Chapter 1807

‘I’m not in a hurry about Piaro’s mental world.’

Piaro relied the least on items among the apostles.

It was because his combat style focused on skill damage rather than weapon damage. His dependence on weapons was relatively low because the various stat values that affected skill damage were met through the use of ‘Natural State.’

In the first place, Piaro’s weapon was farming tools. The emphasis was on plowing the field faster rather than strength. Piaro fought using the connection between sowing seeds and rapid growth, so the important thing for Piaro was the speed of plowing the field. This speed had already reached its peak.

‘Additionally, Piaro has lowered the importance of fighting these days.’

Piaro was a farmer. It was only when he developed and produced crops as beneficial as the golden walnut that he showed his true value.

In the days when Piaro was the best power of the Overgeared Kingdom, he was forced to ignore his duties as a farmer to play an active role, but now things had changed. Currently, there were at least five people in the Overgeared Empire who could replace Piaro’s role. Unless all of them collapsed, there was virtually no reason for Piaro to be on the frontlines. No, it was desirable not to put him on the frontlines.

Of course, it was necessary to take him on the Baal expedition, but there was plenty of time until then. It wasn’t Baal who coordinated the expedition schedule, but Grid himself. There was no need to be pressed for time. Above all, Grid had a strong faith. He believed that Piaro could open up the mental world. It was based on the fact that the fields created by Piaro were already playing a role comparable to the mental world.

‘Piaro understands the principles of the mental world. The moment he had a small enlightenment, he will be in a position to open the mental world.’

It wasn’t known when the exact moment of enlightenment would come, but it was clear that it wouldn’t be long…

Piaro himself was aware of this fact, so he didn’t show any signs of nervousness. However, Mercedes was in a different position. Not only did she always want to be on the frontlines, but she was also highly dependent on weapons. Originally, the class of knight itself had a correction effect when wearing equipment. Even Mercedes’ chivalric code was heavily influenced by Grid. By respecting items, an additional correction effect was obtained when wearing equipment.

Simply being an apostle placed her in a much better position than the other apostles to properly handle Grid’s items. The faster she replaced the White Tiger Sword, which was considered an old weapon, the higher her combat power would rise. It was right for her to be frustrated if she couldn’t open the mental world. She wasn’t in the position to answer ‘I can’t open the mental world’ with a casual expression.

“Mers, you… do you have a mental world?”

“Hiccup!”

It was as expected. Mercedes couldn’t hide her flustered expression.

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Grid smiled. ‘She can’t even lie. Why is she trying to deceive someone?’

Mercedes had a strong personality. She couldn’t lie. Grid couldn’t imagine Mercedes deceiving anyone.

“Show me your mental world.”

“……”

“It might be a bit embarrassing, but it is okay. I just want to make a new weapon… think of it as the same logic as undressing in front of a medical staff.”

“I don’t undress in front of anyone other than My Liege.”

“Y-Yes… anyway.”

She was reacting in a weird way. Grid was overwhelmed by Mercedes’ pretty eyes and waited for a while. Then he persuaded her again, “I need the user’s mental world to create a new dragon weapon.”

“You can make it without the mental world, right? Just like Twilight.”

“Yes, but it is disappointing in terms of power.”

“It… isn’t like that. My Liege’s Twilight is one of the best swords. What is disappointing about it? For me, a weapon equal to Twilight is enough. It will be rewarding to grow together.”

Definitely, the appeal of growth-type weapons was great. Looking at Twilight right now, it was clear that it would one day match Defying the Natural Order. However, it wasn’t easy to create a growth-type myth rated weapon. Additionally, dedicated weapons exerted more power from the beginning than growth-type weapons that had completed their growth.

“You have to bring your own exclusive weapon with you. For growth-type weapons, you can grow it by using it as an auxiliary weapon later.”

“…Uh.”

Mercedes’ plump lips twitched. It was a habit she showed when she was embarrassed. It was a habit Grid first witnessed on the day they spent their first night together.

‘I understand.’

