by Park Saenal
But Kraugel’s answer was different from his prediction.
“It would be nice to attend. I can’t let down a friend.”
“…Eh?”
Unlike the disbelieving Alexander, Hao laughed quietly.
Then Kraugel suggested. “If you don’t mind, how about coming with me?”
“I understand. I will also come.”
“…Understood. I will attend with the Russian rankers.”
Chapter 597
Chapter 597
Grid destroyed the Eternal Kingdom and seized this chance to build a new kingdom. Emperor Juander of the Saharan Empire had already seen reports of this, but didn’t respond. It was an attitude of not being interested in such a trivial matter.
Grid inherited the power of a legend and was steadily expanding his reputation throughout the continent. But so what? There were countless talents in the empire that were comparable or better than Grid. He didn’t have time to care about a person who would soon self-destruct.
“That’s what His Majesty said.”
1st Prince Roland smiled. 2nd Prince Dulandal confirmed that his teacup was empty, signalled to the maid and asked.
“Brother, what do you think? Can we leave Grid unattended?”
Roland lifted the cup that the maid had replenished and nodded.
“I also know that the force of a legend transcends the human category. But in the end, that’s the power of an individual. He can’t afford to go against Saharan, our great empire which dominates the continent.”
“There are many people in the empire that transcend the category of a human.”
“That isn’t all. In the first place, Grid is a traitor. The royal families of other nations can’t tolerate his existence, since he won the throne through resisting the royal family.”
“Acknowledging Grid will have an adverse effect on the people. Other kingdoms will hope for Grid’s destruction.”
“That’s right. They will constantly oppress him and keep him in check. Grid and the kingdom he builds will self-destruct.”
1st Prince Roland and 2nd Prince Dulandal. They were the children of Empress Aria, who left the world six years ago. They were highly likely to be crowned as the heir due to their abilities and adaptability However, their positions had greatly reduced in recent years.
It was because the emperor’s favorite, Empress Marie, politically isolated them. The trend in recent years was 4th Prince Edan. There was much talk that Empress Marie’s son would be become the crown prince.
***
After Eternal’s royal family had been destroyed. Apart from the Saharan Empire, the royal families of the 15 nations gathered together. The place of the meeting was in the Gauss Kingdom, located close to the Eternal Kingdom. The king of the Gauss Kingdom, Cactus, opened his mouth.
“I’m thankful that the princes of the prestigious nations are gathered here.”
“It’s an honour to meet King Cactus.”
“My father asked me to apologize for not being able to attend personally.”
The atmosphere of the meeting place was cheerful because they were in accord. The reason for gathering was to discuss the Overgeared Kingdom which would soon be established.
“There must not be peace for a kingdom that a rebel has established.”
“That’s right. There’s no glory for rebellion. We need to ensure that our people know this.”
“The Overgeared Kingdom must be destroyed quickly.”
“Thus, we should put pressure on it.”
“Of course. We won’t be establishing diplomacy with Overgeared.”
“That’s right, that’s right. We have to isolate the Overgeared Kingdom and make them self-destruct.”
The princes of the kingdoms spoke. There was a smile on the face of King Cactus, who looked at them as if they were cute. It was a smile that fit well with the appearance of a toad.
“It’s essential to isolate them. How about all 15 of us send a representative to Overgeared’s founding ceremony?”
“Huh?”
The princes frowned at King Cactus’ sudden proposal.
“Why do you want to send representatives to the founding ceremony of a kingdom that can’t be accepted?”
“Do you want to celebrate?”
There was a backlash from the princes.
King Cactus shook his head. “We will send a delegation that if he doesn’t pay tribute to our 15 kingdoms, we will condemn him. How about it?”
“Hoh… That’s a great idea.”
“Making the Overgeared Kingdom send tribute to us…”
“It will accelerate the destruction of the Overgeared Kingdom! Hahahahat!”
Loud laughter filled the meeting place. It was 10 days before the establishment of the Overgeared Kingdom.
