I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 95: The Night Banquet (4)

The assembly of the expeditionary force and the management of the Artois County territory were entirely handled by Count Carian, so Yoo Seong only received reports twice a day, dedicating the rest of his time to training.

“The victory celebration will proceed as planned two days from now.”

Yoo Seong nodded in response to Count Carian’s report.

The current plan was to hold the victory celebration, announce Yoo Seong’s ascension to the title of Count once the expeditionary forces gathered, and then dispatch the forces to the south.

The decision not to wait until all the forces assembled for the festival was due to the delay it would cause in the schedule and concerns about the celebration becoming too large if the entire expedition participated.

Although reclaiming the County of Artois was a significant military achievement, the southern regions of the kingdom were still plagued by monsters and battlefronts, making it unwise to hold an overly grand festival when preparations for another expedition were imminent.

A week had already passed since Yoo Seong reclaimed Legion, and the city was nearly restored to its former state.

The group led by Baron Anjou, who had gone to reclaim Baron Beaux’s territory, had also returned, filling the castle in Legion with rare vitality.

Count Carian, being a practical man, planned the festival with a realistic touch.

Even though the granaries of the fertile County of Artois had been secured, the need to support the devastated territories and prepare for the upcoming expedition meant unlimited food could not be served, even for one night.

Instead, Count Carian focused on entertainment for the citizens of the castle—jugglers, bards, and traveling theater troupes—rather than an excess of food and drink.

Since the victory celebration had been planned from the outset, dozens of entertainers had already gathered in Legion for the event.

Two days later, with the sound of jubilant trumpets, the victory festival commemorating the reclamation of the County of Artois began.

“That’s the story of the Black Knight who saved Lothian.”

Bards sang of Yoo Seong’s feats, while theater troupes reenacted the battles at Lushen and Baron Robert’s territory.

“Isn’t that a bit too exaggerated?”

As Yoo Seong commented while making a discreet round of the castle, Morgan chuckled in response.

“Exaggeration is par for the course in plays and songs. As long as they stick to the basics—who fought whom and who won—it’s acceptable. Besides, it looks like there’s a strong propaganda intent here. Political undertones, if you will.”

Yoo Seong gave a wry smile at Morgan’s observation.

Since Count Carian was the one who had brought in the bards and troupes, it was clear that his influence played a role in the narratives being spread.

“Well, as long as it’s broadly accurate, isn’t that good enough?”

“Maybe, but some of it feels heavily distorted.”

In particular, Yoo Seong’s relationship with Rene seemed to be greatly exaggerated.

One play even depicted a kissing scene between Yoo Seong and Rene. While the actors bore little resemblance to them, the scene was awkwardly embarrassing to watch.

“Stories need a touch of romance, don’t they? But apart from that, this feels like deliberate political maneuvering.”

“Political?”

“Well, power struggles have always been the same, past or present.”

Thanks to her frequent outings with Yoo Seong for training, Morgan had developed a keen understanding of the situation in the west.

As a swordswoman, she was not just skilled in combat. The essence of the Scáthach style, which she practiced, lay in its insight into all matters of the world. She had a fair grasp of how the western lords’ alliance was structured and what Count Baltois, Rene’s father, might be planning.

‘Still, this level of manipulation is almost cute.’

With a subtle smile, Morgan adjusted her smoking pipe and gestured toward a figure in the distance.

“Look over there—it’s the Saintess.”

Following Morgan’s gaze, Yoo Seong spotted Jillian, cloaked and hooded to the brim, watching a play from a distance. Though her face was obscured, Yoo Seong could vividly imagine her expression.

“Barrier of Omphalos!”

“Ohhh, Saintess!”

When the actress playing the Saintess conjured a barrier against an enemy attack, both the actors and the audience cheered, chanting Omphalos’ name or offering prayers.

“I’ve noticed that she only stays long enough to watch her own scenes and then moves elsewhere to rewatch them.”

Morgan’s comment made Yoo Seong grin, amused. He could easily picture Jillian’s embarrassed but delighted face under her hood.

“Anyway, it looks like everyone’s enjoying themselves. Shall we head back? It’s about time to prepare for the formal banquet.”

Yoo Seong nodded at Morgan’s suggestion. In addition to the public festivities in the castle, a formal banquet for key figures was planned in the inner castle that evening.

Back in the inner castle, Yoo Seong donned the attire Count Carian had prepared for him. He then summoned his knights, including Morgan, Kate, Hector, and Roland.

Vanadain and Diana, likely off somewhere romantically entangled, were left uninvited. Since only four knights could accompany him, Yoo Seong decided not to bother summoning them.

‘They’d probably be happier not being called anyway.’

