I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 49: Lords Meeting (5)

The temple of the Goddess of the Lake was located in a newly developed area, so there was no need to travel far.

It was a large temple located right next to the metal smelting plant on the north side of the training ground.

True to its name, there was a circular lake in the center of the temple, with a small island in the middle. Surrounding the lake were tall trees and pillars that naturally formed a kind of wall.

Overall, it resembled the temples from the Greco-Roman era rather than the large cathedrals or churches typically seen in Europe.

“There is a statue of the goddess in the center of the lake.”

In the clear and blue waters of the lake, there was a small island in the center. On the island, there was a small white shrine and a statue that was visible from afar.

“This is not an ordinary lake; it is a place blessed by the goddess. You should be able to reach the center of the lake, Successor.”

Kate spoke gently, almost like a priestess, and as she smiled warmly, the other knights nodded in agreement, while René’s eyes began to sparkle.

Yoo Seong stood for a moment, looking at the lake, which had no bridge or boat, then turned to Kate. It soon became clear that she was asking him to walk across the lake.

“Is it possible?”

At Yoo Seong’s question, Jillian, who was an expert despite worshiping a different deity, answered with a gentle smile.

“The Goddess of the Lake will watch over you.”

Yoo Seong felt as though he didn’t fully understand what she meant, but he nodded and stepped towards the lake.

Though he wondered if Kate would make up stories, there was no room for doubt, so he moved forward with no fear or hesitation.

The surface of the water rippled.

It felt like stepping on snow, with his feet sinking slightly, but it was only for a brief moment.

As Yoo Seong stood on the lake, he found himself walking forward as though he were walking on snow, with no resistance.

It was a small miracle.

René clasped her hands together in prayer to the Goddess of the Lake, and the knights smiled warmly as they looked at Yoo Seong’s back, as though they were witnessing a beloved scene.

Yoo Seong, carefully walking as if on ice, soon gained confidence and took larger steps.

Finally, he reached the small island.

The statue of the Goddess of the Lake had a delicate appearance, with a long flowing robe and wide sleeves. Her long, lustrous hair reached her waist, and the veil on her head touched her chin, covering her face completely.

Her two hands were clasped in front of her belly, though they appeared to be empty, there was a feeling as if she were holding something.

The Goddess of the Lake.

The protector of humans.

The one who had called Yoo Seong to this world.

However, what stood before him was only a statue, not the actual Goddess of the Lake.

Yoo Seong bowed to the statue and then looked past it to the shrine behind.

Between the stone roof and pillars, there was an empty brazier.

Yoo Seong did not approach any closer.

Although he could not explain why exactly, he felt strongly that it was not yet time to approach.

He bowed to the statue of the Goddess of the Lake once more, and then a refreshing energy seemed to pass over his entire body.

[To you, my blessing—]

A clear voice Yoo Seong had once heard in a dream echoed in his mind.

“May the light be with you.”

Yoo Seong softly whispered the words that came to him, then slowly turned around.

May the light be with me.

May I never lose the light.

It was a phrase that came to mind naturally, just like when he used the Kingdom Swordsmanship or Holy King Cross Sword.

Perhaps the words he had just spoken were something he had inherited.

Anyway, it felt good.

No, it felt great.

Thanks to the Goddess’s blessing, Yoo Seong’s steps felt light, and his heart was refreshed.

Everyone’s gaze upon him, especially René’s face, looked very bright—

‘—Rather than bright, isn’t it more like a look of amazement at something extraordinary?’

Was it because he was walking on the lake?

No, it seemed different.

Instead of puzzling over it alone, Yoo Seong decided to just ask outright.

“René, what’s going on?”

“Successor, you are shining.”

“Huh?”

“Your aura, your aura. You’re shining right now.”

Yoo Seong turned to look at himself in surprise at René’s words. Just as she said, a golden light was faintly radiating around him, as though a golden halo was shining from his back.

Surprised, Yoo Seong immediately opened his status window.

[Blessing of the Goddess of the Lake]

[Remaining Duration: 58 minutes 12 seconds]

[During the duration of the blessing, your stamina and magic power will be doubled.]

[All stats are amplified by 1.5 times.]

[The light of the Goddess of the Lake protects you.]

[Greatly increased defense against impure energies.]

“Wow.”

It was truly an extraordinary blessing.

“René, Kate. Let’s head out right now.”

They had to start the exploration battle while the blessing was still active.

At Yoo Seong’s urging, Kate smiled widely again and began walking briskly.

Beyond the barrier, various dangers and evils awaited.

However, if the exploration succeeded, they would not only gain new territories but also uncover forgotten and buried memories and treasures.

Only the king, king‘s mage, king’s saint and the king’s knights can participate in the exploration.

Do you want to begin the exploration of Area 2?

[Yes / No]

Just like last time, the exploration prompt appeared after Yoo Seong placed the invitation on the barrier.

Yoo Seong looked around at everyone one last time before selecting “Yes.”

When Yoo Seong opened his eyes, a foggy forest stretched out before him.

The sky, once clear, had darkened, and the cold breeze blowing from the distance carried a chilling energy.

Yoo Seong first checked if everyone had arrived properly.

This time, René, who had staggered alone, hunched her shoulders against the cold and spoke as she looked around.

“Doesn’t it feel like a ghost might appear?”

“It definitely looks like it.”

Hector chuckled as he replied, but for some reason, Jillian flinched and started praying with her hands clasped.

Yoo Seong had waited for a woman’s voice to echo, just like during the previous exploration, but this time, there was no voice.

“Successor, what are the enemies this time?”

“Wait a moment. I’ll check.”

Yoo Seong opened his status window in response to Kate’s question.

[Banshee 0/500]

[Banshee Queen 0/1]

[Exploration Goal: Defeat the Banshee Queen and liberate the area.]

