Season 4: Chapter 166.The Traitor’s Trial (3)
Zelo’s trial had become the biggest spectacle in all of Cheese Village. Anyone who watched Survival Craft or followed the community couldn’t ignore it.
[Can’t wait for Zelo’s trial today lol]
[He’s actually going to court?!]
[How do you even hang Zelo like that? hahaha]
[They’re seriously putting him on trial...]
Zelo wasn’t just another streamer. He held the record for the highest concurrent viewership, sitting comfortably at the top of the streaming world. Even if this was all a bit, his trial was the equivalent of a Fortune 500 CEO being dragged into a public courtroom.
Of course, everyone wanted to see what would happen. As always, with every surge of excitement came the inevitable contrarians.
[Probably going to be boring tbh]
[Overhyped event.]
[Too much buzz, zero payoff.]
They weren’t wrong. Any show would struggle to live up to such hype.
[Bet it’s awkward as hell between Zelo and Almond. No one’s gonna even talk about it after.]
Indeed, an awkward relationship between Judge Almond and defendant Zelo was a serious obstacle.
— True lol
— Yeah, they only met once back in Cheese Village
— Even if Almond is a rising star, it’s not easy to mess with a top streamer like Zelo
└ ForeverAlone: ???
└ lol ForeverAlone literally kicked him in the face though
└ He’s brainwashed at this point
In any major event, attention was both a blessing and a curse. The more viewers, the higher the stakes and the bigger the risk of disaster.
[Zelo is being dragged in lmaoo]
[Zelloooo]
[How’s he gonna survive with Almond AND LackLackey as judges]
[Damn, that courtroom looks gorgeous though]
Within minutes, posts about the trial flooded every forum and chat board.
Almond, as if responding directly to all the chatter, struck the gavel.
Bang, bang!
“Order!” He began the trial with a bombshell statement. “Since Zelo mentioned his stream might die if this takes too long, we’ll proceed quickly with the trial and execution.”
The internet exploded.
[BREAKING: Zelo sentenced to death]
[Confirmed: Zelo’s execution incoming]
[Death penalty before the trial even starts lmao]
[Insanity.]
[Of course... the demon of interviews himself.]
[Didn’t someone say it’d be awkward? LOL guess not.]
[Classic Ah-Sung move.]
[Wait, the verdict was decided beforehand?!]
As the community exploded with posts, the trial formally began.
“In the name of Cheese Village’s Constitution, we begin the first official trial for Zelo, the nation’s traitor.”
Bang, bang!
— His title is literally National Traitor
— Peak entertainment lol
— Execute him already!
***
Meanwhile, outside the courtroom, the Nonghyup Union wanted nothing more to do with the Knights.
“From today onward, we’re just farmers again. Our focus will be on agriculture and sustainability...” Donuts declared during the emergency shareholders’ meeting held after their crushing defeat to the Knights.
“Our new vision centers around eco-friendliness and efficient, forward-thinking management of the Nonghyup Union as an organization...”
Most attendees had already fallen half-asleep.
— I’m dying of boredom
— Someone stop this principal’s speech
— Commitment to the bit is insane
— Sounds like a corporate retreat speech lol
— ‘Advanced management,’ my ass, you’re a communist
“Basically, we got our asses kicked and now we’re pretending it’s strategic?” Pickle couldn’t help but raise her hand.
— LMAO she said it
— Yup, that’s Pickle for you
— Queen of blunt truth
— Couldn’t hold it in any longer lol
Donuts stammered, scrambling for an excuse. “N-No, I mean... we’ve bled enough already, and from an environmental perspective...”
“Bleeding makes the soil fertile. What’s the problem?”
“...”
She didn’t know it, but she wasn’t wrong. Historically, the most fertile lands were often those soaked in the blood of great wars.
“A-Anyway! That’s our new direction!” Donuts quickly wrapped up the meeting, only to be met with boos and shouts.
“Boooo!”
“What the hell was that?!”
“I fell asleep, woke up, and it’s over?! The Union is just done?!”
— LMFAO
— That’s how it is~
— This guy is unreal
— Speedrun ending lol
Horn Ramen stepped forward to calm things down, or at least, to shout louder than the rest. “Look, what he means is the Nonghyup Union is done with the Knights! No more fighting! Just farm! Raise your cows! Got it?! You weren’t doing much anyway, right!?”
— HAHAHA savage
— Professional truth-bomber
— So shameless it’s beautiful
— I’m crying lol
And so, the Nonghyup Union tried to distance itself from the Knights and return to peaceful, club-level farming. However, that proved harder than expected.
Thunk, thunk.
While Donuts tilled his field by hand, something felt off.
‘Huh? Why are my viewer numbers...?’
His viewership began dropping. It wasn’t just dipping, but steadily sliding down. Sure, Survival Craft wasn’t his main content anymore, but even regulars were leaving. It wasn’t just him.
“Uh...”
“Huh?”
“What’s going on?”
Other streamers noticed the same thing. They didn’t say it aloud since it was taboo to talk about numbers, but their faces said it all.
‘Is the server bugged?’
Farmers quietly tending fields and anglers chatting by the riverside... None of them were spared. Their viewerships slid lower and lower as if following the laws of gravity itself.
[12,000 viewers]
[11,000]
[9,700]
...
One streamer from the Nonghyup Union was usually stable above ten thousand viewers.
