The Knight King Who Returned with a God

Chapter 196:

Chapter 196:

[Darkness. Were you there?]

The first to recognize Ventasis' presence was fellow deity Poma.

He's been gone since day one, but he's surprised to see Ventasis here, who hasn't been seen in spirit.

[Have you been here all along? I didn't think you were interested in gold.]

[Gold means nothing to me, for all I seek are spirits to claim my rights.]

[]

Ventasis, God of Darkness and Vengeance divinity was unlike any other, granting mercy, love, and compassion.

He was a deity who could be considered evil if he treaded on the wrong foot, a shadowy presence in the world whose concept of darkness is the antithesis of light.

He does not sing of chivalry and justice. He affirms the dark side of mortals and the vengeance of blood.

As such, he is a somewhat marginalized deity in the pantheon. However, his following is steady.

[Karina Dragonia, you swore vengeance and promised me the reward I deserved. Since you borrowed my power to achieve it, it is time to pay the price.]

All manner of dark emotions flocked to the one who seemed to embody the darkness of the world.

Violence, murder, and injustice. Many avengers swear vengeance on the dark god, and gain the power they need to do so.

[You owe me.]

Two hundred years ago, after losing their home to demons, the Archduke of Dragonia and his legions swore vengeance on the Dark One.

It was an oath so soul-destroying that not even the Lionheart King could dissuade them from it, and they pursued their enemies into the Otherworld to exact their revenge.

Now the time has come to pay the price, the Dark One said.

[But, Darkness, the last Northern soldier to die, let alone Archduke Karina, was well over a hundred years ago.]

Souls not favored by the gods wander the netherworlds, reincarnating over and over again. For the past two hundred years, the gods have not accepted any new souls.

Only recently have they gained faith on Earth, recreating the system of Paradise. This other world is beyond their reach.

Even if Ventasis were to come and retrieve them, their souls would be long since scattered.

In the end, the only person Ventasis can claim an old debt from is Karina, who is still alive

"Dark God, as you already know, the mortgaged souls are still in my hands."

At those words, Poma's tortoise eyes turned to Karina. He muttered something about how it couldn't be, but she walked past the mountain of gold and silver treasures without a word.

As Ha-ri followed Karina past the mountain of gold and jewelry that made her dizzy just looking at it, her eyes darted around, and Poma warned her.

[Beware of the gold curse, Ha-ri, these are no mere gold and silver treasures.]

"What, what do you mean?"

[Dragon's gold invites insatiable greed, leads to violence and plunder. Stay awake, this is such a demonic place.]

Ha-ri pursed her lips and followed Karina, not quite understanding Poma's warning, but knowing enough to be wary.

After passing by the dizzying array of gold and silver treasures, they reached the depths of the vault.

One would think that the deeper the vault, the more precious the gems and treasures, but at the end of it all were neatly organized shelves and stones on silk cushions.

Like a shrine, each of these precious stones has a plaque with its own name.

"Delvoske."

"Gaspar

"Jurahan

"Ruina."

The shapes of the stones were so familiar that Ha-ri recognized them at once.

"Magic stones?!"

A special stone that can be obtained by defeating monsters at the gate that no Hunter could fail to recognize.

"Magic Stone"

Ever since the Jeju Island Gate, where Georgic and the Knights of the Lavonian Dawn encountered it, it's been common knowledge that it crystallizes the souls of living creatures.

"Uh, why are there magic stones here?"

"I guess that's what they call them in your world, huh?"

Karina picked up one of the stones, each labeled with a nameplate.Fịndd new updates at novelhall.com

"They're called middle stones, at least that's what I call them. The place they pass through before going to paradise."

Beatrice, who was sitting in the audience as usual with Yappy and Chun So-yeon, interrupted their conversation.

"As the two of you suspected, His Majesty is intentionally sabotaging Archduke Karina's succession."

Honestly, it's hard to sympathize with a father with a daughter. But when your daughter's life is on the line, even the most selfish of fathers will have no choice.

"Then why is His Majesty interfering with Karina's marriage?"

"Purely as a father, he expects to see the love that shines like a star' that he envisions."

"Love that shines like a star'?"

"His Majesty is quite the romantic."

Beatrice smiled bitterly, remembering Leon's tendencies.

A romantic, for a man who was so bossy, authoritarian, and selfish when it came to matters of love. Even the Goddess of the Moon and Chastity could not help but forgive the Lionheart King in the end.

That makes him a very difficult character to get to know, but it's clear from the outset that Leon wants love to be part of Karina's marriage.

He doesn't want his daughter's marriage and the process of having children to be one of promiscuity and manipulation.

That's a very un-royal valuethat he's a romantic.

"And another thing. His Majesty wants the dragon's heart back."

"What?"

"Is that possible?"

At this unexpected turn of events, the two men shared a puzzled look.

"In essence, the Dragon's Heart was held by His Majesty, the former Grand Duke, so it's not impossible, and His Majesty is"

[Today, a new challenge has been issued to the invincible champion, who will challenge the Lionheart King !!!]

At that moment, Leon entered the dueling arena, and the whole place erupted.

* * * * *

"I will take back the dragon's heart from Karina."

[]

The gods were silent for a moment at Leon's declaration for they guessed what it meant, and why Leon had made such a choice.

[Can't you wait until you have children to succeed to the throne?]

"Karina bore the dragon heart for two hundred years."

The implication is simple: the dragonization may have gone too far. Even if Karina is the Holy Knight of Ventasis, this is far beyond the average Archduke dragonheart implantation period.

"Even if she does produce an heir, I doubt Karina will be able to survive until that heir reaches maturity."

[So you're saying you'll have the dragon's heart until then?]

"Exactly."

At those words, Arianna said in a worried voice.

[It is a dragon's heart that has accumulated curses for two hundred years, and even you cannot be free from its curse.]

"However, only I can bear the curse."

Leon is the Lionheart King, a living demigod who is immune to all curses. He believes he can withstand even the two-hundred-year-old curse of the ancestral dragon Dragonia.

This is the choice Leon forces upon Karina: to pass on the curse that consumes her to her father.

[Truly, you are a clumsy family, thinking of each other and yet this is the only way to deal with it]

"Because Im her father, even Castile would have done it."

Leon waited for a new challenger, confident that this duel would end in Karina's defeat.

They say no parent ever wins, but there is a parent everywhere who will sacrifice themselves for their child.

It is this natural love that he hopes Karina will accept. It was the best Leon could do as a father.

But

"Your interference ends today."

It was Karina who stood before the strongest champion whose victory was assured.

[Leon, my avenger, we are too late.]

And back in the Pantheon, the dark god announced his failure with a self-deprecating sigh. The news he delivered was enough to make even the gods swallow hard.

[Karina Dragonia has already surrendered her body and soul to Dragonia.]

To save the souls of the 30,000 Northerners who had followed her Karina had made a deal with the dragon.