I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 47: Lords Meeting (3)

“Invitation ticket? Oh, does that mean we can visit that castle?”

At Jillian’s question, Rene nodded and looked at the newly constructed temple with sparkling eyes.

“Yes, that’s right. You should be able to enter the Temple of the Goddess of the Lake too.”

With such an impressive exterior, one could only imagine how magnificent the inside must be.

However, despite being a religious figure, Jillian asked with a slightly surprised expression instead of feeling the same awe.

“Oh, does that mean we’ll become like that too? You know, with big heads and flat, picture-like faces?”

“Sorry, what?”

“No, you said we could enter…so…”

“No, no. It just looks like that from the outside. Once inside, we’re just like everyone else. You saw the army summoned by Yoo Seong, right? With Kate.”

Rene shook her hand dismissively, and Jillian briefly recalled the Camelot soldiers she had seen during the last battle—the tall, angelic blonde knight with the flag and the soldiers lined up with impressive posture.

“Ah, is that the one?”

At that moment, Kate was standing at the entrance of the temple, gazing up at the statue of the Goddess of the Lake.

Rene nodded as she looked at Kate, who was respectfully clasping her hands in prayer in a three-inch form.

“Yes, that’s Kate. Isn’t she beautiful?”

“Yes, she is beautiful.”

Jillian let out a sigh of relief, looking around at the entire Yoo Seong Castle.

“It’s amazing.”

Yoo Seong Castle.

The residence of the castle lord.

The base where Camelot’s army stayed.

While Rene and Jillian were admiring the castle, Yoo Seong was busy with more practical matters.

‘Oh, is this the blessing of the goddess?’

[Blessing of the Goddess of the Lake Lv1]

[The health of Camelot’s forces is increased by 1.5 times.]

[The recovery rate of Camelot’s forces is increased by 1.5 times.]

[The resistance of Camelot’s forces is increased by 1.5 times.]

The Goddess of the Lake was indeed a goddess of life, offering simple but effective buffs.

The soldiers’ survival rate would surely increase significantly.

‘But since it’s Lv1, does that mean there’s room for growth?’

Perhaps raising the temple’s level or obtaining divine items might help?

Curious, Yoo Seong checked the status screen, while Rene and Jillian watched the soldiers offering their prayers in front of the statue of the goddess.

It wasn’t long before…

“My lord, it’s Simon.”

At the sound of the voice from outside, Yoo Seong turned his attention away from the status window and glanced at Rene and Jillian before replying to the door.

“Enter.”

“Yes, ah, I see the Witch and the Saint are here as well.”

Since the previous battle, they had been formally addressed as the Witch and the Saint.

Rene and Jillian greeted Sir Simon with a light nod of their heads before standing at attention.

Simon, not seeing the status screen, turned back to Yoo Seong and spoke.

“My lord, news has arrived from Sir Edgar.”

“Speak.”

While they had successfully repelled the undead army, there were still the goblin forces pushing up from the south.

Though the goblin army was smaller in size this time and didn’t include trolls, Yoo Seong couldn’t afford to ignore them.

With Yoo Seong’s prompt, Simon smiled brightly and responded.

“Count Artua’s territory has intercepted the goblins and won a great victory.”

It was good news.

It seemed that communication had been done through a signal flare or messenger, as there were no further details beyond the victory, but Simon continued with a smile.

“From the situation, it seems Sir Charles might have been involved.”

It was a name Yoo Seong hadn’t heard before.

Jillian, who was beside him, quietly spoke.

“He is the heir to Count Artua. He is a very strong knight who has awakened the second tier of chivalry.”

In his mid-20s and possessing second tier chivalry, that was certainly impressive.

The second tier of chivalry was a rare achievement, and for someone to awaken it at such a young age was remarkable.

Even their own only second-tier knight, Ruan, hadn’t reached it until his late 20s.

Curious, Yoo Seong asked Jillian.

“Do you know what kind of chivalry it is?”

“Yes, it’s famous. It’s a chivalry that transforms into an angel.”

“Transforms into an angel?”

“Yes, Count Artua worships the goddess Estriel of prosperity, and Sir Charles can transform into Estriel’s angel. It must be the result of his sincere faith from a young age.”

