Top floor of the U.S. Mage Tower Division.
There resided the Tower Master—Reinald Shellman, the great mage renowned as an S-rank wizard.
In the public eye, he was known as a great magician, a figure so influential that even the President of the United States would tread carefully around him.
Yet this very man was now on his knees in his own chamber, prostrating himself and begging for forgiveness.
"Forgive me, O Great Being! I have failed to fulfill Your command!"
The being he bowed to was a black, swirling mass—something like a clump of shadows, formed into a jewel.
The Jewel of Wisdom.
A unique-grade treasure obtained from a Red Gate in America.
It gazed down at the mortal groveling before it and spoke in a dark, chilling voice.
"Foolish, idiotic creature. You can't even accomplish a simple task.
I granted you the truth and wisdom of the cosmos, and yet you disappoint me."
"I-I'm sorry!"
Reinald slammed his head into the ground until it bled, begging for mercy.
It was far from the dignity one would expect of a "great mage," but Reinald had become addicted to the knowledge the Jewel bestowed.
He worshiped it like a god.
"It—it was unavoidable! This 'Leon' survivor appeared, completely outside of our expectations!"
"How dare you sully my ears with such a pathetic excuse? Some 'Leon' survivor… wait, what?!"
"Pardon?"
Reinald looked up, confused by the Jewel's sudden change in tone—it had started swearing.
"W-who did you say just now?"
"Leon… That's what I said."
"I-it must be a coincidence. A namesake… Turn on the news. Now."
The Jewel's voice was losing its weight, growing lighter and more frantic.
Was that… fear? Was it trembling?
Reinald turned on the news, showing coverage of the Cheongju Gate conquest.
There, under the spotlight, stood a young blond man.
"I am the Lionheart King. Leon Dragonia Lionheart."
"GAAAHHHH!"
A shriek—almost a death scream.
The Jewel screamed in panic.
"Why is that bastard here?! Why?! How?!"
"M-Master?"
The once grand and solemn voice that had bewitched the great mage was gone.
The Jewel was terrified.
"I-I quit. I give up. I'm done."
In the next instant, the Jewel's black aura dispersed, leaving behind a pale, white husk.
As if the being inside had completely vanished.
"Master? Master?!"
Reinald called out desperately, but the Jewel never spoke again.
"So… you destroyed the Jewel of Wisdom?"
The president of the Hunter Association, Oh Kang-hyuk, looked regretful upon hearing that Leon had shattered the Jewel.
"Are you displeased?"
"…No. The dungeon's closing condition was to either destroy or secure the Jewel.
If Your Majesty defeated the Jagd Spinner, then the decision regarding the Jewel rightfully falls to you."
Even so, Leon noticed the hint of disappointment in the Association president's expression.
Of course. The ignorant always mourn the loss of immediate gains.
"Do not lament it. That thing was poison."
"Poison… you say?"
"It was a devil's artifact."
"A—A devil?!"
The mention of devils made Oh Kang-hyuk recoil.
Devils.
Immortal beings that emerged from Demon Gates.
They were always behind the greatest nightmares humanity had suffered.
"The Jewel was created to tempt humans—twisting the pursuit of wisdom into corruption.
At first, it grants what the user desires… and then, slowly, it begins to demand its price."
The mages of the Empire had succumbed to that temptation.
What began as a simple pursuit of knowledge escalated quickly—leading to eternal life, undeath, and ultimately, demonification.
"Even the Emperor of the Empire was seduced.
He sacrificed millions of citizens to it.
If it's been found elsewhere, destroy it. Quickly."
"I… I can't believe it…"
"To think a Gate's drop item could hide such a cataclysmic purpose..."
President Oh Kang-hyuk of the Hunter Association was half in doubt at Leon's words, but a deep part of him was sure—if it was true, then something truly terrible was brewing.
"I'll inform the U.S. government of this immediately."
"That would be wise. However… it may already be too late. They could have already fallen to the devil's temptation."
Leon did not overestimate the will of this era's humans.
They were weak-willed fools, easily swayed by greed and temptations.
Their ignorance of divinity made them pale in comparison to the faithful citizens of his own world.
They were sick, poor, fragile, and greedy.
That was why, more than anything, they needed true faith and enlightenment.
They had to be taught that the love of the divine was a grace bestowed upon all.
"President. Take me to the one's resting place."
"Understood. We've preserved it in the Association's underground vault."
Led by the Association president, Leon made his way to a storage area.
It was usually used for storing byproducts from Gates. Now, it housed the remains of the Yakht Spinner, the boss of the Cheongju Gate.
"Y-you've arrived! Your Majesty! President!"
Starting with Hari, the staff bowed deeply.
They had all been ordered to show utmost respect to Leon.
"Go about your duties."
Accepting their greeting, Leon stepped forward to face the remains of the Yakht Spinner.
Its state was unmistakably pitiful.
Its body, pierced and crushed by Leon's holy spear, had long lost the intimidating majesty that once overpowered Hunters.
Its size was now barely a fraction of what it once was—reduced to nothing but ruins.
"What… will you do with it?"
"It was a knight of honor. It should be buried in consecrated ground and prayed over, so it may reach the divine banquet."
A fitting place would be the Naju Plains, blessed by the goddess Demera.
But before that, Leon gently laid a hand on the remains.
