Chapter 334
‘The two of them have good chemistry.’
Piaro was a person who liked to teach others. There was no one in the Tzedakah Guild who hadn’t been taught by Piaro. Royman also dreamed of reaching a higher ground, so if they stuck together, they could become a fantasy pair.
‘Please don’t lean towards becoming a farmer.’
The unique rated Mass Production Grid set. It had a 160 level limit and had significant value. In particular, it was suitable for people who wanted to grow rapidly. It was an investment, so Grid wanted Royman to achieve a growth beyond his expectations.
“Duke, we’ll return to the north.”
The road to the castle. Earl Steim’s knights came and spoke to him.
“My father-in-law?”
Grid was puzzled because he didn’t see Marquis Steim and Laden explained.
“The lord wants to stay near the young nobleman. We have to protect him, but the north is currently slightly unstable. It can’t be left empty, so we’ll return first. I ask you to please look after My Lord.”
“I don’t care what you say, but isn’t the situation in the north unstable? Is it okay for Father-in-law to leave his position?”
“We will go first so that it will be okay, even if My Lord isn’t there.”
‘Father-in-law has many good subordinates.’
Grid nodded.
“Okay, I understand. I will look after Father-in-law, so please go. If you’re having a hard time in the north, go to Jude in Winston. He doesn’t have any thoughts, but he has great strength, unlike a braggart like you.”
“…I will listen. I am grateful for your care.”
Laden and the knights respectfully said goodbye and left Reidan. It was with 1,000 soldiers. 500 elites were left behind to protect Marquis Steim.
“Vacating his territory because of his grandchild. He had no dignity as a marquis.”
Grid said so, but he fully understood Marquis Steim’s mind. Lord was cute, smart and pretty!
“Lord, wait! Father is coming!”
Grid hastened his pace. He wanted to see his son’s face as soon as possible. Lauel gazed at Grid as he entered in a hurry.
“Do you know that your work efficiency has been very poor since Lord was born?”
“Ugh.”
Grid knew. Every day, he had played with Lord for at least two hours, so he had a tendency to neglect item making and hunting. Lauel grinned at Grid, who couldn’t speak.
“Well, your current look is very good.”
“Eh?”
Grid was confused since he thought he would be scolded again. Lauel gazed at him carefully.
“It is right to get used to loving someone. You will learn to be generous through this.”
Grid was fundamentally a simple and narrow-minded person. What was the reason? Lauel could roughly guess.
‘It is because he has been despised most of his life by others.’
Grd had a low self-esteem and was narrow-minded compared to his ability. He wasn’t good at interacting with others. If Lauel listened to the Tzedakah Guild, Grid was much worse in the past. He only thought about himself and was always jealous of others.
But Grid started changing, and at the center of this change were Irene and Khan. Receiving love and giving love. Grid became more mature because he experienced one of the basic principles of human relations.
“You will eventually rule over millions of people and receive a lifetime of taxes from them. To become a good and wise king, you must learn compassion first.”
“…”
If Grid was a normal user, he would’ve responded incredulously. Love? Charity? Good and wise king?
‘Are you shooting a movie alone? This is just a game,’ was what they would say.
However, Grid was different from a common user. Satisfy wasn’t a simple game for Grid. It was a world that was a precious as reality, where he got wealth, friends, a lover and a child.
“I understand what you’re trying to say. But isn’t it better to think of the people first instead of me? We can’t even raise the taxes, right?”
“It will be fine as long as I coordinate with you. As you know, I have the qualities of a tyrant like you. The two of us complement each other.”
“Qualities of a tyrant… Two of us…”
Grid shivered. He struggled to shake off this feeling.
***
Reidan’s desert was full of heat.
There were powerful and wild monsters here, as Prince Ren was well aware. Nevertheless, the reason why he marched his army without any hesitation was because he had a countermeasure.
“That way.”
“Beyond there as well!”
The Royal Knights Captain, Chucksley. The best archer in the palace, Ferrell.
The two people, known as the strongest men, were leading a handful of troops. Their mission was to eliminate the monsters on the way. It was possible because the royal monster scholars displayed the location of the desert monsters on the map.
“It’s easy.”
The squads scattered in all directions around their base, defeating monsters. This allowed the base to safely advance. While this progressed smoothly, the smiling Ren gave orders to 20 assassins.
