I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 121: Journey to the Royal Capital (1)

An old man stood on the hill.

The old man’s name was Merlin.

He was both the chancellor of the kingdom of Camelot and its greatest wizard.

He was an incredibly powerful being.

His magical power was equivalent to hundreds of human wizards, and he could wield over a thousand different spells.

If he wanted to, he could turn the surrounding area into a sea of fire in an instant but there was no vitality in his body.

Though tall and imposing in stature, his old and tired appearance was no different from any other elderly man.

The woman knew the reason.

Because he had despaired.

Because there was no hope left in his heart.

“Morgana.”

“Merlin.”

The woman stood beside the old man.

Unlike the old and tired man, the woman was young and beautiful.

She hadn’t changed at all from how she looked when the old man was just a boy and the old man knew that it was because she hadn’t despaired, because she still dreamed of hope, of miracles.

“Have you been outside the barrier?”

At the old man’s question, the woman nodded.

Looking at the setting sun, she said.

“Nimue’s calculations are correct. The barrier will eventually collapse.”

The gods’ fence surrounding the human world which made the age of humans possible would not last forever.

“How long do you think it can hold?”

“I don’t know. It depends on the outcome of the final expedition. It might collapse in less than a year, or if it really holds out, it could easily last 500 years.”

The old man laughed weakly.

The meaning of the word “final” felt especially significant.

“Morgana.”

“Speak, Merlin.”

“We probably won’t be coming back.”

The woman looked at the old man silently.

The old man met her golden eyes without avoiding them and said.

“The expedition beyond the barrier…will truly be our final expedition. It will be the last battle. Even if we achieve our goal, it doesn’t mean we’ll return alive.”

The woman glared at the old man but didn’t argue back.

It was a battle where even this woman who hadn’t given up hope couldn’t speak of returning alive.

“I’m not saying this expedition is worthless. It’s a meaningful expedition. I also agree with the king’s will. If the age of humans can continue even for just one more minute, just one more second, our struggles won’t be meaningless.”

The human king, who carries strong convictions and moves forward, to the old man, he was a disciple, a friend, and also a revered lord.

“But Morgana, you also know what will happen after the barrier collapses.”

“…The light will be exposed.”

“Yes, and species coveting that light will flood into the human world.”

This was about a future that would inevitably come.

Would the humans of the future be able to overcome the coming trials – the age of calamity?

The old man smiled bitterly.

A certain fact suddenly occurred to him.

He wasn’t curious whether future humans could overcome the age of calamity because they wouldn’t be able to. Because it was impossible to overcome.

“They might be able to hold out as long as the barrier remains intact. But what happens after the barrier eventually collapses? A new barrier cannot be created. We won’t be able to hide the light anymore either. So what should the humans of the future do? Should they kill and eliminate all beings outside the barrier, all species except humans?”

The old man wasn’t thinking about morality or ethics.

He wasn’t contemplating whether it was right for humans to kill all other species in order to survive but was impossible to begin with.

Wasn’t even Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table’s best option to create a barrier and hide the light?

“Do you want to complain?”

When the woman asked with a skeptical look, the old man laughed weakly again.

“Yes, I suppose so. You’re probably the only one I can complain to.”

The king’s magician couldn’t show weakness in front of the king.

Saying such things in front of the Knights of the Round Table would only break their morale, with no benefit whatsoever.

So he couldn’t say things like this in front of them.

He could only talk about the immediate expedition, keeping silent about the eventual catastrophe that the human species would someday face.

“I’m not your emotional garbage can.”

“How harsh. Aren’t you being too cold just because I complained a little? We’re friends after all.”

“Friends? You and me?”

“Wait, don’t tell me you never even considered us friends? Even after knowing each other for so long?”

When the old man asked in surprise, the woman – Celestial Witch – thought for a moment, pouted her lips, and said.

“Well, I suppose it’s something close to friendship.”

“A hundred years of time wasted then.”

As the old man laughed, the woman folded her arms and with a crooked face, said.

“You seemed to have been cuter when you were younger.”

“Aren’t I still cute in my own way?”

“What are you trying to say anyway?”

“Well, maybe I just wanted to say something, anything. Not the words of a great mage brimming with dignity, but just idle chatter, saying whatever comes to mind, that kind of trivial talk.”

“…Would you like me to pat your head? Or rub your back?”

“What incredible service. But the head patting is a bit much. I’m too old to receive that kind of thing.”

“What are you saying, when you’re younger than me.”

