Please Vote for Your Knight! Chapter 25

Meanwhile, Edith was among the people enjoying the Founding Festival.

She had pulled a robe over herself to conceal her identity.

She wanted to hear the people’s opinions without any filter.

‘But why is this so damn hard……?’

Once the plaza restrictions were lifted and people began crowding around the curtained stage, Edith was being pushed around by the crowd as if she were being swept away by a wave.

‘Is this what life as a Princess is like?’

I’ve never seen a possession or reincarnation story like this.

Edith swallowed back her tears and pricked up her ears.

“I thought we’d get to see the Valkyria, but they’re Cartamen contestants? Ah, don’t push!”

“They’re really piggybacking off the Founding Festival. Where’s their shame?”

“Please, I hope we get to see Sir Olivier a lot today……!”

All sorts of opinions could be heard from every direction.

Some people were even insulting them, but they didn’t leave their spots.

Despite their complaints, they seemed curious about Cartamen’s first public performance.

‘Just wait. You’re all going to love it. It’s about to start!’

As if he had been waiting for the moment, Amond’s booming voice rang out.

“Thank you for waiting so patiently. The swordsmanship demonstration will now begin!”

With that, the curtains suddenly flew open.

“Whoa!”

Amid the startled screams of the crowd, majestic music began to play.

It was the victory anthem dedicated to the First Generation Die Eques.

“Wow, this music!”

“It gets my heart pounding every time I hear it.”

“Still, whoever picks the music really knows what they’re doing.”

Everyone gazed at the stage with excited expressions.

Standing there were the Cartamen contestants, dressed in dazzling armor.

The overwhelming sight of the armored army drew involuntary gasps of admiration from the crowd.

The contestants raised their swords.

The tips of their swords cut through the air in perfect unison.

They seemed to flutter like flower petals, only to suddenly thrust forward fiercely at their enemies.

When everyone came to a stop after the precise sequence of movements, David’s solo swordsmanship began.

It was the privilege of standing at center stage.

“I wondered why they didn’t put a helmet on him. It was obvious so we could see that face.”

“To see Sir David’s swordsmanship with my own eyes…… I’m genuinely moved!”

“He really shines all by himself.”

Next, the second tier joined in, swinging their swords together.

“Isn’t that person on the far right that wistful slave guy?”

“Slave guy? That sounds a bit harsh. His name is Kusto. K-U-S-T-O!”

The swordsmanship continued, one tier after another, all the way down to the lowest level.

There were certainly contestants who stood out on each tier. Yet the overall synchronization and harmony were excellent as well.

The swordsmanship flowed seamlessly, like curtains being drawn across the stage.

“It really looks like a painting.”

“Who’s that person? He’s incredibly good.”

“He’s Denny Vinosh, the Sensual Fisherman. Please vote for him.”

“Huh?”

Still, perhaps because the stage had been built in tiers, people’s gazes naturally gravitated toward the highest point.

Thanks to that, the mistakes made by the fifth-grade contestants at the bottom were not particularly noticeable.

Of course, that didn’t mean nobody saw them.

“The people up top are the only ones doing well. Did you see the bottom?”

“Ah, look at them slipping together. I thought they were dominoes.”

Edith rubbed her forehead.

‘I tried to hide it, but there’s no hiding it. I’ll have to make sure we tuck those parts away better during editing.’

Still, the reaction was more positive than she had expected.

The people were already excited by the festive atmosphere of the Founding Festival, and seeing the swordsmanship demonstration had only heightened their enthusiasm.

Edith was pleased.

But this wasn’t the end.

They had released the preview.

They had held the swordsmanship demonstration at the Founding Festival.

The reason she had carefully built up all this momentum was for one thing.

‘Because tomorrow is the day Cartamen Episode 2 airs!’

 

***

 

“Waaaaah!”

Even until the moment the curtains closed over the stage again, the cheering was deafening.

Kusto stared at the cheering crowd as if he were witnessing something unreal.

This was different from slave gladiatorial combat, and it was different from all the evaluations he had gone through on Cartamen.

His heart raced before seeming to explode altogether.

‘What is this feeling?’

He swallowed his ragged breath and looked around.

The faces of the other contestants were flushed as well.

Not from exhaustion, but from the excitement boiling inside them.

They were probably all thinking the same thing.

They wanted to experience this again.

And therefore, they didn’t want to be eliminated from Cartamen.

 

***

 

After the crowd dispersed, the Cartamen contestants also began leaving the plaza one by one.

