I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 18: The Master of Lothian (2)

Between the guest accommodations Baron Latus had assigned Yoo-seong and the lord’s office was a fair distance away.

Lothian was unusually large for a barony’s castle, but the reason for the distance was simple: when Yoo-seong first arrived, he was still an external guest and was thus assigned quarters on the outskirts.

As a result, the journey to the office required a significant amount of time, naturally compelling Yoo-seong to reconsider his patience once again.

‘I can’t stand it anymore.’

He had leveled up, and delaying a check on his status until later seemed unbearable.

‘Even if I can’t manage the legion right now, I should at least check my level-up.’

What has improved? What new things had appeared? And so on.

“Status window.”

Yoo-seong murmured softly, prompting Rene, who was walking beside him, to glance at him. But Yoo-seong couldn’t respond to her curiosity.

His attention was already consumed by the luminous windows filling his field of vision.

Name: Cheon Yoo-seong
Gender: Male
Class: Apprentice Knight
Level: 8
Rank: Junior Commander
Traits: Successor of the Holy King, Master of the Legion, Successor of the Round Table, Heart of the Dragon

[Chivalry]
[Heir to the Light]
[Skills of the Holy King]

Kingdom Swordsmanship Lv2 / Empire Swordsmanship Lv2 / Dragon King’s Heart Technique Lv2 / Dragon King’s Path Lv1 (New!) / King’s Insight Lv1 (New!) / Warhorse Summoning Lv1 (New!)

[Knight Order]

King’s Hour

[Legion Management]

Additional Military Facilities

The most striking change was, of course, his stats.

Thanks to the three-level increase, his abilities had generally surged, with magical power showing nearly double the growth compared to the other stats.

“The level-up of the Dragon King’s Heart Technique contributed, but it’s mostly thanks to the Dragon King’s Path.”

The Dragon King’s Path was a newly acquired passive skill that came with the awakening of the Heart of the Dragon.

[The Heart of the Dragon begins producing dragon’s magic.]

The explanation was simple, but simplicity often denoted potency.

‘With the virtue bonuses and legion bonuses combined… my magical power must be four times—no, nearly five times greater than knights of the same level.’

It was a staggering amount of magical energy.

‘The legion bonus enhances physical stats, while the virtue bonus seems to primarily boost magical and mental stats.’

At this rate, who knew? In the future, he might wield aura blades spanning tens of meters.

Yoo-seong chuckled softly and moved on to another new skill, King’s Insight.

[The Holy King is the king of humanity. The king’s eyes discern human talent.]

‘Oh.’

Though the description seemed overly stylized, its meaning was immediately clear.

The ability to discern talent.

In other words, the ability to identify potential.

Yoo-seong turned his head to look at Rene, who had been sneaking glances at him while he muttered into the air. Startled, Rene flinched in surprise.

But instead of explaining, Yoo-seong activated King’s Insight.

Whoosh!

His pupils turned gold, as they had when he used the King’s Hour, and his vision was filled with radiant, colorful lights.

What appeared next were simple symbols.

Though basic in design, their meaning was instantly comprehensible.

“So, it works like this.”

Talents appeared as symbols, representing their type. While the exact degree or specificity of each talent wasn’t discernible, he felt confident that more details would emerge as the skill leveled up.

Currently, King’s Insight is at Level 1. Higher levels would likely provide deeper insights.

“As expected, Rene has a talent for magic.”

Four symbols emerged when Yoo-seong looked at Rene. One, predictably, represented magic. The others denoted administration, equestrianism, and martial arts.

“Martial arts…that’s what it must mean, right?”

The symbol featured a fist and a foot.

“Rene.”

“Yes, Heir?”

Rene responded immediately to Yoo-seong’s call.

Taking a step back to observe her fully, Yoo-seong furrowed his brow slightly and asked, “Have you ever learned martial arts?”

“Pardon? Oh, no, I haven’t,” Rene answered, visibly flustered by the unexpected question.

Seeing her confusion, Yoo-seong nodded thoughtfully.

“Hidden talent, then.”

Of course, he didn’t plan to make Rene into a martial artist, but it was intriguing nonetheless.

“It would be helpful to gauge the degree of talent, though.”

If her martial arts talent was of a caliber equivalent to a master, converting her to that path might be worth considering. But given the goddess’s designation of Rene as the King’s Mage, her magical talent was likely superior.

“Her equestrian skill is also promising. Actually, it’s great.”

He recalled their first meeting, when she had been on horseback. The talent wasn’t limited to horses; it likely extended to other mounts as well, making it an excellent supplementary skill.

