I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 453

As the Imperial Capital Defense Forces split and fought each other on the north side of the river,

On the south side of the river, the forces that had broken away from the World Protection Front were quickly brought back under control.

“Prince Ash, you understand our position, right?”

“We weren’t trying to betray you, we just had to survive…”

The leaders of the forces that had briefly turned their weapons against me groveled, begging for my forgiveness.

I simply chuckled without saying a word. They all broke out in cold sweats.

The reason these people had tried to betray me and side with Fernandes was simple. They had judged that Fernandes would seize control of the world.

But now that the Emperor had returned, and I stood behind him.

Everyone realized it was more advantageous to side with me again. And they immediately prostrated themselves before me, judging that the sooner they begged for forgiveness, the better.

I smiled and waved my hand at them as they swallowed nervously.

“It’s alright. I understand.”

Untrustworthy bastards.

But they are also honest in the face of power.

As long as I have the Emperor backing me, they will crawl at my feet.

“Prince Ash… !”

“Thank you, thank you.”

“You are indeed generous… !”

When I accepted them back without reprimanding them, they bowed their heads and thanked me.

‘What? I should be thanking you for showing your true colors this time.’

These are all people who could become my enemies at any time.

Conversely, the other half who stayed by my side until the end are the ones I can truly trust.

I’m just grateful that they sorted themselves out.

Meanwhile, the situation on the north side of the river was also being resolved.

“Retreat!” Fernandes shouted.

About half of the Imperial Capital Defense Forces, who still followed Fernandes, slowly retreated, their weapons still pointed at the other half that had turned against them.

“I’ll see you again in the Imperial New Terra, Father. And… Ash.”

From the start, Fernandes hadn’t brought his full force.

His Aegis Special Forces and Magic Corps would be waiting in New Terra.

This was just a preliminary skirmish, and his intention was to cause internal strife on our side and inflict damage, while avoiding any losses himself.

Unfortunately, it was the Imperial Capital Defense Forces that suffered damage from the infighting.

Rustle…

The Imperial Capital Defense Forces, split in two, kept their spears and swords pointed at each other, but they couldn’t bring themselves to swing them, and instead, they created distance.

Just a few minutes ago, they had been a single unit, working together.

Even in this situation where their loyalty to the Empire was being tested, it would be difficult to attack each other right away.

“Let’s go back, giddy up!” Fernandes turned his horse first, and about half of the Imperial Capital Defense Forces who followed him also slowly retreated north.

I watched Fernandes disappear into the distance, then turned my head to the side. My sniper, Damian, slowly took his eye away from the scope of his long rifle.

“Damian. How was it?”

“Yes. It’s as you said, Your Highness.”

Damian stared intently at Fernandes’ back.

“…It’s an illusion. It seems that Lord Fernandes wasn’t even here in the first place.”

That’s what I thought.

Fernandes isn’t the type to expose himself in such a dangerous place.

His real body is probably hidden deep in New Terra, controlling a clone with illusions.

“Are you letting Fernandes go?”

“Why not attack and capture him now?” The other kings, who didn’t know the situation, asked me. I shook my head.

“We won’t pursue him. We don’t have the means to do so anyway.”

What’s the point of chasing after a clone?

We need to find a way to cross the river first.

And, more than anything… it’s advantageous to let him go for now.

That way, we can use the next move we’ve prepared.

The soldiers of the Imperial Capital Defense Forces who remained on the other side of the river stood along the river, looking hesitant. I nodded to them.

“Loyal soldiers of the Empire, you have remained steadfast. His Majesty will surely remember your loyalty.”

A light of relief flashed across their anxious faces.

Then, the Emperor, who was standing behind me, clicked his tongue.

“…You’re playing the role of a herald very well, Ash.”

“Isn’t that a basic quality of a ruler? Please entrust me with it often in the future.”

“You’re definitely my son, the way you talk.”

The Emperor shook his head and stood on the bank of the Iris River, looking down at the flowing water.

