Please Vote for Your Knight! Chapter 3

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“Bwahahaha!”

The Lord of Pius burst into mocking laughter.

In his hand was a flyer for the upcoming “Cartamen” competition, which his men had torn down.

“Cartamen, you say! Those pathetic fools think they can hold such a grand competition?”

On top of that, the Princess herself had come all the way here to make him participate.

She must be furious about being stood up by me by now.

But what could she do?

It wasn’t as though the Princess would come all the way to an execution ground just to capture Lord Han.

She’ll return in tears, her pride wounded.

Just thinking about it made him feel refreshed.

It was his revenge for the Emperor’s recent order to “obey imperial law.”

How dare that brat tell me, the master of these seas, to manage my port according to the law?

He intended to teach all such insolent fools a lesson.

The execution he was about to carry out was part of that plan.

It’s a shame, though. He’s an uneducated former slave, yet he can take down a dozen or more pirates all by himself.

Still, this was the time to make an example of him.

The lord gazed at the black-haired condemned man.

A sturdy build and a firm, sun-bronzed body.

Long, muscular arms and legs.

Even bound to the large wheel atop the execution platform, the man was strikingly handsome, making it difficult to look away.

However, the vivid scars covering various parts of his body told the story of how harsh his life had been.

If you’re going to kill me, just get on with it. What a damn loudmouth.

The man thought to himself.

He showed no fear of death.

He was a mercenary who had once been a slave.

While employed by the Lord of Pius to eradicate pirates, he had been sentenced to death for releasing all the hostages captured by the pirates instead of bringing them back to the lord’s castle.

Ridiculous. They’re not even enemies. I’m being executed for releasing my own lord’s people?

The man scoffed.

Well, I did disobey the lord’s orders.

He had been instructed to quietly bring the hostages back because the lord intended to make them his slaves.

But despite the objections of the other soldiers, he had released every single hostage.

Convincing them was easy.

Because all he had to do was persuade them physically.

He knew perfectly well what kind of retaliation he would face from the cruel lord for doing such a thing, but the man had simply done what he wanted.

It wasn’t because of compassion or some grand sense of justice.

It was simply because the hostages reminded him of his childhood.

“Thank you so much for saving me and my young grandson from the bandits. I swear I’ll repay your kindness… Aah!”

Even now, whenever he closed his eyes, he could almost feel his grandfather’s hot blood covering his face.

“That stupid old man. He must’ve thought we’d actually save him.”

“We only took the slave away from those other bastards. Hahaha!”

“Still, we’ll get a pretty good price for this little one.”

He had lost his grandfather to people he had believed were his saviors, and he himself had been sold into slavery.

The hostages captured by the pirates had been the same.

They looked at him as though he were some kind of benefactor who had come to give them their freedom.

They shed tears of relief, repeatedly bowing and thanking him.

He couldn’t bring himself to betray their expectations.

He couldn’t stand watching the soldiers of Pius sneer and laugh at them.

So he had done what he did, knowing exactly what it would cost him.

I just didn’t expect to be falsely accused of colluding with pirates and sentenced to death.

The man gave a hollow chuckle, unable to believe how absurd it was.

The enraged lord shouted.

“Th-That bastard! Start the execution immediately!”

The executioner picked up an enormous hammer.

The plan was to crush the man’s arms and legs with it, then roll the wheel into the sea and drown him.

And then—

BOOM!

The man tore one of his arms free from the wheel by sheer force.

The hammer slammed down onto the spot where his arm had been only a fraction of a second earlier.

As cracks spread across the wheel, the man tensed his body and shattered it into pieces.

When the large, thick wheel came crashing apart onto the ground, screams erupted throughout the execution ground.

The man paid them no attention and leapt down into the crowd.

“W-What are you doing?! Catch him!”

The lord screamed.

The executioner and soldiers rushed toward the man.

But he effortlessly knocked them all down.

It took dozens of soldiers ambushing him just to capture this bastard, and now he’s about to escape again!

The lord gave a meaningful glance to one of his subordinates.

The subordinate dragged a young child out from among the spectators and held a sword to the child’s throat.

“W-Waaaaah!”

At the child’s cry, the man raised his head.

“If you don’t stop right there, I’ll kill this innocent child in your place!”

The lord shouted.

This so-called lord thinks the lives of his own people are worth less than ants.

That bastard really would kill the child.

But what does that have to do with me?

I’ve helped these people enough. Do I really have to risk my life again?

That was what he told himself.

But he couldn’t bring himself to take another step.

Meanwhile, the soldiers surrounded the man from all sides.

Damn it.

The man let out a hollow laugh, as though he couldn’t believe the absurdity of the situation, and slowly raised both hands.

The soldiers immediately rushed forward and bound him tightly.

The lord shouted.

“Beat every inch of that insolent bastard’s body with the hammer!”

He had no intention of letting him die easily.

Still bound, the man was thrown back onto the execution platform.

A dark shadow from the hammer loomed over him.

Then his eyes met those of the terrified child.

The man gave him a crooked grin, as if to say not to worry.

Whoosh!

