Vote for Your Knight! - Chapter 51

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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 51
Did you see the Extra Edition drop? (3324)
Wait, there’s actually a death row inmate in Kartamen? (9374)
Not just a traitor but a murderer too lol Kartamen is legendary lol (7238)
At this point doesn’t the Imperial Princess bear some responsibility?? (12390)
Was I the only one who always thought Kusto was tough? (5242)
I seriously can’t forgive him ㅠㅠ my relatives were hurt by pirates too ㅠㅠㅠㅠ (22848)
Kartamen is a guillotine match VS no it’s just a guillotine execution (8371)
Who gave Kusto this soft-hearted image in front of a murderer like this lol (7193)
But it could be a rumor, right? (92334) (deleted post)
Kusto’s fans have completely lost their conscience lol (18238)
* * *
Everyone who saw the Extra Edition went rigid.
“What, what is this…….”
“Kusto, that’s not true, right?”
“It can’t be!”
When Killian asked, David raised his voice in a way unlike himself.
Olivier also spoke with his brows drawn tight.
“It doesn’t make sense. No matter who the Imperial Princess is, she pardoned a man who conspired with pirates and murdered hostages? And put him on Kartamen?”
Dmitri looked at Kusto.
He was staring down at the newspaper with a calm face.
The article’s content came from a tip received from an “anonymous” informant residing in Pius.
< Kusto, a former slave, was hired by the Lord of Pius to carry out a pirate suppression mission and received a large sum of money.
But behind the scenes, he colluded with pirates and pocketed bribes.
He even disobeyed the Lord’s command to recover the kidnapped hostages and murdered all the hostages……. >
It was an absurd story.
What was more vicious was that truth and falsehood had been cunningly mixed together.
“Kusto.”
Dmitri called to him with a composed face.
“Tell me the truth. What happened?”
“Right. We need your testimony so we can analyze what this is about and clear your false accusation.”
Olivier added his support as well.
At the word “false accusation,” Kusto let out a soft laugh.
“Thank you for thinking it’s a false accusation without even hearing my full account.”
“Of course. We trust you.”
David spoke with not a shred of doubt on his face.
The others felt the same way.
Rafael spoke gently.
“We’ve already watched you through various trials in Kartamen. So we know. You could never do something like this.”
Dmitri also nodded.
“You were the first to reach out your hand to me when others shunned me.”
“In the last team match, you were one of those who tried hardest to save me, even though I was a dropout.”
Killian added his voice as well.
Olivier pushed his glasses up and spoke sharply.
“My mind rejects any notion that Kusto would conspire with pirates and murder hostages. Especially in Pius, where the Lord is famous for being greedy and ruthless.”
He took the newspaper from Morris, read it carefully, and spoke.
“The timing is suspicious.”
“The timing?”
Morris asked. Olivier nodded.
“Kusto’s rank is rising sharply right now. The fact that an article defaming him appeared at precisely this moment must be the work of someone who resents his rising rank.”
“Someone who’d dislike that would be someone who’s harbored a grudge against Kusto all along.”
Morris said so and looked at Kusto.
Kusto shrugged his shoulders.
“You make plenty of enemies when you live as a mercenary.”
“Then among them, it’d have to be someone with enough influence to run an Extra Edition in a major newspaper like this.”
Olivier added to his deduction.
It was then that Rafael, who had been quiet, spoke up.
“There’s one more thing.”
“One more thing?”
“The higher Kusto’s rank climbs, the more threatened someone becomes.”
“Threatened? Oh.”
Everyone’s expression darkened.
Rafael nodded and spoke.
“Someone in the upper ranks whose standing is slipping. Someone who faces the danger of being overtaken by Kusto.”
“Lastly, there’s a person of such character that they couldn’t bear to lose to a former slave like Kusto—at least not that.”
Olivier drove the point home.
Yet no one came to mind.
Joan’s rank had indeed fallen, but he’d never shown particular disdain for Kusto.
“Then it’s reasonable to assume this is the work of an influential figure who can’t stomach seeing Kusto succeed.”
Olivier reached his conclusion.
He looked toward Kusto.
The knight, who had been lost in thought, opened his eyes.
“The Lord of Pius.”
