Georgic and After

The Golden Lion Guild building.

An up-and-coming guild in Korea, founded by S-class hunter Golden Chul, this guild was, until recently, a firm favorite among the top 10 guilds. However, the Cheongju Gate and Jeju Island Gate caused them great damage.

They've gained honor and prestige, but not much else. On top of that, the loss of the guild's first-team veteran raiders was irreplaceable.

However, the Golden Lion Guild will definitely recover from this wound.

As long as Guild Master Golden Iron is around, the Golden Lion Guild will not fall apart.

That being said, they couldn't afford to slack off since the Golden Lion Guild's quarterly results have been declining 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.

Yeon-ha knew why her brother was like that. Although they resent each other like normal siblings, they are alike.

"I thought he was pretty strong."

There are only 20 S-class Hunters in Korea and all the top 10 guilds have one as a leader but Holy Knight Georgic was an unparalleled powerhouse of strength, conviction, and will plus he had hundreds of knights under his command that would have been hailed as mighty men of renown in Korea.

"Holy Knights...."

Who are they?

So strong, so determined, and most of all-─

"They're cool."

"Well… I agree."

With the way things ended it seemed like there was no way to resolve his complicated feelings.

* * * *

Yong=wan is greedy, he loves money and enjoys watching his fortune grow.

It is said that the top 10 guilds in Korea are close to the political world and wield unlimited power, but to Yong-wan, power is just a means to increase his wealth.

Patriotism, justice, childish things like that don't help you make money.

In modern times, childish ideas are ridiculed. "We, the dead, will gladly lay down our lives for the future of the living!"

"Whoa...."

Opening his eyes, 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 aftermath of the Jeju Gate but in fact, he hadn't gotten any work done.

"You're not doing so well these days."

The voice belonged to Ha Yuri, an S-class Hunter and Vice Guild Leader of the Firebird Guild, who usually acts as Yong-wan's secretary.

Administrative work is a bit of a chore for Yong-wan.

"Does it bother you? It gives me nightmares."

"...It's 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 planet who can answer your questions."

At the mention of Leon's name, Yong-wan smirked.

"That classist? We'd be lucky if he doesn't call us names."

"You seem to be a surprisingly talkative type."

"Heh...."

He owed him his life but that didn't mean he had any intention of getting close. Yong-wan and Leon were the polar opposites.

"Now that the situation is under control…I should thank him, but the gift…you can send it yourself."

"Should I send Treasure No. 7?"

"Oh, come on, that's a lot of money!"

Looking at Yong-wan shouting, Ha Yuri smirked.

"You know there's a big guild gathering for the tax exemption bill next week, they sent me the dress code."

"Damn, I forgot. Where's it coming from?"

"Celestial, Mujin, Shark…Divine Sword. Most of the top ten guilds are coming."

"With this many people, the government won't be able to hold out much longer. Even if they increase the tax exemption by 20% after all the hard work...."

"Take it. You follow the king's word, even if you lack horsemanship."

"An honorable life."

"May the gods bless you."

"...."

"Yong-wan?"

Honor, justice, glory. Such vain things....

"Tsk."

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."

"It's five days away?"

"I'll be sick until then."

Ever since I saw those knights, his mountain of riches didn't seem so attractive anymore.

It's just that he saw something so intense that, for a moment, he lost interest in making money.

* * * *

Ha-ri was at the gym again today, following her morning routine. But lately, she's been arriving earlier and earlier, and there are familiar faces on the field.

"Soo-ho, did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, sis."

It was Han Soo-ho, her younger brother from the same orphanage.

He was holding a sword and shield, and pounded a scarecrow Yappy had set up for training. It was not just any scarecrow, it was a guardian who guarded the fields.

"Senior Han, good morning."

"Senior Ha-ri, good morning!"

Chen So-yeon and Kim Jae-hyuk came to say hello when they saw Ha-ri enter.

Chen So-yeon was always a fast learner, but it was surprising that even the playful Jae-hyuk came to the training center in the morning.

"Jae-hyuk has been so diligent lately. Even at the academy, he always missed morning practice."

