Overgeared

The status window contained one’s history. It was possible to check a person’s behavior and character traits through information such as skills, titles, and affiliation.

But what if it was a newborn baby? The information contained in the status window would contain their future, not history.

“......”

Thanks to the Emperor’s Sword, which was the only sword in the world that disclosed the target’s information in detail, Grid had secured countless talented people while dealing with people who were potentially threats. He evaluated the target through the information provided by the status window and disposed of them or used them advantageously.

“...Minor retired?”

“Yes, he gave up on his title and territory and left for the secluded countryside. He said he wanted to be by his mother’s side during her last years.”

Minor was a master of mineral searching and identification. Except for Khan, Hexetia, and Grid, there were few people more well-versed in minerals than Minor. Such a bigshot had been just an ordinary miner at first. However, Grid had recognized Minor’s talent through what was the Ruler’s Sword at the time and had turned him into a mineral detector.

Grid became depressed. “I can’t believe the day has come for a child who used to be full of ambition to give up his title of earl of the empire and retire… Minor used to grumble every time he had to complete a task. I think I rarely saw him enjoying himself. Did my greed consume his dream?”

Grid had turned Minor into a mineral detector purely for his own benefits. Of course, he had never felt remorse. Minor needed money to buy medicine for his sick mother. He had also really wanted to do his best. Thus, Grid had believed that using Minor, who had a specialized talent for mineral exploration, benefitted them both.

But now, dozens of years had passed. Minor left as if he had no regrets about his life.

Lauel stared at Grid, who was feeling overwhelmed.

“Minor will be back sooner or later,” Lauel said.

“......?”

“There is a limit to the lifespan of a human being. Elixirs can only be obtained through special methods, from branches of the World Tree, golden walnuts improved by Piaro, there’s also the ones from the cultivation world... The world is vast and there are many things that reside in it, but making humans immortal is in a different league altogether.”

Minor’s mother was eighty-one years old. She had exceeded the average life expectancy by a lot.

“It feels awful to say such things, but... Minor’s mother will probably die soon. She could even die tomorrow. Minor said that, until that happens, he wants to do nothing but focus on taking care of his mother. If he holds a title, doesn’t he have at least the minimum amount of obligations he needs to take care of?”

“......”

“Minor’s mother is said to have always been weak. She gave birth to a child at a late age and her health rapidly deteriorated. If Minor hadn’t met Your Majesty and succeeded in life, his mother would’ve never lived for so long.”

Lauel had strong sociopathic tendencies. To achieve his goals, he tended to sacrifice others for the greater good. It was rare for him to empathize with someone’s story and take emotions into consideration, but this gradually changed. He had experienced a lot of emotions watching Grid from the side for many years. Now he was able to empathize with other people’s feelings and understand their circumstances to a certain extent.

“Your Majesty, you didn’t ruin Minor’s future. Instead, you saved him. Of course, this doesn’t mean I am forcing you to use the Emperor’s Sword right away.”

Lauel’s gaze followed Grid’s. Four babies were asleep on four cute beds placed side by side.

“Aren’t you reluctant to check the talents of the newborn children and predict their future? Then don’t check. They are Your Majesty’s children. Who else will teach them to realize their talents and improve? It will always be you.”

“...This doesn’t feel too comforting since you’re the one advising me. I feel uneasy because I have a feeling you have ulterior motives.”

“I’ve always been honest with Your Majesty.”

“You don’t change your expression at all when tricking others.”

“Haha.”

In kingdoms or territories where the ruler was a player, such as the Overgeared Empire and Valhalla, many famous geniuses had been born thanks to items such as the Ruler’s Sword, the King’s Sword, and the Emperor’s Sword.

Grid knew that getting talented people on his side with the authority of an emperor was a natural right and a routine system. The nation had become stronger thanks to this routine.

Grid also knew that those who were chosen by the system and realized their talents were guaranteed a good life. However, he hesitated to use the Emperor’s Sword on his children because it felt different from when he had Lord. His newborn children didn’t have to dedicate himself to the nation. The Overgeared Empire was the world’s greatest power and already had a great successor, Lord. A peaceful future had been assured.

“Yes, I won’t look at the children’s status window.”

Grid put down the Emperor’s Sword. These were the children of his wives. He knew they had infinite potential even if he didn’t check them. He didn’t want to make the mistake of peeking at their talents and prematurely suggesting what path they should take because of his selfishness.

Grid kissed the forehead of his sleeping children, who were smiling as if they were having a nice dream, and left the bedroom.

***

Freesia was the girl born to Grid and Irene. Her black hair and black eyes proved that she had Grid’s blood flowing in her veins, but she looked very much like her mother. Her big, slightly curved eyes were just like Irene’s.

However, her personality seemed to resemble Grid’s.

“Boo!”

She was excessively greedy. She often looked proud of herself when she snatched her sibling’s toys.

