I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 97: The Guardian of the Nation (1)

“The Guardian General?”

“Could you possibly be referring to the Master Knight of the Cabal Kingdom?”

The Guardian General, El Cardo.

He was a foreign figure, but almost no one was unaware of his name.

This was because he was one of the only ten Master Knights in the world.

However, knowing the name of the Guardian General and recognizing his face were two different matters.

Despite the existence of magic, there were no real forms of mass media in this world, so it was not at all unusual for someone not to know the Guardian General’s face.

But there were two exceptions among the people present here.

“Th-that’s right! It’s definitely the Guardian General!”

Baron Robert, a knight enthusiast, stared intently at the fallen old man’s face, then raised his voice.

He was someone not only interested in chivalric literature but also in living knights.

Master Knights were at the pinnacle of knights, and thus, all ten of their portraits were hung in Robert’s study.

Since Baron Anjou and Baron Laval were familiar with Baron Robert, they did not doubt his words.

But upon hearing Robert’s claim that it was indeed the Guardian General, another question arose.

“Th-then why would the Master Knight of the Cabal Kingdom be here?”

No one had an answer to Baron Laval’s question.

And at this point, it was not the time to keep pondering questions.

It was Jillian, the first to recognize the Guardian General, who rushed toward him.

She quickly checked his breathing, then surveyed her surroundings.

“Ruan!”

“I’m here.”

Ruan, who had been nearby, quickly approached.

Jillian carefully laid the Guardian General down, then spoke.

“Rip his clothes. We need to expose the wound.”

“Understood.”

Ruan drew a dagger, and as he sliced through the blood-soaked clothes of the Guardian General, a large wound across his chest became visible.

“Oh my…”

Baron Laval, watching from behind, gasped and swallowed in shock at the horrific injury.

The wound looked so severe that any normal human would have been dead already.

As the clothes were removed and pressure eased, blood began to gush from the wound again.

Jillian urgently cast healing magic to stop the bleeding and simultaneously checked the Guardian General’s complexion.

“Someone, clean water and cloth!”

“Create Water!”

A voice came from nearby.

Seeing Ruan tearing the Guardian General’s clothes, Yoo Seong emptied a basin that had been filled with food and rushed over to Jillian, while Rene used magic to clean the basin before filling it with water.

“Pour it slowly.”

At Jillian’s request, Yoo Seong slowly poured water near the wound.

As the blood washed away, the hurriedly applied healing magic began to reveal the wound more clearly.

“Here, use this.”

At that moment, Juliet appeared with a clean white cloth from somewhere.

Jillian carefully wiped the wound with the cloth, then cast healing magic once again.

“Oh, his complexion is improving!”

As Baron Robert had said, the Guardian General’s previously twisted face was beginning to regain some peace, causing Jillian to exhale a sigh of relief and let her blood-soaked hands drop.

“Ha…For now, the worst is over. He should be stable if we keep him calm.”

After speaking to no one in particular, Yoo Seong stood up and looked around at the others present, saying:

“Robin, reinforce the watch on the castle walls. Edgar, do a perimeter scan.”

Given the situation, it seemed highly likely that the Guardian General had appeared due to a teleportation spell.

Although they didn’t know the exact location where the teleportation began, if it was nearby, the one responsible for what happened to the Guardian General might still be in the area, so perimeter defense was the priority.

“Understood!”

“Yes!”

Robin and Edgar hurriedly left, and Yoo Seong turned to the Camelot knights.

Roland and Hector, who locked eyes with Yoo Seong, nodded and saluted, and after Yoo Seong returned the gesture, he looked toward the balcony and spoke.

“Diana, assemble.”

Diana, riding Enika, appeared on the balcony.

Though she had been called suddenly, as always, Diana faced Yoo Seong calmly, and he spoke to her.

“Lead the griffon unit and make sure there are no enemies around.”

“Understood.”

Without a word, Diana immediately summoned the griffon unit and flew into the air.

With Edgar surveying the ground and Diana patrolling the skies, they could ensure proper perimeter surveillance even in the dead of night.

