I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 48: Lords Meeting (4)

The trumpeter Jimmy (male, 21 years old) was not flustered even though a flash of light exploded in front of him like a lightning bolt.

It was because he had already anticipated it.

“Haah, we’ve arrived.”

Yoo Seong, who appeared from the spot where the light dispersed, first turned to the right.

Rene and Jillian, both with their hands clasped, immediately caught his eye.

“Are you okay? Is the saintess okay?”

“Haah, I’m fine. I’m just a little dizzy again.”

“I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.”

Rene swayed just like last time, but Jillian surprisingly appeared to be just fine.

Thanks to the continuous leveling up, Rene’s physical abilities had been enhanced, and compared to Jillian, who was weak by normal standards, it seemed that the differences in spatial movement were quite significant.

‘Anyway, we’ve arrived.’

Yoo Seong looked up at the sky.

As he had confirmed before departure, it was still morning inside Yoo Seong Castle.

Although the exact location of Yoo Seong Castle was still unknown, the time seemed to be the same as the place Yoo Seong himself was in.

‘Is it based on me, then?’

If that’s the case, it was likely that Yoo Seong Castle was more of a virtual space existing due to some magic or divine power rather than a physical location.

After all, it would be impossible to artificially adjust the time of a physically existing place.

For a moment, Yoo Seong looked up at the blue sky visible between the violet barrier, then looked straight ahead again.

In the distance, a familiar young man was running toward them, panting.

“Jimmy!”

Rene, who recognized the young man as well, raised her hand and waved it excitedly.

The young man, Jimmy, seemed to look over cautiously for a moment, then waved back and called out.

“Wizard!”

“Jimmy!”

“Wizard!”

“Jimmy!”

After calling out a few times, Jimmy eventually reached the group.

They smiled brightly at each other, clearly close friends.

‘When did they get so close?’

While Rene had plenty of time to observe Yoo Seong Castle, Jimmy didn’t have much time to meet Rene.

Of course, Jimmy was one of the first summoned members of the serf unit, so he had met Rene more frequently than most soldiers in Camelot’s army.

‘Thinking about it this way, it makes sense.’

After all, they had seen each other often, and Rene was known for her outstanding charm, even among the people of Lothian.

Recalling Rene’s charm, which had already made her like a sister to Jillian, Yoo Seong nodded in understanding.

Meanwhile, Jimmy, who had been momentarily surprised to see Yoo Seong deep in thought, saluted.

“Glory to Camelot.”

“Glory to Camelot.”

Yoo Seong knocked his fist against his chest in salute and then looked around before asking.

“What about the knights and soldiers?”

“They’re lined up in the training grounds.”

Unlike last time, Yoo Seong had communicated the visit schedule in advance.

At first, he hadn’t planned to announce the visit.

It felt like announcing a visit from a division commander.

The division commander is coming → Prepare to welcome the division commander → The soldiers suffer.

It was a very clear process.

But the reason Yoo Seong ended up announcing the visit schedule was twofold.

One was that the knights directly involved in the expedition needed time to prepare, and the other was that it seemed like the same thing anyway.

Announcing a visit a week in advance versus a sudden visit that would disrupt everything — both were tiring in their own way.

“They must be preparing for the successor’s arrival.”

Rene smiled as if expecting it, and Jimmy gave a wry smile, while Yoo Seong also smiled wryly.

“Who’s in charge of the inspection? Is it Kate?”

“Yes, Commander Kate values ceremonies more than the other knights.”

Jimmy, answering awkwardly, gave a salute and said he would go ahead to inform the others before stepping back.

Then, Jillian, who had been silent until now, looked around and spoke.

“This castle is bigger than I thought.”

It felt much bigger than what was shown in the status window.

Rene nodded and replied.

“That’s right, sister. It’s about two times larger than the original.”

Yoo Seong Castle, which represented a grown man as a three-inch figure, had a scale that differed from reality in terms of its depiction.