"Well…"

Jae-hyuk scratched his cheeks as if embarrassed, then blushed as if remembering the object of his admiration.

The three of them couldn't figure out what he was talking about.

"Knights...."

The four of them had seen knights at the gate of Jeju Island.

At first, they thought that chivalry, honor and glory were characteristic of Leon, and that only a freak like Leon was unusually concerned about such things.

However, that was not the case.

Holy knights, the pinnacle of knighthood, and Kingdom Knights, the formal knights along with the Knight Errants who weren't official knights yet were strong enough to meet Leon's strict standards for knighthood.

It wasn't just about strength. All of them were honorable, dignified, and armed with unwavering conviction and faith.

Though their strength was similar, their will was not even close.

"Does his majesty really think we can be…knights like that?"

Everyone was speechless at Soo-ho's discouragement.

A week ago, they had thought they could since out of the 45 knight trainees, only four of them were squires.

They had flirted with the idea that if they trained well, they would be recognized as Kingdom Knights but now they knew much weight the title of knight, and the honor of being called "Sir" meant to Leon.

A knight is not just 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 horsemen, and even the common soldiers.

The comparison is all too real in how Leon devalues the superhuman Hunters of Earth.

To him, the Hunters were nothing more than mercenaries who only cared about money.

'Wait a minute....'

Ha-ri suddenly felt a strange sensation.

At this time they knew how brilliant and upright the knights were. Then....

'At that pinnacle, his majesty has been fighting alone for two hundred years…'

What kind of battle had he been fighting?

* * * *

"Lord Spinner, you're in charge from now on."

After handing over the trainees training to Yappy, Leon made his way to the knights' training grounds.

The Knight's Training Center is nothing more than another training center, isolated from the trainees, except that it's large enough to run a horse through.

Here, Leon summoned his holy sword and began training in swordsmanship.

It's something he's practiced every day of his 300 years of life with the knights of the Grand Duchy, with his wandering companions, and since becoming king, with his soldiers and knights but suddenly he was the only one left.

"Whoa...."

Ever since he became a Grail Knight, he had never lost his physical vigor.

No matter how much he fought, he never got tired, no disease could affect him, and he always maintained perfect vitality.

"I'm tired."

Nevertheless, Leon felt tired as his mind grew weary.

Leon was tired enough to stop the routine he had been repeating for over 300 years.

The first fifteen years of his reincarnation in the other world had been a good time.

He had suffered physically under the tutelage of a Holy Knight, but he was confident in his future.

Even when wandering and fighting orcs, vampires, and barbarians, even when neighbor countries were torn apart by the Demon Lords… even when alone and fighting a war that would last for who knows how long like a horse pulling a carriage, he just kept going.

When he thought about it, it was a life of running forward without ever feeling tired but why was the fatigue that he hadn't felt when he was slaying demons bothering him now?

"Khhhh...."

Yes, he was afraid of losing and the prospect of fighting alone again was terrifying.

Leon is human, after all.

'But it is a burden I must bear alone.'

Leon reached for his sword to shake off his thoughts.

"Ah, Your Majesty, are you here?"

Ha-ri pushed open the door to the training center and poked her head inside.

"I thought you were off at this hour."

Over the past few months, Leon had gotten to know Ha-ri'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.

Ha-ri 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 since the young ones weren't quite up to Leon's standards, but this is something to be proud of.

"Grab the sword. I'll take a look."

"Ah, yes!"

"Top position."

"Yes!"

Ha-ri drew her signature sword and assumed the top stance. She'd been practicing kendo for a long time, so her stance wasn't too shaky.

"Block."

Leon swung his sword, and Ha-ri blocked it.

"Ugh…!"

Ha-ri barely blocked it, but the shock from the sword made her arms tingle.

"Your strength is not normal after all!

A second and a third hit followed…fast and furious, but not unstoppable. However, the cumulative impact of the blows caused her arms to drop.

"Always keep your arms above your navel. If one is down, you're 0.2 seconds late, if two are down, you're twice as late."

"Ah, I see!"

