I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 68: Artois County (2)

“The Black Knight of Lothian! Could it be that you are the Black Knight of Lothian?!”

A man, wide-eyed from the sudden disappearance of the army of light, hastily asked as he watched Yoo Seong approach him.

“Yes, I am Yoo Seong of Lothian.”

“Oh, my goodness! I am Baron Robert. I’ve heard much about your fame. You’ve been making tremendous achievements in Lushen!”

Baron Robert, who appeared to be in his early 40s, had admiration bordering on longing written all over his face.

[He is originally famous for his passion for chivalric literature.]

[From Baron Robert’s perspective, it must feel like a protagonist from a novel has appeared before him.]

Yoo Seong, after receiving a message from Rene in his head, gave a wry smile and nodded before getting off his horse and speaking.

“You’re too kind. This is my mage, Rene, and Saint Jillian of the Omphalos Order.”

As Yoo Seong introduced Rene and Jillian, Baron Robert blinked in surprise.

“Saint Jillian?”

It seemed that he had already known her, as his estate was not far from the Omphalos Order’s monastery.

Jillian, feeling a complicated emotion from Robert’s truly shocked face, elegantly responded.

“I received a prophecy recently.”

“Oh, my goodness! Congratulations! Now you can use holy magic freely!”

His laughter didn’t feel mocking in the least; it seemed genuinely happy for her.

Although he lacked tact, Jillian knew that Robert was a kind person at heart. She awkwardly smiled and changed the subject.

“Thank you. But what’s going on here?”

Count Artois had been attacked only four days ago, yet Baron Robert’s estate, located at the northernmost point of Artois County, was now under attack as well.

If Count Artois had surrendered without resistance and handed over the fortresses, it might have made sense. But under normal circumstances, this was an unimaginable situation.

At Jillian’s question, Baron Robert’s face became bleak, and he slumped his shoulders.

“The situation is not good. The army of the Count of Artois is surrounded by a large ratmen force at their base, Legion. The soldiers that arrived here are what’s left after that siege.”

“Legion?”

Rene asked, shocked.

Of course, she would be surprised because Legion was the stronghold of Count Artois, and if it was surrounded, it meant that the two southern estates had already been overtaken by the ratmen. This was a dire situation indeed.

“Do you know what happened to the main army led by Sir Charles?”

At Yoo Seong’s question, Baron Robert’s face grew even more dejected, and he said, “I don’t know all the details, as I was preparing to depart when I heard the news, but…it seems they suffered a heavy defeat in a battle.”

It seemed that the ratmen had been pushing forward relentlessly, forcing the Count’s forces to engage in a large-scale battle, which they lost, leading to the fall of Legion with no significant resistance.

“What happened to Sir Charles?”

“I don’t know.”

Whether he lived or died was uncertain.

Sir Charles wasn’t just a strong knight; he was the heir who was to become the new Count of Artois, so the future of the Artois family was now hanging by a thread.

Yoo Seong mentally mapped out the situation. The best course of action was to save Legion, but it would be impossible to handle an army of over 10,000 with only himself and the army of light.

However, waiting at Baron Robert’s estate was not the best option either.

“Baron Robert.”

“Yes! Black Knight!”

Baron Robert quickly responded, as if eager, perhaps because he admired Yoo Seong or simply due to his position as a fellow baron. Either way, it was a welcome change from hostility.

Although it was somewhat overwhelming, it was much better than dealing with someone unfriendly, so Yoo Seong looked around the castle wall once before speaking.

“I need you to stay here, stock up on troops and supplies. Count Carian is organizing a coalition of the western lords, so reinforcements will arrive soon.”

“A coalition of the lords?!”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Does that mean you’re the supreme commander of the coalition?”

Baron Robert’s eyes sparkled, and Yoo Seong waved his hand dismissively.

“I’m not sure of my exact rank yet. In any case, please defend the castle. Send someone to Lushen and request reinforcements as quickly as possible.”

