Leon Dragonia Lionheart (2)

On the road from Pyongyang to Nampo, there is a lake called Taejeong.

Before reunification, it was built as a golf course for high-ranking North Korean officials and strictly off-limits to the public to preserve its natural beauty, but after reunification, it developed into a secondary habitat for the Kikiruk people in Nampo.

And now, after completing the war-ending ceremony and federal consultations, the executives of the Pantheon are enjoying an untimely boat ride. 

-Kirukkiruk!

(The boat is departing!)

-Tsk!

(Sir Vulcanus, take off your armor and climb aboard!)

"Ugh! Armor is a knight's lifeblood! How can you tell me to lay it down?"

"Take it off, it's not an exhibition."

"Lord Raihar, even you!"

Each pushed the other away, remembering the culture of their time in the kingdom, even as they enjoyed the splendor of Earth's civilization.

"But, Soo-ho, where is the queen?"

"I don't know. I saw my sister and So-yeon go out on the boat, so maybe she got on before us?"

"When will His Majesty come?"

Jae-hyuk remembered that Leon was still in Pyongyang with the Black Dragon.

There was a lot of business to coordinate regarding the Lionheart Federation, and officials from the Federation's affiliated countries were swarming around Pyongyang.

"By the way, boating is best with Ha-ri in the boat. It's a bit more dynamic with the waves."

"You can't use the holy laws for your own gain------"

He was scolded for using Ultima Thunder on the battery to try to copy money.

Several ships are floating in the center of Lake Taejeong. 

One of the most luxurious ships is in the center of the lake, a ship carrying royalty should not lack decoration and splendor has silk laid over wooden planks to soften them, and the sails that move the ship in the breeze are draped with the colorful lion flag of the Lionheart Federation.

The twinkling lights are outrageous luxuries that, upon closer inspection, reveal themselves to be gem-cut and illuminated.

The auburn-haired beauty who manages the facility sips lemonade and gives instructions to the chirpers.

"There, set up the lighting angle for number 17. The floral arrangements must follow the designated planner. I will not tolerate any deviations."

-Crack!

(Got it!)

With a wave of his hand, the Holy Knight of the Iron and Blacksmiths gestured to the Kikiruks and settled into her rocking chair, embracing her minimalist stellar iron body.

"I guess the amusement of inferior organisms isn't so bad after all."

Yappy agreed with the myths on the internet that sometimes you have to eat bad food. There's no intellectual or logical basis for this, but he doesn't care because it makes him look good.

[Oh, my Yappy---when will you show me your descendants?]

At the words of Heto, the god of iron and blacksmithing, Yappy tilted her head.

"I do not need to rely on the inferior reproductive means of organisms. I can multiply indefinitely."

[That's not what I'm talking about.]

Heto wanted to slap the self-proclaimed perfectionist inorganic on the forehead, but decided it was only a matter of time.

[See more of the world, see many things, feel many things, taste many things, and then you will know the human heart]

"???"

Yappy still couldn't understand Heto's words, but she didn't forget to order an extra spicy chicken.

"Oh, is it good?"

Just then, Beatrice in a dress came out from the stern. She looked at Yappy eating the spicy chicken and said.

"Tastes like honey. Would Your Highness like some?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline."

Beatrice patted Yappy on the head and sat down on a plush couch in the stern.

The cruise ship, which Yappy had created as a kind of luxury tourism service to help the Kikiruk become economically independent in the future, was more than enough for her to enjoy as royalty.

"Huh~"

"What's wrong?"

"What's the use of breathing the air in such a nice place~ I don't have anyone to enjoy it with."

The great war was over. The Orc Continental Federation has been absorbed, the Beast Gods have been exterminated, and the Gates have ceased to exist.

The era of war was over. Of course, Leon still had something to think about.

"Now that we've gotten the important stuff out of the way--- I'd like you to take care of me.

Yappy, his closest confidant, and her are on vacation, while he is in Pyongyang working.

Beatrice saw this as a precious opportunity to be with Leon, but he was nowhere to be seen.

[Oh, my. You must be pouting hard.]

At Beatrice's frustration, Fle laughed in a cute way.

"Don't tease me, Fle. I'm quite serious."

[Then why don't you be a little more aggressive in your courtship?]

"No."

It was a firm no.

"Courting is for the gentleman to do first. How can a lady make the first move? It's disrespectful."

[That's right---you're old-fashioned, when will you start a relationship?]

But it's not so wrong. Even if it's an old-fashioned notion, it doesn't matter because the two of them have been living in the old-fashioned notion.

[Get your act together. Here he comes.]

"Yes?"

