To be a King (3)

I could easily remember the full extent of the legend behind Nennius of Britannia and the battle for Londinium.

The sheer brutality and combat prowess displayed by the heavily-wounded Briton after being defeated by Julius Caesar were nothing short of legendary.

The highly-detailed kill count after receiving that fatal injury to his head that was forwarded by Geoffrey of Monmouth made it clear that whatever had happened in that fight, it was somehow connected to the blade that was now mine to use.

Crocea Mors was… immensely powerful even after so many years of inactivity.

I remember that when Altuos first looked at it, he had almost vibrated at the chance of studying the peculiar sword, whispering furiously and swiftly over the various effects that the runes impressed upon the metal were giving to the renowned weapon.

All of it was the result of masterful work from the old Magecraft available only to the most powerful members of the Roman Empire, which became a lovely attachment to Caesar's innate capacity to win victory through his intelligence.

Yet what truly got me hooked over this lucky discovery was how it exactly worked and why I had to make sure that this sword would always remain under my control.

Once it had bonded with its wielder, Crocea Mors would give them the power to obtain victory upon close-ranged fights in any circumstance.

Yep, I was holding the first ever Aimbot ever created and I wasn't feeling even a glimpse of shame of keeping it around.

Of course I had to put it away while training with Marcus as we were both quick to notice that I couldn't just be beaten while I was holding the sword.

Not even in the unfairness of a 'one against four' spar I came ever close to face defeat against my opponent, surprising the soldiers that had been mustered for the task.

I was incredibly quick, my reaction time was absurdly synchronized with my pace and I could barely feel winded even after numerous spars of various difficulty.

It was good news because it offered me the edge over personal fights with any opponent but I was well-aware that trusting too much the blade for my successes would be a quick way to fall against some lucky opponent.

Caesar did lose it while battling against Nennius, but while the famous Roman general had plenty of experience to still be a skilled fighter without Crocea Mors, I was still someone that trusted his combat ability upon years spent playing videogames and playing with sticks back in my childhood.

Plus, a well-aimed arrow could easily kill me even while holding such a powerful artifact.

But I couldn't help but also worry about the fact that Excalibur was now a possibility since Crocea Mors was now there and I was frightened by the prospect of fighting the current holder of such blade, either King Arthur himself or one of the various people that 'shared' the name with him.

I mean, if Crocea Mors was this strong, God knows how much stronger Excalibur would be- and that is without considering other weapons like Caliburn, Caladbolg, Rhongomyniad, and Gae Bolg.

If these blades were actually lingering around… then things were surely going to become quite interesting if not panic-inducing for me.

The first spar without the weapon proved to be a good proof to solidify my worries over the matter, with the Commander steamrolling me without much effort.

My built was slim and with some signs of muscles in some places, but I wasn't still fit enough to manage myself into a fight.

Which was a big bad considering that this era saw more actions for kings and I was meant to lead charges into the enemy in case of serious 'fair' battles.

Honor was a thing, but not to the same degree known only to GoT's Starks, and I had to keep myself afloat in the continuous political challenge of my position with a mix of good words and proper successes under my belt.

Which is why training in both swordsmanship and magecraft proved to be the best choice of action for the time being as the preparation for my planned traps continued smoothly thanks to the help of some peasants loyal to the castle.

Felicianus had politely accepted the new burden I've decided to bestow to the priests working at the church, giving them the humble task of setting some rudimentary soup kitchens by some of the unoccupied buildings of the little city.

It had been quite awkward to explain what exactly a 'soup kitchen' was and why it was important to feed those that were now without work and home but the results were in fact showing in the form of the little engineer corps I've managed to create in so little time.

For now it was just a dozen of well-built men with some basic understanding of craftsmanship that would be used as the backbone for the main operation I had set to dispense before the arrival of the army of barbarians.

I had been informed during the training with Altuos about the theoretical understanding of the mystical arts he was teaching me that there was a high chance of 'shamans' following the main force to help with the siege.

