The Knight King Who Returned with Gods : Chapter 65
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 65: Geobrick, and Afterwards
Golden Lion Guild headquarters.
An up-and-coming guild in Korea, founded by S-class
Hunter Gum-cheol, it had until recently held a solid position among the Top 10
guilds.
However, it suffered two major setbacks: Cheongju Gate
and Jeju Island Gate. The back-to-back losses were devastating.
They've gained honor and prestige, but not much else. On
top of that, the loss of the guild's first-tier veteran raiders was an irreplaceable
hole.
However, the Golden Lion Guild will surely recover from
this wound.
As long as Guild Master Hwang Gum-cheol is around, Golden
Lion Guild will not fall apart.
That said, there was no room for slacking off. The Golden
Lion Guild's performance in the recent period had been slipping with each
successive loss of life. Nevertheless.......
"Are you still training?"
"My Sister~"
Hwang Yeon-ha looked worriedly at her brother, who had
been living in the training room since the Jeju Island Gate.
"My bones are sore."
“……Well, I’m done with everything I have to do.”
Yeon-ha knew why her brother was like that. Like ordinary
siblings, they regard each other as enemies, but they are similar.
"I thought I was pretty strong."
S-class, one of only 20 in the country. A guild leader of
a Top 10 guild. The most destructive Korean Hunter.
But he was a frog in a well. Real strength was different.
Holy Grail Knight Geobrick.
An unprecedentedly strong man whose strength, faith, and will
cannot even be compared.
Not only him, but also the hundreds of knights under him
would have been praised as renowned powerhouses in Korea.
"Holy Grail Knights......."
Who on earth are they?
How could anyone be so strong and have such a firm will?
Above all──
"They're cool."
"Well... I agree."
What a way to end it all.
It seemed like there was no way to resolve his
complicated feelings.
* * * *
Lee Yong-wan was greedy.
He loved money, and enjoyed seeing his accumulated
wealth.
It was said that the Top 10 guilds in Korea were close to
the political world and wielded unlimited power, but unexpectedly, for Lee
Yong-wan, power was nothing more than a means to increase his wealth.
Patriotism, justice, childish things like that don't help
you make money.
In modern times, such ideas are ridiculed as foolish.
[We, the dead, are willing to give up our lives for the
future of the living!]
"Huu......."
Opening his eyes, Lee Yong-wan realized that he was in
his office.
"Mmm... I must have dozed off."
It was because he had stayed up all night to process the
post-gate data after the Jeju Island Gate. In fact, he hadn't gotten any work
done.
"You're not doing so well these days."
The voice belonged to Hayuri. An S-class Hunter and Vice
Guild Leader of the Phoenix Guild, she usually acted as Lee Yong-wan's
secretary.
Administrative work was like a rat poison to her, so her
job was pretty mundane.
"Do you really get bothered by it? Enough to give
you nightmares."
".....You're noisy."
"If you have a problem, it's best to talk to someone
who knows how to solve it. There's only one person on this world who can answer
your questions."
The Lionheart King. At the mention of him, Lee Yong-wan
laughed.
"That hierarchical man? You'll be lucky if you don't
get insulted."
"Well, he seems to be a surprisingly talkative
type."
"Heh......."
He owed him his life. But that didn't mean he had any
intention of getting friendly. After all, he and Leon were polar opposites.
"Now that the situation is settled... I should thank
him, as for the gift... you can arrange that."
"Should I send your Treasure No. 7?"
"Ah, you! It's worth a fortune!"
Looking at Yong-wan who was shouting like he had lost his
temper, Hayuri smirked,
"You do know that there's a big guild meeting for
the tax exemption law next week, right? They sent me the dress code."
"Damn, I forgot. Any word on the details?"
"Cheongseong, Mujin, Shark... and Divine Sword, I
think. Most of the Top 10 guilds are coming."
"With this many gathered, the government won't be
able to hold out much longer. We’ve had a hard time, so even if we increase the
amount of tax exemption by about 20%….”
