"Alright, next. Sir Kim Jangcheol? Please spread your arms."
"Yes..."
How did I end up like this?
Just last night, I was staying at a common, old inn in the royal capital. I fell asleep feeling the fatigue of the long-distance flight.
But how did I end up here, undergoing a security check right before meeting the king?
"......"
I still don't get it.
Following the Royal Guard's instructions, Kim Jangcheol spread his arms and had his armpits and sides thoroughly examined while he pondered.
And then, he remembered.
The events his party had gone through earlier this morning.
***
"...Ugh, that body..."
In the early morning, in the plaza of the royal capital.
A soft exclamation of admiration. Or perhaps a murmur of awe. Along with it, the gazes of people gathering at one spot.
"Baal! Selling corn!"
Baal shouted loudly in front of his stall. With the face of a shoujo manga protagonist and muscles that could rival Lucky Biki, when he shouted, all the attention in the plaza was on him.
At that moment, Kim Jangcheol had a gut feeling.
This was the opportunity.
The perfect timing.
"Alright, Baal. Are you ready?"
"Baal is ready!"
Baal enthusiastically shouted, holding up the giant corn. Gripping the thin end with both hands, like holding a baseball bat. He rested it on his shoulder and took his stance.
And then came Kim Jangcheol's wind-up!
"Hrgh!"
He kicked his leg up, stepped forward with a huge stride, and threw the tennis-ball-sized kidney bean in his right hand with all his might.
With full force!
"HYAAAA!"
...Screeeech!
The kidney bean hurled through the air, tracing a perfect four-seam fastball trajectory, extending like a clothesline, heading straight for Baal.
Of course, Baal didn't just stand there, passively waiting (?).
"KHRAAAAA!"
As the kidney bean came rushing towards him, Baal's waist sharply twisted to the left. His strong legs and bulging glutes exploded with power.
All that force was transferred to the giant corn bat. The corn bat sliced through the air horizontally. The kidney bean, coming at him like a streak of lightning, was aimed at!
THWACK!
The corn bat perfectly struck the center of the kidney bean. The bean, barely uncrushed, soared over Kim Jangcheol's head.
Across the plaza.
Towards the distant sky.
With the force of a game-changing two-run homer.
And the finish? Crisp and clear, CHING.
The sound of a window breaking somewhere beyond the plaza reached their ears, and the crowd erupted into an uncontrollable cheer.
"...WOW!"
Kim Jangcheol and Baal's performance (?) was a total success.
Clearly, the overwhelming size of the corn and kidney bean had captivated everyone in the royal capital. The people of the capital, upon seeing that, had their eyes go wide in astonishment.
It was only natural.
They had never seen corn or kidney beans of such size before in their lives.
Add to that Baal's overwhelming presence.
He was like a walking advertisement board. Just him standing in front of the stall pulled the attention of people passing through the plaza, as if a black hole was sucking up a spoonful of freshly steamed rice, with perfectly fried Spam and a strip of well-fermented kimchi.
That's why.
"How much for that club, I mean, the corn...?"
"How about five kidney beans?"
"I'm curious about the potatoes stacked there. Are those for sale? How much should I pay?"
The inquiries began to come in.
And from there, it all started.
The giant corn, kidney beans, and super potatoes were selling like hotcakes.
The crowd pushed, shoved, and jostled to buy first. They yelled, slapped each other, screamed, and fought.
With every outburst, Kim Jangcheol's smile grew wider and wider.
'Heh, it's working. I can sell everything quickly like this.'
The reaction was better than expected.
No, thinking about it, it was just like in Daparachia.
Thanks to that, an unnoticeable sense of anticipation began to rise.
'Maybe... the crops grown in the abandoned land are actually selling well in the human world?'
Maybe that's it.
But then, it happened.
...Clank! Clank! Clink!
Beyond the chaos of the crowd, the sound of regular metallic clanking reached his ears. And with that, he could feel the crowd gradually quieting down.
Because of that, Kim Jangcheol raised his eyebrows in curiosity.
'What's going on?'
It wasn't just that the crowd was quieting down. The people who had been fighting to buy corn suddenly calmed down. Like the Red Sea parting, the crowd split apart, allowing a clear path.
Through that gap, they appeared.
A group of soldiers in shining armor, marching in perfect formation with synchronized footsteps.
Clank, clink, clank!
With perfect discipline, their footsteps matched. They marched straight towards the stall and came to a halt in a strict line.
Kim Jangcheol didn't feel nervous...
'Plaza guards? But this doesn't seem like it. They're too disciplined for ordinary guards.'
If it were regular guards, he would have been more nervous. That would mean they were out to shut down his street vendor stall. If he wanted to continue his business, he would have to sweet-talk and beg them.
But the ones in front of him?
They didn't look like any ordinary guards. It was as if they were elite, the best of the best. And Kim Jangcheol couldn't understand why they appeared in front of his stall like this.
'Could they have come to buy corn? Dressed like that?'
It seemed like that wasn't it either.
It was then.