“Head to Reidan first. If the war begins and there’s a gap in Reidan’s defenses, grab the duchess and bring her to me. Alternatively, you can also kill her.”
“Yes!”
The assassins moved quickly. Ren confirmed this and gained greater confidence, speeding up his march.
“Hurry! We have to arrive at Reidan tomorrow to match up with Hurent’s schedule!”
“Ohhhhhh!”
The soldiers’ morale increased. The heat of the desert? It wasn’t an obstacle for a person who would soon become king.
***
“What’s this?”
The northern knight leading 1,000 soldiers across the desert. He looked up at the high sand dune and stopped the march.
Tadat!
Laden climbed up the sand dune. The soldiers admired his slick movements. Then the sight of thousands of soldiers appeared before him.
“That flag is…!”
Laden’s expression stiffened. It was a silver dragon with wings. It represented the royal family of the Eternal Kingdom.
‘Why are royal troops here in the west?’
The royal army was advancing towards Reidan.
‘Is it to celebrate the young lord’s birth?’
However, the scale of the march was too big.
‘It can’t be!’
1st Prince Ren hated Duke Grid. No, strictly speaking, he was afraid of the duke. A rat cornered by a cat would act! Marquis Steim was concerned that Prince Ren would act against Grid after King Wiesbaden died. Therefore, he wanted to mediate between Prince Ren and Grid.
‘My Lord’s efforts have been ruined.’
It was clear that King Wiesbaden was dying. It happened when Laden was thinking.
“Why are northern troops here in the west?”
He heard someone’s voice behind him. Laden turned and saw 300 people on horseback. They were one of the squads hunting monsters. The elite royal cavalry, the Iron Wind. The leader of the Iron Wind, Beida, was famous for being a master of two spears.
“I asked why northern troops are here in the west.”
Beida approached and asked again. There weren’t any hostile intentions and they were from the same kingdom, so the northern soldiers didn’t bother him. But Laden was different.
“Get down!”
Laden shouted to the soldiers. The spear flew over the heads of the soldiers who had reflexively ducked. The spear was swung by Beida.
“H-Hik!”
The soldiers who survived peed themselves. The few people who were unable to escape had their heads separated from their bodies, causing the entire northern army to turn white. Beida’s gaze fell on Laden.
“You have very good eyes. What is your name?”
“You keep asking questions. You’re like a coquettish woman.”
“…!”
Laden’s attitude that showed no fear stimulated Beida. He slowly revealed the wild nature that was hidden under his calm expression.
“You…! I will cut off your arms and legs first before asking again. Hiyah!”
Beida ran forward. It was a speed beyond common sense as he rushed through the desert hills. The northern troops were frightened, but Laden remained calm.
“The sin of killing Marquis Steim’s soldiers, I will pay it back with death.”
“Bah!”
Laden placed a hand on the sheathe at his waist and watched Beida.
“You are still wet behind the eyes!”
Puok!
Beida’s spear stuck in the sand. It was the place where Laden had been standing just a moment ago. Laden avoided the spear and swung his sword at Beida’s thigh.
Chaaeng!
Beida defended with his spear and declared angrily.
“You are fast but not very strong… Kuk?”
Beida paled as he realized it. Blood was rising from the wrist that held the spear.
“You!”
Phoenix wasn’t the only strong one in the north? Laden knocked down the astonished Beida and commanded the northern troops.
“Kill all of them and return to Reidan.”
Until yesterday, they were serving the same king. Laden believed that Marquis Steim would be on Duke Grid’s side, rather than Prince Ren, and quickly knew what to do.
***
‘It won’t be long now.’
Hurent’s mood was heightened as he descended towards the foot of the mountain. His blood boiled as he thought of paying back the 5 second humiliation.
‘I will show you the true power of aura.’
The biggest advantages of aura were the fixed damage and form changes. At the time of the National Competition, Hurent couldn’t properly make use of the form changes, but now it was different.
It was a power that made imagination become reality. With this fraudulent power, Hurent believed that he could defeat Grid. No, it wasn’t just Grid. It included Kraugel, the top rankers, Agnus and the hidden rankers.
Hurent had no doubt that he would overwhelm all of them.
“Who are you?”
It happened when Hurent and the 2,000 troops had just left Altes Mountains and were about to enter the desert. Two farmers blocked their path. Hurent was upset and fired aura at them. The farmers’ eyes widened as they saw the aura stretching like a whip.