Novels online

Chapter 237

going to leave

"No way."

"······Bice?"

Leon paused for a moment at Beatrice’s sad gaze..

"your majesty. Representative of all gods, brave king of knights, who blessed my knights and saved me from the bondage of corruption.."

The hand she held on Leon gained strength. It made me wonder how such strong strength could come out of her delicate hands..

"Are you planning to abandon us and go somewhere? Please... please don't try to leave me and go somewhere.."

"······."

Leon realized why Beatrice was so worried and sad..

Discussing the succession of the Lionheart King. That is, Leon gives up his position as the representative of the gods and heads to the banquet hall with them..

If countless Holy Grail guardians and knights do not die on the battlefield, they will select their successor and ascend to heaven..

"Three hundred years, Bice."

Leon couldn't just issue blank checks. Leon is an old man who has lived a long enough life, and if he were an ordinary human being, he would have gone through reincarnation or headed to a banquet hall..

"Originally, the lifespan of humans was not long, so I was destined to leave one day, but I lived an eternal life with the love of the gods.."

Even though his life was an endless cycle of struggle and fighting, Leon was richer, more respected, and in a more honorable position than others..

He had no regrets about life. He felt that 300 years would be enough for him, and he looked forward to the day when he could go to the banquet hall of the gods, just as his great ancestors and knights had done..

"Then, when you go, please take me with you! I am also the head of the Goddess, so I am qualified enough.!"

"Biche... you are still young. Haven’t we just lived over and over again for countless years? You take your time and come back."

"I have never imagined life without Your Majesty. So please······."

Leon was speechless..

He knew that separation would come someday.

Because he always let others go. He has always been a victim of separation from family, friends, and colleagues..

And now that he realizes that he will become the perpetrator, what can he dare to say?.

For a long time, he had no choice but to remain silent..

* * * *

the experiment was successful.

Yongrin's barrier stone installed by Beatrice caused a dungeon break and blocked the monsters that poured out..

They were afraid of daring to go outside the bounds of the barrier stone, and it was only when they burst within a small radius that they managed to get out..

In the end, the monsters were wiped out by Leon and Beatrice, and the experiment with the by-product of the dragon's energy was a first success..

"Then go in first. I'm thinking of taking a look around here.."

"yes······."

Leon, who landed in front of the Ryugyong Hotel, watched for a while as Beatrice looked helpless despite the success of the experiment..

[Leon, my knight..]

The goddess's oath. Leon answered in an unusually weak voice..

"Yes my goddess."

[Your goddess always feels sorry for my knight..]

"How can you say that?."

Leon was embarrassed by the goddess's curse. Because it was my fault as a believer that she even made the goddess sad..

[I remember how you left the embrace of Ulfric Dragonia and began wandering. Your goddess has been watching your journey all along.]

It must have been around seventeen..

After being trained directly by the Holy Grail Knight Lord Gordic, Leon, as a young man, immediately set out on a journey of training..

The sight of the goddess, whom I saw after several years on the journey, was so beautiful and sacred..

Leon remembers the Buddhist scriptures where he looked up blankly at the goddess..

[You took my quest and fulfilled it brilliantly, becoming the youngest Grail Knight..]

"It was an honor undeserved.."

[But maybe that was my mistake.]

"······How can you say that?."

[Leon. Following in Argen's footsteps, I am the first knight to receive the Lion's Heart at a young age. You have been living a life of fighting over and over again for too long..]

Leon's life was a series of endless battles..

At the age of seventeen, he embarked on a journey of asceticism and became a Holy Grail Knight. He then became the Lionheart King and fought against beasts, barbarians, and demons..

In the face of the empire's rampage and betrayal, he had to point the sword at his old ally, and the same people had to bleed countless times..

In the end, even though he was left alone with his family, friends, subjects, and people leaving, he continued the war..

His 300 years of life are filled with only the dense history of war..

[Leon. Your goddess, we all, owe you a debt that cannot be repaid. All the souls of paradise that are about to disappear could survive because of your steadfastness..]

The goddess appeared in a faint form and caressed Leon's cheek. My child, whom I watched for so long, quickly forgot happiness and filled her empty space with memories of steel and blood..

