I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 93: The Night Banquet (2)

The Existence of the Barrier Surrounding the Human World.

The barrier was created by the gods of humanity, the great mage Merlin, and Morgana, the Celestial Witch.

The barrier, slowly collapsing, has created cracks through which monsters are pouring in from beyond the boundary to steal the fire of humanity.

Count Carian could not hide his astonishment at Yoo Seong’s tale.

It was not just astonishing but a story that was beyond any imagination.

If anyone other than Yoo Seong, the heir to the Holy King, had told him this, he would have dismissed it as nonsense without a second thought.

“The King Arthur who brought the Age of Humanity and the Knights of the Round Table…”

The tale was true as it was.

By creating the barrier, King Arthur had established the human world, ushering in the era of humanity, separated from monsters.

Hearing Yoo Seong’s story, Count Carian felt that the many questions he had harbored were resolved at once, much like the time he first learned Yoo Seong was the heir to the Holy King.

Why did monsters suddenly surge forward?

What was their objective?

“If the barrier is destined to collapse someday…then the stories of the Age of Ominous Stars were not prophecies. They were inevitable events that had to occur.”

The barrier would inevitably fall one day, and monsters, drawn to the light that had been exposed, would swarm in to steal the fire of humanity and seize the fire of civilization.

“What happens if humanity loses its fire?” Count Carian asked. Yoo Seong looked at the sunlight streaming through the window before replying.

“Just as the world outside the barrier has become ashen, so will the human world.”

A world without a sun.

A realm filled only with shades of gray, without day or night.

It was a gray world where even monsters stronger than humans found survival challenging.

If humanity lost its fire, most humans would not survive.

“And…though it’s a somewhat vague notion, humanity would no longer be able to progress,” Yoo Seong added.

Ninian had referred to the fire of humanity as the epitome of potential.

It was what a race needed to advance.

This meant that a race that lost its light would no longer be able to move forward.

Count Carian swallowed dryly.

Though Yoo Seong’s explanation was somewhat abstract, one fact was clear.

If humanity lost its fire, the Age of Humanity would come to an end.

The current world would completely collapse.

Count Carian found it difficult to calm himself.

The Age of Ominous Stars signified a colossal war far greater than he had imagined.

It was not merely a war to defend the kingdom of Silatein but a war for the survival of humanity itself.

Fear was a natural response.

Yet, ironically, alongside that fear, Count Carian felt his heart pounding.

‘The human barrier, the monsters beyond it and the divine artifact that is the fire of humanity.’

These were stories that seemed fit for myths, not history, yet they were all real.

And standing before him was Yoo Seong, the most mythical of them all—the heir to the Holy King.

His heart raced.

His pulse quickened.

Count Carian was aiding the Holy King.

He would fight alongside him.

He would restore him as the king of humanity.

This was no ordinary feat, it was something so monumental that Count Carian’s name might be inscribed in the new myth of humanity.

Count Carian was undeniably a worldly man.

He was a being who pursued gold and power.

But the emotions he felt in the current situation did not stem from ambition.

Rather, they were purer, an overwhelming sense of awe that he could only describe as elation.

Of course, the future was not guaranteed to be rosy.

On the contrary, it was more likely to spiral toward destruction.

But this very fact ignited a stronger sense of duty.

Perhaps, just perhaps, the reason he survived the bloody succession war and became a count was for this moment.

His brother had sacrificed his life not to protect a small, foolish boy, but to secure someone who would aid the Holy King and usher in a new era for humanity.

Thinking of his deceased brother made Count Carian’s heart burn even more.

At the same time, he felt his mind cooling.

Despite his intense emotions, his rationality began analyzing and organizing the new information, offering various answers.

“The western front is now secure,” he said.

The barrier’s steward, Ninian, had sealed all cracks on the western front.

She had also assured them that the western wall would be the last to collapse.

Yoo Seong nodded at Count Carian’s statement.

Carian continued, “With the rear secure, expeditions are now possible. The entire western region could serve as both a supply base and a refuge for the Holy King’s army.”

