I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 154

Bringer Principality.

As you can guess from the name ‘Principality,’ it’s a land ruled by the Bringer family.

It’s said that hundreds of years ago, Duskbringer, the last fire dragon on the continent, had offspring with the then-Emperor.

I don’t know how a human and a dragon got married, but…

Anyway, this half-human, half-dragon was the first Bringer Duke.

The Empire granted the Bringer family territory in exchange for their protection, and the Bringer family, powerful warriors with dragon’s blood, remained loyal to the Empire for hundreds of years.

They had been getting along well, but the problem is the current situation where the Empire has become the top dog on the continent.

As they say, once the rabbit hunt is over, the hunting dogs are cooked [a proverb meaning that once someone is no longer useful, they are discarded].

Now that they have seized world power, the Empire no longer sees the Principality in a favorable light.

Not only does it have an autonomous territory within the Empire, but it also has a considerable military force, befitting a nation that fought alongside the Empire against external enemies.

Moreover, although the dragon’s blood and the Emperor’s blood have thinned, they are still technically a branch of the Imperial Family.

If left unchecked, they might become a threat to the Empire someday and swallow the Imperial Family—

That’s probably why they started the war.

They spent several years on preliminary work, and now they are pouring in all available forces.

They’ve already captured the capital and think they’ve gained the upper hand.

What if an external force suddenly supports the Principality at this time?

That would be trolling of the highest order, wouldn’t it?

“You’re currently in the middle of a queen search operation, right?”

Before Fernandez could say anything, I quickly pressed on.

“I know everything, brother. That Dragon Lady escaped from the fallen capital. And that you’re currently searching for her with a continent-wide dragnet.”

The Bringer Duke has always been a woman, and this Duke is also a woman.

This character with dragon’s blood has many nicknames.

From the official title of Bringer Grand Duke, to Dragon-Blooded Duke, to Dragon Lady…

But players usually called her this, simply.

The Queen.

Her appearance and actions were truly queen-like, so although she should technically be called a Duke, everyone simply called her the Queen.

Anyway, the Queen has successfully escaped the capital with her personal guard.

「How did you know that……!」

How do I know?

Well, because the most important first branching point in this game is whether or not you get the Queen on your side.

The timing is roughly the latter half of the first year.

The Queen, defeated in the war with the Empire, continues to resist by leading a guerrilla force until she can no longer fight, then escapes to the south, reaching the monster front.

The Queen and her knights are all SSR-grade heroes [Super Super Rare, a term used in gacha games to denote the highest rarity], a ridiculously powerful party decked out in SSR-grade equipment.

First-time players are often mesmerized by this party and accept them as allies.

But it’s a huge trap.

The moment you bring them under your command, your relationship with the Imperial Family becomes the worst it can be.

All support from the capital is cut off, and the magic stone sales routes are severely restricted.

What’s more? They even start sending troops from the homeland to capture the Queen.

However, the Queen and her knights are incredibly powerful. There were even some perverted players who finished the game with just this party.

Anyway, that’s how it was in the game.

‘Advance their recruitment period.’

If they don’t send reinforcements, what can I do?

I have to make common cause with these poor friends who share my interests.

I’ll hide the Queen and her personal knights on the southern front and cooperate to rebuild their forces.

In return, they will lend me their strength and fight the monsters together.

It’s a complete win-win!

“There are many refugees and defeated soldiers who have lost their countries to the Empire, their royalty, their knight orders. They’re not just one or two on the continent, brother.”

「…….」

“I will accept them all here on the southern front.”

Let’s form a team of terror, shall we?

The youngest prince, exiled from the Imperial Capital, gathers those who harbor hatred for the Empire. Isn’t that a beautiful picture?

「Are you out of your mind, Ash?」

Fernandez was dumbfounded.

「Isn’t that practically an act of treason!」

“No. It’s clearly, completely different.”

I agree that it’s a bit of a cover-up, but strictly speaking, this is not a rebellion.

Monsters are clearly a disaster.

“The central Imperial Family has not dispatched reinforcements here. You could say they’ve effectively abandoned their right to govern. So, we’re just joining forces with those around us to survive this disaster.”

「That doesn’t make any sense-」

“If you wanted me to make sense, you should have created a situation that made sense in the first place.”

I sneered.

“If a nation demands loyalty, shouldn’t the nation also uphold at least a minimum of morality?”

「…….」

“The nation doesn’t protect us in its name. Without any reinforcements, they’ve essentially issued an order to die in place, and now they call it treason when we struggle to survive? Stop talking nonsense.”

「…….」

“Make a choice, brother.”

I declared what I thought was the last word to the silent Fernandez.

“Will you open a path for the Queen of the Principality to escape to the south? Or will you send a handful of reinforcements to this southern front?”

「…….」

“Don’t lose both the west and the south. Make a wise choice.”

Fernandez’s silence was short, but it felt like an eternity.

Finally, his beautiful voice flowed from the goddess statue.

「……What is the scale of the reinforcements you’re requesting?」

I clenched my fist without realizing it.

It worked. My gamble paid off.

“There are about 1,000 wyverns invading this time. We need to be able to handle these monsters with ease.”