After sending Diana off, Yoo Seong turned to look at the remaining Kate and Morgan.

“Kate, Morgan. Watch over the Guardian General.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

Neither Kate nor Morgan were doctors or clergy, but knights, so Yoo Seong left them behind to keep an eye on the Guardian General, as he couldn’t be sure that the Guardian General was an ally.

He didn’t know if the Guardian General would wake up and do something unpredictable, so he left two skilled combatants to stay close.

After sending a servant to bring a stretcher, Yoo Seong turned to Count Carian.

“Count Carian, we’ll have to call off the banquet for now. Please handle the aftermath.”

“Understood.”

Given that there might still be enemies around, it was the right decision to end the banquet, even if the festivities could continue.

“I’ll keep the troops on standby.”

Juliet, who had spoken for herself, quickly gathered a few knights and left the banquet hall.

Count Carian also hurriedly gave orders, and Baron Laval and Baron Anjou, who were under his command, rushed to gather their forces and left the hall as well.

“A stretcher.”

Servants brought in a stretcher from both the front and the back.

After Ruan and the servants placed the Guardian General on the stretcher, they moved him to a nearby room.

“I’ll take care of the Guardian General for now.”

Jillian, who had urgently spoken, followed the stretcher, and Morgan and Kate, after exchanging eye contact and silent nods with Yoo Seong, followed her as well.

“What’s going on with the Guardian General…?”

Rene spoke in a worried voice.

It wasn’t so much a question as an expression of natural concern about the current situation.

It wasn’t just that the Guardian General appeared out of nowhere, but the fact that one of the Master Knights, who had reached the pinnacle of knights, was now in a near-death state, causing inner turmoil.

Rather than answering her, Yoo Seong thought back to the Guardian General’s wounds.

It wasn’t a cut from a sword, but rather a wound that seemed like it had been torn open with overwhelming physical force.

“The Cabal Kingdom is to the south of the Silatein Kingdom.”

Yoo Seong’s mind naturally wandered to Ninian’s warning.

A monster king was marching north from the south.

Yoo Seong swallowed hard as he gazed in the direction the Guardian General had come from.

The Guardian General woke up the following late afternoon.

“Ugh…”

“Are you awake?”

The Guardian General groaned before blinking several times.

Morgan and Kate placed their hands on their swords, while Jillian, the first to speak, called out from beside the bed.

“Guardian General, it’s me. Jillian. Do you recognize me?”

At the call filled with longing, the Guardian General turned to look at Jillian and his eyes widened in recognition.

“J-Jillian?”

“Yes, it’s me. Jillian.”

Tears welled up in Jillian’s eyes as she smiled, filled with both relief and joy.

What was their relationship?

Kate glanced at Morgan, who, with his hand still on his sword, gave a slight nod to her before focusing on the Guardian General.

They didn’t believe he was an enemy, but they remained vigilant, just in case.

“Where…where am I? Why are you here, Jillian…?”

The Guardian General, trying to sit up, seemed to struggle before collapsing back onto the bed, his voice strained as he spoke.

Jillian looked at Kate and Morgan for a moment before returning her gaze to the Guardian General and answered.

“You’re in the Silatein Kingdom. I’m the High Priestess here.”

Upon hearing Jillian’s words, the Guardian General seemed more confused than surprised, narrowing his brows before looking at himself.

Though well-treated, the bandages around his chest were a clear indication of the serious injury he had suffered.

This was not a dream.

The attack he had sustained just before the teleportation was real.

“Jillian, what day is it today?”

When the Guardian General asked, Jillian quickly gave him the date according to Camelot’s shared calendar used by the five kingdoms and the empire, and the Guardian General was visibly shocked.

“My God. Almost ten days have passed?”

Just then, Yoo Seong and Rene entered the room.

Because Ruan had sent someone to report after the Guardian General regained consciousness, Yoo Seong and Rene approached the bed, and Jillian hurriedly introduced them.

“These are Count Lothian and his mage, Miss Rene.”

At Jillian’s introduction, the Guardian General looked at the two with a puzzled expression, his surprise not just at the situation but at the fact that Jillian had someone with her.

