, I mean Priscilla, will also try to not only discriminate not only Emilia but also Felt but she will not let it happen.

"Felt, 15 years old!  I come from the slums, a really tough life.  If you're looking for a fight, you'll find one in me and my trusty blade! As far as I'm concerned, I don't care about this kingdom full of  'Injustice and problems! I want to destroy it, and reform the system!'

Holy Felt!  If I hadn't joined Emilia's camp, I would have chosen you.  On the other hand, it would be too dangerous, especially since I would have difficulty hiding my identity.

'And besides, I don't like your arrogant and haughty air!  So come fight!" Felt tells Priscilla.

"Oh, the peasant girl is speaking out! How adorable! Yes, please come and beat me. It would be a pleasure to prove my superiority to such a pitiful creature!"  Priscilla laughs to herself, her voice dripping with disdain.  "Come, Felt! I long to defeat you and force you back to your rightful position. You must bow to my radiance and beg for mercy, as any commoner would!"

Felt rolls her eyes as she looks at Priscilla, not bothering to hide her disdain for the other woman.  She couldn't believe how arrogant and pompous Priscilla was, acting like this just because she came from a noble family and had mana.

"Oh please, is that all you have to say for yourself? Your 'radiance'? What a joke. If you think you can make me bow to you just because you're a 'noble  ', then you are sorely mistaken. I come from the slums and I will gladly fight against this unjust system if it means bringing some fairness here."

The two are about to come to blows, when suddenly Reinhard intervenes and separates them.

“Enough, Priscilla and Felt!”

Reinhard's voice is strong and full of authority, his gaze fixed on the two ladies.

"A royal election is not the arena for grudges or personal fights. The purpose of this event is to select someone who can rule the kingdom in the best possible way, not to satisfy your own ego and goals  ."  Reinhard sighs before speaking again.  "Priscilla, Felt deserves an equal opportunity in this election. Your comments about him are completely inappropriate. You must show respect and courtesy to all candidates."

Priscilla raises her eyebrows in surprise at Reinhard's interruption.  She glances at Felt, a look of contempt etched on her features.

"My God, how interesting. Tell me, Felt, is it true that you come from the slums? A gutter rat, and now she wants to join this elite election? It's no wonder her  intellect corresponds to his education."

Priscilla's tone is mocking and her lips curl in disgust.  She turns her back on Felt and faces Reinhard.

"I will do no such thing. As a noble of high position, I have no need to show 'courtesy and respect' to someone as common and dirty as Felt."  Priscilla looks over her shoulder at Felt.  "Go back to the slums you belong to and take care of any rat infestation that may be there. You dare talk to me like a peer? Disgusting."

At this precise moment, Priscilla has just signed her death warrant without anyone noticing, I make Priscilla suffer an expression of imminent death via my optic nerve for 0.000000000000000000001 second.

Then I innocently raise my hand and ask him with a touch of neutrality:

"Is everything okay? If so, I advise you to listen to Reinhard and Felt who, even if they are my opponents, are close to my heart."

The sudden "death expression" takes Priscilla completely by surprise, causing her to flinch and turn towards the source... me.

The shocked expression quickly faded.  Priscilla looks at Louis with a haughty and disdainful expression: Everything seems to be in order, thank you for your concern."

To which I respond with a yawn, albeit discreetly.  Priscilla ignores my request to listen to Felt?  I'm already making a plan so that there are only 4 participants left instead of 5. And here's the reason;  his behavior towards Reinhard and Felt.

"I can assure you, Reinhard, that this common rat does not deserve my attention. His lack of education speaks for itself."

Felt felt the contempt coming from Priscilla's manner and the way she called her a commoner made her even more annoyed with this woman.  Felt still couldn't believe that Priscilla thought that the way she grew up and her background made her superior to Felt and the others.  But hearing him talk and make fun of Felt made her even more determined to prove Priscilla wrong.

"A rat? Really? Is that what you call me? Because I'm from the slums? That shows how ignorant and pompous you really are, Priscilla."

"Felt, let's let her go! She's not worth sacrificing your time and saliva. Besides,... she doesn't deserve it."

Felt looks at me while I talk to him and quickly agrees with me.

"Yeah, I don't really want to waste my time trying to convince her anymore. She's so full of herself and refuses to recognize that people are equal no matter where they were born or come from  ."

She turns away from Priscilla, feeling that there is no point in arguing with her further.

The selection takes place calmly, when a violet with turquoise eyes and white clothes presents herself.  Something about her makes me uneasy, like I'm seeing someone again.

"Hello!  My name is Anastasia.  I love business and doing business, so if you are ever short of money or anything else, come see me!  I love making money from my business and I  will not refuse any agreement that could bring me profit. However, I will never enter into an agreement that I know is unfair or that would make the other party unhappy."

This speech... It reminds me of Echidna 400 years ago.  Not much comes to mind at the moment.  I hope Emilia isn't intimidated by all these beautiful people.

“Is everything okay, Emilia?”

She's shaking, poor thing.  Nonetheless, she did well.  All that remains is for the last one to introduce themselves.  The first thing that catches my eye about her is her military clothes.

Why is she dressed like the Japanese from World War II?

