Vote for Your Knight! - Chapter 60

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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 60
Their luck had soured from the moment they heard that Olivier was entering Kartamen.
‘A guy who’s never properly held a sword in his life.’
‘Just because he’s good at studying, he thinks he’ll be good at Di Eques too?’
Of course, those predictions shattered from the very first round of Kartamen.
An event where competitors navigated obstacles within a maze.
Olivier accomplished it with his mind—calculating the timing of each obstacle’s appearance and executing it with elegant precision.
‘He’s got to be insane.’
‘Yeah, he’s really insufferable.’
There was plenty of reason for their resentment toward Olivier.
Brin was eternally second place because of Olivier.
Agnes had been ousted from student body president by Olivier’s brilliant platform, forced to settle for vice president instead.
But there was something even more important than that.
The fact that Olivier was simply infuriating.
‘He acts superior even when he’s not doing anything.’
‘And he’s not just talented—he’s excessively talented. So selfish.’
In any case, the two of them, bound by their shared predicament, had cemented their friendship around their common nemesis: Olivier.
And by some twist of fate, they’d won tickets to this Kartamen event together as well.
Brin was with Kusto.
Agnes was with Rafael.
Brin and Agnes entered the Circular Arena, drawing envious glances from those without tickets.
Their seats were positioned just above the middle section.
They had a clear view of the entire arena.
“I wish we were closer,” Brin sighed. “Too bad, Agnes.”
“Then you’d have gotten a better look at Olivier too, wouldn’t you? Let’s count our blessings,” Agnes replied.
Soon the Mounted Martial Dance evaluation began.
The moment Edith and Valkyria appeared, the Circular Arena erupted in cheers.
“Everyone, thank you for your patience! The knights have worked incredibly hard for this day. Let me show you what spectacular Mounted Martial Dance they’ve prepared!”
The screen displayed the knights gathered in the arena.
The audience thrummed with anticipation.
Even Edith’s face on the screen sparkled with eager excitement.
Though it was the mischievous kind of excitement, admittedly.
“Now, how shall we choose which Mounted Martial Dance you’ll perform?”
“Racing?”
“Flag capture?”
“Arm Wrestling!”
“The answer is…… Courage Training!”
“?”
(The knights, visibly bewildered!)
(Could…… Courage Training actually be frightening?)
(Kusto in an interview)
“Not at all.”
(Dmitri in an interview)
“The most frightening thing is people.”
(Could that really be it?)
Inside the Forbidden Secret Passage.
(A ghost suddenly plummeting from thin air!)
“Kyeeeeeeek!”
“Ugh, ahhh!”
“Aaaaaahhh!”
(Without pause, Kusto and Dmitri flee toward the passage exit)