“The next evaluation will be in a week. Rest comfortably until the invitations are sent out.”

Amond also seemed quite pleased with today’s performance, greeting them with a bright expression.

There had been some mistakes among the lower-ranked contestants, but considering how little time they had to prepare, the result was fairly satisfactory.

The contestants dispersed, carrying equal parts relief and joy.

David also quickened his pace.

If he lingered even a little, his followers would surround him.

It wasn’t that he disliked or was annoyed by them. He was simply exhausted today and wanted to return home early.

But sure enough, he heard footsteps following behind him.

‘The burden of being popular.’

Since he couldn’t simply ignore them, David politely turned around.

But there was an unexpected person behind him.

“Kusto?”

David couldn’t hide his surprise.

Kusto was the person who stood at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from his followers.

The one and only person who paid no attention even when David showed him interest.

And yet, astonishing words came from Kusto’s mouth.

“You were amazing today. You definitely deserved to stand at the highest position.”

“Out of nowhere?”

Although he said that, David smiled, feeling better than he had in a long time.

This was certainly different from the unconditional praise he received from his followers.

‘It feels different because he’s acknowledging me sincerely.’

When was the last time he had received a compliment that genuinely touched his heart?

It had been a very long time.

Back when Hugo was still alive.

“Where have you been staying these days? You weren’t at the lodging.”

“Were you looking for me?”

“Yeah. I figured you wouldn’t have anywhere to go, so I went looking for you. Seems you’ve already made some friends.”

Kusto shrugged.

“Rather than friends, I’m staying with a former teammate.”

“Teammate?”

David muttered to himself, “Right, that’s it,” before nodding.

“You look tired. I guess I kept you too long. I’ll be going now.”

Kusto casually held out his hand. David took it in a handshake.

But Kusto’s expression changed strangely as they shook hands.

“Your hand…”

David realized his mistake.

“It’s fine. It’s nothing.”

David’s hand was covered in small cuts.

He smiled as though it were nothing and turned away.

The wounds were all from training.

‘Did I overdo it?’

After returning home, David crossed the garden before suddenly stopping.

In one corner of the garden was a makeshift training ground, prepared so that he could practice anytime, anywhere.

‘Still, there’s nothing wrong with practicing a little more.’

He headed toward the training ground.

“You’re not seriously going to practice again, are you?”

His butler asked worriedly.

“You practiced until dawn yesterday, too…”

David stubbornly picked up his practice sword. The butler shook his head.

“You practice more diligently than even a low-ranking squire, yet no one knows. People will think you come in first solely because of your natural talent. It’s terribly unfair.”

“There is nothing unfair about it. I’m doing this because I want to.”

The butler looked at his master with pity.

“It’s because of Lord Hugo, isn’t it?”

“……”

“That’s why you’re so desperate, isn’t it?”

“At first, I thought so.”

David briefly lowered his sword.

“But now, I don’t know whether I’m doing this to fulfill my brother’s dream or to fulfill my own.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s just…”

David recalled the one-on-one duel.

Opponents who trembled at the mere sight of him and were unable to display their true abilities.

But there had been one person who was different.

‘Kusto.’

His skill was inferior to David’s. Yet he hadn’t been intimidated in the slightest and had swung his sword with refreshing boldness.

The exhilarating sensation when sword clashed against sword.

He couldn’t forget the feeling in his hands.

‘Well, the team battle was pretty fun too.’

It would’ve been even more enjoyable if Kusto had been with him.

Next time, he would make sure to be on the same team as the man who kept ignoring him.

‘For some reason, the more he ignores me, the more I want to be around him.’

With that thought, David resumed his training.

‘I should only train today and go to bed early.’

 

***

 

Late at night.

In the capital’s largest square, Victory Square, stood a massive tower.

A broadcasting device created by Edith had been installed on the tower, which was adorned with a statue of the Goddess of Victory.

The screen had been removed since it wasn’t Cartamen’s broadcast time, but the tablet in front of the tower was still there.

Someone approached it.

It was a man completely wrapped in a robe.

He registered his identification card with the tablet.

The screen immediately lit up.

——————————————————————————————————-

☐ Vote for a Cartamen Participant
Please select the participants you wish to vote for.
You may select up to 10 participants.

——————————————————————————————————-

Voting for Cartamen was available at all times, even when the show wasn’t airing.

But instead of voting, the man scrolled down.

——————————————————————————————————-

☐ Leave a Comment About Cartamen

——————————————————————————————————-

This was the button he selected.

The screen soon changed, displaying the comments left by the citizens.