Overgeared

"I will kill you. Definitely, by all means."

"……"

The first thing Sariel encountered after coming off the stage was Mercedes' killing notice. Mercedes was completely different from Irene. She didn't consider Sariel's position or her friendship with Sariel at all. She just hated Sariel's attitude toward Grid.

Was it because Mercedes loved Grid more than Irene? No, their love for Grid was infinitely limitless. Their differences came from their positions. The responsibility borne by Empress Irene was much greater than that borne by Mercedes. She had to consider many more things.

"Really… I'm really sorry…" Mercedes' gaze filled with disgust and hatred was like a dagger that pierced Sariel's heart. The cheek that had been hit by Irene a moment ago throbbed and hurt again. By nature, it was right that it shouldn't hurt.

"Stop it." Grid calmed down the atmosphere. He patted the head of Sariel, who was crushed by guilt and had lowered it. Then he wrapped his arm around Mercedes' shoulders and kissed her cheek.

Then something magical happened. Mercedes' ice-cold expression melted like it was a lie. Her cheeks flushed, her pretty lips pursed, and she struggled to hold back her smile. It was a pure, girlish reaction that didn't match her usual knight's image.

There was a commotion in the surroundings. The spectators, who had been overwhelmed by the full-scale confrontation between the god and the Fallen Angel, came to their senses and became enraged. It was the anger of those who hated Grid being involved with many women.

Their disgust usually stemmed from jealousy, not a sense of ethics. It was an attitude that represented the trend of the times. A man or woman who attained a title of nobility in Satisfy had multiple spouses. Now for people, 'love shared with many people' wasn't strange. It was within a realm of understanding. In the first place, there were surprisingly many countries that allowed polygamy even in modern society.

In any case, the reason why people were angry with Grid was because Mercedes and Sariel were too good. Women who possessed exquisite beauty and outstanding abilities. There was even a charm from those with different species. They felt like they were going crazy because they were so envious of Grid, who monopolized them…

"Sariel isn't a woman, right?" It happened as Grid was reading the atmosphere and was bewildered…

"Sariel, you must really reflect." Braham, who struggled to repair the collapsing barriers in real time, approached and growled out.

Sins? Where in the world was there an innocent person? Braham was genuinely angry at Sariel, who dared to accuse Grid based on her own standards.

Sariel was also reflecting on it. It was a mistake she made while being devoured by an evil heart and lost her senses, but she was obediently remorseful. Daring to criticize the god she served…

She thought it was a sin where she deserved death a hundred times.

"Stop it." Grid eventually put his arm around Sariel's shoulders as well. "It isn't like Sariel did it on purpose. It is a mistake she made after losing her reason as a Fallen Angel. So why do you keep biting at it? You know that Sariel is the one suffering more than anyone else, right?"

"Bah, you are soothing me like a child."

"Don't be sarcastic. Let me assure you that I won't blame you even if you do something intentional against me that isn't a mistake."

"What…? What type of crazy nonsense is this?"

"The fact that you would betray me means I have a problem. It also means I trust you that much."

"……"

I would rather doubt myself than doubt you.

Grid's declaration made the apostles think a lot. Zik and Piaro smiled silently, Mercedes had to cover her gaping mouth with her hands in an emotional manner, and Sariel felt even more guilty and loyal.

Loyalty—it was an unfamiliar feeling for the Angel of Justice, who took the task of monitoring even the gods who created her.

"……"

Mir trembled. He reflected on the relationship between gods and apostles that he had witnessed in the Hwan Kingdom and realized how unconventional Grid was. He was convinced that becoming Grid's apostle was his greatest good fortune and achievement since his birth.

"…Son of a bitch,"Braham cursed with a dissatisfied expression. He didn't like the premise that Grid presented.

Nefelina's reaction was similar. "W-We! There is no way I'm going to betray you!"

"It is just making an assumption. Why are you raising your voice?"

"M-Mercedes! You… you! You have become ruder ever since you mated with Grid…!"

"Cough!" The startled Grid choked and the sound of water being spat out was heard throughout the city.

Huroi hurriedly but calmly solved it. "Nefelina is talking about your marriage."

"Ah… Since she is a dragon, it is expressed like that…"

"That isn't it! Mate…!Oof!Oof!" Nefelina was sent off. Faker and Kasim dragged her into the shadows.