‘But it really has grown.’

The last time he was here, Yoo Seong could still take in the entire base at a glance, but after the expansion, a completely new section had appeared, and it was no longer possible to do that.

‘Rene said it’s about twice the size of the original, though.’

Thinking about Rene’s explanation, who was the expert on Yoo Seong Castle, Yoo Seong was amazed as he entered the newly developed section of the castle.

Upon entering, he saw soldiers lined up in the training ground.

“Wow.”

Both Rene and Jillian marveled, their eyes sparkling.

The size of the unit and its appearance had greatly improved compared to the previous battle.

Moreover, due to the restriction of summoning only three units at a time from the outside and the inability to summon reserve troops, the sheer scale of the army here was extraordinary, as everyone had gathered in one place.

Now, the elite infantry unit of 50 men, once part of the serf unit, was no longer shabby. Not only had their equipment improved, but they had also bulked up, with their height and size noticeably increased. It seemed that Jimmy’s build had more than doubled since the days of the serf unit.

Next to them, the elf archers, over 50 in number, gathered together. It was a spectacle in itself to see so many elves in one place, something that was nearly impossible to find outside.

They were generally slender but tall and slim, with beautiful faces, and their presence naturally drew attention.

Unfortunately, however, the elf unit’s moment in the spotlight was brief.

That was because an even more dazzling unit appeared next to them, the Pegasus Knights.

The sight of nearly 40 Pegasus riders, including the reserves, flying in from afar was truly magnificent.

“Wow…”

It was Jillian, not Rene, who exclaimed.

Her eyes sparkled like stars as she watched the group of Pegasus riders descend with their wings flapping.

‘It must be some kind of inspection show.’

This was why Yoo Seong had been hesitant to announce the visit schedule.

Still, it was a spectacular sight, and it made him feel good.

Thinking of it as part of their training made him feel less guilty as well.

In any case, next to the elf unit, the 40 Pegasus Knights landed.

At the forefront was, of course, Diana, mounted on Enika.

And next to her, the 40 heavily armored infantry soldiers formed a defensive formation in four rows of 10, their imposing presence overwhelming.

Since they were all quite large, even though their number wasn’t particularly high, they gave off the feeling of a moving fortress.

Finally, the non-combat personnel, led by Fergus and Melissa, stood in line.

Blacksmiths, cooks, metal refiners, and so on.

Though their appearance wasn’t as impressive, they were all important figures.

After Yoo Seong took in the whole scene, it was as if they had been waiting for it, and Kate, at the forefront of the elite infantry, stepped forward.

“Attention, troops.”

Although each unit had its own commander, Kate, who commanded all the troops of Camelot, was still in charge.

At her command, all the soldiers stood at attention.

In the solemn atmosphere, Jillian shrank her shoulders, and Rene swallowed nervously.

Kate struck her left chest with her right fist and declared.

“Salute to the successor, Glory to Camelot.”

“Glory to Camelot!”

As over 200 people simultaneously saluted and gathered their voices, Yoo Seong felt a chill run down his spine.

The army of Camelot.

Yoo Seong’s own legion.

Recalling the saying that dictators feel the greatest thrill when they hold a review ceremony, Yoo Seong swallowed a bitter smile and returned the salute.

“Glory to Camelot.”

After tapping his left chest with his right fist, the army of Camelot simultaneously lowered their fists and stood at attention.

In the military, especially in armies that focus on hand-to-hand combat, formalities were not just empty rituals.

They could be considered the foundation that supports the very structure of the army, much like marching in step.

An organization made up of countless individuals could only unleash its true power when it moved as one body.

And because of this, Yoo Seong could truly sense, once again, that the soldiers before him were not just elite in name, but were truly formidable warriors.

“We welcome the presence of the Successor.”

As Kate spoke on behalf of the soldiers, Yoo Seong smiled gently and then said the words everyone had been waiting for.

“Rest, and disband, except for the knights. Return to your daily activities.”

