Chapter 11. Let the Secret Sink into the Sea in Silence
[The Britannian army has arrived.]
[They intended to launch a surprise attack on King Vortigern under the moonlight, but all they found was you lying in a pool of blood.]
[You realize that Vortigern battlefield awareness surpasses your imagination.]
[But everything has lost its meaning. This is not something someone on the verge of death like you should be considering. You only regret that you have not fulfilled your duty to Morgan.]
[Talent "Determination++" has been lost: your assassination of Votigern ended in failure, and your will to live begins to weaken.]
[Someone recognizes you.]
"Isn't this a lackey of the White Dragon King?! How could he have fallen here?!"
"It doesn't matter! This man has killed so many of our knights, this is what he deserves!"
"Kill him now!"
"No! Even though killing him is satisfying, someone of his status should be tortured first!"
At this moment, opinions were clearly divided into two factions.
One faction advocated for death, the other for capturing him.
But no matter which faction, their words reflected a deep hatred for Ian.
Hearing his former colleagues argue about how to deal with him, Ian felt mixed emotions.
According to the contract, he had not fulfilled his duty to Morgan, so he had no right to see her again, and he should die here.
But—
'I really want to see her again.'
Even if it were just a glance.
Ian, lying in the pool of blood, desperately closed his eyes—he began to loathe his own weakness.
[After a heated discussion, you were not killed on the spot—the knights agreed that there were thousands of ways to torture you once you were brought back.]
[Talent "Fighting for Life" has been lost: your assassination attempt has ended. To prevent you from dying so easily, the Britannian knights have provided you with the lowest level of rescue.]
[Talent "Agent++" has been lost: the longsword that Morgan gave you has been confiscated by the knights. You can no longer be mistaken for Morgan. Later, someone recognized it as a standard Britannian longsword and took it as a tribute.]
[You have been tightly chained by the knights. Every day, someone throws stones at you to express their disgust toward you.]
[They want to know why you fell into that pool of blood that night.]
"Speak!"
A knight grabbed Ian by the neck roughly—not all knights treated others politely, and occasionally, there were those like this.
Moreover, in their eyes, Ian could be called the enemy of the knights.
He had taken many lives with his hands.
"What happened that night?"
Facing the knight's growl, Ian remained silent, only looking at him through the chains.
With just that glance, the knight's hands, which were gripping Ian's neck, trembled slightly—he was somewhat afraid.
The man before him was the most capable and skilled commander under the cowardly King Vortigern command.
If he hadn't fallen into the pool of blood that night, feared there wouldn't have been this eye contact.
The beast trapped in the cage still had sharp claws and fangs.
But at this moment, the knight heard Ian speak softly.
"Don't be afraid, I won't harm you."
"It's just... don't ask me things like this anymore, you won't get an answer from me."
Even though he was Ian's enemy, the knight felt a long-lost sense of camaraderie.
He always felt that he and the man before him should be on the same side.
[You decide to keep all the secrets for Morgan, swearing that no one will know this is a deception that Morgan had carefully set up before King Uther.]
[You are willing to pay any price for this, just to let these secrets sink into the sea.]
[You no longer react to the stones thrown at your face, nor answer any of the knights' questions.]
[In their eyes, you are like a stubborn stone statue. They cannot imagine what the cowardly King Vortigern did to you to make you so determined.]
[Only you know that your silence is not for Vortigern, but for the princess you are loyal to.]
[But this misunderstanding is not a bad thing for you—as long as everyone associates you with Vortigern, no one will think of Morgan.]
[In just a few days, you have been regarded as a monster excessively influenced by Vortigern by other knights. People have given up on interrogating you and are simply waiting for your next punishment.]
[You have accepted this fate without complaint.]
[At the end of bad luck, good fortune always awaits.]
[A rumor spread from Vortigern's army and reached the Britannian forces.]
Some knights had gathered to discuss the widely spreading rumor.
"Have you heard? The reason Vortigern withdrew his troops overnight was because of the princess!"
"This... what's going on?"
"It must be true, right? I heard that the princess infiltrated alone that day and stabbed Vortigern!"
"Is she really that strong? Just as expected of the princess! I don't know why the king moved her off the front lines. If she were there, we'd be invincible!"
"Indeed... But the king might be worried she would get hurt. After all, if nothing unexpected happens, she'll be the future heir of Britannia."
"A new, brave, and warlike king? How exciting! Vortigern must have withdrawn his troops out of fear!"
"Ah... that makes sense. It would be great if we could pass on our thoughts to the king."
Hearing the knights discuss, Ian felt a sense of joy at first.
This was the Magecraft that Morgan had cast upon the sword, and it had taken effect—the person who infiltrated the enemy camp at night had been mistaken for her.
Before the knights who didn't know the truth, she had built an image of bravery and sacrifice.
If every knight could hear these rumors, perhaps...
Wait.
Ian suddenly realized something.
Clearly, Vortigern hadn't mistaken him for Morgan!
It was possible that he...
[You realize Vortigern's plan—knowing the truth, he wanted to spread rumors among the Britannian knights, making it highly likely that Morgan would return to the front lines.]
[And this time, Vortigern wouldn't give Morgan any opportunity. Under his command, the only path the Britannian army could take would be through destruction.]
[You know that you can't just sit there and wait to die. You might accept humiliation in any form, but you will never let Morgan's safety be threatened.]
[You, who have been silent in the eyes of the Britannian knights, begin to growl.]
[Talent "Affinity Evil" is activated: Your almost insane behavior draws attention, and every knight present knows that you want to see the princess.]
[And this news spreads through the Britannian army at an unimaginable speed.]