Chapter 14
「The Contaminated Naju Plain: What Is This Mysterious Rice Field?」
「Purification Once Deemed Impossible by Experts Succeeds? A New Reagent from the Mage Tower?」
「Is There a Guild That All the Farmers of the Naju Plain Have Joined?」
For a while after the Naju Plain was purified, the internet was abuzz with news about the restored land.
Leon had already purified mana-contaminated land in the Honam Plain, but that hadn’t made much of a splash in the news.
That was because the Firebird Guild had pressured the media.
But the Naju Plain was on an entirely different scale.
It was land that had remained contaminated and unpurified for a full five years.
It was why South Korea’s food self-sufficiency rate had plummeted, forcing the country to import expensive rice from China and Japan.
The Naju Plain, whose purification had been deemed impossible no matter what farming methods were used or how much reagent was poured onto it, had been cleansed overnight.
The farmers of the Naju Plain had wept tears of joy at the sight, but the reactions online and among the usual know-it-alls were more rational.
-Did the Mage Tower develop a new reagent? The Mage Tower’s technological progress has been startling lately.
-How are they supposed to eat crops that grew so quickly? Weren’t they inedible because of the toxins anyway?
-Humanity’s magitech is advancing by leaps and bounds. If this keeps up, it won’t be long before the world’s breadbasket regions are restored.
That was right. This was the typical reaction.
Even when confronted with something impossible by any realistic measure, most people tried to interpret it within the bounds of what they already knew.
To people enamored with scientific civilization, divine miracles and the descent of holy power were embarrassing, irrational notions.
"Your Majesty, these are the reactions online. Wouldn’t it be best for the Association to issue an official statement?"
The Hunter Association had yet to make any announcement about holy power. Naturally. A new faith and religion?
The unrest it could cause among the country’s largest religious groups was a concern, but so was the impression that a government agency was promoting one religion.
"Leave it be. Even if we announce it right now, how could foolish commoners believe us? They need more proof."
Leon spent three full days at the Naju Plain village hall.
As he purified Old Man Choi’s land, a far richer faith than he’d expected flowed into the Pantheon.
The faith that flowed to the divinity of life and abundance was immediately converted into holy power, and Leon used every last bit of it to purify the Naju Plain.
Thus, a straw effigy representing the Goddess Demera was erected in the Naju Plain, and the people bowed and prayed before its altar.
"I grant you the right to farm this land as tenants. Cultivate Demera’s body and carry on her abundance."
Though the new believers were grateful that the land had been purified, they hesitated now that it actually had been. That was only natural.
"Um, Your Majesty... Even so, isn’t a nine-tenths tithe a bit too steep a tax rate?"
Yes. This was the problem.
A nine-tenths tithe? They had to pay 90 percent of their crops in taxes?
Leon briefly explained the tax system of the Kingdom of Lionheart.
They paid 90 percent of their total yield. This applied equally to nobles and free citizens alike.
How could the country function if it taxed 90 percent of everything they produced?
Wouldn’t everyone starve to death?
Was all that money just used to raise horses?
These lunatic horse-obsessed bastards!
That was the sort of thing people of the Empire said when criticizing the kingdom, but it was a misunderstanding born of failing to understand how the Kingdom of Lionheart worked.
The Kingdom of Lionheart, where he had reigned as king, was a theocracy built around divinity.
From the ruling class to the commoners, all followed justice in accordance with the divinity of Light and Justice.
Fishermen who followed the divinity of the sea and waves caught only the amount of fish they were permitted.
The fields farmed by those who followed the divinity of life and abundance always yielded bumper crops.
Even the king was chosen from among the Grail Knights, who had undergone the goddess’s rigorous selection. Throughout thousands of years of succession, the kingdom had always enjoyed peace and prosperity.
It was a perfect social structure in harmony with divinity. The only thing that brought chaos to that peaceful kingdom was invasion from outside.
Greedy barbarians from the north, vile orcs, and filthy vampires who defied death invaded the prosperous kingdom.
There were honorable people who willingly gave their lives to fight off those invaders: the knights.
