Chapter 69: Chapter 66: Stress Relief

After Leon finished eating, he prayed at the altar.

For Leon, prayer is not just a time to recite his wishes and give thanks. He communicates with the gods, speaking directly to them and acting as their agent of will.

His prayers are always answered by the gods.

[Leon, my knight, your goddess has waited for your prayer.]

‘Arianna.’

Leon posted his report for the day.

‘Goddess. How are Lord Georgic and his men?

The souls of the knights and soldiers Leon had retrieved by remaining at the gate until the very end. The gods had welcomed them.

If they were delivered safely to paradise, he would not be too worried, but…….

[Their souls were tainted by the evil things, and the gods themselves are purifying them and leading them to Paradise one by one.]

‘That’s good.’

Leon sighed in relief, and the goddess said.

[My knight, you’ve been looking a little down lately.]

‘Nothing to worry about, I’m just a little tired.’

[Your goddess is very worried about you, Leon. You have served too long and fought too long.]

‘I did what I had to do.’

[There is nothing in the world that makes such a fight worthwhile, and your goddess is weighed down with debt.]

Leon was pleased with Arianna’s concern, but he asked lightly, hoping to ease the goddess’ worries.

‘Are the other gods like that?’

[Hmm…they’re the same but lately they got involved with Iron in spreading our faith.]

‘I’m relieved to see they have something to do.’

[Come to think of it, Dream has something in store for you, and it must be conveyed through its priestess.]

Leon seemed to know how Fle, the Goddess of Dreams and Death, would deliver the message.

If Fle was merely delivering a message, she could deliver it directly to Leon. But if it’s a prophecy, it’s a different story.

Fle is the goddess of death and the afterlife, but she also intervenes in dreams, making prophecies and showing fragments of the future.

Such prophecies are not taken lightly by the Lionheart King, as they are usually relayed through her priests.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

‘Something big is going to happen soon.’

[My knight’s fatigue has reached its peak, and your goddess’s heart is heavy with the thought of carrying an even heavier burden.]

For a time the goddess spoke on behalf of the gods of the pantheon. Then Arianna said.

[My knight, your service is pleasing to the gods, but even as a watcher, I have many concerns.]

‘I apologize for causing you concern.’

[Rest from your fatigue and enjoy some entertainment. You have been fighting for two hundred years without a break, and it is time for you to rest a little.]

‘Entertainment…that’s a word I haven’t heard in a long time.’

[Yes, there are many entertainments in this age, but I am not sure that my knight will find them enjoyable, however, there are some things that are immutable and supreme throughout the ages and the world.]

‘Is there such a thing?’

[Embracing a woman.]

‘…….’

Leon did not respond to the goddess’s words. Not exactly.

[The queen is a fine mate, in your goddess’s opinion, and her beauty is admirable even for Love.]

‘……Goddess.’

[Or how about that redheaded girl, the one War has his eye on. If she keeps it up, she’ll be worthy of the Lionhearted King’s silver.]

‘She is a young maiden. How can you say such a thing?’

[By nature, humans are meant to embrace reason and resolve their misery. We must reestablish the royal family as soon as possible in order to honor the glorious name of the Lionheart King even here.]

Leon shook his head and, for the first time in his life, ignored the goddess’ words. And then──

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have something for you──Uh-oh!”

Ha-ri stumbled on the threshold as he ran to Leon. What a disgraceful thing for a kid to do with superhuman physical abilities.

“What is it?”

“I have prepared something for your Majesty, with the advice and assistance of Lord Yappy.”

“…….”

Ha-ri had conferred with Yappy and prepared something but Leon suddenly remembered the Big Data No. 1 maid’s outfit she had worn earlier as a maid’s outfit.

“If you wear such a scandalous outfit again, I will make you do a handstand and spin around the whole neighborhood naked.”

“What about my-my dignity?”

“Have you prepared such clothes for me again?”

“No, no, no!”

Ha-ri shook her head in denial.

* * * *

Ha-ri said she had something for him, and they arrived at a Gate where staff from the Hunter’s Association was waiting for them.

“Welcome, Your Majesty.”

The Hunter’s assault team, including Chief Kim Jin-soo, stood heavily armed, waiting for Leon.

“What a surprise.”

“Yes! Actually, we’ve gathered here as a reward for your Majesty from the Association, in support of Deputy Han Ha-ri, who organized this event!”

“Hmm?”

Organized? What does that even mean? Leon didn’t know much about it, since Ha-ri had brought him here as a surprise.

To be honest, he’d only come because he thought it wouldn’t be a sham if Yappy cooperated as well…….

“Let’s enter the gate!”

Ha-ri walked through the gate, which opened onto a vast forest.

“What is this place?”

“This is a training gate managed by the Association.”

The Association maintains several gates for training and business purposes.

Like the gate at Seoul Station, there were several gates that were not only used to test Hunters’ ratings, but also to train their own raiding teams.

One of them was reserved for Leon.

“I’m going to introduce you to the gate now, “she said, “The characteristic of this gate is an area called Suhae, where various flora, fauna and monsters appear.”

