Overgeared

“I heard that the 12 Te are the heads of the family. Can you leave your position?”

Piaro was different from Grid. They naturally had to be different. Grid was born as a single person while Piaro was a hero who had been loved by beautiful women. He had gotten married after a long relationship and had a family.

“I have been wandering about during the past few years, so my family was well-maintained even after I went into the rafflesia’s stomach. My family won’t be harmed in my absence.”

“You’ve nurtured your successor.”

“Huhut, that’s right.”

The 12 Te each had a successor, with the exception of the young Deruyaru. Additionally, the capabilities of their successors were superior to Deruyaru’s. Apart from Deruyaru, the rest of the Te had been educated by the ‘male elves.’ Meanwhile, Deruyaru and their successors had been educated by the ‘female elves.’

“Then I can take you away with peace of mind.”

“Huh?” Beniyaru had been bitterly smiling as she thought of those despicable men who sold their kin because they were weak and lazy. Then her ears pricked up.

Piaro’s deep gaze was focused on her. “I like you. I will surely take away your heart so that you can completely settle in the Overgeared Kingdom.”

Piaro knew that Beniyaru liked him. It was just difficult for her to confess her heart first when considering the nature of the elves. That’s why he pretended not to know Beniyaru’s heart and said he would take her away.

“Y-You...” Beniyaru blushed. Her pointed ears flapped like butterfly wings. It seemed to be a habit for them to come out when flustered. “Are you serious? Even though I’m an elf and you are a human?”

“What is the relationship between races when it comes to love? I like you. I may have a shorter life than you, but I will cherish you more because of the short amount of time I have. I will love you and be happy with you.”

Piaro had seen Beniyaru’s pitiful eyes and peeped into the darkness lying deep in her heart. He learned that her wounds were as deep as the ones he once had. Piaro wanted to teach her that even the deepest wounds could be erased. They could be happy again. They deserved to be happy. This wasn’t an emotion derived from cheap compassion.

“My heart is so dark that you have become deluded. I’m sorry.”

Beniyaru had been eaten by the rafflesia. She didn’t blame the rafflesia for eating her. It was natural. What would it mean if she condemned and resented instinctive behavior? Moreover, her face was beautiful, and her habit of trying to look strong was cute.

Piaro really liked Beniyaru. He wanted to know her more and be happy together.

“You will fall in love with me,” Piaro said with a warm and quiet voice. However, the strength in his voice shook Beniyaru’s heart.

Beniyaru’s ears reddened as she lowered her head without looking at Piaro. “O-Okay. Let’s see what will happen.”

‘What?’ Grid shook his head as he watched Piaro and Beniyaru. So did the Overgeared Kingdom and the elves form an alliance or not? They were in the middle of an alliance formation, but it progressed to a proposal?

Ah, really...

‘Isn’t this too cool?’

Piaro’s faithfulness to love, regardless of time and place, inspired Grid. Grid thought that Piaro was really cool. In particular, he liked Piaro’s courage to not be afraid despite knowing he and Beniyaru had different lifespans.

‘It is a short time, so he cherishes it even more...’

Grid was filled with regret. His lifespan was different from Irene, so he regretted that he sometimes showed a sad expression in front of her. He felt sorry for Irene because he felt he hurt her more than reassured her.

‘From now on, I will be like Piaro...’

He shouldn’t resent the different lifespans. Rather, he should cherish every moment and send her away faithfully. He should reassure Irene with a bright expression and love her so that she couldn’t even feel grief.

Grid glanced at Mercedes. “...”

Surprisingly, Mercedes had a girlish expression on her face. She wasn’t a legendary knight when she watched Piaro and Beniyaru. Instead, she was also a girl who dreamed of love. Additionally, the person she had in mind was none other than Grid. Grid also liked her. Mercedes was everyone’s role model and a strong knight. He couldn’t hate this beautiful woman who was loyal to her ideals. Putting all that aside, Grid had liked Mercedes at first sight.

“Mercedes.”

“Yes, My Liege,” the startled Mercedes replied with a serious expression.

“That...” Grid blushed. He wanted to say something, but his mouth didn’t open easily.

“...” Mercedes waited for the hesitating Grid. As always, her eyes were gentle.

was encouraged by Mercedes’ eyes and broke through his hesitation. He learned from Piaro and became honest, being faithful to the moment. “I want to love

are cool, Your

right thing to do. Mercedes nodded

to do the

“...Huh?”

same time? I’m

“...”

a personality different from Sua. She had gone through a number of events with Grid and loved Grid, but she didn’t dare confess her heart to her

for a moment before stepping

that I

so obvious about

‘I-I’m embarrassed.’

Duguen duguen!

a long time and stared straight at Grid. It was just that the position of her left eye and right eye were slightly different. Her face was looking at Grid, but

I’ll wait until I

“...”

and closed her eyes. Hot steam rose above the

On the other hand...

country with loose

it a

“...”

were shocked because they had never seen it before and never imagined it either. It was to the point where

group was smiling. It was a warm and pleasant smile, not filled with frivolous

“Grid is surprisingly pure.”

“Haha, that’s right.”

he could do anything he wanted. Yet this wasn’t the case. Grid pursued a true relationship without indulging in pleasure. He was so pure that it

following him because of

the

toward Grid

***

negotiations with Grid ended, and the elves held a grand feast for Grid’s group. Bonfires were lit all over the village, and fruit, fruit wine, and vegetables were served. Grid was treated with so much

His tone toward the world tree was becoming increasingly casual. He knew there was a close relationship between the world tree and the gods, but he judged that the world tree was reliable. The gods looked

famine was a divine punishment, and abundance was a blessing from the world tree. In fact, Grid had experienced the favor of the world tree,

-Yes, say it.

elemental contract

addition to Grid, all the existing Overgeared members were blessed and were able to contract with the elementals. Yet Mercedes and his other knights hadn’t been given a blessing. At

and the rafflesia. Grid thought they deserved to be blessed by the world tree.

“Why?”

of the branches of the world tree moved. The branch pointed to

The elementals that are a part of nature are meaningless

the elemental

be able to give support right now, but it will eventually be meaningless. They know this and will reject the

to point, but now it

and can’t communicate with the elementals. The basic premise for contracting with

Solitude? Is it because

recovering from the scars in his heart. Sometimes, he would show a bright expression. Grid insisted this, but the world tree

Asmophel... Is he ready to leave at any

-...

followed again and again. It was a positive answer, and Grid was

I try it,

something I can

“...”

it. Asmophel would surely overcome his wounds.

what exactly does it mean by not being able to recognize the

to the light elemental revolving

tree

he could

him ‘there is an elemental here’, so he

Grid said that fermented soybeans were red beans. It was