Banshee, the ghost of a woman who died with resentment.

“Ah, it’s really ghosts.”

As Yoo Seong spoke, René and Jillian, who could also see the status window, pressed close to each other and bit their lips, while Kate, instead of showing fear, made a troubled expression and said,

“If they’re banshees, physical attacks won’t work.”

“Hehe, what are you worried about? We can just use aura and strike them.”

Hector said this as he covered the blade of his axe with a red aura.

Then Kate nodded and formed a golden aura blade, and Diana silently summoned a blue aura on her spear.

And then, Yoo Seong turned to Vanadain, with a look that seemed to say, Aren’t you going to do anything? So he raised his bow instead of using aura and said:

“Arrows can’t have an aura applied.”

To be precise, it could be applied, but the aura would disappear the moment the arrow was released.

In other words, Vanadain had nothing to contribute against this group of enemies.

However, Yoo Seong couldn’t just mock the only archer of their group, Vanadain.

After a moment of thought, Yoo Seong turned to Jillian and asked,

“Saint, would you be able to bless the arrows?”

Adding divine power to a weapon.

Upon hearing Yoo Seong’s question, Jillian swallowed dryly and nodded.

“Yes, I can. Let me try.”

With a somewhat determined answer, Jillian approached Vanadain with a tense expression, and Rene, from behind, silently cheered with a small wave of her arms.

With her eyes closed, Jillian placed her hand on Vanadain’s quiver and recited a prayer. She then opened her eyes slightly and smiled brightly, exclaiming:

“It’s done!”

Jillian, overjoyed at the arrows now emitting a faint light, cleared her throat awkwardly and gave a graceful smile. Yoo Seong and the others, trying to avoid embarrassing her, pretended not to notice.

“It seems they’re coming soon.”

Vanadain, fiddling with the quiver Jillian had blessed, spoke.

As he said, something in the form of a faint green figure started to appear through the fog.

“Just like last time, there’s a high chance they’ll swarm us at once.”

As Kate asked whether they would fight while moving, Yoo Seong shook his head.

“This time, we’ll hold our position. Jillian, could you assist us?”

Jillian momentarily tilted her head but soon understood, smiling slightly as she nodded.

“Leave it to me.”

Then, she summoned the Omphalos Shield.

Jillian caused four walls to rise up, blocking all sides, while the fifth wall sprang up from the front wall instead of the ground.

“Oh.”

As the walls rose horizontally from the front, it formed a floor-like surface that could be stepped on.

“This is pretty impressive.”

Hector, standing on the quickly formed divine fortress, looked around in admiration and asked, seemingly to no one in particular,

“But how are we going to attack from here? Are we going to fight like defending a castle from climbing enemies?”

At Hector’s question, Vanadain smirked and notched an arrow, and Yoo Seong, instead of mocking him for how few arrows he could shoot, showed something better.

“Flame of Destruction.”

Golden flames appeared on his sword.

“Kyaaah!”

Just as the banshees charged with their eerie wails, Yoo Seong swung his sword.

Aura Blast.

Flames of Destruction.

The golden blade aura, condensed into a wave, struck the front of the banshees, and with an explosion, large flames erupted.

[Banshee 17/500]
[Banshee Queen 0/1]

As Yoo Seong smiled and prepared the second sword strike, Rene also smiled and formed a fireball in her right hand.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Swoosh! Boom!

While Yoo Seong and Rene rained down firebombs, Vanadain’s arrows flew.

Although Jillian couldn’t cast other divine magic due to maintaining the walls, it was enough by itself.

The banshees that came near the Omphalos Shield disintegrated as they were exposed to the divine energy.

If they strayed too far from the walls, they were hit by the bombardment, and if they got too close, they were exposed to the divine energy.

“Right, sometimes we just need to take it easy.”

After all, they couldn’t always be struggling.

Thanks to the blessing of the Lake Goddess, Yoo Seong’s mana and stamina were both doubled, and as he rained down sword strikes, the number of banshees noticeably decreased.

“Kyaaah!”

Banshees riding ghost horses appeared, but they were no different.

As special units, their numbers were small, and there was Vanadain, the archer, in the group.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

The arrows infused with divine energy pierced the foreheads of the banshee generals.

“Successor! Something’s coming!”

It was when the number of banshees Yoo Seong had destroyed exceeded 300.

As Rene said, the fog surrounding the forest suddenly thickened and emitted a sinister energy.

Then, a bell rang.

Through the fog appeared a huge altar.

The altar, towering like a tower, had wheels attached to it, and eight ghost horses were pulling it.

And standing on top of the altar was the Banshee Queen, accompanied by several other banshees like attendants, shrieking, and the remaining banshees screamed, gathering around the altar, throwing themselves toward the large flame on the altar as if for a human sacrifice.

The green flames grew bigger.

The eerie energy emitted by the altar became stronger, and the blurry figure of the Banshee Queen slowly became clearer.

The altar was too far for a sword strike, and Vanadain’s arrows were blocked by the ominous energy released by the altar.

So, what should they do now?

Should they wait until the Banshee Queen absorbs all the remaining banshees, or should they break the barrier and charge now?

Just then.

“Successor.”

Turning at Jillian’s call, she swallowed dryly before speaking with a determined expression.

“I…I have something I want to try.”

It seemed like she had come up with a way to deal with the Banshee Queen.

“Speak.”

At Yoo Seong’s words, Jillian nodded once, then explained calmly. After hearing everything, Yoo Seong was quite surprised but eventually smiled and nodded.

“Let’s do it.”

Jillian had an absurd but plausible plan.

After Yoo Seong accepted, Jillian deactivated the Omphalos Shield and mounted her warhorse.

Together with the group, they charged toward the Banshee Queen.