The Knight King Who Returned with Gods : Chapter 12
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 12 The Lowly Merchant
Upon returning to Earth, Leon sets three goals as he
assessed the Earth of 2030.
'First,
to spread my faith.'
There are no true gods here.
No gods of all the religions here along with the
countless divinities they believed in.
If they were real, there should have been at least some
kind of saints who fought against evil.
But there were no apostles or saints endowed with divine
powers.
By its very nature, the destruction of evil requires the most
powerful force of all: holy power, and yet not a shred of that power exists?
There is no god that imparts divine power to the priests
of the place of worship.
In essence, god bestows blessings through faith.
If you think about what happened in the Honam Plain, the
concept of the land being polluted and causing a bad harvest was wrong from the
start.
How can a land that has been blessed and nourished by the
goddess of life and fertility be polluted, and if the god of rain and clouds
can bring rain, how can there be a bad harvest?
Just look at the crops.
Rice, which has been improved and grown with the best
technology of the 21st century, cannot cure even a small tumor inside the body?
Does it make sense to expect people to go through the
barbaric practice of healing in hospitals instead of sanctuaries because they
can't cure a single tumor?
The problem is getting sick in the first place. If they
had been eating the crops Demera had blessed them with, they could not have
gotten sick.
Healing is reserved for soldiers wounded on the
battlefield or cursed by an evil cultist.
You don't rely on pills or painkillers.
In order to unleash holy power, he had to spread the
faith.
In the Honam Plains, Leon's faith managed to call forth a
blessing, but for what lies ahead, he'll need greater power.
Leon's world ultimately fell to the demons because there
were no more believers.
'The
second is to rebuild the Order of Holy Grail Knights.'
In this world, there is no holy power-users militia.
If the Grail Guardian, the Lionheart King, is a demigod,
the Holy Grail Knights are just below him, living saints.
They are knights of the gods who wield the Holy Arts.
Having fought to the bitter end and ascended, their holy
power was what kept Leon alive.
Grail Knights of Arianna, goddess of light and justice
herself.
Sir Jenkinson, the Guardian of the Sea, who guarded the
harbor and served Poma, the god of the sea and waves.
Sir Genoa, Knight of the Flame, who served Pethos, the
god of war and fire.
Anak, a holy maiden who supported the knights with the
light of Demera, the goddess of life and fertility.
As the Empire crumbled, the great forests of the Elves
and the underground cities of the Dwarves crumbled, yet the Grail Knights
continued to slay demons.
They were the terror of the demon race themselves.
'Third
objective.
To
annihilate the evils that has sprung up on this land.'
To spread his faith, restore divinity, and train the Holy
Grail Knights in the harmony and order of a proper pantheon.
‘These lowly
unbelievers and ignorant commoners. Perhaps it's too much to hope for saints of
great power to emerge from the mundane.
No
matter.’
Leon Dragonia Lionheart does what must be done.
"Your Majesty, there is someone who has duly
requested your presence."
"Hmm... If the formalities have been followed, there
is no reason why I shouldn't hear the story."
Leon guessed who it was and allowed the visitor to enter.
* * * *
Director Park Jong-chan realized that the survivor named Leon
was very much like himself.
The way the man from the barbarian civilization acted
like he was royalty and puffed himself up was a bit much for him, a modern-day
Earth aristocrat.
But apart from that, he coveted Leon's abilities.
He could make crops grow in an instant, but they are
still fit for human consumption.
'What's
more, his powers are not ordinary. Curing cancer is one thing, but when I found
out that he can also clean up land contaminated with maso, he was blown away.
This
is a man we must have in our company.'
"Thank you for allowing me to meet with you, Your
Majesty."
'For
the sake of corporate profits, I will bow to this barbarian for a moment.'
"This is a small gift from my company to your
majesty."
Accompanied by his secretary, he presented the gift to
Leon.
It was a handmade weapon closet, crafted by a master
smith from the Doojeong Guild, one of the top ten guilds in Korea.
Director Park Jong-chan planned to dazzle the barbarian
with the glittering finery inside this weapon closet.
'Once
you taste it, you'll never go back. I'll make you beg me to let you become a
part of our company.'
Park Jong-chan was looking forward to the reaction of Han
Hari and Leon, who would be stunned by the enormity of the gift.
But.......
