novelzi Chapter 130: Lionheart (3)
Chapter 130: Lionheart (3)
Chapter 130: Lionheart (3)
“We, the Northern Army, declare our withdrawal from the Alliance effective immediately.
Grand Duchess Karina Dragonia, daughter of the current Lionheart King, Leon Dragonia Lionheart, and heir to the title of Grand Duke, which he abdicated upon the birth of his heir.
She was raised from birth to be the heir to the title of Grand Duke of Dragonia, which was also held by the Lionheart King, and assumed the title upon her coming of age, ruling the Grand Duchy for 40 years.
At 60, she’s not exactly old in Lionheart, but she’s not exactly young either.
Thanks to her eponymous dragon’s blood, the ageless Grand Duchess of Dragonia is a Holy Knight, and with that comes a wisdom and experience that can never be judged by appearances.
For some reason, she has declared her intention to leave humanity’s last alliance.
Leon didn’t make eye contact with Karina, instead staring off into the whiteness of the holy water’s steam.
“I cannot allow it. The Northern Army is a great pillar of the Alliance. Without you, our forces will inevitably be weakened.”
“Addition does not make a difference.”
“Your Highness.......”
Anak sends her a sad gaze, but Karina only states the reality with blunt emotion.
“Your Majesty, the royal city has fallen and the entire continent is already in ruins. There are barely two hundred thousand men left in our army, and if you count the serfs, it’s not even three hundred thousand. On the other hand, what about the enemy’s army?”
There were ten million and even that was a conservative number.
The number of demons pouring out of the Demon Gates, which were opened in the entire world, was unfathomable.
“Your Majesty, agent of the Ten Thousand Gods and commander of all knights. Do you truly have a chance of winning this war?”
“.......”
Leon did not answer. No, he couldn’t. His position was not light enough to discuss irresponsible spiritualism.
“Your Majesty will win.
Right then and there, Ha-ri wanted to say, this man before her, Leon Dragonia Lionheart, would fight the demons to the very end, alone and win.
But Ha-ri could not bring herself to mention it, knowing that it was a hollow victory after everyone else was dead.
“What shall we do?”
“The Grand Duchy was the second place to burn after the Empire. Thirty thousand Northern soldiers lost their homes, lost their families, and now we are all that remains of the North.”
Karina, the Archduke of Dragonia, said.
“We may not be able to tear them all to pieces, but we will pay back the enmity of our family, and we will slay the demons who dare to nest in the Grand Duchy and dishonor the dead.”
It was a grudge everyone had. Who hadn’t lost family and friends in this war?
“Do you blame me?”
And Leon was the man responsible for their families’ death.
“Do you think it was wrong for this to prioritize destroying the demon’s main army over the Archduke of Dragonia?”
Destroying the demon army to buy a year’s time, or saving the Archduke from certain death?
Leon chose time for the sake of the kingdom...nay, for the sake of all of humanity.
“No, Your Majesty, you should have made that choice, for the duty you owe comes before the entire kingdom, not just the Archduke.”
“Then how can.......”
“This is a deeply personal vendetta, and this is the proof.”
It was then. Karina tore off the shoulder blades of her uniform, revealing bare skin, and in that bare skin laid a dark power.
“Karina...!”
Leon jumped to his feet. His wide eyes glared at his daughter and yet, the Archduchess only opposes her father.
“I and the entire Northern Army have made a pact with the God of Vengeance. As of this hour, I am a Holy Knight in the service of Ventasis, the God of Darkness and Vengeance, and the Archduke of Dragonia, commanding thirty thousand Avengers.”
Your Majesty, my duty is no longer to survive.
Leon shuddered at his daughter’s harsh declaration, clenching his fists.
“Have it your way, Archduke of Dragonia! I don’t even want to look at you! Disappear before this king’s eyes!”
“.......”
Archduke Karina closed her eyes for a moment, and then with a light bow, she left the room.
