I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 423

“……”

“……”

A moment of silence passed.

The Mermaid King had a kitchen knife pointed at my neck, and I was in a situation where I had to answer his question.

-Why shouldn’t he, who lost everything to the Everblack Empire, harm me, the third prince of the Empire?

I took a breath and then smiled.

‘Well, isn’t it obvious?’

Because only I in this world can save them.

Only I… can provide what they truly need.

“I will stop all persecution of other races by humans.”

“……What?”

King Poseidon let out a bewildered groan at my sudden words.

But I didn’t stop.

“I will return all the lands that were originally yours.”

“What…?”

“Driven from their homelands, confined to autonomous regions, exiled beyond the continent, or scattered all over the world… all the other races harbor a deep resentment for their lost homes.”

I placed my hand over my chest.

“I swear in the name of Ash ‘Bonehater’ Everblack.”

“……”

“I will help you reclaim your homelands. I will help you and your people regain the land and sea you lost, as well as your history and pride.”

A deadly silence filled the darkened reception room.

After a moment, the Mermaid King’s mouth slowly opened.

“I don’t understand.”

His deep-sea-colored eyes stared at me as if to pierce through me.

“Why are you trying to do such a thing? What reason do you have to help us?”

“The order is reversed, King Poseidon.”

I adjusted my posture to sit more comfortably.

“Because everyone’s strength is needed to protect the world… so I’m just offering a price that would make you willing to risk your lives.”

The Mermaid King’s brow furrowed at my words.

“Protect the world?”

“This place, Crossroads, is the front line for stopping the monsters for the sake of the entire world.”

I tapped the armrest of the sofa I was sitting on with my hand.

“But the second prince, Fernandez, has given up the fight against the monsters and declared surrender to the king of the monsters.”

“……?!”

“So I want to oppose him. And to do that, I need as many forces as possible.”

I spoke honestly.

Because I judged that it was a situation where it was okay to do so.

“The Everblack Empire, located in the center of the world… but that doesn’t mean the entire world. Outside the Empire, there are just as many people living.”

Small countries.

Other races.

Nomadic peoples, and those who don’t even belong there.

They are the ‘Fallen Kings’.

“I am trying to unite them as much as possible. And, I know. The second prince who won the succession battle, and the third prince who fell to the southern backwoods and fought monsters. Which side has a better chance of winning. Most will try to side with the second prince.”

“……”

“So, I’m offering a big price. Because I want you to take my side even in this unfavorable situation, I’ve raised the stakes.”

I promise what the other races have wanted the most.

In short – this is a blank check.

If you help me defeat Fernandez, I will make sure you get this reward.

It’s a lip service that is, in a way, irresponsible, with no guarantee of victory.

“……”

But.

Nevertheless, the Mermaid King’s face was lost in serious thought.

The lifeline I threw was flimsy, but no one had ever thrown even such a flimsy lifeline in front of them before.

100 years-

After the race war, while the Everblack Empire seized world hegemony and wielded the continent as it pleased under the sun.

The losers who had to hide in the shadows.

I am making them an offer they cannot refuse.

If they stay still like this, they will have to crawl on the bottom forever.

In that case, wouldn’t it be better to gather all the remaining stakes with me and try to win a round?

“……Let’s make one thing clear.”

The Mermaid King, having finished his contemplation, slowly opened his mouth.

“Do you truly have the authority to fulfill that promise?”

“I do.”

To be precise, I will have it now.

Well… if it’s inevitable that I’ll clash with Fernandez anyway.

If I defeat him, the likely next emperor who won the succession battle-

Of course. To me, the victor.

I will have more than enough authority to return the homelands to the other races.

It’s a simple either-or choice. Either lose and let the world be destroyed by monsters, or win and move the world as I want.

And I have no intention of losing even a bit.

I am a fighter against monsters. I didn’t fight this far to be game over in a civil war with humans.

I will win.

For that, appeasing all the fallen kings… is a very easy thing to do.

“……”

A little more silence flowed.

Thud-

The Mermaid King, having placed the cleanly emptied bottle on the table next to him, let out a soft sigh.

“……I have heard about what you are doing on the ground through various channels.”

Huh?

He knew about me?

“I also heard that in your front lines and your city, you treat all races equally without discrimination if they fight against monsters.”

“……”

“I heard you took that dragon lady under your command. You took in the survivors of the Maple Leaf tribe among the beastmen… these news have made the fairy queen and the dwarf lord interested in you.”

I didn’t know I was quite a popular figure in the rumors…

“So I was testing your true intentions. I apologize if it was unpleasant. I hope you don’t take it too harshly.”

Clatter-

King Poseidon slowly removed the ice pick he had been pointing at my neck and placed it on the table.

…No, it wasn’t an ice pick.

It was a long, stick-shaped piece of frozen ice.

Using the power of a mermaid to manipulate water, he had frozen the water in the bathtub into an ice stick, then pretended it was a knife and threatened my neck with it.

