The Knight King Who Returned with God-Chapter 4 The Survivor

Leon Dragonia Lionheart.

A survivor who emerged from the third black gate—appearing for the first time in 13 years—left the Hunter Association and the government in a state of confusion.

Survivors were rare beings from other worlds beyond the gates.

Each came from vastly different cultures and environments. Some were even hostile or condescending toward Earth's people.

There had been war heroes sealed in ice, immortal vampires, descendants of dragons, and dwarves who once defended underground fortresses.

None of them were easy to deal with, and many were stubborn in their own ways. But most had accepted that their worlds were destroyed, and they were generally content with being treated as "survivors."

Every nation's stance on survivors was the same:

Bring them in—at all costs.

If government enlistment is too much, then at least get them to settle down within national borders.

Having survived apocalyptic worlds, survivors often possessed tremendous combat power and something uniquely extraordinary.

Of course, not all survivors were accepted. Some held values so incompatible with modern civilization that integration was impossible.

And now, the latest survivor—Leon—was a type no one quite knew how to handle.

"What should we do? Are we supposed to follow royal etiquette or something?"

"Uhh... I've only seen historical dramas..."

Hunter Association Section Chief Kim Jinsoo and Assistant Manager Han Hari were flustered as they looked at the man who had saved their lives—now officially recognized as a survivor.

Leon Dragonia Lionheart.

Claims to be the King of the Kingdom of Lionheart.

Declares himself a demigod, an agent of the gods, and a knight of great honor.

From his speech and mannerisms, he seemed to come from a strictly hierarchical society. Three investigators had tried questioning him, but all were driven out after being met with threats.

Seolleongtang and kimchi? Rejected outright—too common, he said.

Jjajangmyeon? Showed a bit of interest, but declined—it looked messy and vulgar.

Fried chicken? Rejected again—eating with hands was improper.

"...He's like a food snob with supernatural powers."

"Seriously."

He turned away dishes just by appearance, judging them as "commoners' food." As a result, the team had to order from the most expensive nearby gourmet restaurant.

"Hari... You go in first."

"M-me?! But I'm not even good at speaking in old-timey drama talk!"

"Still, he seems to like you. Didn't he compliment you?"

"He just said I was courageous..."

And so, Assistant Manager Han Hari was sent in to deal with the difficult survivor. Since she had received a somewhat favorable glance from Leon back at the gate, the others figured she wouldn't be kicked out immediately.

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"Ugh..."

As Leon elegantly cut into a premium T-bone steak and sipped 1993 red wine, Hari carefully approached.

"Y-Your Majesty... I hope I'm not disturbing your meal...?"

"Ah, the swordswoman from before. Sit."

At least she wasn't immediately thrown out. Hari let out a tiny breath of relief and clenched her fist toward the cracked one-way mirror.

She believed her teammates behind the glass must be cheering her on.

"D-does the meal please you, Your Majesty?"

"Not bad. One can feel the chef's dedication and years of mastery."

"I-I'm honored to hear that... I-I committed an unworthy sin by offering such lowly food earlier..."

"It seems there was a misunderstanding."

Leon set down his knife and spoke gently, almost reassuringly.

"What I criticized was not the food itself, but your conduct toward royalty."

"I... I beg your pardon?"

"When one receives a royal guest, the reception must be fitting of their status. This reflects upon your nation's dignity."

"I-I see..."

"I have no qualms eating commoners' food. I wasn't raised so spoiled that I would turn down a meal on the battlefield. But if you stand before me representing your country, then you must act with the appropriate decorum."

In other words, he didn't throw a tantrum over the food itself.

Honestly, Hari felt he could've just eaten it anyway... but thinking about it, no one serves a McDonald's Big Mac to a visiting head of state, right?

"You are right. I apologize for my lack of etiquette and education..."

"Very well. Now then, I believe your name was Han... something?"

"Y-yes... This girl is Han Hari, Your Majesty."

Even as she awkwardly imitated formal historical speech, Leon didn't tell her to drop it.

After all, a royal cannot speak casually to a commoner.

"I have heard of this world of yours."

"Ah..."

Leon, despite scolding the investigators, diligently gathered information about this world.

The investigators, for their part, tried to explain Earth and its current situation as best they could—so Leon had a fairly good grasp of things by now.

"It seems this world is also under some sort of invasion. You call them 'gates,' do you not? They appeared in my world as well."

"Is... is that so, Your Majesty?"

This was a common thread in the testimonies of many survivors.

Gates. Portals. Dimensional rifts.

They were called by different names, but the characteristics were always the same.

"Demons. Those vile creatures appear here as well, do they not?"

"Y-yes... Yes, Your Majesty."

Hari's mission was simple.

The best-case scenario: recruit him into the Hunter Association under the South Korean government.

Second-best: convince him to at least settle in South Korea.

The appearance of a survivor always caught the attention of governments around the world. They'd use every trick in the book to integrate them into their own countries.

In fact, in 21st-century intelligence warfare, recruiting survivors had become a top priority.

As for Leon's value? Being a survivor already made him immensely valuable.

Combat power? Already proven through multiple encounters with Association personnel.

If there was a problem, it would be his authoritarian personality and his insistence on rigid hierarchy. But after actually speaking with him, they realized he wasn't entirely unreasonable. Most of all...

"This man is fully confident in his own worth."

