Chapter 45: What Kind of King Do You Want to Be?

Su Ya finally still couldn't understand what Mei Li's words actually meant.

Arriving in this world,

Breaking through the encirclement of the Conqueror King's army,

And battling wits and bravery with this group of round‑table Knights—whether false or real—who gathered around his identity,

He has never had any choice,

He has always been forced to make choices that benefit himself.

He is like a small boat swept into raging waves by the torrent of the age,

No matter what thoughts he holds, what deep‑buried desires in his heart, or what pure and simple nature he possesses.

This world has never given him a chance to choose.

And suddenly hearing Mei Li say she might become some impressive figure, someone with a "once‑in‑a‑millennium" prefix,

Su Ya initially just found it funny.

Even such a weak self, even if he makes a decision, what can he change?

But soon,

These inexplicable words lingered in his mind, like viscous silk drawn from a spider's belly, coiling round and round his heart, clogging it, rustling at his ears and in his chest,

Leaving him sleepless through the night.

#

"Sir Dagonite, why are you the one who came today?"

The next day, in the early morning.

Su Ya, with dark circles under his eyes, had slept only an hour before crawling out of the tent, heading to the rendezvous point on the camp side agreed with Lu Kan, ready to learn the combat skill called Shadow Vanish from him.

However,

At this moment, it was not Lu Kan who appeared, but Dagonite, clad in silver‑white plate armor, his face bearing a template‑like flattering smile.

Compared with yesterday, his armor bore several claw marks and dents, the seams filled with grass fragments, leaf roots, and soil, and his face was smeared with dirty stains of mud and sweat.

At that moment, seeing Su Ya approach, Dagonite placed a hand on his chest and said respectfully:

"My king, the one responsible for teaching you Shadow Vanish is none other than your most loyal Knight, Dagonite!"

Su Ya nodded, "I see, then let's begin."

Although the instructor had changed, and it seemed something odd might have happened in between,

Su Ya had no intention to investigate; as long as the other could teach him, that was enough.

His throne is false, his identity is false, the knights who swear fealty to him are false, and even the authenticity of that loyalty is most likely false as well.

But Su Ya is certain that the combat skill he learns, the power that rises after filling his stomach, is undeniably real.

At this moment,

Dagonite, however, bowed slightly, the blackened horizon reflected behind him, and suddenly asked:

"Before this, my king, Dagonite has a question to ask you."

"Please speak."

Dagonite lowered his head and began solemnly:

"Although it is odd for a clown‑like humble me to raise this question, we, who are loyal to you, need an answer."

"Please forgive my rudeness first."

Su Ya felt slightly strange, but still nodded and replied:

"Go ahead, ask."

Dagonite still did not straighten his posture; though with his strength he could take Su Ya's life at any moment, he remained in the hand‑on‑chest and bowing pose, paused briefly, and then spoke slowly:

"There are seven kings in this world."

"The Magic King Solomon, who, by wisdom and righteousness, was granted a divine throne and guides the rulers of the world with his wisdom."

"Gilgamesh, the heroic king who, in the oldest epics, ruled Mesopotamia with brutality, arrogance, and unrivaled divine power and wealth."

"King Yin Tuoluo, who birthed the sun, sky, and dawn, can single‑handedly breach ninety‑nine castles of Ka Rui Yin, symbolizing triumph over chaos."

"Charlemagne, the great emperor of the Carolingian dynasty, who with divine brilliance and the Twelve Holy Knights rescued and unified Europe."

"Conqueror King Ya Li Ke Xi Ya III, who was born a true ruler, conquered Greece, Egypt, and West Asia, and ruled the most vast lands and strongest army."

"Thorn King Fu La De III, the legendary vampire duke, who, ruling with fear and blood, poisons the world, covering the earth with thorns and blood stakes."

"And also, Caesar the Great, the greatest hero, military commander, and statesman of ancient Rome, whose influence and rule over the Roman Empire persisted even after death."

After introducing the seven existing kings one by one,

Dagonite paused, lifted his head, looked at Su Ya with a very serious expression, his face solemn, and said gravely:

"Then,"

"As the eighth king!"