With a flutter and a flap of its wings, the white horse lands on board. 

"Whoa, you've done a good job flying. Have a meal over there."

-Heehee!

The man from above gently stroked the nape of the White Divine Beast's neck.

"Your Majesty, you're here!"

Beatrice busily straightened herself up while Leon smiled at her hospitality and replied.

"Have you been waiting for me?"

"Of course."

Leon kissed the back of Beatrice's hand and headed for the stern.

"What brings you back so late?"

"I'm late because I've been running into some old acquaintances---and taking care of some permits."

"Permits?"

"The great war is over. We won't be fighting for a while."

"That's right."

Not that there isn't work to be done. The Lionheart Federation is a fledgling nation, and they must build it from the ground up, rebuilding a world torn apart by years of war.

It is the duty of royalty to slay the monsters that still roam the wilds, to provide for the well-being of the people, and to strengthen the nation.

Whereas before it was simply a time of war, now it is a time of governance and stability. There will be much more to do.

"But this doesn't think the war is truly over, and we'll have to head there someday."

"------"

Beatrice knew enough to recognize what Leon was talking about.

The Demon Realm, a world of demons and evil, it is a complex world of many planes and dimensions, and the demons are growing in power by drawing on the evil of the world.

Though the demons have lost their lords and are now in decline, they will one day return with renewed strength, perhaps after the ascension of the current Lionheart King. 

The demons fear Leon and Leon has no intention of letting them escape.

"I will one day make my way to the Demon Realm, and I will fight again. It is a long and arduous road. Do you think you can follow me to the end?"

Beatrice answered Leon's question without the slightest hesitation.

"As long as your majesty leads the way."

Leon was grateful for this lovely queen's devotion. Resolved, he dropped to one knee.

"Your Majesty?"

He handed her a small box from his bosom, what it contained was needless to say.

"This king--No, I can assure you that I was a good king and an honorable knight. But I was not a good lover, a failed father, and a husband who could not save his wife."

Leon's life was one of struggle.

Born the scion of the glorious Archduke of Dragonia, he traveled to fulfill his duty.

He accepted and fulfilled quests from the Goddess, became a War Knight, a Holy Knight, then a Grail Keeper, and ruled his country with honor, but he lost many things along the way.

Nevertheless, he lived on, and in the end he destroyed evil, and his life was glorious and honorable in his own mind.

However, he was never a good husband.

He was never a good father, and he has long lost his daughter, and even if he wished to bring his beloved wife back to life, he must not defy Providence.

He will not change.

He was a failed father who abandoned his wife.

He will not give up.

He must fulfill his duty to the end.

"What you have before you is a wretched man, that tells you, even in empty words, that I cannot put my wife first. Nevertheless-----Beatrice Alighieri Spero."

The box is opened to reveal its contents: a beautiful ring, painstakingly selected by the dragon, whose taste in jewelry is second to none.

"Will you join this pathetic man---?"

"------"

Beatrice stared at Leon in silence.

So great a man, the king of knights and agent of all the gods, seemed more nervous than ever before.

She could see in his face that he was worried that she might reject him------

She was extremely pleased.

"Your Majesty------"

He is a man who has lost much.

She is a woman who has lost much.

It was a common evil that brought them together, and though their paths were similar, their endings were different.

The Lionheart King fought the war alone while the Magician Queen was corrupted by the devotion of her loyal knights.

She admired, appreciated, and even feared him.

Even then, to Beatrice, Leon was a demigod worthy of reverence. There was no one else like him in the world.

She realized that the Lionheart King was just a man like her after seeing the old Holy Knight's sacrifice in the gate.

When Holy Knight, Georgic, chose his own destruction and entrusted his will to the King, Beatrice saw Leon's face, a face of agonizing shame.

'You must not die before this king. No matter how many times this king experienced someone next to him dying, it still pierces my bones.'

She still remembers the taste of the wine they drank together that day.

In the end, he is a man, a wounded man.

He was not an unbreakable or unstoppable human being.

He was a man who always got back up when he fell, someone who would always get back up again.

She liked him from then on.

It didn't take long for the hero she admired to become lovable.

"Your Majesty."

She grabs Leon's arm, pulling him to his feet and envisioning a future together.

That future is sure to be a bumpy ride, but that's okay because this man will walk beside her forever.

"I'll walk with you."

He gently stroked her cheek and hair as she looked at him with trembling eyes.

For a moment, everyone turned their heads and even the gods averted their gaze.

On a boat on a calm lake, their faces were close together.

Surely this moment is not the ending but for today it would be fine to have a happy ending.

TLN: This is the end of the main story.