I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 167

Royal Palace. Ash’s detached palace.

It was the middle of the night, nearing dawn. The reception room was dimly lit.

“……”

Sitting on the sofa, I slowly brought the wine glass in my hand to my lips, lost in thought.

I was thinking about the Second Prince, Fernandez, who had brought me to this detached palace a little while ago, and the words he had spoken.

The Emperor is in hibernation.

The Emperor and the three princes, these four, call themselves guardians.

They swore to protect the Empire from the fate of destruction, even if it meant sacrificing everything else in the process.

…….

What the heck are these crazy Empire fanatics talking about?

Something smells fishy. I feel an ominous presence.

A chilling sensation that tingles my spine, like when you’re about to encounter a hidden boss in a dungeon. A similar feeling was tapping at the back of my neck.

‘This is making me dizzy…….’

I decided not to think about the Imperial Family for now.

Anyway, they said they’re going to have some kind of ‘Guardian Council’ soon, so if I attend that, the truth will probably come out.

Rubbing my throbbing forehead, I thought about other things.

The Imperial Family is trying to break off Serenade and Ash’s engagement.

Serenade’s family, the Winter Silver, is of commoner origin.

And, Ash’s mother is also of commoner origin…….

“……”

It feels like fragmented pieces of information are floating in the air. I glared at each of these puzzle pieces.

I felt frustrated all over again.

I am not Ash. I have no way of knowing his past, his thoughts, or his goals.

If Ash were in front of me, I would want to have a drink with him and ask him.

‘About your father, your brothers, your mother, and your fiancée.’

What do you think?

What do you… want to do in the future?

It was then.

“Your Highness?”

The head butler of the Imperial Palace, Alberto, entered the reception room, neatly dressed.

“I was worried when I heard you returned late, but to be drinking at this hour.”

I thought he was going to nag me for drinking, but he didn’t.

“Drinking on an empty stomach is not good for you. Please have some snacks with your drink. I will bring something simple.”

Alberto headed to the kitchen and soon returned with a small plate of elegantly arranged cheese pieces.

“Will you join me for a drink, Alberto?”

When I asked Alberto, who was pouring me a new drink, the old butler smiled kindly and shook his head.

“It would be an honor to drink with Your Highness, but the head butler must always be awake and clear-headed.”

“That’s a shame.”

Sipping my new drink, I gestured to the sofa next to me. Alberto, quick-witted as a head butler should be, quickly sat down on the sofa.

“Is there something troubling you, Your Highness?”

“……Alberto.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You said you have been managing the affairs of the Imperial Palace for a long time.”

“That is correct. I have been working here since before Your Highness was born.”

The old man’s face was full of pride as he said that. Hmm, indeed.

“Then you must know the secret history of the Imperial Palace well.”

“There are things I have inevitably seen and heard.”

Alberto lightly tapped his chest.

“But this humble Alberto has buried and forgotten them all. I have never spoken to anyone about what has happened in this Imperial Palace.”

“You are very loyal, Alberto.”

I put down my glass and smiled gently.

“So, I’ll apologize in advance.”

“Yes?”

“Because you’re going to have to tell me the secret history you’ve buried.”

The next moment, I activated [Commanding Eye].

Looking into Alberto’s eyes, I commanded.

“Until sunrise, answer my questions truthfully.”

[Command Difficulty: Difficult]

[Comparing user’s intelligence stat with target’s magic stat.]

[Determining success rate. Starting resistance roll…….]

Alberto is an ordinary person, not a hero character.

His magic stat is almost non-existent. Therefore, even a somewhat difficult command worked without any problems.

[Judgment Complete!]

>Success: 1 target

[Executing forced command.]

Alberto stiffened for a moment, then nodded with a rigid face.

“Please ask me anything, Your Highness. If it is something this Alberto can answer, I will tell you everything.”

***

I first asked Alberto about the Emperor and the princes, but Alberto knew nothing about the Emperor’s hibernation or the Guardian Council.

It could be that it was outside of Alberto’s area of management, but it also meant that the Emperor and the princes kept their secrets so thoroughly that even the head butler was completely unaware.

However, Alberto knew well about the rest of the things I was curious about.

“Your Highness’s mother, Empress Dustia II, was originally a war slave.”

When I asked about Ash’s mother, Alberto began to tell the story fluently.

“She was said to be a descendant of the royal family of a small nation that our Empire destroyed. After the country was destroyed, she was reduced to slavery and performed forced labor on the northern front.”

“A slave…….”

“Although she was a slave, she had outstanding talent in magic, and she caught the eye of His Majesty the Emperor, who happened to be on a conquest on the northern front, and was employed as a mage. After that, she participated in many battles with His Majesty and even received a title for her contributions.”

She was a mage. Did Ash inherit his magical talent from his mother?

“His Majesty favored her greatly and tried to bring her into the palace as a concubine, but there was a lot of opposition. They said, how could he bring a commoner into the palace…….”

“……”

“When the opposition continued, His Majesty, enraged, made her the second Empress instead of a concubine. At that time, the whole country was in an uproar.”

