The Knight King Who Returned with Gods : Chapter 52
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 52 Magic is Inferior
Leon made a bold declaration.
Most of the cadets resent the arrogance of the man who
would 'accept' only the top 1% of the students, not through persuasion or a
lucrative offer.
Some were outraged, even in an academy of geniuses.
'I
heard he is a survivor, but I didn't expect him to be so arrogant.'
Cheon So-yeon, the granddaughter of the Divine Sword
Guild leader, was one of them.
‘Do we
look easy just because he made a name for himself recently? There are many
cadets involved with the Top Ten Guilds here.'
This is Class A of the Hunter Academy's graduating class.
It's a special promotion class.
It was a gathering place for geniuses whose future
success was confirmed. Rather than offering generous treatment and down payment
to the cadets of such special class, he told them to ‘show their skills’?
However, despite such anger and hostility, the students
did not express their dissatisfaction openly.
Part of this was due to the firm warning of Kim Jin-soo,
the Chief of the Hunter Association, but it was also due to the fact that few
students were willing to challenge Leon, who was not an ordinary person.
Isn't he a survivor? Isn’t he the one who attacked the
Cheongju Gate and closed the Shifting Gate as well?
Because confidence came with performance, the cadets had
no choice but to be cautious.
Of course, there are quite a few people in the Top Ten
Guilds who achieved such a feat. The Divine Sword Guild is a prime example.
"Guild Leader. I have a question."
Cheon So-yeon raised her hand. Chief Kim Jin-soo's eyes
widened.
'She
dares to do it!'
Leon's proper address was 'His Majesty'. The Lionheart King
of the otherworldly Lionheart Kingdom. That much information was released by
the government.
It was a general rule that survivors from other worlds
should be treated with respect for their culture. Of course, unless they are
very skilled, they are ignored.
Leon was not a typical survivor.
Classist, discriminative, authoritarian, and a bit of a
nutcase if you watch from the sidelines.
The problem was, the man was too good with weapons.
"Please, Your Majesty, it's just a kid! Give her a
generous heart──!'
“Say your name.”
Contrary to Chief Kim Jin-soo's worries, Leon replied
calmly.
"It is ......Cheon So-yeon."
"Are you a royalty?"
"Oh, no......."
There is no such thing as royalty in modern Korea. Leon
shook his head at Cheon So-yeon's answer.
"So you're a commoner. Lady, I don't blame you for
your ignorance, but in the future, be careful with how you address
people."
"What...!"
Cheon So-yeon's face turned bright red as she was
instantly labeled an uneducated commoner. However, she quickly regained her
composure and asked with a cold gaze,
“You said you would test us, but haven’t you already
received our evaluation data?”
The scouts received the cadets' information before the
Draft, which allowed them to gauge their value and make an offer.
Leon had received that data from the Hunter's
Association.
“What can you tell from a piece of paper? I will look
beyond it and see you for who you are."
“What is that….”
"I'll tell you the reverse. Why should I let you in
through my gate? Tell me why I should let you in."
It was not like this was a job interview and the company
was asking why they should hire you... Leon's expression was too genuine for it
to be a pressure interview.
"I will guide you. You should be honored to know
that you can be a servant of the Lionhearted King."
"".............""
The students' expressions were all the more dumbfounded.
Han Su-ho thought that Ha-ri must have suffered a lot under someone like that.
"Your Majesty the Lionheart King."
Regardless, Su-ho cautiously raised his hand,
"I grant you permission to ask a question."
"You said you will guide us, but what... will it
be?"
It wasn't uncommon for guilds with high-ranking hunters
to personally mentor the rookies they drafted.
This was because the know-how of a high-ranking hunter
was valuable knowledge in itself.
In fact, Hunters under the tutelage of high raning
Hunters were often promoted quickly.
"I will teach you four things. Swordsmanship,
spearmanship, horse-riding, and theology."
"......Yes?"
The cadets whispered. It was natural.
Hunters could learn swordsmanship or spearmanship. But
only if they possess skills that favor swordsmanship or spearmanship.
Those who specialized in other skills took up other
weapons, and strictly speaking, swords and spears were easy-to-use weapons, so
they learned them, not delved deeper into them.
And horse riding? Why would anyone learn to ride a horse
if they're going into gates?
-No, everything else aside, what's the point of a
theology?
-You want us to become pastors?