The atmosphere was awkward for a while, but it soon recovered. It was thanks to Vantner and Pon distracting people with their characteristic nonsense.

The God of Constellations, who was left behind on the stage, also opened his mouth,"Sariel… not only did I neglect you in the past, but I also tried to cut and harm who you are now. I apologize from the bottom of my heart."

Dara believed that Sariel was completely corrupted and tried to kill her. It was with an absurd excuse to protect her honor. In fact, it was to protect himself.

"…I'm not going to say that it is okay. However, I don't think I will blame you or the heavenly gods any longer,"Sariel shifted her eyes to the stage and replied.

Dara sounded puzzled. "Why aren't you blaming us?"

It was a question that caught everyone's attention. Grid, the apostles, the Overgeared members, the spectators, and the viewers all listened to Sariel.

"Are you saying you want to forgive us?"

"No. It is just that my current happiness is too precious to cling to petty grudges and revenge."

"……"

At this moment, the bitterness that was deep in Sariel's heart was released. It was released with precious happiness, not revenge. The 'evil heart' that developed over the process of obsessing with revenge and causing her to go on a rampage started to melt away without a trace.

[Your apostle, 'Sariel,' has overcome the curse of the Fallen Angel.]

[Your apostle, 'Sariel,' will no longer face the danger of transforming into a demon.]

"You are a hundred times better than me."

Grid's praise made Sariel's divinity become brighter. There wasn't a single shadow in her shy smile, so she was more beautiful and radiant than ever. It felt like she was reborn as a true angel. People who felt her change or growth cheered. Then as the atmosphere calmed down—

"I'm sorry to step out without notice, but… shouldn't we finish this?"

The last god who appeared on the stage after Dara left—it was a god in the form of an old woman with white hair. Her waist was bent more than 90 degrees and the balance of her body depended on a cane. It felt like a bad hobby. A god who could maintain eternal youth and health didn't need to take the form of an old and sick person.

"Don't get me wrong. My appearance isn't a mockery of the finiteness of humanity." The god heard the people's whispered words and explained. Her name was Velma.

"I am the God of Regret… I took on the role of embracing what humans turn away from. This old appearance is one of them."

"Are you saying that you have aged on behalf of the humans who don't want to grow old? That said, the vast majority of humans aren't able to avoid aging." Braham scoffed. This sacrifice was meaningless. He didn't say it outright, but he treated her as a purely useless god.

"It isn't about getting old. It is about growing old together."

"……"

Braham shut his mouth. He heard Velma's explanation and immediately realized that she was a good god. It was the same for the others.

A god who bore and shared the same suffering as humans—Velma, the God of Regret, was structurally a god who existed for humans. She wasn't someone to be hostile to.

Zik seemed to know her from early on.

"How have you been?"Zik climbed onto the stage and greeted Velma politely. The feeling was quite different from when he dealt with Hanul or King Sobyeol. It felt more like how he treated Chiyou. There was an attitude of respect that went beyond just being respectful.

"Based on the fact that you studied martial arts, it seems that some type of martial artist has touched your heart this time."

"It hurt me to watch a lonely swordsman with no opponents live without being able to die."

"Did you want to be his opponent? Just like you helped me with my studies a long time ago."

"I… I didn't help you."

Velma recalled her memories of the 'previous world.' She met a human boy who learned all the knowledge possible for him and regretted it because he became bored. She let him know that there was still knowledge in this world that the boy didn't know. It was in the hope that the boy would have hope, not regret.

It became a curse on the boy. After searching for new knowledge, the boy became a young man and finally learned runes from Goddess Rebecca. As a result, the boy became a half-god and was eventually framed as one of the seven evils. His life was filled with suffering.

Velma's wrinkled face gradually darkened as she recalled it.

Then Zik told her, "The boy who met you was able to greet you today because he went through those days."

"……"

"My condition is very good these days, Velma."

He didn't say he was happy. It was because he hadn't saved his colleagues yet. Nevertheless, it was clear that he was nearing happiness. This was why Zik didn't regret his past choices. Zik suggested, "Shall we compete so that your kindness can reach that lonely swordsman?"

"…Thank you, Zik."

There was a swordsman who regretted becoming the strongest. He was one who couldn't die but had to live. Velma wanted to let him know that there was still a place for him to stand.

'Muller.'

Grid and Zik naturally noticed the identity of the swordsman that Velma was talking about. They sensed that a huge meeting was coming.