[Manshin wishes you happiness. There will always be a place for you at the head table at our banquet hall, but I hope that day will be a long, long way off..]

If you asked Leon if his life wasn't happy, he would definitely shake his head..

I had the love of my life, had a child, and made friends and colleagues I could look up to..

Because he sat on a throne that many people looked up to, exalted his glory, and lived an honorable life..

"Do you remember when I was blasphemous??"

[It was a time of ignorance rather than disrespect..]

Leon didn't have blind faith from the beginning..

He was a new soul who died young and was reincarnated in an unknown world. He was a young man who pursued chivalry while embracing romance and fantasy..

There was no faith, just a young man obsessed with fantasy..

I just changed my thoughts after facing the real God right in front of me..

"There is a saying in the Bible of this world: He who believes without seeing has true faith.."

[It's not wrong..]

"In that sense, isn't it true that I wasn't a true believer?."

[Who has the right to say that to you?.]

Leon smiled gratefully at the goddess' generosity..

"I am a more calculating person than the gods think. When I learned about the reality of the gods, I was no different from any other believer whose heart was pounding so hard at the existence of paradise.."

Paradise, a being like heaven as described in other Bibles.

A world full of eternal happiness and abundance. Leon also dreamed of that world..

"Like all believers and knights, I also have a long-cherished wish for a banquet hall. There is also a desire to face the gods.······."

The Holy Grail Knights themselves are immortal saints who never age..

A blessed being who can monopolize youth and strength until he dies..

Nevertheless, once their successors are decided, the Holy Grail Knights ascend to heaven without much hesitation..

"We live in different times than the people we love. Eternal youth is too foreign to mix with those we love."

Leon smiled bitterly. At the very least, if your lifelong companion was an adult like you... what about my friends?.

Except for Antok, who became the Iron Grail Knight, Gunlar also became an old tree and looked lazily at the world, and Gildus became a grandfather who boasted about his grandson..

The father, who had passed on many things to his young son, left, telling his young son to come slowly, no different from his own granddaughter, and his beautiful mother, who had thought she would have no love problems when she was a newborn, soon became an old woman with wrinkled skin and followed in his father's footsteps..

It is natural for children to ask about their parents. But what if the opposite happens??

"Karina is truly a dutiful daughter. Because I won't die before my father.."

Leon was afraid that Karina would die before him. She was afraid that she would dig her child's grave with her own hands and cover it with dirt..

When I found out that the child had become the Holy Grail Knight of darkness and vengeance, I was very disappointed, but now that I think about it, it is a good thing..

At least Leon won't have to dig up her grave..

"People have to go when it's time to go. I've lived too long."

[······.]

Leon walked down the street in silence..

The demon lord was defeated. Since their power still remains, I plan to go to the Demon World and destroy them someday, but what will I do once that is over?.

Leon, who has fulfilled his duty, can only wait for the next day when the end will come..

"Hmm? your majesty. Why are you making such a sad face?."

Then I suddenly met a knight in red armor. He seems to have just returned with Ha-ri, Su-ho, and Jae-hyuk, all of whom are in disrepair..

"Is the training going well??"

"Hmm, well, that's all.."

Leon, who knew Vulcan's training methods, had some sympathy for the three people. But his training method works as standard..

In reality, only those who passed Vulcan's training could join the Knights of the Baltan Burning Sword..

"Your Majesty, I won't have a drink.?"

A sudden, but not too strange suggestion. Leon accepted this without saying anything..

* * * *

When you become a Holy Grail Knight, anything of high quality is used..

This is a natural maintenance cost for one's own dignity..

The Holy Grail Knights are all promising knights, and most of them are descendants of noble families. Even if it is not, he is ordained and becomes the head of a family..

In that respect, Vulcan was an alien being to the archaic upper echelons of Lionheart..

"If I do this, I can drink until my nose is crooked by tonight.!"

Empty a large barrel! Vulcan presented. Beer kegs made of stainless steel are not distributed privately, even if it is an empty statement..

"Did you tear it whole??"

When I wondered where he got the beer kegs in his arms, the source was surprising..

"There are a lot of nice things in the houses of party officials or something in this city. Hehe, there were gold nuggets and jewels piled up. Your Majesty, how about plundering whenever you get the chance??"

