The First Mission

I woke up early the next morning, feeling excited and nervous. Today was the day I would go on my first mission as a member of the Royal Knights. I had spent the last few weeks training hard with Sir Leon and the other knights, learning how to use my sword and magic in combat. I had also learned more about this world and its history, culture and politics.

The kingdom of Luminia was one of the four major powers in the continent of Elysia, along with the empire of Zalazar, the federation of Valyria and the republic of Arcadia. Luminia was known for its strong magic and its benevolent monarchy, led by King Arthur and Queen Guinevere. They had three children: Prince Lancelot, Princess Elaine and Prince Galahad. That's me.

I was reborn as Galahad, the youngest prince of Luminia, after dying in a car accident in my previous life. I still had memories of being a normal high school student in Japan, but I also had memories of growing up as Galahad. It was a strange feeling, having two sets of memories and two identities. But I decided to embrace my new life and make the best of it.

I had always loved fantasy stories, so being in a world with magic and monsters was like a dream come true. I also had a natural talent for magic, especially light magic, which was rare and powerful. I wanted to use my magic to help people and protect the kingdom, so I joined the Royal Knights, an elite force of warriors who served the king and queen.

Today was my first mission as a Royal Knight. I was assigned to a squad led by Sir Leon, who was also my mentor and friend. He was a veteran knight who had taught me everything I knew about swordsmanship and combat tactics. He was also kind and loyal, always looking out for me and the other knights.

Our mission was to escort a caravan of merchants from Luminia to Valyria, through a forest that was infested with bandits and monsters. It was a dangerous route, but it was also the shortest and most profitable one. The merchants had requested the protection of the Royal Knights, and we agreed to help them in exchange for a fee.

We met up with the caravan at the gate of the capital city of Camelot. There were about twenty wagons loaded with various goods, such as cloth, spices, metals and jewels. The merchants were dressed in fine clothes and looked wealthy and confident. They greeted us with smiles and bows, thanking us for our service.

"Good morning, Sir Leon," said the leader of the caravan, a middle-aged man with a beard and a hat. "We are honored to have you and your men as our escorts."

"Good morning, Master Gilbert," said Sir Leon with a polite smile. "We are glad to be of assistance. This is my squad: Sir Gawain, Sir Percival, Sir Bors, Sir Kay and Prince Galahad."

He introduced each knight one by one, pointing at them with his hand. They all nodded or saluted at Master Gilbert, who looked impressed by their names and ranks.

"And this is Prince Galahad?" he asked, looking at me with curiosity. "The youngest son of King Arthur?"

"Yes," I said nervously. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," he said warmly. "You are very brave to join the Royal Knights at such a young age. You must have inherited your father's courage and your mother's beauty."

He winked at me, making me blush. I didn't know how to respond to his compliment.

"Thank you," I said awkwardly.

"Master Gilbert is very kind," Sir Leon said diplomatically. "But we should get going soon. The forest is not safe at this time of year."

"Of course," Master Gilbert said quickly. "We are ready to depart whenever you are."

"Very well," Sir Leon said. "Let's move out."

He gave the signal to his squad, and we mounted our horses. We formed a formation around the caravan, with Sir Leon at the front, Sir Gawain and Sir Percival at the sides, Sir Bors and Sir Kay at the rear, and me in the middle.

We left Camelot behind us and headed towards the forest.

I hoped everything would go smoothly.

But I had a bad feeling about this mission.

To be continued...