by Park Saenal
Marquis Fulbas sighed and commanded the entire army, “Get sufficient rest.”
“Wahhhh!” It was an order to take a few days of rest. The soldiers cheered upon hearing the command of the marquis, who judged that the Overgeared members and Noll wouldn’t attack again today.
At dawn on that day, a strong wave of magic power was detected over Reidan Castle.
“Mass Teleport?” Marquis Fulbas rushed out of the barracks and felt a strange apprehension.
Earl Baget approached him. “I guess reinforcements have arrived.”
The earl had been seriously wounded by the Overgeared Kingdom’s young assassin during the battle.
“I was worried, but I’m glad you are healing well.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
The smell of chicken poop coming came from the earl’s body as he answered. He must’ve sweated a lot on the battlefield.
Chapter 1012
“What is this?” Grid was startled when he arrived at Reidan. He was heading to the place where the guild members were gathered, only to see a huge hole in one wall. Several houses 500 meters away from the wall were also damaged. This wasn’t a great sight considering how much of the kingdom’s finances had been used to strengthen the wall. There was a neat hole in the 30-meter-thick wall. This was a result that the Overgeared Cannon couldn’t make.
Grid was nervous and asked Chris, “Isn’t Reidan at max level? Did the empire develop a new cannon?”
“It is a remnant of the magic power fired by Drunk Duke Diworth.”
“A duke! He is already marching this way?!”
“No, not yet. The imperial camp is roughly 11 kilometers away. Diworth fired his magic power from there.”
“…Eh?”
Chris asserted that Diworth’s magic power made the concept of distance meaningless. Grid found it strange, but he knew there was no exaggeration in Chris’ words. It was because the sweat on Chris’ face reminded Grid of the power of the Seven Dukes which he had experienced personally.
‘I couldn’t defeat the weakest Rigal by myself.’
The skills of the other Seven Dukes must be powerful beyond imagination. Grid frowned and was about to speak, but…
“I-I’ll fix it quickly.” Three middle-aged men then rushed to the damaged wall, grabbing heavy tools. The other people didn’t care much about them. They were technical colleagues who belonged to Overgeared Two.
“Wait a minute,” Grid called out to them. “15th ranked builder Delleon, 29th ranked Shell, and 42nd ranked Delont.”
“…?”
“You are older than me and don’t need to use honorifics. Aren’t we colleagues? Please feel comfortable. I will treat you comfortably like you’re my uncle. Ah, I heard that Delont’s granddaughter entered elementary school recently? Congratulations.”
“…” The hundreds of Overgeared members watching were surprised. Were the guild members surprised at Grid’s personality? No. There were many guild masters who yearned for talent. It was also easy to find masters who treated the guild members like family.
However, it was uncommon for a guild master to remember more than one hundred people. Not only did Grid know details such as the face, occupation, and name, he also remembered details such as age and family information. The surroundings became quiet, and Grid scratched his cheeks. “I shouldn’t have mentioned private matters…”
It seemed that he had studied too much. No, the study itself wasn’t a problem. The problem was that he spoke about personal information in front of others. It happened because he didn’t pay attention. Grid was greedy and wanted to show off his studies. These were the woes of someone who lacked social interaction. Grid was smiling bitterly when Delont grabbed his hand.
“T-Thank you! My granddaughter will jump with joy when I tell her about today. She is a fan of King Grid!” Delont’s eyes shone brightly like lanterns as he watched Grid. It was an unbelievably pure and passionate gaze for a 60-year-old man. The strained atmosphere in Reidan, which was caused by Duke Diworth’s skill, was instantly ventilated.
“Hey, Grid is really great. The busiest person in the world has always been paying attention to the guild members.”
“Truly God Grid! He is the man that I acknowledge! Hahahat! Come join the Korean Patriotic Association! I’ll give you a 50% discount!”
“…” Grid was embarrassed. Without Lauel’s advice, he still wouldn’t know much about the guild members. He would’ve kept thinking of them as people who moved according to his wishes. Yes, he only studied the guild members out of necessity. Everyone misunderstood and looked at him warmly.
