Overgeared Chapter 1041:

It was a reunion that took place after a long time .  The dukes unraveled the years of misunderstandings and grudges and then returned to reality .  They first mourned Duke Diworth .  The mourning didn’t last long, but the shortness didn’t mean it was insincere .  

Despite having little affection for each other and having different ideologies and political stances, Diworth had been a colleague who served the same imperial family .  Consequently, it was natural for the dukes to mourn his death .  It was just that this was an attitude derived from a minimum of justification .  

The dukes didn’t feel sorrow or regret .  Wasn’t it strange to feel sadness for the death of a person they didn’t know very well? The dukes operated in different territories and didn’t have much contact with each other unless they had a particularly close relationship .

It was rumored that Diworth had been addicted to alcohol every day since he was middle-aged and he was particularly violent . Additionally, it was said that it was common for him to abuse or kill his soldiers under the guise of military discipline .  Diworth’s death was rather cold . It wasn’t a problem to feel regret about .  They didn’t know if they should look forward to the future of the Tiphon family, which would be led by his son now .  

‘It is right for those who lose their qualification to leave . ’

Suddenly, Grenhal wondered what the assessment of him would be when he died .  He was afraid to think about this .  Morse spoke to Duke Grenhal who was making a bitter expression, “At the very least, I will cry for your death . ”

“Hahat, that is very kind of you . ”

The time for mourning was over .  Duke Grenhal turned his gaze toward Grid .  “The moment we return to the empire, we will hold a great funeral for Duke Diworth . ”

Diworth might’ve threatened Grid’s life, but the dukes couldn’t compromise about this part .  Since he was a duke of the empire, Diworth’s death would be paved with heroism .  Grenhal wanted Grid to understand that his words contained this meaning .  Understanding what Grenhal meant, Grid nodded . “The work of the empire isn’t something I should interfere with . You don’t have to tell me about it . ”

“Thank you for your understanding . ”

Now the situation was roughly over .  It was time to discuss further exploration of the ruins .  In fact, only a few hours ago, the dukes had suggested for the expedition to be discontinued .  The followers who had learned six secret techniques were difficult to deal with and also appeared often . Thus, it was better to retreat before their physical strength and mental strength were exhausted .  However, things had changed .

“Duke Grenhal!” 10,000 troops led by Marquis Fulbas were running toward them from afar .

“Hmm . . .  There are too many nutrients in the soil, so the crops are rotting quickly . . . ” Additionally, there was Piaro by their side now .

That’s right .  The dukes relied on Piaro .  It was a habit they had learned from the days when Piaro was the pillar of the empire .  Everywhere on the continent, there were powerful people threatening the empire, and the empire had suffered from several major wars .  It had been Piaro who emerged and saved the empire .  His presence had helped them overcome crises and allowed the people to enjoy peace of mind, including the dukes .

In particular, Duke Grenhal had received great help and considered Piaro as a spiritual mentor .  For the dukes, Piaro was such an existence .  The belief that Piaro would prevent all future hardships encountered at the ruins gave courage to the dukes .

Despite this, an unexpected figure spoke like he was rebuking their attitude, “We will stop the expedition for a while . ”

It was Grid .

“Huh?” 

The dukes had seen Grid’s greed from the beginning .  Grid’s desire for new strength and treasure was stronger than anyone else . They had realized it the moment they witnessed the greed that appeared in his eyes when he saw the Secret Technique Box .  Yet he was going to abandon his greed and stop exploring . . . ? At this moment, the empire’s reinforcements had arrived and Piaro had been called .  The exploration would be much easier than before, so it was hard to understand why the exploration should stop .

Grid explained to the somewhat puzzled dukes, “I’m worried about the great demon running wild on the continent . ”

A little while ago, Grid blamed himself for causing Piaro to feel guilt .  Then there was a sense of strangeness when he heard the whispers of his colleagues comforting him .  Originally, wasn’t this a place where all communication and teleportation magic was blocked?

Since arriving at the Ruins of the War God, the whisper system hadn’t worked .  Once Piaro was summoned with the permission of the war god, this rule collapsed .  He didn’t know if it was the war god’s mistake or not but the whisper system was opened .  

Lauel quickly sent whispers to the Overgeared members and heard the news in real time .  There was news that Berith had just entered Fort Taleren which was the last gateway to the capital of the Haken Kingdom, and a group of people had gathered to block him .  It included Kraugel, Hao, and Alexander .  The Overgeared members also reported that the continent’s best spearmen, Kirinus and Rachel, were gathered at the fortress .

Once Lauel received the news, Grid became nervous .  There was Zibal and the magic machine Raiders, and Grid didn’t know how much stronger Kraugel had become .  Hao had taken a step forward by contracting with Grid, and while Grid didn’t like Alexander, he acknowledged Alexander’s skills .  If they were joined by Rachel and Kirinus, who were at least on the level of Grenhal . . .

