SCT-Novel Chapter 179 : Popularity Poll - 4
Chapter 179 : Popularity Poll - 4
Magireta let out an incredulous laugh.“Ha.”
Well, that was understandable.
Back then, while pointing at the Goddess's Tear, Magireta had said this to Edgar:
—Even I have to admit that's quite a precious treasure. And yet you're willing to hand it over just to have me shake off Little Brother's party?
It was a jewel that even Magireta herself had acknowledged as "precious."
No matter that these monsters had lived for over a million years, handling every jewel imaginable...
Surely none of them had lived as long as Magireta.
If something was precious to Magireta, there was no way it wouldn't be precious to the monsters.
The problem was...
“No. I can't give you this.”
“I'm making a formal trade request. You can't refuse a trade request, can you, Big Sister?”
“...And what are you offering?”
“Let me warn you in advance—even if you lose your head, it won't be enough unless it's something truly worthwhile.”
“How about this?”
I pulled something from my pocket.
It was the first-place prize brooch I had received during the Fourth Quest, Hide-and-Seek.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Armelia cried out,
“Mason! Something that valuable...!”
“This is my own brooch.”
“And as you all know, I'm not particularly strong in combat.”
“This item is wasted on me.”
“Even so...”
“Magireta treasures the Goddess's Tear.”
“If I don't offer something of this level, the trade won't happen.”
Slowly.
I held the brooch out toward Magireta.
“I'll return the brooch.”
“In exchange, please give me the Goddess's Tear.”
“......”
Magireta wore a thoughtful expression.
Her silence dragged on.
I glanced toward the small bulletin board.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 4%
1st. Edgar Tyler (4%)
2nd. Mason Giard (0%)
2nd. Armelia Ker Deniroom (0%)
2nd....
Already four percent.
“Please hurry, Big Sister.”
“...Sigh.”
“I have to admit it.”
“This is a pretty good trade.”
“For both of us.”
“......”
“All right.”
“Let's trade.”
Flick.
Magireta flicked the Goddess's Tear toward me.
As I frantically caught it, the brooch floated into the air on its own before gently settling into Magireta's hand.
“Thank you.”
“It's fine.”
“It's not like I lost anything.”
“......”
“Well then.”
“I'll be going.”
“Do your best.”
She disappeared like a ghost.
My companions immediately gathered around me.
Versium spoke.
“That was splendid.”
“So this was your plan.”
“What?”
“In the end, that precious jewel has come into our possession.”
“But, Mason...”
He looked at me seriously.
“What exactly do you intend to do with it now?”
“I already told you.”
“I'm going to bribe them.”
“But there's only one jewel.”
“There are roughly forty-five thousand monsters we need to bribe.”
“That's not a problem.”
As I said that, I pulled out the First Prize Replication Bag.
That action alone left everyone speechless.
I placed the Goddess's Tear inside the bag.
Then I looked toward the High-Ranking Monsters in the garden, who looked just as stunned as my companions.
“This jewel is called the Goddess's Tear.”
“If you recognize its value...”
“Vote for me.”
“......”
“In return...”
“I'll reward you generously.”
Enough to swim in it.
The dragons of their previous lives had possessed an overwhelming obsession with jewels.
Even the High-Ranking Monster who had been grumbling at me moments ago immediately shouted,
“Fine!”
“I'll sell my vote!”
I nodded.
“I don't believe any of you would stoop to something so dishonorable.”
“But since everyone's pass or failure depends on this, I'd like to be a little more careful.”
“......?”
“I'll first confirm that you've voted for me.”
“Only then will I hand over the jewels.”
“Heh.”
“That's perfectly acceptable.”
“Excellent.”
“Then please line up.”
“Groups of ten.”
After saying that, I looked at Karin.
“Lower us down.”
“O-Okay.”
Karin summoned her Spirits.
Soon, we landed directly before the High-Ranking Monsters.
In the meantime, they obediently lined up in groups of ten like well-behaved children.
I scooped out a handful of Goddess's Tears from the Replication Bag and spoke.
“Replication takes time.”
“So for now, I'll give each of you only this much.”
“Think of it as a down payment.”
“......”
“Once enough copies have been made, I'll give every one of you enough to bury yourselves in.”
“Don't worry.”
“I always keep my promises.”
“Hmph.”
“I don't mind.”
“That handful alone is already worth more than my single vote.”
That's a relief.
And so, voting began in the Second Territory.
Ten monsters standing in a line cast their votes for me simultaneously.
Aina quickly inspected them, checking for any fraudulent votes(?).
Once she confirmed there were no problems, Versium guided those ten monsters to one side.
There, Sienne and Benjamin continuously pulled handfuls of Goddess's Tears from the Replication Bag and arranged them neatly.
Karin distributed the pre-prepared handfuls as payment.
Finally, Armelia memorized the number of monsters who had already voted.
And I...
Glanced over.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 8%
1st. Edgar Tyler (7%)
2nd. Mason Giard (1%)
I was monitoring the vote count.
Sweat formed on my palms.
'Before total turnout reaches thirty percent...'
I have to reduce the gap to less than double somehow.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 15%
1st. Edgar Tyler (12%)
2nd. Mason Giard (3%)
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 22%
1st. Edgar Tyler (15%)
2nd. Mason Giard (7%)
Good.
Good.
I'm catching up.
I don't need to overtake him.
