'This is the king right now.’
Earl Bruno stopped as he entered the living room. The center of the living room. He stiffened as he found Grid leaning against the railings.
‘Indeed, there’s no sense of dignity.’
Eark Bruno’s ideal king wasn’t a capable person. It was a person who was always dignified, even if he was incompetent. He believed that was a true king.
‘No matter how capable, how can I look up to a man who looks like a peasant?’
Earl Bruno was certain that the commoner Grid would show his humble birth forever.
‘A king should be born from a noble lineage...’
“Are you Earl Bruno?”
Grid’s question interrupted Earl Bruno’s thoughts. Grid kept leaning against the stairs and Earl Bruno’s heart thumped.
‘This look in his eyes...’
Did he send a fierce gaze because he guessed Earl Bruno was the head of the Anti Grid Alliance? Earl Bruno couldn’t tell. Grid was a terrible human. A chill went down Earl Bruno’s spine.
‘The intelligence that allowed him to plan to conquer the throne before the golem invasion of Reinhardt a few years ago, the power to stand alone against 100,000 troops, his public speaking ability, the boldness that doesn’t shrink back in front of the 15 representatives...’
In fact, many nicknames weren’t needed. A few words were sufficient to describe Grid. A hero who destroyed a great demon. Yes, Grid was far beyond the human category of a legend. Earl Bruno acknowledge Grid’s capabilities. But as mentioned earlier, the virtue for a king that Earl Bruno valued was elegance, not power. It was because the king was a symbolic being. He needed to rule the kingdom and the people in it.
‘Grid shouldn’t be a king. His role should be a minister, not a king.’
As a noble, Earl Bruno would never be able to serve such a king! Bruno clenched his fists before speaking politely to Grid. Why was he polite? It was because he didn’t want to drop his standards. He didn’t have to behave like a commoner and have his own dignity fall.
"I’m ashamed to receive Your Majesty in such a shabby mansion.”
“How is it shabby? This place is comparable to a palace.”
'He’s comparing it to a palace...?’
Earl Bruno got goosebumps. Grid was smiling and talking. He was showing favorability on the surface, but sharp thorns was hidden underneath.
‘...Amazing. Grid really does know everything. He already received information that my mansion holds thousands of troops. He compared my residence to a palace because there’s no situation where thousands of soldiers would be gathered in a common residence.’
Grid really did know that Earl Bruno was head of the Anti Grid Alliance.
‘How did he find out my identity, when even Duke Steim didn’t know despite me being beside him?’
Wasn’t this intelligence network beyond the emperor of the empire? What should he do?
“Kukuk...”
Laughter emerged. Earl Bruno laughed and asked Grid.
“Can I ask how you knew?”
It was a question that asked if his identity was noticed because he made a mistake. But Grid thought about it differently.
'Indeed, Earl Bruno knows Fatima’s actions. He wondered how I knew.’
Grid explained.
"I received information that Fatima was last witnessed near your mansion.”
“...!!”
Earl Bruno’s eyes widened. He was so surprised that he couldn’t speak.
‘He realized that I kidnapped Fatima in order to raise money for the rebellion and this one clue allowed him to know that I’m the head of the alliance?’
Ah, Grid really was clever.
‘You... If you were born into royalty, I would’ve been an ardent follower who admires your actions.’
Regret swept over him like a tsunami. He couldn’t get rid of his knowledge and hatred of Grid’s common birth.
“...”
Earl Bruno couldn’t say anything and Grid asked.
“So where is Fatima?”
Earl Bruno was once again surprised by the contents of the question.
‘He’s worried about Fatima...? A king is caring for one tailor? Kukuk, this is crazy. The more I know, the more of an ideal person he becomes. Grid’s people would surely be happy.’
Earl Bruno realized. The future of the Overgeared Kingdom led by Grid would be more unique and brilliant than Eternal. But it wasn’t a happy future for the nobles of Eternal. A commoner king making a better kingdom than a traditional king. This overturned all of Earl Bruno’s beliefs about the royal family. Earl Bruno gritted his teeth at the unclear future and replied.
"Sir Fatima is underground.”
“Underground... Is there an underwear workshop there?”
"Huhut, I will tell you exactly what I had planned.”
“Really? Then I’m sorry.”
Grid thought that he was interrupting Fatima, who was commissioned by Earl Bruno to make underwear.
“But don’t think it is too unfair. It won’t take a long time. I will finish everything quickly.”
Grid was a legendary blacksmith. He believed that with his high dexterity state, he would quickly acquire the underwear production method no matter how difficult. Earl Bruno frowned.
"You can finish it in an instant?”
The 3,000 soldiers, 20 knights outside the mansion and himself, who fought for years by Duke Steim’s side, were going to be killed in an instant by a single man?
‘Your pride is bad. But you aren’t arrogant.’
