Vote for Your Knight! - Chapter 17

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Vote for your knight!
Chapter 17
The moment their blades met, Kusto bit down hard on his lip.
‘The strength is different!’
The sword’s movements that followed were different too.
Soft as a butterfly’s wings, yet sharp as a vulture’s strike when aimed at Kusto’s vital points.
‘This opponent is on a completely different level from anyone I’ve faced before!’
He was using the Swordsmanship he’d learned during special training, yet David seemed to exist in a realm all his own.
Kusto barely managed to parry his blade while searching for an opening in David’s defense.
‘But there isn’t one. No, there can’t be an opening like that!’
He had confidence that he wouldn’t be overpowered in raw strength.
But technically, he couldn’t find the slightest gap in his opponent’s form.
It was overwhelming skill, plain and simple.
‘At the very least, I won’t lose pathetically.’
Kusto squeezed out every last ounce of strength to defend himself.
* * *
It was a compelling duel.
A match between David, called the knight of knights, and Kusto, a slave-born mercenary.
Of course, nobody believed Kusto would win.
But Amont couldn’t tear his eyes from the fight.
‘He’s holding on quite well.’
Based on what he’d seen during their first training session, Kusto would have collapsed in less than a minute.
‘His fundamentals were nonexistent, and his form was a mess.’
So Amont had hoped he would quickly grasp swordsmanship by adapting his existing techniques, imperfect as they were.
‘This isn’t a swordplay academy, and I can’t hand-hold every beginner.’
So Amont had pushed Kusto hard.
He’d told him not to be stubborn and just keep doing what he’d been doing.
But Kusto never once fell back on the habits that should have been ingrained in his body, maintaining instead the posture of a complete novice.
Instead, he stayed late every night to practice.
His steady improvement grounded in fundamentals became visible even to Amont’s eyes.
‘Anyone who practices with that kind of resolve will improve. But nobody practices that hard—that’s the difference.’
Watching Kusto develop gradually from that chaotic beginning made Amont want to offer one more piece of advice, one more glance of encouragement.
Nobody else worked that hard, and nobody else showed improvement that dramatic.
Before long, a hope had taken root in Amont’s heart—a hope that Kusto would succeed.
‘Is this what they mean by empathy?’
Just as Amont had hoped, Kusto performed well in the one-on-one duel.
‘Running into David right now means he won’t advance any further, though.’
Yet Kusto stubbornly held his ground.
He parried David’s blade, dodged frantically, but his eyes remained sharp and clear.
Then, at last, David’s sword pointed toward Kusto’s throat.
“You’ve lost.”
David spoke with a smile.
Kusto flinched.
‘Why does he keep smiling? Is he taunting me?’
But the smile was too courteous for that.
This man was impossible to read.
Kusto exhaled sharply and dropped his sword.
He was acknowledging his defeat.
David descended from the platform with a bright expression.
Even his footsteps seemed light and easy.
For him, Kusto had been the first opponent to face him without fear, delivering a proper duel worth fighting.
He was pleased to have had a true battle.
Unaware of David’s feelings, Kusto gazed at his departing figure.
The heat that had risen in Kusto’s body during the match hadn’t yet fully cooled.
His heart was still pounding.
‘That skill was extraordinary. I’ve never faced anyone like him before.’
Even in the duels where he’d fought with his life at stake, his heart had never thundered like this.
This Kartamen had emerged because of his dealings with the princess, but now other desires were taking shape.
‘I want to become like that.’
It was a strange thing to feel.
“Kusto, you fought well.”
At Edit’s voice, Kusto came to himself and lifted his head.
From the judges’ bench, the Valkyrians were watching him with sharp intensity.
Mila was the first to speak.
“You did well. That must have been a difficult match, but you lasted longer than I expected.”
“I think you’ve come to understand why you need to refine your techniques further. I gave my all, but there were many shortcomings.”
Ines’s cold assessment followed.
But Amont was slow to open his mouth.
“Captain, do you have nothing to say?”
