Overgeared

The emperor had negative feelings about the war against the Overgeared Kingdom. Was it because he hoped that Piaro wouldn’t be swept up in the war? No. The emperor wasn’t foolish enough to allow private feelings to affect the nation. There were several reasonable factors that caused him to have a negative view of the war.

Firstly, he appreciated the value of Overgeared King Grid, who was Pagma's Descendant and had received the title of Hero King. He was a means to help the emperor fulfill his ancestors’ desires to enter the East Continent. Additionally, he found out that Grid had gained Piaro. The emperor acknowledged Grid’s power in many ways and wanted to treat him magnanimously rather than be enemies.

Secondly, there was the fact that 3rd Imperial Prince Benoit was a variable. He couldn’t tell the Seven Dukes that he was worried about his son’s well-being, but Prince Benoit was currently wandering the continent while conducting suspicious rituals. At first, the emperor didn’t know what the rituals were. Then he realized that Belial’s summoning had a direct connection with Benoit. Why was this child so obsessed with summoning the great demons? They were a big threat to the entire continent.

The previously summoned Belial had been relatively low in rank and easily stopped by the Overgeared members. However, if Benoit summoned a high ranking great demon, then it was highly likely some parts of the continent would be destroyed and there was no guarantee the empire would be safe from the threat. He wanted to avoid a depletion of power just in case.

Mercedes in the Overgeared Kingdom wasn’t easy to deal with either.

‘Chensler needs to bring Benoit back quickly.’

Thirdly, he didn’t want to provide an opportunity for 4th Imperial Prince Edan’s magic machines army to be active. Thanks to successfully mining the magic machines, Edan’s faction was growing and the emperor couldn’t leave him unchecked. It was a fact that Edan would make a great achievement if his magic machines army participated in the war. With his birth trauma, it would be the worst if Edan gained a higher position. There was room for him to start a revolt if he became the crown prince.

Fourthly, there was the problem of finances. The empire had many borders because it had territories all over the continent. Many large nations were still loyal to the empire, but the ethnic minorities were rebelling across the continent. Just as the Nero had greatly damaged the empire in the past, the ethnic minorities that survived decades after the empire’s subjugation policy have grown tough. They were like weeds that wouldn’t die. Too many resources would be consumed to ignore them and concentrate on the war with the Overgeared Kingdom. In particular, the giants were a problem.

“...I have a headache.”

The emperor wondered since when the dream of conquering the continent had become so distant. Was it due to the Overgeared Kingdom suddenly being founded one day? Or was it because the empire relied on the existing power structure and failed to respond to the sudden changes? No. Was it because of the indifferent grandmaster? Was it due to the flimsy Five Pillars? Was it because of the boredom of the Seven Dukes?

That also wasn’t it either. It wasn’t something that could be blamed on anyone else.

‘It is all my fault.’

The emperor had been shocked and disheartened by the death of Empress Aria and Piaro’s betrayal occurring in succession, so he hid in the skirts of Empress Marie and turned away from the painful reality. He left behind all of the emperor’s responsibilities. Thus, the empire lost decades.

“I’m not qualified.”

He wasn’t emperor material. He was guilty of betraying the family members who had believed in him and made him the heir. How much would the first emperor lament if he saw the present empire? The emperor rebuked himself and opened the map of the West Continent, which was supposed to be painted in one color by now.

“A carrier pigeon has arrived from Duke Grenhal.”

“A carrier pigeon?”

It was an age where communication with magic was possible. What was the meaning of using a carrier pigeon? Was there an area on the battlefield where magic power was blocked? The emperor admired the magical skills and thorough readiness of the Overgeared Kingdom and confirmed the contents of the carrier pigeon.

discovery of the war god’s ruins in the Red Sea. The writer argued

He believed that the heavens had given him an opportunity to end the meaningless war with the Overgeared Kingdom. By the way, it

‘...Even Duke Grenhal.’

the empress’ faction. Yet he wasn’t aware of the power of the

“Aish.”

emperor’s trust in him was greater than the others. The emperor crumpled the letter in an annoyed manner and ordered Bain, “Bring back the advance troops who marched on the Overgeared

ruins, as well as more dangers lurking. Yet there was no objection to the emperor stopping to war to concentrate on

***

was a voyage that could be

‘Extremely lucky.’

a great interest in him, but he never imagined the dukes would personally participate in the voyage. Moreover, they willingly gave him the best ships. He read the route with the help of the Compass of Truth, got past the water clan with the resourcefulness of Gold Crown Basara, and then handled the sea monsters with the help of Beast

have found the Ruins of the War

that will remain in

[The achievement rewards...]

a new feat again. It was a great achievement gained a short time after fully exploring the West Continent. Skunk’s heart was full. The companions who believed and followed him along

in one year and become his eye. He was cautious. “I

to set up barracks at a beach where beautiful white sand shone. They based it on the premise of exploring the ruins with the empire. Skunk’s expedition group wasn’t strong enough to explore the site, and it was likely that all types of players would come here after the world message. It was ideal to cooperate with the imperial forces to explore

beauty called Basara, who always had her eyes closed, nodded. “Sir Skunk is right. We should wait

Grenhal. The three of us together should be enough to go against the guardians. I would rather

“Duke Morse is right. There is danger in the ruins

and shield of Goddess Rebecca, was regarded as the only one capable of dealing with the absolute power

of the Seven Malignant Saints were the followers of the war god.

Grenhal and Morse

can keep the grandmaster in check if I can get a

couldn’t grasp—the grandmaster was believed to have lived for hundreds of years without dying and that he had stood by emperors of successive

when a monster with other interests has greater

trigger the bored dukes. No matter how hard they tried to figure it out, a monster whose identity was still unknown was by the emperor’s side. There was no meaning in it if a monster was the one holding the national flag. The existence of a vague risk factor caused them to feel anxious and

protect the emperor fully.’ Duke Grenhal was determined and vowed this. It was

She knew there was no way to stop Grenhal. “Okay. We will explore it. Still, let’s look slowly from the outskirts. It will be harder the deeper we

is a good idea.

“...”

the dukes only consulted each other and decided on their own. Dog Woman whispered to Skunk, who didn’t dare intervene in the conversation, “Isn’t this good? They are the Seven Dukes. We can never

techniques from the Galgunos Temple. “If there are