Since the gate is only green, there are no dangerous monsters. The Association also visits it for adaptation training, and most importantly, herbs that only grow here are regenerated.

“One point for small animals, three points for medium ones, and ten points for the occasional orc!”

“Hmm…In short, hunting.”

“Yep. It’s a recurring gate that regenerates over time anyway, so don’t worry about it, just hunt as long as you want!”

Leon knew why Ha-ri had brought him here. It was a hunt.

“I was only guessing, but I thought hunting might be in vogue where your Majesty lives.”

“So you’ve set up a hunting ground for this king?”

How could she think such a thing?

Leon knew what Ha-ri’s intentions were. He hid it well, but his gloomy demeanor must have shown in the child’s eyes. Then again, the goddess had told him to rest.

“Hunting…hunting…….”

As Ha-ri suspected, hunting is a favorite pastime of knights and nobles in the Lionheart Kingdom but it has been 200 years since he last hunted.

They refine their bodies, win the competition in style, and offer their victories to the gods.

It’s a noble virtue to enjoy the thrill of the hunt, even if the countless wars against demons have left them little time for it.

“They’re hunters, aren’t they? They’re carrying instruments.”

The heavily armed hunters would enter the field with these loud instruments to herd and drive their prey.

Yes, a hunt must have a leader to make it fun.

Leon smirked and turned to Ha-ri.

“Did you say there are orcs?”

“Yes! That’s why we’re all fully armed!”

“Let’s go.”

Leon spurred his horse into a gallop, and the Association hunters began to cackle loudly.

* * * *

The Clawed Tribe are forest orcs who live in the forest and lead a peaceful, hunter-gatherer lifestyle.

They worship the forest gods, offering sacrifices to them and claiming to be the stewards of the forest.

-Aaahhhh!

A scream echoes through the dense forest as a rumbling laugh bursts from him.

“Kahahaha! You damned big axes, you dare to hunt on our territory? As we haven’t had enough game lately, one of your biceps would be enough for a meal!”

“Skin their faces first, we need to sacrifice their skulls to the gods!”

They are hunting the same tribe of orcs since they’ve recently been engaged in a bloody war of attrition with other orc tribes over territory in the forest.

The Forest Orcs, who are few in number, could have chosen to coexist with each other, but they choose to fight.

There is no coexistence between them, only battle and killing to enforce their wishes.

-Dag-dag-dag-dag!

“Hmm? What’s that sound?”

“It’s the sound of a boar running and a rather large…….”

The moment the Clawed Tribe Orc hunters craned their heads in the direction of the sound, a huge presence burst out.

“Huh?”

A white steed and a spear with delicate and exquisite engravings that couldn’t be compared to the crude things of the forest, it was──

-Eh!

It pierced the Forest Orc’s heart.

-What!

-Intruder!

Screams erupted from the orcs as a knight appeared from nowhere and hunted them down.

“Hahahahahaha! I guess there’s something to be said for hunting instead of fighting.”

“Who are you, you!”

“Human! How dare you kill a member of our tribe?”

“Kill him!”

The Forest Orcs charged, but their opponent was a Grail Guardian, the pinnacle of Holy Knights and the orcs, no more than forty in all, were swept aside.

“Run!”

“Monster! Run!”

The orcs tried to flee into the forest, realizing the battle was one-sided. As long as he was alone and using melee weapons, he wouldn’t be able to hunt down the entire tribe after all.

-Snap!

“Thud!”

A fleeing orc fell to the ground as an arrow pierced his neck.

“Barzah, what?!”

One after another, the orcs fell to the ground, their thick hides able to withstand most of the arrows, but the skill of the bowman was too much for them, and they fell to the ground.

With only a few of the tribal orcs able to escape into the forest, Leon dismounted.

“If you’ve hunted, you should take the mark.”

Leon pulled out a molar from a decapitated orc and put it in his pocket. The pouch was already full of orc molars.

“Mmmm…….”

Ha-ri, who had followed him to the carnage, dismounted and smiled awkwardly.

“You’re a good archer, aren’t you?”

As Ha-ri remembers, Leon is a notorious range hater in the Association, which is why she didn’t bring a bow and arrow for this hunt.

However, after Leon wiped out the first group of orcs, he took the orc hunter’s bow and arrow and used it to hunt the orcs. And for a man who despises ranged weapons, he shot surprisingly well with the bow.

“You’re mistaken. Just because you’re a knight doesn’t mean you can’t use ranged weapons.”

“Is that… true?”

“Hunting is a nobleman’s virtue and pastime, how can it be done only with spears and swords?”

Knights, especially those who travel a lot, must provide for themselves in the wilderness so they had no choice but to become masters of hunting, and of course they shot bows and arrows.

“The bow is a weak weapon for killing monsters, but it’s good enough for killing prey.”

“You… have a point, but this… you’re a really good marksman.”

Leon chuckled at Ha-ri’s honest admiration.

