I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 184

Ten minutes earlier.

This is sudden, but.

I got hit with a German Suplex.

I mean, that wrestling move where you grab the opponent’s waist with both hands, lift them backward, and slam them headfirst into the ground.

I don’t know what they call that move in this world, but anyway, I got hit with it.

The person who did that to me was none other than Princess Yoon.

“Uryaahhhhh!”

With the strength of a bear, she lifted me up and slammed me onto the wooden chairs placed on the platform.

Crash! Bang!

“Gwaek!”

The chairs shattered, and I was buried in the debris.

Cough, I can’t feel my neck. My back feels like it’s broken too.

Princess Yoon, with a ferocious look, cast healing magic on me as I lay sprawled out.

Seriously, is she giving me the disease and then the cure? More importantly, what’s the Princess’s class? Is she a martial artist or a priest?

“In the North, there are no people who cheat. Do you know why?”

After finishing the German Suplex and the subsequent healing magic on me, Yoon dusted her hands off, looking down at me on the floor.

“Anyone who cheats, regardless of status, man or woman, has to get hit with this.”

“I’m sorry…”

Today, after announcing our engagement, I suddenly dumped Princess Yoon and danced with another woman in front of everyone.

The Northern Kingdom’s envoys were in an uproar. It was a major diplomatic discourtesy.

The furious people of the Northern Kingdom decided to ‘punish’ me in their own way, and this was the result. What a vigorous country.

“Well, I think you’ve vented a little bit now.”

Fernandes stepped forward, trying to calm the tense atmosphere. That guy, he looks kind of pleased.

“To think that someone as promising as Princess Yoon would marry a scoundrel like my brother. It’s a waste.”

“Actually, there was a lot of talk in our Imperial Family too. We were worried that this troublemaker’s marriage proposal would be a nuisance to the Arian Kingdom…”

Lark even joined in. It’s a little sad to be scolded by my older brothers at the same time.

The two princes soothed the Northern Kingdom’s envoys and led them out of the grand banquet hall.

Since the political marriage was already off the table, they would have to strengthen the alliance in another way.

Princess Yoon glared at me one last time before going outside. I waved at her back.

“Did Ash cause another accident?”

“Looks like it? He’s truly the Empire’s number one troublemaker…”

“So, what is it? Because he didn’t want to marry the Northern Kingdom, he called his old fiancée, who he never even looked at, in her ragged state and danced with her?”

“Does he even realize he’s causing trouble for the Imperial Family?”

“His Majesty must be very worried…”

While monopolizing the gossip of the other nobles left in the party hall, I closed my eyes tightly.

Thanks to my reputation as a crazy troublemaker, everyone is just gossiping, not that surprised.

‘I’ve added another page to the legend of Kim Ash, the troublemaker…’

I’ve done something like this as soon as I decided to live as Ash. Maybe I have a talent for being a troublemaker?

At that moment, Serenade came out after her private meeting with the Emperor. I smiled and spoke to her.

“Did it go well?”

***

“Let’s break off our engagement.”

After hearing the report that the conversation between the Emperor and Serenade went well.

I preempted Serenade, who seemed to have something more to say to me.

“…”

Serenade froze. I smiled bitterly.

Of course, I know. I know that this young lady has feelings for me.

But breaking off the engagement with Serenade was something I had been thinking about.

“There are too many eyes watching.”

The eyes of the party hall are focused on us on the platform. I took Serenade’s hand and led her towards the garden terrace.

“Let’s talk over there.”

Serenade followed me listlessly.

The garden was in full summer.

The greenery was vivid even in the red sunset. The refreshing scent of summer filled the garden.

On the tree next to the terrace, the last spring flowers were dropping their petals one by one. They were pale blue petals.

“Why… is it?”

A tearful voice was heard. I turned around.

“Why are you trying to abandon me again?”

Tears streamed down her white cheeks.

With tears in her silver eyes, Serenade was looking up at me.

The day I first met Serenade came to mind. She was crying and looking up at me like this back then too.

“I can’t understand your heart at all, my lord. You treated me coldly for years, and then you were so kind to me these past few days, and now why… why are you saying we should break off the engagement?”

“…”

“If you were going to abandon me anyway, why were you so warm to me? Once I’ve felt that warmth… I can’t go back…”

“Serenade.”

I approached her, who was sobbing, and sighed softly.

“Our relationship was wrong from the start.”

The Imperial Family needed money, and the merchant family needed a rise in status.

Ash and Serenade got engaged because their interests aligned.

And after 10 years of accumulated misunderstandings, speculations, and wrong actions… their relationship was ruined.

Ash became a troublemaker, tormenting Serenade and extorting her financially,

and Serenade, because she needed Ash’s bloodline, passively clung to him.

‘Relationships between people are like Jenga puzzles.’

A wooden puzzle where you take out the pillars in between and place them on top, building a tower.

Ash and Serenade’s relationship was a precarious Jenga puzzle on the verge of collapse.

The pillars were thin and flimsy, so it seemed like it would crumble with the slightest shock.

Although they managed to temporarily patch up the wounds and endure a bigger crisis, they couldn’t build the next relationship in this state.

Because the festering wounds would eventually burst. Because the tower would eventually collapse.

So – I decided to rebuild the tower from the zero base.

‘Because I decided to live as Ash.’

I’m going to fix Ash’s relationships as I please.

So, Serenade.

“Let’s start over from the beginning.”