“In fantasy realms, you even see mages riding dragons.”

And not just dragons—mountain trolls or phantom steeds were also popular mounts.

“It’s good that she has administrative talent, too.”

Though it didn’t feel real yet, Yoo-seong was now the lord of Lothian. To confront the Era of the Ominous Star, his influence needed to expand beyond Lothian. Having Rene, his most trusted ally, adept in administration was invaluable.

“You truly are the King’s Mage. Remarkably talented. Exceptionally so.”

“Ah… Thank you?”

Rene, caught off guard by the sudden compliment, tilted her head slightly but still expressed her gratitude. Smiling again, Yoo-seong quickened his steps.

Although he wanted to explore legion management—particularly the newly added military facilities—the office was now just ahead.

Reluctantly, Yoo-seong decided to postpone further exploration until his office duties were complete.

“Warhorse summoning must do exactly what it says, but I’ll have to wait to try it out.”

Until now, he had shared or borrowed Kate’s warhorse. Now he finally had his own, which made him quite curious.

“The skill has levels, so it must develop over time.”

Perhaps the horse itself could grow stronger, or the skill could evolve into something like Celestial Horse Summoning.

“Ultimately, riding a dragon would be the dream.”

For a knight, the ultimate goal was undoubtedly becoming a dragon knight.

Without realizing it, Yoo-seong glanced at his status window again, but quickly looked away as Rene broke the silence.

“Sir Simone and the lord’s retainers should be waiting in the office. Sir Rant arrived this morning, as well.”

“Sir Rant? He’s the knight stationed in the rear?”

“Yes, he oversees the villages behind Lothian. He’s served under Sir Hugo for a long time, so I know him well.”

Yoo-seong nodded slowly at Rene’s explanation.

Though he had no idea what kind of person Sir Rant was, Rene’s demeanor suggested he wouldn’t be problematic.

Another knight for the domain’s management—surely good news.

“By retainers, you mean the administrative staff?”

“Yes. They’ve worked in Lothian for years, and with Sir Simone leading them, there shouldn’t be any issues. Besides, they’ve witnessed your remarkable feats firsthand.”

Perhaps anticipating Yoo-seong’s concerns, Rene reassured him with a gentle smile.

With that, they reached the door to the office.

Two guards standing at attention glanced at Yoo-seong with awe-filled eyes, prompting Rene to stifle a chuckle before addressing them.

“Please open the door.”

“Oh, y-yes!”

Flustered, the guards hurriedly swung the door open, revealing the scene beyond.

Taking a deep breath, Yoo-seong stepped inside.

***
The lord’s office was quite large.

When we think of an office, we tend to think of a small room where we do our business, but the lord’s office was usually large and spacious because it served as a meeting room for vassals and a reception room for guests from outside.

Atop the dais was a large, if unspectacular, lord’s chair, and beneath it were the vassals of Baron Latus, including Sir Simone, lined up in rows on either side of the dais.

Six in all.

The three on the left were familiar faces, the three on the right were new.

‘I see Robin and Edgar are here for now.’

They were supposed to be returning with Rene to the Count of Baltois, but Rene’s stay in Lothian had forced them to stay.

It was more of a temporary arrangement, of course, but having two knight talents in the midst of a shortage of men was certainly a good thing.

After exchanging eye greetings with the two standing beside Sir Simone, who were looking his way with sparkling eyes, Yoo-seong glanced at the three men on the other side.

Across from Sir Simone, a large, heavily bearded, ring-eyed man stood up straight and stared at Yoo-seong, while a middle-aged man who appeared to be an administrator and a younger man stood stiff and bowed.

‘The bearded one must be Lord Rant.’

The last of Baron Latus’ knights, who was said to be leading reinforcements from the rear villages.

After a cursory check of the people in the room, he turned to face Sir Simone, who bowed politely before speaking.

“In honor of Baron Latus’ last will and testament, I give you my lordship’s seal. Please take a seat.”

Robin and Edgar’s eyes lit up, as they always did, as Sir Simone pointed to the lord’s chair, and the bearded remnant of what was left of Lord Rant’s mouth tightened as he stared at the Yoo-seong.

“I see.”

Nodding once, Yoo-seong slowly paced to stand in front of the lord’s chair and took a deep breath.

He didn’t know Baron Latus well.

They had spoken, but it had been brief, and only twice.

He’d never even seen him sit in the lord’s chair, let alone conduct business but perhaps it was because the end was so epic.

Recalling Baron Latus’ final flame against the kobold prince, Yoo-seong observed a brief moment of silence before taking his seat.