Grid had confronted 100,000 troops and destroyed a great demon. Earl Bruno and his soldiers wouldn’t be able to stop him. It was common sense. But.
‘There are always variables in battle.’
When the battle actually started, he might be able to kill Grid. That was life.
Clink.
Earl Bruno touched the sheath at his waist.
Step.
Grid came down the stairs. At this moment, the majesty that Grid emitted overwhelmed Earl Bruno. But Earl Bruno didn’t give in.
“I have the blood of a noble family that has existed for hundreds of years. Only an authentic king can make me bow...!”
Right as Earl Bruno was about to pull out his sword!
‘Ah, that’s right. In order to quickly get Fatima’s liking, I should raise my charm and dignity stat as high as possible.’
Grid suddenly had a thought and equipped himself with the Holy Light Crown and Great Lord’s Sword.
"Heok!"
Earl Bruno was shocked and his hand fell off his sword. Grid’s dignity stat rapidly rose.
‘W-What is this?’
Bruno was a special NPC. He was a noble NPC who only recognized a person as royalty when they had at least 2,000 points in the dignity stat. He hadn’t been affected by Grid’s high dignity stat. But now he became shocked once Grid’s stat skyrocketed due to the Holy Light Crown and the Great Lord’s Sword.
‘A dignified king...! He wasn’t born, but created...!’
Flop!
Earl Bruno fell to his knees. He became blank because he recognized Grid’s dignity. Earl Bruno could no longer deny Grid and lost his qualification to be head of the Anti Grid Alliance.
"Dare... I don’t dare defile Your Majesty’s hands.”
“Huh?”
Grid noticed one step late that Earl Bruno drew his sword and fell to his knees.
Then Earl Bruno spoke words that didn’t make sense.
"My knights and soldiers never once hated Your Majesty. Those who have to absolutely obey orders simply followed my irrational commands. I know that it’s shameless to beg you, but I believe you will show leniency. I will hand over a list of the Anti Grid Alliance members. Please spare my knights and soldiers. Take care of them.”
"???"
What nonsense was he suddenly talking? Question marks constantly appeared over Grid’s head, but Earl Bruno felt relieved.
“Your silence is a tacit agreement. Your Majesty! May you live long!”
"No, what do you keep...”
Before Grid could ask the question...
Puok!
Earl Bruno stabbed himself in the heart. At the same time.
[You have found and killed Earl Bruno, head of the Anti Grid Alliance!]
[You have obtained a list of Anti Grid Alliance members.]
[The Old-fashioned Noble’s Ring has been acquired.]
[The Old-fashioned Noble’s Whip has been acquired.]
[1,390 of 3,017 soldiers have decided to follow you after Earl Bruno’s death.]
[28 of 30 knights have decided to follow you after Earl Bruno’s death. They truly admire your amazing work for defeated Earl Bruno without getting blood on your hands.]
[Duke Steim has come running after hearing the news!]
“Your Majestyyyy!”
“...”
"I'm ashamed! I never imagined an enemy would be hiding among my subordinates! This is the result of my own vanity!”
“...”
Grid felt intense fatigue. It was an incomprehensible situation that his cognitive ability couldn’t follow, causing him mental fatigue.
“First... First start with Fatima...”
Grid thought about cooling his head while learning how to make underwear.
***
“What do you think about this?”
S.A. Group’s headquarters. Grid just accidentally got a chance to suppress the Anti Grid Alliance. As Lim Cheolho laughed while monitoring Grid, Yoon Nahee interpreted it.
"The variable is Grid raising his affinity with Sage Sticks to the maximum. Originally, if Grid visited Frontier after his blacksmithing skill reached a certain level, he would’ve ‘accidentally’ received the Fatima quest. Due to Sticks, it overlapped with the Overgeared Kingdom’s founding episode.”
“Right. If Grid hadn’t been able to maximize his affinity with Sticks, he wouldn’t have visited Frontier at this time. In addition, if Grid hadn’t become king, the Anti Grid Alliance wouldn’t have happened.”
“That’s correct. It’s a coincidence that the Fatima quest, the Anti Grid Alliance, and Earl Bruno all overlapped... It wouldn’t have happened without one of Grid’s actions.”
"Then it isn’t a coincidence.”
“...?”
"Thanks to the influence Grid built with Piaro, he became friends with Kraugel. He became friends with Kraugel and learned about the Behen Archipelago, where he met Sticks. It isn’t a coincidence that all of Grid’s actions are inevitably tied together.”
The peak of causality. This was how Lim Cheolho defined Grid. It was natural that the supercomputer Morpheus couldn’t predict him.
‘I want to keep a close eye on your progress.’
Grid, Kraugel, and Agnus. The three of them were exceptionally interesting among the five miracle players. The monitors holding their appearance kept circulating around Lim Cheolho. In particular, the supercomputer Morpheus paid attention to Agnus.