‘They might raid Berith without us . ’

It couldn’t happen .  The reason the Overgeared Guild turned away from the Berith raid was to save as much power as possible, not to concede Berith to others .  Even if the other person was Kraugel, Grid had no intention of giving up on Berith . It was an act of neglecting his colleagues .

‘We have to take a share of it!’

Grid looked at the faces of his colleagues .  As they crossed the Red Sea and explored the ruins, they had gained between two to six levels .  In particular, Faker’s development was remarkable after mastering the secret technique .  Yura, who had been pointed out by the war god, seemed to gain a sense of enlightenment .  Euphemina had copied skills that could be called fraudulent from the followers of the war **** .

The journey of the past month had not been in vain .

‘It is enough for now . ’

Grid and Lauel had been planning a large-scale raid on Berith .  They intended to mobilize the core power of the Overgeared Kingdom, from the hundreds of Overgeared members to Piaro, Mercedes, Jude, Sticks, Noll, Kasim, and Maxong .  In fact, they intended to rely on everyone’s power and give them an opportunity to gain experience and levels .  Now the proper growth that the key members needed to achieve in order to protect everyone was complete .

‘I achieved my first goal . ’

Grid had reached level 399 and could acquire the 200,000 Army Swordsmanship .  It was now the time to shift their attention .  The priority of the historical site and Berith should be switched .  Of course, they couldn’t just leave like this .  It would be painful if the dukes got something from the historical site while they were gone .

‘Additionally, one of the Seven Dukes was killed . ’

It would be sad .  There shouldn’t be any more deaths if a bridge between the empire and Overgeared Kingdom was to be created .  The dukes’ deaths weren’t desired .  Grid suggested to the dukes, “Stop the exploration for a while and go with us to kill Berith . ”

“ . . . ?” The dukes responded in an unconvinced manner .  The ruins were where they could get the secret techniques of the war **** .  On the other hand, Berith was only a modest villain .  Was it necessary to say which one should have a higher priority? Time was limited .  It was much wiser to remain here and explore the ruins than return to the continent in order to defeat Berith .  The value of the ruins was far higher than the rewards from killing Berith .

“I’m also reluctant to say this but . . . For the empire, it is better to let Berith be more active . The more that other kingdoms receive damage from Berith, the more they will rely on the empire . ” Duke Grenhal honestly stated their position .

Grid no longer thought of a way to persuade them .  Then Lauel came forward .  “The sense of crisis on the continent is already high enough . At this time, if the Overgeared Kingdom comes and defeats Berith, all kingdoms on the continent will praise the Overgeared Kingdom and the empire’s position will weaken . ”

“ . . . ”

“You still don’t know? The reason why King Grid proposed to fight Berith together is to protect the empire’s status as our strong ally . Are you going to kick away His Majesty’s favor?” Lauel deliberately went out hard .  He was somewhat forceful .

It was because he calculated that the dukes’ affinity with Grid was high after encountering Piaro .  Sure enough, it worked .

“ . . . I hear what you are saying . ” Grenhal and Morse nodded .  Meanwhile, Basara only made a meaningful smile .  She glimpsed the pretense in Lauel’s remarks, but she didn’t reveal it .  Basara calculated that it was better to cooperate with the Overgeared Kingdom in this matter in order to achieve a full friendship .  There was nothing to lose, and it would be difficult to explore the ruins without the Overgeared Kingdom .

The atmosphere started to flow as intended, and Grid interjected, “Additionally, we can shorten the time it takes for us to cross the Red Sea . The great sage Sticks will arrive here in a moment and take all of us using Mass Teleport . ”

“I’ve heard of the great sage’s reputation, but in principle, this is a space where teleportation magic is blocked . It is impossible even for a great sage . ”

“No, not anymore . The environment has changed . Try and check using communication magic . ”

The story proceeded smoothly .  The dukes used communication magic to talk with their family members and confirmed it was possible .  Now the group had come to the point where they would unite to defeat Berith .  Marquis Fulbas and his troops were stunned by the situation unfolding in front of them .

‘Why are the dukes standing with the enemy king?’

‘The dukes seem too friendly to the Overgeared King . . . ’

‘What the **** is going on . . .  Heok?’

The puzzled Marquis Fulbas and the 10,000 troops looked shocked simultaneously .  Grid and the dukes were in the middle of a serious conversation .  Then the unidentified man squatting to the side and doing something to the soil approached Grid .  They saw his identity .

“P-Piaro . . . !”

It was the traitor Piaro .  The responses from the 10,000 troops were varied .  Those who believed Piaro wasn’t a traitor shook with joy at the return of the old hero while those who regarded Piaro as a traitor were alarmed .  Of course, there were far more people in the latter group .  The imperial family had declared a long time ago that Piaro was a traitor . They had charged him with the crime of rebellion and killed all of his family members .  There was already such a result, so very few people believed that Piaro was actually framed .