[Pickle]
Pickle’s viewer count dipped into the low thousands, forcing her to finally address the situation.
“Uh... Is something going on right now? Everyone’s leaving all at once, haha.”
Even someone as blunt as Pickle treaded carefully when mentioning numbers.
— No idea
— You don’t know?
— It’s the trial lol
— Boring stream tbh
— They’re leaving for the trial hahaha
— Or maybe they’re just bored
‘Jerks...’
She knew they were teasing her, but being called boring still stung.
‘We said we wouldn’t get involved with the Knights...’
Even if the Nonghyup Union was in decline, it still retained significant influence in agriculture. Their no involvement policy with the Knights had been absolute, but could they really maintain that forever?
Thunk.
Someone dropped their hoe, and everyone froze. They’d all noticed the viewer decline, but no one dared to say it aloud.
Then, someone finally broke the silence. “Uh...”
Pickle was quicker. “I’ll just... go check on the trial real quick!”
“?”
Pop!
She bolted off like a rocket. Just like that, dozens of Union members followed her lead.
Donuts stood there, flustered. “Oh, the trial? Sure, that’s fine. No harm in watching a bit of the trial!”
No one was listening anymore.
— Old man, give it up...
— North Korea-style leadership collapse lol
— No one can fight falling viewer counts
— Guess Zelo was right, slow death is still death
— They’re literally living the boring life arc lmao
“D-Dammit! Wait for me!” Donuts dropped his tools and sprinted after them.
***
Meanwhile, in the courtroom...
“Prosecutor, step forward and list the crimes of the national traitor, Zelo.”
Clack!
Maid Black Tea saluted and marched to the front.
— LMAO he’s already been labeled a traitor
— Wait, Maid Black Tea is the prosecutor? Omg
— She looks terrifying lol
“Honorable Lor... No, Judge, I will now present the charges against the national traitor, Zelo. His most serious crime is supplying mineral resources to Paprika, enabling their invasion of Cheese.”
The audience buzzed.
“What, seriously?”
“He really did that?”
“That’s not betrayal. That’s treason!”
As the details came out, diehard Cheese loyalists began throwing trash at Zelo.
“Booo!”
Thud, thud!
“H-Hey! This isn’t part of the trial, right?!”
— LMAO this is chaos
— It’s less a trial and more a public stoning
— This is content gold
Bang, bang!
Almond struck the gavel.
“Hey! Don’t throw things if you can’t even hit him properly!”
Instant silence fell. Honestly, almost none of the trash hit Zelo.
— Fyi: The judge has strong opinions about aim accuracy
— That’s the takeaway??
— He’s got projectile PTSD from Bubblegum lol
— lmfaooo
“Now then, Prosecutor Black Tea...”
Zelo suddenly cut in, “Wait, where’s my lawyer?! Even murderers get defense attorneys! You can’t just...”
Thwack!
An apple bounced off his head, perfectly thrown by Almond. “Speak when it’s your turn, traitor.”
Zelo blinked, stunned.
— That aim tho
— lmfaooo
— He really called him Mr. Traitor LOL
Meanwhile, the jurors whispered among themselves, impressed.
“As expected of the Lord...”
“His precision is divine.”
“A flawless apple release.”
“Excellent shot, my lord!”
Most of the jury were Knight loyalists and acted more like professional sycophants. Zelo could only gape and was about to protest again when he noticed something.
‘Wait... my viewers?’
His numbers were skyrocketing.
[Current Viewers: 287,000]
The trial chamber was centered entirely around him. He was undeniably the star. Every spectator, every stream, and every clip focused on the accused.
— Holy crap the lag
— Record-breaking numbers??
— The Lord promised: “We’ll kill Zelo but save his channel.”
— Cheers to that!
— Justice for Zelo! Long live the Miner’s Independence!
Donations poured in relentlessly.
Zelo picked up the apple that hit him and took a dramatic bite. “This... this too must be the Lord’s grace.”
— The speed of that turnaround LOL
— He bowed to the viewership numbers lol
— Peak streamer survival instincts
— Getting smacked with an apple = blessing from above
— Legendary arc
Indeed, Zelo had accepted the Lord’s mercy.
Almond nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the prosecutor. “Now then, Prosecutor Black Tea.”
“Yes, Your Lordship.”
“Please present the evidence for these charges.”
“First, we have a witness.”
Gasps filled the courtroom.
Even Zelo’s eyes widened. “A w-witness...?”
Only a handful of people actually knew about Zelo’s dealings: ChocoShroom, Donuts, and a few from the Nonghyup Union. All of them had shared interests. None of them would ever testify.
“Bring in the witness.”
“Yes, my lord. Witness!”
Creak.
The courtroom doors opened, and a green-haired avatar stepped inside as the bard struck the drum for dramatic effect.
Doom!
[GreenTea]
“Wha...”
“Isn’t he from the Nonghyup Union?”
“Green Tea?”
“Wait, what the hell’s going on?!”
“Was he a double agent from the start?!”
Green Tea, who had betrayed even his girlfriend, Black Tea, to become a Union executive, now stepped forward as a witness against Zelo.
— WTF?!
— No way
— GREEN LIGHT LOLOL
— He was a spy all along?!
— Donuts is gonna lose it
[Translator’s Note]
Castle in Korean is “sung,” so Ah-Sung is an abbreviation for “Almond’s Castle.”