"Knight of loyalty—find peace."
As he offered a blessing and performed a consecration, the Yakht Spinner moved.
"Huh?!"
Hari's voice rang out sharply, drawing the gaze of everyone present.
"W-what?!"
"The Yakht Spinner—!"
"It's moving!"
The nightmare of the Cheongju Gate—the boss monster that had repelled three assault teams—was moving. Only barely, with a faint creak, but even that made the staff recoil in horror.
The only one who remained calm was Leon.
"Do not panic!"
His command rang out like a lion's roar.
Only then did they remember who stood before them.
Yes. This was Leon, the man who had defeated the Yakht Spinner.
They calmed, swallowing dryly as they watched in silence.
"You…"
Leon, too, was puzzled by the situation.
Creeeak… kreeik…
The Yakht Spinner groaned as though straining under its own weight—then began dismantling itself using its one intact robotic arm.
It undid bolts and plates, taking itself apart… and reassembling.
During this process, Leon felt something familiar radiating from it.
"Divine energy…"
He had used holy water in the consecration ritual—and that divine blessing had caused some unknown reaction within the creature.
Its power core had been half-destroyed, incapable of functioning properly. But now, with divine grace, it performed a miracle.
Piece by piece, it took itself apart and rebuilt itself.
What stood before them now was a Yakht Spinner reduced to one-twentieth of its original size. It gazed up at Leon.
Leon smiled gently, bowing his head in respect.
"I see… Perhaps you are worthy of the goddess's blessing."
He summoned the Holy Grail, filling it with divine water, then poured that water onto his holy sword.
A once-dull and weathered blade began to gather radiant light—
as if all the light in the world had found its purpose in illuminating this weapon.
The rusty iron sword now shimmered with layers of holy brilliance.
"Waaah…"
"What is that…?"
All who watched were struck with awe at the divine radiance, a light so pure it felt like a blessing in itself.
With the sacred sword bestowed by the goddess, Leon cut through the air.
The moment the sacred energy of the Grail, the holy water, and the sword merged, the slash tore reality itself—transforming the space into something otherworldly.
And from that space…
A face emerged.
No, not a human face—a goddess's.
Her snow-white hair glowed with a divine aura, and as she slowly opened her eyes, she revealed eyes like pure gold.
"Ahh…"
Leon didn't even need to say it—every human present instinctively understood.
That radiant woman of light was no mere mortal.
They could feel it in their very bones: she was something divine, unmatched by anyone or anything in this world.
And so, before that overwhelming sanctity, they all knelt.
They had no choice. Even Leon was down on one knee—how could mere commoners dare to remain standing?
"O Ariana…"
「Lionheart… my First Knight.」
She was the very embodiment of light and justice—the revered deity of the Lionheart Kingdom, the object of worship for both demigods and saints.
Leon had so many things he wished to say, but he understood the gravity of the moment.
Instead, he introduced the one beside him with solemn respect.
"This is Sir Jagd Spinne. A knight of great honor and a shining example to all others. A warrior more than worthy of your divine judgment, O Ariana."
The goddess turned her gaze upon the strange mechanical knight Leon had presented.
Her golden eyes pierced through Jagd Spinne's glowing red optics, measuring him.
「He has not undertaken my quest.
He has neither proven his honor nor offered me glory.」
"As your First Knight, I offer my guarantee.
Were it not for his actions—and for mine—he could have sought the glory of the Lionheart throne himself. He is a knight of great worth."
「For my knight to speak so highly of him… there is nothing more to examine.」
The goddess placed absolute trust in Leon.
He had brought her honor as her knight, risen in glory, and achieved victory on battlefields once deemed impossible.
If even the gods of the Grand Pantheon favored him, who could dare question his words?
But—
「Even so, one thing must be made clear.」
She looked down upon Jagd Spinne.
Even this inorganic machine could not help but be humbled in the presence of a goddess.
「You—Knight of Steel from another world.
Will you enter the service of my Lionheart Knight?
Will you praise the light and sing of justice under his banner?」
—Creak?
Jagd Spinne tilted his body slightly, as if unsure of her words.
It was his way of expressing confusion.
「You are full of honor and knowledge, but your wisdom is still that of a child.
So I will put it simply—
Assist my knight in destroying evil.
Do so, and you too shall become my knight.」
Evil.
Jagd Spinne's lens focused intently on Leon.
He calmly analyzed the situation, remembering Leon's offer, the power he had witnessed,
and, most importantly, the impossibility of his own revival—a miracle he could not logically explain.
He came to a conclusion.
—Kikik! Kik! Kikig!
He chirped in machine-code, but quickly realized it would not be understood.
So he sought a language that would be—by hacking into nearby radio towers and satellite communication systems.
That, for him, was a simple task.
"Confirm. Plan. Demon. Attack. Good plan."
The message was short, choppy, and robotic—but neither Leon nor the goddess found it rude, nor asked for it to be repeated.
They were simply genuinely glad to have this honorable knight of the Grail standing beside them.
「Very well, Sir Jagd Spinne.
So long as you remain loyal to my First Knight and lend him your strength,
I shall share in the glory you achieve.」
Grail Knight Jagd Spinne 10,253.
Here and now, a new Grail Knight was anointed—
blessed in the name of Light and Justice.