***
Levanfield.
It was a small town near Reinhardt. The peaceful village surrounded by mountains on every side was as quiet as a dead rat. From the outskirts, it looked like a ghost town where no one lived.
“Hik… Hiik… S-Spare me Sir. Please…”
Levanfield’s food warehouses. More than 2,000 residents were sobbing in a corner.
Earl Logan screamed at them. “Shut up! The king has died and the kingdom is in turmoil, yet you’re still obsessed with your little lives?”
Earl Logan was really angry. The flag hanging in the centre of Levanfield was a hammer and anvil, not a silver dragon.
“These commoners…! This town is supporting the the rebels who have occupied the kingdom! You guys are turncoats and need to die!”
“H-Hik…!”
Earl Logan eventually pulled out a blade. He planned to kill all the residents of Levanfield. Then Marquis Vedaman spoke up.
“Are you going to make your blade dull before tomorrow’s holy war? Don’t worry about the pigs who are too busy eating on their hands and knees when they’re given bread.”
“Marquis Vedaman is right. The reason why we’re here isn’t to dispose of livestock, but to regain the kingdom from the traitor.”
“Cough…”
Earl Logan stopped his sword at the nobles’ words. The residents of Levenfield sighed with relief. Marquis Vedaman asked them, “The hammer and anvil is the symbol of the traitor Grid?”
“Yes, yes! That’s right! A few days ago, soldiers arrived from Reinhardt and changed the flag!”
At that moment.
Seokeok!
Earl Logan, who had wanted to pull back, brandished his sword as hard as he could. The head of the resident talking to Marquis Vedaman was cut off and rolled across the ground. Earl Logan gritted his teeth.
“Flag! Acknowledging the rebels’ kingdom!!”
“H-Hik…!”
The faces of the Levanfield residents changed. The situation recently had been too confusing. The king, who had never done anything for them, died and the kingdom imposed hard taxes, depleting their food warehouses. Why should they be sad? Why should they hate the rebels? Was it their fault that the flag was raised by the rebels? They were taught to always follow the royal family and nobles. They just did what they were taught.
“In the first place…! It isn’t our fault that the kingdom was lost! Weren’t you the one who lost the country because of your own helplessness?”
A young man screamed as he held his dead father that was murdered by Earl Logan.
“First, this is our kingdom! Eternal is our kingdom and we are not livestock!”
“You!”
Earl Logan’s eyes bugged out. His face distorted like a demon and he tried to swing his sword again.
“Stop.”
The tightly closed door of the food warehouse opened, revealing a middle-aged man. It was a man who looked like a bear. The moment he appeared, he radiated a large presence to the nobles and residents of Levenfield.
“Marquis Steim…!”
He used his natural bravery and superb mercenaries to clear up the monsters in the north, becoming its lord. The sudden appearance of one of t
he greatest powers in Eternal made the nobles, including Earl Logan, feel confused. Marquis Steim looked over the silent crowd and sighed.
“Do you have to involve the people in politics? I’m ashamed of my fellow Eternal nobles.”
“Ik…! Eek!”
Earl Logan was silent for a moment before shouting in an enraged manner.
“Marquis Steim! Why did you come here?”
The rebel Grid was Marquis Steim’s son-in-law. In addition, Marquis Steim had remained silent during the war. He just watched as the kingdom perished. Earl Logan was convinced that Marquis Steim was allied with Grid. The other nobles thought differently.
“Earl Logan! Politely greet Marquis Steim!”
“Marquis Steim wouldn’t betray this kingdom!”
Marquis Steim had always been a loyal figure to the royal family of Eternal. The fact that he didn’t act during the war didn’t mean that he supported Grid. Marquis Vedaman felt confident. Marquis Steim would surely help with the Eternal nobles’ independence movement. That’s why he sent a letter telling Marquis Steim of this place.
“I have known for a long time that Marquis Steim isn’t stuck on petty things like marriage relations. I sincerely thank you for accepting my invitation. Together, we will punish Grid and set up the Eternal Kingdom again.”