He was the man who had sent Kilmen to drive Kusto from Kartamen.
The knights gasped when they heard this.
“Kilmen was the Lord of Pius’s agent?”
“No wonder something felt off about him.”
“Thank gods he was eliminated early.”
“If the Lord of Pius was behind it, Kilmen’s early elimination might’ve prevented him from using even dirtier tricks.”
It was then that Kusto quietly spoke up.
“I was sentenced to death for colluding with pirates.”
The hall fell silent.
Kusto continued without pause.
“It was a false accusation.”
“I knew it had to be!”
“Of course it was.”
Sighs of relief escaped.
“I was hired as a mercenary by the Lord of Pius to root out pirates. During that time, the lord commanded me to bring back all the hostages—to make them his slaves.”
“What?”
“That’s insane—”
“Slavery is illegal!”
Kusto’s fists clenched as he recalled that time.
“I couldn’t do it. I freed every hostage and told them to run far away. That’s why the lord turned his wrath on me.”
“You did the right thing, Kusto.”
“I never knew there was such a reason behind this…”
“The enraged lord framed me and had me sentenced to death.”
Kusto closed his eyes. The memory returned to him, vivid as yesterday.
Then a girl appeared, sudden and miraculous.
“Just before my execution, the Imperial Princess appeared in the execution square like a dream and granted me a pardon.”
She had been like an angel.
“She also said that if I failed to become the final survivor in Kartamen, the pardon would be revoked.”
And yet she had seemed like a demon.
“Then surely the Imperial Princess could simply tell the truth.”
Morris spoke with relief in his voice.
But Olivier shook his head coldly.
“There’s already a current of opinion accusing the Imperial Princess of favoritism toward certain participants.”
While this wasn’t true, such rumors were widespread nonetheless.
Edith had never lifted a finger to raise any participant’s rank, yet as unexpected competitors advanced, suspicions grew.
Particularly Joan’s supporters were driving this narrative.
“If the Imperial Princess were to defend Kusto directly now, the public sentiment would only worsen.”
“Moreover, the Imperial Princess is the very person who granted Kusto his pardon. She would face accusations of justifying her own actions.”
David agreed with Olivier’s assessment.
“Then the only path forward is to find evidence.”
Dmitri spoke.
At this, Kusto’s face darkened.
“There is no evidence.”
“What about the hostages? The ones who escaped after being held by the pirates?”
Morris grasped at the suggestion like a drowning man clutching at straw.
But Kusto shook his head.
“They’ve all fled. Probably scattered out of Pius to avoid being recaptured by the lord.”
Olivier nodded as well, his expression grave.
“The people of Pius are too afraid of their cruel lord to speak the truth.”
The room fell into heavy silence.
* * *
Meanwhile, the Imperial Palace was in urgent discussion about the same matter.
Duke Frederick spoke, his face drained of color.
“This is dire, Your Majesty. The voices criticizing Kusto grow louder by the day. Moreover, public sentiment is turning against both Kartamen and the Princess herself.”
“My reputation can suffer. I don’t mind.”
“Edith!”
The Emperor cried out in shock.
Edith remained composed. She believed this was her responsibility to bear, as she was the architect of this undertaking.
But the Emperor saw things differently. To him, Edith was his one and only daughter.
When her mother passed from this world, he had sworn to cherish Edith above all else.
Yet here she was, saying she didn’t mind being hated.
By her will, the Tablet Anonymous Community maintained an atmosphere of true freedom.
Not only did participants from Kartamen have a voice, but no one was stopped from criticizing the Imperial House itself.
Because of this, condemnations that the Princess was shielding villains never ceased.
“I anticipated being criticized the moment I planned Kartamen. If anything, I thought that if things stayed too quiet, the picture wouldn’t turn out interesting.”
“How could you……”
The Emperor lowered his head, his chest aching visibly.
Duke Frederick spoke instead.
“Still, we must manage public opinion as soon as possible. We cannot afford for the people to turn their backs on Kartamen, can we?”
“I agree with that much.”
“Then we must eliminate Kusto at once——!”
“That won’t work.”
“But——!”
“We need only one person’s voice.”
Edith smiled brightly at the bewildered Emperor and Duke Frederick.
“The Lord of Pius.”

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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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