"Okay, I'll take it since you're so willing."
'Since
you're so willing?
What,
that attitude. It's like I'm the one who has to be accepted.'
The arrogance made Park Jung-chan's teeth clench, but he
managed to keep a business smile on his face.
"Ah, why don't you check it out, I'm sure you'll
like it."
"Tsk... I can't be bothered to explain manners to an
inferior being. Han Hari, open it."
Leon pushed Hari to open the gift, making constant
attempts to piss him off.
Hari immediately opened it and swallowed hard.
"This, this is?!"
"Huhu......."
The carefully crafted closet opened to reveal an
expanding compartment that held dozens of weapons on display.
"These are the latest and greatest weapons our group
has to offer. I hope you can pick out something you like."
"These, these are all unique grade weapons made by
the Doojeong Guild's top artisans?"
These were unique-grade weapons.
They were so expensive that even high-ranking hunters
would go out of their way to get them, even if they had the money.
"I heard that you're going to be a hunter in the
future, so these items will be of great help to you."
Hearing those words, Hari found it difficult to breathe.
The weaponry crafted by the Doojeong Guild's renowned
craftsmen were ultra-luxury items that cost a billion dollars each.
Unless you were lucky enough to get one at the gate, it
was one of the finest things you could ever acquire through normal means.
Hari swallowed hard at the sight of the unique-rated
sword, which she had only seen on a video throughout her academy years.
"I see. But what am I supposed to do with such a
lowly weapon?"
"Lo- lowly?"
"Your Majesty! What do you mean, lowly?!"
Even Hari was stunned by Leon's attitude. Even though he
was an otherworlder, how could he have such an attitude when he saw this
straight from a pamphlet's picture?
"These, these are the finest items, made from
compressed alloys using the most advanced magical engineering techniques. You
can't get anything like this anywhere else──"
Park Jong-chan was trying to explain how much technology
had been applied to the items he had brought, and how expensive the materials
were.
Even the most savage of savages could understand what he
was talking about.
But Leon had a different view.
"How can you claim to be a master swordsmith, but
not have your work bathed in the light of the stars nor blessed by the gods,
and your arms are only used to hunt beasts?"
'What
does he mean, he wants us to dry our weapons in the sun like chilies and recite
a prayer or something?'
Surprisingly, his guess was right on the money.
"Anyway, compared to my holy sword and holy lance,
they're just toothpick playsets. Tsk, tsk... How dare you bring something that
hasn't even been blessed."
'You,
you barbarian!
Savage!
You think you are a survivor, and you think your world is the best.'
Such pride is not uncommon among craftsmen races, such as
the dwarves.
But their pride crumbled before the materials and
metallurgy of modern civilization.
Even if a dwarven master swordsmith had forged a steel
sword that had been tempered thousands of times, it would bend before a normal
longsword forged in a factory with modern technology and magical engineering.
"Hah, hah... You must be very confident in your
sword, Your Majesty."
"I was merely stating the obvious."
He summoned a sword from nowhere. Subspace technology?
But I didn't sense any magical energies at work.
But the sword that was summoned was an old iron blade. It
was missing a piece here and there, worn out and seemingly incapable of cutting
anything.
Park Jong-chan wanted to ask what he could do with such a
piece of junk, but his words were cut off when his gaze met the man's.
"You are full of skepticism, Merchant."
"Oh, you misunderstand."
"Well, good. It's not uncommon for merchants to try
to get my stuff. It's like using a cattle cleaver to kill a chicken, but let me
have a try at your wares."
Although thrilled, Park Jong-chan was troubled. Should he
show him the difference in power and crush his confidence, or should he let him
off the hook and make him feel good?
But how dare he devalues the Doojeng Group's
technological prowess... Park Jong-chan felt he needed to take some sort of
preemptive strike.
'Barbarian.
I'll show you what real technology is.'
He couldn't help but smile as he said,
"In that case... I shall certainly be interested in
experiencing the brilliance of Your Majesty's sword. Deputy Han Hari?"
"Yes......."
"Would you like to try out any of the weapons you
have in mind?"
Hari glanced at Leon. Once he nodded, she grabbed the
sword she had been admiring for four years, the 'Dawn' of the Master
Swordsmith, Bak Jin-cheol.