They followed the divinity of Light and Justice, armed themselves with steel armor and warhorses, and bravely drove back their enemies.
The free citizens supported the knights, praising their bravery and honor.
The nine-tenths tithe had arisen from that tradition.
It was a system the free citizens had gladly endorsed to support honorable knights who rode without hesitation toward their deaths.
Of course, this had only been possible because the very foundation of their society was just.
Unlike the Empire and the various kingdoms, where justice was routinely twisted by their legal systems, corruption, and greed, the Kingdom of Lionheart would never choose anyone who was unjust or dishonorable in the eyes of the goddess.
Pocket even a little of the taxes? The goddess’s favor would be withdrawn on the spot, and that bloodline would not even be given the chance to undergo the trials to become an honorable Grail Knight.
That was why the taxes of the Kingdom of Lionheart were always used for the public good.
They were used to build bridges and walls, improve facilities, and care for the families of those who had gone to war as men-at-arms and died honorably.
All of this was done under the guidance of the perfect king chosen by the goddess, the Lionheart King. How could anyone complain about how much tax they paid?
That was the foundation that enabled them to hold out against the evil races until the very end, becoming the last bastion.
"But this is Earth. The Republic of Korea..."
At those words, even the farmers who had witnessed holy power and sworn to become believers agreed.
They understood that he had been a king from a medieval civilization. The cultures of survivors were quite different from Earth’s, so they’d thought that was understandable.
But this was Earth. The farmers were indisputably the owners of their land, and they also had to pay taxes to the government.
"Your Majesty... Even so, 90 percent is too much. The residents have to pay taxes to the government, and there are living expenses and fertilizer costs—"
"What are you talking about? Why should you worry about taxes owed to the nation, living expenses, or fertilizer?"
"Pardon?"
Hari and the farmers, who’d been listening intently, all looked puzzled at Leon’s unexpected words.
"How could those who have become believers of the goddess worry about going hungry? The food collected as a nine-tenths tithe will be distributed as provisions. We’ll set aside the minimum amount needed and cover all expenses."
What he meant was simple.
Taxes, provisions, even living expenses and all the other costs.
"I shall choose the most devout among you to serve as priests. The remaining one-tenth will be yours alone, so sell it and use the money to live in comfort and luxury."
In other words, aside from 10 percent of their yield, everything they needed to live—their food, welfare, and daily expenses—would be taken care of.
-Huh. When you put it like that, it actually sounds pretty tempting.
-No, but isn’t 90 percent still too much?
Just then, Hari discreetly showed them an appraisal report.
"Um... Come to think of it, this Blessed Rice has an incredibly high appraisal value."
A 160-gram bowl of rice was comparable to most enhancement potions, and its effects lasted far longer.
However, because the rice could be produced in far greater quantities than enhancement potions, the prices of all potions that boosted stamina or mana recovery would plummet.
Taking a very conservative estimate of the market glut and resulting price drop, the Hunter Association appraiser had reached this conclusion—
"They estimated that an 80-kilogram sack of rice would be worth 150 million won..."
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
The farmers blinked, wondering if they’d heard right.
One hundred and fifty million? For a single sack of rice? How much had they harvested five years ago?
"Long live the divine!"
"Long live the goddess!"
"I knew we could count on you, Goddess!"
Leon listened with satisfaction to the praise the divinity was due, then taught them the tenets of Demera, the goddess of life and abundance.
1. Make an effigy of the goddess from the very first harvest and offer it at the altar.
2. Don’t pee in the fields. Manure is fine.
3. Put up a scarecrow, and make sure it’s wearing a hat and clothes.
4. Sing while you harvest. A song of gratitude to the goddess is even better.
5. No matter how busy you are, don’t go hungry.
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"Um... Is that really all right, Your Majesty?"
"What is?"
"It feels like there are too many material conditions attached to this faith..."
Of course, religions basically promised a give-and-take: believe and be saved after death, be cured of an illness, or get dozens of virgin sex slaves.
But Hari had brought it up because Leon didn’t seem like someone who wanted that sort of materialistic faith.