‘My conscience is stabbed…’
He was sorry that he hadn’t cared earlier. Lauel sent a whisper to the distressed Grid, -If your heart wasn’t true, you wouldn’t be able to remember the faces of 1,000 guild members in such a short time. Well, unless you are a genius like me. Huhut.
-…
-It is great. You deserve praise and respect. Be confident.
“Move quickly!”
Just then, a group of people came running from the distance. They were also Overgeared Two members, and they were carrying many stones. This group had the miner class. Before Grid arrived, Chris had given an order for them to obtain materials to repair the wall.
“Ah! G-Grid!” The man in his mid-20s, running at the forefront of the miners, was startled. He felt sorry for Chris since Grid arrived before they could repair the wall. The man imagined a subordinate being scolded by the boss and lamented that his mining speed was too slow.
‘I wanted to get slightly better stones and ruined things because of my greed… I should’ve finished the wall repair before Grid arrived!’
The man shrank back as Grid approached. He observed the stones that the man was carrying and said, “They are the best stones. You must’ve had a hard time obtaining it, Lion.”
“Of course, it is something I had to do!”
The young miner’s name was Dolce. He was called ‘Lion’ because of his ridiculous hair that resembled a lion’s mane. The only people who knew Dolce’s nickname were naturally Dolce’s acquaintances. The nickname ‘Lion’ wasn’t known because the miner class didn’t receive the light. Yet Grid knew Dolce’s nickname. Dolce was thrilled. It meant that Grid had been watching him.
“I-I will work harder in the future!”
The people who joined the Overgeared Guild were divided into two major types. First, there were those who wanted to piggyback on the massive guild or wanted the items that Grid made. The second type were those who aspired to be like Grid. Dolce was the latter. He was touched that the object of his admiration paid attention to him. The fact that he could stand next to Grid was like a dream, and he was happy.
“Grid, do you perhaps know me? I am a mere baker…”
“Naturally, I know you. The bread you make gives a small buff. Should I not know you?”
“No. I think that Grid knows all of us. You have always been paying attention to us.”
“Even though you are busy fighting or making items every day…”
The atmosphere was warm. Lauel smiled at the satisfactory result and gazed at Grid in a warm manner. Grid looked at all his colleagues standing here, including Lauel. It was a blessing that they believed in him. Grid promised that he would do better for them in the future.
“Let’s stop talking and quickly repair the wall. We also need time to prepare for the welcome of the fourth guild.” Toban clapped his hands and blew away the excited atmosphere. He had a cool side, unlike the overall emotional Overgeared members. It was due to his presence that the projects of the Overgeared members could progress rapidly. Simultaneously, he was one of the best tankers, so Grid liked him. He had long forgotten the mistake Toban had made against him. After all, Grid had gotten payback for it at the time.
‘Huroi was disgusted after learning that Toban pointed his sword at me…’
It was the same with Euphemina. Originally, Huroi liked Euphemina. Then
as they spent more time together, he became aware of the mistakes she had committed against Grid and started to distance himself from her. Recently, he was told she had interacted with Agnus and went on to express his hostility. It was due to his excessive loyalty toward Grid.
‘I’ll have to talk to him.’
Grid was both happy yet troubled by Huroi’s heart. It was necessary to maintain the balance. The moment Grid thought this, there were shouts.
“Aura Master!”
“H-Hurent!”
“The rumor that Hurent joined our guild is true!”
The cries burst out from everywhere. Gazes were directed at a man holding a hand plow. The appearance of his rolled up trousers and dirt on his boots made him look like a field worker.
“I’m here because you called…” Hurent faced Grid and made an uncomfortable expression. Having retired from public view for three years, Hurent had gotten used to the quiet life and felt awkward in front of the people’s interest. However, the other person was Grid. He was the one who willingly accepted Hurent despite the fact that he had invaded the Overgeared city with the Eternal Kingdom. (Although, Grid didn’t know.) Grid even had Hurent’s lifelong benefactor, Piaro by his side. (Grid still didn’t know this.)
