I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 94: The Night Banquet (3)

While René was busy changing clothes, Yoo Seong lay on the bed, reviewing the status window.

It had been three days since he had returned from the Barrier, invested points to strengthen his power, and ordered the leveling up of the Swordsmanship Hall.

[Time Remaining for Swordsmanship Hall Level-Up: 228 hours 11 minutes 02 seconds]

“Still a long way to go.”

Judging by the pattern so far, it was likely that the fourth exploration would begin once the Swordsmanship Hall leveled up.

“The kings of the monsters are coming…”

The seven kings beyond the Barrier.

Ninian had already mentioned that some of the kings had crossed into the human world.

Added to that was the information from Count Carian:
A monster army was breaking through the Cabal Kingdom in the south of the Silatein Kingdom with unstoppable force.

“There’s likely a king among them.”

Yoo Seong recalled the Rat Lord he had fought in Baron Robert’s territory.

The king of the ratmen, the Rat Lord was a being on an entirely different level from the enemies he had fought before.

Even with the help of Vanadain, who had partially awakened the power of the Round Table Knights through Knight Oath, and the sacred arrows they had prepared, they had barely managed to win.

But the kings were stronger than the Rat Lord.

No, Ninian had used the term “trivial” to describe him.

The gap was likely beyond imagination.

Yoo Seong checked the remaining time for the Swordsmanship Hall’s level-up again.

The conditions for the Round Table Knight’s Oath, as Yoo Seong had learned through Vanadain, were twofold:

One, sufficient memories had to be unlocked.

Two, the knight’s weaponry was required.

If he completed the fourth exploration, more memories of the knights would be unlocked, and above all, he would obtain another weapon of the Round Table Knights.

If that really happened, he would have two knights of the Round Table, albeit incomplete ones.

Yet, he still couldn’t feel at ease.

Moreover, he couldn’t leave everything to the Round Table Knights alone.

Yoo Seong closed the status window and looked at his hands.

The golden aura emanating from his fingertips, resembling the light of the sun, was pure and intense.

This was thanks to his accumulated Virtue Points.

The enhanced power of the aura, a result of these Virtue Points, had reached a level that defied common sense.

In terms of the Fantasy Monarch system, his aura was comparable to that of a 40th-level—or nearly 50th-level—knight, even though he himself was only a 20th-level knight.

But that was all it was.

Yoo Seong got up from the bed and gripped his sword.

He practiced swordsmanship lightly in the spacious room.

Royal Swordsmanship and Imperial Swordsmanship.

The Royal Swordsmanship was dazzling and sharp, while the Imperial Swordsmanship was heavy and solid.

And then there was the Twelve Styles of Black Thunder.

Heavy and fast.

With each successive attack, the power imbued in the sword multiplied, giving the impression of a giant’s blade cleaving the world.

And then came the Holy King’s Swordsmanship.

Flames and gales.

A sealing sword meant to bind opponents.

With the higher levels, his swordsmanship had become more refined.

Combined with his innate talent for swordsmanship, this refinement made Yoo Seong a swordsman who was unrivaled in pure technique within the kingdom.

But when he lowered his sword and stopped moving, what filled Yoo Seong’s heart was not fulfillment or satisfaction, but inadequacy.

He recalled the battle between Vanadain and the Rat Lord.

To be precise, he remembered Vanadain’s attacks against the Rat Lord.

The chivalric arrows imbued with the Round Table Knight’s Oath.

Those arrows were special.

But how to describe it?

It wasn’t just because they embodied the Round Table Knights Oath.

There was something else, a decisive element that made Vanadain’s attacks extraordinary.

After pondering for a moment, Yoo Seong smirked bitterly, then sat back on the bed and spoke, staring straight ahead.

“Vanadain, assemble.”

There was no need to overthink it when the answer was right at hand.

At Yoo Seong’s call, Vanadain appeared in a golden flash.

“What is it?”

Vanadain frowned slightly as he glanced around.

Judging by his expression, he seemed to have been with Diana before being summoned.

Instead of provoking him with unnecessary remarks, Yoo Seong quickly got to the point.

“I had a question.”

When Yoo Seong asked about the chivalry he had used in the battle with the Rat Lord, Vanadain slowly nodded and said,

“I think I know what you’re curious about. It’s the matter of ideology.”

“Ideology?”

“Yes, ideology. The attacks I used back then contained ideology. To be precise, I imbued my ideology into the arrows through chivalry.”

What could that possibly mean?

When Yoo Seong frowned, urging for a clearer explanation, Vanadain mirrored his expression and said,

“Morgan would be better at explaining this than me.”

“Morgan?”

“Teaching is Morgan’s specialty. Back in Camelot, she was the one who trained most of the regular knights in swordsmanship.”

Vanadain’s words surprised Yoo Seong.

