I Became The Tyrant Of A Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 151

With the declaration of rebellion, came the declaration of emperorship.

For a moment, the reception room was enveloped in silence.

About half of the party members were dazed and bewildered by my insane series of pronouncements, while the other half immediately jumped up, ready to say something.

“I’m not taking questions!” I shouted, extending my hand forward.

“There’s only one thing for you to decide right now. Whether you’ll join me, or not.”

I smiled faintly.

“Whether you can die with me. That’s all.”

Because the path to survival lies within death.

I was asking if they had the confidence to walk the path of death with me.

“……”

I spoke sternly to the party members who were looking at me with bewildered eyes.

“I’ll give you an hour. Each of you can freely contemplate for an hour. Whether to join me, or leave.”

After making eye contact with each of the party members, I nodded.

“Let’s all meet here in an hour.”

And without looking back, I walked out of the reception room.

***

The party members were scattered throughout the mansion, lost in thought.

Most of them remained in the reception room, continuing a heated debate about my statement, while some strolled through the garden, deep in thought.

And some left the mansion.

“……”

The lord’s office on the second floor of the mansion.

Standing by the window here, watching the party members leaving the mansion. There was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Creak-

The one who opened the door and entered was Lucas.

“My lord.”

“Lucas.”

“I came to ask you one thing.”

Lucas, who had closed the door and entered, blurted out before I could say anything.

“Is this rebellion a desperate measure to request reinforcements from the Imperial Family?”

I chuckled at Lucas’s sharp observation. Lucas continued.

“My lord, you are a direct descendant of the Emperor, a legitimate heir to the Imperial Family. If such a lord declares rebellion, the Imperial Family will never stand idly by.”

“……”

“They will send troops to suppress the rebellion. Isn’t your plan to use those troops to subjugate the monsters?”

“You’re quite something, Lucas. To read my mind that far.”

I nodded.

“You’re quite right. I haven’t told the party members yet, but the next monster invasion is in a week.”

“……”

“With the current situation here, it’s impossible to stop them. That’s why I’m putting on this ridiculous show.”

Lucas met my eyes and carefully spoke.

“I understand the intention, my lord. But there are two problems with your plan.”

“Two problems?”

“The first is the distance between the Imperial Capital and this southern front. Even if a messenger rides with fresh horses, it will take a week.”

Lucas calmly pointed out the flaws in my plan.

“It will take a week for the news of the rebellion here to reach the Imperial Capital, and another week for the Imperial Capital to organize troops and depart immediately. At the very least, it will take two weeks. Realistically, it will take even longer.”

“……”

“According to your words, the next defense battle is in a week, and they won’t be able to arrive before it starts.”

I just listened with a smile. Lucas continued.

“Secondly, there is no way to prove that this rebellion was a lie.”

“Oh ho.”

“Even if you explain that it was a desperate measure to call for reinforcements, the Imperial Family will not believe you. You will be branded as a traitor and arrested. Even if summary execution is impossible because you are a member of the Imperial Family, you will be taken to the Imperial Capital.”

That’s certainly true.

I was about to agree with Lucas when,

Bang- Thud!

“Lucas is a hundred percent right!” The platinum-blonde girl knight burst into the office.

It was Evangeline. I widened my eyes.

“How much of our conversation did you hear?”

“From the beginning, of course! No, that’s not important! I understand it’s for reinforcements. But still, a rebellion, senior?!”

Evangeline, who had almost rolled to my feet, shouted urgently.

“Please, please think again! That’s really the last, last, last resort, no! Even then, it’s a method you shouldn’t use!”

“……”

“The Emperor does not forgive traitors! You know that better than anyone! Even if it’s his own son, he will surely kill him!”

Evangeline’s face was pale.

“Is that all? If you’re involved in a rebellion, three generations will be wiped out! The entire Crossroads, and everyone here, will be hanged!”

The reason Evangeline is so against it is probably because she is the heir to the Border Count title.

Crossroads is Evangeline’s hometown and the land she will inherit and rule in the future.

And now I’m declaring a rebellion here.

It was as if I had declared that I would turn her hometown and her territory into a sea of fire.

“Look at the war with the Bringer Principality right next door, senior!” Evangeline said in a trembling voice to me, who remained silent.

“They’re trampling even a principality that has been loyal for hundreds of years just because their relationship soured a little! How much more will they burn down a small, remote territory like this without leaving a trace!”

“……”

“Please, senior! There must be another way! Not a rebellion!”

Without answering, I looked out the open office door.

“You two there. Don’t hide, come in here.”

“Ah……”

“Ahem.”

Then Damian and Junior, who were outside the door, awkwardly entered the office.

I smiled at them.

“Shall we hear your opinions too?”

Damian and Junior looked at each other, gauging the situation. Damian hesitantly opened his mouth first.

“Well, I’m… I’m the Prince’s trigger. I don’t have anywhere else to go anyway. I’ll stay by the Prince’s side until the end, but…”

“But?”

“Isn’t a rebellion… a bit dangerous…?”

Damian, who glanced at me with his round eyes, flinched when he saw me smiling calmly.

“O-of course, if the Prince orders me to, I’ll shoot anything! Just leave it to me!”

“Okay, okay. Thank you, Damian.”

After smiling at Damian once more, I turned my gaze to the mage next to him.

“What’s your opinion, Junior?”

“It’s suicide.”

Junior said firmly in a clear voice.

“I’ve heard that there are dozens of mages of that level in the Imperial Magic Corps. Even if we put aside the other troops and just compare the mages, it’s like this.”

