The Goddess of Fate

It is rare for Leon to travel in person to meet with someone.

He's not just a citizen or a knight, he's a king. A king is supposed to be met by someone, never the other way around.

However, the reverse can also be true, depending on the level of the king.

For example, when you go to meet a king of the same level.

If he goes to meet President Ahn Dong-gil or Prime Minister, it can be said that they have their own level, apart from the difference in power.

The basic premise is that Leon would also go to meet someone of the same level. However, there are exceptions.

Even he, the Lionheart King, has his own personal curiosities.

"Is this it?"

The diplomatic car carrying Leon and Deputy Chief of Mission Donald pulled up in front of a famous luxury hotel.

"Yes, please wait in your room and I will have him brought to you shortly."

Deputy Director Donald beamed at the thought of having Leon at the negotiating table.

'The United States of America, can offer more than any other country to attract the TTG Temple.'

That's the power of America, that's the power of the most blessed nation on earth.

Of course, there would be friction with the Korean government in the process, but the White House had already ordered him to secure the superpower known as Leon by any means necessary.

"Your Majesty, I have to tell you once again, the United States of America is eager to honor you and the TTG Temple."

With that, Deputy Donald held out the papers.

"Are these immigration papers?"

"Yes, not only for your Majesty, but for anyone else in your service. If you wish, the United States will accept you, even if it means relocating an entire city, and we will establish your own independent kingdom of Lionheart in a location of your choosing."

"——"

Leon realized that the man seemed rather confident.

It could be that he was simply trying to get him to meet an Otherworldly God, but there might be more to it than that.

Of course, even the wealth of the former Lionheart Kingdom was an enormous offer in a modern democracy.

But for the Temple of Ten Thousand Gods and himself, it was worth it.

"This is not the bottom of the market."

"What? Oh, if I've made any mistakes, please let me know——"

"It's a place to realize the gods. You'll need to be reverent and clear your mind. It's not the place to ask for a trade."

"Well, I see, I'm sorry."

Deputy Donald Cooper tried to defuse the awkward situation by hurriedly ordering the car to stop.

"Do you know anything about the name or disposition of the goddess?"

"Oh, the goddess Meriel–oh, no, her name is Meriel. She is the goddess of fate."

"A Goddess of Fate?"

"After the Cataclysm, there was a certain survivor gate that opened in our country."

It was a black gate and every time the Black Gate appeared, millions of people died and countries were destroyed, so the U.S. authorities prepared to attack it with all their might.

"But the one who actually came out of it was a woman."

She called herself Meriel, the goddess of fate.

"It is because of Meriel that we, the United States of America, have rebuilt the fastest since the Cataclysm."

"She must be a very powerful deity."

"I don't mean powerful in the sense that your Majesty is, but the power of a god is astonishing."

[What do you think?]

Leon answered inwardly to the voice of the goddess Arianna, who asked him what he thought.

'We'll have to wait and see.'

There were other gods outside Lionheart.

The beast gods and the orc gods were very powerful indeed.

There were many gods in Leon's world alone, and there's no way the Earthly Yahweh or Allah could be a fake.

It was not unheard of for an otherworldly god to cross over to Earth, as Leon had done.

Soon, an unspoken energy flowed through the doorway, a powerful magical energy that he had been sensing for some time.

He recognized it as that of the Deputy Director of the Hunter Bureau and the escort of the Goddess of Fate.

"It's been a long time, Your Majesty Lionheart."

"Long time no see."

They were Allen Taylor and Minuteman, two S-class hunters from Maverick, the largest hunter guild in the United States.

The leaders of the Hunter raiding party dispatched by the U.S. military at the Dragon Palace Gate in the East Sea.

"Have you been practicing enough?"

"Haha, this is why I'm the most zealous in spreading the TTG Temple faith."

They had been crushed by the magic of the Chaos Demon Archduke Rakshar and Leon brought him to his senses, but he has since apologized profusely and is an ambassador for the TTG Temple in the United States.

Leon was no stranger to them, as they had corresponded from time to time.

'By the way, they seem to care enough about safety to have someone of this caliber as an escort.'

Soon enough, the two Hunters escorted a young, fair-skinned woman into the room.

Leon's head bowed at the clear aura of holy power emanating from her platinum-colored hair, which did not seem to belong to a human.

"Greetings, Goddess of the Otherworld."

Recognizing at a glance that she was indeed a goddess, Leon bowed in mortal form, a stance that would have surprised those who had known the Lionheart King's erratic behavior.

"I see you recognize me."

The woman smiled pleasantly.

"Even in his human guise, you're not so far gone that I won't recognize the aura of a god."

"But I am a god of a different world than the one you worship. I thought you were fortunate to have no enemies."

"My enemies are only evil. I do not reject it because it is pagan."

[I envy the gods that King Leon serves, such clear paradise and divinity]

Then Meriel spoke in a voice that mortals cannot hear. The only ones who can hear it are the gods in the pantheon and Leon himself.

[Hmm, I thought she had lost her divinity because she wore a human form, but apparently not to that extent]

If she wanted to talk to the gods, Leon could certainly accommodate her.

[Yes, we have never had anything like King Leon, and it is to our luck that we have met a believer like him]

[What are you thinking?]

Arianna asked, and Meriel smiled brightly.

[I merely spoke to you out of pleasure, but that is enough, for the Americans are uneasy]

Meriel gaze shifted to Deputy Director Donald, who looked somewhat nervous.