Not surprisingly, someone raised their hand.
"But, uh, ...I specialize in archery?"
“You don’t pass the test. Weapons like that are for
infantrymen. I came to gather knights, not the infantrymen.”
"You're too much......."
The student specializing in archery who lowers his hand
sullenly. Another archery specialist raised his hand in protest,
"Archery is a great skill! Long-distance dealers are
essential when attacking the gate!”
"Don't you dare raise your voice, you lowlife!"
"Wha, wha...lowlife?!"
It was an even more repulsive derogatory term, but Leon's
【 Long Distance Attack
Detester 】effectively shut the
student up.
“There are limits to arrows. They can never be top-notch.
Only perfection, with no limits of growth, is the pinnacle a knight should
strive for."
"No......."
"Of course, I don't intend to argue with distance.
But it's a minor weapon. It can never be a mainstay in a melee where blade and
flesh meet."
In short, ranged weapons played the supporting role. In
theory, a melee cold weapon trained to the extreme would surpass even the
ranged weapons' distance.
"In the first place, Holy Law... No, magic is more
versatile. If there is the power of magic, what's the point of relying on something
as silly as limited arrowheads? If you run out of arrows, will you just rush in
with a dagger?"
"Ugh...!"
It was a harsh statement, but in reality, the ability of
archers to fight for long periods of time had often been debated.
In a field gate or a large-scale battle where supplies
were scarce, the number of arrows they could use was limited.
"Then mages are not needed to join His Majesty's
guild?"
Raising her hand was a mage girl, one of the few in the
entire grade, let alone Class A.
Usually, mage cadets don't pay much attention to the
Draft because they go to the Magic Tower after graduating from the Academy.
"A mage. Certainly, mages are handy to have, but
there's nothing I can teach you about that."
Well, that would be true.
Technically, he was not a mage. Given his distant dislike
for long-ranged, it was unlikely he'd use magic or anything like that.
"But if you study theology, I can teach you some
simple Holy Laws."
"Theo... logy?"
That was the most questionable thing. Swordsmanship,
spearmanship, and horse riding aside, what on earth does he mean by teaching
theology?
"Does Holy Law have anything to do with
theology?"
"Yes, it does. Because Holy Law is an expression of
faith."
-What is that? Magic in a different name?
-I'm a bit curious about magic from other worlds.
-But I thought he was a knight. What kind of magic does a
guy with a sword use?
-That sounds like fantasy to me, especially with the
faith. I mean, it's like a priest-healer in a game.
-The light is on the side of the righteous! Or something?
Most people don't believe Leon's words. Normally, magic
was a gift that few were born with.
Of the 5,000 cadets at Hunter Academy, only a hundred
were mages. Magic was that rare.
It was an even rarer profession in general, given that
the mage cadets were being rounded up by the Magic Towers.
The man who taught swordsmanship and spearmanship, also
practiced magic? Suspicion flickered in the gazes directed at Leon.
“You seem to think that magic is a blessing granted only
to a very few talented people.”
Isn't that obvious?
Leon continue to speak,
"Holy Law is not reserved for a select few. Anyone
can do it if they're willing to learn."
"That's ridiculous."
These were the words spoken by Cheon So-yeon. Although
she was momentarily embarrassed by the words she had unwittingly uttered, she
raised her hand and spoke,
"The way a normal Martial Arts Hunter and a Magic
Hunter utilize magic power is different. Whereas the Martial Artists utilize
internal force that condenses magic power from within, the Magic Hunters
utilize external force that radiates outward."
"So?"
At Leon's hands-off attitude, Cheon So-yeon chewed her
lip and continued,
"There are geniuses who can use both at the same time,
but they're even rarer than mages. His Majesty said that anyone can do it,
right?"
"Indeed. Though not powerful, the Holy Law is
sufficient to enable even a street farmer to make a living."
Cheon So-yeon's gaze narrowed. This was something she
could bite back.
"It's theoretically impossible."
"Don't try to understand it with logic. It doesn’t
accumulate as knowledge. However, since you don’t seem to believe it, let me
tell you one more thing.”
Leon's next words stunned even the mage girl who had curiously
turned to him.
"Magic is inferior to Holy Law."
""......!!""
What on earth?
The previous statements aside, what was this bombshell?
The mage cadets in Class A were trembling and raising
their hands, unable to contain their anger. Leon dismissed the questions raised
here and there.