The summoned knights prepared for the banquet alongside the castle’s attendants and maids, who eagerly brought in the formal attire.

For Hector, who towered over two meters, a perfectly fitted suit had been prepared. Dresses for Kate and Morgan were also ready, causing the maids to flush with excitement.

Kate, upon seeing the elegant dress, smiled awkwardly as though slightly embarrassed but didn’t appear entirely displeased.

“She’s pretending to be troubled, but she actually loves it. She’s just not honest with herself,” Morgan teased, earning a glare from Kate before she left with the maids.

Left alone, Yoo Seong glanced at a full-length mirror in his room. Thanks to magic, the mirror was as clear as any modern one, reflecting the tall, handsome man clad in a sleek black tailcoat.

“Well.”

Adjusting his tie, Yoo Seong let out a small sigh of melancholy.

‘I haven’t seen her all day.’

Recently, even her nightly visits had ceased, likely because she didn’t want to disturb his training.

‘Well, I’ll see her later.’

Smoothing over his unsettled feelings, Yoo Seong smiled at his reflection before heading out.

The banquet in Legion resembled the lordly assembly in Lushen, mainly because many of the participants overlapped.

“Haha, from the moment I first saw you at the assembly, I knew I could trust the Black Knight.”

Baron Laval’s enthusiasm made Yoo Seong wonder if the man might start a religion in his name.

“I heard you played a significant role in the victory.”

“It was but a small contribution.”

Baron Anjou, returning from Beaux, and Baron Aubert, who brought supplies, exchanged courteous words.

‘Something’s brewing between them,’ Yoo Seong mused, recalling how Baron Anjou had saved Baroness Ober from dark elf assassins during the assembly.

As the evening progressed, the spotlight was shared with the Knights of Camelot, particularly Kate.

Radiant in her pure white off-shoulder gown, her golden hair gleaming like melted sunlight, Kate captivated the room, earning her comparisons to an angel or goddess.

Though her beauty left most too intimidated to approach, it didn’t matter—she wasn’t the only knight present.

“Truly, a flower atop an unscalable cliff,” someone murmured.

The person who approached Kate with a hearty laugh was Hector.

Despite being a giant at over 2.4 meters tall, when he put on a proper formal outfit, he exuded the dignified aura of a nice elder.

‘He’s too big though.’

Hector’s bicep was probably thicker than Kate’s waist.

In any case, as Hector approached and started talking, Kate, who had recently become quite friendly with him, also smiled and engaged in conversation. Some of the people who saw this gathered the courage to approach the two.

‘Roland…is indeed very popular.’

Although Roland wasn’t exactly talkative, his good looks meant that people gathered around him just by standing there.

What should I say? He wasn’t as intimidating as Hector, yet not as intimidating as someone like Kate, so it was easy for people to approach him.

However, he wasn’t the most popular knight there.

That title went to Morgan.

“Wow, really? Amazing!”

Morgan, holding a pipe in her mouth, was laughing while conversing with the gathered nobles.

She was wearing a splendid red dress instead of her usual robes, and due to her friendly nature and beauty, she was drawing the attention of everyone, regardless of age or gender.

‘But come to think of it, Morgan never fought.’

Out of all the battles to reclaim the Artois County, Morgan hadn’t participated in a single one.

But that didn’t seem to matter, as Morgan continued to laugh and talk with the guests, and they seemed to be enjoying their conversation.

‘It seems like Jillian is enjoying herself too.’

Just like during the Lord’s meeting, Jillian, wearing the attire of the Omphalos sect, was engaging with the guests with an elegant smile.

From the way her mouth twitched, it seemed like she was receiving compliments.

‘Ruan and Edgar are here too…But I don’t see Robin.’

It wasn’t just Robin.

Juliet and Rene were also nowhere to be seen.

‘What happened?’

Surely, they weren’t absent.

As Yoo Seong absentmindedly searched for Rene by glancing around, Count Carian, who had been watching from a distance, smiled with a somewhat complicated expression.

He knew exactly who Yoo Seong was looking for and why that person had yet to appear in the banquet hall.

Then, after a moment.

The lively music that filled the hall shifted to a softer and more delicate melody.

“The daughter of Count Baltois is entering.”

At the servant’s announcement from the entrance, Yoo Seong reflexively widened his eyes as he turned around.

Through the open door, entering was someone he clearly knew, someone extremely familiar but he couldn’t greet her with a smile as usual.

The Goddess of the Night.

Yoo Seong blushed, having unknowingly thought of her, and swallowed dryly with a somewhat dazed expression, while the Goddess of the Night, with golden eyes, smiled shyly at him.

Rene Baltois took steps toward Yoo Seong.