"Outside, there's an opening on the left! Dig in there!"
"Oh, we're here, but what are we going to do?"
"We should hold onto a leg or something…shouldn't we?"
"What kind of bullshit is that──"
-Poof!
-Attack damage is increased by 20.0556% against giants.
Han Ha-ri finished the hunt successfully with 88 serfs remaining.
"Run, run, run, and dodge the clubs!"
"Ugh, you bastard who just cursed at me, I'm going to start ripping off the giant's burl!"
-Attack damage is increased by 20.0934% against giants.
Kim Jae-hyuk finished the hunt successfully with 32 serfs remaining.
"Ugh! It's falling!"
"Heh, heh, heh…! Uh, mom… I'm alive!"
-Attack damage is increased by 20.1432% against giants.
Han Soo-ho finished the hunt successfully with 2 serfs remaining.
Somehow, they all succeeded and finally, only Chun So-yeon remained.
"Someone died in front of you. Are you going to avenge the one behind you?"
"Uh, um...."
"Tell me you're going to get revenge."
"Ha, I will, I will avenge them!"
"It says ──."
[Your soul is now mine]
[Specify a target for revenge. Strengthened by consuming souls]
Chun So-yeon had strengthened the serfs by mediating with Ventasis, the God of Vengeance. These soul-devouring serfs are now strong enough to deliver a devastating blow to a giant.
Chun So-yeon finished the hunt successfully with 154 serfs remaining.
She was able to capture the giant with the least amount of sacrifices, 346.
"Hmm, good. Excellent."
Ha-ri's serfs had somehow managed to increase their specs with buffs from the two gods, and Jae-hyuk had baffled the giant with his aggressive play.
Soo-ho was a poor matchup, and Arianna's buffs from the Goddess of Justice didn't have much effect on the evil serfs.
"Chun So-yeon, I want you to take over the position of Knight Commander."
"...."
Chun So-yeon actively utilized her holy power and her contracted god.
If the one in front of her failed, the one behind her would avenge her. This was possible because Ventasis was an evil deity with generous contract terms.
"Using her command over the serfs to broker revenge contracts was an efficient move."
"...Was it well done?"
"Yes. Even this king admired it."
"It was...."
So-yeon blushed and smiled faintly.
"Han Ha-ri, you have a natural ability to give the serfs proper protection, but you lack boldness in your operations. Serfs are expendable, so use them properly for your purposes."
"Hmm…yes...."
"Jae-hyuk, your first move was impressively bold. However, there are many useless parts of your command that have caused the serfs to flail about."
"Hmm.. I made some mistakes."
"Well, that's how you learn. The dying serfs will be saved again and again, so don't stop practicing."
-Dog, asshole....
The surviving serfs insulted him, but Leon paid them no mind. Who cares what a pig squeaks?
"Han Soo-ho."
"Yes, yes...."
Soo-ho was breathless since he only had two remaining serfs. If the giant hadn't collapsed from blood loss, he would have failed.
"You were not a good match. A light guard is not the right guard to operate serfs."
"Still, I apologize──"
"Then I will entrust you with five hundred more serfs!"
"...Eh?"
Leon laughed merrily as he patted Soo-ho's shoulder.
"In the past, when Lord Gratas planned the serf challenge, it was to efficiently reduce the number of rotten serfs. The idea was to bury the idle serfs while increasing security by dealing with the monsters around the territory."
"Yes...…."
"You have a knack for burying serfs, keep up the good work!"
"...."
'I wonder if he's actually a demon?'
Soo-ho thought.
* * * *
In the Naju Plains, in the middle of a vast golden field, where the harvest season was approaching, Leon stared at a single sapling.
"It doesn't grow any bigger."
Leon was looking at a 'seedling' that his old friend, the forest sage Gunnar, had given to him.
Leon had planted it in the Naju Plain, hoping to grow it, but it never did.
Of course, he knew it wasn't an easy seed to grow, but he didn't expect it to be this bad.
[After all, it's not easy to grow Tree Men's seedlings in a foreign land]
The voice belonged to Demera, the goddess of earth and fertility, embodied in a crested doll.
She used to be able to communicate directly with Leon, but lately she seemed to enjoy inhabiting the crested dolls like this. Even the gods have hobbies, so Leon was happy to accommodate her.
"Is it because the soil is of poor quality?"
[It is not, for this place already has my blessing]
"Then...."
[The difference between this place and Lionheart is, after all, the power of the world]
The power of the Ten Thousand Gods Temple is spreading throughout the world day by day. But it is nowhere near the level of Lionheart.
A world where everyone believed, except for the sociopaths and demonic followers, and an emerging religion that is growing in cult-like popularity could not be compared.
"Hmph...."
Leon pressed his palm to the seedling of the Treeman Gunnar that had grown to the level of a sapling and then with a burst of holy power the sapling began to grow quickly until it reached Leon's waist.
That's a lot of growth, but....
[It's not enough]
"I don't think it's a matter of lack of holy power."
[Yeah, maybe it's a matter of temper]
Demera said, looking at the sapling with Leon.
[You have more holy power than anyone else, but it's not pure; you have the power of too many gods]
"...."
[If only I had my own Holy Knight… but I suppose that's a matter for fortune]
Demera remembered Georgic's hammer. The hammer of the precious child she had lost.
And the great power he left behind has yet to find a true heir. Though a child named Koo Dae-sung had gained some recognition.
"I'll have to find a way to grow the seedling, though the most convenient thing would be to return to Paradise and find my friend."