The idea of Morgan, who would dance foolishly to amuse Kate, being a distinguished educator felt incredibly out of place.

Seeing Yoo Seong’s bewilderment, Vanadain smirked bitterly and said,

“It is surprising. Most geniuses are poor teachers, but Morgan was different. Despite being an extraordinary swordsmanship prodigy, she had a knack for teaching commoners.”

Though Vanadain seemed to find it amusing in a different way, Yoo Seong decided to move on.

Vanadain shrugged and said,

“Anyway, summon Morgan. I’m an archer, not a swordsman. She’d be more helpful than I would.”

This was true.

While Vanadain wasn’t unskilled in swordsmanship, he was primarily an archer, not a swordsman.

Still, Yoo Seong hesitated instead of agreeing immediately.

Noticing this, Vanadain chuckled knowingly and said,

“I get it. Morgan can be exhausting to be around, huh?”

Although it wasn’t that bad, Morgan was certainly a handful.

When Yoo Seong neither confirmed nor denied it, Vanadain offered advice.

“Summoning Kate along with her wouldn’t be a bad idea. She might help keep her in check.”

“I feel like that would just make things noisier.”

“Hmm, you’re not wrong.”

Wait. Was this guy trying to set a trap under the guise of advice?

When Yoo Seong flinched, Vanadain maintained a straight face and said nonchalantly,

“Anyway, it has to be Morgan. Call her.”

“Fine.”

After nodding, Yoo Seong dismissed Vanadain and summoned Morgan.

“Morgan, assemble.”

“Yo!”

Morgan appeared in a golden flash, striking a pose with her smoking pipe held high. Then, with a sly grin, she said,

“What’s the deal, calling me at this hour? Oh, wait, this is the successor’s bedroom? Don’t tell me you’re finally going to ask me for that kind of favor? Wolf! Beast! I love it!”

Morgan blushed and squealed, starting to undress.

“Wait, hold on! Why are you trying to take your clothes off?”

“Huh? Isn’t this about that? Though I was just joking in the first place.”

As Morgan sheepishly adjusted her half-removed clothes, Yoo Seong couldn’t help but sigh.

“I already want to send you back.”

“Don’t be like that. So, what’s up?”

When Yoo Seong explained his conversation with Vanadain, Morgan adjusted her pipe and nodded.

“Ah, so it’s about ideology.”

“What’s ideology?”

Morgan seemed to think for a moment before sitting on a chair in the room and motioning for Yoo Seong to sit across from her.

Once Yoo Seong sat, Morgan set down her pipe and said,

“Let’s start with chivalry. That should make it easier to understand.”

Morgan cleared her throat, locking eyes with Yoo Seong.

“As you know, chivalry represents the life and soul of a knight. That’s why, if there are ten thousand knights, there are ten thousand different interpretations of chivalry.”

No two knights shared the exact same chivalry, though there were similarities.

“Take, for example, a knight obsessed with thrusting attacks. Let’s call him Kiparang.”

Morgan took a long drag from her pipe and exhaled smoke that formed the shape of a knight.

“A sword can be used in many ways: thrusting, slashing, chopping, and so on. But Kiparang loved thrusting the most. He trained in it daily, striving for the ultimate piercing attack.”

The smoky knight began thrusting its sword into the air.

“Rain or shine, Kiparang practiced thrusting relentlessly until one day he awakened his chivalry. His chivalry was ‘The Ultimate Thrust That Pierces Anything.’ But you know, Yoo Seong, just because he had this chivalry didn’t mean he could actually pierce anything.”

For example, Robin’s chivalry was “The Perfect Knight,” but that didn’t make her perfect every time she wielded it. It merely enhanced her overall abilities to align closer to her ideal of perfection.

“At the first stage of chivalry, the enhancement is subtle. But here’s a question: Do you know how the stages of chivalry are classified?”

“Awareness, Manifestation, and Realization—the three stages, right?”

“Correct. Stage one is Awareness, where the knight becomes aware of their chivalry. At this point, the foundation of their chivalry is more than 90% complete.”

As seen with Robin or Kiparang, the initial stage of chivalry might seem minor, but it often carried lofty ideals.

“Stage two is Manifestation, where the knight begins to physically manifest their chivalry. At this point, the chivalry often takes a visible form. Finally, stage three is Realization, where the knight’s completed microcosm—their chivalry—is imposed on the world, altering reality itself.”

“But how does that relate to ideology?”

Morgan smirked and said,

“It’s simple: ideology is an extension of chivalry. You could call it a deeper, broader, and more profound form of it. Want me to explain further?”

“Yeah.”

“Now, successor. I just mentioned ‘ideology,’ didn’t I?”

When Morgan asked, as if testing him, Yoo Seong hesitated for a moment before answering.

“Is it the desire to realize what one aims for through chivalry…Is that what ideology is?”