Which is why, much to my initial displeasure, I couldn't make use of proper magecraft to set up some traps against the invading banner.

Still, I wasn't even close to see any major issues from this development as it proved that I had to focus myself into developing some hybrid technology that could best fit with the resources we had here in Londinium.

The creation of makeshift mines was a process that was elaborated by some Magus specializing in explosives, but to make it possible for those to not be detected, I had ordered for them to create a process that could work without the usage of magecraft itself.

The presence of various people on this project ended up seeing the problem solved mere hours after its conception.

The proper plans to prepare the explosives were given to the engineers assigned to create and set those mines in specific parts of the muddy paths that led to the fortress and in the forest sections nearby those.

They were accompanied by a small detachment of hunters that were there to sign down on some maps the various locations of the mines that had been deployed so that the removal of those once the hostilities were over and our situation had stabilized.

I couldn't just let Britain become Vietnam, even though I had a strong need to introduce 'Leeroy Jenkins' to the battle cries available to the soldiers.

For now I had managed to get 'Deus Vult' down, getting quite the praise from Felicianus at the mentioning of such thing.

But returning back to the subject about the mines, I have to make a clarification.

The traps were meant to debilitate and reduce the morale within the enemy force, enough to make it possible for our numerically inferior army to smash in their ranks and crack their hopes of victory by sheer panic and surprise.

Morale is the key of major victories, especially when our foes were the ones to be demoralized and drawn to a fickle resistance to our planned counter-attack.

And this is why Soup Kitchens were inherently important for this topic as those would offer our soldiers some means of having a pleasant stay within the castle even after the war was over.

Maybe even create the first professional army since I was still controlling a bunch of half-trained militias that weren't supposed to wage war beyond the current circumstances.

Yet the promise of reforms, of changes that would see them having to worry no longer over their means to rest or their needs of finding something good to eat would surely see something change about it all.

In conjunction to this there was a revival of devotion of the divine figure of God.

With the Church being the direct responsible for feeding so many poor people, many were already starting to feel more attached to their faith in Christianity and many were already dropping their doubts over reverting back to their pagan beliefs.

It was the beginning of my reign and, while I would have wanted to do much more than this in my third day, I knew that risking too much of the treasury would be fatal for the kingdom's economy.

We were working on some closed-circuited system that couldn't survive for long times and a serious victory to give us the opportunity of securing back the nearby villages was a must.

Once we were to reclaim control of those, the coin should start to roll far quicker than it is right now in its sluggish pace.

Major reforms so suddenly would only shake the boat until it flips back around… killing its occupants in the process.

I was preparing multiple plans that would have to be implemented gradually within my kingdom and boy I had some plans over what to do over it all with the beauty of what magecraft was.

Despite the fact it wasn't full-fledged magic and restrained by the laws of nature, these mystical arts were still something that could easily help to speed up the pace of progress for humanity if handled correctly and with some careful approach.

Heck, I wouldn't even dismiss the thoughts of bringing order in mainland Europe once things were properly stabilized in the British Isles, but that was already going to take a while with the various rulers, historical and mystical, still ruling in Scotland and Ireland.

It was easy to imagine the potential and the limits of such advancement, but for now my attention was directed to the invading raiders than to what I could do after beating them.

Which is why I had made sure to also start the construction of some proto-cannons to fix by the walls of the city to offer some artillery coverage for the approaching fight.

It was time to amp up the tune of war and bring in some new instruments of the overture in the battlefield.

Marcus was quite fascinated by what I had defined as the combination of a ballista's direct and precise firing and the firepower available only to a catapult, even asking to 'try out this new toy'.

There were some fires that needed to be dealt with in the last twelve hours, but I've to admit I've never seen someone so battle-hardened look as giddy as a child while shooting his newest weapon.

With the army under Londinium's control almost doubling with the integration of the poor men that had decided to join for the 'glorious last stand to protect the land of God', I was quite sure that a victory against the invading force would be quick to achieve if there weren't any issues happening in the mean time.