“This king was famous for being the greatest tournament champion of all time, but he was also the second-best hunter of his time, and he won the occasional hunting contest.”

“Your Majesty was the second, so the first was another Holy Knight?”

“Hmm, it is ambiguous to call him a Holy Knight. He was favored by the Moon and the Goddess of the Hunt, but he was more of a hunter than a knight.”

Leon remembered a memory from the past. When the kingdom was still at peace, before the demons invaded.

The kingdom’s greatest knights and nobles had traveled to a tournament to showcase their prowess.

“The High Priestess of the Moon and the Hunt was a saint, and her bow was like a meteor, which, when drawn to its fullest, would have cleared a mountain ridge.”

“…”

It was an outrageous thing to say but Ha-ri knew well what those favored by the gods were capable of.

Splitting a giant bear over fifty meters long or wiping out hundreds of demons in a single strike. And it was clear from the Jeju Island Gate that someone with this much power was classified as a ‘Holy Knight’, not even a peak level.

“But… did you really have to hunt only orcs like this?”

“I apologize for that. But how can we hunt rabbits when there are bears in the forest, and if we want to win first place in the tournament, we have to go after the big game.”

He looked at the orcs like they were his prey and Ha-ri smiled bitterly.

“There’s the chieftain’s corpse, and judging by the witchcraft, he must have some good stuff.”

“Ah, indeed. It’s a shaman’s totem. It’s not a common drop.”

“Sell it and give it to one of the employees who acted as a peddler.”

“Eh? What, you don’t mind? It’s a pretty good one, it’ll cost around 100 million.”

“It’ll be a small price to pay for all those people who came here on their off days.”

“Ugh!”

Ha-ri coughed at the bluntness of the expression since she just asked the Association for a gate to serve as a hunting ground for Leon, nothing more.

The mobilization of workers in the middle of their workday was a mandate from higher ups in the Association to look good for Leon.

It’s easy to mobilize subordinates anywhere and for their organization to look good to Leon, but it’s a sin to have salaried workers sweating and struggling at the gate.

“By the way, the footprints of the fleeing orcs lead here.”

“More hunting? According to the mapped information, you’ve crushed a bunch of orcs…….”

“Yes. The beasts pollute the forest with their breath, and I cannot allow that to continue. Orcs must be slain, even if they are fake.”

“Hah…….”

Leon handed the orc’s bow and quiver to Ha-ri, who sighed.

“You’re going to have to be good at everything if you want to be a knight. Today, practice your bow.”

“Uhm…I’ve only used a bow in the academy, on the aptitude test.”

Ha-ri feels awkward about her lack of skill but Leon patted her on the shoulder and laughed.

“I can teach you the basics.”

“Is that so?”

Ha-ri smiled weakly at Leon’s words.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, though.”

“…….”

Anyone who sat on a throne would receive offerings of jesters and treasures to have his mood checked.

It was a routine that he remembers always treating mechanically but Ha-ri did this purely to cheer himself up. There was no aspiration or desire in it.

“Well, that’s nice.”

“What, I didn’t hear you right?”

“I want you to kill at least three orcs, and if you don’t, I’ll show you the old ways.”

“Old ways?! I haven’t shot that bow many times, lord!”

Leon reined in his horse and Ha-ri hurried after him.

* * * *

A few days later, Ha-ri strolled the grounds of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild, smiling from ear to ear.

After that day’s hunt, Leon was in good spirits and Ha-ri’s plan had been quite successful.

“Deputy.”

“Ah, Chief!”

On her way to the warehouse to pick up her training wooden sword, Ha-ri spotted Chief Kim Jin-soo, an employee of the Association.

“What are you doing here, I thought you went to collect the harvested rice from the rice warehouse.”

“My tractor broke down. I came to pick up some supplies.”

“It breaks down often. Is it because it’s an old machine?”

“Well, it hasn’t been taken out since the Naju plains were contaminated with miasma, so it must be poorly maintained.”

“If this is the case, wouldn’t it be better to use horses or cows like in the old days?” Ha-ri blurted out her thoughts.

“……might be right.”

“What?”

“No, when the king blesses them, they’re almost like new horses, right? I heard that the horses we bought from Jeju Island ran much better than before after the blessing ceremony.”

Indeed. The horses purchased at the Jeju Gate were reinforced with the Sun King’s reins and the gap between the two became so huge that even one horse is enough to take over the world horse racing market.

“It’s made them a little unruly too…”

“Well, the hunters are superhuman, so I guess that balances out.”

They arrived at the warehouse, chatting away. Every time Ha-ri stopped here, she cleared her mind and said a prayer.

This is where the hammer left by the Grail Knight, Sir Georgic, is stored.

“Holy Fire…….”

“According to the doctrine of the Ten Thousand Gods, wouldn’t your Buddhist and Christian prayers be blasphemy?”

Kim Jin-soo draws a holy symbol and scolds Ha-ri. The two opened the warehouse door and──

“……?”

“Huh?”

There was no sign of Sir Georgic’s hammer anywhere in the warehouse.