CHAPTER 25

Noise Marketing (1)

Since the resurrection of Jagd Spinner, Leon had conveyed his intention to appoint him as a member of his guild.

"Then… I will proceed with the registration as per protocol! But… it's a rather complicated process, so it may take some time."

"Alright, take care of it."

After sending Hari off, Leon walked down the empty corridor with Jagd Spinner. An empty corridor, with no one but Jagd Spinner. It was only then that—

"Cough…!"

Creak!

Leon covered his mouth as blood welled up inside.

[Are you alright, my knight?]

The feedback came immediately. Leon was relieved that the only ones witnessing his condition were the goddess and the Holy Grail Knight.

"I am fine."

Despite Leon's reassurance, Ariana clenched her teeth.

[Appointing a Holy Grail Knight in a land lacking faith—is it not too reckless?]

"It was a necessary action. Something that had to be done. Please, do not concern yourself."

In the doomed world, it was fine. The overflowing divine power of that land protected Leon.

But not here. Though he had spread faith, it remained limited to only a few.

The Holy Grail Knights were living saints, agents of the gods themselves.

The process of sanctifying such beings consumed an immense amount of divine power. If it weren't for Leon's lionheart, he wouldn't have survived the strain.

Creak?

Leon read the thoughts emanating from Jagd Spinner and gave a benevolent smile.

"It is not your fault. It is my own deficiency."

[How can this be your fault? It is the failing of your goddess.]

"The divine must never be blamed under any circumstances. Please, retract your words."

At his response, Ariana fell silent. Even in moments like these, their glorious knight remained devout—so much so that it was hard to believe he was once an atheist.

[My knight, your goddess is always grateful for your devotion. However, the lack of faith in this land, and the failure of the gods to act until now, has led to your suffering.]

The goddess felt the urgency to accelerate the work taking place within the Pantheon inside his heart.

[Rest well. Trust in your gods and wait.]

"Ariana?"

With those words, Ariana returned to the heart of the Lionheart King, where the Pantheon had taken refuge.

And there, the deities awaited her.

* * * *

On the 121st year of the Lionheart King Leon's life—

When the world was on the brink of destruction, with only a single knight remaining—

Leon, carrying the will of the fallen Holy Grail Knights, sheltered the entire Pantheon within his heart.

Shamefully, the gods had taken refuge inside the body of their saint and watched for 180 years as the Lionheart King annihilated the aberrant beings.

It was not as though the gods had done nothing.

They had bestowed all the power and authority they could offer upon the Lionheart King.

They had placed the burden of everything onto their last remaining saint.

Thus—

All the gods of the Pantheon carried an insurmountable debt to Leon.

"How is the child?"

The deity of life and abundance, Demera, inquired about his condition.

"He is not well, Life. My knight has overexerted himself."

At this, the deity of war and fire roared in anger.

"To think that appointing a single Holy Grail Knight would cause this! Where is the Lionheart King who once blazed with the gods' glorious light?"

"Compose yourself, War. He has fought for the gods for over 200 years and emerged victorious."

"I know that! That's precisely why it infuriates me even more!"

It was not the Lionheart King he was blaming.

No one cherished Leon Dragonia more than he did. He was ashamed of himself.

The deity of light and justice looked around at his siblings, who shared similar feelings, and then spoke.

"The time has come to break our 180-year silence, my brothers and sisters. We cannot stand by and watch our knight suffer any longer."

How could they support the Lionheart King and restore the glory of the Pantheon?

They could not leave all the burden to him alone. The gods had to actively pave the way forward.

"My brothers and sisters, we must support our only saint."

"He is no longer the only one."

The one to interject was the deity of iron and smithing. Unlike the others, he was small and stocky, yet his muscles were denser than any.

Hetto, the dwarven patron god, brought up the newly anointed saint.

"Jagd Spinner. That child has ascended as a new saint, has he not?"

"Hmph…! A saint who does not worship the divine?"

"Do you take issue with it, War?"

"Of course! To become a saint, one must serve the gods and prove themselves! That one is unworthy!"

The war deity's stance had support among some gods. However, none voiced opposition for one reason alone—

"The Lionheart King has vouched for him. What could be weightier than that?"

"Grgh…!"

At those words, War was at a loss. Some deities whispered, criticizing his rashness.

"Justice, do you believe Jagd Spinner is unfit to be a Holy Grail Knight?"

Ariana responded immediately.

"He has spent a thousand years obstructing the schemes of the aberrant. He lacks faith, but his honor and loyalty overflow, Iron."

"Hmph…! That Leon and Justice both place excessive importance on chivalry. Honor alone is insufficient for victory in war."

War grumbled but remained silent in the end. Ariana believed that, in time, he would respect the will of the knight he held dear.

She then turned to Iron.

"Iron, you brought up Jagd Spinner for a reason. What are you thinking?"

Iron smirked.

"180 years ago, we lost all but one Holy Grail Guardian. The Holy Grail Knights sacrificed themselves to serve as vessels for divine descent."

"…I am well aware."

"I have learned about this world through Life, our only deity with worshippers here."

"Is that so?"

"I observed the world through my worshippers. And I discovered an interesting individual."

The deity of life and abundance, Demera, shared what she had seen with the other gods.

[Brothers and sisters, today we are in the Naju Plains, a trending hotspot!]

It was a broadcast. A streamer who farmed while running an internet channel.

After experiencing the blessings of sacred rice, he had come to the Naju Plains, which were said to have been purified just like the Honam Plains.

"What is this lad doing?"

Some deities tilted their heads in confusion, so Iron explained.

"This world—Leon's homeland—has recently developed a powerful information medium known as the 'internet.' It is an incredibly effective means of promotion."

"Are you suggesting missionary work?"

"Exactly. We shall show them miracles and reveal our presence. And that is not all. This world is connected by a vast network called the 'internet.'"

War questioned, puzzled.

"But why has the Lionheart King not thought of this himself? Was he not a resident of this world?"

Iron shook his head regretfully and gave an unfortunate answer.

"The time when the Lionheart King perished in this world was just before the internet saw its rapid development."

He then elaborated on his plan.

"Life and others with immediately applicable blessings will cultivate faith across various sectors of society. The primary means of dissemination will be the internet and news media."

"But what about trial and error? Even Leon's ambitious newspaper project took 20 years to take root."

"That is where our new Holy Grail Knight comes in."

""?????""

The deities exchanged puzzled glances.