No, I was drunk and in a daze, and the guy who was slicing fish with a kitchen knife just before was threatening me with a cold solid object… of course, I thought it was a knife! But it was ice!

“……I still hate the Everblack Empire.”

The Mermaid King muttered calmly.

“I still hate humans. But as the leader of a race, I also know that your offer is an opportunity that will not come again.”

“Does that mean……”

“I will consider it positively.”

He put down the bottle, the knife, and the ice.

King Poseidon smiled bitterly, shaking his empty hands.

“We have nothing more to lose anyway.”

***

After King Poseidon XIII dragged his portable bathtub into the guest room.

Alone in the empty reception room, I gulped down cold water, let out a long breath, and then spoke to the ceiling.

“It’s okay to come out, Elise.”

No sooner had those words fallen than-

Whirr- Thud!

A shadow seemed to move on the ceiling of the reception room, and then a maid with navy blue hair fell down nimbly.

Serenade’s exclusive bodyguard and head maid.

It was Elise, the swordswoman.

Elise scanned the spot where the Mermaid King had left with sharp eyes.

“……I was going to step in if the situation became urgent, but it seems the situation has been resolved smoothly. So I stayed hidden.”

“Good job.”

After finishing the translation and returning to handle the merchant guild’s business, Serenade left Elise to monitor the Mermaid King, saying it was in case of an emergency.

– Our merchant guild has been trading with the remaining merfolk for a long time. The blue coral I gave you as a gift before was also from them.

Serenade had urged me to be careful.

– I heard from them at that time. The current king of the merfolk is quite violent and emotional…….

– …….

– Please be careful, Your Highness. I will leave Elise as a monitor in case of an emergency.

So… it looked like I had negotiated with the Mermaid King as a prince to a king, but in fact, I had insurance in the form of Elise.

If the situation had gone wrong, Elise would have immediately jumped in to protect me.

No matter how strong the Mermaid King was, Elise, an SSR-grade [Super Super Rare] swordswoman, would have been able to protect me.

“If you can put in place a safety net, it’s best to do so. Don’t you think?”

There are times when you have to take a gamble, but the best strategy is to execute it within the realm of certainty.

The more insurance, the better!

As I smiled, Elise cautiously looked at me.

“……Excuse me, Your Highness. I heard your conversation when I was hiding above.”

“Huh?”

“You said you would fight Prince Fernandez.”

“……”

“Are you really going to gather these kings of other races, whose forces are split to pieces, and fight Prince Fernandez, the winner of the succession battle? Even Prince Larc, who led the elite First Imperial Army, was defeated.”

Elise seemed quite worried.

Well, it’s understandable. Her master, Serenade, had decided to dedicate her family, her life, to me.

And now I’m trying to face the winner of the succession battle head-on. It’s understandable that she’s worried.

But.

“I just said it, Elise. That I would do it ‘if I could put in place a safety net’.”

It’s the same as the negotiation I had with the Mermaid King today.

I will make all possible preparations and fight Fernandez. But before that, I plan to prepare another ‘insurance’.

An insurance that will tip the scales of the fight in my favor…!

“I have a plan that I thought of while wandering in the darkness this time. If my plan unfolds as I intend, the fight with Fernandez might be very easy.”

I rubbed my hands together and grinned wickedly.

“Watch slowly. I’ll make sure to give our smart second brother a good taste of his own medicine……”

“……”

Elise was looking at me with complicated eyes.

She trusts me, but no matter what, Fernandez is too powerful an opponent, so it’s inevitable that she’s worried.

Well, what can I do? I’ll just prove it with results.

“Thanks for the overtime, Elise. Let’s go to the central square too.”

“Yes?”

“It’s the night of the victory banquet, it’s a shame to just end it by monitoring under the roof, isn’t it?”

I led Elise out of the mansion and headed towards the central square.

Even though it was quite late at night, the square was brightly lit, and the sounds of singing and talking were boisterous.

“Ah, Your Highness!”

“Why are you only coming now, Your Highness! The alcohol is all gone!”

“They’ve eaten almost all the fish too!”

The soldiers, who had found me, laughed and chattered.

There’s no need to say that I had just finished another battle, the negotiation for incorporating forces, right after the fight with the monsters…

“I came now to fill your empty glasses, you punks!”

Just in time, the Winter Silver Merchant Guild appeared, carrying expensive alcohol stored in the warehouse on a cart.

Serenade was at the front, as if she had finished processing the backlog of work.

“Your Highness!”

Serenade smiled with relief as she confirmed that Elise and I were safe.

I smiled back and thought to myself.

The Mermaid King is just the beginning.

From now on, I will gather the fallen kings scattered all over the world – here in Crossroads.

I will make them all an offer they cannot refuse.

Even if I have to borrow the rights of a victor, even if I have to spout empty promises and mix in bluff and lies, I will make them all join my command.

In the end, it’s a simple either-or choice.

Either lose and let the world be destroyed by monsters, or win and move the world as I want.

Now I will not be afraid in the face of this choice. I will not hesitate.

The die has already been cast.

I will move the world.