“By the way, for the bridge here to collapse like this… This Iris Bridge was built in the first year of your great-grandfather’s reign. It’s disheartening to see it washed away.”

“We can just build a new bridge.”

“Yes. We can rebuild the bridge. But how will we cross it now? Will we take a long detour? It will take quite a while.”

“No. There’s no need for that.”

I waved the flag in my hand.

“I can build a temporary bridge.”

Immediately after, I slammed the flag into the ground.

Whoosh-!

Ultimate Skill [Imperial Territory Declaration].

Gray mana poured out of my body, forming a huge wall-like structure and began to pile up on the river.

It’s a fortress construction skill, but since it can be applied in various forms, I’ve been using it more for other purposes than fortresses lately…

Thud! Rumble!

I stood on the temporary bridge that was completed and stretched out my arm towards the other side.

“Now, please cross first, Father.”

“This gray mana… and this mana materialization…”

The Emperor looked at me in surprise, then smiled meaningfully.

“I see, so that’s it.”

“…?”

I blinked blankly. What’s ‘that’?

But the Emperor didn’t say anything more and walked past me, crossing to the other side of the river.

What? What are you talking about? What kind of foreshadowing are you setting up by yourself!

***

Everyone from the World Protection Front crossed the river using the bridge I built with [Imperial Territory Declaration].

We didn’t march directly to the Imperial Capital after that.

The Emperor had just returned to the mortal realm, and some of the Imperial Capital Defense Forces had joined us, so we needed to reorganize our forces.

“Don’t worry about me. This level of fatigue is nothing.”

The Emperor said that, but his legs were trembling… Don’t try to act tough and get some rest. No matter how great you are, you’ve been stuck in the spirit realm for so long. You need to recover.

So, after crossing the river, we set up camp again and decided to rest for a day.

Besides, given what happened earlier, I needed to gather all the allied kings and re-establish the hierarchy and discipline.

We set up the largest tent and prepared a bed. The Emperor pretended to be composed, but as soon as his body touched the bed, he almost collapsed.

I stared at my motionless father, breaking out in a cold sweat.

“Did you perhaps… pass away?”

“…Insolent. Is that how you speak to your father?”

No, you collapsed so suddenly that I was worried you had died.

“I barely made it back from the spirit realm, do you think I’d just collapse and die here from a little fatigue… I’m just a bit tired.”

“Please rest well. I’ll go out.”

“Wait a moment.”

The Emperor mumbled with his face buried in the pillow.

“While I was away, tell me in detail how the Empire became like this. What is Fernandes plotting in the Imperial Capital?”

“You could listen after you rest.”

“I don’t think I can rest peacefully until I hear the story. Tell me quickly.”

I sat next to the Emperor, who had buried his face in the pillow, and briefly told him what had happened.

Lark and Fernandes had fought.

Lark had lost.

Fernandes was convinced that the world would be destroyed by a monster.

Fernandes was installing a shutdown protocol in the Imperial Capital’s underground. His plan was to melt and kill all the citizens of the Imperial Capital and leave for the spirit realm, etc…

After listening to my story, the Emperor was silent for a while, then slowly let out a sigh.

“I thought I knew everything in this Empire. Even if I wasn’t omnipotent, I thought I was infinitely close to omniscient.”

“…”

“But it was arrogance. I didn’t even know what my own son was thinking.”

“You can fix it now.”

It’s not too late.

We can fix everything before it goes wrong. That’s why I came here.

“…I’m exhausted, Ash.”

The Emperor slowly turned his body and lay straight on the bed.

For the first time, a deep fatigue, like that of a human, was visible on his mythical face.

“I think I need to rest for a while. While I’m asleep, can you continue to act as my proxy… as the Emperor’s representative, and stop your brother?”

“Of course, Father.”

That’s what I was going to do anyway. It would be even better if I could do it with the Emperor’s name behind me.

“Then I’ll leave it to you. I think I can trust you with it.”

“I have one question. When you say proxy, to what extent are you giving me authority?”

“Of course, full authority.”

The Emperor’s voice gradually faded.