“…”
Marquis Vedaman held out a hand to shake. Marquis Steim stared at it and asked, “Do you still not know the reason behind how Aslan rose to the throne?”
“…Of course I know. King Aslan killed Prince Ren. However, that’s already in the past. There’s no reason for us to fall apart because of King Aslan. We must quickly wipe out the rebels and set up a proper king.”
Marquis Steim shook his head.
“No, there is no proper king. The moment Prince Ren and King Aslan died, the direct line of Wiesbaden was erased from the world.”
“What?”
It might be minor, but there were many places in the kingdom where the bloodline of the royal family still existed. This couldn’t be denied. It proved that Marquis Steim had a dangerous mindset.
“Marquis Steim! In the end, you are siding with your son-in-law?”
Marquis Vedaman noticed it at last, causing the nobles, knights, and soldiers to pull out their weapons. The soldiers hiding outside the food warehouse gathered together, isolating Marquis Steim and his men within thousands of people. But Marquis Steim didn’t even blink.
“My son-in-law might not be the right king, but he’s qualified enough to become a new king. Is there any person in the world more suited to be king than my son with his power, strategy, and resourcefulness? I am sure that even the emperor of the empire won’t be better than my son.”
“Nonsense!”
Earl Logan couldn’t listen anymore. He was determined to cut off Marqui Steim’s head with his sword. But he coughed up blood and died before he could move even a few steps. It was due to a sword that came flying from behind. It was a man who the nobles firmly believed belonged to the Nobles Against Grid Alliance. It was the sudden betrayal of Viscount Chris.
“Who are you?”
Chris ignored the screaming Marquis Vedaman and bowed his head to Marquis Steim, staring at him from afar.
“A friend of Grid.”
Marquis Steim laughed.
“A colleague of my son-in-law is also my colleague. Laden, kill the enemies.”
“Yes.”
The Northern Nova, Laden. The young man, a genius who represented the kingdom, moved as soon as Marquis Steim gave the order. He was like a black lightning bolt. Every time he moved, half a dozen enemy soldiers died. But the alliance also had talent. The good knights pressed Laden.
Then Chris and the Giant Guild moved.
Kwarururung!
Grid’s Greatsword. The sword roared like a beast as it swept through the allies.
[The ‘Against Grid Alliance’ quest was abandoned. The quest rewards have been permanently destroyed.]
The quest reward? How could they be more valuable than the future with Grid? Chris and the Giant Guild members couldn’t guarantee it.
“Kill them all! Don’t allow even one of them to reach Reinhardt!”
“Kuaack! Chrissss!”
The remaining nobles of Eternal started dying. It was a week away from the establishment of the Overgeared Kingdom.
Chapter 598
Chapter 598
The Overgeared Guild won the battle against Belial and laid the foundation to establish a kingdom. Every member of the guild was faithful to their role. It was thanks to them that Overgeared was able to establish a kingdom. Grid knew this, so he wanted to reward all the members of Overgeared with magic battle items.
But it was impossible in terms of both time and capital. In particular, Lauel’s objections were severe.
“Don’t you know the meaning of meritorious retainers? It’s a word that refers to a subordinates who built up a lot of merits when establishing a country. Since we worked hard, we are all meritorious retainers? That’s ridiculous. Unless you select and reward those who sacrificed more, you will lose the meaning of meritorious retainers.”
“It’s a shame.”
But Lauel was right. Giving the same reward to both those who were active and who weren’t active? The people who were more active might feel a sense of deprivation.
‘Indeed, this isn’t a communist country. What is equal compensation?’
As a simple example, people received different rewards in raids. Grid was convinced and broke down the contributions of the Overgeared members. He excluded personal friendship and thought objectively.
‘The first person on the list of meritorious retainers is Katz.’
