The smile on Daneel's face couldn't get any wider while he watched the broadcast of 5's real nature which was being witnessed by all the spectators all over the continent.
He hadn't expected that he would be getting a chance to get back at this guy so soon, so he was both pleasantly surprised and extremely happy about it.
However, it didn't make that much sense. If someone was sly enough to be able to figure out this loophole this quickly, then he didn't understand why he would resort to boasting in this way which was both risky and unnecessary.
Regardless, Daneel knew that he would find out everything soon, as he didn't intend to stretch it too.
He knew that shorter shows were always better, as it would be tough to keep excitement and anticipation up for hours and hours on end, continuously.
That was also why TV shows on earth ran in the form of episodes instead of dumping everything in front of the spectators' eyes in one long broadcast.
Even here, the best case would have been if he could have made this play out over the span of five or six episodes, but he couldn't afford to do that as Daneel didn't want to risk unknown factors entering into the fray and messing with his plans.
Coming back to the broadcast, he knew that this was the kind of rude awakening that the people needed so that they wouldn't fall for such tricks and would vote according to the criteria he had given them.
His whole objective with this show was that he wanted them to feel how it was if they had the power to judge the fates of those who had set out to vanquish them. He was practically making them the judge, and he knew that few things were more exhilarating than that for these common people whose lives were spent only looking up at people of power like these Warriors.
Also, of course, the main objective was that his face and his image had to be etched into the minds of the people of this continent as firmly as possible through this show.
Hence, Daneel had already planned it with the crew and Eloise that there would be as many appearances by him as possible during the course of the show. Between each match, during each recess, during each announcement, and during each time that he stepped in to save either contestant from dying, his image would flash across the screen, highlighting his grandness and royal attitude when he dealt with these powerful people who were nothing like ants to him.
At least, that was the image they were going for, and it worked pretty well, especially considering the fact that Daneel's real power really did eclipse that of these 21 individuals by a large margin.
The second match was between two Mages, who had to run around the ring incessantly while dodging the other's attacks as they were both quite weak in body potential. All of their trinkets had been stripped from them in order to make for a level playing field, so they could only resort to conjuring barriers that were usually ineffective in fights of this level as it would take too long to cast the spell for a strong enough barrier to stop a Warrior's attack. It was much more easier just to run while making sure that their own attacks were on track to hit the opponent, which made for a cat and mouse game that wasn't that entertaining, at all.
However, the effects of the first match were apparent. Taking a cue from 5, these two also tried to put out sob stories that were even cringier then 5's, but they failed as the voting was almost dead even with one of them eking out a victory just by pure luck and a little bit of skill. They had already put on display the most dazzling spells they had in their possession, so it could be said that they had done everything they could do.
…
Ophelia had a very serious expression on her face throughout the second match, just like the many other adults who had advocated for 5 during the first match. The only ones smiling were the skeptical individuals who had tried to dissuade these people from falling for those tricks.
In fact, they had been gloating all this while, but a snap from the majority who couldn't take it any longer had made it so that those people could only sit by themselves and gloat silently while the rest tried to forget what had happened.
The whole time during the second match, silence had mostly pervaded throughout Ophelia's household with only a few gasps of shock on seeing the dazzling displays of magic on the screen.
However, there were no excited cheers like during the first match, as it seemed that even the cheering would make them remember how they had been made fools of.
Many had even resolved to wait for the next match in which 5 would take part, so that they could vote against him even if he turned out to be the most dazzling one.
As for when they saw the dialogues of the two Mages just before the match ended which were clearly attempts to swing the audience towards them by making themselves look more pitiful than the other, scorn and derision appeared on the faces of the spectators while they closed their ears completely and refused to believe anything that these two were saying.
At the end of the second match, the good spirits of the people finally returned a little as they saw that the victor this time was the one that most of them had chosen, as he had seemed just a bit more dazzling than the other due to his spells which used ice and fire in a beautiful and artistic manner.
He had also won that match, which had served to increase the good opinion that they had had of him.
All in all, the judging took place in a much more fair manner due to the incident of the first match, and this was something that Daneel also commented on and felt glad about. Hell, he even wondered whether he should thank number five for educating the citizens of this continent about the fraudulent ways in which people in reality shows could gain favor.
After all, there was no awakening better than a rude one.
The next two matches after that also took place in a more normal manner, with the cheering slowly starting to make a return because each time, the citizens were happy that they weren't falling for the inept and sometimes even disgusting attempts by these Warriors to make them vote for them.
Some quoted a dying wife, others copied 5 and spoke about their parents, and some even resorted to saying that they just wanted to take care of their kids.
Of course, all of these fell on deaf ears, and each time, more votes went to the one who managed to strike a better impression of his or her power in the eyes of the citizens.
In the four matches that followed the first one, three of them went in the favour of the one who won the match, while the fourth was an exception as the winner in question was a lady who displayed a very mesmerizing style of magic which involved flying around the ring serenely while trying to avoid the strikes of her opponent, who was a Warrior just like 5. Towards the end, she failed and was almost about to be struck down which would have resulted in possible death, which made Daneel step in. She ended up being the victor in votes, with a majority higher than those that had come before her.