“Yes, exactly! That’s it! And it’s the presence or absence of this ideology that defines the barrier between the second and third stages.”

As Morgan exhaled another long puff of smoke, a massive thrusting sword appeared in midair.

“Let’s take another look. The first and second stages are largely physical realms. Essentially, it’s magic, but in practice, it just means improved physical penetration power. However, the third stage is different. It’s highly conceptual. It forcibly establishes the concept of ‘the ultimate thrust that pierces anything.’ You could call it a kind of law.”

While in the first and second stages, the sword pierced because it was sharp, had strong thrusting power, and targeted the enemy’s weak spots, the third stage was different.

No matter what stood in its way, it would pierce through, because it was a law of the world.

“Imbuing ideology into chivalry is an area one must pass through to advance to the third stage. You could call it stage 2.5. But interestingly, ideology can actually be infused even at the first stage. While we categorize it as the first, second, and third stages, broadly speaking, what truly matters is whether one can imbue their ideology into their chivalry, and whether one can impose that ideology on the world through their chivalry.”

In the end, these distinctions were merely for convenience.

What truly mattered was one thing.

Whether or not one possessed an ideology so powerful it could reshape the world.

“To imbue ideology, you must first know what your ideology is. In truth, discovering one’s ideology isn’t particularly difficult—you can determine it by examining your chivalry. However, in your case…it won’t be easy.”

Yoo Seong understood what Morgan meant.

“The Successor of Light.”

Yoo Seong’s own chivalry, unlike the chivalry of others, was entirely different.

“The successor’s chivalry cannot be said to belong entirely to the successor. It’s a chivalry born from the arrangements of Arthur, Merlin, Morgana—and likely the Knights of the Round Table as well.”

Even from the awareness stage of chivalry, it was different.

The Successor of Light’s chivalry wasn’t something Yoo Seong had personally realized; it was a chivalry that had been bestowed upon him.

“The successor’s chivalry is in the first stage. But compared to others’ first stages, it’s vastly different. If anything, it’s more like the second stage, yet its scale alone is on a completely different level.”

It materialized knights and soldiers.

It summoned their spirits back into the mortal realm.

If one were to compare, while Kiparang might create a sword, Yoo Seong created the bodies of knights and soldiers.

But there was a difference between a sword and a human.

Moreover, creating a single sword couldn’t be compared to creating hundreds of humans.

“The reason such chivalry is possible boils down to one thing: the world of humanity supports the successor. The successor…is the King of Humanity.”

The world created by King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.

Because of this, the world aids the King of Humanity.

After all, the world itself was created for the age of humanity.

“The Successor of Light is the chivalry of the King of Humanity. So, as the successor grows stronger as the King of Humanity, their chivalry will naturally develop. But if the successor were to independently develop their own ideology, apart from that…the successor could reach an even greater height. Just like the King of Humanity who once opened the age of humanity long ago.”

Morgan gazed into the distance as if reminiscing about fond memories, then turned back to Yoo Seong with a smile.

“Well, then. That’s enough for the theory lesson. Let’s move on to the practical training.”

“Practical training?”

“Yes. You need to practice imbuing ideology into your aura, don’t you?”

What on earth was this all of a sudden?

Shouldn’t Yoo Seong first figure out what his ideology was?

When Yoo Seong didn’t immediately respond, Morgan chuckled, puffed out her chest, and said,

“Of course, an ideology strong enough to change the world is unique to each person. But does it always have to change the world? Just making your aura sharper or tougher—things like that—can be done by anyone who has reached a certain level. And even that is quite effective.”

Morgan winked and, suddenly standing up, extended her hand to pull Yoo Seong to his feet.

“Let’s give it a shot. This practice will help you find your own ideology, too.”

By trying out various ideologies, one could discover which resonated most with them and eventually manifest their true, unique ideology.

Nodding, Yoo Seong looked at Morgan.

Though still as talkative and scatterbrained as ever, she truly did seem to be a capable teacher, just as Vanadain had said.

Straightening his posture, Yoo Seong spoke earnestly.

“I’ll be in your care, Morgan.”

“Yes! I’ll be in your care too. You’ve got this—I’m rooting for you!”

Clenching her fist in encouragement, Morgan stepped back and gestured for Yoo Seong to begin practicing how to imbue ideology into his aura.

Encouraged by Morgan’s support, Yoo Seong drew his sword again, but that was as far as he got.

“…But how do I actually do it?”

Though he roughly understood what was being said, practicing it was another matter entirely.

Seeing Yoo Seong’s confused expression, Morgan scratched the back of her head, then brightened up again as she said,

“Well, let’s start by wrapping your aura around your sword!”

Surely, he’d figure it out as he went.

Though Morgan seemed far less reliable during the practical training than during the theory lesson, Yoo Seong took a deep breath and manifested a golden aura on his sword.

Thus began Yoo Seong and Morgan’s lesson.