Chapter 7: What the Wandering Knight Heard and Saw
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[As agreed, you left the royal court.]
[From that day on, a piece of news began to spread across Britain—a knight had killed his two companions.]
[You know that this was a rumor carefully prepared by Morgan. She cut off your way back.]
[Your talent for affinity has been replaced with affinity (evil): Instead of expressing your ideas in a friendly way, you are now better at using threats. Your words and actions will be received less favorably.]
[Your talent for Combat Continuation has been enhanced to Combat Continuation+: Because of Morgan's instructions to you by the bath, you can stand up even if you are seriously injured before assassinating Vortigern.]
[You have been walking alone for a long time, but because of your loyalty to Morgan, you have never felt lonely.]
In a border town.
If we go a little further, we will come into contact with the area where Vortigern's army is wreaking havoc.
Ian chose to rest here for a while.
In a tavern, the townspeople were drinking happily from wooden glasses and talking about all kinds of things—even though this place could be affected by the war at any time, they felt secure under the protection of the British army.
"Hey, hey!" A man with a goatee said drunkenly, "Have you heard? It seems a knight has killed his two companions and is now on the run!"
Ian knew they were talking about him. He had heard too many similar words along the way.
But he didn't mind.
Because everyone was just spreading rumors, no one had taken the time to study the truth of the matter.
This is what Morgan wanted.
So--
The princess's vision is the knight's vision.
I would also like to see such a situation, even if I am imprisoned.
"Ok, I know."
The fat man next to the goatee nodded in response.
"How big of a grudge do you think you have to have to kill him?"
"Who knows?" The man with the goatee took another sip of wine. "But compared to this, have you heard anything about the crown prince recently?"
"I know this!"
A thin man also joined the conversation.
"I heard that he made some decisions before the expedition, right?"
"…"
Ian was more concerned about the information about Morgan than his own affairs. Wearing a coat, he listened silently to the conversation between the three men.
[You hold your breath and listen to the conversation.]
[You heard about the ceremony to celebrate the birth of the new royal heir, and it seems to have affected even small border towns like this one.]
[You knew a lot about the banquet from Morgan, but the following conversation was completely beyond your expectations.]
[They believed that after King Uther, the new heir would take over the throne of Britain and become the new king.]
[You realize that someone is spreading the same rumors as Morgan, but even so, you still can't control your reason.]
With a snap.
Ian smashed the already shaky wine table to pieces.
Everyone in the tavern's eyes were drawn to him—they had no idea why this tall man who covered himself with a coat would do this.
"The King of Britain will not be that new heir!"
"The glory of this land will always belong to the princess!"
Before he could make things worse, Ian threw down enough gold coins as compensation and left the tavern angrily.
Everyone looked at his receding figure, confused.
"Where did this lunatic come from?"
"Don't worry about him, let's continue drinking."
The pub gradually returned to its normal state, as if Ian had never been there.
[You left the tavern and began to travel day and night.]
[You crossed the mountains, rivers, and forests.]
[You have entered the area where Vortigern's army is wreaking havoc, but the humble king is still a king, and he is not as easy to find as you thought.]
[You realize that you cannot complete the task assigned to you by Morgan in this way, and you need more radical methods.]
[Since you can't find Vortigern, let Vortigern find you.]
[You killed some of Vortigern's soldiers, which was no problem for you as a former knight.]
[You killed more and more soldiers, and your words began to spread in this foreign land far from the royal court. This is exactly what you wanted.]
[One day, an old man who calls himself Vortigern appears before you, without any soldiers or horses by his side.]
[He took the initiative to fight you, and knocked you to the ground in just a few moves. You realized that there was an unfathomable gap in strength between you, and you also understood the difficulties King Uther would face in his expedition.]
[Talent Battle Continuation + Trigger: You can never forget Morgan's instructions to you. Your vitality becomes extremely strong. Even if Vortigern tramples on your wounds and makes blood flow all over the ground, you still don't die.]
[Vortigern has become interested in you, or rather, in your tenacious will to survive.]
[He secretly brought you back to the military camp and gave you the best treatment.]
[Your body gradually recovers, and you realize that your plan has succeeded.]
[On this day, Vortigern appeared before you again.]
"Are you finally awake, young man?"
Vortigern sat down next to Ian.
"I thought you would need more time, but you seem to be a bit more capable than I thought."
Although he was against King Uther and had allied with Britain's long-time enemy, the Saxons, at this moment Vortigern exuded an aura that was no less powerful than that of the royal court.
Ian couldn't even tell whether this kingly aura was something he was born with, or whether it was the result of years of experience in battle.
However, Ian did not forget his mission.
He began to disguise himself.
"Yes, thanks to your care, White Dragon King, I have recovered well."
"Young man, tell me."
Vortigern looked straight at him. Although he was old, his eyes still had enough courage.
"Why would you, who have come all this way, try to attract my attention in this way?"
Ian's heart trembled.
Did Vortigern appear before him because he had already seen through his intentions?
"White Dragon King, I was accused of some crimes in anger. I cannot accept these judgments imposed on me, so I came from afar, hoping to get your protection and save my life."
"Ha." Vortigern sneered.
"Ian, you are a wandering knight from the royal court. You killed your fellow knights. You should be convicted."
Ian gasped.
Vortigern knew everything; he just wanted to see how he would answer.
Fortunately, Morgan locked himself up, and the years he disappeared made his existence completely separated from other people. Now the only charge left on him is the crime of killing his companions.
"but--"
Vortigern changed the subject.
"If you had killed an enemy instead of a companion, then there would be no crime, right?"
"Ian, if you want my protection, prove it with their blood."
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