It feels like there's some sort of conversation going on between them, but he can't hear it.

"So, Deputy Donald, may I have the honor of you introducing me?"

"Ah, yes, yes, Your Majesty, this is Goddess Meriel. She was the Goddess of Fate in her original world."

It was a familiar story, but it was important to be introduced by Deputy Donald.

"It is because of Goddess Meryl's 'foresight' that our country recovered from the Cataclysm the fastest and is still thriving today."

"Foresight?"

Countless nations had fallen and perished after the Cataclysm.

The failure to capture the initial gate resulting in miasma outflow and pollution of the land along with the collapse of the world's food economy and the security threat posed by unleashed monsters made the early days of the Cataclysm nothing short of hellish, and it took many nations decades to recover.

Meanwhile, the U.S. recovered from the cataclysm faster than any other country, and was able to handle the surprise opening of high-level gates and other anomalies with ease.

"So that's the power of foresight?"

"Exactly. Lady Meriel can see the future and prevent it."

For example, the dangerous Red Gate, with its unknown threats inside, or the appearance of the Fluctuation Gate, which caused countless Hunters to lose their lives.

Goddess Meriel sensed the threat and warned the U.S. government, and the benefits to the United States have been unimaginable.

"But what does the Goddess' favor have to do with this king moving to America?"

"Lady Meriel has the power to 'confirm' fate."

"To confirm fate?"

"Yes."

Deputy Donald pulled out a stack of papers and gave an example.

They were proof that a number of Hunters–some of the top S-class Hunters in the country, to be exact–had had some sort of 'foreknowledge' and that the foreknowledge had to be correct.

"So you have the power not only to make predictions, but to confirm them."

"Yes, indeed. The future, after all, can be altered by the slightest action."

But Meriel had the power to choose to fulfill her prediction. In other words, it was a miracle of a powerful god that could save power, opportunity, and even life.

Leon's temple and its gods were world-shakingly powerful, but so was Goddess Meriel.

It was only a matter of scale, but her power was just as capable of changing the world.

"Your Majesty, if you are willing to move to our country and form an alliance with us, we can lend you the power of Goddess Meriel on a priority basis."

"Borrowing a god, how impolite!"

Leon's rant made Deputy Donald hang his head in pain. But Meriel smiled and cooled Leon's anger.

"I'm working with the United States government. I'm not revealing my existence for my own safety, but in exchange for my help, they've agreed to make me a god and build me a temple."

"In exchange for Goddess Meriel lending you her power first?"

"Hoo-hoo, yes."

"And if they betrayed you? Humans are capable of betraying even gods for political reasons."

As the Empire had been, Leon was wary of human indulgence but Goddess Meriel answered, her smile still fresh.

"Then you should be outraged."

"——!"

It was Deputy Donald who jumped at the word.

Anger alone, unaccompanied by power, is meaningless but what a marvelous thing the gods are.

The wrath of the gods, and the risks involved, could not be calculated if the United States were to violate its commitments with impunity after all was said and done.

The U.S. government was not willing to take that risk.

"Haha, don't worry about it. We, the United States of America, are not a rogue nation like Russia or Iran."

Deals come with a price and as the most capitalist country on earth, the math is clear in this regard.

"Today— I'm going to give you a first meeting gift."

"A gift— you mean?"

"Yes, I will secure your fate, but I want you, King Leon, to remember that once I use this power, I will be powerless for a time."

Goddess Meriel did not make any outlandish demands for payment from Leon. She knows that Leon would look down on the idea of serving a god with the promise of a reward.

The relationship between their gods and their followers is one of natural harmony, a relationship in which each takes care of the other. The ideal relationship is one of respect.

[I will borrow your knight for a moment]

After consulting with Arianna and the gods of the pantheon beforehand, Goddess Meriel took Leon's hand.

She smiled kindly at him and met his gaze, her crystal clear eyes piercing into his blue ones.

"Okay, that's it!

Deputy Donald shouted for joy, anticipating Leon's reaction.

'Goddess Meriel may have lost her people and her world, but her power is still strong.'

There is no way the Lionheart King is unaware of the destiny she represents and the merit of securing that destiny.

'Perhaps they'll try to incorporate her into their pantheon right away, but that would be a problem.'

The U.S. government reveres the goddess Meriel, but more than that, they work with her because she's useful.

If the TTG Temple, which already had a sizable following, tried to coax her into joining them, the U.S. government would be left chasing chickens.

'But the TTG Temple is too valuable to not take such a gamble.'

The Goddess of Life and Fertility, purifying the land and blessing crops, powerful combat protection from the Goddess of Light and Justice, and the God of War and Fire along with stellar iron and the ability to forge it from the God of Iron and Blacksmiths were too attractive.

Goddess Meriel foresight is a great power, but the pantheon is the whole package.

It's not for nothing that the U.S. government is trying to woo Leon with the promise of a pocketful of territory.

'By the way, I'm curious. What kind of future does Meriel see for the Lionheart King?'

It was a moment he'd been patiently waiting for, hoping it would also benefit the United States.

"Whoa——"

Goddess Meriel sat up in a cold sweat, as was often the case after exertion, and Deputy Donald offered her a handkerchief.

"Lady Meriel?"

But Goddess Meriel eyes were agitated and shaking as she drew in a deep breath.

"King Leon, you are——"

A cold sweat trickled down the nape of her neck as she recognized something.