Vote for Your Knight! - Chapter 10

A transmission tower stood in the central square of the capital.

On the tower’s large screen, a man was shouting.

His name was David Bertier—known as the knight of knights, a man who chooses death over dishonor.

But now—

Casting aside his pride and pleading, he wore a smile while concealing any shame.

‘Oddly enough, it makes him even more charming.’

I smiled with satisfaction as I read the words that flashed across the screen.

We used David to test the transmission tower. We also promoted the issuance of identity cards, which has been sluggish so far.

‘Two birds with one stone!’

The identification badge was a system I proposed. As an ID, any citizen of the Empire could easily obtain one. However, very few people actually went out to get them.

‘In order to assess the population and organize the system, it is essential to issue identification badges.’

So I decided to use David Bertier’s influence.

‘I hope it works.’

Then it happened.

“You, Your Highness, are quite ruthless.”

I paused. Dmitry was staring at me with a chilling face.

“Do you remember what Duke David Bertier said when we were recording that video?”

“Oh, that?”

Didn’t he say something like this?

“I, I can’t do such a shameful thing…! I would rather bite my tongue than utter such words!”

“But it was also Duke David who said he would gladly accept the consequences of his actions.”

“I would rather bite my tongue.”

Wouldn’t that be even crueler?

‘The way knights think is so strange.’

Still, thanks to David sacrificing himself to shoot the promotional video, there was an increase in applicants for the Cartamen.

‘Using David as a model was an excellent choice.’

I flipped open my evaluation notebook.

I smirked at his distinctive traits.

‘I wonder how far Duke David Bertier, who is so good at everything, will go in this competition.’

But too much perfection would be boring.

‘I should create some adversity, even if it’s forced.’

We’ll need to do something to make him a little more relatable.

I thought about it while I closed my notebook.

Now it was time to persuade the final candidate.

“Who is the last candidate you’ll visit?” Dmitry asked at the right moment.

After casting David, we had personally met and persuaded several other candidates.

‘Sometimes we succeeded, sometimes we didn’t.’

And now there was only one candidate left to convince.

“The last candidate is a really, really difficult opponent. A person who will never participate in Cartamen. So, I’ll need your help.”

“Who on earth is this person for the Princess to say something like that?”

I looked at Dmitry and smiled brightly. “Sir Dmitry, it’s you.”

His pale face stiffened for an instant. Then he came to his senses and shook his head vigorously.

“No, don’t say such nonsense. If a traitor like me participates, the Cartamen will be hated.”

I wiped the smile from my face and stared intently at the bewildered Dmitry.

“But you’re not a traitor.”

Dmitry frowned.

I continued, “During the revolution, you were the one who opened the palace gates.”

“I thought the tide had turned, so I simply sided with the victors. It was an opportunistic move.”

“You were also the spy who provided information about the tyrant Beauvoi to the revolutionary forces.”

Dmitry’s red eyes widened.

“H-How did you know about that…!”

“Do you think my father and I didn’t investigate? Since the bloodbath duels, you’ve pretended to be on the tyrant’s side, trying to assist the revolution.”

Dmitry lowered his head.

“…So, you brought me here as a guard for this reason. You knew all along and yet you deceived me.”

“I was trying to find out if it were true.”

I held out my hand to him.

“Join the Cartamen. You deserve a shot to be a Knight d’Equis.”

Staring at my hand, Dmitry shook his head. “I’ve killed countless knights in the name of helping the revolution.”

“You were forced into it—there was no other choice.”

“The outcome remains the same. I don’t deserve to be Equis. I’ll just have to live with the blame for the rest of my life, so please accept my refusal.”

“You participating in Cartamen is a chance to regain your honor and reveal the truth about your fallen comrades.” I looked into Dmitry’s eyes and said firmly, “Are you going to let them be relegated to a traitor’s bodycount, or are you going to elevate their legacy as those who had a noble, sacrificial death at the hands of a Knight D’Equis?”

Dmitri stared blankly at me, at a loss for words.

Still, he didn’t give me an answer.

* * *

Thanks to David, over 1,000 applications were submitted for the Cartamen. Half of them underwent preliminary interviews, excluding those who weren’t up to par.

“Even if you’re of humble origin, for those who can wield a sword, Cartamen is a lifelong dream. If you can’t achieve it in this lifetime, then it’s a life not worth living.”
– Killian Grussey

“I want to show my family that I can do it. That I can dream.”
– Maurice Arnaud

“My master said it too. The moment you hold a sword, the place to be seen is Cartamen. My ultimate dream lies there too.”
– Pierre Simon

Each and every one of them was eager to participate.

‘This earnestness, I won’t forget it. Let me also do my best to revive Cartamen.’

Edith promised to herself.

Finally, after careful selection, the final 100 have been chosen, and the first competition invitation has been delivered to them. The first competition will be an entrance evaluation.