Vote for Your Knight! - Chapter 27

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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!
27
“Why did you all suddenly pick up a habit no one had before? Who taught you?”
Amont’s voice cut through sharply.
“K-Kilmen, sir, showed us!”
“I—I was only doing my own training! He’s the one who snuck glances and mimicked it in that weird way!”
“Then Kilmen, come show us.”
Kilmen stepped forward and demonstrated his Swordsmanship without hesitation.
Clean, powerful strokes.
Kilmen’s fans erupted in cheers.
Amont on screen smiled too.
In reality his brow had furrowed—Edit had spliced in this moment from elsewhere for the twist.
“Excellent work.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re the culprit.”
The screen changed abruptly.

A commercial break.
Groans rippled through the Public Square.
“No, this is insane. How do you cut it right here?”
“The Princess edited this, didn’t she? I want to curse so badly I’d almost commit treason.”
Yet the intensity of feeling the break provoked made the advertisement stick firmly in their minds.
Many in the Public Square had come to watch Kartamen alone and hadn’t yet obtained an Identity Badge or voted, so the effect was undeniable.
After the brief commercial, the full context of Amont’s plot twist emerged.
His refusal to drop the pretense and the arrogance that had infected even his fellow contestants drew harsh criticism.
“If that’s all you can do, you might as well perform at the basic level like Kusto. At least Kusto executed Valkyria’s Swordsmanship with genuine sincerity.”
The face of the person who’d been minding the bag area twisted viciously.
But the crowd’s reaction to Kilmen was so unfavorable he couldn’t curse aloud.
Morris’s efforts to liven the atmosphere despite being only Rank 5 drew laughs.
“Isn’t Morris so likeable? Not quite as much as our Dmitri, but he’s handsome.”
“Right. He seems like such a good person. If his skills improved to match, that would be perfect.”
“I think his skill level is keeping a hard-core fanbase from forming. Still, he’s the type the general public likes, so he might survive longer than we think?”
Finally—the re-evaluation day scene!
“I’m confident in the re-evaluation. I stayed up all night memorizing the Swordsmanship demonstration.”
“I prepared a lot for the Swordsmanship demonstration!”
But!
“The re-evaluation event is one-on-one combat!”
Both the contestants on screen and the viewers in the Public Square were shocked by the unexpected twist.
The re-evaluation became Kilmen’s solo showcase.
His fouls and dirty tactics played without filter.
Even presented plainly without sensational editing, it was brutal to watch.
But Dmitri’s fans couldn’t focus on that.
“Doesn’t our Dmitri seem a bit different from usual?”
“Exactly. He keeps hesitating and his expression looks wrong.”
“That’s not like him at all…”
“Could he have developed trauma from that desperate battle back then? It was one-on-one combat too…”
“Oh no…”
“What if that’s really it? I feel so sorry for our Dmitri…”
“He must be pretending it’s fine while keeping it all locked inside.”
“Right. He’d feel guilty. He’s always had a tender heart, after all.”
“And people don’t even know—they just curse at our boy…”
“My heart is breaking.”
Dmitri was eliminated faster than expected.
While Dmitri’s fans quietly wiped away tears.
Kilmen and Kusto stepped onto the stage.
Under the flurry of Kilmen’s fouls, Kusto finally stumbled.
“It’s unfortunate, but it seems participant Kusto is having difficulty continuing the match. We’ll end it here… Ugh!”
The moment Kilmen spoke with smug triumph.
Kusto, who had been crouched as if nursing a vital strike, suddenly surged to his feet.
In that instant, Kilmen took a direct hit to the jaw and crashed to the ground.
“Ah, damn.”
“Ugh, ughh…….”
“A mistake.”
When Kilmen found himself on the receiving end of exactly what he’d been dishing out, the Public Square erupted in cheers.
It felt like ice-cold beer pouring down in one glorious rush.
“Kusto too—wow, he’s really not just some ordinary person, is he?”
“Right? I wish he and our Dmitri were on better terms…….”
And yet many still viewed Kusto, a former slave, with clear disfavor.
The divided opinions lasted only moments.
The instant the current standings appeared at the end of Episode 2, everyone rushed to register their Identity Badges, hungry for more.

