Chapter 15: The Manifestation of Legend

Pass through the pass, and you'll arrive at the plains of the Bern fief; Sir Ecto's manor is right there.

"Sir Ecto?"

Su Ya was startled, thinking to himself, isn't this Arthur's adoptive father?

And how could Sir Ecto's lands be right next to the capital?

According to the description in *The Death of King Arthur*, Sir Ecto has holdings throughout Britannia, Wales, and even Scotland, with a past of lost estates.

But this world looks abnormal.

After all, which Macedonian kingdom would be linked to Britannia, with the Conqueror King beginning to conquer King Arthur? What on earth is this world like?

Only Britannia alone already resembles the description in *The Court of Avalon*, where there are knights who can tear formations apart with their hands, and magicians like Mei Li.

In *The Court of Avalon*, Sir Ecto is described as living on his estate with his two sons, training daily, which doesn't make him look that wealthy.

"Yes, this is exactly where we're headed. After the second fortress fell, the Bern fief gathered a massive number of scattered broken troops; most of them retreated toward the Golden Iron Curtain for survival, as did we, but we were unfortunately blocked and slaughtered by the Conqueror King's army; however, a cowardly portion remains scattered near Sir Ecto's manor, too afraid to advance."

Mei Li spread her hands,

"But because of that, they survived."

Su Ya nodded; he was unfamiliar with the land, though he could roughly understand that the map of this region resembled a template of England.

But he had never been to England.

"So, what are we doing here?"

Mei Li furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, and explained:

"We need people; just the two of us can't get far in the war‑torn western kingdom."

"With your status you can rally some of the stray soldiers; the western side is impassable, so we must turn north, skirt around the Golden Iron Curtain, and head straight for the capital Winchester; that seems the most feasible route right now."

It does sound reasonable.

Su Ya couldn't help but furrow his brow,

"But if even you can think of this, wouldn't the Conqueror King think of it too?"

"." The remark left Mei Li speechless; she didn't know how to answer.

If the north is sealed off, how can they reach the capital?

And if the capital itself is inaccessible, let alone letting Su Ya inherit the throne.

"Hmm, we can only take it one step at a time."

Mei Li looked ahead helplessly, then her gaze hardened,

"However, the broken troops still near Sir Ecto's manor are now the only force we can rely on."

Su Ya opened his mouth, sounding a bit weak,

"You just said they're a group of deserters, or a group of cowardly deserters."

"You don't expect me to lead this crowd against the Conqueror King's Macedonian phalanx and allied cavalry, do you?"

"And, would these people really follow me?"

At this point, Arthur Pendragon hadn't yet drawn the Sword in the Stone; no one really knew who he was, only that he was Sir Ecto's adopted son, a stablehand who wasn't even a knight's squire.

Even when he finally drew the Sword in the Stone, he was delayed repeatedly by nobles and kings, from the Grand Revelation Festival to the Holy Candle Festival, then to the Revival Festival, and again to the Holy Spirit Descent Festival.

After such delays, Arthur barely succeeded in ascending the throne.

After his accession came a slew of messes; real governance only began when Archmage Merlin offered counsel and allied with kings beyond Britannia, allowing him to truly seize power.

Even Arthur, of royal blood, found being king so arduous,

Su Ya, on the other hand, is merely a stand‑in for King Arthur, with no connection at all to the Pendragon family.

Thinking of that made Su Ya uneasy, but Mei Li, who had just been fooled into believing he was the true king, sat ahead of him, so he couldn't bring it up.

He could only swallow the thought, flashing an awkward yet polite smile.

At that moment,

the two rode their horses far away from the formation behind them,

To Su Ya's surprise, shortly after a red flare was launched near the central army's banner, almost all the scouting cavalry turned their heads and headed toward the signal's origin.

During this, a squad of scouting cavalry saw Su Ya on the road but made no inquiry or interception,

The entire Macedonian army's western side seemed completely empty, allowing Su Ya to ride freely.

Something major must have happened in the army behind him,

Movements everywhere in the forces felt abnormal.

Su Ya didn't know his actions triggered the chain reaction, but he realized it was an opportunity.

Ahead lay the pass leading to the Bern fief that Mei Li mentioned,

He was only one step away from escape!

However,

At that very moment—

Something unbelievable happened to Su Ya!

He found himself… glowing!

Literally, his body suddenly began to emit light, shifting from dim to dazzling, even brighter than sunlight.

And Mei Li, sitting ahead of him, felt the edges of her vision suddenly as if struck by a flash spell; her complexion changed instantly,

"Huh? Why is there such a sudden, violent magical fluctuation?!"

Suddenly—

"Swoosh!"

A pillar of light shot up from Su Ya's body!

Piercing the clouds, breaking the sky!

A white, holy pillar of light linked heaven and earth, brightly illuminating the entire western pass.

"Wait, this is the disturbance of a treasure solidifying; it only appears on the body of its legendary owner when a legend begins to spread and manifest!"

Mei Li's pupils suddenly contracted, and she instantly felt her scalp go numb.

What did you do?

"You're asking me?" Su Ya pointed at himself, bewildered,

I don't know!

Then can you turn off this effect?

If this continues, we'll die!

How do we turn it off?

I don't know either!

"." Su Ya fell silent.

He only felt his heart suddenly thump-thump, beating rapidly.

The light pillar lighting up the whole western pass seemed to clearly mark Su Ya's position for the enemy, even within a visual range that didn't require a map.

Extremely conspicuous!

But the problem is, he's currently in the middle of an escape!

Having just toyed with a ten-thousand-strong army, he does this at the critical moment when he's about to flee on horseback.

It's not like he's patting his butt to tell the enemy:

You, come over!

Su Ya instantly felt his scalp go numb.

Without any hesitation, he immediately kicked the horse's belly hard, driving the warhorse to charge forward at full speed!

Giddyap giddyap giddyap giddyap giddyap giddyap!

Faster!

Damn it, give me more speed!

#

And just as Su Ya fled in a daze,

On the other side,

Upon the long hills, a figure almost straight as an arrow charging toward the western pass suddenly lifted its head,

The man on horseback, with red long hair and a sinister visage, upon seeing the figure marked by the light pillar,

could not help but reveal a cruel smile.

(End of chapter)