It had been forged for ten days inside a special gate,
where it was subjected to the intense energy of the sun, and its strength was
unparalleled. Its special ability, 'Sunlight', has the melting power to melt
even the strongest special alloys.
With her fire powers, it's a perfect pairing.
"Can I really... wield this?"
"Why bother asking an elder's permission to wield a
toy?"
'That
asshole is going the whole way.......'
The heat seemed to extend to the top of his head, but
Park Jong-chan waited for the refreshing cider that was about to come.
Hari, holding the weapon of her lifelong dreams, was both
impressed and worried that Leon's weapon might break, but she couldn't help it.
She activated the Dawn's special skill, and the blade
turned red as a fierce aura enveloped it.
"Then... here I go!"
The sword she swung with all her might collided with Leon's
old iron sword, and the result was──
-Clang!
The sword snapped with a crisp sound. Dawn was cut off by
the blow.
"Huh?"
"Uh......."
Hari, Park Jong-chan, and the secretary all looked at
each other in disbelief. Leon was the only one with a casual expression on his
face as he looked at the broken sword.
"I didn't expect so, but you really did bring
something as useful as a toothpick. Put it away."
What the hell is going on?
Park Jong-chan's head was spinning at what was happening
in front of him.
The Dawn was a weapon of supreme cutting power that could
easily cut through the hides and bones of high-level monsters.
It was the most powerful weapon they could create,
containing the essence of the Doojeong Group's technology.
'Is,
is this an unchallenged-grade weapon?’
That
old sword, no way.’
Survivors would occasionally carry the finest weaponry in
the world, unchallenged-grade weaponry, but there was at least some prestige to
it.
There's no way that old, chipped sword could be such a
weapon.......
"It's not even divine, so it's a waste of time. I'll
shorten your time. You have three minutes to finish what you have to say."
"N- no... tha- that... no?"
This was supposed to be a game changer, but how did this
happen?
Park Jong-chan tried to say something, but the words
wouldn't come out, and it wasn't until his secretary shook his shoulder that he
finally came to his senses.
Yeah... gifts are just a way to buy favor. It's a shame
that a billion-dollar weapon was destroyed, but that's not what matters now.
"Le- Leon, Your Majesty──"
"What kind of courtesy is it for a lowly trader to
speak disrespectfully to a king?"
"Ugh... Your, Your Majesty."
His clenched teeth made a sound like they were about to
crack. He had never been so disrespected and belittled in his life.
"Your Majesty... the crops you grow, we would like
to exclusively purchase them as the Doojeong Group."
"The crops I grow? Did you think I appeared to be a
farmer?"
"Ah, no, we just want to secure the seeds of the
crops that Your Majesty has allowed to grow in the Honam Plain and grow them
ourselves."
"Hmph... You're going to convert? That's the most
pleasant thing to come out of your mouth."
"What?"
What the hell do you mean, convert?
"That crop thrives on land where priests who serve
the gods of life and fertility pray. I hear you intend to become one of those
priests. You're quite ambitious for such a lowly subject."
"Oh, no, that's not it."
"What?"
Finding it difficult to follow Leon's words, Jong-chan
saw no point in twisting his words, so he went straight to the point.
"We want to take over the patent rights to the seeds
of that rice."
"Excuse me?"
Leon's eyes sharpened. Park Jong-chan hurriedly placed a
condition.
"Of course, it will come at a price. By our
management's calculations... Yes. It was estimated to be worth 180 billion
won."
A steep markdown, of course. There's no way the seeds of
a cure-all super rice could be worth only 180 billion won.
But if he were to explain the value of 180 billion won to
an ignorant barbarian, the man's eyes would roll.
"You mean you want to buy the seeds with
money?"
"That's right, but of course you'll have to sign a
contract stating that only Doojeong Future Food can distribute it exclusively.
Oh, and if you want, I can raise the price a bit more, depending on the
negotiations──"
Park Jong-chan was looking forward to seeing how he could
toy with this barbarian.
Undervalue the seeds, act as if he would have nothing to
lose, and bamboozle him with difficult explanations of the law and complicated
distribution networks.
As a natural businessman, Jong-chan had a knack for
devaluing his opponents and adding his own value. But──
"How dare you lowly merchant blaspheme the
divine!"
He didn't know.
The one in front of him was──
The representative of all gods and the most devout
religious man.
***
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