Overgeared

Around the time he went on his first adventure, after successfully slaughtering and skinning his father’s enemies at Patrian’s novice hunting grounds, Lord visited a beef restaurant that he’d always wanted to visit. Inside, portraits of the holy founding emperor adorned half the walls of the hall. The restaurant was large and clean, and the menu was also reasonably priced. Because of this, it attracted a lot of customers.

It was an unfamiliar space for the crown prince, but Lord’s adaptability was higher than ordinary people. The boy experienced the first solo meal in his life at a charcoal-grilled restaurant. A question naturally popped in his head.

Why did his father love beef so much in the past?

Contrary to the promotional motto that went, ‘His Majesty visited us every day as a commoner because the beef in our restaurant was especially exquisite and delicious...,’ the meat here didn’t feel very special. There was no way that steak made of mediocre quality beef grilled over charcoal and dipped in salt could have an extraordinary taste.

Was it because, in the past, he was poor, so he would think about the cost-effectiveness of food? That couldn’t be. All over the world, there was food that was so much cheaper and more delicious than this. Did he hold a grudge against cows for some reason?

No, it was just that there was a limit to the amount of food that a single human was able to consume. It wasn’t advisable to harbor aspirations to exterminate cows by eating them unless Nefelina was brought into the equation. Essentially, according to the story of the Behen Archipelago he heard from Lord Sticks, his father was a man who hated rabbits and deer. It was hard to find anything associated with cows.

Doubts led to more doubts. Lord continued to contemplate during his adventures. Then, relying on his heightened senses, he began to feel a certain strangeness.

He started paying attention to the ‘unfamiliar words, concepts and proper nouns’ that flowed out of the adventurers’ mouths.

Originally, the players’ conversations often sounded like buzzing to NPCs, therefore distracting them. Modern terminology was meant to be interpreted to fit the world. This was the basis of Satisfy’s filtering system... Unfortunately, Lord was too clever and focused on his surroundings.

During his adventures, he listened to the conversations of ordinary players. When he stayed in the castle, he paid attention to the discussions between the Overgeared members, trying to figure out what differentiated them from himself.

He was obsessed with deciphering unrecognizable or awkwardly translated words and proper nouns. But, he wasn’t very successful.

Thus, Lord changed his perspective. He instead focused on the behaviors of the adventurers, not their language. Over time, he noticed that their attitude toward life was mostly positive and not so enthusiastic. It felt as if they perceived life itself as a pastime... Was this simply the leisure of those who had transcended death?

Why did they transcend death?

Why did they resurrect over time after dying?

The world understood it as a blessing from the gods, but that was just an overly expedient interpretation. There was no god, at least not in this world, who could bestow such blessings on humans.

Thanks to his innate intelligence and status, Lord’s level of knowledge was one of the highest in the empire. Naturally, he was well versed in theology. At a later point in time, he interacted directly with the gods of the Overgeared World. He cross-verified it with academic knowledge and the actual situation of Asgard.

Of course, there was a bit of help from Master Damian, who was the Goddess' Agent and the former pope...

Anyways. On a certain day a few years later, Lord came up with a hypothesis, one that deduced the existence of a foreign god. Therefore, he came to the logical conclusion that adventurers came from an outside dimension. Based on their frequent ‘gaps’, he even figured out that they could move relatively freely between their home world and this world.

He finally understood why their attitude toward this world was so carefree.

‘My father’s hometown... Oddly enough, it must be from a world where beef is expensive...’

That’s right. For years, Lord had seen through the essence of players. He also recognized that his father was clearly different from him. He faced the reality that, from the perspective of the players, the people of this world might not be important.

It was inevitable. This was the fate of a smart child born as the offspring of the most powerful player, who was also surrounded by numerous players.

***

[Guild] Lauel, are you crazy?

so-called experienced members of the Overgeared Guild were

of criticism for allowing Lord to join

Lauel explained calmly:

the prime minister. I

must remain intact and well. In the eyes of

authority, Lauel was forced to be relegated to the third position. This was especially applicable if the Overgeared members were away, just like now. The reason why others hadn’t realized this until

couldn’t handle it because the nobles barged in and put pressure on me. He

should’ve thought about that

loyal to the imperial family. That is the law of the empire that His Majesty and I created. Besides, is Lord ordinary royalty? After all, he is the authorized

No, don’t you have any

I’m not a rebel. Why would I have something

going to

spoke, do you have udon noodles

to deal

arrow of resentment will be aimed at you first, Lauel, for failing

from making empty promises, such as protecting Lord at all costs. He also reminded the others that Grid was an ordinary human being who could

that to the

Vantner. The moment his persuasion didn’t work, he honestly confessed to

you die,

to that was...

said that princes and princesses better than him will soon be born, so what am I so worried about? His Majesty will find stability as time passes,

[Guild]......

at

first child born to a player and an NPC. Therefore, he was suitable to represent all types of symbols and, as a result, there were

had been watching Lord since he was a baby, steadily bonding with the child who grew day by day. They saw him either as a son or a nephew, and they felt anguish that this child, now grown up,

would be born soon, could sufficiently replace him. The reason why he was precious to them wasn’t because he was a prince, but because

he loves His Majesty just like his mother does. He is more concerned about His Majesty’s safety than his own. Thus, he couldn’t stand it and

cooperate with Lord to rescue Grid.

expressions of those who were tired of climbing were distorted with

happened,

The Overgeared members sighed as Lauel made an unexpected

the crown

private, he

***

Lord walked the same path as his father. The plausible reason for this was to indirectly experience and study the

that the prince was flattering his father and spoke rude words

their words but he didn’t much care for them. He just wanted to know more about

was often absent from the imperial palace. In rare, severe cases, he

that his father couldn’t help being busy. He started as a commoner, then became a nobleman, conquered a

resent his father at all. The love he gave to Lord was too great to accuse him of not being a proper parent. He never once forgot Lord’s birthday. Every time his father made a new piece of armor, he made sure

resentful, and no time

poisonous. The deeper the love for his father grew, the stronger his desire to know his father became. Thus, he’d embarked on the trip, visiting the places that appeared in his father’s adventure stories. He fought against enemies that his father had fought against, and battled new

adventures were similar to his father’s, though they were also very different at times. Sometimes, he saw the same scenery as his father had seen in the past. Sometimes, that scenery was entirely different to what his father had seen. Still, he felt the same emotions as his father had at that time, thus bringing forth a faint

course, he felt surprised on many occasions. Even when he learned that his father was weaker than ordinary people. Even when he found out that his father had experienced countless failures. Even when he found out that his father was the embodiment of jealousy. Lord was extremely shocked when he discovered that the chain of resentment his

Lord admired his father because he was weak, understood him because he experienced failure, and was relieved