Showing the mental world required courage. Grid’s mental world was very healthy because it used Khan’s heart as its source, but this usually wasn’t the case. The mental worlds of Zik and Mir proved it. In fact, Braham’s mental world was close to a mass of arrogance and desire.

Wasn’t the name ‘Center of the World’? It meant he considered himself the center of the world. Normally, it was a mental world that was embarrassing to display in front of others.

Mercedes’ mental world was likely to be similar to theirs. It was because there was darkness in everyone’s heart. In particular, Mercedes was abandoned by her parents because she was born with Keen Insight. It was natural that a deep darkness lurked in her heart after she lived such a life filled with ups and downs…

“I know how rude it is to ask you to show your mental world. I fully understand why you are hesitating to show it. But keep this in mind. In this world, I will never be disappointed in you.”

“……”

Mercedes stopped as she was about to dissuade Grid. She reflected on Grid’s words that he wouldn’t be disappointed and tried to raise her courage. In the end—

“…Really, no matter what type of woman I am, please don’t be disappointed.”

The determined Mercedes spoke with difficulty. She put her hands together like a shy girl and wriggled her fingers. She was pretty and adorable no matter what.

Grid was once again infatuated with Mercedes’ innocent and cute appearance and nodded with a smile. “Of course, I promise you with everything I have.”

This answer was the signal. Mercedes’ breath thickened like a breath on a cold winter’s day. A cold chill intertwined with her blue hair, blurring the color and the earth cracked because it was dry. The world froze around the ground on which Mercedes stood. Everything froze before Grid’s divinity had a chance to stop it. More precisely, Grid had fallen into an already frozen world.

[You have entered Mercedes’ mental world, ‘Frozen World.’]

“……”

The first thing Grid saw were statues of three people made of ice. There was a statue of a little girl sitting alone while the adult statues, who appeared to be her parents, stood looking away from her.

-The cursed child.

-There is no way that monster is my child. What type of man did you play with?

-Kyaaak! It is because of that girl…! Due to that cursed monster, I am like this…!

Auditory hallucinations were heard. The auditory hallucinations were filled with suspicion, hatred, and anger. They caused all sorts of abnormal statuses.

However, Grid didn’t falter. He just gently patted the head of the young girl who rose slowly and stared at the intruder. “You aren’t a monster. Don’t be swayed by the suspicions and hatred of your foolish parents. You are going to meet good people soon, right?”

A warm divinity melted the statue of the young girl. The auditory hallucinations moved away and the landscape seen by Grid also changed. It was a training ground with a huge palace behind it.

Dozens of ice statues were swinging their swords at someone’s command. It was the command of a knight carrying the statue of a young girl on his shoulders. The knight was also carved out of ice, thus his facial features couldn’t be seen properly, but Grid could recognize the knight’s identity immediately.

The one who made the wounded girl laugh for the first time. It was a young Piaro. As a knight of the empire, he worked with the other Red Knights to both train the girl and act as her parents.

It happened as the sound of the girl’s laughter mingling with the knights’ calls brought a smile to Grid’s face…

The knights turned to Grid in unison. They aimed cold ice blades at him. The sharpness of the White Tiger Sword burst forth from every blade. It meant that the weapon’s attack power would be applied to Mercedes’ mental world that was reenacting the past and antagonistic to intruders. Being overgeared was really important to her.

-We are the ones who have devoted our whole lives to the empire and the emperor! How can they frame us as traitors?

-Mercedes! Testify for us! There is no way we would betray the empire!

The faces of the knights attacking Grid turned red. It was the aftermath of tears of blood. Coincidentally, the cries of the knights didn’t reach the girl. Before she knew it, she was isolated in a tall tower. Other knights, persuaded by Yatan’s Servant, locked her up in the name of training. They were wary of her Keen Insight discerning the truth.

-Asmophel! You are our family…

-Mercedes, why didn’t you help me?

The seasons changed several times while the screams and resentments of the knight statues echoed endlessly. Finally, the place where they stood was filled with only bloodstains. It wasn’t a massacre committed by Grid.