Baron Robert nodded repeatedly, but suddenly paused and asked, slightly frightened.

“Black Knight, do you plan to stay at our castle?”

“No, I need to head south immediately.”

Baron Robert gasped, and Jillian also looked startled, her eyes wide.

‘What? After forcing our way here, fighting in a battle, and not resting, you’re saying we’re moving again?’

But since this was her inner thought, Yoo Seong didn’t hear it. Rene, unsurprisingly, nodded in agreement with Yoo Seong’s words.

At this point, Baron Robert, for some reason, now appeared resolute and said,

“I understand. Is there anything you need? I will do my best to assist you.”

Yoo Seong didn’t need a large army, so it wasn’t a matter of calling up a huge force, but Rene stepped forward and said,

“I would appreciate some supplies.”

“Of course, just tell me what you need. I’ll have them brought here!”

Baron Robert shouted, and soldiers hurried into the castle. As it would take some time for the quartermaster to arrive, Yoo Seong turned to Jillian and said,

“Saint Jillian, my apologies. Time seems to be of the essence…”

Artois had already been half-destroyed, and with Legion at risk, what could they possibly discuss here?

Jillian, shedding invisible tears, managed a graceful smile.

“It’s fine. It’s really fine. sniffle”

A bit of her true feelings slipped through, but Yoo Seong, who overheard, chose to ignore it. They both kept their composure.

A short time later, after receiving the supplies from the quartermaster, Yoo Seong and his group left Baron Robert’s estate and headed towards Legion.

The following late afternoon the group, heading for Legion, stopped at an empty village.

The sun was setting, and while Rene, who had been scouting the front, had discovered people hiding in the village.

“I know you’re hiding. I am Yoo Seong, the Black Knight of Lothian, and these are Saint Jillian of the Omphalos Order and my mage, Rene Baltois, the daughter of the Count of Baltois.”

As Yoo Seong shouted this at the village entrance, soldiers who had been hiding in the vacant houses timidly peeked out, and one of them recognized Jillian, his eyes widening.

“Saint Jillian?”

“Valter?”

It seemed they knew each other.

After confirming it was indeed Jillian, the soldier, Valter, let out a sigh of relief and stepped forward with other soldiers.

“Yes, it’s Valter. But…Saint Jillian…?”

Valter asked in confusion, and after seeing his puzzled look, Rene quickly responded.

“She received a prophecy from Omphalos and became a saint recently.”

“Oooh…So now you can use holy magic?”

Valter’s eyes lit up.

Baron Robert had also mentioned similar things, suggesting that holy magic was something very significant to Jillian.

Instead of answering, Jillian gave a strained smile and quickly changed the subject again, just like before.

“Valter, this is Yoo Seong, the Black Knight of Lothian, and Rene Baltois, the daughter of the Count of Baltois. Valter here is a devout believer who frequented the monastery.”

As introductions were made, Valter bowed to Yoo Seong and Rene.

Jillian then asked,

“Valter, what happened here?”

“Well…there was a big battle south of Legion. The Count’s forces suffered a massive defeat, and the army scattered. We tried to retreat, but Legion was surrounded, so we were heading towards Baron Robert’s estate.”

Valter seemed eager to emphasize that he wasn’t a deserter, but honestly, it didn’t matter much to the group whether he was or not.

“Can you tell us more about the enemy?”

Rene asked, and Valter narrowed his eyes, trying to recall more details.

“Well, first of all, they were numerous. It looked like they had over 10,000. Count Charles said not to worry because they were just rats, but…they weren’t just rats. There were giant rat monsters, and other creatures I’ve never seen before. It was horrifying. But the most terrifying part was their leader.”

Valter shuddered and continued with a tremor in his voice.

“The rat had antlers like a stag, and it was huge… ugh…”

He seemed too frightened to finish his sentence, but it was enough.

“A Rat Lord?”