The sound of silent cheers was surely not an illusion.

The soldiers, maintaining perfect order with no expressions on their faces, left the field in an orderly fashion, but Yoo Seong could feel it.

The soldiers’ steps were light and lively.

While Kate frowned slightly in silence, the knights, who had been standing in front of each of the units, gathered next to Kate—more precisely, in front of Yoo Seong.

“I’m glad to see everyone in good health.”

“We’re happy to see you are in good health as well, Successor.”

“Heh, I thought I was going to die from the review practice. Kate was so strict.”

As Hector jokingly spoke after Kate, Diana silently nodded, and Vanadain gave a bitter smile, which seemed to be an unspoken agreement.

At that, Kate flinched for a moment, but quickly spoke with a stern face.

“Formality in the military is essential.”

“That’s true. So, we all worked hard as you told us to.”

Hector continued to joke, making Kate look particularly sour, while Yoo Seong chuckled softly.

In any case, they seemed to have a good relationship.

“Now, let me introduce her again. This is Saint Jillian. She was selected through a divine oracle from the Iron Wall Omphalos himself.”

Since the introduction had been planned in advance, Jillian didn’t look surprised. Instead, she made the sign of the cross and said:

“I am Jillian Ynatri. I look forward to working with you.”

“I am Kate.”

“I am Vanadain.”

“I am Diana.”

“Heh, Hector Lau.”

Since most of the knights were only summoned during combat, most of them were meeting Jillian for the first time.

Kate and Vanadain had at least seen her from afar while standing on the same wall, but in fact, this was their first direct meeting.

“Like Rene, Saint Jillian is also part of Camelot’s army, so you will be seeing her often from now on.”

“That’s good to hear. Her performance in the last battle was very impressive. With Saint Jillian joining, it feels like we’ve gained an army of celestial strength.”

Kate said with a warm smile, and Jillian’s lips twitched into a smile, clearly pleased by the compliment.

‘Jillian does have a strong desire for recognition.’

Yoo Seong thought to himself. It seemed that, perhaps due to the low holy power of a typical cleric, she had been slighted in the past.

After Kate, Jillian turned to look at the rest of the knights, but Diana remained silent as always, Hector hadn’t seen Jillian’s contributions, and Vanadain, who wasn’t the type to offer compliments, said nothing.

‘Ah, She’s disappointed.

Yoo Seong couldn’t help but smile as he saw Jillian’s slight frown at the lack of praise. Suppressing it, he turned to Vanadain and asked.

“Vanadain, all your unit members have suddenly turned into elves, is there any problem with that?”

“Not really. And I think…they were originally elves. It feels like they’ve just returned to their true form.”

They hadn’t turned from humans to elves, they had always been elves, just as Yoo Seong had hypothesized.

Yoo Seong turned to Diana.

“Diana, how about the Pegasus riders? Are they the same?”

“It seems so.”

Diana answered briefly, then patted Enika, who was standing beside her.

‘Both the elves and the Pegasus riders have returned to their true forms.’

If that’s the case, then perhaps when angelic soldiers appear in the future, there might be some among the current members who were originally angels?

It was an intriguing thought, but instead of dwelling on it, Yoo Seong shifted his focus.

He had a different purpose for the visit today.

“Is everyone ready for the expedition?”

“We’re ready.”

Kate answered on behalf of the group, and the other knights also expressed their agreement in their own ways.

“Alright, then we’ll stop by the temple first and begin the expedition right after.”

Since he had to return as soon as the expedition was over, now was the only time they could stop by the temple.

As Yoo Seong showed interest in the temple, Kate smiled brightly and eagerly took the role of guide.

Her excitement was noticeable, and soon Yoo Seong understood why.

“There is no priest, so Kate is playing the role of priest herself.”

Of course, Rene, the expert in observing Yoo Seong Castle, knew about it and rather than asking if it was certain, Yoo Seong simply nodded and followed Kate toward the temple.