Hurent respected and acknowledged Grid as the leader, so he couldn’t deny his request. The moment he heard Grid’s request to attend the new guild creation ceremony in Reidan, he ran to this place.
“…”
He felt the attention of the Overgeared members who were famous for being strong—Jishuka, Pon, Regas, and so on—focused on himself, but he didn’t feel particularly conscious. After all, Hurent wasn’t weak-minded. There was no need to be conscious when he didn’t have the right to respond to their good wishes.
“Thank you for enhancing the national prestige.” Grid held out his hand for a handshake.
Then Hurent muttered, “What enhancing? I am lucky that I didn’t harm it.”
In the meantime, Grid hadn’t intervened in Hurent’s matters at all. Hurent merely devoted himself to farming and training as ordered by Administration Rabbit and Piaro. Then he got an order to gather in Reidan today. It was ostensibly a celebration of the creation of Overgeared Four, but… the real reason was something else. There was no reason to celebrate a new guild in Reidan, a city caught in a war.
‘Grid is planning a massive war. Eventually, I will fight.’
Hurent was worried. As he pointed out to Grid, he hadn’t been active for several years. He wondered if a weak person like him would be of help in the war, particularly when the opponent was the empire—the strongest country in the West Continent. Hurent might be able to kill a few soldiers, but wouldn’t he die if he met a knight?
‘I will be disgraced again…’ Hurent sighed.
The 100 players gathered in the corner were staring at him with a little envy.
‘Oh, my god. The Aura Master is an Overgeared member!’
‘Hurent was easily beaten by Grid, but before that, he was one of the strongest.’
‘The Americans are still waiting for Hurent.’
‘He has been training for several years and must surely be more powerful than before.’
The 100 players were the protagonists of today’s celebration. The artillerymen rankers, who had been personally invited by Lauel, were relatively ordinary people that couldn’t be compared to the splendid Overgeared members. Finally, Grid’s eyes turned to them.
The 100 artillerymen didn’t think Grid would greet them. He must’ve created an artillerymen unit for a reason, but they didn’t have high expectations. The artillerymen class was so garbage that they hadn’t even reached level 200. It was funny that he would greet them.
…That’s what they thought until now. Grid came to the artillerymen and greeted them with a smile, “It is nice to meet you.”
The surprised artillerymen responded in various ways. Some people froze completely while others didn’t know where to look. Someone moved their feet, and someone else looked up with surprise. None of them were confident. Grid was sad as he was reminded of his past.
He extended a handshake to a beautiful woman standing by idly. She was Lost Justice.
“It is a pleasure. I am honored to have the 1st ranked artilleryman join the Overgeared Guild.”
“N-No, what honor? I am the honored and grateful one!” Lost Justice grabbed Grid’s hand with both hands.
In fact, Grid didn’t like her very much. Lost Justice—the ID showed she was pessimistic about the world. Grid thought that she might have a past like himself and would be dark and sly. He would have to pay attention to her, but of course, he didn’t express this outwardly. Instead, he would watch from behind and manage her. He hoped she would be a good colleague.
“You will realize that there are many good people in the world and that justice is still alive. I hope you’ll find happiness with us in the future.”
“…?”
Grid laughed at his own words, and the Overgeared members were puzzled. It was an expression that showed they didn’t understand. Only the Korean members like Peak Sword seemed to know. The reason was simple.
For Koreans, the ID of Lost Justice was marked as ‘Lost Justice (Hangul)’, but for players of other nationalities, it was labeled as ‘Genuine Boutique’. (TL Note: Basically, the ID is 정의상실 in Korean. However, the author wrote it 정 의상실 for other nationalities, which has a space between the first and second characters and 의상실 means boutique.)
Boutique. That’s right. Lost Justice’s ID wasn’t Lost Justice but Genuine Boutique.
