The Knight King Who Returned with God

Episode 3: The Lionhearted King

The name of Jeon Hanga-hye has been changed to Han Ha-ri.

Kim Jin-soo, a section chief of the Korean Hunter Association, had achieved an astonishing feat—closing a Black-Rank Gate. Yet, instead of a hero's welcome, he found himself trapped in an endless cycle of investigations and meetings.

"Ha-ri, how is it?"

In the lobby outside the interrogation room, Deputy Han Ha-ri looked visibly exhausted.

"No one seems to believe it."

"Of course not."

A Black Dungeon had been cleared. And not just by anyone—it was done by an advance team that was expected to barely survive, if at all.

To make matters even more unbelievable, the Gate in question was a notorious Demon Gate, one that even a Greater Demon had emerged from. If anything, the entire team should have been wiped out.

Kim's direct superior had only one thought.

"Did these guys coordinate a massive lie?"

No matter how he looked at it, it simply didn't make sense. Yet, every single Hunter who had participated in the raid was saying the exact same thing. Naturally, all eyes turned to one particular man.

"May I have your name?"

Beyond the magic mirror, a radiant golden-haired man could be seen. The one who had single-handedly obliterated the Greater Demon and exterminated all the others.

Even with a conservative estimate, he was at least an S-Rank Hunter.

"You are… a survivor, correct?"

"Indeed. A survivor of another world."

There had been rare cases of this before—beings who had survived beyond the Gates.

For 30 years, Gates had appeared all over the world, and they all had one common trait: they were connected to worlds that had either already perished or were in the process of being destroyed.

Governments theorized that the Gates were linked to records of destroyed worlds or even remnants of post-apocalyptic civilizations. Occasionally, survivors from these worlds would cross over.

Not only humans, but even elves, dwarves, and other fantasy races.

Those who had crossed over from another world were called Survivors.

"But this was a Black-Rank Gate. Could someone really survive in such a place?"

"Well, he's standing right in front of us."

Considering his overwhelming strength, it didn't seem entirely impossible.

At this point, it was meaningless to question what was normal and what wasn't. Ever since the world changed 30 years ago, nothing had been normal.

The first time monsters emerged from cracks in the sky, humanity was thrown into chaos.

More than half of the world's population perished. Lands became contaminated. Cities crumbled.

By sheer luck, some people awakened to mana, becoming what were later called Hunters. Thanks to them, humanity barely survived. But even now, so much about the Gates remained unknown.

"A survivor, huh…"

Survivors were different from awakened Hunters. Many were natural-born mana users. Having survived in doomed worlds, they often rivaled or even surpassed top-tier Hunters.

However, their personalities tended to be arrogant, and their customs were drastically different from modern society, making assimilation difficult.

Some called themselves Imperial Nobles, Sages of the Forest, or Dungeon Masters, living lives completely removed from modern civilization.

For this reason, governments adopted a strategy: treat Survivors with respect, grant their requests, and recruit them whenever possible.

"We have to recruit him no matter what. That man… he's an absolute monster."

"Yeah… this is non-negotiable."

Even A-Rank Hunters had to risk their lives against high-tier demons.

But a Greater Demon?

They were some of the most powerful monsters, second only to Demon Lords—the nightmares of humanity.

Yet this man, Leon, had slain a Greater Demon in a single strike.

There had been cases of Hunters defeating Greater Demons before, but none had ever overwhelmed one.

Even among Survivors—who were generally strong—demons were feared adversaries. But Leon had dominated them.

Still, there was another issue.

Survivors often came from vastly different cultural backgrounds than Earth.

Judging by his speech, Leon was likely a royal. The investigators would have to be careful.

"He seems more reasonable than I expected."

"What makes you say that?"

"His voice… it felt warm. He sounded like a good person."

Ha-ri couldn't forget how he had encouraged and lifted her up in battle.

A man who praised the courageous and looked upon others with kindness… such a person couldn't possibly be—

"You lowly wretch! How dare you sully the glorious name of Lionheart?!"

CRASH!

A single punch sent the desk collapsing. The impact shattered the reinforced glass of the magic mirror.

Beyond the broken mirror, the golden-haired man was roaring at the investigators.

"…I thought you said he was kind."

"Uh, c-culture shock?"

Ha-ri blinked, struggling to defend her earlier statement.

Leon surveyed Earth after 300 years, feeling as if he had entered a completely foreign land.

After all, in his previous life, he had been an orphaned young man in his twenties, working himself to death at a construction site.

Then, in his new life, he had spent over a century as a knight and king. And when demons invaded his world, he had fought them for 200 years.

It had been 300 years since he had last seen Earth. Even the few memories that remained felt like miracles.

Yet even those memories did not match the Earth before him.

"Greetings, Leon Dragonia… Lionheart?"

"Hmph."

But he played along. The people here called him a Survivor. That meant there were others like him.

'It's best to keep my origins secret.'

Revealing his past as an Earthling would offer no advantages.

No matter how he looked at it, being a 300-year-old Knight King from another world was far more beneficial than being a 20-something laborer who died from overwork.

More importantly, he had been a knight and a king for far too long.

"Address me as Your Majesty, commoner."

"Pardon? Ah, y-yes…! Y-Your Majesty!"

The investigator quickly adjusted his speech. Whether he was naturally meek or just under orders to be cautious with Survivors, Leon couldn't tell.

"So… the Black Gate… Y-Your Majesty encountered our Hunters there and exterminated… the demons?"

"Indeed."

The ones he slew last night had been marked by the Goddess of Light, Ariana, as the final remnants of evil.

"I nearly forgot."

"Forgot what?"

"I have upheld my knightly honor by purging the demons. I hereby appoint you as my temporary scribe. You shall have the honor of recording this glorious feat."

"Uh… r-right…?"

The investigator looked at Leon like he was insane but forced himself to keep writing. Cultural differences, cultural differences… he chanted in his mind.

"By the way, does this place have no etiquette for entertaining esteemed guests?"

A roundabout way of saying Bring me food.

"Ah! Y-you must be hungry—no, I mean, feeling peckish! Apologies! I'll arrange a meal immediately!"

The investigator rushed outside to order food.

Leon took the opportunity to ask what he truly wanted to know.

"Now then, commoner. Tell me about this world. What has become of Earth?"

He already knew about Earth. But what he needed to know was how Earth had changed after he left.

The investigator began his explanation.

The Great Cataclysm 30 years ago.

The Gates.

The Dungeon Breaks.

And something strange—unlike his own world, Earth's Gates seemed like trials rather than mere disasters.

Most interestingly, other Survivors existed.

Were they from Earth, like him?

Yet… none of them had ever claimed to be.

At that moment, the food arrived.

Leon's eyes trembled.

Seolleongtang.

It had been 300 years.

And Leon had only one thought.

"This world is in ruins. And it's all because they lack proper faith."

He clenched his fist.

"It falls upon a true king to correct their foolishness."