At first, Katz was a disagreeable guy. He was a typical right-wing Japanese who disparaged Koreans. It was difficult for Grid to accept him. But Katz withdrew all his comments in the past and sincerely apologized. Not only did he apologize, he abandoned all of the narrow perceptions he had about South Korea. He attempted to atone by creating new jobs for Koreans living in Japan. After joining Overgeared, his activities were dazzling. Take a look at this war. He defended Borneo with only 1,000 troops. Katz alone defeated the Gauss Kingdom.
‘Thanks to him, we were able to fully concentrate on the war and raid.’
It would’ve been terrible if Borneo was taken back by the Gauss Kingdom. The Eternal Kingdom would’ve worked with the Gauss Kingdom and Overgeared would’ve been completely isolated and destroyed.
‘Therefore, Katz must definitely be placed on the list of meritorious retainers.’
The second was Jishuka. She defended Patrian until Grid’s arrival and completely flew once she received the Red Phoenix Bow. She completely destroyed Eternal and played a great role in reversing the situation by healing her dying allies in the Belial raid.
‘I shouldn’t forget about Piaro.’
Without Piaro, they wouldn’t have been able to raid Belial.
‘Asmophel’s work was also great.’
Grid now knew for certain the role that Asmophel played during the battle of 1 against 100,000. He watched the war videos playing on TV and confirmed Asmophel’s actions.
‘If Asmophel hadn’t assassinated the enemy leaders, I might’ve died during the battle.’
What if he had died?
‘I wouldn’t have arrived at the Belial raid on time. Eventually, Piaro and all of Overgeared would’ve been destroyed.’
That wasn’t all Asmophel did. During the war, he penetrated the enemy forces, secured all types of information, disturbed the enemy forces, etc. But.
‘Let’s pretend not to know.’
Grid felt sorry for Asmophel, but Asmophel’s passive skill called Determination of the Number Two exerted itself when he needed to prove himself.
‘As soon as I acknowledge Asmophel, Determination of the Number Two will weaken and his growth rate will slow down.’
This didn’t meant that he would be excluded from the list of meritorious retai
ners. Asmophel was a pillar supporting the kingdom and he needed to be placed in the appropriate position.
“Hrmm…”
He had to give a title, but Asmophel’s value would decrease the moment he was given a title. What should he do? Grid worried about how to handle Asmophel for a long time.
‘I should consult with Lauel.’
If he couldn’t think about it alone, then he should discuss it with Lauel. As always.
‘Thank you.’
It had already become a habit to thank Lauel. Grid completed the list of meritorious retainers and went to visit them one by one.
“What item do you want to have?”
Of course, every person needed different items. Some wanted a weapon that would maximize their class characteristics, some wanted armor to boost their survivability, while others wanted farming equipment that would improve the efficiency of farming. There was one point they all had in common.
“If I can obtain Grid’s magic items, I can grow faster than ever.”
“Okay.”
It was a gratifying response. Grid was motivated to work. After securing the necessary materials to produce the items, he asked Sticks to move him to Reidan. Along with Khan and the Reidan blacksmiths, he lit up all the Reidan furnaces. He generously used the white phosphorous wood as fuel.
“The intermediate blacksmiths should ensure the fires in the furnaces aren’t turned off and the advanced blacksmiths should refine iron ore. Khan will help me.”
“I understand. Do you have anything for the beginner blacksmiths to do?
“Tell them to focus on observing my techniques.”
“…”
The Reidan blacksmiths fell into confusion. A beginner blacksmith could do the work of one person in a smithy while an intermediate blacksmith could work as a private blacksmith. Furthermore, an advanced blacksmith was talented enough to work at a palace. But the beginner blacksmiths weren’t given any jobs, while the intermediate blacksmiths had to maintain the furnace and the advanced blacksmiths needed to smelt iron ore?
Even Khan, a craftsman grade blacksmith skilled enough to work in the empire, was acting as an assistant? The blacksmiths confident in their skills couldn’t understand Grid’s role assignment. But none of them disobeyed Grid’s command. They witnessed Grid’s work after a long time and once again realized that even Khan wasn’t a match.