The way he treated people from another world he knew nothing about with such boldness—that was proof of his confidence.

Most survivors were timid or deferential toward governments. After all, no lone person could oppose an entire nation. They instinctively knew it was better not to make enemies of such a massive power.

But this man, Leon, was the epitome of pride and self-worth.

He demanded what he didn't know and insisted on being given what he needed immediately.

As someone who saw himself as a noble being at the pinnacle of a hierarchical world, it was only natural he acted with such confidence toward everyone.

"Your Majesty... I speak with utmost respect, but if it pleases Your Majesty, our Republic of Korea government would like to assist in your journey from here on."

"What do you mean by that?"

Hari slowly presented him with two options:

He could become a government-registered Hunter.

Or, he could simply settle in South Korea and pursue another path.

Whichever path he chose, the Association would provide generous support. If he chose to become a government-affiliated Hunter, that support would be immense.

The higher-ups in the Association hadn't yet fully grasped Leon's value. But once they did, they would undoubtedly try to bring him into Korea officially.

"This land is under attack by foul beings. A knight of honor must fight. Now that I have chosen to remain in your world, I am duty-bound to step onto the battlefield."

"Truly?!"

Hari's face lit up. He actually had a sense of duty!

Many survivors refused to fight demons or enter the gates, claiming they had no obligation to get involved in the wars of another world.

Yet they still shamelessly collected all the financial benefits offered to survivors.

At least this man wasn't one of those freeloaders.

"Then, if Your Majesty joins our Hunter Association—"

"No. A king does not serve under another king's command."

...Wait, what?

Hari blinked, confused.

She had considered the possibility that he might reject government enlistment. Honestly, even she thought the Association might not be a good fit for someone like him.

But if his words meant what she thought they did... then he wouldn't join any Hunter guild?

"I shall establish my own knightly order in this world."

At that bold declaration, full of ambition, Hari could only nod in stunned silence.

"Things are taking an odd turn."

Chief Kim Jin-soo scratched his head as he tried to piece together Leon's story. Still, Hari offered a positive assessment.

"It's not that bad, right? I mean, he does seem more than willing to fight."

"True. And it's not like he's trying to defect to another country or anything."

A survivor like Leon, with such ideal conditions, was rare even among all known survivors.

He had strong combat abilities, was willing to enter the gates, and showed no hostility toward this world.

Sure, being from a society ruled by a strict caste system was a bit of a downside—but it's not like he was actively going against reason or public order.

"Still, I freaked out when he said he wanted to meet the President."

"Ugh... We didn't allow that, right?"

"What if he suddenly drew his sword during the meeting? The guy summons his weapon out of thin air, without even a dimensional pocket."

"He doesn't even have a subspace pouch. What is that ability anyway?"

If a mentally unstable survivor were to swing a sword at the President... that would be a full-on national disaster.

"So what are we going to do?"

"What else... we support him as much as we can."

That was the conclusion the Association had reached after their meeting.

Win his favor and provide whatever support it took to make him settle in this land.

Even if it required astronomical funding—it would be worth it.

"Our government is just too weak..."

"It's all because of those damn mega-guilds that only care about money and power."

Korea's deep-rooted systemic problems were still rotting the country from the inside.

"By the way, wasn't there a red gate that appeared right before we went into the black one? Somewhere in the Honam Plains?"

"Yeah, the Phoenix Guild took that one."

"Let's hope it goes well... If something happens there, it's going to be a huge disaster."

After the Great Cataclysm, dungeon breaks had devastated the world.

The problem with dungeon breaks wasn't just the monsters pouring out—it was the leakage of mana toxins (or "masso") through the cracks of the gates.

Masso was a deadly pollutant that corrupted the land and poisoned the air. Once contaminated, the land required at least a year of purification before it could be used to grow crops again.

In other words, a dungeon break in an agricultural region could completely ruin that year's harvest.

"But the Phoenix Guild has S-rank Hunter Lee Yong-wan, right? Even if it's a red gate, it's not supposed to be that difficult."

"...Yeah, that's true."

Still, Chief Kim Jin-soo debated whether he should tell Hari about some intelligence he'd received from the NIS.

That the Phoenix Guild had been acting suspiciously after the government denied their request for special exemptions...

–Beep!

"Huh?"

At that moment, both Kim Jin-soo's and Han Hari's phones vibrated at the exact same time, followed by an ominous siren-like alert:

[Dungeon Break at Honam Plains Gate. All available personnel are to enter emergency standby.]

Upon reading the message, the two shouted in perfect sync:

"Those Phoenix Guild bastards!!"

Even though they thought he couldn't hear them behind the magic mirror, Leon picked up every word they said.

His blessed body had long since transcended the limits of mortal flesh. He was a living saint—in other words, a demigod.

"It seems they're in trouble."

The dungeon break itself wasn't the issue—it was that the break had occurred in an important farming region.

From what he'd gathered, when a dungeon break happened here, the land became tainted, and crops could no longer grow...

"So they really don't have it..."

This confirmed for Leon that "it" was missing from Earth.

The very fact that they spoke of "poor harvests" and "famines" was more than enough proof.

"Lady Demera... Are you well?"

He reached out to the temple hidden within his heart, offering a prayer to her.

And she—goddess of the Harvest and patron of the Pantheon—gladly responded to her champion, the agent of the All-Gods.