Please Vote for Your Knight! Chapter 49

– I heard you used to be a mercenary.
“Yes.”

– Why did you quit being a mercenary?
“Because I injured my leg.”

(He rolls up his trouser leg, revealing a leg with a long scar…)

(The wound is deeper than expected!)

“Ugh…”

The scar was so deep that just looking at it made the pain feel almost tangible.

Killian gave a bitter smile and lowered his trouser leg again.

– How did you get injured?
“While trying to save a fellow mercenary…”

– Is that why you quit being a mercenary?
“Yes. They told me they didn’t need me anymore.”

– What about the fellow mercenary Sir Killian saved?
“He pretended he didn’t know me.”

‘Oh, bro…!’

Killian spoke as if it didn’t bother him, but his eyes were filled with sadness.

The man felt as though his heart were being torn apart.

The square, too, was filled with boos and sighs.

The interview continued.

– Why did you decide to appear on Cartamen?
“Because I wanted to prove that I’m still useful.”

– You might get hurt by your teammates again while competing on Cartamen. What will you do then?
“Hmm.”

(Killian pondering.)

“I hope that doesn’t happen.”

(His eyes welled up with tears.)

It was unclear whether his eyes had actually filled with tears, but the moment the caption appeared that way, the square erupted with sympathetic cheers.

Killian really was wearing an incredibly bitter expression, too.

After the interview ended, the screen immediately switched to a scene of the six men returning by boat.

The boat was tilted dangerously, as if it could sink at any moment.

“No! We can do this!”

“Just a little more! Just a little more!”

“We’re almost there! Hang in there!”

Killian’s story, along with the teammates who refused to abandon him—

After seeing all of it, everyone in the square united as one to cheer for Killian’s team.

The boat swayed dangerously, but eventually reached the finish line, and the square erupted in cheers.

“Waaaaah!”

“We did it!”

“Killian! Bro! Waaaah!”

“I saw the announcement for Cartamen, and I thought this was my last chance to make a comeback, so I decided to participate. Because I still have this arm. And…”

(Killian looks at his teammates.)

“My teammates made me certain that I’d made the right choice. I’m truly grateful to all of you. I made it with this arm because of you guys. Thank you.”

(The teammates embrace each other passionately!)

When the final results were announced, the cheers from the square grew even louder.

Dmitri’s team took first place.

And in terms of individual scores, Killian came in first.

It was exactly the result everyone had been hoping for.

And it was also the event that heralded the beginning of a major shift in the rankings.

 

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Dmitri Team Comment Board — 298th Thread

Raphael is mine.

– Anyone know how to beat up the owner of this comment board for talking nonsense?
ㄴ 222
ㄴ 33333
ㄴ ……

– They rebroadcast Episode 6 in the square, so I went to watch it again, and he’s still fucking awesome even after seeing it twice.
ㄴ My throat was hoarse from screaming when Dmitri casually threw away the sword lol
ㄴ Anyone who badmouths our Dmitri is getting torn apart by me from now on.
ㄴ Let’s tear them apart together ㅜㅜㅜㅜ

– I thought Maurice was kind of awkward at first, but when he swiftly dodged the enemies and rolled into the cave, he was fucking cool. I thought he was a prince or something.
ㄴ People were always slandering him for being the public’s pick but having a weak core fandom. Looks like his core fandom probably grew this time lol

– Pavel, who literally looks like a princess, and Olivier both showed some seriously manly moments. What an amazing match. There wasn’t a single weak man on that team!
ㄴ A weak man… There wasn’t one… right?
ㄴ Shh.
ㄴ No, seriously, that’s too much ㅜㅜ Is Joan not part of the team too? I hope their own knights get hit with bad edits too.

– Someone says Pavel and Denny were spotted eating together on Arshin Street.
ㄴ I heard that too!! They were even on different teams, but apparently they were always together lol
ㄴ Even a married couple would get sick of each other and divorce if they were that clingy.
ㄴ They need to become Di Eques together ㅜㅜㅜㅜ

– But is this true? Was Custo originally sentenced to death?
ㄴ What the… Rumors aren’t allowed here.
ㄴ Get out of here if you’re going to talk bullshit.
ㄴ If he’d been sentenced to death, he’d already be dead. How could he appear on Cartamen? zzz
ㄴ That’s just a rumor spread by people trying to undermine him.
ㄴ Delete your comment if you’ve seen this.

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Denny Team Comment Board — 324th Thread

No mentioning other knights X
No criticizing or mocking other knights X
No rumors X
Keep it respectful, everyone.