"Hmph. How could you expect the nobility of knights or the dignity of aristocrats from ignorant, benighted commoners? If they get drunk on the blessings of the divine and lose their proper faith, those blessings will be withdrawn at any time. It makes no difference to me."
Leon had no intention of being greedy from the outset. In the end, only those with sincere faith would be chosen by the divine.
And farmers weren’t the only ones he intended to convert.
The purification of the Naju Plain. The moment the crops grown there were revealed to the world, people would witness a second miracle.
Crops that made you healthier just by eating them.
These people of Earth, who feared illness and had to rely on the barbaric practice of medicine, would eventually come to accept it.
"Should we use the crops that have grown as seedlings right away?"
"The Hunter Association said it would buy some of them, so set aside enough to feed yourselves for now."
A world in harmony with divinity.
It was only a matter of time before such a world arrived.
* * * *
After the Naju Plain was purified and an altar to Demera was erected, as promised, nine-tenths of the first crops were stacked in Leon’s storage.
「For this harvest, use everything except the provisions as seed stock to expand cultivation. Those who need money may sell their share at a reasonable price to the Association, which has agreed to purchase it for research.」
Leon gave most of the crops to Old Man Choi, whom he had appointed interim priest. Choi would distribute the necessary food to the residents and plant seed stock for the next harvest.
The residents could sell the remaining tenth as they pleased. The Association had agreed to buy it, and the total was easily worth more than five billion won.
"Is that really all right, Your Majesty? To entrust it to him so readily?"
"You mean the old man?"
"Yes... You handed over almost all of the tenants’ share."
From Hari’s perspective, Leon’s system was far too simple.
The crops offered as a nine-tenths tithe from each plot would be collected by the lord... or by the priest if there was no lord, who would handle everything and send an appropriate amount back to the center—Leon.
The key was this:
As needed. As they saw fit. As much as they were capable of.
Good heavens. It looked like a system practically designed to let people skim the taxes.
"How did you catch people who embezzled in Your Majesty’s kingdom?"
"There was no need to catch them."
"W-Why not?"
"Because every one of them went straight to hell."
"Oh..."
Leon was not from Earth, where people merely talked about heaven and hell, but from a world where real gods existed.
Harmony with the divine, faith and grace... And, naturally, divine punishment existed too.
A corrupt official?
A corrupt noble? A knight who abused his power?
How could people like that possibly survive?
That was common sense, the natural law of the world he came from.
"People who’d deceive the gods for a brief spell of wealth and glory... That’s impressive in a different way."
"······."
Hari swallowed hard.
Having witnessed Demera’s divinity, Hari had been moved by the existence of the gods and their grace... but realizing that divine punishment existed too sent a chill down her spine.
* * * *
There were two ways to become a Hunter.
One was to enroll in a Hunter academy, receive three years of state-funded support and training, and earn a Hunter license.
Assistant Manager Han Hari of the National Hunter Association had taken that route.
"I graduated top of my class~ Hehe."
"I didn’t ask."
"Riiight..."
The second way was to take a test certified by the Hunter Association, which measured an Awakened person’s ‘class’ and ‘skills.’
Awakened people who were past the age for academy enrollment often took the test, and many Hunters visited the Association’s testing center each year to have their ranks reassessed.
"Would Your Majesty be taking the test as well? Strictly speaking, it would make things easier for us if you did."
What kind of class would Leon have? And what skills? Hari was secretly curious.
Many survivors had skills that the people of this world couldn’t acquire, so even the Association was rather curious.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
But Leon’s response was cold.
"How do you lot presume to test the Lionheart King?"
"Uh... Then why did you ask us to come here?"
"I need to find capable free citizens to serve as soldiers. I shall test them."
"B-but that’s not how the procedure works..."
"Then make it work."
At Leon’s latest unreasonable demand, Hari wondered how she was supposed to report it to Manager Kim Jinsu.
"More importantly, when is the President due back in Korea?"
"I-I’ll call right now. Hello? Manager Kim?"
Better to make unreasonable demands of the Association than let this sword-wielding knight-king meet the President.