I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 616

“A hundred years ago, your great-great-grandfather asked Duke Dusk Bringer for a favor. He said he needed a force that could never be defeated.”

The Emperor spoke slowly.

“So, the Duke combined the magic, sorcery, curses, taboos of the time, and even his own dragon blood… to create the Glory Knights, the Imperial Guard, as an immortal army.”

I flinched. Duke Dusk Bringer…?

“And so, for the past hundred years, the Glory Knights have protected the Emperor and the Empire. The knights have been constantly replaced, and even Duke Bringer stepped down from his position as commander, but the curse and forbidden arts have been passed down through the generations.”

I thought of the bandages wrapped around Hecate’s body, inscribed with magical characters.

Those old bandages… are they a curse and forbidden art?

“The knights selected for the Glory Knights face death once immediately after their investiture. They must die once to ensure they cannot die again.”

“You… kill them?”

“Yes. And then, a curse is placed on their dead bodies and souls, forcibly ‘fixing’ them. No matter how terrible the injury, the body will return to its original form, and the soul cannot leave, remaining in that body.”

The Emperor continued, seeing that I was just listening with my mouth open.

“However, even if the body is revived, the soul is worn away. Sooner or later, the end comes. That’s why they constantly find replacements and change generations.”

“…”

“And I treated the current five Glory Knights very harshly.”

The Emperor smiled bitterly.

“Where have I been all this time?”

“…You were fighting the Other Gods in the Spirit Realm.”

“Yes.”

No way.

As if confirming my guess, the Emperor nodded.

“The Glory Knights were with me in that battle.”

“… !”

“They fought directly against the Other Gods in the depths of the Spirit Realm. No matter how talented the Glory Knights are, they are not transcendents [beings beyond normal limitations]. Yet, those five repeatedly died and were revived, clashing swords with the Other Gods, so they were consumed in an instant.”

The Emperor closed his eyes, as if recalling that time.

“That’s why the current commander, Hecate, is broken. She is one of the greatest sword geniuses in the Empire’s history, but the erosion of the soul is another matter.”

“…”

“She already reached her operational limit two years ago and should have retired long ago. In fact, two years ago, I even had the most talented student from the academy graduate early to be her replacement.”

I was startled. No way.

“That replacement candidate was… Evangeline?!”

“Yes. Evangeline Cross, the daughter of Count Cross of the Borderlands. She was also a candidate for the Glory Knights.”

I gritted my teeth. So, that’s why this timeline’s Evangeline graduated early, faster than in the original game…!

“But at the last moment, Hecate refused.”

The Emperor leaned back into his chair.

“When she heard that the knight selected as her replacement was sixteen years old, she pleaded with me. She said she would try to hold on as long as possible.”

“…”

“And… an accident happened.”

“An accident?”

“I’m talking about Fernandes.”

Ah.

I opened my mouth slightly at the name of my second older brother, which I hadn’t heard in a long time. Come to think of it, around that time…

“That guy trapped me in a scheme, and while I and the Glory Knights were in the Spirit Realm, he cut off the connection to Everblack [a magical beacon or connection].”

“Good heavens.”

That damned second brother, this is all connected like this?

I recalled the time I met the Emperor in the Spirit Realm.

To think that not only the Emperor but also the Imperial Knights were trapped in the Spirit Realm at that time.

“Losing the light of the beacon, I couldn’t return to the mortal realm. The Glory Knights were the same. We were scattered, and the knights drifted to the depths of the Spirit Realm.”

“…”

“It was only after I returned to reality that I managed to rescue them, but… it was already too late. Those five were already broken beyond repair. Moreover, because they were exposed to the Spirit Realm for too long, even the curse and forbidden arts were damaged. Now, we can’t even pass the curse on to their replacements.”

The Emperor let out a soft sigh.

“Fortunately, the battle with the Other Gods has stopped, and so… I allowed my pitiful knights to choose where they would fall and die. That place is this Crossroads.”

“…”

“Hecate requested it after seeing the proclamation you sent. She said she wanted to go to the festival one last time. That there were people she wanted to see before she died.”

So…

That’s why she was wearing a dress she’d never worn in her life, and even childish red Mary Jane shoes.

She had dressed up and come to see her old classmates.

“They are the shadows of the Empire. Cursed, they can never see the sunlight again, nor can they live like ordinary people, loving and being loved. They are just pitiful and unfortunate souls who have completely burned their lives for the Empire and the Emperor.”

The Emperor slowly rose from his chair.

“By entrusting them to you, what do I expect from you?”

I looked up at my father, overwhelmed.

“Isn’t it obvious? As an Emperor, what a father gives to his son is only one thing.”

With his face buried in the dark shadows, backlit by the afternoon sun of the festival city…

The Emperor growled like a beast.

“Trials.”

“… !”

“Son. You once said that you would kill monsters and save people. And I asked you, what is the definition of the people you want to protect?”

The conversation I had with the Emperor at the New Terra Imperial Palace came to mind.

“And you answered that question by creating the World Defense Front. That all beings who try to communicate and understand each other are the people you want to save.”

