ALL NOVEL C17
Chapter 17: The Master of Lothian (1)
The kobolds, having lost their prince, were no longer a proper army.
Panicked, they scattered in disarray, fleeing in chaos. The soldiers on the walls picked them off with ease.
Kate and Vanadain, despite limping from injuries, led Camelot’s forces and conscripts to drive the kobolds further into retreat.
But Yoo-seong did not join them.
Instead, he leaned on Rene’s shoulder, who had rushed to his side, and walked slowly toward Baron Latus.
“We…won…”
The words came from Baron Latus.
His face, stained with blood from his own wounds, showed no signs of life’s vitality. His unfocused eyes seemed ready to sink into darkness at any moment, and his voice was faint and fragile, as if it might cease entirely.
Still, a faint smile lingered on his lips.
Yoo-seong sat beside him, alongside Rene, and looked down at the baron.
“Uncle Hugo…”
Rene’s face was soaked in tears by now.
Anyone, even a non-mage, could tell.
This was the end.
There would be no more “next time.”
As Baron Latus fumbled with his right hand to feel the ground, Yoo-seong placed Rene’s hand over it.
The baron smiled once more.
Though his eyes had already lost their light, he turned his gaze to Yoo-seong and spoke in a fragile voice.
“Thank… you…”
For fighting for Lothian.
For protecting Lothian.
“Sir Yoo-seong is the heir to the Holy King. The Lady of the Lake gave her divine oracle. That’s why I came to bring him to us,” Rene said, crying like a child.
It was a startling revelation, but Baron Latus did not doubt it.
In fact, upon hearing it, he could only nod in understanding.
The sight of Yoo-seong standing against the progeny of the Evil God embodied the very image of the Holy King, the knightly figure he had idolized since his youth.
The Holy King’s heir had returned.
He had aided them in defeating the progeny of the Evil God and protected Lothian.
It was something to be proud of.
Though he had spoken of it as a jest, it was an achievement worthy of being immortalized in a knight’s epic, something he had always dreamed of.
But Baron Latus could not feel pure joy.
The progeny of the Evil God had appeared.
And simultaneously, the heir of the Holy King had returned.
This meant that the fabled Age of the Ominous Star, long told in legends, had truly begun.
Lothian would remain in peril.
Rene and the people of the land would face even greater trials.
“H-oly King’s… heir…”
Baron Latus himself would soon die but he could not help but worry for those left behind.
The heir of the Holy King, who had appeared with Rene.
Baron Latus had no heir to inherit his domain. Perhaps this too was fate.
“Please… accept…Lothi…”
Though his words were cut short, their meaning was clear.
Yoo-seong didn’t know Baron Latus well but he had witnessed firsthand the baron’s final, fiery fight to protect his domain.
Thus, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse the baron’s last request.
“I will.”
When Yoo-seong agreed, a faint smile once again graced Baron Latus’ face.
“Rene…”
“Yes, Uncle.”
Rene answered, crying once more.
Baron Latus wanted to caress her tear-streaked face, but he couldn’t. All he could do was muster what little strength he had to slightly tighten his grip on her hand.
The baron closed his eyes as the triumphant shouts rising once again masked Rene’s sobs.
***
Facing Baron Latus’ lifeless body, Sir Simone paid his last respects to his lord and then, as calmly as he had when they first met, said the words he needed to.
Words of gratitude to Yoo-seong.
Acknowledgment of their victory and discussions about the aftermath.
These were not matters typically addressed to someone like Yoo-seong.
Though he had accomplished great feats, he was still, strictly speaking, a foreign knight—practically a mercenary.
But now that Baron Latus had fallen gloriously in the defense of Lothian, the question of who would lead their forces and land was clear.
Thus, when Simon heard from Rene about Baron Latus’ final request, he was not shaken.
He simply paid his respects to Yoo-seong once more and set about handling the baron’s remains.
Yoo-seong sat near the broken gate alongside Rene, gazing over the battlefield.
The conscripts and Baron’s soldiers, who had finished clearing the kobolds from the walls, were celebrating their victory.
