Fate: The Forged Arthur Pendragon

A wave of despair instantly spread across the silent plain.

Nearly a hundred gazes shifted from astonishment to trembling, then to fear, Finally, solidifying into despair.

Solidifying into the shock of betrayal and a sudden surge of furious rage.

Innumerable suddenly cold gazes instantly converged on Su Ya.

Even Lucan, kneeling beside Su Ya, changed his expression, thinking, Is this kid crazy?

Hadn't he hinted enough? If they were deserters, what about you, the kingdom's heir? Weren't you a coward who fled with your tail between your legs before the Conqueror King's army?!

What right do you have to say that about us?

Thoughts identical to Lucan's simultaneously arose in the mind of every knight present.

Under this oppressive atmosphere, Su Ya let out a heavy breath. He looked around, his gaze sweeping over each of the kneeling knights before him.

Then, Su Ya closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and continued:

"I am not your King!"

"I am also a deserter, helpless and powerless in this disaster!"

Hearing this, the knights exchanged glances, somewhat unable to comprehend, but the coldness in their eyes lessened slightly as they listened to Su Ya continue:

"My careless act of drawing away the allied cavalry nearly cost me my life,"

"But—"

"At that moment, it was Ector, it was all of you, who saved me in my most desperate hour."

"And now, you want to call a deserter like me King!"

Su Ya opened his eyes, a look of dismay in them, and spoke earnestly to the knights:

"I cannot, against my conscience, accept the excuse Ector arranged for me. I only charged to save my life, and I only just learned of my identity!"

"Forgive me, everyone!"

"As one who aims to become a knight, I cannot betray the vow I am about to make—"

"I must treat my friends with sincerity!"

"Ector, in an attempt to conceal my guilt, made brave men like you share this humiliation with me. This, no matter what, I absolutely do not endorse!"

Su Ya gritted his teeth, his gaze sweeping over the faces of each knight.

He suddenly raised his hand, striking his own chest, and declared with a resonant voice:

"You are true warriors who followed Ector through the encirclement, disregarding life and death. I cannot, because of my mistakes, allow you to bear this ill repute!"

"Therefore, if you are deserters, I cannot be your King and accept your fealty!"

"A knight may pledge fealty to a false king, but a knight must never bear the crimes of a false king!"

As his words fell,

The assembled knights slowly raised their heads in a daze. Among them, the mustached cavalry captain suddenly understood, then, with a hint of distress, he couldn't help but try to dissuade him:

"My King, you don't have to do this!"

"We... we actually also..."

They also wanted to live, they also didn't want to die... It was precisely because of this that they had deliberately turned a blind eye after realizing that 'Ector' was not 'Ector'—as close confidantes of the true Ector, how could they not recognize their master's true identity after several days of interaction?

It was also precisely because of this that they followed 'Ector,' choosing not to expose his clumsy excuse, but instead helping him conceal it at every turn. In the end, they even chose to betray their allied forces behind them and abandoned them under such an absurd pretext.

At this moment,

Compared to the sincere, upright, and noble heir to the kingdom before them,

They were the ones who were most self-aware, most frivolous and sly, most malicious and cunning!

But... because of the vows they took when they became professionals,

No matter how conflicted, how guilty, how much he even wanted to confess everything, the mustached knight simply couldn't continue speaking.

If he spoke further, he would die.

The desire for his own life outweighed his loyalty to the King. This made him feel a deep sense of immorality, yet he could not express it. He could only mumble, trembling all over, looking at Su Ya with an apologetic expression.

"You needn't say more!"

Su Ya took a deep breath, directly asserting and defining the matter.

He then abruptly changed the subject, stating gravely:

"King Uther is dead, the armies of Britain are scattered, and the throne is vacant. I had no intention of becoming King, nor do I have the right to be the King of Britain."

"But—"

"Now, someone must step forward to change all of this, and someone must bear this guilt that no one else is willing to bear!"

"I am willing to strive for this!"

"Now, follow me,"

"Your merits, I shall acknowledge!"

"Your sins, I shall bear!"

"Our most important task currently is—"

At this point, Lucan suddenly spoke, interrupting Su Ya's almost-spoken words, and declared enthusiastically:

"Our primary objective right now is to support the new King's ascension and restore order to the kingdom's governance!"

"Britain possesses the strength to resist Macedon!"

"The mighty knights, the valiant heroes, and the spirits of myth and legend with their knightly orders—they have not yet joined this war!"

"We have only temporarily encountered a small setback!"

"And only the fated King of the Entire Realm of Britain, only he—"

"Su Ya Pendragon, has the right to command these legends!"

Upon hearing this, especially the words "King of the Entire Realm" and "legends," the kneeling knights' eyes brightened, and their previously negative emotions became elevated.

Lucan didn't care how Arthur Pendragon had suddenly become Su Ya Pendragon from the magician girl's lips. Still, sticking to his professional integrity as a swindler, he immediately began to spout nonsense:

"Gentlemen, our actions at this moment are righteous!"

"Our King is noble!"

"And our future will surely be victorious!"

Su Ya couldn't help but glance at him from the corner of his eye, thinking, Why is this Ector so different from how he's described in the books? Wasn't he supposed to be quiet and hardworking?

But why is he so good at speeches? Why am I even getting a little excited? Su Ya was almost afraid the other party would follow up with "applause, please."

And then, Lucan took a deep breath.

Dragging the long spear, he leveled it, holding it with both hands and presenting it to Su Ya.

"Su Ya Pendragon!"

"Your character is admirable, your will is commendable. Without a doubt, you are the true King of Britain!"

Lucan solemnly bowed his head before Su Ya and declared:

"I swear my fealty to you, even unto death!"

At these words, The kneeling knights, who had been looking up at Su Ya, could no longer restrain themselves. They all lowered their heads, drew their swords, and held them out with both hands towards Su Ya, acknowledging him in unison:

"You are the upright King!"

"We, unto death, swear our fealty to you!"

As these words were uttered, Su Ya heard the dice clattering loudly in his ears!

[Talent: Heart of Legend, triggered!]

[You have successfully performed a small-scale fraud ritual.]

[Your 'King (Ex)' path progress (100/100), progress met, ritual conditions met—]

[You have gained a new E-rank profession: Swindler.]

[You have gained a professional specialty: Swindler's Aura.]

But Su Ya didn't have time to examine it closely. After casually taking the yellow spear from his 'foster father,' He immediately revealed his true intention after that long string of words—

"Ector, do you know your crime?"

Lucan froze: "Huh?"

Su Ya, with a straight face, lowered his voice, yet intentionally spoke loud enough for everyone around to hear, stating gravely:

"You wished to make brave warriors bear my guilt, to make noble knights unjustly endure slander!"

"I shall temporarily confiscate your weapon and your mount—"

"Punishing you to follow the company on foot!"

At this moment,

Watching the golden-haired youth, who possessed an increasingly 'kingly aura,' deliver such a seemingly minor punishment, merely a slight admonishment,

Lucan was struck by a critical hit to his vital point! Heaven help him, he had endured so much hardship since being captured by King Uther, yet he hadn't gained many rewards. The most valuable thing he had was this stolen spear!

But he couldn't refuse. He could only watch as Su Ya took his spear and unceremoniously mounted his white horse.

The entire company followed suit, beginning their journey home.

Lucan's smile beneath his mask instantly stiffened.