Chivalry reflected not only the knight’s soul but also their life, so Jillian’s words made sense—he must be an exceptionally devout individual.

Just then…

“My lord! It’s Rant!”

With a loud crash, Rant’s voice rang from outside.

“Enter.”

Yoo Seong gave permission, and Sir Rant burst into the room, looking out of breath.

Looking around at everyone already in the office, he widened his eyes in surprise and asked.

“Is something going on?”

“Sir Edgar contacted us. Count Artua’s territory has won a great victory over the goblins.”

Simon explained in a calm voice, and Rant clapped his hands in response.

“Oh! That’s great news!”

“Yes, Rant. What news do you have?”

When Yoo Seong asked, Rant hesitated for a moment, then stood up straighter and replied.

“My lord, a messenger from Count Carian has arrived.”

“From Count Carian?”

“Yes, they’re waiting in the reception room. Should I bring them in?”

At Rant’s question, Yoo Seong looked around before nodding.

“Bring them in.”

“Yes! I’ll be right back!”

After Rant left to fetch the messenger, Yoo Seong summoned a soldier outside to bring in Lady Iserina.

Since it was a messenger from Count Carian, it seemed fitting that everyone should welcome them together.

Count Carian from the North.

Although there had been minor tensions with the Volano Barony, it had only been a slight exchange of grievances, and in fact, they hadn’t even exchanged a letter until now.

Why had such a person suddenly sent a messenger?

“Could it be that they want to collaborate more closely?”

Rene said with an optimistic tone, but everyone’s reaction was lukewarm.

This was because Count Carian had repeatedly refused to offer support, be it soldiers or supplies, whenever Lothian was under attack.

But it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

With the continuous monster attacks, Count Carian must have realized that the era of the ominous stars was upon them as well.

“Lothian’s Black Knight, I am Liam, a servant of Count Carian.”

The messenger who arrived with Sir Rant was a middle-aged man, and he looked exactly like someone you would expect to be a messenger.

“I am Yoo Seong of Lothian.”

Yoo Seong replied briefly, and Liam, who had expressed his respect, continued speaking in a pleasant tone.

“My master, Count Carian, wishes to hold a meeting of the lords to discuss the current situation. Several lords from the west region of the kingdom will be attending, and we would be honored if the Black Knight of Lothian could also attend and grace us with your presence. That is why I have brought this invitation.”

After finishing his words, Liam humbly extended a letter sealed with Count Carian’s insignia with both hands.

“I will accept it.”

When Yoo Seong said this, Sir Simon, who had been standing beside Liam, took the letter.

“Sir Liam, I have received the invitation, but it’s difficult to leave at the moment. We will review it for now. I will prepare a room for you so you may rest after your journey.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Once again, Liam expressed his gratitude politely before following Sir Rant and leaving the office.

“Lord, I will open it now.”

As soon as the door to the office closed, Sir Simon spoke.

Since there was a possibility that the envelope might contain some trickery, it was customary for someone other than the lord to open such letters unless they had a close relationship.

After receiving permission, Sir Simon used a paper knife to tear open the envelope and took out the letter.

“It seems fine.”

“It doesn’t seem to have any magical issues either.”

After Simon, Rene spoke, Jillian hesitated before speaking.

“Well, there seems to be no issue on a sacred level.”

It was just ordinary paper, and she felt nothing special about it.

Though Rene had no objections, Yoo Seong smiled faintly at Jillian’s remark about the sacred aspect and reached out to take the letter from Sir Simon.

“The content is also quite ordinary.”

Aside from the long, flowery language, the letter simply stated that the lord meeting would be held in the city of Lushen, the capital of Count Carian’s territory, and invited Yoo Seong to attend.

After Yoo Seong shared the contents of the letter with Rene, he thought to himself.

‘Ten days.’

Even if they traveled slowly, it would only take four days to reach Lushen from Lothian, so the schedule was quite generous.

However, the short span of less than half a month was still very urgent.

This kind of lord meeting was usually announced at least a month in advance.

‘Does that mean the situation is urgent?’

Perhaps Count Carian knew something that Yoo Seong did not.

After all, while Yoo Seong only knew that the kingdom of Silatein and the human world were under attack, he didn’t know the details of where, how, or to what extent they were being attacked.

