The Knight King Who Returned with Gods : Chapter 39
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 39 The Kingdom Inside The Gate
Spero Kingdom.
This peaceful, millennia-old kingdom has been plunged
into a cataclysmic event.
Demons have invaded and cities crumbled one after
another, until only the royal castle remained as their stronghold, from which
humans are fighting a losing battle.
"This is the theme."
"The theme?"
A bar inside the Spero castle. There, Gu Dae-sung was
having a talk.
"Come to think of it, each gate had its own style."
"Yes. There are field hunting type gates like the
Seoul Station Gate, dungeon type gates, and then there are NPC quest type gates
like the Orc Gate."
Leon had been through four gates since coming to Earth.
The first was a dungeon-type gate in the Hunan Plain.
After defeating the boss monster Durandal, the gate
closed.
The second was the Cheongju Gate.
It was a cyberpunk-themed world where the Yakt Spinner
was trying to stop the release of a Jewel of Wisdom.
Although the theme didn't mean much for the raid team
since the survivor was a Yakt Spinner.
The third gate was the Samjeon Station Gate in Seoul.
The theme was that they needed to help one of the tribe
of orcs, but Leon slaughtered them all with his brute force charge.
Among the gates he had experienced so far, this fourth
gate was most similar to the gate of Samjeon Station, where the orcs appeared,
"But this gate is a little different from the orc
gate."
Gu Dae-sung said while looking at the system window that
Leon couldn't see.
"There is another condition attached to this
quest."
"Condition?"
"Yes. A time limit."
[The Spero Kingdom is being invaded by demons. Defend the
kingdom from the invasion of the demon lord].
Time remaining: 1 week
That's right.
The quest condition is to defend the kingdom for one
week.
Once he recovered from the confusion, he realized this.
"In other words, we only need to 'defend' the
kingdom for a week, and then the gate will be closed."
"That's strange. I heard that the gates have a
dungeon break phenomenon. After a certain period of time, a crack opens up and
the monsters inside come out?"
And not just monsters. The overflowing maso inside will
spill out, polluting the land and making it uninhabitable.
The gates were maintained to keep them closed, and the
monsters inside were constantly being cleaned up.
"Yes, if it's a normal gate, then that is the norm.
But these 'specified quest' gates can be closed as long as you clear the quest,
even if you don't clean the monsters inside."
It had been proven by the data that mankind has
accumulated since the cataclysm.
Since shifting gates had occurred now and then, Gu
Dae-sung shouldn't be wrong.
"Then... Chief Kim Jin-soo."
Leon, who never touched the food in front of him, turned
his gaze to Jin-soo who was in the middle of eating.
"Ye- yes, Your Majesty! Please speak!"
He was originally going in as an employee of the
Association to witness the growth of the hunters and to reassess their ratings.
And there were some conditions.
"Originally, I am not supposed to come forward.
However, given the urgency of the situation, will it change your assessment if
both I and Sir Spinner are involved?"
"Ummm......."
In the first place, he was supposed to assess the
abilities of the recruits alone. Leon's participation would make things too
easy.
Chief Kim Jin-soo hadn't expected the D-classes hunters
to improve in a mere four weeks of training, but today's battle had made him
re-evaluate their abilities. In only four weeks... without any unique skills,
they had become roughly C-class or better... and with Leon's enhancement buffs,
they performed at the level of B-class tankers.
Jin-soo didn't know what they had been consuming, but
their physical strength and physical abilities had significantly risen.
"Hmm... I don't think it's a problem. That much
leeway is allowed by the Chairman of the Association."
"Ooh...!"
"S- so I can raise my grade this time?"
With the approval of the Association's staff, the
hunters' spirits rose.
They were still motivated even by his statement that they
would be evaluated based on their performances.
"One more thing."
Leon's words drew everyone's attention.
"What do you think of the change of the quest
conditions and the hidden elements of the quest, as happened in the orc gate?
And do you suppose there will be any such elements in this gate?"
-Hmm.......
-If it's a hidden quest.......
-Wouldn't we have to do something as crazy as we did with
the orcs?
They first saw hidden quests in the orc gate. Leon's
actions, which destroyed the entire concept of the quest, changed the quest
itself.
"It's... possible, I suppose. Chief Kim, have you
ever heard of a similar case?"
"Hmm... It's not like there isn't any. Anything can
happen at the gate."
"What do you think of the change of the quest
conditions and the hidden elements of the quest, as happened in the orc gate?
And do you suppose there will be any such elements in this gate?"
-Hmm.......
-If it's a hidden quest.......
-Wouldn't we have to do something as crazy as we did with
the orcs?