“The Emperor has authority over everything in this country. It’s not something that can be cut or partially cited. For you to be my proxy means that I have given you everything.”

“…”

“Until I withdraw my authority, you are no different from the Emperor of this country. Use that authority to protect this Empire.”

The Emperor’s eyes completely closed.

“Then I’ll go and rest for a bit…”

“Please sleep well, Father. By the time you wake up, everything will be resolved.”

The Emperor fell asleep.

He fell asleep, breathing in and out like a normal human.

‘Dad’s quirk. If he seems to be sleeping and you try to turn off the TV, he’ll say he’s not sleeping and grab the remote.’

The former king’s quirk. He says he’s abdicating, or that he’s giving authority, but if he doesn’t like what his son is doing, he’ll take back the royal authority.

But this time, the Emperor seemed to be truly deeply asleep. In other words, this time he actually entrusted the remote… no, the imperial authority to me.

“…I’m not exactly a filial son. But I have enough filial piety to resolve my father’s worries while he’s sleeping.”

I got up from my seat and rolled up my sleeves.

“Shall we get this over with quickly?”

***

First, the Imperial Capital Defense Forces that had joined us were temporarily organized into a unit directly under the Emperor. The soldiers of the Imperial Capital Defense Forces were moved and willingly accepted.

“To be able to receive His Majesty’s orders again…”

“It’s an honor. We will do so!”

I also requested Dusk Bringer to investigate them.

“Grand Duchess. I want to get information about the current situation in the Imperial Capital from them. Can you help me?”

“I will. Leave it to me.”

Immediately after, Dusk Bringer hesitated for a moment and cautiously asked me.

“…Is Traha safe?”

To dare call the Emperor by his name.

It was something that Dusk Bringer, the queen of a duchy that once protected the Empire and a close friend of the Emperor, could do. I nodded silently.

“Yes. He’s just exhausted from being trapped in the spirit realm for a long time. He’ll recover if he rests well for a few days.”

“Yes, I see…”

“Do you have a lot to say?”

“There are many things I want to grab him by the collar and question him about. But more than that.”

Dusk Bringer smiled bitterly.

“…In my memory, Traha was always a young and youthful Emperor. But today, he suddenly looked old.”

The Emperor is over sixty years old this year.

He was a superhuman who had transcended human limits and maintained an appearance of being in his early 40s, but after suffering in the spirit realm, his appearance had aged rapidly.

I guess his appearance is finally catching up with his age.

“The passage of time is terrifying. It feels like just yesterday when Traha was a young man, making a fuss about his child being born. It feels like just yesterday when he was agonizing over your middle name, a newborn baby.”

Dusk Bringer looked at me intently.

“Traha has become an old man, and you have grown into a young man.”

“Haha. If you close your eyes and open them again, I’ll be old with a long beard.”

“…I would like to see that as well.”

I answered jokingly, but Dusk Bringer smiled bitterly.

“How natural and beautiful it is to grow old naturally with the flow of time. How heart-stirring it is that human history continues.”

“…”

“Everyone is moving on, but only I am preserved here in my old form.”

Immediately after, Dusk Bringer made a ‘hot!’ sound and fanned her face with her small hand.

“This old woman is getting sentimental again. Don’t mind me.”

Dusk Bringer quickly changed the subject.

“By the way… it was good to split the Imperial Capital Defense Forces in two, but what are you going to do now?”

We have crossed the Iris River.

If we go north now, the Imperial Capital is right in front of us.

The problem is the solid defense of the Imperial New Terra.

The heart of the Empire, guarded by dozens of airships, magic systems, and the Aegis Special Forces and Magic Corps.

If we charge head-on, we will be crushed.

“We need to move on to the next stage of the plan.”

I looked around the plains where darkness was slowly descending.

Today, which had been full of events, was quickly coming to an end, and night was coming again.

And at night, the rats move.

I was planning to use these rats.

“I’m going to infiltrate a key.”

“A key?”

“Yes.”

I smiled at Dusk Bringer, who was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

“A key that will open the tightly locked gates of the Imperial New Terra.”