I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 90: Human Barriers (1)

Five kingdoms and one empire.

As expected, not all of them had the same national strength.

Excluding the empire, the national strengths of the remaining five countries had considerable differences, often described as one strong, three medium, and one weak.

Among the three medium kingdoms was the Kingdom of Silatein, where the crown princess, Elizabeth D. Silatein, was called the bride of the century since her childhood.

It wasn’t just because of her stunning beauty but primarily because whoever married her would inherit the crown of Silatein Kingdom.

The Silatein Kingdom had always followed the principle of primogeniture, but the current king had no sons, only three daughters, and after the death of his queen, he loved her dearly and refused to take a new queen or concubines, leaving no heirs to the throne.

However, the next ruler was absolutely necessary, and as a result, Elizabeth, being the eldest daughter, became the first-ever crown princess of Silatein Kingdom.

But since the position of crown princess had never existed in the kingdom, the king’s retainers and nobles alike believed that whoever married her would become the de facto king.

Thus, the bride of the century.

The woman who would bring the crown of the kingdom as her dowry.

But she had no intention of merely remaining a bride.

In fact, many pledged their loyalty to her, attracted by her talent and skill, both in civil and military affairs.

One of those individuals was Count Bisten, the only 3rd-tier knight of the kingdom, standing atop the high walls, looking down below.

“It’s quite high, isn’t it?”

“If we’re talking about height, this is the third-highest wall in the country.”

A slender, red-haired beauty responded to Bisten’s remark.

Wearing partial armor and with a longsword at her waist, she stood next to Count Bisten and stared quietly at a particular part of his body—his protruding belly.

“What’s going on?”

“I know it’s a bit strange, but every time I look at your belly, I can’t help but wonder if you’re really a Master Knight.”

“Oh dear, this is all muscle, you know. You know that, right?”

“Not really. The Master Knights from other countries seem to fight well without that kind of thing.”

They all seemed slender, muscular, or had some other impressive physique.

At the princess’s sharp remark, Count Bisten grabbed his belly and replied.

“That’s cruel. I’m hurt. I think I might just switch over to the Empire.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Is that so? You don’t have any offers or carrots for me, do you?”

In response to Bisten’s question, Elizabeth smiled softly and tilted her head, looking up at his face.

“No need for that. I know my uncle would never leave his niece behind.”

Her silken, red hair and sparkling blue eyes captivated him. Count Bisten, looking at her face, spoke in a voice full of longing.

“You truly resemble your mother.”

“Yes, I know. Father often says that too.”

The wind blew.

Elizabeth brushed her hair aside and, looking down at the walls, continued.

“The capital of the Cabal Kingdom has fallen.”

Count Bisten looked at Elizabeth in surprise.

“Did the Guardian general lose?”

“Seems like it.”

Although the situation was a bit unclear, it was still a foreign nation, and a country in the midst of being invaded. Gathering detailed information would not be easy.

One of the Master Knights, the protector general, had been defeated.

Who could have done that?

Was there a monster among the enemies who could defeat a Master Knight?

After a brief silence, Count Bisten spoke as he looked down from the walls.

“It seems like the Cabal Kingdom is likely to fall.”

The Guardian general had lost, and the capital had been captured.

The surrounding nations were preoccupied with defending their own lands, so the fall of the Cabal Kingdom was almost certain.

The real question was when it would fall.

How much longer could it hold out?

“If we defend the south… then we will have to fight the monsters that destroyed the Cabal Kingdom.”

An army of monsters powerful enough to defeat a Master Knight.

Another gust of wind blew.

The two, still silent, exchanged glances, and as their eyes met, Count Bisten smiled faintly and asked,

“Any news from the west?”

“There is. Good news.”

Elizabeth also smiled and, in a slightly playful voice, continued.

“The Black Knight of Lothian repelled the monsters that had taken over Count Artois’ domain. It seems like they’ve formed a Western Lords alliance.”

“Normally, that would be treason, but under the current circumstances, it’s quite fortunate.”

Elizabeth nodded as well.

If they formed an alliance during peacetime, it would certainly be considered a rebellion, but not in these times.

Nonetheless, the mere fact that an alliance had been formed was surprising.

“It seems like Count Calian and Count Baltois are in league. I don’t know how they’ve gotten together, but soon, the entire west will fall into the hands of the Black Knight.”

“He’s quite the mysterious figure.”

As Elizabeth glanced at him, Count Bisten tapped his “pocket of power” and spoke.

“From what I’ve heard, he’s a wandering knight who appeared out of nowhere. He became the lord of Lothian, performed several heroic feats straight out of chivalric literature, and finally, using his political finesse, he managed to manipulate Count Baltois and Count Carian to form the Western Lord’s alliance. Now, he’s achieving military feats, taking back the Count Artois domain, and attempting to become the leader of the west.”

“Yes, if you look at his achievements, it feels like the early part of the story of a founding king, like King Arthur.”