Serenade, who was hiccuping and crying, looked up at me with reddened eyes. I smiled gently.

Poor girl.

Her short hair was disheveled, her dress was torn, her stockings were ripped, and she came all the way here barefoot to save me, poor thing.

We’re on the same side.

There’s no way I’d abandon you.

“The Imperial Family’s circumstances, your family’s long-cherished wish, I don’t care about any of that. I don’t care about anyone else, let’s start over purely between the two of us, from the beginning.”

“…”

“First… as the commander of the Southern Front and the head of the merchant group that trades with that place. As good business partners.”

No longer someone depending on someone else,

but equally, at the same eye level, so that we can walk while looking at each other.

“From the beginning again. A new start. How about it?”

Serenade, who was wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, murmured softly.

“…Dance partners too.”

“Huh?”

“Will you keep being my dance partner too?”

Looking at Serenade, who was speaking with a nasal voice, I burst into a hearty laugh.

“Of course. Partner.”

The evening breeze blew. From the branches swaying above our heads, the last remaining spring petals fell.

Suddenly, a certain poem came to mind.

Shaking delicate hands, on a day when the petals fall softly…

“…”

Spring ends and summer comes.

We become a little more mature.

Just like the poem said, there are relationships that mature through separation.

So…

I smiled and said.

“Let’s break up.”

Looking into Serenade’s tear-filled silver eyes, I spoke softly.

“Let’s move forward together from the beginning. Serenade.”

Past the immature spring, into the summer of maturity.

Together.

“…”

Serenade didn’t cry anymore.

Serenade roughly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, composed herself, and then bowed to me first.

It was a neat and beautiful movement.

“It was a good time. My lord.”

It was the greeting after the dance was over.

I smiled gently and slowly bowed in front of her.

“I enjoyed it too, Serenade.”

Swoosh…

After the greeting was over, the wind stopped, and even the flower rain ceased.

“…Um. My lord… no, Your Highness.”

Serenade, who had changed her title, smiled faintly.

“I know it’s pathetic to say this after breaking up.”

Her voice trembled. Her eyes were red. She really is a woman who cries a lot.

“Can you grant me just one wish?”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“Just once… can you hug me?”

It was a voice that seemed to have squeezed out all her will.

I chuckled and opened my arms.

Serenade carefully hugged me. I held her tightly.

“Tighter. So tight that I can’t breathe. So tight that I’ll be crushed…”

I gently grasped her frail shoulders, which seemed like they would break if I held her any tighter.

Serenade sobbed in my arms.

This is how we broke off our engagement.

This is how we parted.

***

Three days passed.

The victory celebration party was over, the negotiations with the Guardians were over, the Winter Silver family was saved, and the independent route of the Southern Front was guaranteed.

It seemed like everything was over, but it wasn’t quite like that.

First of all, because I dumped Princess Yoon and caused a ruckus at the end of the party, about half of the sponsors who had promised support withdrew their support.

The reason was that they couldn’t trust a man who was so fickle.

‘Isn’t it just because they didn’t want to pay…? ‘

Still, about half of them actually came to the detached palace and gave their donations.

I guess it’s something, but somehow they’re all my crazy fans… It was a little scary every time I received a donation.

They tried to put saliva on my hand while shaking it, asked me to sign their butts, asked me to lick their eyeballs, asked me to do some kind of reaction, seriously, why are there so many crazy people…?

Still, with my skills honed from years of being a streamer, I easily finished entertaining the sponsors.

If there are any guys who cross the line with their donations, I can just ban them.

The negotiations with the Guardians seemed to have gone well, but after that, I had to go to the Imperial Palace every day for additional meetings.

The main topic was the production and inventory of magic stones, and how much to send to the capital.

Of course, the capital demanded the entire amount, and I tried my best to conceal the amount I was earning and send only about half of the actual amount.

Half is honestly a waste, but I have to send enough so that they don’t do human sacrifices in this scary place.

If I think about saving people, I can send more than half. Anyway, from the middle of the story, there will be plenty of magic stones left over.

The envoys from the Northern Arian Kingdom also came to see me once. Surprisingly, Princess Yoon had a refreshed look on her face.

“Thanks to you, I’m glad I don’t have to get married!”

She said she had finished preparing to return to the North and came to see me one last time.

The alliance agreement also seemed to have gone well somehow. Fernandes must have used some tricks.

It’s a little bit my fault for being a troll, but in the first place, you shouldn’t try to use others as pawns in a political marriage.

“Oh, and I’m going to tell my country that I dumped the prince. Is that okay?”

“Do as you please.”

I can gladly do that much for you. Go ahead and say you dumped me hard. Brag about how you landed a German Suplex too.

“Then see you again, Your Highness. Next time, build up some more muscle. I think you might become my type.”

After saying that, Yoon said, “Oh, right!” before leaving and suddenly lifted her top.

I, Yoon’s subordinates, and Alberto, who was clearing the teacups, were all shocked. What the?!?

Under Yoon’s top, her abs were proudly shining.

“How is it, awesome, right?”

Then she smiled and left.

No… it is awesome, but what’s the point of showing that before leaving?

After spending a few chaotic days like that.

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

Since there were no more guests, I sighed in relief and started preparing to go south.

“Your Highness, a new guest has arrived.”

“Huh?”

Someone visited with Alberto’s guidance.

I smiled brightly at the familiar face.

“Yaa! You’re alive!”

“…”

A swordswoman wearing a maid’s uniform with a sword on her back.

It was Elise.