'King Artoria, female version of King Arthur? Strange people in knightly Halloween costumes…? Strange land with no buildings, just grass, and two freaking circle thingies in the sky…'
Ha Joon rose to his feet.
'Bruh? Was I transmigrated?!!!' His face lit up as he nearly choked on his own words.
That was literally the only explanation he had, that or, he was going crazy and experiencing things in the afterlife. Typical loser scenario.
Then again, he wouldn't be so far off; he did receive a stab to the head.
"You there! Speak, what master do you serve?!" A male knight with blonde hair leaped down from his horse and moved towards Ha Joon with his blade pointed.
At the back, other knights seemed to be trying to check if the alleged King Artoria was doing all right. At that point, it seemed like more and more knights were appearing.
Ha Joon raised his hand up, "Wow man, what master do I serve? What am I supposed to say, Jesus?"
"You joke? Need I remind you that you are still standing at the borders of Camelot; you had better do your best to be wise," said the blonde knight.
'Take a load of this guy, blonde hair and blue eyes, and suddenly he's all... wait? Is that a freaking longsword?'
Ha Joon's eyes had shifted to the blade in the man's hands.
"Wow man, you gotta let me hold that. That's a longsword; I haven't seen one since the last anime con," Ha Joon uttered excitedly.
"Anime con? What sort of language is that?" the man asked with a perplexed look on his face.
"You don't know that? Oh right, different world. I think," Ha Joon sighed.
"You dare mock a knight of the Round Table! You don't value your life!!!"
The man was about to attack Ha Joon when Artoria suddenly spoke.
"Wait, Tristan. Do not harm the boy," she said as she stood up from the ground, fighting the embarrassment that was eating her up inside.
"Your majesty?" Sir Tristan halted, his attention now on his king.
"I will address the matter myself. If he were indeed a threat, Excalibur would have alerted me, and since it hasn't, this boy wearing an odd outfit is not trouble."
Even as she said these words, her cheeks were rose red. It seemed like every time she made eye contact with him, her face flushed even more.
Some of the knights noticed this, but they were confused and had no idea what was happening. Perhaps their king was starting to feel fatigued from the war they had just engaged in.
"Are you sure, your majesty? He seemed to be speaking in a rather strange manner," Sir Tristan said in a low tone, trying to whisper and failing.
"Trust me, Tristan. You may go now; tell the knights we are heading back to the castle," Artoria ordered with a wave of her fingers.
She was now standing only a mere distance away from where Ha Joon was, her gaze never leaving his.
"A-As you wish, your majesty," Tristan bowed his head. "Ready the horses! Set destination for Camelot!"
Meanwhile…
'Okay, chill, it's all good. You're just in another world. Perhaps God decided this was a good chance for you to kill that brat that pushed you. But then again, this world seems different. King Artoria? The hero from mythology? You've got to be kidding me.'
"Hey, may I know your name?" Artoria asked with a commanding tone, but the look on her face said otherwise; it almost seemed like steam was oozing from her head.
"Ha Joon… Ha Joon Chung," he replied.
A serious look instantly played on her face, "Ha….Joon? That is of which country?"
"Uhmmm far, far away from here," Ha Joon replied instantly. He couldn't say he was from Korea when he wasn't sure if such a place even existed there.
"I see. You seem like a regular citizen. I'm going to assume you're a traveler, seeing as you were stupid enough to walk alone while a war is ongoing," Artoria said harshly.
"Yeah, I'm that, a traveler. I got betrayed by my fellow traveler buddies, and somehow I ended up lost. I have no idea where I am." Ha Joon kept improvising as the events were happening, something he had mastered from playing lots of romantic visual novels and dating sims.
"Understood. Then it's settled. You shall follow me back to the castle since you have nowhere to go."
"Eh?"
"You need not be shy. I am the King of Camelot; I will ensure you have the best of times."
'You mean queen…'
"Come."
Just as she was saying this, she grabbed Ha Joon by the hand and began to lead him back to her horse. Even as she did this, she couldn't help but blush just a bit.
Those who watched were shock-driven. Their king was bringing a total stranger back to the castle. And not only that, she let him ride along with her on her horse, Llamrei.
Since she became the ruler of Camelot, no one had ever ridden her horse, not even her close allies. Yet, some random, weirdly dressed human was sitting behind her on her own horse.
Surprise was evident on the faces of the masses, and even though it was very obvious, Artoria didn't seem to care, leaving Ha Joon in a state where he had to ignore the glances he was receiving.
After what seemed like hours, the knights of Camelot arrived at the castle, each one of them receiving praise from the subjects of Camelot. A usual routine given after a victory claimed from a war.
Ha Joon could barely contain himself behind Artoria. Seeing so many people praise him as he rode was something he never thought he would experience. A coping mechanism, but still, it was touching for someone who had failed so much in life.
All in all, he was already in Camelot, the Camelot. He had read too many books about the kingdom ruled by the true King Artoria Pendragon. He knew everything about him, how many gods he had slain, and even the death of the king.
But yet, looking at it, it felt like he was just beginning to learn what he had wasted his life reading about.