[The news that you successfully defeated the Vile King's knight and single-handedly repelled Vortigern's army spread like wildfire, reaching all territories on the front lines.]
[Even walking down the street, you could hear bards singing praises of your battle exploits, naturally employing exaggerated techniques.]
[This couldn't help but make you feel a bit embarrassed.]
[After all, as the paparazzi of the Middle Ages, they desperately wished the stories they told were more splendid and thrilling than anyone else's. Ideally, they wanted to sweet-talk enough coins out of gossip-loving commoners to buy booze and play with women.]
[You naturally had a premonition about this, but upon accidentally hearing a bard on the street claim you nearly defeated Vortigern himself, you were still left dumbfounded.]
[You silently prayed that these absolute bullshit stories wouldn't reach the ears of the Vile King Vortigern.]
[You didn't want to attract the White Dragon's attention this early.]
[If he suddenly decided on a whim to bring his main forces over to kill you, wouldn't it be game over?]
[However, reminded by the bards' tales, you realized that all of Britain was currently focused on the war against the Vile King Vortigern.]
[And this was the perfect opportunity for you to grind reputation.]
[For a period of time, you focused almost entirely on battling Vortigern's army. As your bravery, skill in battle, and sharp combat instincts gradually manifested on the battlefield, your fame grew.]
[People no longer called you the 'Noble Lamorak'—a title that sounded perfunctory from the start. Instead, they began calling you the 'Lion of Britain', the true meaning of your name.]
[Ding! You have acquired the skill 'Lion of Britain (C+)'.]
[Lion of Britain (C+): Your resistance against the Vile King's army has made you known to all the people of Britain. Combined with your noble character, you are highly revered by the people. You gain a certain affinity effect and a specific special attack modifier against Vortigern's faction.]
[However, along with the spread of your fame, you also began encountering some trouble.]
[Unknown or lesser-known individuals frequently came to challenge you, vainly attempting to use you as a stepping stone to build their own reputation.]
[Although you were somewhat tired of dealing with this, you had no choice.]
[After all, a person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. If you avoided battle and those guys used it to claim you were a coward who fled from a fight, it would ruin everything.]
[Until one day, a piece of news suddenly arrived from the Vile King's territory.]
[That Light-Devouring White Dragon, the Vile King who led foreign Anglo-Saxons to wage war on Britain, publicly declared his desire to meet you.]
[This news caused an uproar across all of Britain. After all, this was the first time since the war began that the Vile King Vortigern specifically named someone he wanted to meet.]
[The news that the Vile King wanted to meet a knight named Lamorak spread far and wide. Even the newborn Kingdom of Camelot, far in the rear, heard this news.]
[People began to feel nervous and worried, afraid the Vile King intended to harm you, yet they also couldn't suppress their desire to see the scene of you meeting Vortigern.]
[It was at this moment that people realized you hadn't appeared on the front lines for many days, nor had you been seen anywhere else, as if you had vanished.]
So what was Souya doing at this moment?
He was lost.
Yes, while all of Britain awaited his response, our great Knight Lamorak, along with his horse and System, had magnificently gotten lost in a swampy jungle.
"Bro, seriously! System, aren't you from the same breed as Baidu? Why can't you just navigate a path for me?!"
[You hurt me, Host. I thought you were just teasing me before, but you actually treat me like Baidu? If I knew the way, would I just watch you wander lost in the wilderness?]
"Cut the crap! Hurry up and use your vast reserves of knowledge to think of something, you Trash System!"
Souya truly felt exasperated.
He had been perfectly fine grinding reputation on the front lines. But when passing through a town in this territory, he heard the villagers discussing a monster called the 'Questing Beast (Afanc)'.
Souya initially didn't have much interest in this thing. After all, his primary goal right now was fighting the Vile King's army and grinding reputation. Although hunting Phantasmal Species also yielded reputation, it ultimately wasn't as fast as fighting on the front lines.
Furthermore, Souya figured that the powerful Phantasmal Species had probably all fled into the Inner Sea of the Planet by now. Those remaining in Britain were likely either weak like his former Water Fairy self, or Phantasmal Species unsuited for the Inner Sea, like that giant.
There shouldn't be many that could truly pose a threat to the populace.
But the System rejected Souya's view.
It told Souya that the 'Questing Beast' was a monster indirectly and artificially created by Britain's magi in the past due to their abuse of natural resources.