“Just give my back a pat. A hug would be nice too.”

“Are you going senile or something?”

“Hehe, maybe.”

When the old man said that, the woman frowned again, but only for a moment.

She hugged the old man tightly and patted his back.

“Hang in there, Merlin.”

“This really reminds me of when I was young. I was much smaller than now, so it really felt like being embraced completely.”

“You’ve grown too big for that. And Merlin, do you want to die? Doesn’t your hand seem to be in a strange place?”

“Oops, before I knew it.”

As the old man quickly removed his hand, the woman looked at him with cold eyes, but only for a moment.

After hugging the old man once more tightly, she said.

“There, I’ve given you plenty of service, so cheer up now.”

“Haha, it’s not that I’m not cheered up, but aren’t you placing too high a value on your own hug?”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

“Hehe, alright. Actually, a hug from the Celestial Witch is indeed of tremendous value.”

After speaking idly, Merlin straightened his posture and looked at the woman.

“Morgana.”

“Merlin.”

“Is that all you saw outside the barrier?”

Beyond the certainty that the barrier would eventually collapse, as the goddess of the lake Nimue had said.

“Of course there’s much more. I’ll tell you everything at the Round Table tomorrow, so look forward to it.”

After all, the woman had gone outside the barrier to scout ahead of the final expedition.

At the woman’s words, instead of saying he would look forward to it or making idle chatter again, the old man simply looked at her silently.

He seemed to be asking if that was really all, but the woman pretended not to notice and didn’t answer.

“Alright, I understand. Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, goodnight. I’ll specially allow you to dream about me tonight. Even a naughty dream is fine.”

At the woman’s farewell, the old man smiled bitterly, then recited a teleportation spell and returned to the royal palace.

But instead of following the old man and casting a spell, the woman turned her gaze to the sky.

The sunset was coming to an end.

The sky, which had been dyed crimson, was now purple, and even that was gradually losing its light, being devoured by the dark blue darkness pushing in from the distance.

“Merlin, actually there was one more thing I had to tell you.”

What awaited humanity in the future was not just the age of calamity.

Even if they managed to slaughter all species except humans, there was still another catastrophe that would eventually come.

The woman had gone outside the barrier to confirm this, and she was now certain.

The age of calamity was just the beginning.

What would come after could truly be called the end.

Dusk faded and a pitch-black night covered the entire world.

“The abyss is coming.”

A world without light became gray, but that was just the beginning.

From the edge of the world, a blackness darker than ash gradually expanded its domain.

It was an absolute darkness that could not be dispelled with the light of humans alone.

Even if they managed to defeat all the monsters outside the barrier, humanity in the future would eventually face the end called the abyss, and ultimately lose the light.

What could be done?

Is there truly no way to overcome this terrible despair?

The woman, Morgana, looked up at the night sky again and faced the pitch-black darkness.

The procession of Yoo Seong’s journey to the royal capital was quite large in scale.

This was because not only were there five hundred of the crown princess’ royal guards, but also five hundred cavalry from the Baltois Cavalry led by Juliet had joined.

Including the personnel for transporting supplies, it was a force of well over a thousand, enough to easily crush a territory or two.

Given the situation, gossip-loving groups might have spread rumors that Yoo Seong was attacking the royal capital, but nothing of the sort happened.

The first reason was that the crown princess’ flag was at the head of the marching group, and the second reason was that rumors of Yoo Seong being the returned human king were already widespread.

The flag of Camelot hung next to the flag of the Silatein Kingdom that the crown princess had raised.

The faces of the soldiers who knew the meaning of that flag were filled with pride, and those who encountered the marching group showed respect.

And somewhere in the middle of the procession, Juliet, who was escorting Yoo Seong to the royal capital while leading the Baltois Cavalry, kept glancing at the large carriage positioned in the center of the procession.

“Robin.”

“Yes, Lady Juliet.”

When Robin, who was riding a horse next to her with an anxious face, responded immediately, Juliet asked while still looking at the carriage.

“What do you think?”

“Um, about what exactly?”

There was something she had in mind, but she wasn’t sure.

However at Robin’s question, Juliet furrowed her brow and looked at Robin with a displeased face.

“Robin, when are you going to develop some social awareness? You’re about to become a formal knight soon. Haven’t you heard that being good at fighting alone doesn’t make a good knight?”

“I’m sorry.”

-Sob sob.

After receiving the expected scolding, Robin, like a skilled junior, made a pitiful expression, and Juliet, instead of further criticizing her, said.