Yoo Seong agreed.

If battles with monsters grew fiercer than they already were, even if the truth about the barrier was not revealed, countless people would flock to the west.

The western front would be the only area safe from monster attacks.

“As I mentioned earlier, the western lords’ allied forces are assembled. Give me ten days, and I will gather the expeditionary forces at Count Artois’ territory.”

There was no longer any reason to remain in the west.

The restoration of the count’s land could proceed without the expeditionary forces.

“If we go on an expedition, where should we head first?” Yoo Seong asked.

Without hesitation, Count Carian answered, “The southern region of the Silatein Kingdom. Though the crown princess is holding back the monsters well, rumors suggest that the Kingdom of Cabal is falling rapidly. If Cabal collapses and the monsters’ objective is the imperial capital, they will attack the southern region of Silatein next.”

It was not enough to defend the imperial capital alone.

If they did, all human lands outside the capital would fall to ashes.

The immediate goal was to stop the monsters in the south.

Afterward, they could secure the legendary bride of the century and make Yoo Seong the king of Silatein, or seize the kingdom without such a step.

Yoo Seong’s reputation had already grown from the battles in the west.

If he also triumphed in the southern campaign, his fame would spread across the neighboring nations, and Count Carian was certain of one thing.

Yoo Seong would display even greater divine prowess in the south than he had shown in Lothian, Lushen, or Legion.

This would make it possible to take not only the western region but the entire Silatein Kingdom.

“The crown princess will make a wise decision,” Carian thought.

He had met Elizabeth, the crown princess, called the bride of the century. She was not a foolish woman.

She, like Count Carian, would be able to gauge Yoo Seong’s true value.

Yoo Seong nodded at Carian’s response.

A southern expedition was already on Yoo Seong’s mind.

With Carian, his de facto strategist, sharing the same opinion, there was no reason for hesitation.

“Please assemble the expeditionary forces.”

“As you command.”

Striking his chest with his gauntleted right fist, Count Carian bowed deeply and took his leave.

It would take ten days to gather the expeditionary forces in Legion and prepare for their departure.

That was sufficient time to recover from accumulated fatigue and hold the festival Count Carian had proposed earlier.

When Count Carian left, René and Jillian, as if relieved of tension, slumped and exhaled deeply, while Yoo Seong gave a small laugh and turned to look outside the window.

The sun was already setting.

Since there was such a mess in Lushen: running through tunnels in a dress, getting drenched, fighting in that state—it was utter chaos, so the dress had no chance of surviving intact.

Moreover, right after finishing things in Lushen, they had come straight to the Artois County, and she had completely forgotten to send it for repairs.

“Be honest. You don’t have a dress, do you? Even the one you had is ruined, isn’t it? That’s exactly the expression you’re making right now.”

“W-What should I do, sister?”

René usually wore her loose-fitting mage robes comfortably, but she didn’t want to wear those to the banquet.

Like at the Lushen banquet, she wanted to hear compliments from Yoo Seong again.

“Sigh, my dear sister. Did you already forget what I said earlier? I told you I had something prepared, didn’t I?”

As Juliet stroked her hair, René’s face lit up like a blooming flower.

“Wow, is it a dress by any chance?”

“Would it just be a dress?”

Juliet smiled slyly and clapped her hands. Soon, men who seemed to have been waiting outside entered and began placing large bags on the floor.

The problem was the sheer number of bags.

Seeing the thirty bags lined up in a row, René unconsciously asked, “Are all of those dresses?”

“Yup, and some accessories too.”

“Wait, did you bring all of that when you came to help?”

“No, we were in a real rush back then. I had them delivered later by the reinforcements following Count Carian.”

At that, Juliet opened the first bag and pulled out a red dress.

“Alright, René, let’s start trying them on, one by one.”

With a sly smile, Juliet approached René.

Glancing at the remaining bags behind her, René swallowed hard.

Breaking out in a nervous sweat, she reluctantly faced Juliet.