Just as the two were about to clash, the sound of a throat clearing was heard, and then a sword light bloomed in the air.
Swish!
The sword light was entrancing, and as it swept by, everyone seemed to fall into an illusion, pausing in their tracks.
An old man with a hunched back and long beards reaching the ground quietly approached, his face sullen as he gazed at the group.
In his hand was an extended walking stick, which had faint wisps of green light receding inwards.
As everyone recovered, they turned their attention to the old man, their faces filled with a mixture of emotions.
"Father!" Mordred called out…
"Grandfather…" Arthur said in a grave voice.
The old man glanced at everyone, then sighed.
"Uthur, you will step down as the acting king and Arthur will take the place of his father. Anyone who disobeys this law will be killed. And if I hear any news of the new king being killed overnight…"
He left his words at that; however, everyone could feel a chill run down their spine.
It was said that at the old man's peak, he cleared countless B-ranked dungeons!
Moreover, he was one of the few who had stepped into the deadly A-rank dungeon and managed to come out alive!
In short, he was a living legend and was the reason that the Pendragon family was still standing among the top families of the United States.
Arthur glanced at his grandfather, his emotions complex.
The towering golden knight appeared tense, its grip firmly on its golden sword as though it was prepared for a battle at any time.
It was as though the knight could sense the terrifyingly oppressive might emanating from the old man with the hunched back.
The old man glanced at the dragon knight for a moment, then a smile that made his face look ugly formed on his wrinkled face.
"You have an interesting fighting spirit…"
Leaving those words, he turned around and gradually departed from the crowd.
Aftermath of the Decree
The elders were stunned, their gazes turning back to the knight with faces filled with apprehension.
They knew that this reclusive old man never interfered with the matters of the royal family.
Aside from trying to increase his strength, he never cared about anything else, and now he made a passing comment on the knight?
Who the hell was that knight?
They tried to look beyond the completely covered helmet, but the only thing that met their gaze was the cold golden eyes that seemed to bore into them.
Watching the old man depart and seeing that no one harbored any fighting intent towards the main character, Titan retrieved his sword, slinging it onto his shoulder, the thunderous sound echoing into the surroundings and bringing everyone to the realization of what had just happened.
It was only at this moment that the words the old man spoke came to everyone's mind.
Those that previously hung their head low raised their glowing eyes, staring intently at Arthur.
"Greetings, Your Highness…"
"We greet the new king!"
The loud shouts of the elders echoed faintly in the surroundings, causing Uthur's face to darken with each greeting spoken.
He took note of the elders who spoke, clinching his fist tightly.
'I can only agree to their demands then. Old man, don't blame me for the destruction of the Pendragon royal family!'
Flicking his robe, he turned around and walked away, a few loyal elders following behind him.
Soon, there would be bloodshed, and it wouldn't be long!
A Stupefied King and a Gathering Storm
Meanwhile, Arthur rubbed his head awkwardly.
'I became the king just like that? What happened?' He was stupefied, and in a daze, he walked towards the king's seat and sat down.
Leaning back slightly, he spoke up, "You may begin the discussion…"
Some of the elders still had awkward expressions as it was obvious that they couldn't accept that Arthur was the king so abruptly; however, they decided not to overthink it.
Since it was an order from the old man, they couldn't just take it lightly.
…
Meanwhile, Mordred clenched his fist tightly till blood was dripping to the ground as he walked.
Only after he entered into his chamber did he finally glare fiercely at nothing in particular, his rage hard to suppress.
Searching his cupboard, he took out a communication device.
He hesitated for only an instant before he steeled his resolve and began speaking into it.
"I accept your conditions."
The other end was silent for a moment before a deep, masculine voice echoed.
"That's good. We will send Netherworld Empress to swiftly deal with the old man while you eliminate everyone else. Expect her to come within a few hours, so everything will be dealt with swiftly. I want to absorb the resources of the family before morning comes."
Hearing the words, Uthur clenched his fist before making a decision.
"Yes, Master."
The communication device was silent for a bit before the deep voice resounded once more.
"Uthur. You did the right thing; your family was destined for destruction anyway…"
Uthur bowed once more towards the communication device.
'That's right, if it wasn't for the old man maintaining a grip on everything, the Pendragon family would have long since been destroyed. I'm doing the right thing by maintaining the family line!'
Resolving himself, he paced around silently, waiting for the arrival of the Netherworld Empress.
Crisis Approaches
Unaware of the coming crisis, Arthur settled back in his room and sighed after the long, boring meeting.
Due to his mana running low, he had already unsummoned the knight; however, the elders still treated him with the same respect, with some even offering to escort him back.
Arthur thought about everything that had happened so far.
It was as though everything was happening very swiftly.
'Is this a good thing or a bad thing?' He didn't know what to think.
He could only hope to grow stronger, clear more dungeons, and… well, he had no plans on what to do next.
Since he arrived at this world, he just harbored a faint sense of unease as though he needed to grow stronger.
Sighing lightly, he tossed around in his bed for a while before drifting off to sleep.
Arthur expected the night to pass peacefully like always; however, after a few hours of sleeping, his peaceful dream was interrupted by a loud sound which resounded in the whole Pendragon household.
Arthur woke up from his daze state in shock.
Around him, the whole surroundings were filled with fire, and even on the ceiling, a large chunk of rock threatened to fall and crush him to death.
In shock, Arthur hastily summoned the dragon knight…