I Became a Mythical Knight King

Chapter 57: Lords Meeting Ⅱ (6)

The Dark Elf assassin, Melios, narrowed his eyes.

It had been roughly half an hour since he had set out from Lushen in pursuit of the fleeing lords.

Just as hippogriffs could not sustain long flights, neither could pegasi. However, landing once didn’t mean they couldn’t fly again within half an hour to an hour.

After resting their wings for a while, they could take flight once more. If they couldn’t catch up at this point, the likelihood of losing them entirely was high.

“Visible.”

Beyond the barrier, even in that entirely ashen place, having lost the fire of civilization, the Dark Elves thrived in deep, dark forests and underground.

Darkness couldn’t obstruct the vision of the Dark Elves. The desperate retreating figures of the pegasi riders were vividly imprinted in Melios’ eyes.

“We’ll catch them soon. Prepare for combat.”

While pegasi could fly, their large wings made them inevitably slower than regular horses on the ground.

Melios, mounted on a bicorn, spoke in a low voice. The surrounding Dark Elves sent hand signals to the Ratmen who were slightly trailing behind.

The pegasi numbered just over thirty.

However, among them was the Black Knight of Lothian, who once suddenly summoned nearly a hundred soldiers.

Because of that, Melios had no choice but to assemble a sizable pursuit force.

Thirty Dark Elves mounted on bicorns and three hundred Ratmen riding massive wolf rats.

The Ratmen, receiving the signals from the Dark Elves, breathed heavily as they urged their wolf rats forward.

“We’re close! So close!”

“Now, we’ll overwhelm them!”

Sweat-drenched wolf rats shrieked as they picked up speed.

The Dark Elves, led by Melios, raised hand crossbows, designed to be used one-handed, and aimed at the pegasi.

200 paces.

150 paces.

100 paces.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pat!

A rain of arrows poured down over the heads of the Dark Elves and Ratmen.

Melios and the Dark Elves, who were aiming at the pegasi, were startled and hastily protected their heads, but the Ratmen were not as fortunate.

“Keeek!”

“Kaak!”

“Graaaagh!”

Ratmen, pierced through their heads or shoulders, fell off their wolf rats. The toppled Ratmen caused chaos, as others stumbled or stepped on them, disrupting the formation of the wolf rats.

What was worse was the continued rain of arrows.

“Raise shields! Raise the shields!”

As the Ratmen commander shouted desperately, Melios turned to look at the side where the arrows were coming from.

On a distant hill, under the moonlight, dozens of Elves with pale white skin stood out starkly as they drew their bows.

The distance was over 400 paces.

A range far beyond the ordinary bow, yet the Elves’ arrows rained down on the heads of the pursuers as if it were a lie.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pat!

“Keeek!”

“Graaaagh!”

While the Dark Elves managed to dodge or block the arrows, the Ratmen were helplessly struck down.

Melios had to make a decision.

Would he pursue the pegasi through the hail of arrows, or would he attack the Elven archers?

“There! Over there! Charge! There aren’t many of them!”

At that moment, the Ratman commander shouted, pointing to the hill.

Although the Ratman commander, Regal, was effectively following orders due to Narcis’ dominance, the Ratmen were not subordinates to the Dark Elves.

It was strictly an alliance, meaning that even here, Melios did not have sole command.

“Go! Go! Go!”

As the Ratmen charged towards the hill, Melios was again faced with a choice.

Would he assist the Ratmen, or would he and his Dark Elves continue chasing the pegasi on their own?

Pa-pa-pat! Pa-pa-pat!

“To the hill! Attack the Elves!”

The pegasi riders numbered just over thirty, but among them was the Black Knight of Lothian.

Since it was uncertain when another hundred troops might appear, it was too reckless for just the Dark Elves to pursue them without the Ratmen.

They would attack the Elves first, then go after the pegasi again.

Though it meant circling around, there was no other choice.