The ultimate tier of ratmen, as seen in Fantasy Monarch.

As the gaze of Rene, Jillian, and the soldiers focused on him, Yoo Seong explained to Rene,

“They’re born as the kings of the ratmen. Like the Prince of Kobolds we fought before, they’re direct descendants of the Ratmen God.”

However, Rat Lords were usually much stronger in Fantasy Monarch.

The god of the ratmen was considered a more powerful deity than the kobolds’ god.

Upon hearing this, Jillian turned to Valter and asked,

“Valter, could it be Sir Charles…?”

“Yes, he turned into an angel and charged, but he was defeated in an instant. After that, I don’t know what happened.”

Sir Charles, who was revered like a messenger of the God of Abundance in the Artois territory, transformed into an angel and charged. For him to be defeated so quickly must have decided the outcome of the battle.

The situation was dire.

The Artois army had been defeated in battle, and with their stronghold, Legion, surrounded, things were already looking bad. But now, with a Rat Lord involved, the situation had become disastrous.

Legion won’t last.

It was the presence of the Rat Lord that sealed their fate.

The Rat Lord was the king of the ratmen. His very existence enhanced the fighting power of the ratmen, but that wasn’t the real problem.

There’s no way to stop the Rat Lord.

In war, no matter how strong a warrior is, they ultimately cannot stand against the power of an army.

However, the war in Fantasy Monarch was different.

There were individuals with transcendent powers that even an army could not stop.

What if the Rat Lord sweeps away everything that blocks him after crossing the city walls and then opens the gates?

What if the Rat Lord breaks down the city walls entirely and creates a new passage?

To counter asymmetric forces, asymmetric forces were necessary, and the strongest asymmetric force in the territory of Count Artois was Sir Charles.

But now that Sir Charles was defeated, the territory of Count Artois had no power to stop the Rat Lord.

Yoo Seong swallowed a dry gulp.

Perhaps, rather than heading toward Legion, it would be best to return to Baron Robert’s territory and prepare to face the enemy.

But just then…

“Successor! The Ratmen’s large army is approaching!”

At Rene’s sudden exclamation, the soldiers were startled and looked around, but saw nothing.

However, Yoo Seong and Jillian did not take Rene’s words lightly.

It was clear that she had observed the enemy through the light bird they had sent ahead.

“How far are they? What’s their size?”

“About 4 km? Numbers…at least 5,000, I think.”

Legion had fallen.

There was no other way for such a number to be present.

“Ugh!”

“Rene?”

Rene staggered for a moment, shaking her head in pain, then exhaled roughly and said,

“The light bird was destroyed. It was a Ratman with white fur and red eyes, and it had a single horn on its forehead.”

“Red Eye. A high-level mage among the Ratmen, just below the Rat Lord.”

It seemed that after capturing Legion, they had sent some of their forces north.

It was fortunate that the Rat Lord himself hadn’t come, but with Red Eye and 5,000 soldiers, it wouldn’t be easy.

Baron Robert’s castle wasn’t as well-fortified as Lothian or Lushen.

There were no moats, and the walls were low, so it couldn’t handle 5,000 troops.

The best course of action was to buy time.

Somehow, delay the movements of the Ratman army led by Red Eye.

If they could delay them for even two days—or even just one—there would be enough time for them to expect the first reinforcements from the Lord Alliance to arrive at Baron Robert’s territory.

But how could they delay their movements?

As Yoo Seong was deep in thought, he suddenly raised his head and opened the status window.

[The Temple’s level-up is complete.]

[The Temple has reached Lv2.]

[New features of the Temple have been unlocked.]

[Time Reduction: Use the accumulated divine power in the Temple to shorten the completion time of each facility.]

[Blessing: Bestows the Goddess’s blessing on various tools.]

The distance to the enemy was about 4 km.

After confirming a few conditions, a plan began to form in Yoo Seong’s mind.