「What is the duration of support?」

“For the next five defense battles.”

From stage 6 to stage 10.

I was planning to use them thoroughly.

「Very well.」

Fernandez answered coolly.

He should have done this from the start. That damn brother of mine.

「I can’t send the 1st Army from the Western Front. The encirclement would be broken. Instead, I’ll send reinforcements from the center… my direct forces.」

“Really?”

「I don’t lie. Besides, if I said I’d send them and then didn’t, it seems like you’d really declare a rebellion.」

I could hear something being written over the communication. Was he drafting an official document?

「Don’t worry too much about whether we can make it on time. My direct forces are the fastest in the world. I’ll have them ready immediately.」

“That’s a relief then.”

Perhaps it was because a conclusion had been reached. Fernandez’s voice softened slightly.

「Are you satisfied with this, little brother?」

“If you had just sent them right away, we wouldn’t have had to get so worked up, but if you send reinforcements, I’m satisfied.”

It was reinforcements that I had essentially extorted through threats.

It’s infuriating that I have to get the reinforcements that should have been sent anyway like this, but what’s done is done.

This should give me some peace of mind for a while.

「But, Ash.」

Fernandez lowered his voice.

「You’ll have to pay the price for your insolence. Even if it’s for the sake of reinforcements, you said too many things this time that a prince shouldn’t have said.」

“…….”

「Let’s talk face to face soon, little brother.」

Talk face to face?

He’s not talking about a video call, so that means…

「Ending communication. Good luck, Southern Front.」

As he was about to hang up, I shot back one last time.

“Get lost, Central.”

Click.

The communication magic was cut off.

“Hoo…”

I took a long breath.

My palms were soaked with sweat, probably because I was quite nervous. I roughly wiped my palms on my pants and turned around.

Lukas and Margherita were also looking at me, equally tense. I clapped my hands.

“The reinforcement issue is resolved. There’s no need to become a rebel. Everything is going smoothly.”

It wasn’t that simple, but still.

After saying that with a bit of bravado, I turned back to the goddess statue.

“Oh, right, I don’t want to hear any blasphemy, but… this can’t be helped.”

I took out my staff from my pocket and swung it forward.

Three magical blades that rose up spun and pierced the goddess statue. Margherita let out a short scream.

Crack, crackle, crack…

As the plaster exterior peeled away, the magical and alchemical machinery hidden inside the goddess statue was revealed.

I casually swung my staff a few more times.

Bang! Crackle! Crash-!

The communication device was shattered. Honestly, it was a bit of a waste, but this device is not beneficial to me.

I put the staff back in my pocket and gestured to Lukas.

“Lukas, do you believe in the goddess?”

“I pride myself on being quite devout.”

“Then, if I order you to thoroughly investigate all the goddess statues and religious symbols in this temple, and destroy them if necessary, will you hate me?”

“No, of course not. There is nothing above my lord’s orders for me.”

“Thank you.”

I ordered Lukas, who bowed his head to me.

“I’ll give you three days. Search this temple thoroughly to see if anything else is hidden.”

“Understood.”

“Margherita? You’ll cooperate, of course?”

Margherita, who was trembling at my words, nodded, swallowing her tears.

“As Your Highness says… I will do it…”

“The goddess would be happier with sincere prayers to the heavens than with such devices that mimic her appearance to plot schemes.”

I don’t know the religious doctrines of this world very well. But wouldn’t she?

***

I returned to the mansion.

The Shadow Unit was still kneeling in the drawing room, and the rest of the main party members were watching over them.

It was time to decide their fate.

“Evangeline, Damian, Junior. Please go outside for a moment. Lily is outside too, so gather together.”

“But, Senior…”

Evangeline rolled her round eyes, looking between me and God Hand.

“They were… spies. You might be in danger…”

“Don’t worry about that.”

“…Okay. But, you have to call us right away if anything happens?”

The main party members cautiously left the drawing room, and I pulled a chair and sat down in front of the Shadow Unit members.

“There’s no need for long words.”

I pulled out my staff from my pocket. Three blades of magic rose behind my back.

Bodybag and Burnout swallowed their breaths, and God Hand silently looked at me.

Without hesitation, I thrust my staff forward.

The three magical blades flew towards each of the three… and precisely cut the ropes binding their bodies.

I put the staff back in my pocket. The three, freed from their restraints, looked at me in bewilderment.

“The criteria by which I judge you are not your origins, nor the secrets you hold within.”

I said bluntly.

“It’s your actions that you have shown so far.”

The Shadow Unit had followed my orders at the risk of their lives.

And in fact, Old Girl and Skull had sacrificed their lives to protect me.

I remember Old Girl’s smile as she waved her hand, letting her blood be sucked.

I remember Skull’s courage as he drew his dagger and stood in front of the Vampire King.

There was no falsehood in those actions.

“So, I have decided to trust you.”

I decided to trust them once again.

Only then would they become completely mine, down to the last detail.

“Your Highness… !”

The three prostrated themselves before me with moved expressions. Uh-huh, it’s not time to shed tears of emotion yet.

“God Hand. Confess first.”

I asked in a stern voice.

“What was the ‘secret order’ you received from above?”