I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 71: Storyteller’s Night (1)

The man, staring at the ashen sky, spoke without turning at the familiar sound of footsteps behind him.

“Hyung.”

The footsteps stopped only after reaching him.

Beside the man stood a tall and handsome young man.

Someone who smiled no matter how hard or painful things were.

Yet, the man still did not turn to face him.

His gaze remained fixed on the ashen sky.

“The wall will collapse eventually.”

The wall built to open the age of humanity.

The decision made to protect the fire of humanity.

But the man knew.

Ultimately, it was only a temporary measure.

That wall, built at great sacrifice, wouldn’t last forever, not even a thousand years.

The young man smiled faintly at the man’s words.

Glancing around to confirm that the nagging one wasn’t present, he ruffled the man’s hair roughly, just as he had in their childhood.

“You fool. Why state the obvious? Did you think it would last forever?”

The man turned his head at the young man’s words.

The young man met his gaze, reminding him once more of a truth the weary king of mankind had forgotten—or perhaps already knew.

“You did it even knowing that.”

That it wouldn’t last forever.

That one day the wall would collapse, and the light would be exposed.

Even knowing this, he had acted.

To struggle.

To cling to the thread of hope until the very end.

Thus, the young man did not lose his smile.

With compassion and affection, he stroked the man’s hair and continued speaking.

“Arthur, my dear brother, never forget that you are a king. You are—”

That was as far as he got.

A fierce wind blew between them, separating the two.

Monsters were swarming toward the final stronghold.

Rene and Jillian exclaimed in awe, their eyes shining brightly.

“Wow!”

“Waaah.”

Though Rene’s sparkling eyes were a common sight, Jillian’s reaction was rare.

Because of this, Yoo Seong, standing a few steps away, smiled as he watched their awe.

Before the three of them, a building was rising.

And the process was nothing short of astonishing.

Pillars sprouted automatically from the ground, and various materials—seemingly appearing out of nowhere—fused together seamlessly to form the structure.

Although Yoo Seong had seen similar scenes countless times in games, witnessing it in reality was truly fascinating.

Rene and Jillian, who had seen it a few times in Yoo Seong Castle, were clearly much more excited to see it up close.

Especially Jillian.

“It’s incredible! Buildings can be constructed like this? And those dwarves—are they using magic?”

Jillian’s eyes always sparkled when it came to anything related to construction, as they had when digging the moat and extending the walls of Lothian.

The way the dwarves advanced construction with a single strike of their hammers excited her like a child, making her quite talkative.

[Isn’t she cute?]

Rene’s sly message spell brought a smile to Yoo Seong, who chose to reply with a simple laugh instead of agreeing. Rene, grinning, sent another message spell while glancing at the dwarves.

[But the dwarves aren’t as cute as I thought they’d be. They’re more… cool, aren’t they?]

Though short, the dwarves’ burly muscles, large, bushy beards, and their serious, piercing gazes as they worked gave them a certain charm.

As Yoo Seong momentarily pondered whether Rene had a thing for muscular men, he found himself glancing at his own biceps.

At that moment—

“Successor, what is that building for?”

Hector approached Yoo Seong to ask.

Though Yoo Seong was in the upper 180cm range, Hector, who easily exceeded 2 meters, felt otherworldly.

Amused by the shadow cast over him, Yoo Seong replied,

“Additional lodging. The population’s growing, and it’ll keep growing.”

“Hmm. It’s a bit plain.”

“What were you expecting?”

“A brothel, maybe.”

“Ahem.”

Yoo Seong cleared his throat reflexively and pulled Hector further back.

Hector chuckled and said,

“Just kidding. I was expecting a library.”

“A library?”

“Yes. Believe it or not, I’m quite fond of books. I’ve even written one myself.”

“Oh? What kind of book? A novel, perhaps?”

“Haha, not a novel. It was more like an encyclopedia. About the types of fish you can catch in the sea and rivers.”

It was an intriguing story.

The image of Hector, one of Camelot’s most physically dominant knights, sitting at a desk writing a book was almost laughably incongruous.

‘Though it might suit him more than I think.’

There were moments when talking to Hector felt like speaking to a wise old man with years of experience.

This was why it felt even stranger.

Though Yoo Seong could casually speak down to knights due to his position, he felt awkward dealing with older knights like Sir Simon.

But conversations with Hector were different.

It felt unusually comfortable, like chatting with an old friend, despite their significant age gap.

“Do you have more questions?”

With a kind smile, Hector prompted Yoo Seong, who seized the opportunity to nod and ask,

“What about the other knights? How are they doing?”

While Kate’s reports were thorough, they felt too formal. Yoo Seong hoped for a more candid account from Hector.

And Hector delivered just that.

“Everyone’s doing fine, for the most part. To start… Kate is just as she’s always been. Full of nagging. The soldiers say it’s all affection, but to me, it’s just nagging. She’s been like that forever—it’s just her nature.”

Though mildly critical, Hector spoke with a smile, prompting Yoo Seong to chuckle and reply,

“Kate is quite pretty, after all.”

Yoo Seong could somewhat understand why the soldiers didn’t mind her nagging.

Kate’s scolding always carried genuine care, making it bearable despite her beauty.

“Why bring that up?”