"You, the destined ruler of all Britannian realms—"

The faint morning light rose slowly from the distant horizon,

Dagonite then whispered,

"What kind of king do you wish to become?"

Hearing this question,

Su Ya strained to digest the terrifying names in Dagonite's words,

And then,

he was stunned.

His first thought was, "What the heck is this?"

The second thought is whether it's still possible to surrender Britannia now.

The seven kingdoms' finest great rulers are, without a doubt, a group whose starting level is at least legendary.

Even my identity, throne, and even the Round Table Knight are fake; even my strength is nothing more than that of a novice swordsman who has just become one.

Are these two comparable?

You ask what kind of king I want to become.

For a moment, Su Ya truly didn't know how to answer this question.

In other words, if, by some miscellaneous accident, I actually ended up on the throne and became king of Britannia,

But compared to those people, I, who know nothing about politics and military and only have a slight knack for imitating others' actions, wouldn't even be a wise ruler; just not becoming a foolish king who ruins the dynasty would already be a great success, right?

He pondered for a moment,

Su Ya scratched his head and looked at Dagonite somewhat innocently.

He couldn't answer this question directly,

but with the atmosphere built up to this point, he also couldn't just say to the knight before him:

"Hello, I'm trash."

He subconsciously wanted to gloss over the issue with flowery words, or say something lofty, like "I swear I'll become the strongest knight king and then lead you to defeat those so-called fake kings and unify the world!"

For Su Ya, who has a con artist's profession, this is not difficult.

He could even make lies sound incredibly moving, his emotions so full as to bring tears to one's eyes, his words so impassioned as to make people unable to stop clapping loudly.

But,

At this moment, Su Ya met Dagonite's gaze toward him.

It was a gaze that had sunk to the bottom of the abyss, in a lightless environment, bewildered, ignorant, at a loss, looking around; even the very essence of 'despair' had vanished, leaving only apathy and numbness, having already understood everything.

Then, at this moment, in this setting,

This clown knight, Dagonite, looked at me with such a wooden gaze, as if he had seen a beam of light descending from heaven.

Su Ya discerned from this gaze——

He does not believe in himself.

He also does not think he can match those rulers he described.

He has never even hoped that he would be willing to 'do' this.

But,

He just looks at me with that gaze, like a moth seeking light, yet knowing the light ahead is not the sun but merely a dull broken bulb—clear, wooden, almost become a habitual stare.

It seems, as long as I next utter the lie he expects,

that knight will be like a moth hitting a lightbulb, knowing it's pointless yet repeatedly crashing headfirst until bloody,

and loudly swear allegiance to me, this broken bulb.

Faced with such a gaze,

Su Ya only felt his throat slightly choke, the lie about to spill out as if blocked by something.

He couldn't utter honey-sweet lies to such a knight.

He had no right to let the knight bear a false king with his life.

He had even less right to promise the knight a future the knight already considered meaningless.

He wanted Dagonite to return to yesterday's slick, cunning self, with edges worn smooth by the world,

which should be the pattern for surviving longer in this world.

Finally,

After a long silence, Su Ya could only avoid that wooden, clear gaze and chuckle foolishly:

"Sorry, Dagonite, I haven't even thought about this question."

"If I must give an answer,"

"I can only answer you."

He paused, then finally said quietly:

"I don't know."

He did not receive the expected answer,

nor did he get the boastful, self-aggrandizing lies heard when, in the past, he stubbornly chose to pledge loyalty to those monarchs.

He didn't even get a decent, clear response.

Dagonite stood frozen in place.

Behind him, the dawn's CD player scattered a corner of darkness and struggled upward.

Finally,

For some reason,

Although clearly given a perfunctory answer, the knight seemed to have finally obtained the long-sought answer,

He held back the sudden moisture at his eye corners, half-kneeled before Su Ya, and buried his head deeply,

His slightly choked words rose on the prairie, drifting far away,

"I have confirmed once again, you are a noble king!"

"My king—"

"Your most cowardly knight, Dagonite."

"I report to you!"

(End of chapter)