“I mean Rene and the successor.”

“Ah… they’re still getting along well, right?”

“…Forget it, I’ll just worry about it by myself.”

As Juliet shook her head and spoke, Robin’s face became indignant again, but in a way it was for the best, so she withdrew to the side without further comment.

In any case, Juliet, now alone again, looked at the crown princess’ large carriage.

The carriage was carrying Yoo Seong, Rene, Jillian, and the crown princess.

‘The bride of the century.’

Juliet narrowed her eyes.

Unlike Juliet who was lost in complicated thoughts, the atmosphere inside the carriage was quite cordial.

The carriage, befitting the royal family, had various spells cast on it making it very comfortable to ride in, and unexpectedly, the women got along well.

The crown princess, who had an older sister aura, got along well with Rene, who had a younger sister quality, and Jillian had a personality that went with the flow, like water added to water or alcohol added to alcohol, so there was no cause for friction.

There was also relief and joy at the fact that one normal person had been added to the group.

“To summarize once more, the person you should keep in mind the most during this visit to the royal capital is Marquis Anua.”

The Silatein Kingdom shared borders with three countries.

The Kingdom of Bertoria in the northwest.

The Empire, which shared the eastern border.

And finally, the Kingdom of Cabal to the south.

It was the Baltois County that guarded the border with the Kingdom of Bertoria, and they had maintained friendly relations with the Kingdom of Cabal in the south for a long time, so rather than appointing a margrave, they had various small lords guard the border area.

In the east was the Anua Marquis family that guarded the most important land among the border regions with the Empire.

“The Baltois County is already Your Majesty’s supporting force, so if we combine my forces with Count Bisten’s forces, and add the Anua Marquis’s forces, it would be possible for the entire royal army to join the Holy King’s army.”

Of course, the number of nobles who did not belong to the forces mentioned now was not small.

Especially the nobles who had accumulated wealth and power in the royal capital for a long time were by no means negligible entities.

But as mentioned earlier, if Marquis Anua joined, the story would change.

It would form a grand alliance enough to make the noble faction of the royal capital insignificant.

“What kind of person is Marquis Anua?”

At Yoo Seong’s question, the crown princess’ expression became slightly complicated, and she smiled bitterly and said,

“He’s a rigid person. You could say he’s exactly like a soldier. If we can bring him to our side, he’ll be a truly reliable person, but if we can’t, he’ll be a hindrance until the end.”

At the crown princess’ words, Jillian nodded.

Although she had never met him, his straightforward character was famous enough for her to know about him.

“What does the crown princess think?”

“There’s a high probability we can persuade him. Even if we can’t persuade him, given his character, it’s more likely he’ll take a neutral stance rather than opposing Your Majesty.”

In a way, having this discussion was somewhat amusing.

Yoo Seong wasn’t just a newly emerged powerful figure but the legitimate king of Camelot, the human king.

It wasn’t just a claim to be the human king; he had demonstrated it in the fierce battle with the Lion King, making it difficult to doubt or argue against Yoo Seong being the human king.

“May I also say something?”

When Jillian raised her hand slightly and spoke, Yoo Seong immediately nodded.

“Please do.”

What was she going to say?

After clearing her throat, Jillian smiled elegantly and said.

“There’s also a cardinal from the Omphalos Order in the royal capital. Through this visit, we can also secure the firm support of the Omphalos Order.”

Despite receiving the oracle of Omphalos and becoming a saint, Jillian had not actively sought support from the Omphalos Order until now.

The reason was simple: she thought the order wouldn’t believe her words.

But now the situation has changed.

Moreover, if she demonstrated her holy power directly in front of the cardinal, it would also be possible to be officially recognized as a saint.

[I think I know what Sister Jillian is imagining.]

‘Yeah, me too.’

It was probably something like being recognized as a saint in front of the capital’s citizens.

Regardless of Jillian’s small personal desire, it was a good idea.

With this one visit to the royal capital, they could not only launch the Holy King’s army but also receive the support of various forces at once.

As Yoo Seong and Rene looked at each other and smiled, and Jillian also smiled with various imaginations, the crown princess, after observing everyone’s smiles, smiled back and then spoke to Yoo Seong again.

“Your Majesty, there is one proposal I would like to make.”

“Please speak.”

Not just a conversation but a proposal.

Not only Yoo Seong but also Rene’s face showed curiosity.

Meeting the faces of the two, the crown princess smiled somewhat mischievously and began her story.