They first saw hidden quests in the orc gate. Leon's
actions, which destroyed the entire concept of the quest, changed the quest
itself.
"It's... possible, I suppose. Chief Kim, have you
ever heard of a similar case?"
"Hmm... It's not like there isn't any. Anything can
happen at the gate."
There were not no cases.
Gu Dae-sung became uneasy.
"Um... Your Majesty. What are you thinking..."
"I'm thinking of slaying the demon lord."
"Cough...!"
The meaning of his words was clear. He wanted to
slaughter all the incalculable demons and even kill the demon lord that was
responsible for the invasion?
This was even crazier than what happened at the Orc Gate.
But then, at least they also had Yappy, a weapon of mass destruction from the
Pantheon Guild.
"Your, Your Majesty, taking such a dangerous path
is......."
"Don't worry. I won't allow you to be in danger.
Even I am sensible enough to realize that."
The hunters were relieved to hear that. Leon is a born
commander.
It would be suicide to leave the walls of the castle and
the army of the Spero Kingdom and attack the demons with only a dozen hunters.
He knows that.
"In honor of your accomplishment, get a good night's
rest. Tomorrow may be another busy day, and I will be meeting
with the figureheads of this kingdom."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Leon left the hunters behind and went upstairs to the
room the Kingdom had prepared for him. He summoned the Holy Grail and channeled
the energy of the Demon Troll he had killed today.
The Grail had the power to extinguish evil and convert
its energy into holy power. It was one of the reasons why Leon was able to
slaughter over ten million demons in his world.
'Though
I didn't know it could also absorb the leader of the beasts.'
By absorbing one of Gokrok's arms and converting it into
energy, he restored the Grail's functionality.
The Demon Troll was not as good as that one, but it was
still pretty handy for connecting him to the Great Temple.
[Leon, my First Knight].
"Arianna. May you be filled with peace."
He might be unable to summon the deities, but he could
speak briefly to the deities of the Temple of Pantheon in his heart.
Arianna spoke,
[Did you feel it?]
"Yes, this gate has an otherworldly energy."
Leon had only felt the energy after the battle.
"It is almost like a touch on the skin, so natural
that I was slow to notice it."
[You, as a living being with flesh and blood, would not
have easily noticed it. It is an energy that blends into this world so
naturally.]
The implication was obvious.
There was an existence in this world that possessed such
immense power that even the Lionheart King couldn't detect it spontaneously.
"A demon lord? A monarch-level demon......."
[It's subtle. One of those beings should have a more
intense aura. This is something... different.]
Leon had slain two demon lords.
Together with the Holy Grail Knights, he and the gods of
the Pantheon had succeeded in wiping out the demonic beasts of such vicious
power.
Malus, Lord of Chaos.
Dothraddon, Lord of Pleasure.
Each of these monsters could end a world.
Their energy is enough to make the world tremble and
their presence brings screams and despair.
If a monarch-level demon is at this gate, the lower-level
hunters will despair even with the [Aura of The Lionheart].
[My Knight, the deities of the Pantheon has a message for
you.]
"Thy knight listens."
[Fleur wishes to investigate this world. She appears to
have picked up on something.]
"You speak of Fleur?"
Leon was familiar with the deity.
"She needs the energy to descend."
[Yes. You can figure it out without me telling you how,
don't you?]
He knew.
Something more tangible would be required for the descent
of a divinity, not just the possession of an object as it had been with Demera.
* * * *
The next morning, at the inn where the Pantheon Guild was
staying, soldiers came to the door.
"Sir Lionheart, is Sir Lionheart around?"
Gu Dae-sung, who had been up early in the morning, ran up
the stairs to wake Leon.
"Your Majesty...! The soldiers wish to see
you──"
But Leon had already made his way down, fully dressed.
Even though it was still early, his appearance had certain radiance.
"Y- Your Majesty is already up?"
"I have to go to the palace. I've just finished
bathing."
'Is
that why he's so sparkly?'
Gu Dae-sung once again realized that Leon was indeed a
different breed from him.
"You must be Sir Lionheart?"
"Yes."
Leon didn't bother introducing himself to the soldiers.
After all, he was technically a knight, so the address was not wrong.
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister and the Generals
wants to see you. The carriage has been prepared, so let us go to the
palace."
"Very well."
It had been informed yesterday in advance, so Leon
readily accepted. Before getting into the carriage, Leon glanced back.
"Sir Spinner, please remain on standby. You'll be in
charge of the cadets here."
-Kririg.
"I will be heading to the castle myself, but I
cannot go without attendants, so I will take three volunteers to serve as my
attendants."