……)
(So who said they were the most frightened?)
“Bahahahahaha!”
“Hahahaha! This is crazy!”
“I never thought they’d react like that.”
“Look at Kusto’s surprised face—it’s adorable! What do I do!”
The Circular Arena filled with laughter.
Kusto Mari Brin was so adorable that he clenched both fists and bounced on his heels as if he might burst.
“Is there anything here I can break? I’m going insane, Agnes.”
“He is cute, I’ll grant you, but really—not to this degree.”
But Agnes had miscalculated.
“Aaahhh! Master! Master! Master! Help me! Master!”
“Pierre, we’re almost there. It’s over. Just get out now.”
“That’s right. Our Pierre, there there, well done.”
Look at Rafael’s credentials shining through! What am I supposed to do?!”
Agnes was nearly beside herself with delight.
The kind-hearted blonde beauty soothing and coaxing Pierre looked as beautiful as a work of art.
“Ha, our Rafael is male, yet he has maternal instinct too. To see him embrace even this madman—”
“Feminization is a bit much, Agnes.”
“It’s not feminization, it’s genuinely incredible, our Rafael.”
Agnes was so delighted that tears spilled down her cheeks.
Pierre and the other Mari were equally frenzied at the sight of Rafael indulging in such a reversal.
The Courage Training was precisely the fan service that Edith had prepared for the Mari and their teams.
Once the Courage Training determined the group rankings,
and after explaining the rules that the two groups would compete over one performance,
they drew flags to decide which Mounted Martial Dance each team would showcase.
Then the screen cut to black, and Edith appeared.
“Did you enjoy watching?”
“Yes!”
“Now then, the group that will showcase the Mounted Martial Dance first is……!”
The crowd held its breath.
Edith smiled brightly.
“Shall we see it on screen?”
The leaders of each group appeared on the screen.
Group One: Dmitri.
Group Two: David was the leader.
“Do you know why you’re all here?”
(Edith’s voice from off-screen)
(The bewildered leaders)
Edith spoke with amusement in her voice.
“To determine the order for the Mounted Martial Dance. And the way we’ll decide the order is……Arm Wrestling!”
(The startled leaders!)
Tension and confidence flickered across the leaders’ faces at once.
These were all people who had considerable faith in their strength.
“Arrghhhh!”
“Grraaahh!”
But once the Arm Wrestling began in earnest, many leaders cried out in all manner of ways as they were knocked out of the competition.
In the end, the finals belonged to David and Dmitri.
“Let’s hear how you feel heading into the finals?”
Edith gave a wink. Though this wasn’t being recorded, she had deliberately hinted that they should speak a bit provocatively.
Dmitri hesitated, then spoke.
“I have no confidence. I’m certain I’ll lose.”
“Whoa—ahhhhh?!”
A roar erupted from the Circular Arena.
It was unexpected behavior from the usual Dmitri.
David did not yield in turn.
“I won’t embarrass you too much. I’ll just end this in one move.”
“Yes! We’ve heard these confident remarks from both of you. Now then, let’s begin!”
(David and Dmitri clasping hands!)
David and Dmitri both opened their eyes wide.
They had never clasped hands like this before, and the strength they felt was extraordinary.
The calluses embedded in their palms told each of them how intensely the other had been training behind the scenes.
In the empty space between them, David and Dmitri’s gazes collided.
It burned.
(The atmosphere—as if neither would concede easily!)
“Then……Begin!”
Immediately, tremendous force poured from each toward the other.
His face flushed crimson, veins standing stark along his neck and forearms.
“Oh, oh!”
The spectators beyond the screen, as well as the other Readers within it, marveled at the passion of the two competitors.
The back-and-forth struggle of Arm Wrestling made it impossible to predict victory for either side.
But then……!
Thump!
It was Dmitri whose strength gave out first.
David lifted both arms triumphantly, his torso rising from the table.
“Knight David Bertier is victorious! Please choose the order in which you’ll perform!”
“We’ll go first.”
David wiped the sweat from his brow as he spoke.
The other Readers were all taken aback by the unexpected choice.
Edith found herself equally surprised.
“First, not last?”
“Yes.”
David radiated confidence.
The opening.
When the audience’s focus is at its peak!
He would deliver the finest performance, overshadowing all other teams.
‘Once the audience sees our team first, they won’t even notice the other teams’ Mounted Martial Dance.’
Team Five, who were performing the same Shadow Game as David’s group, naturally took the second slot.
The next person to choose was Dmitri.
“Knight Dmitri Kassel, which position will you perform in?”
“We shall…….”
The team had already consulted on the order beforehand.
Of course—
“We’ll go last.”
After the other Readers finished their selections, the screen changed.
Then David’s team appeared in a practice montage.
Behind-the-scenes footage.
After training hard and receiving harsh criticism from Valkyria,
the team members resolved to incorporate a new position called the “Spider” into their martial dance.
Then the voting began.
“So let’s each point to whoever we think best suits the Center and the ‘Spider’ roles. Go!”
The screen went dark.
All the lights in the Circular Arena went out as well.
“Ooooh!”
“What is this? What’s happening?”
The crowd murmured with curiosity and tension.
Brin and Agnes felt the same way.
“Why are they cutting it off here? I’m dying to know!”
“So who is the Spider?”
Then a shaft of light poured onto the stage.
Someone was astride a jet-black horse.
The rider wore black clothing and a black cloak, and a black mask emblazoned with a spider motif covered the upper half of their face.
Since the mask concealed only the upper portion, one could make out who lay beneath.
The Spider’s true identity was……!

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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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