Chapter 10: Your Loyalty Goes Unnoticed
Ian turned his head.
He saw Vortigern standing outside the tent flap, moonlight falling on him like gauze, as if dyeing him with a touch of simple white.
Those eyes, which had experienced years alongside King Uther, now held complex emotions.
Ian knew that Vortigern, standing before him, already understood that he had come to assassinate him tonight.
"When did you find out?"
Ian asked coldly.
Since he was exposed, he no longer remained silent as before.
"Hmm... if you're asking about that."
Vortigern walked into the tent alone—he showed no fear of Ian, who had come to assassinate him.
"Perhaps it was from the moment you said you wanted to kill the enemy but did not swear allegiance to me."
Only then did Ian realize that his cleverness had completely escaped Vortigern's notice.
He had seen everything.
"Vortigern, you have no right to ask me to do that; I will only pledge allegiance to..."
Before Ian could finish, Vortigern spoke first:
"King Uther's daughter, named Morgan, right?"
"Your repeated defeats were merely to win her favor, and you didn't even let her know any of this. You simply silently bore all the blame."
"Ian, do you really think it's worth it?"
There was no hint of blame in Vortigern's words; they were more like an elder sage advising a younger generation.
Ian knew this was an attempt to sway his resolve, and he immediately replied:
"It's worth it!"
"There's nothing wrong with a knight bearing blame for the person he has sworn allegiance to!"
"But what if the person you swear allegiance to chooses to sacrifice you merely for their own selfish desires?" Vortigern looked directly at Ian before him, "Do you still think there's nothing wrong with that?"
"Selfish desires?"
"Yes." Vortigern sighed deeply, "A Princess, yet personally commanding the front lines, never having commanded before, yet winning repeatedly."
"Anyone who looks at the overall situation can see there's a big problem—it's all just to show off her clumsy skills in front of her father, the King."
"I should have been grateful for such foolish behavior leading Britain's army to perdition, but I never expected my brother's mind to remain sharp with age, seeing through all of this."
"It's truly regrettable."
[Vortigern's calm narration made you fully understand the reason Morgan appeared on the front lines of the battlefield.]
[You are fortunate that King Uther is wise and was not deceived by his daughter's tricks.]
[But your loyalty still belongs to Morgan.]
"No, Your Majesty transferred Princess Morgan for other reasons!" Ian retorted, "It's absolutely not as you said!"
"But what reason could my brother have to transfer a general who has achieved such military success from the front lines?" Vortigern mercilessly pointed out the problem.
"Is he worried about his daughter's safety?"
"But if that were the case, he wouldn't have let her go to the battlefield in the first place."
"..."
Ian fell silent.
In fact, Ian had already sensed everything Vortigern was saying just now.
But—
That was Morgan.
The one he had sworn allegiance to.
No matter what she did, he should accept it!
[You draw the blade Morgan gave you and thrust it towards Vortigern.]
[As a former knight of Britain, now a minion of the White Dragon, your attack is fierce and swift.]
[Talent 'Battle Continuation++' has been replaced with 'Heart of Resolution++': You have begun your attempt to assassinate Vortigern. You have a premonition that you will die here, but before that, your attention will be completely focused on the act of assassinating Vortigern.]
[But just as when you first met Vortigern, as the King of Betrayal, he possesses an intuition beyond imagination, and your attacks are difficult to land on him.]
[You fight your way out of the tent and into the center of the camp, drawing a large number of soldiers.]
[Talent 'Proxy++' activated.]
[Dark clouds obscure the bright moon in the sky. Everyone except Vortigern mistakes you for Morgan because of the sword in your hand, and no one questions it.]
[Vortigern's strength is far superior to yours. While evading your attacks, he constantly counterattacks, and your wounds are increasing.]
[Talent 'Fighting with Life' activated.]
[The pain of the wounds instead clears your mind. You realize how dangerous the King of Betrayal, Vortigern, is. He might become a stumbling block for Morgan in the future.]
[So even if you truly die here today, you are determined to do more for her.]
[Your body begins to display abilities far beyond its usual capacity, which intimidates the soldiers who wanted to come closer to help.]
[Vortigern had only witnessed your strong will to survive; he had never seen your courage when resolved to die.]
[Seizing this opportunity, you finally manage to leave a scar on his face.]
[But that was all. Vortigern quickly reacted, and you were swiftly knocked to the ground.]
"Stop."
Vortigern stopped all the soldiers who tried to approach.
"All of you, stand back."
No one dared to defy the White Dragon King.
In the dim night, Vortigern bent down, looking at Ian lying in a pool of blood, and sighed deeply.
"Young man, no, I should call you Ian."
"Do you know? If you had just once entered the tent without your sword, you would have realized that it was a trap I set for you—I never rest there."
"But I never saw you like that, and you didn't discover it was my trap."
"Do you know? I feel that if there had been an opportunity, we should have become better lord and vassal."
Pfft—
Ian spat a mouthful of blood onto Vortigern's face.
"That's absolutely impossible! I will only pledge allegiance to Princess Morgan!"
"Kill me, Vortigern!"
"..."
Vortigern was not angered by Ian's unreasonable behavior.
On the contrary, he felt even more regretful.
Vortigern wiped away the blood flowing from the wound on his face.
"Ian, your loyalty moves me, but your stubbornness also makes me feel foolish."
"I will not kill you."
"Because your actions will bring you consequences more painful than death."
"Withdraw the troops from this place!" Vortigern raised a hand. "We are opening a new battlefield to overthrow Britain!"
"Oh oh oh oh!"
[Vortigern did not deliver the final fatal blow to you.]
[He left here with his troops.]
[You quietly pondered his words in the pool of blood, but could not agree with them at all.]
[For you, Morgan was the entirety of your soul.]
[Your consciousness gradually blurred, and Morgan's figure appeared before you once again.]
[You closed your eyes, preparing to leave this world with the lingering image before you.]
[And at this moment, you heard a familiar sound.]
[It was the horn of Britain—they had arrived here.]