That was impossible from the beginning.
I only needed to narrow the gap to less than double.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 26%
1st. Edgar Tyler (18%)
2nd. Mason Giard (8%)
Ugh...
The gap wasn't closing as easily as I'd hoped.
Please.
Please.
Thirty percent is almost here.
Just then, I heard Aina's voice.
“Mason.”
“How's it looking?”
Before voting had begun in the Second Territory, I had told everyone not to look at the vote standings.
Even the time spent checking them felt wasteful.
If they became discouraged after seeing how slowly we were catching up, their hands might slow down.
So I simply answered,
“Move faster.”
“Tch.”
“So it isn't going as well as we'd hoped.”
“Fine.”
“From now on, we'll process twenty at a time.”
“Can you handle that?”
“My eyes are spinning already.”
“But now isn't the time to complain.”
After saying that, Aina increased each group to twenty monsters.
The voting continued.
Time passed once more.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 28%
1st. Edgar Tyler (19%)
2nd. Mason Giard (9%)
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 29%
1st. Edgar Tyler (20%)
2nd. Mason Giard (9%)
D-Damn it.
This is dangerous.
'I have no choice.'
Drawing in a huge breath, I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Everyone!”
“Please give me your attention for a moment!”
“Hm?”
“You.”
“You there.”
“And... yes.”
“The eight of you from there to here.”
“Us?”
“No.”
“Everyone except those eight.”
The monsters, except for the eight I had singled out, all tilted their heads.
I shouted at them.
“Vote for me.”
“Right now!”
“Huh?”
“But weren't you going to confirm our votes first before giving us the jewels?”
“Total turnout is about to hit thirty percent.”
“And the gap between Edgar and me is still more than double.”
“......”
“I trust all of you.”
“Please don't deceive me.”
“Vote for me.”
After saying that, I watched their expressions.
Had my sincerity reached them?
'......'
Apparently not.
Most of the monsters remained indifferent.
Quite a few even chuckled as though they found the situation amusing.
It was hopeless.
Then—
“Everyone.”
“Listen carefully.”
Drod's voice suddenly echoed down from the rooftop.
I looked up.
He was seated atop the edge of the castle wall.
“I cannot force you to vote for Mason.”
“But there's no harm in saying a few words.”
“Lord Drod.”
“All of us here—including myself—are monsters.”
“But once...”
“Weren't we dragons who ruled the world?”
“Surely every one of you remembers how sacred an oath is to us.”
“......”
“Petty tricks and childish games don't suit our kind.”
“Remember the pride you once carried.”
“And vote honestly.”
Only then did the playful expressions disappear from the monsters' faces.
Had those brief words truly moved them?
Without another word, they placed their hands upon their bulletin boards.
From here, I couldn't tell who each of them voted for.
But I could certainly see the overall result.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 30%
1st. Edgar Tyler (19%)
2nd. Mason Giard (11%)
We did it!
The moment turnout reached thirty percent, the gap between Edgar and me had fallen below double.
And it didn't stop there.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 35%
1st. Edgar Tyler (20%)
2nd. Mason Giard (15%)
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 40%
1st. Edgar Tyler (22%)
2nd. Mason Giard (18%)
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 48%
1st. Edgar Tyler (26%)
2nd. Mason Giard (22%)
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 55%
1st. Mason Giard (28%)
2nd. Edgar Tyler (27%)
Even if only temporarily...
I had actually overtaken Edgar's vote count!
The instant I confirmed it, all the strength drained from my body.
My legs gave way beneath me, and I collapsed to the ground.
“Mason!”
“What's wrong?”
“Don't tell me—”
“I'm fine.”
“Really.”
Fanning my face with one hand, I continued,
“Current total turnout is fifty-five percent.”
“I have twenty-eight percent.”
“Edgar has twenty-seven.”
“That's a relief.”
“Yes.”
“Of course, the monsters from the Third and Fourth Territories probably haven't all voted yet.”
“Edgar will most likely reclaim first place soon.”
“But still...”
“We've survived the immediate crisis?”
I nodded.
Of course, this was far from the time to relax.
“We still don't know how many voters Edgar controls across the Third and Fourth Territories.”
“If that total exceeds twice the number of voters from the Second Territory...”
“The game ends.”
“......”
“We've done everything we could.”
“All that's left...”
“Is to pray.”
Benjamin then spoke.
“Shouldn't the eight monsters you held back vote for you as well?”
“At this point, even a single vote matters.”
“...No.”
“Let's hold off a little longer.”
“What?”
“Those eight are our insurance.”
“For now...”
“Let's wait.”
Everyone tilted their heads but said nothing more.
Time passed again.
Suppressing our anxiety, we watched the vote count.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 60%
1st. Edgar Tyler (33%)
2nd. Mason Giard (27%)
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 65%
1st. Edgar Tyler (38%)
2nd. Mason Giard (27%)
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 68%
1st. Edgar Tyler (41%)
2nd. Mason Giard (27%)
The gap between Edgar and me widened once more.
It was just shy of becoming a double score again.
Please.
Please.
Please!
I clasped my hands together and prayed with all my heart.
And then...
Finally.
■ Popularity Poll in Progress
※ Total Voter Turnout: 70%
1st. Edgar Tyler (43%)
2nd. Mason Giard (27%)
......
......
The total turnout stopped changing.
The voting had stopped!