Vote for Your Knight! - Chapter 58

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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!
Episode 58
Five out of nine had chosen the Shadow Game.
Four had automatically selected the Song of Annihilation.
So the Shadow Game had won.
“Next, Group Two, come up and select your Equestrian Martial Arts!”
Edith had called Group Two just in time.
David confidently chose the Shadow Game and returned to his seat.
Shortly after, all groups had selected their Equestrian Martial Arts.
Group One, which included Kusto and Joan, would face Group Four.
Group Two, where David was, would face Group Five.
And Group Six would face Group Three.
“I’ll distribute an Image Orb containing a recording of the corresponding Equestrian Martial Arts to each group. Take it to your assigned riding ground and practice,” Edith said.
Edith said.
“After four days of practice, there will be a Mid-Check Evaluation by the Valkyria. And if you wish to modify the military song, we’ll ensure you can communicate with the composers and musical corps at any time.”
The knights headed toward their prepared riding grounds.
Behind the Circular Arena.
A broad riding ground had been built within the forest.
Each group was assigned its own riding ground and horses.
The Valkyria had brought the horses.
“Each of these horses has been trained primarily in the Equestrian Martial Arts you selected.”
“Quite the privilege being handed to us.”
“If you can’t pull it off even with this, I’ll just assume you want to be disqualified!”
With that parting remark, the Valkyria departed.
In Group One, Joan was the first to choose a horse.
It was the sturdiest-looking white horse.
When Olivier tried to activate the Image Orb, Joan stopped him.
“Rather than that, it’ll be more certain to memorize the formation by following my lead. The Red Heart is my specialty, after all.”
“Still, we should at least watch the Image Orb…….”
“It’ll only get in the way, trust me on this.”
Joan spoke cheerfully while being conscious of the bird-shaped Image Orb Magical Tool fluttering through the air.
Dmitri’s expression darkened.
Kusto stood with his arms crossed, watching to see what he would do.
Joan mounted and demonstrated the formation herself.
But seeing a nine-person formation performed by a single person made it impossible to grasp what was happening.
“The leader does it like this. And…….”
What became clear, however, was that the formation was quite dull.
If even the leader’s movements were this flat, what would the entire formation look like?
“Good effort, Joan,” Kusto said.
Kusto said.
“Don’t mention it. This is nothing. If you all just follow my lead, you’ll pick it up quickly.”
“But let’s watch the Image Orb first.”
“What? I told you it’s fine……!”
But Olivier activated the Image Orb without warning.
The formation played from the Image Orb.
Seeing nine knights and nine horses performing the formation at once gave him a clearer picture of the overall shape.
But that was all.
Even watching the entire formation, it was tedious.
‘There’s no way to save this.’
Kusto sighed.
To begin with, the group had fewer members experienced with horseback riding compared to the others.
And the music was merely grand—it lacked any real focal point.
“Now that we’ve seen it once, that’s enough. Let’s practice while going over the moves,” Joan said.
Joan said.
Yet there was no way they could properly recreate movements from a single viewing.
Joan had deliberately aimed for that weakness.
“Raise the front hooves a bit more.”
“It’s not your hips that should bounce—the horse’s hind legs should kick.”
“Not bouncy—make it smooth and graceful.”
An onslaught of unsolicited advice poured down on the unfamiliar members.
No one had appointed him, yet Joan was already acting as the leader.
And because he’d deliberately bullied his way into the role, the team’s atmosphere was deteriorating rapidly.
Kusto found himself thinking.
‘If this continues, we’re finished. I have to step in…….’
That’s when Dmitri grabbed his shoulder.
And whispered to him.
“Wait. The Mid-Check Evaluation is in four days.”
“The Mid-Check Evaluation?”
“Right. When that happens, the leader bears the heaviest responsibility for the results.”
Ah.
Kusto’s eyes found Joan.
Joan, oblivious to what awaited him, was gleefully bullying Killian.
He was nitpicking over Killian’s clumsy leg movements.
“That bastard…….”
Kusto felt the anger rise, but he held it back for now.
A good idea had suddenly occurred to him.
When he mentioned it, Dmitri’s face split into a grin.
“Not a bad thought.”
“But I’m worried about how to polish the song.”
“Don’t worry about the music.”
That’s when Olivier slipped quietly into their conversation.
He spoke with a proud smile.
“I was the top student in music at the Royal Academy.”