“…”
Grid saw the atmosphere becoming cold and coughed belatedly. “It is a joke, a joke.”
“Ah, yes…” Lost Justice, who had been stiff the whole time, burst out laughing. She was Korean and knew that Grid had really misunderstood.
“You are cute,” Lost Justice involuntarily expressed her appreciation.
“…Heok?”
It was because Yura, Jishuka and Ruby directed killing intent at her. Sexy Schoolgirl Yerim, who was a high school student and now a university student, clicked her tongue. “A popular man is more attractive.”
Yerim had been aiming for Grid for several years already. She was like a beast waiting for her prey.
Simultaneously, a disturbing air appeared on the battlefield where the Rebecca Church, Yatan Church, and Valhalla’s army were fighting. Everyone who died during this war was being ‘sacrificed.’
“This time, I must do it at all costs.”
Gamigin would descend. Looking up at the blackened sky, 3rd Imperial Prince Benoit prayed earnestly.
Chapter 1013
Prince Benoit—one of the three sons of Empress Aria—had been different since his birth. He explored knowledge instead of harboring ambition, enjoyed mingling rather than exerting his status, and was more interested in talent than pedigree.
The words he had spoken during his youth were famous. For him, politics wasn’t something he had to do but something he had to watch, listen to, lament about, or clap for. It was an irresponsible remark that abandoned his duty as an imperial prince. It stated he wasn’t interested in the emperor’s politics or the throne.
Certainly, 3rd Imperial Prince Benoit didn’t have the qualities of an emperor. He was closer to a scholar or revolutionary. Emperor Juander was displeased with Benoit. However, Empress Aria loved Benoit.
Prince Benoit loved and respected his mother. She was benevolent and wise, and Benoit tried to emulate her. Thus, he received the greatest shock from his mother’s death. Benoit had been suspicious since his healthy mother became sick, and he paid attention Empress Marie. In the end, he realized the person who assassinated his mother was the empress.
However, he couldn’t find any physical evidence. It was the first time Imperial Prince Benoit was filled with the desire to kill. He felt fury for the first time since he was born. He hated his father, who depended on the wicked woman who killed his wife. He also r
esented his siblings who were worried about their positions more than his mother’s death.
Prince Benoit dreamed of revenge. He desperately trained his swordsmanship. He stayed up all night learning magic. He became adept at controlling the ‘red energy’ talent of the royal family. Then he realized that trampling them with strength wouldn’t be true vengeance. He hoped that his father would feel hatred and regret while his siblings would mourn.
So, he started earnestly learning the fields of magic and rituals that he had originally been interested in. Rather than praise Goddess Rebecca, he explored the reasons behind the Seven Malignant Saints’ betrayal and decided to use the great demons. He peeked at the truth of the world and didn’t reject the existence of the great demons. Instead, he attempted to summon a great demon.
It was the 4th Great Demon Gamigin, who could summon ghosts of the dead. He hoped that the truth flowing from his mother’s lips would make his father and siblings cry.
This was the story that the 1st ranked black magician, Rose, knew well. It was the Yatan Church who used the ambition of the empress to confuse the imperial family and the Yatan Church who cooperated with the summoning of the great demons by using Prince Benoit’s desire. As one of Yatan’s Servants, she couldn’t help knowing Benoit’s position.
“…” Rose watched Benoit who was standing in front of the altar. He had offered the necessary tools and human sacrifices. Now he was chanting an unknown spell. He looked more desperate than anyone else in the world. He felt like a living human being, despite only being an NPC.
“…I understand Grid’s mind a bit.”
Rose’s mouth twisted. However, understanding and empathy were different.
“I~diot.”
It was pathetic. If she were Grid, she would’ve fulfilled more desires and lived well. Why did he cling to fleeting relationships?
“Is he a pushover?”
As she cocked her head and touched her lips, Rose’s image was beautiful. However, those who could see her empty eyes would feel creeped out. The ritual was in full swing on the cliff above the battlefield.
