FATE: The Man with Divine Keys

The crowd gradually dispersed, excitement and enthusiasm still lingering on everyone's faces.

It was foreseeable that everything that had happened today would quickly spread throughout Tintagel, then sweep across the entire Camelot and even Britain.

From today on, the name Arkhan will be etched in everyone's memory.

Bards would compile his deeds into poems, spreading them to every corner of Britain. Everyone would know that the Black Knight Arkhan had done something incredible.

He had ignited the flames in the hearts of thousands and declared war on a nation!

If he could truly succeed, there was no doubt he would become a hero who had worked miracles, remembered in history and legend.

But if he failed, he would truly become the sinner of Camelot, scorned by all, as the black-robed old man had warned.

'Ahh, it's such a mess. How did I end up here today anyway?'

Arkhan muttered inwardly, reflecting on how it all traced back to his escape from the Land of Shadows due to the System's quests.

'Indeed, it's all the fault of the System.'

Arkhan shook his head, then turned to Yulina.

"Let's go."

"O-Oh..." Yulina nodded obediently and followed Arkhan like an obedient pet.

"By the way, I remember that Dead Apostles need to sustain themselves by drinking blood, right?" Arkhan suddenly asked as they walked down the corridor.

Yulina shook her head. "That's true for ordinary Dead Apostles, but because of my unique ability, I can replace it with magical energy instead. Basically, I only need to feed once a month."

"Absorbing magical energy, that's a very unique ability. It seems like you're a first-generation Dead Apostle transformed directly by the True Ancestor, right? Who was it?" Arkhan inquired.

Yulina hesitated for a moment and replied softly, "It's Lady Altrouge."

"Black Princess, huh..." Arkhan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Altrouge Brunestud, known as the Eclipse Princess of Black Blood or Black Princess.

In the original story, she was created through Crimson Moon's experimentation, aimed at finding alternative methods to prepare a vessel body of sufficient purity for their revival. This vessel body needed to conform to the world's standards, ensuring their acceptance by the Counter Force.

However, Altrouge wasn't a pure True Ancestor; instead, she was a hybrid of True Ancestor and Dead Apostle. As one of the vessel body's candidates, she was considered unstable by Crimson Moon and therefore, regarded as a failed experiment.

However, this didn't mean Altrouge lacked power.

As the Master of Blood and Contract and one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, she was undoubtedly one of the top predators in the food chain.

"Did Altrouge send you to Ganna?" Arkhan continued to inquire.

"No..." Yulina hesitated again, then said, "I escaped from Lady Altrouge. To avoid her pursuit, I came to Ganna."

"Escaped from her?"

Arkhan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Yulina, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes.

"Altrouge is the Master of Blood and Contract, and as a Dead Apostle personally transformed by her, you managed to escape from her?"

Yulina seemed equally surprised, wondering about Arkhan's background and knowledge.

"Lady Altrouge didn't leave a contract on me, just a mark. I devoured the mark after I escaped."

Arkhan nodded in understanding. Given Altrouge's status, she probably wasn't overly concerned about one particular Dead Apostle.

Arkhan sighed inwardly.

When he first saw Yulina, he thought that the Kingdom of Ganna and the Dead Apostles were secretly plotting something big. But it turned out he had been overthinking.

In that case, did he still need to keep this woman?

Looking into Arkhan's skeptical eyes, Yulina felt a hint of panic rising within her as she hastily said:

"That's right! I also know the distribution of the army and main forces of Ganna as well as the layout of the palace, and I'm well aware of the locations of every underground passage, including the one leading to the treasury. You'll need these things if you're planning to attack them, right?"

Arkhan raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

"How did you know all that?"

"W-Well... um..." Yulina's eyes darted around as she hesitated. 

Arkhan seemed to suddenly understand something.

"Oh, I remember now. You're a bounty hunter, aren't you?"

"Ahaha... um..." Yulina chuckled awkwardly and nodded.

Arkhan shook his head with a wry smile. Who would have thought that a Dead Apostle would be involved in such matters? He wondered if Altrouge would be furious when she found out.

However, he hadn't planned to kill Yulina. Just a moment ago, a wild idea had popped into his mind. He didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a try.

"By the way, you've already freed yourself from Altrouge's control, haven't you? Why do you keep addressing her as 'Lady'? Are you still afraid of her?"

"If you were stared at every day with eyes that could devour you, you'd be just like me..." Yulina replied with a bitter smile, sighing.

As they left the inn, Arkhan immediately noticed Artoria approaching them.

"Teacher, who is this person?"

Artoria looked at Yulina with curiosity, and her gaze lingered on the woman's big chest for a moment before discreetly shifting away.

Yulina's lips curled slightly, and she proudly emphasized her impressive assets.

Although Artoria's disguise was quite good, as a Dead Apostle, Yulina could naturally detect the sweet scent of virginity in her blood.

"She's Yulina, a Dead Apostle, and now, she's my servant."

Arkhan introduced Yulina's identity briefly. But, he noticed Artoria's eyes were dim, and the usual air of nobility and valor had vanished from her. She appeared more like a child who had failed an exam.

"I'm sorry, Teacher. This situation wasn't supposed to happen today. Because of my naivety, not only did I nearly kill that mother and child, but I also put such a burden on you. I'm sorry!" Artoria deeply bowed to Arkhan.

A complex expression appeared in Arkhan's eyes, and he sighed. He straightened Artoria up and smiled.

"You are my student, and helping students overcome difficulties and guiding them on the right path is what a teacher and mentor should do, isn't it?"

Artoria took a deep breath, her eyes filled with determination.

"Teacher, I've realized something. You're right; I wasn't prepared to become a king, nor am I capable of leading the country. I'm still far from being a qualified king. That's why, I hope to follow behind you and learn the true wisdom of becoming the ideal king."

"Teacher, please, on my behalf, pull the sword from the stone!"