Vote for Your Knight! - Chapter 6
Coustou’s face turned cold.
If the Cartamen was indeed being held, that meant that all sorts of skilled individuals honing their abilities for the past 20 years would participate. He had to surpass all of them, or he would die.
‘But right now, the royal family has lost credibility because of the tyrant.’
Maybe there wouldn’t be as many participants as he thought. That was a positive.
‘Not that I have a choice, anyway.’
Coustou nodded.
“Alright, I’ll participate. However—”
Coustou extended his forearm, showing the slave brand engraved on it.
“I will not cover this mark.”
Edith glanced at the mark and cheerfully said, “Excellent.”
“!”
Coustou stood there, dumbfounded at what he had just heard.
‘Is it really okay for her that I’m a slave, and that I bear this slave mark?’
He gazed at the girl who seemed both lovely and, at this moment, a bit intimidating. Suddenly, a certain premonition crossed his mind. Maybe—
‘This might turn out to be fun.’
* * *
Unpacking my luggage at the local inn, I immediately took out my notebook.
‘Bringing Coustou was not part of the plan.’
If it were just Dmitri and me, we could return to the capital immediately, but bringing Coustou meant we had to stay the night.
‘Well, it might be a good thing.’
It would give me time to organize my thoughts.
I began jotting down my assessment of Coustou in the notebook.
Name: Coustou
(Seems to have no surname, possibly due to being a former slave)
Alias: Knight with a haunted past, A Pirate’s Nightmare, etc.
Combat Skills: A
Weapon Skills: –
Magic Skills: –
Chivalry: A
Intelligence: –
Distinctive Traits: Carries himself with confidence despite bearing a slave mark. Seems to have a backstory related to not removing the mark. Has a chivalrous spirit, willing to sacrifice himself for the weak.
Putting the pen down, I felt a weight on my hand.
‘All these distinctive traits are potential elements for success.’
But I needed to approach this delicately.
‘It’s a sensitive matter.’
I almost asked him why he didn’t remove the slave mark and felt like I had a thorn on my tongue trying to keep myself from blurting out the question.
‘It’s a good thing I held back.’
Now, if I go back to the capital, I have to rest for a day and then immediately start recruiting the next person.
I was a little nervous.
‘The person I’m going to meet this time, unlike Lord of Pius, is someone I must cast.’
This person is so important that without him, a knight’s tournament would be meaningless.
‘Simply put, without him, we’re screwed.’
The fate of this tournament depends on this man, and now I had to convince him.
* * *
A beautiful knight stood by the window, meticulously polishing a single-edged sword. The sunlight gleamed on the smooth blade, but the man seemed dissatisfied, investing his sincerity into the sword with each stroke.
Whenever he polished, the sword’s owner whispered to himself.
“Don’t worry, David. You’ll win the bloodbath, and remember, everything that happens next will not be your fault.”
That was a lie. It would be his fault.
No matter how much he polished, the bloodstains on the sword seemed indelible. At that moment, a voice interrupted David’s train of thought.
“…I’m deeply concerned about the future of the country. Your Grace, perhaps it’s time for you to step forward.”
It was Lord Nais, the administrator of the West who visited David tirelessly even without being summoned. It would be more accurate to say that he fancied himself the ‘ruler’ of the West.
“Your Grace, if you are so inclined, we would be happy to assist you behind the scenes.”
The blue eyes reflected in the transparent sword glinted coldly.
‘Is it time to drive him away?’
David was a knight. He had no interest in power struggles.
He hated greedy lords like this one. Nor did he like the current royal family, who was using the Cartamen as an opportunity to manipulate the knights once again.
‘I don’t want to get involved in their affairs.’
David approached the lord with a sword in hand.
The lord turned and saw the well-polished sword in his hand and let out a yelp.
“Y-Your Grace, Duke! P-please put the sword away…!”
David looked at the sword as if something had just occurred to him, but he didn’t lay it down.
“Excuse me. I got carried away with the sword.”
Even though he was in the middle of speaking, he still seemed overly preoccupied with the sword. Meaning that he wasn’t listening.
Understanding the implication behind David’s words, the lord jumped to his feet.
“P-Please spare me!” the gatekeeper screamed from outside.
David hurried to the window. The gatekeeper was kneeling in front of a visitor to the manor.
‘Who on earth!’
As someone who did not tolerate anyone disrespecting his men even if they were low-ranking servants, David found this unacceptable. And given the recent developments, the visitor—
‘These must be the people sent from the palace to make me participate in Cartamen.’
In other words, these were uninvited guests.
David bit his lip and quickly walked out.
