I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 98: The Guardian of the Nation (2)

“It is a meaningless title. It’s been a long time since I left the royal family…no, it’s been a long time since I was abandoned by the royal family.”

At Jillian’s words, which had a sense of emptiness, the Guardian General fell silent for a moment but soon spoke again.

“However, the fact that you are the only bloodline of that person remains unchanged.”

Jillian knew better than anyone else what the Guardian General was referring to but it was all in the past now.

For a moment, Jillian recalled the tumultuous childhood she had and sighed as if exhausted before speaking.

“Sigh…Uncle El. Let’s stop here.”

“Understood. No, I understand.”

Not as the forsaken princess, but as the high priestess of the Omphalos Sect.

When the Guardian General changed his tone, Jillian, relieved, brought up the topic she had set aside for a moment.

“What happened to the Cabal Kingdom?”

“As I mentioned earlier. The army of monsters led by the Lion King has pushed forward uncontrollably, and the royal capital has been raided. The north is still holding on, but…after suffering two major defeats, the army, as well as many commanders, have been lost. It probably won’t hold out for long.”

The Guardian General spoke in a calm tone, but the content was far from ordinary.

It was essentially saying that the Cabal Kingdom was on the verge of collapse.

“Is the Lion King…that strong?”

“Strong. I tried my best, but I was no match for him. He wasn’t toying with me, but at the very least, he’s definitely superior to me and Count Bisten. Honestly, even if Count Bisten and I fought together, I’m not sure we could win. Someone like the Sword Saint might be able to handle him alone.”

Count Bisten, the Master Knight of the Silatein Kingdom.

The fact that even with their combined forces, they might not win against the Lion King made Jillian remember Ninian’s words.

The true king of monsters who could make someone referring to the Rat Lord use the word “mere.”

Now, she understood why the Cabal Kingdom’s army had been defeated twice.

If even the Master Knight, the Guardian General, couldn’t withstand such a monster, there was no way ordinary knights could stop them.

Recalling the transcendent power that Rat Lord had shown, Jillian swallowed a dry gulp before asking the Guardian General again.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I need to return to the kingdom. The original plan was to teleport to the north and regroup the forces, but I’ve come too far, and time has passed much more than expected, so I’m worried. I’m not sure if the royal family has safely crossed the border either.”

At the Guardian General’s words, Jillian blinked.

There was something that couldn’t be ignored in what he said.

“Border…Are you talking about seeking asylum in the Empire?”

“Yes, to the Empire. I stayed in the royal capital to buy time for evacuation…I hope that, as the Lion King declared, they didn’t send a pursuit force.”

Rather than staying to fight, the royal family was fleeing.

This meant that the Guardian General was seriously considering the fall of the Cabal Kingdom.

The next target was the Silatein Kingdom.

Jillian already knew this, and that was why they had discussed the southern expedition, but hearing it from the mouth of the Guardian General made the situation feel even direr.

Jillian slowly took a breath, regaining her composure, and spoke to the Guardian General.

“First of all, as the one who treated you, I’ll say this. You almost died. You need to rest for the time being.”

It was an injury that would have killed an ordinary person instantly.

The Guardian General also knew that Jillian had treated him urgently, and if he had been left untreated, he would have certainly died.

So, he needed to rest.

Even considering the transcendent recovery abilities of Master Knights, at the very least, he should rest for a week, or more realistically, two weeks to recover without complications.

“But you know that can’t happen, right?”

It was true.

So Jillian spoke again, this time firmly.

“Still, you need at least two days of rest if you don’t want to die on the way back to the kingdom.”

At the very least, she had to prevent the wounds from worsening.

The Guardian General frowned at Jillian’s earnest expression and voice but eventually nodded.

“It can’t be helped.”

In order to fight again, he needed to rest.

Having made up his mind, the Guardian General asked something else.

“By the way, what happened to Count Lothian? Why is the High Priestess of the Omphalos Sect serving a Count?”

It was a curious matter from the start.

“And…you said you treated me earlier. Did you treat me yourself?”

The Guardian General asked, looking at his own injury, and Jillian bitterly smiled and nodded.

“Yes, I treated you.”

“How…Ah! I see! It seems your divine power has grown!”

When the Guardian General spoke with a look of awe, Jillian, feeling oddly hurt, smiled again.

“Yes, and…I don’t think it’s something I can discuss alone regarding the Count and the growth of my divine power.”

“What?”

That was strange, considering he had accepted the first explanation.

“Yes, it requires the Count’s permission.”

“Something’s going on.”

It was already odd enough that Jillian, the High Priestess of the Omphalos Sect, was serving a Count, but now the growth of her divine power was added to the mix, and now she was saying that it required the Count’s permission to speak about it.

From the context, it seemed that Count Lothian had somehow contributed to the growth of Jillian’s divine power, but there might be an issue with the method.

The Guardian General, who had been looking at Jillian with concern, quickly shook off his thoughts.

It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as Jillian didn’t have a dark expression, and he could simply ask her directly.