From among the shining silver-armored ranks, a bearded man stepped forward. Was he the commander of the group? He opened his mouth in a heavy, deep voice, facing this way.
"Follow the command of His Majesty, the great King, who is the rightful ruler of this land."
"......!"
The moment the bearded middle-aged man spoke, everyone except Kim Jangcheol and his group dropped to one knee and bowed their heads.
Thanks to that.
Three hours later, Kim Jangcheol found himself undergoing a security check right before meeting the King.
"......"
Yes.
The silver-armored group that arrived in the morning was, as expected, the royal guard. The bearded middle-aged man was the captain of the royal guard.
'What did the man who stepped forward say afterward?'
The memory slowly resurfaced.
The captain of the royal guard had recited the King's decree. The contents of the decree were simple.
It spoke of the rightful ruler of this land, and how the King was so great and majestic that he warmly wished to meet them personally, etc. So, it was a great honor, and they should follow him to the royal palace. Cool?
...In summary, that was about it.
At first, it was a bit absurd.
Then, it felt a bit off-putting.
But there wasn't any sense of hostility. Rather, it felt very friendly.
'Moreover, if the King wants to see us, rejecting it would probably mean no more business here.'
So, Kim Jangcheol and his group followed the royal guards to the royal palace, which led to everything that happened.
"....."
Well, it shouldn't be dangerous.
If anything, we could just turn the palace upside down. We have enough strength to do that.
'In fact, Baal, Asurat, and Sirgi could do that alone.'
They were, after all, the Four Heavenly Kings of the demon race.
If we were to rank their power in the human world?
They were the kind of beings that many kingdoms would desperately try to possess, like strategic weapons comparable to nuclear weapons in the modern world. And the Four Heavenly Kings were on the same level as the Swordmaster.
And right now, Kim Jangcheol was traveling with three of them.
And himself?
'The strategy book said it, right? Credos, who has drawn out his full power, is beyond a Swordmaster. He's comparable to the Hell Knight, the commander of the Hell Army.'
At that level, he would be just below the legendary Grandmaster.
Of course, he wasn't fully utilizing that power yet.
What about Artanis?
Probably, without her seal, her full power would be on par with a Grandmaster, or maybe slightly superior.
Just look at the levels.
Credos, who is at the highest Hell Knight level, is at level 666, but Artanis, without her seal, is a staggering level 1980.
"......"
Phew, reassuring.
Just thinking about it filled him with confidence. There was nothing to fear now. The only thing he worried about was the Aged Kimchi, who was in closed-door training, but with that, he had nothing to worry about.
Meanwhile, the security check was finished.
"Pass."
After being searched thoroughly, he was finally allowed to leave the security room. The effect of the Elixir of Transformation? It wasn't detected.
"The King is waiting. This way."
Once he stepped out of the security room, a skinny servant led him through a luxurious hallway. They arrived at the royal chamber.
"I, Kim Jangcheol, an unworthy commoner, come to meet His Majesty, the rightful ruler of this land."
Following the etiquette he quickly learned from the servant, Kim Jangcheol awkwardly bowed towards the King.
Soon, a response came.
"I am truly glad that you accepted my invitation and came so readily. Kim Jangcheol, raise your head."
He raised his head.
And then, he saw it.
A chubby middle-aged man with a mustache, like a cute steamed bun.
"...."
That was Kim Jangcheol's first impression of the King.
Exaggeration?
No.
His face was round. His belly was round. His rosy cheeks were round. And, to top it off, he had a big, glorious mustache.
'Oh no. Now I want a bun.....'
Without realizing it, Kim Jangcheol's mouth watered at the thought of his hometown's taste.
Meanwhile, the King?
"........"
Ah, for no reason at all, he suddenly craved big, plump grapes.
Upon seeing Kim Jangcheol's purple, round face, the King immediately thought of ripe grapes. And without realizing it, he swallowed his saliva.
But now was not the time to evaluate each other's first impressions.
The King quickly regained his composure and got to the point.
"Kim Jangcheol, I once again commend you for coming so readily at my invitation today. So, I must ask, those huge crops you were selling in the plaza earlier, were they perhaps brought from the abandoned land?"
The King asked.
The moment Kim Jangcheol heard the question, he inwardly nodded.
'As expected.'
The words of Reivaj, who had visited the inn last night, came to mind. Thanks to him, the King could be presented with the super potatoes, and the family's honor was raised.
It was probably thanks to that.
'He immediately recognized the crops we sold today.'
Kim Jangcheol had a feeling that this was why he had been called here.
So?
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Kim Jangcheol nodded.
He thought there was no need to hide or deny it.
But then, at that moment.
Just as Kim Jangcheol nodded and said yes.
"........Oh! Ohh, ohhhh! Is it really, truly, real!"
The steamed bun-like King—no, the King—ran down from his throne with a face full of emotion, as if meeting a long-lost family member.
And then...
"You, truly, are the one! The one I have been eagerly waiting for!"
With watery eyes, the King grabbed Kim Jangcheol's hand?