I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 107: Hector (4)

Arthur Pendragon.

The one who created the human world.

The human king.

Yoo Seong opened his eyes.

Instead of a strange ceiling, a cloudy sky appeared.

What happened?

[Are you awake?]

Yoo Seong nodded as he lay down, hearing Hector’s voice in his head.

‘What happened?’

[To put it simply, the heir has won. It did feel like King Arthur stepped back on his own.]

‘It wasn’t just a feeling; he did step back.’

Now Yoo Seong remembered.

The confrontation with King Arthur, who had blocked the strike enhanced with the Black Sun.

Strictly speaking, Yoo Seong had the advantage, but if Arthur had resisted more fiercely, the outcome might have been different.

Instead of clashing, King Arthur stepped back.

It felt like he deliberately made Yoo Seong feel his ideology, as if now was the right moment.

What was going on?

This wasn’t a meeting with the past Arthur through time travel.

It happened while experiencing Hector’s past, as a re-enactment of his memories.

Even if it was not the real thing but just a recreation of memories, did Arthur speak and act that way because he was Arthur?

Yoo Seong recalled Arthur’s words.

The sorrowful smile, followed by his words:

‘So, it is as Morgana said.’

What did Arthur understand through his encounter with Yoo Seong?

What had the Celestial Witch, Morgana, told Arthur?

And Arthur’s eyes.

His golden eyes, full of faith, like the sun.

Just meeting those eyes made Yoo Seong feel that this exploration had been worthwhile, but it wasn’t the only thing he gained.

Yoo Seong closed his eyes and focused his consciousness.

He had borrowed Hector’s body but had dealt with ideologies.

He had felt King Arthur’s ideology through his spirit and body.

And so, he moved forward.

Although it was still difficult to fully understand and handle Arthur’s ideology, the act of incorporating and practicing the ideologies he had done with Morgan felt within reach.

‘But Hector.’

[Yes, Heir.]

‘Are we really lying on the ground right now?’

[Yes, you won the battle, but since this is a memory experience, it seems to have continued from the original memory.]

In the original history, Hector had been defeated by King Arthur.

‘It feels like one of those forced events in a game.’

There were often instances where, despite winning, the story made it appear as if one had lost, for the sake of progressing the plot.

“Boss, are you okay?”

Hank’s voice came from above his head.

Yoo Seong nodded a little, then groaned as he propped himself up.

‘But if we won, shouldn’t the exploration be over?’

Looking at the status window, it seemed like he had defeated King Arthur.

[Hmm. Perhaps to finish this exploration, we might need to continue watching the memories.]

Yoo Seong clenched his eyes tightly and then opened them again as he heard Hector’s words.

Since it was the memory of the moment after losing to King Arthur, the fatigue in his body was significant, especially the heaviness in his head.

“Are you alright?”

A familiar voice came from the front, and Yoo Seong raised his head.

Young Kate was standing before him.

Instead of her usual gentle smile, her face was expressionless, but her eyes were not cold.

“This is a potion made by the king’s wizard. It will help restore your energy. Please take it.”

Her tone was stiff, but Yoo Seong could tell.

As always, Kate was Kate.

Her kindness hidden in her face made Yoo Seong smile as he accepted the pouch containing the medicine.

“Thank you.”

In his memories, Hector was also smiling.

But it was a bit different from Yoo Seong’s smile.

It was a smile mixed with a bit of self-deprecation and emptiness, and Kate seemed to contemplate for a moment before looking Hector in the eyes and speaking.

“You were strong.”

Hector was strong but King Arthur was stronger.

It could be seen as an insult, but Hector knew the intent behind Kate’s words.

“You’re quite straightforward.”

Maybe too straightforward and honest, making her seem clumsy with human relationships.

Recalling Arthur’s sun-like eyes, Hector became slightly pensive when he saw Kate’s expression, and spoke again.

“Thank you for comforting me. We’ll likely be working together from now on. May I know your name?”