“I understand. Then, call the Count back. I have something I must tell him.”

“To the Count?”

“To be precise, it’s something I must relay to the Silatein Kingdom.”

Jillian quickly nodded at the serious atmosphere and stood up.

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

When Jillian turned around after stepping out of the room, she saw Kate and Morgan standing at the ends of the hallway, either sensing her movement or already stationed there.

After a brief hesitation, Jillian walked toward Kate and said,

“The Guardian General is requesting an audience with the Count.”

“Understood. I’ll bring him right away.”

Kate answered, and soon after, Yoo Seong and René appeared, seemingly having been waiting in nearby rooms.

A few minutes later, after Yoo Seong and René entered the room with Jillian, the Guardian General, who had been sitting on the bed and had once again shown his respect, quickly got to the point after explaining the general situation.

“Count, what I am about to say may sound far-fetched, but the likelihood of it being true is very high, so I ask that you listen carefully.”

What could this be about?

When Yoo Seong and René nodded, the Guardian General took a deep breath and spoke directly to Yoo Seong.

“It may be hard to believe, but our world…the world of humans is surrounded by a giant barrier…Wait, do you know about this?”

“Yes, I know. The barrier has been slowly breaking down, and monsters have been entering through the gaps.”

At Yoo Seong’s words, the Guardian General looked very surprised, then asked instead of explaining.

“Do you know their goal?”

“Yes, the monsters are after the flames of civilization.”

“How…How do you know…? Did you learn this from the monsters that entered here?”

“Something like that. How much do you know about it, Guardian General?”

When Yoo Seong asked in return, the Guardian General narrowed his eyes and said,

“All I know is those two things. That there is a barrier, and that monsters are coming through it to target the flames of civilization…Ah, do you know about the kings beyond the barrier?”

“I know that there are the Seven Kings, the kings of monsters.”

So, you know this too.

Maybe there weren’t any big secrets after all.

When the Guardian General unknowingly had that thought, Yoo Seong spoke again.

“But all I know is that the Seven Kings exist, and nothing about them specifically. Do you know about them, Guardian General?”

“Well…I don’t know. I only know of the Lion King among them.”

Having said something in case his opponent wouldn’t believe it, the Guardian General was momentarily speechless as he realized the other party already knew everything, and in more detail than he did.

But it was only for a moment.

If the other party already understood the situation, it was actually a good thing.

“Then the Count probably knows as well. This war is no longer just the affair of each kingdom. It’s a war for all of humanity…for the entire human world.”

So, just like in the days when Camelot stood strong, humanity needed to unite to fight.

Of course, the Guardian General knew.

Even though it was a crisis, uniting the strength of humanity was virtually impossible.

Back in Camelot’s time, there was a unifying figure like King Arthur, but now, not only was there no such figure, but the world was divided into several countries.

“Of course, I know. Human kingdoms are no longer one. We have no King Arthur. There are many who wear crowns, and it won’t be easy to unite our strength.”

There was no longer Camelot, and no human king.

Those who wore crowns all claimed to be kings, so uniting their strength was a distant dream.

“Even so, we must try. At the very least, the Cabal Kingdom and Silatein Kingdom must join forces if we are to stop the Lion King.”

Hearing the Guardian General’s words, Yoo Seong frowned for a moment, then smiled bitterly.

He glanced at René and Jillian, and both nodded.

They had figured out what Yoo Seong had decided.

“Guardian General.”

“Speak.”

“I also have something difficult to believe, but before I say it, I need one condition. Can you keep what I say secret?”

“It depends on the nature of the story.”

“It’s nothing harmful to anyone.”

At Yoo Seong’s words, the Guardian General narrowed his eyes.

Given the situation, it was highly likely that Yoo Seong was about to speak about something related to Jillian.

More specifically, why Jillian served him, and how her divine power grew.

Before answering, the Guardian General glanced at Jillian.

Seeing her, who appeared oddly excited, nodding at his gaze, he realized that she was giving permission to speak under the promise of keeping it secret.

The Guardian General nodded to Yoo Seong, now fully aware of what was happening.

“I will keep your secret. Speak.”

A tense atmosphere filled the room.

Looking back, Yoo Seong had revealed his identity three times until now.

The first two were to Ruan and Jillian, and the last one was to Count Carian.

The first two were different, but revealing his identity to the Guardian General was of a different significance.

A foreigner. One of the ten Master Knights in the world.

But he was someone Jillian trusted and relied on, and he had also realized the need for humanity to unite.

In the first place, Yoo Seong had been hiding his identity to avoid unnecessary friction and suspicion, not for any other reason, so revealing it and seeking cooperation from the Guardian General was a logical choice.

Jillian swallowed nervously, René couldn’t hide her excitement, and Kate and Morgan, standing behind Yoo Seong like guards, also had anxious expressions.

Yoo Seong looked at the Guardian General.

He raised a golden aura around himself and said:

“I am the one who inherits the light of the Holy King. I am the human king who succeeded King Arthur and inherited the throne of Camelot.”