“I’m Gim Dae-su, a mage cadet. By inferior. what do you
mean?"
"Inferior means exactly what it says. Literally.
Next."
"I'm mage cadet Chae Na-rin. Why is it
inferior?"
"Because a mage's magic is nothing more than the
result of an equation. Next.”
"I am Cheon So-yeon.... I'm not sure what that
means."
"Hmm......."
Leon felt it necessary to explain the crucial difference
between magic and Holy Law here.
"For example, let's say you have a magic that
involves fire. What can you do with that fire?"
"To burn... isn't that right?"
"Yes, that is the proper use of fire. But the
question is: How far can you burn with that fire?"
Well, that depended on the firepower.
A bonfire would only burn meat, while a thermal power
plant would burn a large amount of fuel.
"Mage girl there. The one named Chae Na-rin, come
forward."
"Ye, yes?"
The designated cadet Chae Na-rin glanced around, then
cautiously stepped forward. Leon looked for a suitable object and called out to
Chief Kim Jin-soo, who was looking at him nervously.
"Chief Jin-soo. I assume you have some training
equipment here?"
"Yes? That is right."
"If you can find a shield, that would be
great."
Without asking about Leon's intentions, Chief Kim
immediately grabbed a training shield. It was a semi-large round shield that
could completely cover a person.
“Hmm, for a trainee’s equipment, it’s not a bad shield.”
That was a fixture of the Hunter Academy. The most
expensive education in the country, paid for by taxes.
In fact, the training shields were made of the highest
quality minerals of the normal grade. It was safe to say it was semi-rare
grade.
“How long will it take to burn this shield with magic?”
"B, burn?"
"Yes. Think of it as burning it to nothing. Without
melting it."
“It’s impossible!”
Cadet Chae Na-rin words were natural. If you light a
piece of iron on fire, it melts rather than burns. That also required
tremendous firepower.
Not to mention if it was a shield made of minerals used
by hunters.
"Impossible?"
"Well, maybe if it's an S-class mage, it could be
done... but there's still a melting process!"
"There, that's the limitation."
""?????""
Leon said to the confused students,
"Your magic isn't technically magic, it's just the
result of a logical equation. It should be called trickery, not magic."
And of course... the reaction was one that one should be
tired of. The cadets stared at him in disbelief and disapproval.
Unable to blame them for their ignorance, Leon began to
focus his holy power on his fingers.
"I believe that the sacred flames of the God of War
and Flame will consume this shield. It could also stop at the melting point, if
I wish. It's up to me."
What on earth are you going to do with mere words of
faith? But, surprisingly, fire began to ignite from Leon's fingertip.
Is he really using magic? But the cadets' surprise didn't
end there.
Holy Law <Devastating Burn>
The moment the tiny flames touched the shield.
The shield turned to ash and disappeared.
It didn't even melt, it just turned to ash and
disappeared.
It happened in an instant.
"What...!"
""......?!!""
A clamor filled the lecture hall.
Everyone doubted their own eyes and tried to interpret what
just happened.
But their eyes and their minds can't make sense of it,
only the results.
Only that the fire 'consumed' the shield. How? The
equation for the most important intermediate step in the use of fire magic was
entirely missing.
The fire started, and burned it up.
The only thing that can be seen was the result.
“This is the difference between magic and Holy Law.”
As if it was obvious, as if it was natural.
Leon didn't brag about how great the 'miracle' he showed
was.
A miracle.
Something he did through the illogical power of faith
alone.
This was not innovation or discovery.
It was something else entirely.
The Holy Law... no, Leon's very existence was 'different'
from the rest on the Earth.
It was just common sense to him.
-Really... anyone can learn this?
-This is what theological education is for?
-I can be a mage... I mean, a holy mage?
The cadets look at Leon differently.
From a pseudo-authoritarian in another world, to the
‘real thing’ that cannot be expressed in words.
"Is it really──!"
It was then. The bell rang, signaling the end of 8th
period, and the heavy atmosphere was lifted.
“Hmm, I guess time is up.”
Leon stepped down from the lectern without hesitation,
knowing that he had used up his allotted time.
"I will pick the 1% of jade. Those who consider
themselves to be jade, those who wish to become knights, must prove their worth
at my door."
In the place where Leon left, only traces of the shield,
which had been burned to the ground and turned to ashes, were left fluttering.
***
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