But of course, just like it was usual when people were prone to think about this simple sentence in their highest peak of success, something did have to happen to either foil their plan or to introduce something far worse than planned and… I'm quite unsure about what had happened back then.

It all began by the end of lunch and I could remember making my way right to my bedroom to change up with some clothes that best fitted with the training session I had planned to go through with Marcus.

Altuos hadn't been present during the official lunch for important reasons, to which I merely didn't give too much weight about.

He might be my advisor and closest supporter, but he was still the leader of an entire guild and for that he had all the rights to take an absence to deal with whatever situation was going on with his group.

Walking alone in the quiet halls of the castle, I was given some time to prepare for what was going to be another brutal session of trying to get the whole 'dodging' gig going with four guys attacking me at the same time.

That wasn't just realistic! Not even in Dark Soul that was a skill that one could just learn, only luck and RNG playing best for that kind of shenanigans.

Still, the Commander firmly believed in my capacity of pulling that stuff off after some serious efforts and… I was quite sure that the real reason was to see me getting my ass handled easily by his own apprentices.

They were good people that were meaning well with their help, but they weren't sparing me anything during the training sessions, not even a moment to recover from any unplanned trip face-first to the floor.

Groaning quietly at this very thought, I felt myself tensing up and stopping in my steps as I heard some growing noises starting to come right by… the corner of this corridor.

Just as I proceeded to take some cautious steps to try and see what was going on with the distinct sounds that seemed to have been taken by some magic fight from a movie, I saw a cloaked figure set flying towards the wall, only for a bubble-like blue barrier to form around his body and reducing the damage to a minimum.

My eyes widened in shock as I recognized who was I looking at, dread surging as it seemed to be a clear attack to the castle.

Altuos was lying his back on the cold ground as blood slowly pouring from his lips but his half-focused eyes were directed at the responsible for such an attack.

"Y-You will n-not-"

"Spare yourself the unnecessary breathing, Altuos," A suave feminine voice interceded smoothly. "You know well enoughthat you can spare yourself this pain if you relinquish the tome detailing the summoning spell."

Loud steps started to draw closer and soon my sight was over it.

I saw a particularly tall behemoth cover my eyes with its large frame from seeing the owner of the heavenly voice that was responsible for the assault on the elder.

The being was wearing a knight-like armor that had a helmet that perfectly covered their identity with how few openings there were on it.

A shining white blade was on his right hand, while the other palm was busy holding a silver shield with a crow-like insigna onto it.

Before I could have said anything about it, I noticed the armored figure now looking at me with utmost attention, taking a few steps towards me and prompting me to unsheathe Crocea Mors in preparation for an attack.

A quick hum originated from behind it. "It would seem like we have an unexpected guest to our little reunion, I suppose we will have to first deal with him."

As those words concluded, the knight-like titan rushed to the attack, its speed being far faster than any opponent I've have faced just yet and… quite to a degree that I could say that it was truly something inhuman hiding behind helmet.

It took a large swing with its sword, forcing me to jump over it as I approached it with immense caution.

This wasn't just a spar that I could just back away from and… I could already feel the difference by the first dodge.

My breathing started to grow softer, my eyes narrowed on my target and the world seemed to turn in a blur as I plunged briefly the blade of my weapon right into its exposed lower thigh.

It groaned in what I could perceive as pain, but it didn't seem deterred from trying to bash me away as he lifted the sword from its extended reach.

I moved to the side, ducking away as it took another mighty swing in an effort to cleave me in half.

There was something wrong about its maneuvering, something that just felt… inorganic.

Like a robot but… that couldn't just be it.

I continued to think about it as I continued to dodge or deflect away the various attacks sent in my general direction, my attention mostly directed to the little openings popping in its stance as the deadly dance continued.

I could listen some discussion still going in the background while I was fighting this monster.

The woman that commanded my opponent was interacting with Altuos and the elder was rejecting any persuasions coming from the mysterious mastermind of this sudden and unexpected assault.