Grid didn’t fight back and only defended. After the time limit, the knights collapsed on their own. Around this time, a terrible crack appeared on the chest of the statue of the girl who had emerged from the tower. The statue grew into the form of a woman without this crack recovering.

‘From Mers’ perspective, she was betrayed by her newfound family.’

In a situation where the truth was blocked, Mercedes could only mistakenly believe that Piaro and the Red Knights betrayed the empire and her.

‘It isn’t pain that makes up Mers’ mental world.

The identity of the emotion that dominated the mental world was vaguely felt. It was regret, not pain. In a way, it was natural.

Mercedes’ mental world was opened relatively recently. It was after learning the truth about Piaro and the Red Knights. The reason why the events of that day were engraved in her mental world wasn’t from the pain of being betrayed by Piaro and the Red Knights, but because she resented her past self for failing to help them.

‘She is so kind… Mers feels guilty toward her parents who hated her and threw her away.’

As a child, Mercedes had read her parents’ minds and was shocked and silent. If she hadn’t been silent at that time, wouldn’t her parents have stayed together and her family would’ve been saved?

Mercedes seemed to think so. The memory of that day was also held in her frozen heart.

She was indeed a very kind person. He was glad that he loved Mercedes. In this frozen world, Grid felt warm. Wasn’t it actually warm?

‘…Warmth?’

Grid was lost in thought for a while, only to become taken aback. His mind returned and he saw that there was steam everywhere. It was due to the open air hot spring placed alone on the snowy field. It seemed that the heat of the hot spring accounted for a significant portion of the warmth that Grid felt.

‘A hot spring?’

Why a hot spring all of a sudden? It happened as Grid was cocking his head in confusion…

-Get on your knees.

He heard an auditory hallucination again. The auditory hallucinations heard this time resembled Mercedes’ voice. Grid’s gaze turned in the direction of the voice. He could see an ice statue of Mercedes on a throne.

There was a man kneeling in front of her. It was a man with a crown. It was Grid. To be exact, it was Grid who just established the Overgeared Kingdom.

It was certain. This Grid wasn’t carved out of ice and was the same as the real person.

“Ah…”

It was a scene of the first day they met. Grid’s heart was moved.

‘Mercedes also regrets her attitude that day.’

Mercedes was the number one knight of the empire and she acted for the emperor. She forced Grid, whom she met for the first time, to kneel and placed all types of sins on him. For Grid at that time, it was naturally humiliation and disgrace.

However, it was now all in the past. It was just a memory. Yet for Mercedes, it remained as a deep regret. She reenacted the events of that day infinitely in her mental world…

‘There is no need for it…’

He would have to appease Mercedes well. At least regarding the events of that day, he would reassure her that she didn’t have to regret it.

“…Huh?” Grid became resolved, only to cock his head again.

The statue of Mercedes had red cheeks as she raised her foot to the mouth of the kneeling Grid?

-Kiss it.

“……”

Asking for a kiss on the back of her foot? This wasn’t real. The real Mercedes hadn’t done this.

Kiss.

The kneeling Grid’s attitude was extremely mild. He obediently kissed Mercedes’ foot.

-More. More, more.

Mercedes wasn’t satisfied. She kept her foot outstretched while on his knees, Grid moved like a dog and kissed her ankle, calf, knee, and thigh.

“It is up to here!”

What was this?

Grid was mesmerized without understanding the scene that was happening in front of him. Then someone’s cry entered his ears. This time, it was a real voice and not an auditory hallucination. Mercedes jumped out of the hot spring and used all her might to smash the statue that was sitting arrogantly on the throne.

“Gasp…! Gasp…! T-This…! This!”

Mercedes’ face turned red with agitation and she couldn’t bear to say anything.

[Mercedes’ mental world, ‘Frozen World,’ has overcome one regret and has evolved.]

[The evolution strengthens the debuffs, freezing, and reenactment effects of ‘Frozen World.’]

A notification window rose to break the atmosphere.

“…Congratulations, Mers. It is a good start. Right?”

Grid tried to smile as brightly as possible. A mouse hole appeared in the corner of Mercedes’ mental world.

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