“Well, it’s true, isn’t it?”

“Can’t argue with that. Kate is quite a beauty. Her kindness has made many soldiers fall for her over the years.”

“Yeah, I can kind of see why.”

Looking after the soldiers like an older sister—though not quite like a mother—Kate was deeply cherished.

“What about the others?”

“Vanadain and Diana are the same as usual. Even with the expanded frontier, they always seem to vanish together.”

“Why? Curious?”

“Are you not curious, Successor? Whether Vanadain, with his cold demeanor, whispers sweet nothings to Diana in private or keeps up his stoic act?”

It was a topic Yoo Seong had briefly discussed with Rene.

“Rene and I think it’s the former. But honestly, isn’t Diana more intriguing than Vanadain?”

“Agreed. I’m more curious about her as well. Does she remain as dazed as ever, or does she reveal a different side?”

Diana’s other side.

Yoo Seong shook his head, finding it impossible to imagine.

The best he could recall was her joy at seeing the stables.

“Were they lovers from the beginning?”

“Yes, I believe so. They were always together except on the battlefield.”

Vanadain was an archer, and Diana fought at the frontlines. It must’ve been hard for them to stick together during combat.

“Is that why neither is around now?”

“Yes, they’re probably hiding somewhere.”

Scanning the surroundings, Yoo Seong asked about the newest addition.

“What about Roland?”

“He’s the same. Then and now, the perfect model of knight. Diligent in training, work, and even rest. He’s a bit dull, honestly.”

“Back then… during Camelot’s time?”

“Yes, even then. I don’t remember the details, but he was a truly disciplined knight. A master of the spear. Probably the best in Camelot.”

It was impressive.

‘Now that I think about it, Roland’s chivalry revolves around spear techniques.’

His chivalry, Integrated Spear Flash, was a devastatingly powerful thrust—a simple yet potent skill.

“And what about you, Hector?”

“Me? I’m doing well, though there aren’t many young ladies around to date.”

“Uh…ladies?”

When Yoo Seong repeated the word, Hector chuckled and replied,

“Haha, do you know how popular I was? For a knight of my level, age is just a number.”

“Then what about Kate?”

“Kate? No way. She’s a stunning beauty, I admit, but I couldn’t handle her nagging. Not that she’d accept me anyway.”

Yoo Seong, imagining a granddaughter nagging her grandfather, chuckled softly and nodded.

At that moment, Rene, who had been watching the building construction, suddenly shuddered and hurriedly approached Yoo Seong, saying,

“Successor. The ratmen have begun setting up a camp. As you suspected, the Blue Eyes have started fighting among themselves.”

“Just as expected.”

It was predictable.
If there had been a firm second-in-command, they would have reorganized the troops and pressed forward. However, beneath the Red Eye, there was no such leader—just several Blue Eyes with comparable strength and status, making unity impossible.

In such a situation, even humans would struggle to proceed cohesively. For the ratmen, with their rigid hierarchy and fierce competition, disagreements wouldn’t stop at verbal disputes but could escalate into political scheming, like sending assassins.

Although such chaos might not occur with the Rat Lord’s region nearby, even consulting with the region for decisions could easily consume a day or two.

“Successor, does that mean we’ll be staying at Yoo Seong Castle for the day?”

Rene’s question, laced with slight anticipation, was met with a nod from Yoo Seong.

“It seems so.”

“Yay!”

Rene, openly displaying her excitement, bowed to Yoo Seong and then approached Jillian, who was still engrossed in watching.

“The witch is quite adorable, isn’t she?”

“She really is.”

Even with the ratmen’s war looming, rest was necessary when it was time to rest. Watching Rene’s smiling face, Yoo Seong let his shoulders relax.

The next morning.

Yoo Seong, accompanied by Rene, who had spent a fulfilling day bathing with Kate, sleeping with Diana, and drinking with Hector, as well as Jillian, who somehow seemed more exhausted, stood with the knights before the purple barrier.

The third exploration was about to start as Yoo Seong held out an invitation toward the barrier.

It was a foggy location.

Recalling the second exploration, Yoo Seong turned his head toward Rene to ask if she felt the same but realized something startling.

There was no one around.

Not only Rene but also Jillian and the knights had disappeared.

Instead of panicking, Yoo Seong calmly observed his surroundings. By the third exploration, it wasn’t surprising for the composition to be slightly different.

He opened his status window to check on Rene and Jillian’s conditions.

No significant abnormalities.

Reassured, he composed himself and began examining the area.

A mist-shrouded scene stretched under a dawning sky. The air was still cold, with dew clinging to the grass and faint insect sounds echoing from afar.

Yoo Seong’s gaze settled on a figure in the mist.

A tall blond man stood amidst the fog.

He was clad in ornate silver armor and a striking red cape.

The man, who had been gazing into the distance, turned as if sensing Yoo Seong’s stare.

He was handsome, seemingly in his early thirties.

With sparkling blue eyes, the man appraised Yoo Seong, rubbing his finely bearded chin thoughtfully before nodding to himself.

“It seems Morgana was right,” the man muttered softly before spreading his chest proudly and resting his hands on his hips.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Kay.”

Kay Iberius.

“I am one of the Knights of the Round Table.”