* * * *
“Are you going to be okay?”
Isabel asked, she looked worried for her niece and brother-in-law.
“It’s too late, my dear. She made a pact with the God of Vengeance, and there is only one fate for that child.”
Leon washed his face with a dry brush and vented his frustration.
“Did this king make the wrong choice?”
“I don’t know. Your Majesty has never made a wrong choice.”
“And you, and no one else, can say that?”
“I don’t see Lord Yappy.”
“The queen hasn’t returned either.”
Jae-hyuk and So-yeon were the first to arrive and organize their quarters. Yappy’s large fuselage was in the middle of the tent, making it more cramped than they expected.
“Boys, have you seen my sister?”
Soo-ho asked, looking for Ha-ri, who wasn’t there. The entrance to the tent opens and a familiar bushy-haired girl enters.
“Sorry, I’m late, right?”
“Sis!”
Ha-ri had brought a basket full of ingredients.
“The Temple gave me this for my hard work.”
“Did you go to the temple?
“Yes. I met His Majesty there.”
“His Majesty?”
Their eyes widened at the mention of meeting Leon but Ha-ri interjected.
“The King from this gate, to be exact. Not the King we knew.”
“So...this world was the Gate of His Majesty Leon.”
The four shared the information they had gathered.
“The kingdom has been occupied for quite some time. It is said that most of the kingdom has been taken over by demons and this is almost the only city left.”
“I’ve heard of the Last Battle and I wonder if it’s the main focus of this gate?”
“I overheard the part where the king was talking about it, and he said that the northern army is leaving this place.”
The overall theme is one of war.
The forces of the demons that invaded Leon’s world and the forces of the Lionheart Kingdom that formed the last alliance of humanity.
The struggle is between the allies and the demons, who are gradually expanding their power.
“”.......””
They know how this fight will end. Leon will emerge as the survivor of the Black Gate, and while all the demons have been defeated, Leon’s world will eventually perish.
But what are the conditions for the closing of this gate? Everything about this gate, from the quest to what they need to find out, is esoteric.
“There.......”
At that moment, Soo-ho raised his hand.
“Does anyone else have a connection to the Ten Thousand Gods? I can use the Holy Law, but Arianna’s response is a little weak, like there’s a lot of noise.”
“Ah.......”
I had forgotten about that. I hadn’t thought about it because I used the holy law naturally.
“Speaking of which...! Ouch!”
Ha-ri remembered the voice he had heard during Leon’s consecration ceremony. The voice of Petos asking her who she was but she hadn’t heard it after leaving the temple, so she’d forgotten about it.
“I see, so why can’t I connect now-”
“Wait, isn’t it too quiet around here?”
Everyone sensed the discomfort in Chun So-yeon’s words. Thousands of tents had been erected to accommodate the overflowing population, and chattering human voices could be heard everywhere.
But now, outside the tent where Ha-ri and the others were, it was too quiet. It was as if──
-Thump!
At that moment, the entire tent was torn down. It was a giant tree man who pulled it down, and soldiers all over the place kept their eyes on Ha-ri’s group.
“.......”
“.......”
As Ha-ri and the others rolled their eyes, unable to comprehend what was happening, a knight in sleek coppery armor stepped forward.
“I am Loxley, Holy Knight of the Kingdom of Lionheart and servant of Tatar, God of Sun and Judgment, and I command you, sinners, to receive your punishment in silence!”
“Sinners?”
“Sins, sinners, what did we do-─?”
“Shut up, sinners! I have not granted you permission to open your mouths!”
Lord Loxley drew his sword and pointed it, his voice crackling all around.
“If you resist, I’ll cut off a limb or two!”
If there’s one piece of wisdom they gleaned from working alongside Leon, it’s to shut up and surrender.
“Nothing, I’ve dropped my weapon!”
“”We surrender!””
Because they’ve seen too many demons and orcs with their skulls crushed or their limbs blown off because they refused.