1st Place David Vertie
2nd Place Joan Zinola
3rd Place Arsen Tan
4th Place Grimal Baldo
5th Place Ruan Phillis
6th Place William Lipon
7th Place Pavel Shurbe
8th Place Christian Lon
9th Place David Sheffield
10th Place Rafael Lorange
……
※ Reflected in first Rank Announcement Ceremony through [O month OO date] voting ※
“Wait, what’s that? ‘First Rank Announcement Ceremony’?”
“Sounds like someone’s going to be eliminated……?”
“Already? We’re only on Episode 2!”
“I heard the real Kartamen had already finished all of the first evaluation.”
“Oh, so it’s time for eliminations! What do we do! Shouldn’t we be pushing up Dmitri’s ranking right now? He’s nowhere near the top!”
“That’s what I’m saying. This is driving me mad. I need to get my mom, dad, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, and uncle all to get Identity Badges.”
* * *
After the broadcast, the number of voters and anonymous comments swelled many times over.
“The number of Identity Badge registrations had already begun to rise after Episode 1—it was already unusual—but this is performing far better than expected.”
Frederick spoke with genuine excitement.
The Emperor felt the same.
“Look at this.”
The Emperor unfolded a newspaper article titled .

1. Duke David Vertie
– A man who needs no introduction…….
2. Pavel Shurbe
– A nobleman of charming appearance, with bloodline equally distinguished…….
3. Kilmen Brudie
– A Swordsmanship student of the Pius Faction. From a long line of ancestors…….
“The press is showing considerable interest.”
It was a far cry from the skepticism that had greeted the announcement of Kartamen.
But Edit remained unsatisfied.
“Most of the newspapers are still only paying attention to nobility or participants with good bloodlines. And…….”
She set down another newspaper without the slightest hint of joy or excitement.

“These sorts of opinions exist as well.”
“What—I ought to have those bastards……!”
The Emperor bolted upright in agitation, then sank back down with a weary sigh.
“I cannot suppress the press…….”
Watching him, Edit finally let the smile she’d been holding back break free.
“Don’t be so discouraged.”
“But they’re insulting both you and Kartamen.”
“As I’ve said before, even criticism is attention.”
“What?”
“If there were no interest, they wouldn’t write such articles. What I need to do is ensure that the press’s attention spreads more evenly and fairly across all participants.”
“How exactly do you plan to do that?”
“We’ll make Kartamen more engaging and far more spectacularly dramatic—so compelling that the media can’t help but turn their attention to the non-noble participants.”
“Spectacularly dramatic?”
“Don’t worry. Tomorrow we’ll be filming a scene that’ll have everyone absolutely riveted.”
Edit smiled knowingly.
“Now that the first evaluation’s finished and we’ve arranged a chance for the common people to meet the participants face-to-face, tomorrow we’ll hold the Rank Announcement Ceremony itself.”
* * *
The day of the first Rank Announcement Ceremony had finally arrived.
Until now, no one knew their own standing.
Survival or elimination.
The only chance to glimpse one’s fate was the interim rankings broadcast at the end of the second episode.
What changes might have occurred since then remained a mystery.
The participants made their way to the Circular Arena, taut with anticipation.
Then they faltered.
In front of the arena, in what had been an empty lot, two earthen mounds had been raised.
“Alright! Before the rankings, let’s warm up those bodies! A simple game to shake off the nerves!”
Edit called out with characteristic brightness.
The participants exchanged bewildered glances.
“Wait—there was no announcement about this.”
“If it’s a game, does it affect our rankings?”
Hearing the murmurs, Edit shook her head.
“This game is purely a pre-ceremony warm-up! Participants of the same Grade will form one team, and we’ll be playing a flag-capture competition. Each team needs to choose one representative—pick them now, please!”
Morris’s hand shot up immediately.
“Is there a prize if our team wins?”
“Yes, absolutely. The winning team will receive a Helmet specially crafted by Kartamen!”
“Ooh!”
The participants had been issued Kartamen Armor sorted by Grade, but the Helmets had been withheld—the common people needed to see the participants’ faces clearly. Yet if they won this match, they could complete their armor at last.
Only then would a full suit come together.
It would be a badge of honor too—proof they’d competed in Kartamen.
The participants immediately clustered by Grade and began selecting their champion with fierce deliberation.
‘This is an opportunity.’
David’s hand went up at once.
“I’ll represent our Grade.”
“David, you’re stepping forward for… a warm-up game?”
“Your clothes will be ruined in the dirt! Let us do it instead!”
This mini-game was precisely the sort of thing David would never be expected to do—rolling in the mud, bodies tangling and grappling, nothing but raw wrestling.
For a knight of David’s orthodox bearing to volunteer for such a thing was unthinkable.
Yet no amount of protest would shake his resolve.
He could not afford to miss this chance.
‘If I take part in a game like this, I can show a more human side of myself.’

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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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