“It’s a great victory.”
Kate, Vanadain, and Diana along with the serf and archer units stood arrayed before Yoo-seong.
Though Kate’s face was weary, she bore a gentle smile while Vanadain supported the injured Diana as they faced Yoo-seong.
Yoo-seong first looked at the knights of Camelot, then at the soldiers assembled behind them.
Their numbers had been halved.
Yet their faces shone with the pride of defending the city and the joy of victory.
‘Jimmy’s still there.’
The trumpeter, Jimmy.
Though his clothes were torn and he bore a fair number of small wounds, he stood tall and grinned at Yoo-seong.
That grin made Yoo-seong smile in return.
‘We really won.’
For real this time.
They had slain the kobold prince and claimed victory.
Feeling the triumph anew, Yoo-seong laughed again before standing and addressing everyone.
He pounded his chest with his fist.
“For the glory of Camelot.”
“For the glory of Camelot.”
Led by Kate, Yoo-seong’s entire army saluted in unison.
When Rene belatedly mimicked the salute, Kate chuckled warmly, and Jimmy grinned cheekily.
The army dissolved into light.
The soldiers and conscripts on the walls, seeing this, mimicked the chest-pounding salute.
All eyes were on Yoo-seong.
“Rene.”
“Yes, my liege.”
The prompt reply made Yoo-seong sit back down, and Rene quickly followed, supporting him as he leaned against her.
As Yoo-seong gazed at her face, now close enough for their breaths to mingle, he smiled faintly.
“I think I’ve hit my limit.”
The aftereffects of using the “King’s Time” skill compounded with the exhaustion of battle.
Rene tilted her head momentarily, then seemed to understand, clenching her fist as she spoke energetically.
“Rest easy and sleep. I’ll take care of everything.”
Her determined chest-pounding drew another laugh from Yoo-seong, who closed his eyes.
Sleep overtook him instantly.
Rene smiled at Yoo-seong, who had fallen into a deep slumber against her.
Whispering her thanks once more, she turned her gaze outward.
Dawn was creeping in from the horizon.
***
Yoo-seong opened his eyes.
He saw a ceiling—not unfamiliar, but one he had seen only once before, his lodgings within the inner castle.
After blinking hard to shake off the drowsiness, he slowly sat up.
From the closed window, he could hear faint birdsong.
It must be daytime.
The day after the battle.
Feeling some pain in his left shoulder, he turned to see a neatly wrapped bandage.
It seemed Rene had tended to him while he slept.
‘She’s really capable.’
Praising the royal mage once again, Yoo-seong quenched his thirst with the water jug left by his bedside and stretched.
They had won.
They had triumphed.
They had driven back the kobold prince and saved Lothian.
And there was one more piece of evidence to prove it.
“Status window.”
At his whispered command, an overwhelming series of notifications appeared before his eyes.
[You have won a battle]
[Earned 20 Commander Skill Points]
[Defeated the Scion of Evil: Significantly increased your virtue value]
[Saved the City: Significantly increased your virtue value]
[Level up] [Level up] [Level up]
[Slight stat increase] [Slight stat increase] [Slight stat increase]
[Gained 30 Commander Skill Points]
[New units added]
[You can now build military facilities]
[Kingdom Swordsmanship has leveled up]
[Imperial Swordsmanship has leveled up]
[The level of Dragon King’s Heart Technique has increased.]
[Dragon’s Heart is now open]
[Acquired new skills]
[The level of the Serf Unit has increased. (Promotion possible!)]
[The level of the Serf Unit has increased. (Promotion possible!)]
[The level of the Archer Unit has increased. (Promotion possible!)]
[The level of the Archer Unit has increased. (Promotion possible!)]
[The level of the light cavalry has increased.]
[The level of the light cavalry has increased.]
[Renee’s level has increased]
[Achievement: Savior of the City]
[Achievement: Foe of the Evil Gods]
[Achievement: Heir to the Light]
“Wow.”
That’s a lot.