In the shadows, the Emperor’s dark eyes… emitted a faint golden light.

“Then I will ask you once more here.”

“…”

“Even if that being who tries to communicate and understand harbors an indelible evil, will you still embrace them? Will you still protect even such an opponent?”

I was frozen, unable to move.

“The Glory Knights are loyal patriots who love their country so much that they have given everything. But what is the difference between being a patriot of the Empire and being an enemy of a hostile nation?”

“…”

“Since the founding of the Empire, the Glory Knights have been swords wielded without ever disobeying the Emperor’s orders. How many innocent lives have those blades cut down?”

The Emperor continued to pour out his words.

“The shadow that your revered Duke Bringer created is none other than the Glory Knights. The Duke is a pitiful and sad being, but the darkness she harbors is as deep as the years she has lived. Can you not turn a blind eye to the Duke’s ugly side?”

“…”

“And I am also the greatest villain in the world. Just because I am friendly to you, just because I have arranged everything for you – you don’t think of me as a good person, do you?”

The Emperor clearly stated the sins he had committed.

“I framed innocent citizens and sent them to the gallows. And I burned their corpses and souls to use as fuel for my country. I also crushed countless neighboring countries with my own hands. In that process, how much innocent blood was shed, and how many tears were shed?”

“…”

“I will embrace all the darkness I have created and die with it. I want to make you an impeccable Emperor. I will remove everything that can be removed with my already tainted hands. But!”

The Emperor slowly leaned towards me. An irresistible force emanated from his eyes as they drew closer.

“The darkness of the world is deep.”

“… !”

“Deeper than you imagine, deeper than you grasp, always deeper.”

The Emperor spread his arms wide.

“Is the Empire’s shadow only the Glory Knights? All knights, all mages, all soldiers, all officials, all vassals, and all patriots stand on this blood-soaked, sinful land.”

“…”

“Look at the people you love. Look at the loyal warriors gathered from all over the world who are willing to die for you. Are they all innocent and blameless?”

I gritted my teeth.

“Even if there are such people, they will still be willing to stain their hands with blood to save you. Everyone will be willing to embrace the darkness to protect your cause.”

“…”

“But a good name is just a justification. Regardless of the reason, if you change your perspective even slightly, every human being has one foot in the abyss of evil.”

The Emperor roared quietly.

“Truly, truly – will you embrace even that? Can you truly bear all that malice, all the darkness of this world?”

“…”

“Do you truly have the courage to embrace and cherish all of this? My pure son. In this boiling abyss of evil called ‘the world,’ what is the image of the king you want to become?”

A moment of silence passed.

After barely catching my breath, I finally asked.

“Father… why are you giving me this trial?”

“Strictly speaking, this is not a trial I have given you.”

The Emperor chuckled.

“It is a trial you have chosen. I have only awakened it.”

“… !”

“It is you who are walking into the Asura Path [a path of constant conflict and suffering] after pursuing innocent good. I am only trying to offer you a reasonable compromise instead of your dangerous purity.”

The Emperor whispered.

“Didn’t I tell you? I intend to make you the Emperor of the Empire.”

“…”

“Right now, you are leading the front line to protect the world, so you can wave such a grand flag. But what about after that? How long will you be able to wave that ideal of embracing the whole world?”

Facing me with trembling eyes, the Emperor presented his ‘compromise.’

“Cut off the world.”

“… !”

“There is no need to try to embrace everything. Embrace only your world, your people, the right amount of evil that you can handle.”

The Emperor slowly moved back and tilted his head to the side. Finally, a human expression seeped into his mythical face, which was now bathed in sunlight.

“That is the answer I desire.”

“What if I can’t?”

“Don’t you know?”

The Emperor chuckled and gestured with his chin to the south.

“No matter what ideals they held, the end of kings who overreached is always the same.”

At the end of that south-

Beneath the black lake, there would be an ancient kingdom that had sunk.

The Emperor smiled, baring his teeth, and whispered in a playful tone.

“Drowning.”

I clenched my fist. The Emperor passed by me and slowly left the office.

“I will be watching, Bonehater. How you will embrace and deal with this darkness of your people.”

“…”

“The choice you will make at the end of this trial. And the result.”

Squeak- Thud.

The door opened and closed, and alone in the office, I bit my lip.

The darkness that Hecate harbors. The darkness that Dusk Bringer harbors, the darkness that the Emperor harbors.

And…

The darkness that each of the many people belonging to this front line… harbors.

If I truly intend to become a king. If I intend to become the master of the flag that leads them. I must not turn a blind eye.

But – how far?

Do I have the capacity to embrace and melt all that darkness?

‘To be worrying about the path of a king like this, right before the Black Dragon subjugation…’

But, still.

I know.

Even if I cannot find the right answer, even if I come to a clumsy and awkward conclusion…

I must not stop this worry.

Because I know from my past experiences. That this agony and torment will eventually lead to the path of protecting humanity.

Whether it is my humanity or the humanity of everyone on this front line.

Because it is my role to worry until the very end, in order to remain human.