But I couldn't just… get a glance over where she was standing, the high-paced combat was drawing most of my focus on the still dangerous behemoth.

It had just shrugged off the non-negligible wound on its chest even though it was still bleeding through its armor.

No signs of relenting its aggressive pattern, I found myself lost in that swift loop and…

Then I felt pain surge from my stomach, the armored fiend slamming a quick kick on it.

"It takes just a mistake for you to lose a fight, Kingly."

It was instantaneous, almost a blur, and I felt my eyes being forced wide open by the shock.

I blurted spit and blood as that powerful and unexpected attack sent me flying onto the close wall, my back being unprepared for the new wave of pain rising from the impact.

I fell on one knee at that brutal escalation, trembling and shivering at the fact I had lost so much blood so quickly and… I could feel that I was starting to hyperventilate at the presence of so much red staining the floor and my clothes- my sight even.

This was my first battle and… it was also going to be the last one.

I felt the bile trying to rise up through my throat, but I was quick to send it back to my belly where it truly belonged.

My sight was now directed at the approaching opponent, the giant having dropped its shield and now lifting his sword with all its might, ready to conclude the job once and for all.

That seemed to be it. I thought that it was my last moment of what could have been my greatest opportunity that life had offered me.

With my brain slowly shutting up as the blood was starting to get hold of my logical thoughts and drowning them to silence, I started to feel time slowing down to see the killing blow unfold silently and unopposed.

…

But was that going to be it?

Was I just… going to surrender myself to this sudden assassination attempt that wasn't even directed at me to begin with?

Can I actually afford to lose this fight with how high the bets are?

What about the people believing in me to save them from the approaching invasion?

C-Can I just- just shatter their hope, ca-can I let them perish because I- I WANT TO GIVE UP!?!

I snarled at myself in a chiding manner for even considering just letting death take me away without a fight, my head burning fiercely and I felt forced to stay away through the need of catch some rest as the fight wasn't over yet.

One could say that I was trying some stupid thing, to fight the unavoidable, to fend off the blow that would effortlessly see me killed… but with the odds stacked against me and the knowledge that people were giving me their trust to see the bright light of another day...

I felt an itching sensation coming from the hand holding Crocea Mors.

The blade begging to continue, to not stop, to persist and win this battle against this weak bastard in front of me.

"I-I refuse to let go of my kingdom!" I proclaimed loudly, some lucidity still missing from my mind as I prepared to thrown a useless swing at the incoming doom, my hands tightly holding at the sword's hilt as I forced it to move upward. "G-Go Forth, Crocea Mors!"

Now from there things start to get quite difficult to remember at this point.

I think I saw my blade exploding in pure golden and scarlet light as it continued its ascension, cutting verily into the torso of the golem and shredding its inner bits apart.

It was magical, it wasn't bloody but I was certainly feeling energized by this explosion of new vigor rushing all over my body.

It groaned, backing away in shock and pausing its attack as its arms flailed in agony at the sudden damage it had sustained… but I wasn't done yet.

Not after what had just happened.

I started to cut wildly, aimlessly and mercilessly into its mechanic-looking innards, shredding into its metallic bits, spilling its strange-looking goo away from its chest and after what felt to have been an eternity, I saw it fall backward on the floor to never get up again.

I waited for a full minute, silence reigning over the corridor and I sighed in relief at the lack of activity from the now-broken giant.

My posture was still tense after that last hit and my breathing was terribly labored after what had just happened here.

My body was mostly torn by the experience, some of the pointy bits of the wall having cut some more wounds on my back when I crashed butt-first into it.

I was so clueless, so tired and… I was aware that it wasn't over yet.

I glanced to the side as I was finally granted the chance of seeing the one responsible for this attack and she was already staring at me.

The woman was wearing a crown-like thing on top of her head, the upwards spiky bits being made with dark-colored sapphires.

She had a dark-tinted veil covering her face, so I could just see her pale-blonde hair that reached far below her knees.