Marquis Fulbas was one of those extremely rare people .  He was a great noble and had experience building up achievements with Piaro early on .  The marquis froze like a stone statue for a moment before his eyes reddened .  He noticed the truth when he saw Piaro standing alongside the dukes .

“I’m relieved to see you in good health . ”

“ . . . Are your parents still well?”

“Yes, they’ve lost all their teeth, but they are healthy . ”

“I believe they will live for a long time . They always opened the barn doors and took care of the people whenever there is a disaster, even if they went skinny from hunger . . . The people praised them as gods and believed they would be blessed and live a long and healthy life . ”

“However, their bellies are fat now, unlike me who was so greedy that I sold my daughter instead of sacrificing myself . ”

“If there is someone who opens the barn doors, there must be someone to fill the barn . Don’t you know that? You must’ve had a hard time . ”

“Sir Piaro . ”

He was still the same .  The short conversation purified the marquis .  A hero wasn’t a hero for nothing .  However, the marquis was in a position of a servant who shouldn’t doubt His Majesty the Emperor .  Thus, Marquis Fulbas had believed the treason instead of doubting it .

“I’m sor . . . I’m sorry . ” Marquis Fulbas lost strength in his legs and shed tears .  The nobles, who had recently become distant from him because of someone’s work, also cried with him .  The cracks that had just occurred started to mend again .

Huroi, disguised as Earl Baget, frowned . ‘Piaro is trolling . . . ’

How much had Huroi struggled? Then it happened the moment when Huroi banged on his stuffy chest .

-I want to see it, the voice of War God Zeratul rang in Grid’s ears .  -Can you safely escape from here?

‘What is he saying suddenly?’ The frustrated Grid looked around .

Just then, a group of people approached from afar . They were 100 knights armed with transparent white armor, and the atmosphere they gave off was unusual .  Duke Grenhal recognized them and cried out, “Kyle! Four units of reinforcements were supposed to arrive . One of them turned out to be Kyle’s unit . . . !”

‘Kyle?’ Grid had an expression like he was chewing **** .  Kyle was one of the Five Pillars of the empire .  In the past, Grid had fought against Kyle face-to-face .  If Braham and Mumud hadn’t opened up their power because of the quest at the time . . .  Grid and Agnus would’ve died without being able to cope with Kyle’s overwhelming strength .

Kyle might be the weakest of the Five Pillars, but he was still a threat .  He was different from the Seven Dukes as he hadn’t shared a past with Piaro, so he would be thoroughly hostile .  The war **** gave an even bigger threat to the nervous Grid .

-He listened to me, unlike you .  He acknowledged his shortcomings and climbed the path that I suggested .

“ . . . !?”

-In order to leave this place, you have to beat my new follower .

[A new quest has been created!]

[Follower of the War God, Kyle]

[Difficulty: SSS

One of the Five Pillars, Kyle visited the ruins under the command of the emperor .

Then he met the War God .

He believed that the path of martial arts proposed by the war **** was a blessing and became an ardent follower .

Fight and win against him who came running to kill you under the order of the war god!

Quest Clear Conditions: Kyle’s death or make him flee .

Quest Clear Reward: Free access to the Ruins of the War God .

Quest Failure: Level -5 . Remove the effect caused by the whim of the war **** (communication and teleportation magic allowed at the ruins) . Interest in martial arts will increase . ]

“Shit!”

It was a level he had worked hard to raise over the past few months .  He had finally reached level 399, and the 200,000 Army Swordsmanship was right in front of him .  If he failed this quest, he would lose a lot of time and effort that couldn’t be replaced with money .  The terrified Grid shouted at Piaro and his colleagues, “We have to stop him!”

Then . . .

“It is you!”

Lightning was released .  The gray-haired and one-armed Kyle quickly arrived in front of Grid . Kyle emitted a strong lightning that wasn’t comparable to the past . His presence itself seemed like a natural disaster .

“You dared to ignore the favor of the war **** . . . ! Eh?” Kyle was screaming with a scary expression when he suddenly looked amazed .  He saw Grid’s face and recalled an old memory .  It was the face of the Undefeated King’s descendant peeking at him from under a straw hat .  He could never forget the face of the absolute person who cut off his right arm with overwhelming force .

“ . . . I think I got the wrong person . ” Kyle suddenly stepped back .

“ . . . ?” Grid was dumbfounded .

“Then I’m going now . ” Kyle hurriedly left his position .

[The quest ‘Follower of the War God, Kyle’ has been completed!]

[In the future, you can freely access the Ruins of the War God!]

“ . . . ???”

- . . . . ???

There was an awkward silence .  Neither Grid or the War God could grasp the situation and were quiet for a while .  It was silent for a long time when a magic circle was drawn in the air, and Great Sage Sticks appeared .  Grid spoke politely to the war **** who was watching him from somewhere, “I-I’m going . ”

- . . .

“Uh, let’s go . ”

- . . .