At the same moment, the hammer came crashing down toward him.

“Stop!”

Just then—

At the sharp voice that rang out from somewhere, the hammer stopped right before the man’s nose.

Though the voice was young, the executioner instinctively felt an overwhelming authority that made him want to obey.

The lord, who had also flinched, quickly came to his senses and shouted angrily.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you killing him already?!”

“But isn’t it such a waste to kill someone like this?”

“A waste? What are you talking abou—Aagh!”

The lord, who had answered irritably, suddenly recoiled in horror.

At some point, the owner of the voice had approached and was now standing beside him, smiling sweetly.

It was Princess Edith.

“P-Princess! What are you doing here?!”

“I heard you had such an urgent matter that you had to stand up to the Princess, so I came to see for myself.”

“But this place is…!”

“But did you hold a proper trial before carrying out the execution?”

“…Pardon?”

Faced with Edith’s sharp question, the lord froze.

Of course, there had been no proper trial whatsoever.

Edith gave him a sly smile.

“There was no trial? Then it seems further investigation is necessary.”

“T-This is a matter concerning the Pius territory! That man colluded with pirates!”

“Where’s the evidence?”

“T-The evidence…”

Nothing came to mind.

He hadn’t bothered to prepare such things carefully because, in this land, the lord’s word was the law.

Edith stared at him coldly.

“The Emperor and his heir possess the authority to grant pardons throughout the entire Empire.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll pardon that man.”

“P-Princess!”

The increasingly desperate lord leaned toward Edith and whispered.

“Didn’t you come here to make me participate in Cartamen? I admit defeat. I’ll do whatever you want, so please…”

“I don’t need you anymore.”

Edith spoke with a haughty little pout.

“I found an S-rank gemstone. Why would I bother buying some cheap C-rank stone?”

 

***

 

Kusto.

That was the name of the man who had once been a slave and, only a few minutes ago, had been a condemned prisoner.

She’s really letting me go just like that?

And the Princess herself is pardoning me?

Rather than feeling happy, he was bewildered.

His life had always been one hardship after another.

Luck was something that could never possibly come his way.

He gazed at the Princess waiting for him a short distance away.

A girl with honey-gold hair.

A rosy blush spread across her cheeks, which still retained a hint of youthful fullness.

Objectively speaking, it was impossible not to call her cute and lovable.

Her clothes were plain and comfortable, perhaps because she’d traveled a long way, yet she possessed an undeniable vitality and air of nobility.

Beside her stood a man whose entire body was concealed beneath a robe.

Judging by his large, sturdy build and the sword at his waist, he was likely the Princess’s personal guard.

She must want something from me.

With a wary expression, Kusto approached her.

“I heard that you pardoned me. Thank you.”

Edith carefully studied the man as he bowed deeply.

His eyes are as cold as ice, and his expression is as hard as stone.

But underneath all that, there’s still the face of a boy.

“Raise your head.”

The man lifted his head, revealing an exceptionally handsome face and shining golden eyes.

Golden eyes set against that perfectly sun-kissed bronze skin!

I really want this one.

And then there was the skill he’d displayed at the execution ground!

That incredible strength with which he’d tossed trained soldiers aside as though they were nothing!

Edith barely managed to resist covering her mouth with both hands as she glanced up at Dimitri.

Apparently, he was thinking the same thing.

This one’s a catch!

“Then please tell me the conditions of my pardon.”

While secretly rolling around with delight, Kusto spoke calmly.

Edith was startled.

“You knew I pardoned you because I wanted something in return?”

Kusto was even more taken aback by her response.

“Isn’t one normally supposed to say, ‘I didn’t pardon you expecting anything in return’ in a situation like this?”

“But it would be obvious that it was a lie.”

“That is true.”

What an oddly honest Princess.

As Kusto hesitated, Edith extended her hand first.

“But before that, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Edith, the Princess who may become your ‘lifesaver.’”

Kusto stared down at her small, pale hand.

“Are you asking me to shake your hand?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I’m a former slave.”

“So what? Come on, shake my hand already. My arm hurts.”

At Edith’s urging, Kusto awkwardly shook the Princess’s hand.

There was surprising strength in her small hand.

After they released each other, Kusto clenched and unclenched his fist.

Unlike him, his palm had grown slightly sweaty.

“My name is Kusto.”

“That’s a nice name.”

“But why did you say you ‘may become my lifesaver’? Haven’t you already saved my life?”

Edith responded with a radiant smile.

That smile sent a chill down Kusto’s spine.

“A pardon can be revoked at any time.”

“What?”

This was a development he had never expected.

“You asked what I wanted in return, didn’t you? It’s simple. You have to participate in the knightly competition being held this time, ‘Cartamen.’”

Cartamen!

Even Kusto, a former slave, had heard of it.

The ultimate goal dreamed of by everyone who wanted to become a knight, from the moment they first picked up a sword.

A name synonymous with glory and honor.

The gateway to becoming a Die Eques.

“Participate in Cartamen and become one of the final survivors. If you fail to do so, I’ll revoke your pardon.”