It was a high seat.

He could see all the way down the dais.

And he could see Rene’s face, standing by Sir Simone’s side.

It was a complex expression of joy and sadness but she was smiling.

Lord Simone approached the Yoo-seong, knelt down on one knee, and offered the lord’s seal on a tray.

“In accordance with Baron Latus’ will, I give you, Lord Yoo-seong, the Seal of the Lothian Lord.”

The seal was a ring of silver with a circular seal atop it.

No one had taught him, but Yoo-seong seemed to know what to do.

“I take up the mantle of Baron Latus.”

He replied heavily, carefully picking up the ring and placing it on the ring finger of his right hand.

It was a simple ceremony, but it made him lord of Lothian and seven neighboring villages.

Lord Simone bowed and stepped aside, and Rene took his place beside the lord’s chair, while Lord Rant and two of his administrators stood in a line at the foot of the dais and bowed.

“Sir Rant, the knight, salutes you.”

“Gaspar, the Administrator, salutes you.”

“Basil, the assistant administrator, salutes you.”

Sir Rant bowed politely, which was surprising given how stiffly he had stood and stared earlier.

‘Let’s see.’

We were now in the same boat.

Moreover, all of these people in front of him were vassals of Yoo-seong himself, so it was worth taking a look.

“I’m Cheon Yoo-seong, who has been granted the position of lord of Lothian by Baron Latus.”

Once Yoo-seong received the greetings of the three people, he immediately activated the king’s insight.

– Paat.

Yoo-seong’s eyes turned golden.

All of the vassals were stunned for a moment, whether they were surprised by the sudden change or sensed something, but none of them spoke.

No, in fact, all but Lord Rant gazed at the Yoo-seong with childlike wonder.

It reminded them of the golden light they had seen in the battle last night, the light that felled the kobold prince.

And apart from these vassals, Yoo-seong was met with both admiration and disappointment.

Robin and Edgar are as expected.

Both were gifted in the arts of combat, including swordsmanship, though the extent of their talents could not yet be determined.

‘Robin and writing? Writing, right? Anyway, it seems like they’ve got some talent in that area too.’

On the other hand, it was hard to find any talent in the two administrators.

It’s not that they don’t have talent, but should I say they’re a bit weak?

The king’s insight was not yet able to recognize the extent of talent, but he felt that way the moment he saw them.

‘Sir Simone and Lord Rant seem to be just ordinary.’

Sir Simone was understandable, but Sir Rant’s appearance somehow reminded me of Zhang Fei from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so I had some expectations. Turns out, he’s just your average country knight.

‘Still, he seems to have a talent for cooking, but I doubt he’ll ever be a chef…….’

However, Yoo-seong wasn’t too disappointed.

It would have been even stranger to have a group of S-class talents among the vassals of a marginal estate.

The fight against the Age of Ominous Stars was bound to escalate into a global-scale conflict, whether one liked it or not, so it was only natural to gradually gather talented individuals along the way.

‘I have knights from Camelot, after all.’

After looking at the three men, Yoo-seong released the king’s insight.

“Sir Simone, how was the aftermath?”

In peacetime, they would have celebrated the new lord’s inauguration with a banquet, but now it was practically wartime.

Before he could answer his question, Sir Simone had something else on her mind.

“At your ease, my lord, you are now Lord of Lothian.”

“……I see.”

It was different when he spoke to Robin and Edgar, who looked younger than Yoo-seong himself.

It was bound to be awkward to speak down to Sir Simone, who looked at least twenty years older than Yoo-seong.

But it was necessary, and something he would eventually get used to.

In response to Yoo-seong’s somewhat awkward request, Lord Simone smiled ever so slightly and answered his original question.

“We have been collecting the bodies of the fallen since morning. Baron Latus’ body was recovered last night and has been salted.”

It was a heavy start, but he couldn’t help it.

“What is the extent of the damage to the walls and gates?”

“The walls can be repaired in a few days, but the gates are badly damaged. The part of the castle where the gate sits has completely collapsed and the gate will need to be rebuilt, so it will most likely take at least a month to repair.”

“Are there any remaining kobolds in the castle?”

“We’re searching, but it’s unlikely they’re hiding.”

It made sense.

It would be better to find out how far they had fled and the condition of the villages that had fallen to them, rather than the castle itself.

After listening to Lord Simone’s report, Yoo-seong thought for a moment.

What should be our first priority in this situation?

In truth, the answer was already clear.

Having made his decision, Yoo-seong gave his first order as Lord of Lothian.