Ines ventured the question.
Amont, who had been staring intently at Kusto, finally spoke.
“I have one question. I hear you worked as a mercenary before—how is it that none of those old habits show up in your swordsmanship?”
It had come, just as expected.
Kusto answered with composure, as though he’d been prepared.
“My habits were formed during my time as a slave gladiator.”
The atmosphere around them grew cold.
Kusto continued without hesitation.
“Back then I had to do whatever it took to survive, so bad habits accumulated thick as mud.”
“That must have been difficult to shake. Habits learned wrongly from the start are always the most dangerous.”
Amont pressed him sharply.
Kusto nodded.
“Yes, that’s right. That’s why I tried to abandon them. I wanted to learn everything from scratch, as if I’d never been taught at all.”
Mila tilted her head, questioning.
“But doesn’t that sacrifice efficiency? Even if bad habits are ingrained, combat techniques carved into your body carry real power. If you’d adapted those strengths into your new swordsmanship, you could have won more easily. Of course, you still wouldn’t have beaten David, but still.”
“That’s exactly it. No matter how hard I try, with my current skill I could never defeat someone like David. Rather than display mediocre ability layered with bad habits, I thought it better to build a proper foundation from the very beginning.”
“So you made that decision with the resolve of starting from scratch—at the level of a child learning to hold a sword for the first time?”
Amont asked. Kusto nodded.
“Yes.”
The light in Amont’s eyes watching him softened.
‘He took a difficult gamble.’
It was drudgery no ordinary person would undertake.
Unlearning old habits required as much effort as learning new fundamentals from scratch.
Which meant Kusto had to work several times harder than anyone else.
‘On top of that, I pushed him mercilessly. I told him to show me those bad habits.’
Yet Kusto had maintained the posture of a beginner through intensive training to the very end.
‘He was very lacking at first, but thanks to that, he’s acquired swordsmanship quite well now.’
In the duel against David just now, most people would have been brought to their knees in less than five minutes.
After all, David had pressed him with unusual earnestness.
But thanks to his solidly built foundation and his natural strength, he had delivered a match worth watching.
‘Honestly, it’s impressive.’
Amont had watched Kusto’s intensive training from the beginning, seen him climb from the basics to this moment.
If the result had been a failure, it would have been different, but watching him perform like this, Amont couldn’t help but be moved.
When Kusto had defeated Kilman, even that spontaneous clap had come from this same feeling.
“And……”
Kusto opened his mouth as though he had something more to say.
“Valkyrian Swordsmanship is the first sword art I’ve learned properly since I was born. That’s why I wanted to do it properly.”
At those words, Amont’s heart sank with a heavy thump.
A mercenary who had lived as a slave, learning his first true sword art!
And he had learned it from him!
In a way, wasn’t he his first teacher?
‘Since things have come to this, I want to nurture this participant.’
Kusto had succeeded in catching Amont’s attention.
But contrary to his inner feelings, Amont spoke sharply.
“Don’t think you’ve learned everything yet. There’s still a long way to go before you master it completely. Be prepared.”
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
* * *
Results of the One-on-One Duel.
First place: David.
Second place: A participant named Joanne Ginola.
“Re-evaluation Ranks will be sent along with Geonguk Festival Invitations. The detailed rankings are scheduled to be announced at the Second Evaluation.”
Edit called out.
“Then everyone, thank you for your hard work!”
* * *
A few days later.
Invitations were sent to all the participants, who had returned to their own residences or were staying in their quarters to rest.
There will be a group viewing of Kartamen Episode One at the Circular Arena.
We hope all of you will attend and watch together.
Many participants were alarmed.
They had momentarily forgotten that Kartamen was being broadcast across the entire Empire.
They hadn’t noticed because the imaging apparatus had been installed so cunningly.
“What do I do? I said some terrible things.”
“You don’t think everything I complained about will be shown, do you?”
……It will all be shown.
Edit sat in the arena seats, watching the participants murmur nervously, and silently answered them herself.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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