“……”

“You said you’re starting a rebellion to bring in reinforcements to stop the monsters, but it doesn’t make sense in the first place. The troops dispatched from the Imperial Capital won’t care about the monsters, will they? They might just bomb this place with magic and turn it to ashes before going back.”

Junior said more strongly.

“Declaring a rebellion to call for reinforcements is like setting fire to your own house to catch a flea.”

“Indeed……”

I nodded.

“I’ve heard your good opinions.”

I looked around at the main party members who were standing around my office table.

“Everyone, your opinions were valid and reasonable. But I didn’t make this declaration of rebellion just to call for reinforcements.”

“……?”

“I’ll tell you the ‘real reason’ a little later, when everyone gathers in the reception room. So, for now, calm down, cool your heads, and wait for me.”

I pointed towards the office door and waved my hand.

“Now, get out!”

***

The main party had come to the office.

When I checked what the rest of the members were doing, the three members of the Shadow Unit were standing in the garden, talking to each other.

When there were 30 minutes left until the reassembly time, I went down to the garden.

“God Hand. Burnout. Bodybag.”

As I approached, calling out their codenames, the Shadow Unit members bowed to me in unison.

“Your Highness.”

“How is it? Have you made up your minds?” I asked with a smile. The three exchanged glances, and then, as if by unspoken agreement, they knelt on one knee before me.

“You know, Your Highness. We have already been sentenced to death in the capital.”

God Hand, with his head bowed, spoke quietly.

“Your Highness took us in and gave us new names. Your Highness already owns our lives.”

“……”

“The only one we will pledge our loyalty to is Your Highness. Even if the path Your Highness wishes to take is rebellion, we will gladly follow.”

Looking down at the three elves kneeling and bowing before me,

“Your loyalty, this Ash has surely received.”

I smiled brightly.

“Thank you. Let’s meet in 30 minutes.”

I turned around and left the garden.

Until I was out of sight, the three Shadow Unit members remained motionless, bowing their heads.

***

The two party members who had left the mansion were Margherita and Lily.

Margherita returned 10 minutes before the reassembly time.

Standing at the entrance of the mansion, waiting for the two of them, I smiled and asked Margherita, who had returned first.

“Where have you been, Saintess?”

“To the temple. I went to pray to the Goddess.”

Margherita sighed deeply, her hands clasped in front of her chest.

“I asked her what path I should take.”

“Oh, really? Did she give you a good answer?”

“……”

“Have you made up your mind?”

Margherita, who had been silent, sighed again.

“…From the moment I first came to this city, my mind was made up.”

Clenching her trembling hands tightly, Margherita raised her head and met my eyes.

“My fate is with Crossroads.”

“Are you saying you will join my rebellion?”

“If that is the path Crossroads must take.”

“Thank you.”

I gestured towards the inside of the mansion.

“Go into the reception room. I’ll bring Lily in when she arrives.”

Margherita walked straight into the mansion without wavering.

***

The last party member, Lily, appeared 10 minutes after the announced reassembly time.

I could see her struggling to pull her wheelchair from afar, and I could also see the other luggage hanging from the wheelchair.

A bag stuffed with clothes, and a bag of magical materials containing various magical tools and alchemical reagents.

“Lily? What is all this luggage?” I asked Lily, who had arrived at the mansion door, panting. Lily shouted.

“Of course, it’s the luggage I packed to leave this city!”

“……”

“I became unable to use my legs while serving in this city, but I was okay. I’ve faced death several times, but I could endure that too. But!”

Lily shook her head violently.

“But I can’t do a rebellion! Really… Really, you’ve gone too far, Your Highness!”

“……”

“I was once prepared to be buried on this front line, but being accused of treason is beyond my capacity. I’m leaving.”

Lily’s eyes trembled as she looked at the other party members visible through the reception room window, as if her heart was weakening.

But then she slapped her own cheek! and waved at me.

“I only came to say my last goodbye out of the camaraderie we’ve shared. I’m going to run away now. Well, goodbye! Good luck with the rebellion! And if you fail, don’t tell them my name!”

“Indeed……”

I nodded.

“You’re wise, Lily.”

“Huh?”

“But you can’t run away like this.”

I went behind Lily, grabbed the handles of her wheelchair, and forcibly pulled her into the mansion.

“Just listen to my last words. After that, you can run away or not, as you please.”

“Uwaaaah! Let go, let go! You traitor! Treason is contagious! Oh, great Emperor! I’m truly innocent!”

***

“It was a lie.”

Back in the place where all the party members had gathered again.

I blurted out to the party members who were looking at me with tense faces.

“The rebellion was a complete lie. I have no intention of starting one.”

“……Huh?”

I smiled leisurely at the bewildered party members.

“Of course, if I start a rebellion, I can forcibly bring troops from the Imperial Family. But as you pointed out, even if I can use them to stop the monsters once, the path after that will be burned to ashes.”

I would be captured and executed.

Crossroads would be burned to the ground without a trace.

Starting a real rebellion was a ridiculous option from the start. I never even considered it.

“Then you must be wondering why I made this ridiculous declaration of rebellion to you all.”

Ahem!

Clearing my throat.

I spoke.

“There is a spy in this city. A dog of the Imperial Family who is reporting our every move to the Imperial Capital.”

“……!”

“It was a show to catch that spy. And that friend took my bait as if they were waiting for it.”

That’s right.

The reason I threw out the extreme bait of rebellion was to expose the spy from the beginning.