Chapter 100: The First Lionheart Relic
Park Soo-jin, an appraiser at the Korean Hunter Association, had an unexpected business trip scheduled for her morning commute.
The destination was the TTG Guild in the Naju Plains, which has been on a roll lately.
“Wow, did you feel it too? It’s so refreshing.”
“I… felt God. Should I convert?”
“Aren’t you from one of the three major Christian families?”
Tourists entering a famous cafe chain with satisfied expressions. I wonder if this is really a tourist destination.
Not only Koreans, but also foreigners. They say there are 10,000 tourists a day.
If you can hold an Epic item, they’ll give it to you…….’
Georgic’s One-Handed Hammer, the second Epic item in Asia and the first in Korea.
A treasure whose very existence is a national treasure… No, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it is the first national treasure, and the TTG Guild has declared that it will give it to you if you can hold it.
An Epic item, that is.
The world was turned upside down by these words and Hunters everywhere went crazy. It’s an Epic item that requires a hefty entrance fee just to see it, let alone challenge it.
It’s just an entrance fee for an item that’s priceless.
‘Should I… try?’
You never know, you could be the owner of an Epic Hammer, and if you put it up for sale, there would be countries all over the place that would buy it for hundreds of billions.
Park Soo-jin entered the TTG Guild, hoping to take a look around but at that moment, a small mechanical spider stood in front of the entrance.
The Yakt Spinner also known as Yappy it’s a killing machine that used to be the nightmare of Cheongju Gate, but now it’s a specialty of the TTG Guild.
-Collected entrance fee. Accepting donations. Accepts Five Star Pay.
I’ve heard that he is a Holy Knight, the highest rank in the doctrine of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild but I wonder what he’s asking for.
-Face check. Park Soo-jin, head of the Hunter Association’s appraisal department.
“Huh, you recognize me?”
-The Hunter Association’s data bank knows all.
“…….”
Park realizes she just heard a very dangerous statement, but she tries to ignore it.
-Contacted His Majesty. Wait inside.
“Oh, yeah, so… while I’m here, do you mind if I take a look at your hammer?”
-Challenge?
“Uh, yeah, sure…thanks. But what’s the challenge fee?”
-Five million won.
“Expensive…….”
Of course, it’s not that much money considering the value of Epic items.
It wasn’t a lotto level but for a commoner like Park, it was a lot of money, and she was about to give up the challenge.
-There is an asset quota. You’re in the second quintile. 500,000 won.
“Wow, that’s a big discount… Wait a minute, what’s my asset class…….”
-Class 2.
“What?”
– Class 2. Are you going to do it or not?
“……I won’t.”
Park Soo-jin felt a chill run down her spine. The image of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild is usually that of a private organization of His Majesty the King in a fantasy world that sprang out of the Middle Ages, but could this organization actually be hiding a terrifying power?
Shaking off the chill, Soo-jin entered the building and saw a familiar face.
“Oh! Ms. Park!”
“Deputy Han?”
She was still the same girl who was so cute and energetic that the Association loved her.
“I heard you’ve been on the rise lately.”
“Ah~ Hehe, I’m a goddess even if I look like this.”
“The goddess of the sea and waves?”
“And Petos, the god of war and flame.”
It seems that she is loved everywhere, even here in the Ten Thousand Gods Guild.
“You’re here for an appraisal today, right?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, follow me!”
As they headed to the appraisal location the two continued their long-overdue conversation.
“I know you texted me out of the blue this morning, but what’s up, you’ve been raiding a lot of gates lately, is that why?”
“Mm~ Yeah, something like that.”
Ha-ri awkwardly confirmed since there were some things she had to keep from her coworkers.
Leon said that the information about the fact that a gate could be opened artificially should not be made public yet.
“Here we are! Ah! The king and queen are here!”
They arrived at a terrace inside the Temple of the Ten Thousand Gods, where they saw the two of them enjoying a tea break and taking in the view from the second floor terrace.
“Wow…….”