[Take it. Even if you lack horsemanship, you should
follow the King's lead.]
[Live an honorable life.]
[May the gods bless you.]
"......."
“Lee Yong-wan?”
Honor, justice, glory. Such useless things.......
"Tsk."
Lee Yong-wan suddenly felt sick to his stomach. He
couldn't explain why, it just hurt.
"Tell them I'm sick and won't be able to
attend."
"But there's five days left?"
"I'll be sick until then."
After seeing those knights, mountains of riches didn't
seem so sweet.
It's
just...
It's
just that I saw something so intense that, for a moment, I lost interest in
making money.
It's
got to be that.
* * * *
Hari came to the training ground today as per her morning
routine.
But these days, even though she left earlier than before,
she saw familiar faces at the training ground.
"Su-ho, did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, Noona."
It was Han Su-ho, her younger brother from the same
orphanage, freshly bathed from the men's dormitory.
He was holding his own sword and shield, striking the scarecrows
Yappy had set up for training. It was not just any scarecrow, but rather an
extension of the Demera goddess who guards the fields.
“Senior Han, hello.”
“Senior Hari, good morning!”
Cheon So-yeon and Jae-hyuk came to say hello when they
saw Hari coming in.
Cheon So-yeon had always been an early bird, but it was
surprising that even the playful Jae-hyuk showed up for morning training.
"Jae-hyuk's been so diligent lately. Even at the
academy, you always missed morning practice."
"Ah.. cause I've seen that."
Jae-hyuk scratched his cheeks embarrassingly and blushed
as if he were thinking of an object of admiration.
The three of them could not help but wonder what Jaehyuk
was referring to.
"Knights......."
The four people saw beings called knights at the Jeju
Island Gate.
At first, they had assumed that chivalry, honor, and
glory were just unique to Leon.
They thought that a quirky person like Leon was uniquely
obsessed with such things.
But it turned out not to be the case.
Holy Grail Knight, the pinnacle of knighthood, and
Knights of the Kingdom, the official knights. There were also Knights of
Pilgrimage who weren't even proper knights.
They were strong enough to meet Leon's strict standards
for knighthood.
It was not just about strength.
All of them were honorable, brave, and armed with
unwavering beliefs and faith.
Their strength may have been close, but their will was no
match.
"Does His Majesty really think we can be... knights
like that?"
Everyone was silent at Su Hao's question.
A week ago, they had thought they could.
Out of the 45 knight trainees, only four of them were
considered on the quite same level as Knights of Pilgrimage (Knight Errant).
They had previously envisioned that if they trained well, they would be
recognized as Knights of the Kingdom.
But now they knew.
How much weight the title of Knight, and the honor of
being called 'Sir' meant to Leon.
A knight wasn't simply a good fighter.
They must be honorable, seek glory, and be willing to lay
down their lives for their comrades.
Such was the case with the Knights of the Pilgrimage, and
even the common soldiers.
The contrast was all too palpable that it made them
realize why Leon would so often depreciate Earth's superhumans, the Hunters.
To him, the Hunters must have seemed like nothing more
than mercenary thugs who only cared about money.
'Wait .......'
Hari suddenly felt a strange sensation.
She realized how much of a benchmark the knights were.
How brilliant and upright they were. Then.......
'What about His Majesty, who had fought alone for two
hundred years at the peak.......'
What kind of battle had he been fighting?
* * * *
"Sir Spinner. You are in charge from now on."
-Handing over.
After handing over the cadets' training to Yappy, Leon
made his way to the Knight's training ground.
The Knight's training ground was nothing more than
another training ground, isolated from the cadets, though it was spacious enough
to accommodate running horses.
Here, Leon summoned his holy sword and began his
swordsmanship training.
Training that had repeated every day for 300 years of
life.
He had repeated it with the knights of the Grand Duke's
House, with his traveling companions, and with his soldiers and knights since
becoming king.
And now, all that remained was him.
"Huu......."