[Don't do that.]
Demera shook her head.
[It is never good for the living to stay in the world of the dead, no matter how strong you are]
"I can handle it."
[Even if Castile asks you to stay with him for one night?]
"...."
Leon fell silent at the mention of a familiar name. Demera continued to mention names.
[What if Jerea wants to have a drink with you? What if Gillingham wants to joust with you? What if Loxley wants to settle a score with you?]
Demera patted Leon on the arm with her crested puppet and spoke in a soothing voice.
[Child, all the gods know of your transcendent will and virtue. But can you, a half-god, half-man, truly walk away from the memories that occupy your life?]
A moment's hesitation, a moment's mingling, is poison to the living. Demera knows that all of Leon's memories and pleasures are with those in paradise.
Friendships, love…they are all buried in paradise with those who shared them.
[The first time, maybe just for a moment, but the second time, it will be longer, and the third time, you'll think you want to be there more]
Leon could not refute Demera speculation.
[My dear, although you have been granted entry to Paradise, this mother thinks you should refrain from doing so unless it is absolutely necessary].
"I will take the great mother's words to heart."
Leon could not resist Demera's urging, which came from pure concern.
* * * *
On his way back, Leon ran into Beatrice, who had just gone for a walk.
"Your Majesty, have you been out for a walk?"
"Hmm, just checking on some seedlings."
"You've been checking on it a lot lately. What kind of power does it have that you're so eager to nurture?"
At Beatrice's question, Leon realized that he had never explained what the seedling was about.
"This seedling belongs to this king's old friend, Gunnar, a forest sage. Forest sages spend a lifetime preparing the sapling of the Saint Tree, the center of the forest."
Beatrice tilted her head as he explained that it was the only way for the Tree Men, beings of nature alone, to thrive.
"Your Majesty wants that race to thrive in this land?"
"That is part of it, but the Saint Tree is also the cornerstone of a shrine to the descent of Irmin, the God of Forests and Trees."
"The god of forests and trees… I've heard of him in the doctrine, but I've never met him."
As High Priestess of Dreams and Death, Beatrice had met and greeted many deities with Yappy but she had never met the God of the Forests and Trees.
"That's because he is the god of the forest races. Besides, without the Saint Tree, he can't wake up."
In Leon's world, there were deities called race gods, but they were lesser gods and more limited, protecting only a narrow group of races.
"That's why none of those damned orc and beastly demigods ever made it into the pantheon."
That doesn't mean their gods are weak since the Orc gods alone were among the most powerful of the gods.
"Is there any reason, then, for Irmin's descent?"
"There is. The moment he descends upon this earth, the area around the peninsula will bloom with a divinity that few demons can survive."
Divine power that could affect a nation…no, more than a nation?
Beatrice, who knew the mechanics of divine power, questioned.
"Isn't the power of the gods built on faith? Why is he the only one…ah."
Beatrice's quick mind quickly realized why Irmin was different from the other gods.
"A race god… the mechanism of his divinity is different from the others."
"The Saint Tree is a relay that generates its own holy power, like the Lionheart implanted in this king. It has the power to cleanse the world of evil, which is why demons can't get near it."
Indeed, a seedling with such power must be nurtured.
Beatrice alone had lost so many people and due to demonic sabotage in the city.
"Then, Your Majesty, I have a plan."
Beatrice's plan was to use the seedling itself as the coordinates for a gate.
* * * *
Beatrice's proposal is as follows
Using the seedling itself as the coordinates of the gate, leading to the tree men and from there they would be a way to learn about the seedling.
"Pile up the crystals over there. Evacuate the civilians in the surrounding 300 meters."
Magic stones were stacked in the middle of the barracks at the TTG Guild.
There are always enough magic stones at the TTG Guild, where they are used for training and clearing gates.
Nevertheless, the sheer volume of magic stones can be overwhelming.
"Your Majesty, can you place the seedling in the middle?"
Leon brought the seedling he had planted in the Naju Plain and placed it in the center of the magic circle.
If he could open the gate through the seedling that Gunnar had left him, would he be able to see Gunnar again?
He was a little hopeful.
"Will you open the gate?"
"Of course."
Beatrice opened the gate as the pulsating magic circle swallowed up the mountains of magic stones, causing a crack in space.
-Kaaaaaaaah!!!
The magic stones disappear, one by one and their smoldering, angry aura accelerates the cracks.
Only a magician of Beatrice's caliber would be able to cast this.
─────────
The gate that opened was 'colorless'.
"Colorless?"
"I've never seen such a gate before!"
It was a gate with no color other than the usual black, red, orange, and yellow and even Leon felt threatened by this gate.
"I guess we need to be careful with this gate."
"Yes, I think it would be better to send only a few elites to scout it out first."
Originally, he had planned to take the Knights and Man-At-Arms to attack the gate in a steady manner but the immense energy within the gate urged Leon to be cautious.
"We'll scout this gate with a small group of elites, including this king. Any combatants below the rank of kingdom knight should stay behind."
Aim for reconnaissance, acquisition, and a swift retreat rather than an assault. Leon's judgment is perfectly rational.
"Then let's go. Be careful, everyone."
With Leon leading the way, the elite of the TTG Guild enter one after another with Yappy being the last to enter.
-BANG!
Something flew out of the gate with a loud bang.
"Boom…!"
"Your Majesty?!"
The figure that bounced out of the gate was none other than Leon.
[We have found a duplicate figure, you cannot enter the gate]
The gate rejected Leon, sending out a vast amount of holy power.