“She shares my most important trait. I’m glad Pansy behaves like a big sister.”

Grid looked embarrassed. He glanced at the blonde-haired girl with pride. She was the girl born to Grid and Basara. Her calm personality resembled her mother’s. Instead of fighting back against Freesia, who was struggling to take her toy with her small hands, Pansy smiled brightly and gave in.

“Amazing.”

Ruby was impressed. A three-month-old baby giving up her toy? It was even the pacifier she carried with her all the time. Maybe she would become a Saintess in the true sense of the word...

Grid and Ruby were convinced that Pansy was a special child and became a bit excited.

“Aha!”

Freesia grabbed the pacifier and squeezed it. Pansy jumped up from her seat with a smile on her face.

Pow!

There was a slightly loud noise. It was the sound of Pansy headbutting Freesia in the chin.

“Eh...? Waaaaahhhhh!!”

Freesia fell on her butt and blinked her large eyes before bursting into tears.

“......”

“......”

The siblings watching this frowned. Ruby spoke on behalf of Grid, who was speechless for a moment.

“W-Wasn’t that a mistake? I don’t think a child who can’t even walk properly would headbutt someone else on purpose?”

Grid came to his senses and nodded. “I-I guess?”

The blue-haired baby, who had been chasing a butterfly with an awkward gait, heard the commotion and turned her head. Iris was the child born to Grid and Mercedes. She was also a girl.

“Ohhh...”

“What a good child...”

Grid and his sister became mushy like snowmen melting in the sun. Iris saw that Freesia was crying and approached carefully. The siblings were impressed because Iris was so cute and nice.

”Abu!”

Iris soon arrived behind Freesia and raised her arms. Was she using Keen Insight? The siblings were surprised to see Iris’ transparently shining eyes. Iris grabbed Freesia by the back of her neck and knocked her down.

“...Uh?”

“Why...?”

“Waaaaaahhhh!!”

Freesia’s crying grew louder as she fell back on the grass.

“Yay!”

Iris struck a triumphant pose. She was hitting her chest with both fists like a gorilla.

Ruby looked at Grid suspiciously.

“...Oppa, isn’t this your fault? You clearly made a mistake when speaking and acting in front of your daughters before they were born, so you had a bad influence on them during their prenatal education.”

Since the personalities of her nieces all resembled her brother when he was younger, she decided that her brother had to be at fault.

“......”

Grid was about to refute it, but he shut up. In the distance, he saw Lily grabbing Noe’s tail and spinning in place.

“Eeeeeek! You chestnut-sized kid!”

Lily was born to Grid and Marie Rose. Unlike her sisters, she was taciturn. Thus, they thought she would be mature like her mother. However, she ended up causing the most incidents. She was unable to control her innate strength and magic power, so she had already destroyed several palace facilities.

“Awooo!”

Freesia stopped crying and jumped up. Just as naturally as a martial artist, she immediately ran to choke Iris, who was still basking in victory.

“...Why?”

Grid was seriously worried. He envisioned a future where the four princesses turned the whole nation upside down. He thought of Lord suffering from hair loss before even reaching middle age.

Ruby grinned as she hugged her nieces. “It’s fine. They will change when they see the good people around them, just like you did.”

Ruby had seen Grid change in real time, so she strongly believed that her nieces would change as well.

This didn’t console Grid at all. He heard a welcoming voice as he was fidgeting.

“They have to train.”

“Ireeeeene!”

Noe had been looking gloomy as he tidied up his fur messed up by Lily. Now he instantly recovered his joy. He jumped and fell into Irene’s arms.

Irene patted him on the back. “A child is a mirror of their parents,” she said. “If we don’t educate them in advance, the empire’s reputation will be tarnished.”

“You are right.” Basara agreed.

“We can’t stand by and watch these brats without teaching them some discipline,” Mercedes added.

“B-But they are babies. How can we hit them...?”

“......”

The atmosphere became a bit strange because Mercedes suggested something scary. However, those who knew what her childhood had been like didn’t take her words lightly. It would take a long time for Mercedes to understand that discipline and violence were different concepts.

“A-Abu?”

The babies in Ruby’s arms floated in the air. They tried shaking their short limbs wildly to resist, but it was futile. Contrary to their will, the babies were brought in front of their mothers and forced to stand in a line.

“Buu!”

As expected, siblings were siblings. Because they were in trouble, the babies started to help each other without worrying about who would be the first to get admonished. They tried to break the chains of magic binding of their younger or older sister.

Irene and Basara’s expressions softened slightly. “Oh my.”

Mercedes had a chilly look on her face. “Are you resisting your superiors’ orders?”

Mercedes, who had been abandoned by her parents and raised by the Red Knights, had an attitude that was anything but ordinary. The same could be said about Marie Rose.

“Kids who can’t even bite are struggling so ridiculously... haha...”

“......”

Grid and his sister were dizzy.