“Hold your ground! Close the distance!”

Even with their small shields, no more than 30cm in diameter, the Dark Elves managed to deflect most of the arrows.

Some arrows struck the bicorns, but a couple of arrows weren’t enough to bring down the sturdy bicorns.

“Keeek!”

“Ack!”

“Ugh!”

Of course, during all this, the Ratmen continued to fall, but it was unavoidable.

“Just a bit further!”

They were almost there.

They were about to reach the hill!

But then it happened.

The rain of arrows seemed to cease momentarily, and the Elves on the hill began to run.

“Fools! Do they think they can escape?!”

The Ratman commander, furious from the arrow barrage, mocked the Elves, but only for a moment.

The speed at which the Elves were moving was far too fast.

“The, the distance is growing!?”

It was true.

Instead of closing in, the distance between them and the Elves began to widen again.

The speed of the Elves’ movement was too fast to believe they were running on foot.

Melios panted heavily.

The Ratmen and their wolf rats behind him were even worse off.

Suddenly, fatigue washed over them, and the pace of the pursuers slowed.

This gave rise to another volley of arrows.

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pat!

As the distance widened again, the Elves turned immediately and rained arrows down upon them once more.

“Aaagh!”

“Ugh!”

Again, the Ratmen fell.

Melios clenched his teeth.

The Elves were already naturally swift and agile, as were the Dark Elves. But the ones before him exceeded all expectations.

Running on two feet, they were practically behaving like mounted archers.

“Captain! The pegasi!”

Hearing a shout from beside him, Melios turned his head, swallowing a curse.

While they had been chasing the Elves, the distance had widened, and the pegasi had begun to take flight again.

“Retreat! Retreat!”

The Ratman commander shouted from behind.

Melios wanted to yell at him in protest, but he gritted his teeth and held back.

The pegasi were already airborne, and the number of Ratmen who had died had now exceeded dozens.

The pursuit had failed.

“Retreat.”

Suppressing his voice, Melios gave the order, and the Dark Elves also turned and began to flee.

Now it was the Elves’ turn to pursue the retreating Dark Elves and Ratmen.

Pa-pa-pa-pat! Pa-pa-pa-pat!

“Wind!”

Melios cast a wind spell to scatter the arrow rain, but it was barely enough to protect the Dark Elves.

He couldn’t stop the Ratmen from dying.

“Turn back!”

Shouting quickly, Melios turned his bicorn around.

The Elves, as if they had been waiting, stopped firing and started running again.

This time, they widened the distance.

“Those damned bastards!”

A curse finally escaped Melios’ lips.

But the Elves paid no attention and soon stopped again, unleashing another rain of arrows. Melios had no choice but to retreat once more, almost in desperation.

“A grand success.”

The commander of the elven archery unit, Vanadain, let out slightly labored breaths as he spoke. Amidst the elves sprinting on foot, one lone rider on horseback, Yoo Seong, gazed at the elven archers with a satisfied expression.

When he had acquired Gareth’s Golden Shield, Vanadain had said:
‘I remember a bit now.’
‘I think I know how I used to fight.’

But in reality, he hadn’t shown any significant changes in his combat performance since then. This was because both battles that followed were defensive sieges, relegating him to a stationary turret-like role.

This battle, however, was different.
Vanadain’s new skill: High-Speed Maneuvering.
And the elven archers, who could keep pace with Vanadain’s speed.

The effects of Vanadain’s High-Speed Maneuvering weren’t limited to himself. It enhanced the mobility of the entire unit, allowing the already swift elves to become even faster.

When combined with Yoo Seong’s Gale Order, which boosted movement speed, it created an elite rapid-deployment archery unit whose mobility surpassed even cavalry archers, as Melios had grudgingly praised.

“That deserves a curse.”