I broke out in a cold sweat. The Emperor had quite a temper. To make her an Empress because they opposed her becoming a concubine.

“One year after entering the palace, she gave birth to Your Highness.”

Alberto’s face darkened as he spoke, which had been smiling until now.

“However, she was often ignored by the First Empress and the other concubines. They were all of noble lineage, after all.”

“……”

“When His Majesty was away from the palace on expeditions, she was openly harassed. Perhaps because of that, she became increasingly distressed and emaciated.”

It was painful to hear, but I listened patiently. It was information I needed to know.

“She requested His Majesty the Emperor several times to remove her from the position of Second Empress and send her back to the north. But His Majesty did not allow it.”

“……”

“And eight years ago, when Your Highness turned fifteen, she suffered from weakness and mental confusion… and took her own life.”

“……”

“The first person to discover the body of the Second Empress was Your Highness.”

Alberto’s voice trailed off.

“Your Highness was mischievous and had no interest in academics, but he was kind by nature. But from that day on, he began to go astray…….”

“……I see.”

Did Ash start to go astray because of his mother’s death?

“Cough, this humble Alberto, just thinking about that day brings tears to my eyes…….”

I quickly asked the next question to Alberto, who was about to take out a handkerchief.

“Next, can you tell me about the Winter Silver family?”

Then, Alberto paused like a robot and immediately changed the subject. The [Commanding Eye] effect is amazing.

“The Winter Silver family was originally a fallen baronial family from the borderlands. They were struggling with debt, but one day a merchant came and offered to pay off their debt in exchange for selling their title.”

“That merchant was……?”

“Yes. He was the first head of the Winter Silver Merchant Guild. He is the grandfather of Miss Serenade. He was said to be a slave of a different race, but he was so skilled that he amassed a great fortune.”

The fact that he was from a different race bothered me, but I continued to listen to the story.

“The merchant, who was adopted into the Winter Silver family, became the Winter Silver Baron, and the guild he founded grew rapidly and became very large. In the next generation, it grew to become the largest guild in the Empire.”

Alberto cleared his throat and continued.

“When His Majesty the Emperor took Empress Dustia II, all the ministers opposed it, so they could not open the national treasury and there was no money to build a new palace. At this time, the Winter Silver Baron came to His Majesty and offered to bear all the costs.”

He was lining up. For the Second Empress.

“His Majesty was pleased and bestowed the title of Count on the Winter Silver Baron. This is how the Winter Silver Count came to be, and this person is the second head of the guild, that is, Miss Serenade’s father.”

I tilted my head.

“Was it originally possible to buy, sell, and bestow titles so freely?”

It’s not like some game rank that you can raise and lower.

“It was a rare occurrence that happened secretly. But this case was done so openly…….”

“The other nobles must have hated it.”

“They hated it, of course. They cursed him as a commoner merchant who bought his title with money. Especially the other count families were eager to tear him apart.”

That’s understandable. They had long upheld the values of tradition, but this guy just bought it with money.

“But the Winter Silver family had enormous financial power. The Winter Silver family continued to act as the patron of Empress Dustia II, bringing gold and silver treasures to the Imperial Palace.”

Alberto’s eyes became distant as he recalled those days.

“In particular, the Countess of Winter Silver was the only friend of the Second Empress, who was lonely in the palace. The Countess often came to visit with her young daughter, and she quickly became friends with Your Highness as well.”

What?

“Could that young daughter be?”

“Yes. It is Miss Serenade.”

“Wow.”

I opened my mouth slightly.

Goodness, Ash and Serenade were childhood friends?

“Miss Serenade was two years older than Your Highness, so they were like close siblings. They were both so cute back then…….”

“She was even older?!”

Well, Ash is a bit younger than I thought. But still, I didn’t expect Serenade to be older.

“But it seems that the Winter Silver Count was not satisfied with the title of Count. He wanted to forge a deeper connection with the Imperial Family, and since he had a close relationship with Empress Dustia II, he tried to move on to the next stage.”

“The next stage?”

No way…….

“To arrange a marriage?”

“Yes. He promoted the marriage between Your Highness and Miss Serenade.”

Alberto lowered his wrinkled eyes.

“His Majesty the Emperor…… was quite displeased. Even though Empress Dustia II was of low birth, Your Highness was a prince. It was presumptuous for a merchant family that had bought their title with money to ask for marriage first.”

“……”

“But the Second Empress desperately wanted to become in-laws with her only friend, so His Majesty had no choice but to allow the marriage. However, there was a condition attached.”

I recalled what I had heard from Fernandez.

“The national road project, right?”

“Yes. The road maintenance project had been promoted since the time of the previous Emperor, but it was stalled because it cost too much money. He demanded that the Winter Silver Merchant Guild cooperate with this project.”

“……”

“The Winter Silver Merchant Guild gladly jumped into the road maintenance project, and the engagement went smoothly. But…… another problem arose.”

“His mother passed away.”

Alberto nodded heavily.

