Chapter 7. What the Wandering Knight Sees and Hears
[As agreed, you left the palace.]
[From that day on, a rumor began to spread throughout the land of Britannia—a knight had killed two of his companions.]
[You knew that this was a rumor carefully prepared by Morgan, and she had blocked your way back.]
[Talent "Affinity" has been replaced with "Affinity" (Evil): Instead of expressing your ideas in a friendly manner, you are now more skilled at using infamous threats, and your words and actions will be received in a less friendly way.]
[Talent "Battle Continuation" has been enhanced to "Battle Continuation+": Thanks to Morgan's guidance by the bath, you can stand up even after suffering serious injuries before assassinating Vortigern.]
[You have wandered for a long time, but because of your loyalty to Morgan, you have never felt lonely.]
...
In a border town.
A little further on, you would reach the area being ravaged by Vortigern's army.
Ian decided to stop here for a while.
In a tavern, the townspeople were drinking and talking about various things, holding wooden mugs in their hands. Even though war could affect this place at any time, they were able to do so under the protection of the Britannian army.
"Hey!" A drunken man with a goatee shouted, "Have you heard that a knight killed his two companions and is now on the run?"
Ian knew they were talking about him. He had heard too many similar things on his journey.
But he didn't mind.
Because people were just spreading rumors indirectly, and no one was looking into the truth of the matter.
This was exactly what Morgan wanted to see.
So—
The princess's vision is the vision of a knight.
He was also ready to face such a situation, even if he were to be imprisoned.
"Oh, I know."
The fat man next to the one with the goatee nodded in response.
"How much hatred do you think he must have had to kill his own comrades?"
"Who knows?" The goatee man said, then took another sip of his drink. "But compared to this, have you heard about the prince recently?"
"I know about that!"
A thin man also joined in on the topic.
"I heard it seems like some decision was made before the expedition, right?"
"…"
Compared to his own situation, Ian was more interested in the information about Morgan. He wore a medieval cloak that covered his entire body and quietly listened to the conversation between the three men.
[You hold your breath and listen to the conversation of the three people.]
[You have heard about the royal heir's birthday celebration, which seems to have affected even a small border town like this.]
[You learned a lot about royal parties from Morgan, but the conversation that followed was completely unexpected.]
[They believe that after King Uther, the new heir will take the throne of Britannia and become the new king.]
[You realize that someone is spreading rumors, like Morgan, but even so, you cannot control your own reason.]
A loud crash.
Ian smashed the wobbly drinking table.
Everyone in the tavern was drawn to it—they didn't understand why this tall man would do such a thing.
"The king of Britannia will not be the new prince!"
"The glory of this land will forever belong to the princess!"
Before things could get worse, Ian threw enough gold to cover the damage and angrily left the tavern.
The people watched his figure leave and looked at each other.
"Where did this madman come from?"
"Don't worry about him, let's keep drinking."
The tavern gradually returned to normal, as if Ian had never been there.
[You leave the tavern and begin traveling day and night.]
[You cross deep mountains, rivers, and forests.]
[You enter the territory of Vortigern's marauding army, but the cowardly king is also a king, and he is not as easy to find as you thought.]
[You realize that you cannot complete the task Morgan gave you this way, and you need more radical methods.]
[Since you cannot find Vortigern, let Vortigern find you.]
[You have killed several of Vortigern's soldiers, which is no pressure for a knight like you.]
[You have killed more and more soldiers, and your reputation begins to spread across this land, far from the royal court, exactly what you wanted.]
[One day, an old man claiming to be Vortigern appears before you, and he has no soldiers around him.]
[He proactively fights you and knocks you to the ground in just a few moves. You realize there is an immeasurable gap in strength between the two of you, and you also understand the difficulties of King Uther's expedition.]
[Talent "Battle Continuation+" Activated: You can never forget Morgan's advice to you. Your vitality has become extremely resilient. Even when Vortigern steps on your wounds and blood spills across the ground, you do not die.]
[Vortigern is interested in you, or perhaps in your strong will to survive.]
[He secretly takes you back to his camp and treats you in the best way possible.]
[Your body gradually recovers, and you realize your plan has succeeded.]
[That day, Vortigern appears before you again.]
"You finally awake, young man?"
Vortigern sat beside Ian.
"I thought you would need more time, but you seem stronger than I expected."
Despite opposing King Uther and allying with the Saxons, Britannia's long-time enemies, Vortigern exuded an aura no less formidable than King Uther's.
Ian couldn't even tell whether it was because Vortigern had been born with such a kingly aura or if it was the result of years of accumulated battle experience.
However, Ian did not forget his mission.
He began to play his role.
"Yes, thanks to your care, White Dragon King, I have recovered well."
"Young man, tell me."
Vortigern looked directly at him. Despite his old age, his eyes still burned with courage.
"Why did you come all this way through mountains and rivers to catch my attention in such a manner?"
Ian's heart trembled.
Had Vortigern appeared before him because he had seen through his intentions?
"White Dragon King, I was condemned for some crimes in a fit of rage. I cannot accept the conclusions that have been imposed on me, so I came from afar hoping to receive your protection and save my life."
"Heh." Vortigern scoffed.
"Ian, a wandering knight from the court of Britannia, you killed your fellow knights. You should be condemned."
Ian took a breath.
Vortigern knew everything; he just wanted to see how Ian would respond.
Fortunately, Morgan had locked him away, and the years he spent missing had made his existence completely separate from others. Now, he was only guilty of killing his comrades.
"But--"
Vortigern shifted the topic.
"If you had killed enemies instead of comrades, would there be any so-called crime, huh?"
"Ian, if you want my protection, prove it with their blood."