"Sir, I can't change my old habits. Becoming a Holy Grail Knight and plundering?."

Leon spoke calmly while eating the snacks that Vulcan had brought him..

"At times like this, the things below become hungry. If you're getting older, you should give in to them.."

War plunder is a valuable opportunity for soldiers and knights to increase their wealth. Although a portion must be offered to Fetos, the god of war and fire, the ten structures were not applied instead..

In times like these, soldiers and knights are safe to give even a gold ring as a gift to their wives or lovers..

"The manor that His Majesty bestowed is no longer there. If you want to build a villa and find land to become your lord, you have to work hard to earn it.."

"Do you still want territory??"

"then! It is so much fun to have a house to rest in and harvest the fruits of a vast territory. I want to have a bigger estate.."

Leon smiled bitterly and did not deny Vulcan's ambition..

"Sir is a very unique savage.."

"GARARARA─ Land is strength and power. Other guys don't know that."

Goong! Vulcanus took off the lid of the beer barrel and poured beer into a bowl that I don't know where he got it from..

"······."

I guess he didn't open the beer barrel that much... Leon gave up on asking..

"By the way, Your Majesty. This city called Pyongyang. I heard that your majesty has no intention of ruling directly.."

"Yes, I plan to leave it to the treemen and elves that will be born soon. This will be the sacred place of Irmin, the goddess who dwells in the World Tree.."

The Lionheart Kingdom resisted its expansionary policy. The territory of the kingdom was not small, but it had the power to expand its territory further..

The reason for this is that the Lionheart Kingdom was basically a kingdom of humans only, and it pursued a life of living in harmony with various races such as fairies, dwarves, and tree people with different living habits..

"I'm against it."

"Hmm?"

"Of course, elves and treemen are people who know harmony and balance. They are wise and noble-minded people who will not abandon their faith, but is this possible for young children who are just being born??"

"Hmm······."

When the destruction of the world was almost certain, Lionheart planned an ark to retrieve the Son of Man from paradise and revive the species once again..

An example is the black dragon, which was created by injecting the life force of the saint of life into the dragon's character..

The survival of Leon, who preserved paradise in his heart, was a prerequisite, but even the resurrection of the species through his kindness was problematic..

The newly born people are infants who have inherited only knowledge..

"This world called Earth is not a very gentle place. Even if they can grow under His Majesty's protection, it will take time for them to reach maturity.."

Whether it will be one hundred years or two hundred years is unknown. Both elves and treemen are long-lived species that cannot be compared to humans..

"So what should we do? It is natural for their species to leave growth to time.."

"It's temporary, but let's establish a permanent residence.."

"lord?"

"exactly. Will your Majesty continue to pursue expansionary policies in the future? Right now, this Republic of Korea has a legitimate owner, so even if we leave it alone, the central plains in the north are no different.."

When we say north, we mean the former mainland of China. In response to Vulcan's words, Leon sips his glass and speaks to the point..

"It is also land where the owner resides. Aren’t there dozens of countries that claim to be succeeding China?."

"GRARARA──! Don't say things you don't mean. It is now a land without an owner, repeating endless chaos and civil war. Deep inside, I'm not thinking of pushing you away if I have a good reason.?"

Vulcan received a report on Gu Dae-seong's activities in Heilong People's State. He gave the example.

"They are idiots who can't even protect their own people. Taking over the country in the name of protecting them would not be a problem.!"

"Is it like the Lord’s claim that the old empire should be conquered??"

"exactly! I think it was your Majesty's mistake for not accepting my offer at that time.."

"······."

Leon could not deny Vulcanus' harsh words. In fact, the summoning of Malus, the Lord of Chaos, which hastened the destruction of the world, was the result of the empire's runaway..

"Well, let's say so. In the end, doesn’t Kyung want to become the lord of this city called Pyongyang??"

"GRARA──! I won't deny it.."

"However, both Sir and Jim will soon be leaving for the banquet hall. Even if you rule a territory for several decades, do you still covet the land??"

"······."

At that moment, Vulcan's voice suddenly stopped. The gaze that had flashed just now was staring at Leon with a subtle expression..

"I will enjoy wealth and fame for 1,000,000 years.?"

"???"

[no!]

Petos was shocked by the unexpected remark..