The loser becomes the subordinate of the victor.

Since Hector had lost to King Arthur, he and his forces would now have to serve King Arthur from today.

That meant he would become colleagues with the girl before him.

At Hector’s words, Kate straightened her posture and looked into his eyes with her blue ones as she introduced herself.

“Kate Hawk. You can just call me Kate.”

“I see. As you probably already know, I’m Hector.”

Once the introductions were done, Kate stepped back a little and knocked her right fist on her left chest as she spoke.

“For the glory of Camelot.”

Camelot.

The kingdom of humans that King Arthur would establish in a world full of monsters.

Was it really possible to build a kingdom of humans?

‘Maybe it’s possible.’

If it’s King Arthur.

And if people like the girl before him, help him.

Smiling, Hector raised his fist and tapped his chest.

The memories continued.

Most of them were fragmented memories.

Under a mostly cloudy, but not ashen sky, there were many monsters.

Humans were weaker than monsters, and for the monsters, humans were a variety of prey.

It was a time of suffering.

Humans hid from monsters, and those who didn’t lived like livestock under the monsters.

What changed the situation was King Arthur.

Pulling the sword of selection from the stone, he traveled around, gathering humans and defeating monsters.

A journey to establish a human kingdom.

Naturally, many human heroes gathered around King Arthur.

Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Some were familiar faces, and some were not.

Some brought out bitter smiles just from seeing them.

‘Vanadain is the same as ever.’

[Let’s say he’s a consistent friend.]

He often disappeared with Diana, which was the same as always.

In fact, it wasn’t just Vanadain who hadn’t changed much from now.

Whenever they couldn’t be found, Roland would always be in some corner diligently training, and Morgan would be the lively mood maker with a big smile.

Kate, too, running around and playing the role of a drill sergeant.

Time passed.

The boy Arthur became a young man, and Camelot began to take shape as a kingdom.

But peace did not come.

Instead, it was a time of war.

Monsters constantly attacked humans, and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table fought to protect Camelot.

It was a tough time but King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table never lost their smiles.

Sir Kay and Morgan were always cheerfully laughing, and Kate always had a gentle smile, except when she was scolding.

Then, one day, at some point.

Hector was lying on the ground.

Around him, there were corpses of humans and monsters.

“Ha…Ha…”

The sky was ashen outside the wall built to protect the human world.

There was no bright, clear sky, no light from civilization to illuminate the world, and no sun could be seen in the gray sky.

The sensations were slowly fading.

Maybe it was because he had lost too much blood.

Breathing became difficult, and his body was growing cold.

‘Is this the end?’

Just then, something bright appeared in his gray vision.

Hair that seemed to be made of melted gold.

Even under the ashen sky, stained with blood and dust, her hair was beautiful, and the two eyes beneath it shone with clear blue light.

“Hector.”

At Kate’s call, Hector smiled out of habit.

Kate was also covered in blood.

A large wound could be seen through the cracks in her broken armor.

But Kate was smiling gently.

Her hand, which had removed her gauntlet, softly stroked Hector’s cheek.

“The enemies?”

“They’ve retreated. The king is safe.”

As Morgana had said, the final stronghold would eventually fall.

But at least, today was not that day.

“Is that so?”

Hector tried to smile but it didn’t go as planned.

Despite Kate sharing warmth, a dry smile wouldn’t even form on his pale face.

His vision began to blur more and more.

It felt like he was about to fall into a deep sleep but because of that, Hector clenched his teeth.

“Kate.”

“Yes, Hector.”

Kate gently stroked his cheek again.

It was a warm, soft touch, but Hector could no longer feel it.

He could only barely squeeze out his voice.

“Before…I asked you why you had such chivalry, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did.”

It was an old memory.

A story from when Kate was still a young girl.

But both Hector and Kate remembered that day.

Kate had asked with a neutral expression, and Hector had patted Kate’s head with his large hand, answering that big things were cool.

