Please Vote for Your Knight! – Chapter 46

Author: Asternkm

“Why are you like that?”
“What happened?!”

Everyone jumped in surprise and leaned closer to the screen.

Considering Dmitri was still recovering, it would be disastrous if he happened to see any malicious comments.

Startled, Kusto even covered Dmitri’s eyes with his hands.

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Dmitri’s cute little habits lol
Whenever he gets annoyed, he furrows his brows and brushes his hair to the side lol
– I’m not the only one who thinks that’s freaking cute lol
– He does this too. When he coughs, he covers his mouth with his fist. Powerful and cute.

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But when Kusto looked at the screen Dmitri had been staring at, he slowly lowered his hands.

Dmitri blinked as if he couldn’t believe it, staring intently at the screen.

“Is this real? Are you guys trying to surprise me……?”

“Even though I’m the academy’s top student, I can’t fake something like this.”

Olivier spoke firmly.

Killian scrolled rapidly down the screen, looking fascinated.

“Dmitri, people really like you.”

Then his hand stopped at a particular section.

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Hate seeing all these Dmitri pests having the time of their lives
That doesn’t mean Dmitri isn’t a traitor though lol
– Just because people are reacting positively, they’ve lost all shame
– He’s gonna get hit by the boomerang soon anyway, so I don’t care haha
– He’s the princess’s pick, though. The princess has pretty weird taste too
– Stop gathering around all gloomy like this and say it openly
ㄴ Fine, I’ll say it openly~ Dmitri the traitor and murderer, get eliminated

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Killian hurriedly scrolled back up.

But the reactions there were similar.

There were plenty of positive comments, but there were also plenty of people insulting and provoking one another.

“Wow, people are scary.”

Killian muttered, looking fed up.

Yet Dmitri was smiling faintly.

Kusto flinched and asked,

“Why are you smiling?”

“I’m just grateful that there are actually people who support me, even if it’s only a little. I’m used to the insults. This much is barely a tickle.”

“Still, this is too much!”

All of a sudden, Olivier became fired up and stepped in front of the tablet.

“I’ll let everyone know that you’re not a traitor. I’ll tell them what a good person you are……”

“No. Olivier!”

“Not now!”

“Let go! I owe Dmitri such a huge debt. The least I can do is this much……”

Olivier, who was usually quite composed, was visibly agitated.

It seemed that Dmitri saving him when he had been eliminated during the second evaluation still weighed heavily on his mind.

But Dmitri, along with the other knights, stopped him.

If he posted something while he was this worked up, no one would believe him anyway.

It was then that—

“What? Is that Olivier?”

“Could those people be……?”

The people waiting in line for their turn began whispering as they noticed the knights with their faces covered.

We’ve been found out.

The knights exchanged glances.

Let’s run.

Just then, as the commotion around them grew louder, a woman gathered her courage and approached them.

“You’re the knights who participated in Cartamen, right?”

“Uh, yes……”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Kusto answered innocently without thinking.

And that was how it started.

“Are you Kusto? That’s definitely Kusto’s voice!”

“And isn’t that Duke David?”

More people began gathering around them.

“Can you give me an autograph?”

“Could you write a message here for me?”

Postcards, slogans, and illustrations bearing their faces and names were thrust toward the knights.

“An, an autograph?”

Dmitri and Kusto were flustered, while David and Olivier simply grabbed the pens being offered and quickly signed their names.

Killian, after watching the situation for a moment, awkwardly began signing as well.

“Everyone, please keep some order! Give them some space!”

Someone suddenly shouted in a booming voice.

It was a round-faced woman with red hair.

“That’s right! Don’t make things difficult for the knights!”

“We have to protect the honor of our Marie and Jang!”

With those words, the people who had crowded around them gradually began stepping back and giving them some space.

It was a strange sight.

There weren’t even any soldiers present, yet the people were creating order among themselves.

As they watched in admiration, they suddenly felt something strange.

The crowd had formed a circle around the knights, keeping their distance.

It feels like……

Like we’re animals trapped in a zoo…….

They were grateful, but it wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Let’s go.

