Kawaii princess's Arc

Chapter 31 of 54

By noon the placards held both names, but the judge's post stood empty. A glass-paneled observation tower rose beside the dueling grounds, its railings bare. Below it, an iron podium waited on weathered steps — the official judging mark. No neutral arbiter had agreed to climb either one. Her rival's supporters were already chanting, ready to drown out any verdict that wasn't theirs. Kawaii Princess walked the square and asked three elders, two scouts, and a retired broadcaster. Each refused. Too risky. Too loud a crowd. She stopped at the foot of the tower and looked up at the empty glass room, then at the high stone seat set behind the podium — a fur-draped throne the panel had hauled in for whoever would sit. The cushions were untouched. The crowd stared at the empty seat and muttered. She climbed the iron podium alone and faced them. "No judge will come," she said. "So I give the seat to you. Every person here. One token, one vote, counted in the open by the head scout." She pulled crown tokens from her satchel and poured them onto the podium. The head scout stepped from the crowd, considered, and gave a single nod. The throne stayed empty. The tower stayed empty. But the tokens moved, hand to hand, through both sides of the square. Her rival's supporters could shout — but they could not shout down a count. The duel had its judge now. It was everyone.