The Knight King Who Returned with God

Medieval Taxes

"How dare this lowly merchant blaspheme the sacred!"

Leon's thunderous reprimand was not just a simple scolding.

The highest-ranking existence in the human world—a living saint and demigod—every word he uttered carried magical power.

His fury was not something an ordinary human could endure.

"Gah…!"

Breath caught in his throat. His eardrums trembled, and his mind grew hazy.

The sheer authority of the divine agent before him made his heart pound.

No matter how much he failed to comprehend the reason behind this rage, one thing was clear:

His fate—life or death—was entirely in the hands of this otherworldly being.

The powerful executive director of the Dujeong Group, Park Jong-chan, realized in an instant how precarious his situation was.

"Y-Your Majesty!"

Sensing the danger, Hari quickly stepped between them, her legs trembling as she barely managed to stand firm.

"P-Please, you mustn't! If you kill him, we will… be in trouble too!"

Survivors were not granted absolute immunity. Understanding Leon's culture and hierarchy only went so far—up to the point where no crime was committed.

Of course, Leon's value could not be compared to a mere corporate executive. But even so, this was not right.

"Hmph. I appreciate your counsel, but do not mistake me for a reckless foal running wild."

With that, Hari, Park, and the secretaries breathed a sigh of relief.

Park, drenched in cold sweat, realized he had narrowly escaped death.

"You fool. Do you even understand your crime?"

"Wh-what? No, I… don't understand…"

What had he done wrong? Sure, he had tried to drive a hard bargain, but how could some barbarian, who had barely been on Earth for a week, possibly know that?

Feeling wronged, Park cautiously protested,

"I… I truly don't know what I did wrong."

"Haah… How pitifully ignorant you are."

For the first time, Leon's eyes did not hold contempt but rather pity.

"That crop comes from soil blessed by Demera. It is the harvest bestowed upon the farmers who toil under the divine's watch."

Humans could not survive alone.

In times of poor harvest, they would starve, yet still have to go out and work the fields.

They dug into the earth, stealing seeds from it.

"And so, those who work the land must always be grateful for its blessings and give thanks to the divine who sustains it."

Faith, divinity, and the blessings granted by the divine—these must be acknowledged first and foremost.

These blessings could not be bought with gold but were given in response to gratitude and faith.

"Greedy fool, chasing profit while deceiving others. How dare you seek to profit from the divine's bounty without faith?"

"P-profit…!"

Park Jong-chan gritted his teeth and stepped back, clearly fuming but unable to say more.

Watching him leave, Hari voiced her concerns.

"Will this… be okay? Even if he is just a merchant from Your Majesty's perspective, he holds considerable influence."

"Hmph. Not even worth worrying about."

Leon did not disregard the power of merchants and corporations.

In modern civilization, businesses held immense influence, expanding their reach far and wide under the soil of capitalism.

"But I am accompanied by the Pantheon. I will not be swayed by a mere merchant."

His confidence was absolute. No, it was more than confidence—it was conviction.

He was chosen by the gods of the Pantheon.

He was the proof of the divine right of kings.

Even emperors, steel dwarves of the underground cities, and the guardians of the forests recognized the authority of a demigod.

Only the arrogant and reckless dismissed the agent of the divine.

In the new divine world that was unfolding, those who refused to acknowledge it would be left behind.

There was no need to waste time dealing with ignorant commoners who could not grasp their own place.

"Now then, has my request been prepared?"

"You mean… missionary work among the farmers?"

"Indeed. It will benefit this nation as well."

Hari recalled Leon's request from a while ago. Naturally, it had thrown the Hunter Association into chaos.

"Actually… before Director Park's visit, we received a call. They've found a suitable piece of land…"

Too much of it, in fact.

If Leon could resolve this issue, there was no reason for the Hunter Association to oppose him. Even the president had been pleased with the proposal.

After the Gate Incident, humanity lost vast amounts of farmland.

Governments had struggled just to handle Gates opening in urban areas, failing to notice the ones appearing in rural or remote locations.

As a result, many Gates experienced dungeon breaks, and vast lands became contaminated.

Humanity had avoided a severe food crisis only because so many people had died.

In some areas, failed containment efforts led to permanent contamination, displacing countless farmers.

Naju Plain was one such place.

For his entire life, Old Man Choi had plowed its fields.

"Father, are you staring at the fields again from dawn?"

"...."

Despite his son's question, Old Man Choi remained silent, gazing at his tainted land.

Five years ago, he was a farmer in Naju. Now, with government subsidies, he worked as a store assistant in a local market.

He had spent eighty years guiding oxen, driving tractors, and working the soil.

But then, five years ago, a failed raid on a Red Gate led to a dungeon break, contaminating the entire Naju Plain with mana pollution.

The contamination was so severe that countless farmers, including Choi, lost their lands.

"Haah...."

Nothing could be done with polluted land.

Even stepping on it was dangerous for ordinary people, and only Hunters could endure it.

No crops could grow, and no one wanted to buy the land.

The government provided subsidies, but they were mere pittances.

The Mage Tower sold purification potions, but they were expensive and ineffective against the worst-contaminated lands.

Each time a new potion was released, Choi hoped it would work, spending all his savings to buy them.

Now, he was the only farmer still purchasing them.

"Just give up, Father. Even the government can't fix this land."

"Shut it! You and your siblings were fed and sent to college with rice grown on this land! Do you know what this land means to me? This is my life's work!"

After a lifetime of labor, he had dreamed of passing down his land to his children.

He had fought in the Vietnam War, risking his life against the Viet Cong, to buy this land.

It was everything to him.

Just one last time—just once before he died—he wanted to see golden crops growing in his fields again.

"Father, did you hear what the village chief said? The Hunter Association is introducing something new."

"Another useless purification potion, I bet."

Mage Tower's potions were expensive and unreliable.

And they were entirely ineffective in severely polluted areas like Naju Plain.

"Still, let's hear them out."

Choi cursed the Association and the Mage Tower but never missed their meetings—clinging to the tiniest sliver of hope.

"I am Leon Dragonia Lionheart. I have come to spread the faith."

At the village hall, a golden-haired noble appeared alongside Association staff, spouting nonsense more absurd than anything the Mage Tower had ever said.

And then—

Golden crops sprouted on Old Man Choi's land.

"Ah...."

The same land that no potion, no shaman's ritual, no priest's blessing could purify.

A land so cursed that even pests refused to settle.

But now… now…

"Aah…!"

Old Man Choi fell to his knees before Leon, tears streaming down his face.

And on this day, Earth welcomed its first disciple of Demera.