David sent the other knights a look.

“Thank you for all your love! But we have somewhere to be, so we’ll have to leave first!”

Olivier shouted as well.

“We’re sorry we couldn’t sign everything!”

The two of them gathered the other knights, who were still standing there dumbfounded, and led them through the crowd.

People shouted, “Whoa!” and “They’re coming this way!” but still made room for them.

Some rude people reached out, trying to touch the knights, but most of them respectfully let the knights leave.

***

Reclaim the ‘Emperor’s Sword’ stolen away to the Island of Death!
The second evaluation recreating the exploits of the 12th Di Eque!

“You may choose five team members, starting with the knight ranked highest.”

(Knights selecting their team members.)

“Hey, isn’t that team way too strong?”

“They’re just picking off all the highest-ranked knights.”

“That’s cheating.”

In front of the plaza where Episode 5 was about to air,

David Marie was already there, waiting and watching the preview playing on the screen.

He had come early to secure a good spot.

The very front makes your neck hurt too much.

The back is too far away, so you can’t get a good look at David’s beautiful face.

In other words, a spot near the front—but not too close—was perfect.

Once you get really into Cartamen, you pick up all sorts of tricks.

But apparently, she wasn’t the only one who had figured out such tricks.

Why is she sitting next to me again?

Someone she definitely didn’t want beside her had taken the seat next to her.

It was Joan Marie.

Not long ago, David Marie and Joan Marie had openly fought in the plaza, which had led to anonymous community posts insulting both fandoms.

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I heard Joan Marie started it first?
– What are you talking about lol David Marie kept provoking her
ㄴ Look at these Joan pests, lying just like their master
ㄴㄴ David pests should try pretending to be innocent like their master

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Seriously, can you two stop fighting already?
– David Marie and Joan Marie are exactly the same
ㄴ Exactly. They’re the only ones who don’t realize it
ㄴ Please, can both of them just disappear

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Honestly, it was unfair.

Joan Marie had been getting on her nerves from the very beginning, and when David had finally answered back, Joan had grabbed her by the hair.

I was just responding to her.

Either way, it was true that the reactions were terrible.

If this continued, the two fandoms might become more than just a public enemy—they could end up damaging David and Joan themselves.

I have to put up with it today.

David Marie glared at Joan Marie and thought that.

Apparently, Joan Marie had the same idea. She scoffed, “Hmph!” and turned her head away.

What a pain.

The two of them silently hurled the exact same insult at each other before turning their attention to the start of Cartamen Episode 5.

Episode 5 began with the knighting ceremony for the first-round survivors of Cartamen.

David Marie, who had watched the ceremony in person, clasped both hands tightly.

Our Duke David getting knighted as the representative—so freaking cool.

This is why I vote.

She glanced sideways at Joan Marie, who looked absolutely miserable, and smiled smugly in triumph.

Soon, the second evaluation officially began broadcasting.

A vast circular arena.

When the magnificent sight of the entire center filled with crystal-clear water appeared across the screen, the plaza erupted in gasps of amazement.

Floating on the surface of the water was a model of the ‘Island of Death,’ complete with tree and rock structures.

It was an incredibly grand set.

“For the marine battle, you will board a boat, make your way to the island, and reclaim the ‘Emperor’s Sword’ hidden inside a cave.”

Edit spoke from within the screen.

The team that reclaimed the sword and returned first would receive a 100,000-point advantage.

She also explained that the nine knights within each team who received the highest audience scores would each be granted an additional 100,000 points.

All the points they earned so far are being reset, so those 100,000 points are an enormous advantage.

Who else could possibly take first place if not our Duke David?

But a sudden uneasy thought crossed her mind.

There are always so many people trying to drag Duke David down because he keeps taking first place. What if that makes people vote for him less?

Damn all those jealous people!

Being too good at everything really is a problem.

David, who was ranked first, chose his teammates first.

Arsene, Denny, Pierre, Killian……

They were all highly ranked knights with impressive strength.

“Wow, that team is way too strong.”

“Isn’t David being too greedy?”

“The game’s already over. It’s over.”