Like most people, Elizabeth loved the stories of King Arthur.

That’s why she found the story of the Black Knight of Lothian intriguing.

It made her feel like she was witnessing the birth of a hero but Elizabeth was also a crown princess.

It wasn’t a position where she could simply accept the saying that troubled times give birth to heroes with joy.

“Come to think of it, he claims to be the descendant of Camelot.”

“Yes, they say he greets people in the Camelot manner.”

Elizabeth tapped her chest and proudly mentioned the glory of Camelot.

Watching her, Count Bisten looked up at the sky, narrowed his brow, and then looked back at Elizabeth, speaking.

“Your Highness, may I share a strange thought with you?”

“Are you sure you want to say something strange?”

“Yes.”

“Go ahead. I actually have a strange thought of my own.”

When the crown princess allowed it, Count Bisten stroked his fine beard and said,

“In this time, where the age of the dark fortress is supposedly upon us, a wandering knight claiming to be a descendant of Camelot has appeared and is continuing his heroic journey. Perhaps…could he truly be a descendant of Camelot?”

There were many who claimed to be descendants of Camelot.

In fact, it was not an exaggeration to say there were countless such claims.

All the existing kingdoms were essentially descendants of Camelot but what Bisten meant was not just the descendants of Camelot in a simple sense.

It had a deeper meaning.

Could he truly be someone who could claim to be a true descendant of Camelot?

But as Count Bisten had said, this was an odd thought—practically an impossible one.

After all, Camelot had fallen 500 years ago.

However, Elizabeth did not deny Count Bisten’s words.

“We’ll know if we wait a bit longer. One thing’s for sure, though. He’s a giant.”

Whether she liked it or not, they would likely meet him soon enough.

“Then, I’ll consider him a candidate for a future husband.”

With Count Bisten’s remark, Elizabeth smiled bitterly and replied,

“I heard Baltois’ daughter is always around him. There are rumors that they share a bed every night, and she’s supposed to be a very seductive beauty.”

“Our niece is probably more beautiful, so it’s fine.”

“True, I’m beautiful, but it feels like this isn’t really the kind of talk you’re aiming for.”

However, there was no time for more banter.

Both of them, who had been looking away, suddenly focused on the same thing.

“It seems like they’re coming.”

At Count Bisten’s words, Elizabeth nodded.

The trumpeters stationed on the walls began to play their horns, and with the sound of large drums, the soldiers prepared for battle.

In the distance, a massive army of monsters was marching from the south.

Monsters, their numbers easily surpassing 10,000, perhaps even reaching 20,000, were advancing.

Seeing this, both Princess Elizabeth and Count Bisten drew their swords.

Yoo Seong, René, and Jillian alternated between riding griffins and warhorses as they headed south.

Unlike the Pegasus, which had a shorter flight time, the griffin could fly for extended periods, drastically reducing travel time.

When the griffin became tired, they would continue on horseback, covering what would have taken days in just one day.

Of course, Jillian was exhausted to the point of nearly fainting, but still, they had reached the outskirts of the uncharted territory in just one day.

When they dismounted, Yoo Seong and René began setting up camp while leaving Jillian, who was sprawled on the ground, to bond with the earth.

Any villages they passed along the way were abandoned, and the only signs of life they found were traces left behind by ratmen.

It seemed like the moment Legion fell, everyone retreated towards the uncharted lands without looking back.

“Could they really have gone back beyond the wall?”

Yoo Seong, once again gazing at the uncharted lands where the wall should have been, wondered.

Perhaps it was just too far, but all he saw was the endlessly stretching forest. There was no sign of a wall.

Could there really be a wall beyond that? Could it be a different form of barrier?

“Successor, the meal is ready.”

“Oh, thank you.”

At René’s call, Yoo Seong turned his head back toward the camp.

René, crouched by the campfire, was placing freshly baked pancakes on a plate while keeping an eye on the bubbling stew.

‘Is she really the daughter of a count?’

Over the past few months, I had been camping intensively, but in fact, René had always been excellent at preparing for camping since the first time we met.

“Hmm? Is something wrong?”

“No, it’s just that René is so polite, cooks well, and is pretty.”

“Pardon? Th-thank you?”

At Yoo Seong’s words, René blushed and became shy.

Regardless of her actual personality, René, who was a proud beauty in appearance, showed such a cute reaction, making Yoo Seong wonder if he was becoming more and more shameless day by day.

Anyway, after helping René with her tasks and finishing the meal preparation, Yoo Seong, still lying on the ground and not planning to get up, turned his gaze towards Jillian, who showed no signs of moving, and said:

“It’s better to just let her rest than force her to eat, right?”

“I think so.”

Jillian had already become quite physically strong due to repeated level-ups.

If she rested a bit, she would probably wake up and ask for food, so it seemed best to leave her for now.

“Heir, can I check the Castle while we eat?”