But that wasn’t it.

It wasn’t Hector himself who thought big things were cool.

Hector looked at Kate.

The woman of Camelot, crying and forcing a smile, but still looking like a little girl in Hector’s eyes.

Why was she saying such things now?

Wasn’t there a much more important story to tell?

“I had a daughter. A daughter I couldn’t protect.”

The child who once said that her large father was the coolest thing in the world, smiling brightly.

Kate bit her lip.

A single tear rolled down her bloodstained cheek.

But instead of crying, Kate smiled once again.

“I like your chivalry. I always thought it was magnificent.”

“Thank you.”

Hector’s chivalry.

The wish of a daughter who couldn’t be protected from the monsters’ hands.

Hector’s vision turned completely black.

He could no longer see anything but Hector squeezed his last bit of energy, clenched his fist, and brought it over his chest.

Remembering the first meeting from more than ten years ago, he made his final voice.

“Glory to Camelot.”

“… Glory to Camelot.”

Kate answered with a choked voice.

Hector smiled faintly and closed his eyes.

The sky was gray.

Kate collapsed over Hector’s chest, burst into tears.

Yoo Seong and Hector stood side by side, looking at the gray battlefield.

They saw Kate, crying on Hector’s chest, and Morgan limping toward her.

But that was all.

The memory no longer continued.

Yoo Seong stayed silent, and Hector, with his mouth closed, stared at his own corpse and Kate.

The gray sky disappeared.

The battlefield vanished, and Morgan disappeared. Even Hector’s corpse and Kate turned into light and faded away.

Arthur’s fight to establish Camelot.

His journey to create the human world.

And the final battle at the last stronghold that followed.

It wasn’t as if Yoo Seong had seen everything.

There were many gaps in the memory, and aside from his meeting with Arthur and Hector’s death, most of it was just trivial old stories.

He couldn’t see what happened after Hector died.

But he understood.

Who Hector was.

What kind of person he was, and what battles he had fought.

What his chivalry meant.

Everything began to fill the blank white space.

The beautiful and grand Camelot castle, Hector’s subordinates including Hank, Arthur’s various retainers.

And a red-haired girl whom Yoo Seong had never seen before.

The girl standing among the people was smiling brightly, looking toward them with pride in her eyes.

Yoo Seong didn’t ask who the girl was.

Hector, too, only smiled with tearful eyes and didn’t speak.

Kate and Sir Kay were standing next to the girl.

If you excluded the smiling red-haired girl, and the girl Hector had always wanted to see even in his dreams, then this too was the recreation of something that actually happened.

And Yoo Seong knew what moment this was.

Yoo Seong looked at Hector.

Hector looked at Yoo Seong as well.

[Knight Order Command: Round Table Appointment.]

Hector kneeled before Yoo Seong.

Yoo Seong drew his sword and placed it on Hector’s shoulder.

The King of Nine Hills, Hector, who leads his subordinates and people to join Camelot, I hereby appoint you as a Knight of the Round Table.

“The name of the Round Table is Pellinore.”

Round Table, Seat No. 5.

The brave and valiant companion of King Arthur.

Known as King Pellinore.

The red-haired girl clapped her hands, and Kate also smiled and applauded.

The cheers began with Hank, and everyone raised their voices.

The giant of the Round Table, who protects the human world.

[The exploration is complete.]

[Hector’s memory has been unlocked.]

Hearing the status window message in his head, Yoo Seong stepped back after sheathing Jin’s sword, and Hector stood up and looked toward the girl.

“Casey.”

The girl’s name.

The memory of his daughter, which was unlocked along with the memory.

The image of the smiling girl gradually faded and turned into light.

Hector starred in the direction the girl had been for a while, then smiled and turned around.

“Let’s go.”

Having survived the age of turmoil, to protect the human world once again.

Yoo Seong nodded.

Signifying the end of the exploration, he stepped forward with Hector toward the newly opened door.