– Who cried after watching this episode? Raise your hand lol
ㄴ 2222ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
ㄴ 333
ㄴ ……

– I can’t abandon a single person on this team ㅜㅜ I love them too much ㅜㅜㅜ
ㄴ Just like the team didn’t abandon Killian, I can’t abandon these guys either.
ㄴ Same, I can’t abandon them.
ㄴ From the team members to the leader Denny, this lineup is simply god-tier.
ㄴ If they debut as Di Eques, Denny has to be the leader.

– My dad used to ask why I watched something like Cartamen, then came home after Episode 6 with bloodshot eyes lololol
ㄴ My mom too lololol
ㄴ My whole family was bawling their eyes out lololol

– David is seriously perfect, even down to his humanity. What doesn’t he have?
ㄴ Me. He doesn’t have me.
ㄴㄴ Get lost.

– Our baby Custo was so badass too ㅠㅠ When the boat almost sank, he was rowing so hard the veins on his arms looked like they were about to burst ㅠㅠ
ㄴ Our baby grew up ㅜㅜ He used to get hurt so easily at first…
ㄴ Leveled up from sensitive pretty boy to manly man.
ㄴㄴ Calling him a manly man is a bit much;; He’s way too cute to be a manly man.

– But is that really true? Was Custo actually sentenced to death before?
ㄴ What the… No rumors here.
ㄴ Get the hell out if you’re going to spout bullshit
ㄴ If he’d been sentenced to death, he’d already be dead. How would he be on Cartamen zzz
ㄴ It’s just a rumor spread by people trying to undermine him.
ㄴ Delete your comment if you’ve seen this.

————————————————————————————————————————-

 

A dim alley.

“Master, I’ve brought it.”

A man held out a round video orb to someone known as the “Head of the Merchant Guild.”

It was an ordinary video orb, the kind commonly available on the market.

“You did everything exactly as I ordered, right?”

“Of course.”

“Absolutely everything?”

“Yes. I recorded every single community reaction concerning Maurice Arno. Nothing else.”

“Good.”

The guildmaster turned around with a sly smile.

She was one of the heads of the Empire’s three major merchant guilds.

She was also notorious for showing no mercy to anyone who interfered with her source of income.

And to her, the Arno Merchant Guild was a sworn rival.

That was why she had been keeping a close eye on Cartamen, where the heir of the Arno Merchant Guild was competing.

The guildmaster climbed into the carriage waiting nearby.

Soon, the door and the curtains covering the carriage windows were closed.

Nothing remained but darkness.

He activated the video orb.

The orb illuminated the inside of the dark carriage.

Then a recording of a community page began to play.

 

————————————————————————————————————————-

Did anyone see Maurice’s expression when he entered the cave?

When he was running like a stallion, and his hair fluttered slightly in the wind! I seriously thought he was some kind of male god.

– That scene has been replaying in my head for two days now.
– The legendary three seconds lololol
– I couldn’t understand how he ended up on the acquisition team in such a stacked team, but after seeing him perform, I totally get it.
– Who called him a flying squirrel? He’s literally a stallion.

————————————————————————————————————————-

 

“Heh.”

After reading the reactions, the guildmaster gave a satisfied smile.

Maurice had already earned the nickname “The Legendary Three Seconds.”

All because of one particularly striking moment during the evaluation.

“I can’t forget that scene either.”

The guildmaster smiled coldly.

“He was so… fucking gorgeous.”

“Shall I kill him?”

At that moment, her trusted subordinate emerged from the darkness.

The guildmaster glared at him with a murderous expression, clearly irritated by his thoughtless interruption.

“Lay even a finger on our Maurice, and I’ll—”

“I-I’m sorry. I really thought you were telling me to kill him…”

“Get lost.”

“Yes.”

That’s right.

The head of the Empire’s three major merchant guilds and the Arnaud Merchant Guild’s greatest rival…

Had been monitoring her rival’s heir, only to end up becoming his “Marie.”

‘The reactions to Maurice’s team have been far too good since this evaluation. Including Maurice himself.’

But it still wasn’t enough.

Only five people would ultimately become Di Eques.

There was no telling how many of them would survive the next ranking announcement.

At times like this, there was one thing a merchant had to do.

Sell.

Get more people to vote for Maurice!

“We can’t leave things like this.”

“Then should I kill the higher-ranked contestants…”

“I told you to get lost.”

“Yes…”

The guildmaster glared at her subordinate as he slunk away.

Then, as though she had suddenly thought of something brilliant, her eyes widened.

“Wait!”

“Should I kill them after all…?”

“Shut up and come here.”

“Yes…”

“How many carriages does our guild own in total? Include the cargo wagons. All of them.”

“At least three hundred. There are more than fifty just in the capital.”

“Good. That’s it.”

The guildmaster smiled coldly.