Since becoming a Holy Grail Knight, he had not lost his
physical vigor.
No matter how many intense battles he fought, he never
became tired, no disease could breach his body, and he always maintained
perfect vigor.
"I'm tired."
Nevertheless, Leon felt tired. His mind grew weary, and
he could feel the tiredness.
Three hundred years.
Leon was tired enough that the routine he had been repeating
for over 300 years had halted.
The first fifteen years of his reincarnation in the other
world had been a good time.
He had suffered physically under the tutelage of the Holy
Grail Knights, but he had confidence for the future.
Even when he had to travel and fight orcs, vampires, and
barbarians, even when the neighboring countries were torn apart by the rise of
the Great Demon... even when he was alone and fighting a war he didn't know how
long it would last.
Like a horse pulling a carriage, he just kept going.
When
I think about it, my life was one where I just ran forward without even feeling
tired.
Why was the fatigue that he hadn't felt when he was
slaying demons bothering him now?
"Heheheh......."
Yes, he might be afraid of losing.
The prospect of fighting alone again is terrifying.
After all, he is also human.
'However,
it is a burden I must bear alone.'
Even the glorious knights have fallen, so how do I share
this burden? Leon reached for his sword to shake off his thoughts.
"Ah, Your Majesty, you are here?"
Hari pushed open the door to the training ground and
poked her head inside.
"I thought you were supposed to be resting at this
hour."
Over the past few months, Leon had gotten to know Hari's
routine.
Basically, she spends her evenings after work watching
soap operas.
She's a hard worker, but she makes sure to take her
breaks.
Hari scratched her cheek and replied,
"It's just that... lately, I've felt the need to
train."
"Suddenly?"
"Not suddenly."
She'd come to train herself anyway. The younger ones
aren't quite up to Leon's standards, but this was something to be commended.
"Grab your sword. I'll take a look."
"Ah, yes! Thank you, Your Majesty1."
"Haa."
When will she stop with the whole pseudo-historical
dramas thing? But she was just trying to be polite to the king.
"Initial stance."
"Yes!"
Hari drew her signature sword and assumed the initial
stance. She'd been practicing kendo for a long time, so her stance wasn't too
unstable.
“Block it.”
Leon swung his sword, and Hari blocked it.
"Ugh...!"
Hari barely managed to block it, but the shock from the
sword made both her arms numb.
‘T,
truly not normal!'
A second, a third... Fast and fierce, but not unstoppable.
However, the cumulative impact of the blows caused her arms to slump down.
"Always keep your arms above your navel. If you go
one span down, you are 0.2 seconds behind. If you go two spans down, you are
twice that late.”
"Ah, I see!"
Hari adjusted her sword above her navel as Leon pointed
out. In response, Leon grabbed the wooden sword with both hands and raised it
high.
"It's the posture of a hawk. The stance of both
offense and defense.”
Leon struck diagonally from the top, his blade covered
the entire body. The force in his hands was many times heavier than before.
"Ugh...!"
Hari was not a weakling. As a Class A Hunter, she's a
superhuman among superhumans. Still, it was too much for her to block Leon's
attack.
"Defense isn't just about arms and sword. Keep one
foot behind you and don't let the sword's center of gravity push you
away."
When she followed the advice to parry, the blow was
really less impactful than before. She felt like she was rooted and supported
by the ground. It was amazing how a small change in stance can make such a
difference.
However, the joy of blocking Leon's sword was
short-lived. The moment the sword and sword met, they were entangled like
magnets, and Leon pushed Hari with his shoulder.
"Aah...!"
Hari stumbled backwards, then tried to get to her feet,
but found the sword gleaming against her uvula.
“The sword is not the only weapon. Use your whole body as
a weapon.”
The teaching continued.
"Your sword swinging motion is big. How many times
have I told you, be quick and sharp. There is no point in being stale and
revealing gaps in your movements."
“Well… if I want to use my abilities….”
"Haa, not again. Don't think that utilizing your
abilities skillfully is the only way to victory. What good is that if you
die?"