"My name is Crusch.  My job is to lead my army as well as manage my domain.  I hold myself to the same standards of professionalism and perfection as my soldiers.  I am very practical.  I am not easily impressed and n  "I don't like displays of emotion. I hate it when men look at me. Besides, I want the kingdom to defend itself and no longer rely on the protection of the dragon."

Well, that’s ambitious.  Too bad only you and your camp remain on board with this idea.  I also had it 400 years ago except that I died before implementing it.

Now that they are all there, the selection can begin.  Will I be able to keep my identity secret at this rate?  Will Emilia rise in the rankings and become the queen of this kingdom?  As for me, will I be able to make this witch pay for what she did to me?

The members of the council of elders make me nauseous.  Their mouths only open to insult Emilia.  However, doing it because she's a half-elf or because she looks like the person I hate the most is still most absurd.

“Stop…”

I stand up in a moment of anger and point at the council members.  "Why do we still do this? Why do we still have to make everything an us versus them mentality!"  I challenge them and try to draw everyone's attention to the real external problems.  "We need to be more united, we need to be more respectful, we need to be more mature! Why is it that every time we try to progress we are held back by hatred?! It's not just Emilia!  It's the demi-humans, it's the poor! It's all of us! Why can't we be better? I have the impression that after 400 years we haven't evolved at all?"

An angel passes.  I know my speech won't please everyone, I don't care.  I am ....

"You.... You are right. How could we be so blind. Our own hatred and prejudice will lead to our death."  A wise man says.

What ?!

"You raise a good point. Demi-human prejudices are too strong. Without them, we would already be destroyed. " Someone from the council spoke in agreement.

After a moment of hesitation, another member stands up and says "Yes... We can all do better. We need to stop this hatred."

The room fills with a sudden air of realization as others stand up to agree with you.

"Well said!"  someone shouts

To which another wise council member nods, "Yes... Yes... you're right."

Another says:

“Actions speak louder than words.”

As more and more voices in the crowd join in to support you.

“We have been blinded for too long by the past and by our hatred.”

Someone shouts:

“Now that we see ourselves clearly and we see others clearly, we can finally make a difference.”

I notice that everyone has stopped talking and is looking at you all with expressions of joy and hope, and even Emilia is looking at me with a slight blush and a warm smile.  “You did it Louis.”  Roswaal stands up and says "Thank you, your words have inspired the masses. Now everyone together, let's do our best to make things right! For the sake of the future!"  Everyone in the room comes together to sing “For the Good of the Future!”  followed by applause.

I look around me, apart from Crush, and Priscilla, the majority are touched by my speech, no, what I just said is simply the truth.  A few minutes later, I see a person with purple hair and a knight's outfit, attracting my attention.

“Your speech was very good, you know?

I like that your attitude towards half-humans and half-elves isn't as bad as others who view them negatively.  You are a wonderful man!  Who can you be?  By the way, my name is Julius Juukulius."

"Thank you very much! I remain convinced that it is my actions that a person takes that should be judged and not their appearance. My name is Louis and I am delighted to meet you!"

“Looking forward to meeting you too Louis!
And thank you for defending half-humans and half-elves.  They are tired of being treated like monsters because they are different.
Your actions show that you are a good man, even a hero!”

Julius's words provoke a sense of accomplishment in me that I don't notice Crush and Felix coming our way.

"It appears that the situation has progressed more quickly than expected. Your actions have made a strong impression on the population. You have my deepest gratitude, Louis. Thank you for giving the nation a reason to trust once again  . A truly inspiring speech." Crusch congratulates me.

"Hello, my name is Ferri-chan!  Nice to meet you, Nya~" Felix greets me.

He calms down a little before continuing.

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you too, my name is Felix Argyle, the Knight of Crusch Karsten!
My lady has done a wonderful job leading this nation of Lugunica, and I am happy to help her!  I will continue to do my best so that we can get rid of prejudice throughout the kingdom!”

A hard working duo from what I hear.  To think that I simply wanted to live a peaceful life in Anoumanbo.  Provided that my mission is not seized.  Finally, let's get back to our subject!

"So I'm excited about that.  Crusch, Felix, it's a pleasure to meet you!  But I guess it's not just to thank me that I'm here, is it?  There  has one big like... a Grand Mabeast?"

"Well" Crusch replies "As luck would have it, that's actually why I brought us together. A Great Mabeast has been spotted near the capital it seems... I've been informed that  'he had wreaked havoc in the region.'

"What kind of Mabeast did the scout see, Crusch?  The fact that it is a large beast is quite concerning... It might even mean that it is intelligent enough to think strategically.  It’s important for us to prepare for the worst.”

Having traveled all over Lugnica again while remaining listening to the ceremony at the same time, in two round trips, I discovered the three Grand Mabeast, created by the witch of gluttony: Daphne.  So, I can tell him:

"Correct me if I'm wrong but Oousagi only comes when there's snow or mana, and Kurohebi is more comfortable in the woods so whoever comes here would be the Hakugei, am I wrong?"

"You would indeed be right. The Hakugei is the one causing us trouble at the moment."  Crusch confirms.

"Yeah!  You're 100% right Louis!  The Hakugei is known to have a very destructive nature, so it's a disastrous situation if he arrives in the capital!"  Felix adds.