Level ups, skills, legion levels up, tons of achievements, and something I’ve never seen before.
‘Building military facilities?’
This was another phrase I hadn’t seen in Fantasy Monarch, but I had a vague idea of what it was.
‘In Fantasy Monarch, you had things like forges and markets in your manor.’
Adding a forge naturally increased the amount of equipment you could add to your legions, and adding a market allowed you to get things like items as well as food and weapons.
‘I can’t wait to get this stuff up.’
The points were always at most 15 points, but this time, I just earned more than 50 points.
I have achieved several achievements, so if I add them all up, it will easily exceed 50 points.
‘Oh, and my serf troops can finally be promoted.’
Regular Infantry.
The stronger the troop, the stronger the troop’s Hero, the stronger the troop and Hero, the stronger the Legion, the stronger Yoo-seong himself.
This meant that if a serf unit was promoted to regular infantry, that alone would increase the modifiers on Yoo-seong himself, making him more powerful in battle.
‘I miss the regular infantry.’
It wasn’t just Jimmy who kept catching my eye.
Kate’s changes would be no less dramatic since the entire unit would be upgraded.
But Yoo-seong couldn’t stay focused on the status window.
He heard familiar footsteps on the other side of the door.
“Heir, it’s Rene. I’m coming in.”
Yoo-seong smiled slightly as he heard the words from the door, which he assumed were meant to be polite, but were nevertheless said, and then, as expected, Rene opened the door and entered.
“You’re up.”
Rene, who had brought a tray of simple food, smiled broadly and walked over.
Yoo-seong smiled back, then turned to Rene, who looked tired.
“You haven’t been sleeping, have you?”
“What? Uh……I did sleep, just a little.”
Laughing, Renee offered Yoo-seong some of the food she had brought.
It was a meat soup and soft bread that was easy to eat for breakfast, but as soon as he took a bite, his appetite was so strong that he couldn’t stop eating.
Rene smiled again at how well Yoo-seong was eating, then gave a brief report.
“The kobolds have fled far away, and Sir Simone has taken care of the conscripts, with Robin and Edgar helping.”
The cleanup after the battle wasn’t just about cleaning up the fallen.
Collecting the bodies of allies and reorganizing the survivors was just as important.
After quickly relaying that yesterday’s battle had cost nearly a third of the conscript’s lives, Rene spoke up when Yoo-seong finished his meal.
“Lord Simone is waiting for you, along with Uncle Hugo’s vassals, now that you are……lord of Lothian.”
Rene’s voice trailed off for a moment, perhaps because she was thinking of Baron Latus, but at the end she smiled again and said, “Lord of Lothian.”
Lord of Lothian.
Baron Latus’ will.
Feeling a new pang in his heart, Yoo-seong asked, somewhat reflexively.
“Rene, didn’t Baron Latus have……children?”
The rightful heir to the estate.
Rene’s face turned bitter at Yoo-seong’s question.
“He did, but they say he died on the battlefield before I was born.”
It was a sad story.
It also explained why Lord Simone had taken things so calmly yesterday.
‘Lord of Lothian.’
Yoo-seong himself had inherited Lothian.
He became the lord of Lothian.
Suddenly, he felt a rush of excitement.
I don’t know what to say.
I was suddenly in another world, summoning the spirits of Camelot and fighting monsters, but this was a different feeling.
I mean, I was the heir to a king, but I didn’t have a manor or a kingdom.
But now I have a realm.
It was all too sudden, but Yoo-seong had his own base.
‘From here on out.’
The Era of the Ominous Star.
Heir of the Holy King.
The descendants of the evil gods.
Taking a deep breath, Yoo-seong stood up.
“Alright, then, shall we go?”
As much as he wanted to manage his legions through the status window, this was urgent and important.
He had to take over as Lord of Lothian once and for all and to face the vassals left behind by Baron Latus as Lord of Lothian.
“Yes, Mr. Yoo-seong.”
Rene replied with a broad smile, rising from her seat to lead the way toward the lord’s office, where Lord Simone and the rest of Lothian’s vassals were gathered.