After a moment of stunned silence, the hunters, who knew
from social experience that in times like this, they had to act quickly, rushed
forward.
"I, Chief Kim Jin-soo is ready!"
"Jim Do-han is ready!"
"Gu Dae-sung is ready!"
Some followed suit, but it was already too late.
"Hmm, good. Please open the door."
Chief Kim Jin-soo, who had a lot of work experience,
immediately went over and opened the carriage door.
No one asked the standard question, "Do you need to
open the door?", not if it was for this royalty.
When they arrived at the Palace, the servants bowed
politely to them.
"Welcome, gentlemen. My name is Hans, the chief
chamberlain of the palace. I will escort you to the audience hall."
On the way to the hall, they saw all sorts of artwork and
decorations arranged elegantly. The hunters wondered if this was what it would
be like to visit a royal palace in old Europe.
"Hmm, the owner of the palace must have a great
sense of aesthetics."
"Huhu, you have a good eye."
Chief Chamberlain Hans responded to Leon's compliments.
He went on to share the history of the Palace with the guests so they wouldn't
get bored.
"The Royal Palace of Spero is a palace with a long
history. It has served many queens, from the founder, Queen Fiora, to the
current Queen Beatrice."
-Queens.
-Queens from the beginning? I guess it's a matriarchal
society.
-Shhh. His Majesty is looking this way!
The three men were whispering to each other at the Chief
Chamberlain's words, but Leon glared at them and spoke up in a firm voice,
"In what country is it customary for commoners to
pry into the household of royalty?"
"We, we apologize."
Leon immediately turned to the Chief Chamberlain and apologized,
"I'm sorry, they are ignoramus who hasn't been
taught proper etiquette. The situation is urgent, so I can only bring people
who do not understand manners."
"Haha, it is fine. You are outsiders, so it is to be
expected."
The Chief Chamberlain shrugged it off, but Leon stared at
the three of them with a stern gaze and clicked his tongue as if to make them
listen.
"Tsk tsk... Even if you haven't been taught manners,
there are things you ought to be aware of."
The three of them were forced to keep their mouths shut
until they reached the audience hall.
They finally made it to the audience hall. There, several
officials were waiting for Leon.
Knights and other officials stood on either side of a
large carpet, with what appeared to be a throne at the end of the carpet
covered by a veiled canopy.
A silhouette could barely be seen through the veil, and
it was that of a slender woman.
"Sir Lionheart has arrived."
Leon and his companions were well known in the kingdom
for yesterday's battle.
A mysterious group that had performed a heroic feat
against the demons' forces. If Leon hadn't identified himself as a knight, they
would have been assumed to be a group of mercenaries.
“Hmm, are you the Lionheart who played an active part in
the battle in front of the castle gate?”
The first to speak was a middle-aged man in fancy clothes
with an impressive mustache.
"I am the Duke of Aquium, the prime minister of the
Kingdom."
Prime minister. Needless to say, he was a man of the
court. He began to recite his proposal to make Leon a royal knight for bringing
victory in battle.
Until Leon opened his mouth.
"I'll start by paying my respects to the
Queen."
Leon made a beeline for the Queen's throne, but two men
stood in his way.
The Duke of Aquium and an elderly knight, presumably a
General.
"No matter how accomplished you may be, how dare an
unfamiliar man come so close to Her Majesty's throne?!"
The Minister's words were shared by the three men who had
followed Leon.
'He
has a point.'
'Cause
they might suddenly turn around and try to assassinate her.'
'Of
course, His Majesty wouldn't do that, but the guards will still stand to stop
him.'
Leon was an otherworldly royal with common sense
different from that of Earth, but he wasn't a closed-minded person who would
deny what made sense.
So he shouldn't be offended by the Minister's refusal──
"I won't allow this."
"What?"
"Your Majesty, I am Leon Dragonia Lionheart,
Lionheart King of the Lionheart Kingdom, and I will do what must be done, even
if I know it is disrespectful."
"No, what is this man saying?! General! Hurry up and
bring this guy out─"
At that moment, Leon grabbed the Minister's face.
"W- wait...!"
This is somehow a deja vu──
-Crack!
The head of the Minister turned when strength went into
the Lionheart King's arm.
It rotated 1,080 degrees and returned to its original
position.
It was an instant death.
"......."
"......."
It happened so fast, and it was so shocking, that it took
a while for them to fully process it.
After three seconds of silence, Leon ripped the arm off
the Minister's lifeless body.
It was a truly extraordinary sight, a man's limb being
torn off by raw, unbridled force.
'Why
the f*ck is this happening again?'
What did he not like this time?
***
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