“There’s no reason not to.”

Thinking it was probably similar to checking a phone while eating, Yoo Seong opened the Castle.

As always, it was a peaceful image of the Yoo Seong Castle.

Diana and Vanadain were nowhere to be seen today, and Roland was diligently swinging his spear on the training grounds.

“Today is the hip dance again.”

“Doesn’t it seem like Hector and Kate have gotten closer?”

“Yeah, it does.”

Morgan, who was teasing Kate by doing the hip dance, Kate, who was furious at Morgan, and Hector, who was stopping Kate from getting too upset.

While Yoo Seong wasn’t sure about the relationship between Morgan and Kate, it seemed that Kate and Hector had indeed become quite close.

“Ah! Heir! Over there! Over there!”

René, who was observing the surroundings of the Yoo Seong Castle, pointed excitedly at a secluded spot.

It was near a thicket with few people around, and Yoo Seong turned his gaze toward it, only to be shocked when he saw Jimmy sitting next to a woman, their shoulders touching and hands holding each other.

“Wow, it’s Bianca, isn’t it?”

René covered her mouth with both hands, her voice filled with surprise.

Turning back to René, Yoo Seong looked at Jimmy again and asked:

“Bianca, you mean the waitress from that tavern?”

“Yeah, the one Jimmy likes.”

René’s voice was tinged with a mischievous chuckle.

It felt like it was just yesterday when Jimmy had been trying to appeal to her but had looked so disappointed when it hadn’t worked out. How had things progressed so quickly?

‘Did the cloak have something to do with it?’

Yoo Seong, recalling how he had been eagerly showing off his cloak to Bianca after being promoted to the Royal Guard, took a moment to look at his cloak.

“I hope it goes well.”

René, smiling warmly as she watched Jimmy and Bianca, chuckled softly and said:

“Yeah, me too.”

Well, it’s better if things work out.

Silently cheering for Jimmy, Yoo Seong shook his fist in his mind and redirected the view of the Yoo Seong Castle to another area.

It felt a bit silly to be watching the Yoo Seong Castle like this, but everyone had their privacy, even Jimmy and Bianca.

“The potatoes are delicious.”

“Yeah, René really cooks well.”

“Thank you.”

Casually talking as they finished their meal, Yoo Seong and René took care of the still moaning Jillian before heading to bed early.

That night, however, René couldn’t fall asleep easily, perhaps because she had gone to bed too early, despite the accumulated exhaustion.

Lying still, with wide-open eyes, René gazed at the stars in the night sky and then casually turned to her side.

It wasn’t Jillian, who was lying next to her groaning in discomfort, but rather the opposite side, toward the direction of Yoo Seong, beyond the campfire.

As always, Yoo Seong was a deep sleeper.

It was as if he just closed his eyes and fell asleep right away.

He had been like that since their first meeting, and also during their time wandering around the Volano Barony.

He just sat down next to her, closed his eyes, and fell asleep instantly.

‘At first, I was really a bit flustered.’

Just closing his eyes and falling asleep like that.

Although he was the Holy King’s heir and she was his mage, was it really okay for a man and a woman to be this relaxed together?

Of course, she had eventually gotten used to it, so used to it that she didn’t even think about it anymore.

That is, until her older sister, Juliet, had said something.

‘So, you really just slept?’

Recalling her sister’s words, René furrowed her brows.

Her older sister, who was the daughter of a count’s family, had said something a bit embarrassing before and had looked at her with a strangely annoyed expression.

Involuntarily, René pouted her lips.

Well, she had just slept, so what’s the problem with that?

In the first place, it was Juliet who was acting strangely, and it was René and Yoo Seong who were normal.

‘Mm, yeah.’

Nodding to herself, René briefly thought of Jimmy and Bianca.

The two of them sitting side by side, resting their shoulders against each other.

René closed her eyes for a moment and imagined it.

Imagining herself sitting next to Yoo Seong, shoulder to shoulder, holding hands.

‘Come to think of it, Yoo Seong’s hands are really big.’

Recalling the times when they had clasped hands during their expeditions, René remembered Yoo Seong’s hands.

They were big, firm, warm, and yet soft.

“René.”

She had been surprised at how big Yoo Seong’s hands were.

“René, wake up. René.”

When was their next expedition, she wondered…

It wasn’t like she wanted to hold Yoo Seong’s hand, but still, it would be nice if they held hands…

“René.”

After several calls, René opened her eyes wide.

Yoo Seong’s face was right in front of hers.

Her face turned red immediately, probably due to the thoughts she had been having, but it was only for a brief moment.

Yoo Seong’s expression, which was very serious as he woke her up, made it impossible for René to continue thinking about other things.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

René quickly sat up, and Yoo Seong stepped forward slightly, pointing in one direction and saying:

“That way. There’s something there.”

Beyond the thicket, a faint figure of a person, glowing with soft light, was staring towards them.