SSS-Ranked Summoner: Only I Summon All Heroes And Heroines Of Legend-Chapter 20: King Arthur’s Round Table

"King Arthur?" Altair asked.

"No, but I shall take you to him. Come."

"Right." Altair followed.

They walked toward the kingdom.

The edifice was impossibly grand. Not in the way modern buildings were , but in the older sense. With stone and scale, towers spiraled upward, each one capped with pennants bearing the Pendragon crest. Colors of crimson and gold fabric that snapped in the wind.

Altair’s eyes tracked upward. The main tower was at least a hundred feet tall. Maybe more. It was hard to tell from ground level.

But what impressed him most were the knight guards.

They were stationed along the road leading to the gates, standing at rigid attention in full plates armor. Each one held a spear or sword. The metal gleamed like it had been polished that morning, Their helmets obscured their faces, but Altair could feel their attention on him.

The figure beside him spoke without turning.

"I am Sir Bedivere," he said. "Be at ease, Altair. No harm shall come to you here."

At his words, Altair’s shoulders dropped half an inch. He hadn’t realized they’d been raised.

They passed through the gates.

The courtyard beyond was wide, open and paved with smooth stone. More knights stood at intervals.

CLANG, CLANG

The sound of steel on steel echoed from somewhere distant, indicating that training drills were ongoing.

They climbed a set of stairs, eventually arriving at the King’s hall. The doors to the hall were massive. Carved from wood and reinforced with iron bands, each one thick enough to stop a battering ram. Two guards pushed them open as they approached.

Inside, the hall stretched long and high. Columns lined both sides, supporting a ceiling decorated with banners from what Altair assumed were campaigns or noble houses. At the far end, elevated on a dais, sat the throne.

And on it,

King Arthur.

He was younger than Altair expected. Maybe not in years, but in looks and energy. His armor was simpler than the other Knight’s pieces Altair had seen on his way. A red cloak draped over his shoulders, and he wore no magnificent crown. Just a circlet of plain silver.

Sir Bedivere stopped at the base of the dais and bowed.

"My King, I present to you Altair Elfender."

Arthur’s eyes moved to Altair.

"Thank you, Sir Bedivere," Arthur said, his voice audible enough. "You may go."

"Yes, Sire." Bedivere bowed again and turned, his footsteps echoing as he left. The doors closed behind him with a heavy thud.

Altair’s instincts kicked in. Satoshi’s specifically. Bow. Show respect. The man before him was a king.

He started to lower his head.

"No, please." Arthur chuckled. The sound was warm and genuine. "There is no need for that."

Altair froze mid-motion, then stood erect.

Arthur rose from his seat and descended the steps to meet him. Up close, he was taller than he’d looked on the throne, maybe six-two, broad-shouldered.

"I am no superior to you, Altair," Arthur said simply. "Here, in this domain, we are equals. You are a summoner. I am a summon. The contract we form will be one of mutual respect, not servitude."

That... wasn’t what Altair had expected.

He nodded slowly. "Understood."

Arthur studied him for a moment, then his expression showed a bit of approval.

"Information travels quickly among the legends," Arthur said. " And I am particularly impressed with one of your dealings."

Altair blinked. "You are?"

"Indeed." Arthur’s smile was faint. "Heracles, you acccepted his contract did you not?."

"Yes I did" Altair said.

He gestured toward the side of the hall.

"Come with me."

Arthur led him through a side door and down a short corridor. The walls here were simpler, less decorated, but somehow that made them feel more significant. And as they approached at chamber, it felt like this was the part of Camelot that mattered the most.

They entered, and there it was.

The Round Table.

It dominated the room. Circular, carved from dark wood that had been polished to a deep shine. The surface was marked with names, hundreds of them, etched into the grain in scripts.

Chairs surrounded it, evenly spaced. No head or foot. Every seat was placed in equal.

Arthur took a seat on one side of the table.

"Sit anywhere you choose," he said.

Altair walked around the table slowly, taking in the names. Some he recognized from Arthurs Legend. Lancelot, Gawain, Percival. Others were unfamiliar. A few were written in languages he couldn’t read.

He chose a seat directly across from Arthur.

Arthur leaned back slightly, his hands resting on the armrests.

"Heracles is a legend of courage and strength," Arthur began. "He faced impossible trials and overcame them through sheer force of will. That is his nature. But I..." He paused. "I am one who searches for honor."