Ha-ri raises her sword above her navel as Leon points out. In response, Leon grabs the wooden sword with both hands and raises it to the top stance.

"The hawk's stance."

Leon strikes diagonally from the top but the force in his hands is many times heavier than before.

"Ugh…!"

Ha-ri is not a weakling and as an A-rank Hunter, she's a superhuman but even so, it was too much for her to block Leon's attack.

"Defense isn't just about arms and swords. Keep one foot behind you and don't let the sword's center of gravity push you away."

She followed the advice and parried, and the blow was less impactful than before. She felt like she was rooted down and supported by the ground.

A small change in stance made all the difference but just as she was celebrating her success in blocking Leon's sword, his sword hits hers and they're entwined like magnets, and Leon shoves Ha-ri with his shoulder.

"Boom…!"

Ha-ri stumbled backwards, trying to get to her feet, but the sword pressed against her chin glowed brightly.

"The sword is not your only weapon. Use your whole body as a weapon."

Leon continued.

"The stance of the sword is important. How many times have I told you, be quick. There is no point in being stale and revealing gaps in your movements."

"That…To use the ability...."

"Don't think that efficient use of your abilities is the only way to win. What good is that if you die?"

"Is that so?"

Ha-ri's eyes widened in surprise at Leon's words.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh, uhm…nothing much."

Leon stared at her, and Ha-ri blurted out what she thought.

"Your Majesty…I thought you'd ask me to fight to the death....For honor. For glory...."

"...."

Leon struck Ha-ri in the crown of the head with the hilt of his sword and her head ringed.

"Foolish one, where is the honor and glory that you have to offer?"

"Well, it's true I'm not as good as those knights...."

"I don't mean them. They sang glory for the gods and honor for their country. Han Ha-ri, can you do the same for this country, the Republic of Korea?"

"Uhm…I don't think I can…"

In Ha-ri generation patriotism seems to fade away with each passing day, and the idea of giving your life for your country seems like propaganda.

This is despite the fact that she has a 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...."

Ha-ri was speechless at Leon's words.

The training continued for a while and Leon sharply criticized every aspect of Ha-ri's swordplay and stance, but she could feel herself improving in real time with each correction.

However, 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.

On Earth, Ha-ri, who had served with Leon the longest, could see the subtle difference.

"Your Majesty, you look groggy."

The normally dignified and jovial man had seemed somber since the Jeju Gate. She knew he was only human, but the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to do something to help.

"His Majesty hasn't been feeling well lately, what can I do?"

-Huh?

She first consulted Sir Yakt Spinner, the brains of the pantheon.

As he poured salt into the soldiers' meals, Yappy rolled his camera eye and let out a mechanical sound.

-It must be a non-specific biological response to a stimulus applied to the organism.

"Can't you talk to me from my perspective?"

-High stress level. Need to relieve stress.

"Stress…that's not a bad word."

So what does it take to relieve stress?

"Sir Yappy, do you know what his majesty enjoys doing?

-His Majesty. 5 a.m. wake-up call. Four hours of training. Breakfast. Morning training instruction. Lunch. Afternoon training. Dinner. Late night prayer, followed by bed. Overall, not deviating from the routine.

"You're recording all of that...?"

-Searching for information. Organisms, defining the concept of entertainment. Refers to a whole range of activities to make you feel good. Suitable for stress relief.

In short, they should entertain Leon.

"I can't imagine His Majesty playing…. What about Lord Yappy?"

-...Organic dopamine-boosting entertainment does not count.

Why is it so hard to say you don't know?

Ha-ri thought for a moment, and then an idea flashed through her mind.

"Yes! That would be a good idea for His Majesty to enjoy, and the timing is perfect!"

-Ha-ri?

"There's something at the Association I could use, I'll have to contact them first."

-What plan?

Slowly, Ha-ri explains the plan, and Yappy organizes the objective information, acknowledging that it is a reasonable conclusion.

-A serendipitous turn of events for an organism. Not quite up to my computational capabilities.

"Yeah, yeah, of course."

Ha-ri shrugged and made a triumphant gesture.