Park Soo-jin admired the couple’s appearance.
Hands holding teacups and upright postures. I wonder if this is what royalty looks like, enjoying tea time.
Beatrice’s face was obscured by a cotton cloth, but it was clear that she was a stunning beauty, and Leon was a nobleman in a way that no picture or video could do justice.
Blond, wallflower, stereotypical royalty on the cover of a romance fantasy.
Who would have thought that this handsome young man, who looks like he could be a perfect candidate for romance, could be the world’s greatest super-asshole knight king?
“You’re from the Association.”
“Oh, yes! My name is Park Soo-jin…!”
Soo-jin awkwardly greeted them since the Association’s policy on Leon is strict.
Roughly speaking, everyone who holds a public office in this country is trained for two weeks in the royalty manual, and the Association even has an internal test.
“Ha-ri, show her the goods.”
“Ms. Park, this way.”
Ha-ri showed Park the object to be appraised, and when she saw it, she was blown away.
“Wow… what is this? Wait, is that… the axe of the Orc Champion?”
“And this staff? The Magic Tower would pay tens of billions for it!”
“Oh my god, what is this circlet, pure concept?”
Each of these items was incredible.
The axe of Balbaza, champion of Helkan.
The staff of Maghar, champion of Gokrok.
The sachet of Skira, champion of Skunik.
The pelt of Dagil, chieftain of the beast-god.
The circlet of the Imperial Preemptor, Law King, and more.
Every single one of them was a Legendary item but as if that wasn’t enough, Leon handed her another dagger.
“This, this is also a great item.”
[Vulcanus Ritual Dagger]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Description: This dagger was given to Vulcanus, the great Holy Knight of War and Flame, in response to his offering of himself to Petos.
It is imbued with the flame of the gods.]
[Unresponsive: The weathering of long wars has prevented it from triggering its functions.]
It was an old dagger however the power contained within the dagger was so great that it was declared Legendary.
Leon received it when he asked Vulcanus for a symbol of his and he willingly gave it to him.
-Can you open the gate with this thing?
-I can. But that means…….
Beatrice realized from Leon’s question that Vulcanus was not in Paradise.
Had his soul been captured by the demons, like Georgic’s? If so, Leon would surely set out to bring him back to Paradise.
“This is the last time.”
Apart from that, there was another box that Ha-ri had carefully brought with her.
“Let’s see………Wow!”
The moment the box opened and she saw what was inside, she felt her breath catch in her throat.
It was a sword sheath.
A dazzlingly ornate and lavishly crafted symbol of authority, more akin to a royal scepter than a sheath but the holy aura it emanated suggested it was an object used in religious ceremonies.
-Bam!
‘This is no ordinary object.’
Park Soo-jin put on her appraisal white gloves and scrutinized the scabbard with her appraisal skill.
“Wow…….”
The basis of the Appraisal Skill is the interpretation of items. Even if you rely on a system, the features and phrases that can be interpreted depend on the individual’s capabilities.
Park Soo-jin is a 10-year veteran. She examined the scabbard carefully and gently.
“Made by melting… blessed gold… in the finest dyes, and what is this language? Characters that even the system can’t interpret?”
“It’s a neologism for reaching for the stars, against all odds. It’s not spoken much these days.”
“Oh, is that so?”
She wondered how Leon knew that, but it made it easier for her.
“Your Majesty… If you don’t mind, I can translate these characters…….”
Leon was known for his stubbornness, but he was willing to comply with Park’s request. He seemed to value the scabbard as well.
“Be brave and do good.”
“Establish justice, even when the heavens fall.”
“Love like a star.”
“Make your destiny shine.”
Leon smirked as she recited them and Beatrice asked, puzzled.
“What is it?”
“They are the aphorisms of the first Lionheart King, words he left to later Lionheart Kings.”
“They’re meaningful, which means this sword is…….”
“This is the sword of His Majesty Richard Lionheart the first Lionheart King, who founded the kingdom along with the Grand Duke of Dragonia.”
