I was a Nerfed Hero in Another World

Lancelot's Point of View

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A short flashback from what had happened before.

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As soon as Lancelot heard Arthur's name, he travelled far and wide to reach Caerleon's castle. The scouts inside Camelot also mentioned that the Kingdom of Caerleon appointed a new king. Considering these two occurrences, the temporary king of Camelot charged straight towards Caerleon and studied the events unfolding inside the kingdom.

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"Riding like the wind, my humble steed! Hiya!" I shouted, and whipped the horse, using the rope clipped in my hands.

The horse neighed a blaring sound and heeded my instructions. When the mammal received my whip, it increased the pace and galloped like there was no tomorrow. Thankfully, I needed that energetic response, since the situation weighed heavily on Albion.

If King Arthur emerged inside this kingdom, the Albion Alliance would run smoothly against the demons.

The information broker who told me about the occurrence was also a mercenary in this place. He was a hired adventurer of King Arthur, who was also a spy for various kingdoms. And since something titan happened about Caerleon, that mercenary had no choice but to explain the story to me. And with King Arthur gone, that adventurer told me about that fresh information.

I also commanded the spy about the mission's secrecy. With enough gold, I silence the mercenary in exchange for a large sum of gold. It was enough to know about the terrains happening around Camelot.

I never wanted to share the information with the elders of Camelot, since they had original plans compared to Arthur. Even King Arthur warned me about these elders controlling other high-ranking people, thanks to their titles.

King Arthur told me that these elders wanted to dethrone him because of his unruly leadership. But I doubted that claim….

Everyone knew about the Kingdom of Caerleon and its abundant sources of minerals. Each kingdom included in Albion had its own unique traits they needed to share for the alliance. And Caerleon had plenty to offer to Albion.

Although King Arthur had already swept the mines clean, Caerleon still had some minerals to spare. That place had little land that they could farm because of the environment. However, there was nothing that Albion could do about it, since all of us had a scarce supply of food.

A famine struck the lands, which affected everyone. And it was up to us to make the bread and butter of our people with the last resources we had. Albion Alliance offered defences against the demonic war, not food.

Those were two different deals.

I resumed my focus on the road and watched the scene change before me. As soon as I arrived at the bald land, Caerleon entered my mind.

"We're close, my steed. Only a few minutes, and we will arrive at that place," I whispered at the horse, and continued moving onwards.

It would only take a few miles away before reaching the neighbouring kingdom. And as I continued onward, magic waves came to me. These arcane remnants belonged to the dark magic, which was a forbidden spell across Albion. This ability also came from the demons, which would hint that a demon attacked this place.

But according to my resources, no demons attacked this kingdom. Only a few individuals with strangers aided this battle, with the name Arthur. There was also a mage that supported Arthur, with a person who could transform into a hound.

It was a formidable team that the elite knights would even struggle to defeat. And that lineup sent shivers down my spine since it had rung a bell.

"It's the same as Merlin and King Arthur….," I murmured, while pasting my eyes in front of me.

King Arthur had Merlin at his side for the rest that he remembered. The two of them were like two peas in a bond and valued their friendships. They even called themselves brothers from different mothers, which was a wholesome event for me.

Merlin was also a renowned mage across the lands and the most powerful sorcerer. To think that there was another one that could rival his strength... That thought was something out of the ordinary.

If someone emerged on this land and claimed to be more powerful than Merlin, Albion could experience its downfall. Although King Arthur could defend the kingdom, we would lose some civilians because of it.

It won't be a clean fight if that happened. It was also the reason I wanted to strike a negotiation between them instead of fighting this mysterious group. I would not engage in combat if I ever came face to face with these people.

I could defend myself, but I cannot defeat a group of three individuals…. or even more.

It took me three hours without rest to reach Caerleon. The kingdom emerged before my eyes, with its town aligned from afar. However, those broken walls obstructed my view, hindering me from looking inside.

As stated by the mercenary, a fight broke out and destroyed most of the outer borders of this kingdom. It even distorted a castle's part, which the new king had to redecorate.

I had to view this firsthand before saying anything. Since the Kingdom of Caerleon had officially rebuked the alliance, we had nothing to say about this place.

I was just a knight visiting the place. If they pushed us away, I would have to abide by their rules.

As I approached the kingdom's doors, two guards stationed outside greeted my eyes. When I reached the front gates, these guards did not threaten or concern themselves with my presence. They went towards my fore and accommodated me.

"Judging by your clothes, you are an elite knight from Camelot?" the knight asked, while inspecting me.

I nodded at their question and answered, "Yes. I am not here to quarrel with your kingdom. I have heard that a man named Arthur appeared inside this place. King Arthur from Albion and Camelot disappeared when I heard this news."

The two knights looked at each other with widened eyes after hearing my words. Since I kept the disappearance of King Arthur confidential, none of them knew about the news. I told some people about it, but the information never arrived in this place.

"We are sorry that Arthur Pendragon disappeared. The Kingdom of Caerleon knew nothing about his disappearance. If we find any evidence about his figure, we will inform you shortly of the matter," one knight explained. "What business do you have from visiting this place? You mentioned earlier that you plan on visiting the Caerleon Kingdom. What do you wish to do here?"

These knights acted as if nothing wrong would happen on the outside, even after meeting me. If I could visit other kingdoms of Albion, they would have already freaked out. And then maybe pissed their pants.

The Kingdom of Caerleon was on an entirely different level.

"I have three agendas to do inside your kingdom. And I will not be long, and I will leave immediately as soon as I deem it necessary," I exclaimed. "My first job is to search for the whereabouts of these two Arthurs. Since King Arthur Pendragon disappeared, Albion would be in danger. If other kingdoms knew about the grave of the situation, they would seize this opportunity to strive for power. Second, I would like to speak to the king and form another alliance for Albion as he sees fit. It would require the strength of all kingdoms to defeat the demonic tribe. The Kingdom of Camelot would welcome every power. And third, I would like to know about the details of the king's dethronement. I would also like to interview the previous king and learn about the matter."

Those were my genuine concerns about visiting this place. The first job I explained was the main goal of my trip. If Arthur did not disappear from his throne, I would never go to this place. I would only visit this kingdom if King Arthur said so.

My second and third reason was only extra credits for my visiting purposes. I would also accept the king's Caerleon offer if he rejected my appeal.

Fortunately, the soldiers allowed me to enter the king and guided me through the kingdom. They opened the gates and led the way, while telling the spare guards to protect the front gates. The other soldier requested to stay behind since they would be short of staff if two knights accompanied me.

"Can I ask why did you easily let me enter your kingdom?..... Do you even know who I am?" I asked.

"We all know your identity, Sir Lancelot! You are a noble knight who fought against the demons and protected various villages! How can we forget your name!" the soldier said, while nodding his head. "And the king already anticipated your visit. He told us what would happen and could happen. All those instructions the king said came true as soon as you arrived and asked those questions."

"Who is the current king of Caerleon? If I may ask."

"It's Green Knight," the soldier answered.

Green was the mercenary's leader, which was the information broker's member.