"Is, is that right?"
Hari's eyes widened as if she was surprised by Leon's
words.
“What do you mean?”
"Uh, uhm... nothing important."
Leon stared at him for a long moment, causing Hari to
spit out what she meant,
"I... I thought Your Majesty would tell me to fight
to the death....... For honor? For glory......."
"......."
Leon struck Hari on the crown of her head with the back
of his sword.
Agh! Hari got a shock.
"Foolish one. Where is the honor and glory that you have
to offer?"
“Uh, it’s true that I’m worse than those knights, but….”
"I don't speak of them. They sang glory to the gods.
They sang glory for the gods. They exalted honor for their country. Han Hari,
can you do that for this country, the Republic of Korea?”
"Uhm... I don't think I can...?"
Hari was of the current generation. Hell Joseon2. With
each passing day, patriotism was fading away, and the idea of giving one's life
for the country seemed like propaganda.
This was despite the fact that she had an unusually
strong sense of justice among her peers.
"What's the point of imitating them if you have no
one to give glory and honor to?"
"To give honor to......."
Hari was struck speechless by the question.
The training and lessons continued for a while. Leon
sharply criticized every aspect of Hari's swordplay and stance, and with each
correction, Hari could feel herself improving in real time.
But strangely... Leon seemed weaker than ever.
"That's all for now, get some rest."
"Yes...."
Normally, he would have said, "You should be honored
to be under the tutelage of the Lionheart King, and be grateful for this good
fortune," but he turned away nonchalantly.
Hari, who had served Leon on Earth the longest, could see
the subtle difference.
“His Majesty, he looks listless.”
The normally dignified and boisterous man had seemed
somber since the Jeju Island Gate. Knowing he was only human, the more she
thought about it, the more she wanted to do something to help.
"His Majesty hasn't been feeling his best lately, so
what can we do?"
-Kigluk?
And it was Sir Yakt Spinner, the brains of the Pantheon
and the only other Holy Grail Knight, who she consulted with.
As Yappy poured salt into the soldiers' meals, it's
camera-eye moved and a mechanical sound emanated.
-Your Majesty. A non-specific biological response to
stimuli applied to the living body.
"Can't you talk to me at my level?"
-High stress level. Need to relieve stress.
"Stress... that's not wrong."
So what do you need to relieve stress?
"Sir Yappy, do you know what His Majesty enjoys
doing?"
-His Majesty. Wake up at 5 o'clock. Four hours of
training. Breakfast. Morning training guidance. Lunch. Afternoon training guidance.
Dinner. Late night prayer, followed by bed. Overall, not deviating from the
routine.
"You're recording all of that...?"
-Searching for research information. Organisms, defining
the concept of entertainment. Refers to a whole range of activities to make you
feel good while resting. Suitable for stress relief.
In short, he should get entertained.
“Hmm, I can’t imagine His Majesty having fun. What about
Sir Yappy?”
-…… Entertainment for the rise of dopamine in organic
matter is not considered in this research paper.
Why is it so difficult to say that you don't know...
Hari thought for a while and suddenly an idea crossed her
mind.
"Yes! That would be a good idea for His Majesty to
enjoy, and the timing is perfect!"
-Kkilug?
“The Association just happened to have something useful!
I guess I should contact them first.”
-What is the plan?
Slowly, Hari explained the plan, and Yappy organized the
objective information and acknowledged that it was a reasonable conclusion.
-A random turn of thought by an organism. Not quite up
to computational capabilities.
“Yes, yes, I guess so.”
-A nuanced way of mocking. Not the sort of attitude an
organism should assume.
Hari
shrugged and made a triumphant gesture.
***
Notes:
1 Said in ancient Korean way to speak to the King↩
2 meaning that "(South) Korea is a hellish, hopeless society". Although the term began with private individuals on the internet, it was later adopted by the mass media. ↩
Previous chapter | Novel page | Next chapter
Help us keep our spirit up by buying
us Coffee (人ゝω・）