This also happened to be the woman who had stood beside Raul and spoken for the group before, and when he saw her fighting, Daneel had noticed that Raul had a regretful expression on his eyes.
After the match, he was going to ask why that was, but he let it go as he once again got busy in appearing in front of the people and making grand gestures.
Next up was 5's turn, again.
When Morgan went into the ring the second time, he was ecstatic.
His plan was progressing beautifully, and he even glanced toward one of the communication eyes and winked, as if he was some sort of favorite who had returned in front of the eyes of the spectators to regale them with his performance.
Of course, he had no idea that his true colors had already been broadcasted to his fans.
He couldn't have known that the king eavesdropped on him during a normal discussion between him and the other Warriors, which had actually been part of his plan.
While he was stepping down from the podium after his victory, he had gotten this idea.
He had seen the expressions on the faces of his opponent and the other Warriors who were spectating the match, so he knew that they would definitely copy his tactic and attempt to win over the hearts of those watching.
If that was the case, then he couldn't guarantee that he would have the upper hand in his own next match. After all, he even knew that he couldn't compare in acting skills to a few of his fellow Warriors.
The matches after his had cemented that opinion in his mind, as everyone put on performances. Yet, as he didn't know that he was the reason why the judging had changed to become fair, he assumed that it was still based on who performed better in both the battle and the drama.
So, he went forward with his plan, even going so far as to make sure that his statement about him stealing his father's savings would spread throughout the Warriors so that no matter who became his opponent, they would definitely know about it.
Sure enough, his opponent was another Fighter who had a mocking smile on his face, as if he was going to end his progress by uttering the truth.
Well, that was exactly what he wanted.
The moment the match started, just like he had expected, his opponent stood where he was and shouted out, "Morgan - number five! The people need to know just how much of a fraud you are! I heard you telling everyone outside and gloating that you fooled all of the citizens using your statement when in reality, your father never wanted to see you again because you stole all of his life savings!"
Only, instead of panicking, Morgan just chuckled, as it was time for the final part of his plan.
"You think all of these people are foolish to believe whatever you say? They saw me facing death itself when I said that. I'm not the kind of vile character like you to say whatever is needed just because I want to live. Besides, the citizens of this continent are smart. They will only judge based on how good we are, not on what we say. Fight me, you fool. If you are better than me in impressing the great citizens of our continent, then I will admit defeat by myself and cut my throat. So, stop this kind of underhanded behavior."
This left his opponent gaping, while Morgan continued to laugh inside his mind.
He always liked to be one step ahead of his opponents, just like in the case with that gang from the sect when he had led them to kill those villagers.
He had expected that he would be targeted in this way no matter who his opponent was, so his objective had been to remove that from the equation and praise the spectators so that they would be more inclined to vote for him.
He could almost imagine those foolish creatures' faces - they must be beaming that he, a great Warrior, had praised them for being smart.
Still, just to be safe, Morgan put on the best performance of his life. Luckily, his opponent was also a Fighter who was much less dazzling than him, so he even started to feel regret that he should have saved this for another match as he knew that he would have won this one anyway even if the judging was fair.
However, when he stood atop the pedestal and waited for the results, he saw the King smiling at him in an odd way.
He didn't understand why that was, but when he heard the King's proclamation in front of the screen, his jaw almost dropped to the floor.
"What a historic decision! For the first time, I'm seeing the biggest difference in votes yet. I didn't even think of this was possible! I can only comment that all the citizens have become very cognizant about how they should make their decisions. The winner is number 19, with an astounding majority of a ratio of 98:1. Onto the next match!"
Morgan started to stutter, raising a finger pointing at the King, as he wanted to ask whether this was all a mistake.
Meanwhile, smiles of joy could be seen on the faces of Ophelia and the rest, as they felt that they had finally set right the mistake they had done before.
Daneel chose to clear the man's doubt. Flicking his fingers, he made Morgan appear beside him, before he said, "Your plan was good… But you should have thought about it a bit more. What do you think the people will feel if they see you calling them cattle right in front of their eyes?"
Everything fell into place in Morgan's mind. He had been… Doomed from the second he made that plan.
Right now, he could only stare at the King, whose gloating smile made him flush and look to the side while anger and frustration dominated his mind.
Yet, when he looked to the side, his eyes fell on the screen denoting the votes, where he saw that his 'bucket' was almost completely empty.
'Damn this King! This isn't fair!'
He shouted this in his mind, but he knew that he couldn't do anything about it.
He had tried to be smart, but it had ended up stabbing him in the back.
Daneel had to say that he was very, very satisfied right now. The citizens had been educated in the correct way, and this guy, who had attempted to hoodwink him and live, had also had his just desserts.
The shock on his face had been one of the most fulfilling things that Daneel had felt in a long time.
Now, it was time to bring an end to this show.
Turning toward Raul beside him, Daneel said, "Get ready. You're the final boss. You'll be going up soon."