[The Sword Collection of Richard Lionheart]
[Rating: Epic]
[Description: This scabbard holds the holy sword of the great First Lionheart King Richard Lionheart.
It was hammered by the God of the blacksmith himself from stardust melted by divine flames under the beating sun.]
[Knight of Arianna: The holy sword channels the energy of light.]
[Horseman of Petos: The holy sword grants you the favor of war.]
[Protector of Heto: The holy sword reads the voyages of the stars.]
“Hmph…!”
Park Soo-jin’s lips quivered as she marveled at the unusual features and then gasped at the rating of the last item she saw.
“Eh, Epic!”
Her pupils dilate in disbelief. It was an Epic item.
No, Epic wasn’t the name of a lapdog, but how the hell did it just pop up like that, and in a guild that was less than half a year old!
“So, what do you think?”
“Ah, yes…! Yes! It’s called… the Epic ranked…Richard Lionheart’s Sword Collection!”
It is not a sword collection in the pure sense of the word.
The Grail Guardian with the Lionheart has the power to manipulate subspace.
As such, there is no need for a scabbard to hold the Holy Sword, the Holy Spear, and the Holy Grail at all times.
“Holy sword.”
At Leon’s words, the Holy Sword appeared from subspace. He raised the holy sword and the sheath reacted.
“Huh?!”
A scabbard that reacts to an item and moves itself? Park Soo-jin was stunned, but Leon activated the holy sword’s function as if he had expected it.
-Indestructible Holy Sword.
-Holy Sword of Fire.
The last function hasn’t been restored, but it will be restored if it’s linked to the sword sheath.
-Ohhhhhh…!
A guttural sound ripples through space as the scabbard and the holy sword were drawn to each other like magnets, as if in the process of a great union.
Then, as the scabbard sheathed itself in the holy sword, an amazing thing happened.
The scabbard transformed itself to match the size and length of the holy sword.
“Indeed…back off.”
Leon pushed Ha-ri and Soo-jin aside and stared at the sky from the terrace, his gaze focused on the commotion, the soldiers and staff of the Ten Thousand Gods Guild, and even the tourists in the distance.
Leon called out.
“Leon Dragonia Lionheart, Fifteenth Lionheart, worthy successor to the first Lionheart, earthly agent of the gods, asks the sacred object for its qualifications!”
Leon drew his sword from its sheath and at the same instant, a blinding golden light poured from it, shooting out as it swung.
It cuts through the air, crosses space, and touches the sky as the light’s mark on the sky was evident in the parted clouds.
The Scabbard of the Holy Sword has recognized Leon, and he has rightfully taken its power.
“”………….””
Leon laughed as everyone’s jaws dropped at the sight.
“I guess I better get ready.”
The power of his past, his prime, was finally in his hands.
“Han Ha-ri.”
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty!”
“We will begin the knighting ceremony. Prepare yourself.”
“Ah…! Yes!”
You will reap the fruits of your training, and…you will begin to step towards your full power.
“I will prepare for the ceremony. Originally, I was going to read the heavens and wait for the right time, but thanks to the First Emperor’s sword collection, I can do it now.”
“You mean the… ‘it’ you spoke of earlier?”
“Yes.”
The plan is known to only three people in the Great Hall: Leon, who will perform the ritual, Beatrice, who will draw the summons, and──
“Lord Spinner!”
-Your Majesty.
Yakt Spinner, who had come to Leon’s side by the wall, answered.
“I will open a stardust forge. Do you think you can do it?”
-Project completion rate 15%. Two weeks to complete a fully operational facility, which is doable at the current rate.
“Good. Then we’ll start by forming the Knights and summoning the Star through a ritual.”
The requirements for the creation of the Lionheart Kingdom Holy Knights were:
-The Holy Grail and Knights.
-Diviners to read the star’s voyage and summon it.
-A stellar iron forge to forge the star, and a blacksmith of the God of iron and smithing.
Finally it was all in place.