While Yoo Seong was lost in thought, Rene, who had finished reading the letter aloud, looked over it again and spoke.

“Although the schedule is quite urgent…from the format and wording, it seems like nearly all the lords from the west region have been invited.”

Being a noble, Rene seemed to be able to see more than just the words.

“Do you think the other lords will accept?”

At Yoo Seong’s question, Rene nodded.

“Yes, everyone is in need of information…and the situation is certainly dire. Count Carian has long been known for his connections with the nobles of the royal capital, so he might have valuable information. I think at least Count Artua and Count Baltois will agree to attend.”

The three families of Baltois, Carian, and Artua were the strongest families in the west.

With these three families gathering, it wouldn’t really matter much whether other families attended or not.

“Do you think others will have the same opinion?”

As Yoo Seong asked and looked around, there was no disagreement.

“Alright, then we will also attend.”

The distance between Lothian and Lushen was short.

Even if an enemy attacked during the lord meeting, they could return quickly, so it wouldn’t be a huge issue.

“At the very least, Rene, Jillian, and I will attend the lord meeting. I’ll bring Ruan and the battle priests as our guards.”

At Yoo Seong’s declaration, Sir Simon nodded, and Sir Rant looked a bit regretful.

Yoo Seong turned to Iserina.

“Will you be going as well, my lady?”

Though she was effectively Yoo Seong’s vassal, she was also the rightful heir to the Volano Barony.

But Iserina shook her head.

“Thank you for the offer, but I must refrain. If I go, it may cause some difficult situations.”

As a widow and someone relying on Yoo Seong, she could easily predict the kind of rumors that might spread.

Since she was practically leaving the Volano Barony empty, it wouldn’t do any good to get involved in unnecessary gossip.

“Understood. Then, I will leave Lothian in your care while I’m away.”

“I will do my best to protect the castle.”

With the personnel for the lord meeting decided, there was nothing more to discuss.

Yoo Seong informed Carian’s messenger that they would accept the invitation and began preparing to leave.

Five days later, after Carian’s messenger left, the construction in Lothian was still ongoing.

There was restoration work on the walls destroyed during the previous battle, but more significantly, the moat construction was in full swing.

With the harvest season over and almost all the harvest from the Volano Barony brought in, Lothian’s food situation was very stable.

Since they were paying wages for the laborers, the refugees weren’t starving, and it seemed like this news spread, or perhaps the continuous victories contributed, as refugees gathered a little every day from different places.

Then, two days later, a small commotion occurred at the monastery of the Omphalos Church near Count Carian’s territory.

“What? The High Priestess has become a Saintess?!”

“By the prophecy of Omphalos?”

“No, our High Priestess may have a tiny amount of divine power, but she’s not the type to lie…No, no, it’s just surprising, haha. I have always believed in our Saintess.”

At Jillian’s silent glare, Priest Maxime– the assistant abbot – awkwardly smiled but warmly welcomed everyone.

Of course, since it was originally a monastery, there was no grand welcoming feast, but the group was satisfied with a cozy lodging, warm meals, and clean bathwater.

And as time passed, in the late hours of the night, three people visited Yoo Seong’s chambers.

“Now, if you hold hands with me and then I hold the hand of the successor…”

Rene explained, and Jillian took a deep breath and nodded.

Though she had heard the story many times, it seemed she was still nervous about actually visiting Yoo Seong’s castle.

To ease Jillian’s nerves, Rene tightened their joined hands and again interlaced Yoo Seong’s fingers with hers.

“Hmm, it’s still big.”

Rene, who hadn’t been startled like last time, wiggled her fingers and blushed slightly. Yoo Seong smiled bitterly and firmly held onto Rene’s hand.

And there was one more person.

Robin stood beside the three, pouting with a slightly envious expression.

Rene smiled apologetically and said,

“Well then, Robin, we’ll be back soon.”

“Take care. Don’t forget to bring me a gift.”

“I will if I can.”

As Jillian smiled softly at the flowing conversation between childhood friends, Yoo Seong also smiled pleasantly before opening his status window.

[The charge of the Lothian Castle invitation has been completed.]

[Would you like to use the invitation?]

[Yes / No]

The second visit before the lord meeting.

Yoo Seong pressed “Yes” to activate the invitation.