Yoo Seong recalled pulling a similar maneuver back during his Fantasy Monarch days, using Haste magic on archers to achieve comparable results. Even that had caused his enemies to seethe in rage. Vanadain’s elven archers, however, were on a whole new level. Their attack range and accuracy were incomparable to those of human archers.

“Well done, everyone. That was an exemplary performance,” Yoo Seong praised.

The elven archers, beaming with pride, saluted him with hands over their chests.

“For the glory of Camelot.”
“For the glory of Camelot.”

Returning the salute, Yoo Seong dismissed Vanadain and the archers for the time being.

[Victory achieved.]
[Commander Points: +30.]

It was the second status window message he had seen that day—once after escaping Lushen and now again.

After confirming the brief notification, Yoo Seong urged his horse forward, galloping towards the Pegasi that had briefly taken to the skies before landing again.

“Ahahaha! Another glorious victory! I knew we could count on you!”

As Yoo Seong returned, Baron Laval cheered exuberantly amidst the recently landed Pegasi. The other lords, though less flamboyant than Laval, were visibly relieved and pleased.

“Congratulations,” said Baroness Ober with a radiant smile. Her merchant instincts, having reawakened after the tension, now regarded Yoo Seong as a glittering treasure chest.

The Age of Calamities had begun in earnest. Chaos was spreading, and this man was destined to rise far beyond his current rank of baron.

‘Better secure a place now,’ she thought. Building a good rapport before his worth became widely recognized was crucial.

The other lords, too, were no fools. Now that they had witnessed the value of Lothian’s Black Knight firsthand, their minds were racing:

‘Did I act rudely?’
‘I might’ve sided with Laval’s antics earlier. Hopefully, he didn’t notice.’

Some, however, were astonished for different reasons.
‘An elven archer unit? Could he really be a third-tier Knight?’

Already shocked by his troops, they now saw elite Pegasi cavalry and elven archers. To them, it felt like Yoo Seong revealed all his trump cards, but Baron Henri had no way of knowing this.

‘What other units does he have hidden? How many more soldiers can he summon?’

Count Carian, the only count among the lords, observed Yoo Seong with a more complex expression. His rank and perspective naturally set him apart.

After responding briefly to the lords, Yoo Seong turned to Rene. She had wiped away her tear-streaked face and greeted him with a bright smile, though her usual energy seemed diminished.

“You worked hard,” she said.
“So did you,” he replied.

Though he considered saying more, he left it with a smile and turned his attention to the others. Jillian, pale as ever from the ordeal, seemed unharmed, as did Ruan.

“Are we heading to the monastery now?” Laval asked, speaking for the other lords, who shared the same curiosity.

Instead of answering directly, Yoo Seong looked back at Rene. The reason for his hesitation wasn’t something Rene fully understood, but after all they had endured together, her unwavering gaze told him she would follow him no matter what. Yoo Seong nodded and turned back to the lords.

“Lords, you’ll proceed to the monastery with Robin. I will return to Lushen.”

“Are you mad!?” Laval exclaimed in shock.

The other lords were equally baffled, but Count Carian seemed to grasp Yoo Seong’s intent.

Lushen wasn’t a city directly bordering unexplored territory; it was a rear-line city for both Lothian and Artois. An enemy incursion into Lushen created a precarious situation, potentially forcing them to fight on two fronts.

“Are you planning to retake Lushen? Alone?” Baroness Ober asked hesitantly but Yoo Seong shook his head.

Given the uncertainty of how many ratmen occupied Lushen, reclaiming the city solo was utterly unrealistic.

“The ratmen used tunnels to infiltrate Lushen. I plan to destroy those tunnels,” he explained.

Land worms didn’t create massive tunnels instantaneously. Destroying the existing tunnels would isolate the ratmen for the time being.

The lords, now understanding, nodded in agreement—albeit briefly.

But how could he destroy the tunnels? Their gazes, filled with doubt, fell on Yoo Seong, who turned to Rene and Jillian before replying.

“I have a plan.”