* * *
Meanwhile, David’s team huddled together, watching the Image Orb intently.
They’d already played it over ten times.
“The pattern’s starting to sink in.”
Morris said, rubbing his eyes.
David laughed with relief.
“The Shadow Game depicts a battle where a warrior breaks through the spider web woven by a spider demon and strikes it down. That’s why it looks so convoluted and complex.”
“Yeah. It’s really difficult.”
Pavel pouted as he spoke.
David chuckled fondly at Pavel and replied.
“We’re going to simplify it a bit.”
“If we simplify it, we might lose points.”
Deni raised the concern.
Then Rafael spoke up.
“Not necessarily. If we nail the direction right.”
“The direction?”
“We simplify the choreography but make the message clearer.”
David nodded at Rafael’s words.
“Exactly. Just because something’s simplified doesn’t mean it’s easy or lacks refinement.”
“And honestly, even if we lower the difficulty, I think this will still be harder than other routines.”
Morris sighed as he spoke.
“So we’re left with one choice.”
David shot up from his seat.
Arsen clenched his fist in understanding.
And he shouted.
“Practice, and more practice!”
* * *
Four days later.
The day of the Mid-Check Evaluation had arrived.
The Valkyrias visited the riding grounds at random intervals.
But they were packed so close together that you could hear every team’s evaluation.
“Didn’t this team get too greedy with the amount of choreography? It doesn’t look centered at all—why are they occupying that position?”
“This is supposed to be the grand section. But why are they hunching like they’re cowering? Is the rider scared of the horse? Then get down. Permanently.”
“I heard these two fought hard over the choreography division, but they’re both terrible—why fight at all? What a waste of time.”
The feedback was brutal.
Equestrian Martial Arts was already a high-difficulty event even in Kartamen.
And the task assigned this time was none other than the Equestrian Martial Arts of Di Eques, the highest rank of knights.
Cries of distress rang out from every corner.
The Valkyries, who had thoroughly drilled the knights, now made their way to the training grounds of Team Two.
“Shall we take a look at the Equestrian Martial Arts routine you’ve been practicing?”
“Yes!”
“You sound confident about it.”
The Valkyries seemed bright-faced enough.
Mila activated the Image Orb.
The music from the Shadow Game began to play.
An opening that felt both spirited and somehow anxious.
Led by David, Team Two rose upon their horses and lifted the mounts’ front legs in time with the music.
And then—Bang!
It was a pose as though catching a spider.
But the spider demon fled, weaving its web around the knights instead.
The knights and their mounts moved in perfect unison, pursuing the spider.
Simultaneously, they wielded swords, hurled spears, and fired arrows from horseback—each movement executed like a dance.
It was an extraordinarily difficult choreography.
It was hardly surprising that members occasionally forgot their steps or lost their positions and floundered.
As the Shadow Game ended, the Valkyries’ faces darkened.
“It’s a difficult routine, and you managed to pull it off—though it showed.”
Amont spoke.
“Who’s the center?”
“Pierre.”
“And the leader?”
“David.”
“That was a good choice, at least.”
The Valkyries nodded in agreement.
Then Ines spoke coldly.
“But you made quite a few mistakes. I understand it’s difficult, but you chose this song yourselves. If you picked it, you have to take responsibility for it.”
“The audience won’t give you votes just because something is hard. If you perform like this, your team could have the highest number of eliminations.”
“Yes, we understand!”
The knights answered, their confidence visibly shaken.
They had lowered the difficulty somewhat and practiced hard, but it still wasn’t enough.
The training ground fell silent as the Valkyries departed.
Everyone was lost in deep thought.
That was when it happened.
“Immersion.”
Pierre opened his mouth.
“We need more immersion.”
“What do you mean?”
David asked.
Pierre stroked his horse’s mane.
The horse bowed its head to Pierre, expressing affection—he had grown closer to this animal than any other team member.
Thanks to Pierre, who came from a stable-keeper background, the other members had learned how to bond with their horses too.
And now Pierre spoke.
“When both human and horse have something to immerse themselves in, they can accomplish even the most difficult things.”
“What’s this thing you’re talking about immersing ourselves in?”
Deni asked.
“Desperation and fear. With those, the routine and I can finally become one.”
“Be more specific.”
David leaned forward, listening intently.
Pierre smiled with sudden conviction.
“That would be…”

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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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