“That’s right. The biggest reason why His Majesty the Emperor allowed this engagement was the Second Empress, but she passed away.”

“……”

“His Majesty decided to break off the engagement as soon as the road maintenance project was completed. And he also decided to deal with the Winter Silver family, who had become too arrogant because they trusted the Second Empress.”

That’s how it happened.

“His Majesty also repeatedly told Your Highness to distance himself from Winter Silver from now on.”

So, Ash started to treat his fiancée, whom he had been close to since childhood, coldly?

“Your Highness began to go astray when the Second Empress passed away, but he became a complete delinquent from this point on. From the time when the annulment of the engagement with Miss Serenade was confirmed.”

“Huh?”

I asked carefully.

“Ash… no, I. Didn’t I hate Serenade?”

Then Alberto jumped up from his seat.

“What are you talking about! Miss Serenade was Your Highness’s first love! Since before the marriage proposal!”

“Oh? R-really?”

“Didn’t you consult with me several times about how to write love letters? You said you couldn’t even talk about this with Lucas…….”

Alberto looked at me with a warm face, as if he were looking at his grandson.

“Whenever there was a party in the palace, the two of you would become partners, holding each other’s small hands and dancing. How cute and innocent the two of you were, with your faces flushed red at that time…….”

But soon, his old face was filled with sadness.

“But after the engagement, things turned out like this…… the relationship between the two of you gradually went wrong…… and now I hear that it has become completely cold. Cough!”

Alberto took out his handkerchief again and began to wipe his eyes. This old man really has a lot of tears.

***

After putting [Commanding Eye] on Alberto again and telling him to keep tonight’s events a secret, I sent him back.

He probably noticed that I had lost my memory from our conversation tonight, but thanks to the [Commanding Eye] effect, he won’t be able to tell anyone for a while.

The morning was dawning, hazy. I returned to my room and quietly looked in the mirror.

“……”

I still don’t really know.

What kind of person Ash was. How he wanted to live. What choices he would make in this situation.

Even if I read the character list, even if I listen to people’s stories, it doesn’t really feel real.

‘I have three years.’

After the three-year capture is over and I see the ending, I don’t know what will happen to this body after that.

Will the original Ash, who lent me his body, return?

Or will I lose my soul and collapse and die?

“Hoo.”

Either way, I decided to just think simply.

Solidifying my resolve, I opened my eyes wide.

‘I will do what I want to do.’

What I want to do.

That is, to protect people.

To save the people within my reach.

So, Ash.

‘I will save you.’

You, whom I have never been able to save even once during the 742 times I played this game. I will take on your life.

As the commander of the monster front, and as the third prince of the Empire.

I will do my best to live as you. I will struggle with all my might in my own way.

‘No matter what the result is, don’t go back on your word later.’

I smiled bitterly and glared at Ash in the mirror…….

No, at ‘me’.

‘It’s because you lent me this body.’

***

That morning.

New Terra, the Imperial Capital. The coastal pier.

The fifth floor of the Winter Silver Merchant Guild building. The head of the guild’s room.

“What brings you here, my dear husband?”

Even though I visited her suddenly, Serenade was not flustered.

She didn’t even look at me and was busy with her work.

The quill entangled in her slender fingers moved busily over the documents.

“If it’s about what you mentioned yesterday, I’m working on it. I’m selecting the best architects, and I’m also setting up our guild branch to be dispatched to Crossroads. You don’t have to worry.”

Serenade’s light blue hair, enveloped in sunlight, sparkled like the surface of the water at noon.

I stared at her for a moment, then turned my gaze to the side. I saw Elise standing behind Serenade.

“……”

Elise, with bandages wrapped around her body, was narrowing her eyes and examining me.

It was a look that suggested she didn’t understand me. I gave such Elise a bright smile.

At that moment, Serenade finally raised her head and looked at me. She still had the quill in her hand and was wearing her glasses.

“My dear husband? If you have any other instructions, please tell me-”

“Serenade.”

I spoke the words I had prepared without hesitation.

“There’s a victory celebration party at the Imperial Palace in a week.”

“……?”

“You might not believe me if I say this, but I don’t know how to dance.”

Serenade blinked her silver eyes in bewilderment. I smiled gently.

“Can you teach me?”

“Ah……?”

Serenade, who had been frozen for a moment, fumbled and took out a new piece of paper.

“Ah, you mean you want me to call a social dance instructor? Understood. I will immediately find the most famous instructor in the Imperial Capital-”

“No. Serenade.”

I strode up to Serenade’s desk and slammed my hand down on the paper she was about to write on.

And looking into Serenade’s surprised eyes, I said directly.

“I want you to teach me.”

“……Me?”

“I want you to teach me how to dance. I would also appreciate it if you could teach me party manners.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Am I perhaps making too much of a request to the busy head of the Winter Silver Merchant Guild?”

Thump!

Serenade pushed her chair back and stood up.

With a flushed face, and with tears welling up in her eyes,

“No! I, I, I was just pretending to be busy!”

Looking at me with trembling eyes, Serenade shouted.

“I have! Plenty of time!”