“I’m Yoo Seong.”

“I’m Rene Baltois.”

When Yoo Seong and Rene introduced themselves, the Guardian General managed a bitter smile.

“I am the Guardian General El Cardo. Please forgive me for receiving greetings while lying down. I’m not sure about the exact situation yet, but…thank you for saving me.”

Although it was Jillian who had saved him, the one responsible for the current situation was Yoo Seong, so it was only right that he expressed his gratitude to him.

Master Knights were figures of immense power, capable of influencing entire nations.

As such, they held power and authority akin to that of a duke, and it was typically considered rude to treat them this way, but the Guardian General was different.

Thanks to this, Rene smiled brightly, and Yoo Seong also wore a gentle expression.

Since Yoo Seong had already heard from Jillian about the relationship between the two, he did not have the same doubts that Morgan and Kate had.

Jillian, originally from a foreign land, had spent months with the Master Knight when heading to the Grand Temple of the Omphalos Sect.

Although Yoo Seong was curious about how such an alliance had formed, he did not pry further.

“Guardian General, what happened to you?”

When Jillian asked, the Guardian General glanced at Yoo Seong for a moment before managing to sit up with difficulty, and he spoke.

“I was attacked by the Monster King. King Marcus the Lion. He is the king of the beast-headed monsters known as Werebeasts.”

Upon hearing the Guardian General’s words, Jillian and Rene quickly looked to Yoo Seong.

The Monster Kings mentioned by Ninian had come to mind.

King Marcus the Lion.

One of the seven kings beyond the walls.

“The Lion King’s army pushed into the royal capital. While fighting him, I bought time for our forces to retreat and used the royal family’s secret technique to cast a long-range teleport…but in that brief moment, I was struck by the Lion King and sustained a fatal wound.”

It was as fast as a flash of light.

No, it wasn’t just about speed.

The Lion King’s attack twisted the teleportation magic itself, changing not only the destination but also the time.

It was probably an attack with ideology behind it.

Although the Lion King didn’t seem to use chivalry, it wasn’t that someone who didn’t use chivalry couldn’t carry their ideology within their actions.

The explanation from the Master Knight was brief and blunt but filled with shocking content.

Not only had one of the seven kings beyond the wall appeared, but it also meant that the capital of the Cabal Kingdom had fallen.

Moreover, the Guardian General, a Master Knight, had been defeated, and now he was in the western part of the Silatein Kingdom, far beyond the border, raising questions about whether the remaining forces of the Cabal Kingdom could hold off the Lion King’s army.

“…I’m sorry, but could we take a little more time to rest before continuing?”

At the Master Knight’s words, Yoo Seong nodded.

“Yes, of course.”

There were many things Yoo Seong wanted to ask, such as the specific strength of the Lion King, the size of the monster armies pushing into the Cabal Kingdom, and the situation within the kingdom, but the person in front of him was a Master Knight, and moreover, a foreign Master Knight.

It wouldn’t do to press for information; it was better to respect the duties of caring for the patient and take a step back for now.

After Yoo Seong’s permission, Jillian hesitated for a moment before speaking to Yoo Seong.

“Lord Heir, for now, I will take care of him, so may I ask for some time to talk with the Master Knight?”

With her polite request for others to leave, Yoo Seong nodded again in agreement and then turned to the Master Knight.

“Then please rest.”

“Rest.”

Rene added a word and then followed Yoo Seong out of the room, and Morgan and Kate exchanged a glance with Yoo Seong before leaving as well.

A short while later, once everyone had left and the surroundings quieted down, the Grand Knight let out a bitter smile and spoke.

“It’s fine. There’s no one around. It seems that you have considerable trust from Count Lothian.”

As the Master Knight suddenly raised his tone, Jillian furrowed her brow slightly before nodding.

“He’s a good person. A great person.”

“Interesting. But before I hear the full story…I’ll offer my respects again, as is traditional.”

Though struggling to maintain his posture, the Grand Knight straightened up and placed his hand over his chest, bowing in respect.

“It’s been a long time, Your Highness.”

The title that slipped out caused Jillian to give a bitter smile.