Her dark dress with dull-blue details was very revealing with several spots showing parts of her skin that didn't truly display any nudity.

Her midriff was exposed, some blood-red tattoo-like details developing near her belly button… before resuming right above her mostly-exposed cleavage.

It took me a moment to actually stare at the detail instead of getting allured by the infinity of certain valleys.

Goddamn, is this what Giacomo Leopardy was alluding to about the infinite?

I started to make my slow and incredibly pained way towards Altuos and the mysterious woman, Crocea Mors trailing down on the ground as I didn't feel strong enough to rise it up in a proper guarding stance.

While the super-adrenaline had gotten me to survive the golem, I just couldn't keep up with another fight with the same pace if not worse than the one I just left as the victor.

"So you are the one Altuos has summoned to lead this dying city?" The pale-blonde muttered with a hint of intrigue and fascination. "To think that a mere human could have been able to survive an Enforcer, one of my latest creations."

Her musings continued even as I finally reached close enough to see the shocked look on the slightly-injured elder.

"A-Altuos?" I muttered weakly, towards the Magus.

"Y-Your Majesty?" He seemed still shocked, but managed a nod at my query.

"C-Can you do the thing where… you actually call for medical assistance?"

Confusion hindered him for a while, but ultimately the old man reached for the communication gem within one of his robes' pockets.

"Are you now really going to ignore me, false pretender?" The woman resumed her verbal charge once again. "Not only you rudely refuse to introduce yourself, but you also decide to pass me, the blood of Uther Pendragon and true Queen of Britain, off for-"

"W-Wait, you are Morgan le Fay?"

…

She eased a little, then she seemed to tense up again as she brought her right hand up, lifting just a few fingers.

"How many fingers are you seeing right now, you fool?"

The question broke a little from the past few sentences, but I decided to comply to this silly request.

"F-Four?"

The blond shook her head.

"Of course. After fighting the Enforcer, you are far too drained to even commit yourself to attack me."

She took a few steps towards me and paused, her hand lifting my chin up so I could stare right into her veiled face instead of lingering onto her bosom.

"You are strong, I can tell you would become great under my rule," Morgan said with such a sensual and enticing tone, almost tickling my chin. "But you would have to recognize me as-"

"I-I'm sorry," I interjected with a simple whisper. "While you might have some p-pretty eyes and quite the lovely s-smile, I have to refuse you-your offer."

…

She almost went to check if her veil was still on as I commented about her face, but of course I couldn't see anything through that little barrier.

"Why?"

"I-I'm Joseph, King of Britannia and… ruler of the p-people that believes in me," I replied tiredly. "A-And I don't want to- to-"

"To hurt them?" Morgan guessed with a bored tone, letting go of my chin and taking a step back. "You are just like Arthur about this… but your response is genuine, it feels as such."

"A-Also, aren't you… married already with a King?" I asked almost as quickly as she replied. "I think it was… King Lot, right?"

…

"I'm surprised you, a mere 'stranger' would know about this," The woman voiced her surprise and interest over my knowledge. "I now wonder what else you know about the world around you."

She giggled and then… a dark-blue portal opened behind her.

"But I think this time I will let you live, little claimant," The blonde concluded with a sigh. "Your tenacity will prove to be enough of an entertainment and I can only see you succeed against the fools trying to raze the Isles."

I blinked at her words and spoke up once again. "W-Wait," I held my free arm towards her and she actually stopped to listen. "W-Why did you attack Altuos then?"

She stared back with some silence at first, then she sighed.

"Why should I even tell you this, Joseph of Britannia?"

And with that rejection, I was left standing with quite the odd situation.

"Y-Your Majesty- Are you sure that-"

Thud.

"Y-Your Majesty!"

The floor kindly accepted my body face-first as I felt my last strength go away, leaving me to face the worst kind of exhaustion I had to ever suffer until now.

Yep, today is truly a good day to kiss the floor while thinking about hills.