It was powerful and possessed a brutal, ferocious nature. It frequently attacked travelers and towns, and was viewed as the manifestation of an ill omen in Britain.
If it wasn't hunted down quickly, the people of this town would likely be in danger.
Such a creature couldn't possibly enter the Inner Sea of the Planet. After all, that was the domain of Elementals and Fairies; brutal Phantasmal Species that would destroy the order were absolutely barred from entering.
Of course, the real reason Souya decided to temporarily put aside the Vile King's army to hunt the Questing Beast was because the System said hunting it was something he—that is, the Lamorak of mythology—was destined to do in the original history.
It was part of his legend.
Hearing the System say this, Souya understood. The thread of fate connecting him to the Questing Beast was already established.
If he didn't kill it, it was possible no one else could. Letting this brutal monster run rampant would undoubtedly cause massive casualties.
How should he put it? Souya didn't think he was some great saint. The 'nobility' others saw in him merely reflected his true inner thoughts.
He didn't have a specific need for massive amounts of wealth; having enough was fine. Since he had no use for the excess, why not return it to its rightful owners, the people?
When encountering a worthy opponent, fighting them with all his might, and upon killing them, giving them the respect they deserved and adhering to the cultural belief that the dead should rest in peace—wasn't that just common sense?
Rather than calling Souya noble, it was more accurate to say this was his bottom line.
A person cannot exist without a bottom line. Without one, how can they be called human?
Therefore, upon learning that only he could kill the Questing Beast, Souya no longer made excuses and proactively shouldered the responsibility.
Of course, none of this served as an excuse for the fact that he hadn't found the Questing Beast and had instead managed to get himself lost in a swampy forest.
After arguing with the System to no avail, Souya had to temporarily suppress his agitation and first find a temporary shelter nearby to spend the night.
After all, even while walking through a swampy forest naturally abundant in water elemental energy, he could clearly see the concentration of water elements around him rapidly rising.
Obviously, it was going to rain.
Fortunately, Souya's luck was decent. He found a cave that could barely provide shelter right before the heavy rain began to fall.
Gathering some relatively dry branches and wood that could be used as fuel, Souya started a campfire inside the cave.
However, after doing this, he didn't take off his dew-soaked armor. Instead, he frowned and looked outside.
What is up with this guy? They've been following me all day, and they still won't show themselves?
Early this morning, Souya had felt a sensation of being watched. It was very faint, like a mere illusion.
Initially, Souya thought it was just that. But after a full day of traveling, the feeling still hadn't disappeared, which clearly meant something was wrong.
He hadn't not tried to locate the source of the gaze, but every time Souya activated his Fairy Eyes to check, his surroundings appeared completely normal.
At most, there was just the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves.
Finding nothing, Souya didn't want to alert the snake in the grass. He pretended nothing was wrong and continued his journey while secretly remaining vigilant against potential danger.
But what left Souya speechless was how patient this stalker was. It was almost nightfall, and they still hadn't made a move.
At this point, Souya truly didn't want to tolerate it anymore.
He didn't want to sleep at night knowing a pair of eyes was peeping at him from the shadows.
Why do I have to deal with 21st-century internet stalker creeps even in the Middle Ages?!
"Hey, friend. You've been following me for a long time. If you want to make a move, shouldn't you have done it by now?"
Souya shouted toward the cave entrance. He absolutely didn't believe the guy would be inside the cave behind him; after all, this crappy place was only so big.
However, after Souya called out, the surroundings remained dead silent, save for the sound of rain hitting the leaves, which was gradually growing louder.
Souya's face instantly darkened.
Are you a rat that crawled out of Kamona? How can you be such a camper?
Just as Souya was preparing to use some drastic measures, a very muffled voice, heavily distorted with an electronic buzz, suddenly echoed from the cave entrance.
"You really did notice me a long time ago. I knew it. You must definitely be my kind."
Souya's eyes sharpened, and he instinctively assumed a combat stance.
The very moment the voice sounded, an incredibly powerful and profound aura suddenly appeared within his perception.
And this aura was very familiar to Souya. It was the aura of the Age of Gods!
Then, an iron humanoid figure standing over two meters tall, its black armored shell densely covered with countless sharp protrusions, slowly appeared outside the cave.
Holy crap, a Gundam?!