Altair felt a stir in his mind. Satoshi’s life, responding to that word. Honor. It had been the foundation of his first life. The code he’d lived by and the reason he’d died.

"I understand," Altair said quietly.

Arthur’s eyes sharpened. "Do you really?"

Altair met his gaze steadily. "I do. Where I come from, honor wasn’t optional. It was everything."

Arthur studied him for a long moment. Then he nodded in satisfaction.

"Good."

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.

"The Codex allows you to read the stories of heroes," he said. "But what you may not realize is that the connection goes both ways. When you open our Chapters, we can read yours as well."

Altair’s expression shifted. "You’ve read my story?"

"I have." Arthur’s spoke without judgement or pity. "And it is... peculiar. Two lives, woven into one. A warrior who died with honor, reborn into a body marked by disgrace. You inherited shame that was not yours to carry. And yet you’ve begun to reshape it."

Altair looked down at the table.

"You could have stayed hidden, and accepted the label they gave you. Instead, you stood back up and changed your tale."

He paused.

"That is not nothing, Altair."

For once, Altair felt genuine praise. Not the backhanded compliments his family used to give Michael while pointedly ignoring him.

This was real.

"Thank you," Altair said.

Arthur smiled. "You’re welcome." He sat up in his chair, and the atmosphere in the room shifted.

"Now," Arthur said. "Let me explain what carrying my seal means."

Altair leaned forward, listening.

"Fighting with me is different. Because, I do not fight alone, my knights fight alongside me, with strategy, with unity. When you summon me, you will not simply gain a warrior, You will gain a king. And with that comes responsibility."

"What kind of responsibility?" Altair asked.

"To lead justly," Arthur said. "To protect those who cannot protect themselves. To make decisions not for personal gain, but for the greater good." His gaze was steady. "My power is tied to my principles. If you summon me and act without honor, I will not answer. The contract will remain, but I will not fight for a cause I cannot respect."

Altair absorbed that. It all made sense. While Heracles had tested his courage, Arthur was testing his character.

"I understand," Altair said. "And I accept those terms."

Arthur’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes softened.

"Then I have one final question."

He stood, and Altair stood with him.

"Do you agree to uphold the values of this table?" Arthur’s voice was formal and binding. "To fight with honor, to protect the innocent, and to stand against tyranny wherever you find it?"

Altair didn’t hesitate.

"I do."

"Then rise, Altair Elfender." Arthur extended his hand. "As a knight of the Round Table."

Altair clasped his hand. The moment their palms met, a golden light erupted between them. The Round Table glowed, names flaring to life one by one.

And, a new name etched itself into the table’s surface.

Altair Elfender.

The light faded.

Arthur released his hand and stepped back.

"It is done," he said simply.

The chamber began to fade, and Altair felt the pull of his own reality drawing him back. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Arthur’s voice followed him out.

"I will answer when you call, Sir Altair Elfender. Fight well."

And then he was back.

Altair opened his eyes to find himself sitting on his bed in the dormitory. It was eve, still, Finn’s side of the room remained empty.

DING.

The system notification materialized in his vision.

[CONTRACT ESTABLISHED]

[KING ARTHUR PENDRAGON ]

Physique: 6’2ft, 80kg

Grade: A

Specialization: Swordsmanship, Strategic Command

Abilities:

-Magic Resistance

-Ultimate Armament:

Knights of the Round Table — Can summon spectral knights to fight alongside him. Duration and number depend on summoner’s mana capacity and bond strength.

Excalibur — Holy Sword of Camelot. Increases all combat attributes by 50%. Effective against dark entities and corrupt forces.

[Mana Capacity: 1300/1300]

[Restriction: Will not answer summons for dishonorable causes. Contract requires mutual respect and ethical alignment.]

Altair read through the profile carefully. One tier below Heracles, that was significant. But the restriction also meant Arthur wasn’t a summon he could deploy carelessly.

He closed the interface with a mental command and leaned back against the wall.

Three contracts now. Delilah, Heracles, and King Arthur. Three legends bound to him through the Codex.

And he still had the potential of a hundred more.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He let it happen. For the first time since arriving at Gran-Lusia, he felt like he was starting to understand his place here.

He closed his eyes and let himself rest. Tomorrow would bring the reverse summoning class, Instructor Scathach had made it clear, they’d be entering an alternate plane.

He’d need to be sharp.

But for now, he had King Arthur Pendragon added to his arsenal.

That would do.