I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 535

Of course, Rosetta also came to the funeral.

A priest cannot be absent from an event commemorating the dead. Rosetta was quietly praying in front of the graves, dressed in her usual plain black priest’s robe.

As I approached, Rosetta, hearing my footsteps, stopped praying and gave me a slight smile.

“It’s a good funeral, Your Highness.”

“Is there such a thing as a good or bad funeral?”

I asked, dumbfounded, but Rosetta smoothly continued her reply.

“It is sad when someone dies, but it is a wonderful thing to properly honor them.”

“……”

“Even in the Imperial City, most deaths are treated insignificantly. To treat every death with such respect… you are doing a truly great thing.”

“Enough with the flattery. No matter how wonderful a funeral is, it’s better if it doesn’t happen at all, right?”

“That is indeed true, but you should be recognized for doing good. I will praise you on their behalf.”

Rosetta took out a notebook and pen from her robe and quickly crossed out some pre-written items.

“I will reduce your Heresy Points by 100.”

“I’ve accumulated 100 points already?”

“If you continue to do good deeds, I will reduce the remaining points as well.”

“There are remaining points too?”

Rosetta covered her mouth and laughed, seemingly pleased with my reaction.

I let out a hollow laugh and stood next to Rosetta, looking at the graveyard together.

The graves, which had steadily increased over the past time, were neatly lined up in rows.

The hot sun beat down on the graves. A warm breeze blew. Summer was already near.

I saw Damian sweating profusely as he finished a funeral in front of a newly made grave. I muttered to myself.

“Priests really have it tough. They struggle to save people in normal times, and then when those people die, they have to work hard at their funerals.”

“If you deal with life, you inevitably have to deal with death. You can’t touch a coin and only see one side, can you?”

Rosetta glanced at me.

“And it’s not just priests. Your Highness is also risking death here to protect the lives on the front lines, aren’t you?”

“……”

“That’s how the world is. If you are in the sunlight, a shadow will inevitably fall behind your shoulders.”

Long shadows fell behind the graves in the summer sun. I sighed softly.

“The world is inherently like that, with two sides, or rather, many sides.”

“That is indeed a wise statement.”

“So, we shouldn’t judge based on just one side.”

“That is the mindset of a true leader.”

“…So, shouldn’t we also look at Zenith’s situation from more than one perspective?”

As I glanced at Rosetta, she smiled as if she had expected me to say that.

“It seems you’ve grown quite fond of Zenith? To go to such lengths to defend him.”

“Isn’t it the same for you?”

“Pardon?”

“You also defended Zenith.”

Rosetta raised her eyebrows as if she didn’t understand. I crossed my arms and gestured with my chin.

“When you went to deal with Zenith, why did you wait for me and take me with you?”

“……”

“If you really intended to kill that troublemaker, you could have secretly gone and butchered him. Right? Why did you take me with you?”

I pressed Rosetta, who remained silent.

“You actually wanted me to stop you, didn’t you?”

“……”

“According to your Holy Knights’ way, Zenith deserved to die, but you still opened a path for him to live in this city by having him dismissed from his priesthood. In a way, that’s mercy.”

So, my conclusion is.

“Rosetta. You pretended to dispose of your stepbrother, but you actually wanted to open a way for him. And you used me for that.”

“Haha.”

Rosetta let out a hollow laugh, not denying it, and glanced at me.

“If everything is as you say, Your Highness… will you still go along with my shallow trick?”

“I don’t know your intentions. But considering what Zenith has contributed to this city, I do want to protect his life.”

So, yes. I’ll go along with your shallow trick.

At my words, Rosetta turned her head to look at the rows of graves, then said,

“As you said, Your Highness. Everything in the world has many aspects, and depending on how you look at it, it can appear completely different.”

“……”

“The same goes for Zenith’s situation. If you only look at the conclusion, he’s a scoundrel who deserves to be beaten to death and dismissed… but if you look at the circumstances, there’s no one who has lived a more priestly life than him.”

I furrowed my brow.

“What exactly happened 14 years ago?”

“It was a self-imposed penance. It’s not something I can casually comment on. You should hear the details from Zenith himself.”

“……”

“However, no matter what unfair circumstances he may have faced, according to our Holy Knights’ rules, he must be punished. In fact, the priests under my command are also demanding it.”

The fundamentalists of the Goddess Church, the Holy Knights.

Since they have taken over the leadership of the church, it is natural that they are obsessed with enforcing their principles.

And Zenith is a kind of traitor who has cleverly avoided the enforcement of these principles.

Within the Holy Knights, the voices demanding Zenith’s punishment are growing louder, but Rosetta, knowing Zenith’s circumstances, wanted to open a way for her stepbrother to survive.

“I have done everything I can for him. Your Highness prevented his direct disposal, and now a path has been opened for him to survive if he gives up his life as a priest.”

“……”

“Now it’s up to that idiot to decide. Whether he will appreciate his sister’s behind-the-scenes efforts and quietly survive, or…”

Rosetta shook her head with a bitter smile.

“…whether he will die as a priest, even with a tarnished reputation.”

***

So, I looked for where Zenith was.

It turned out that the last place he was seen after being kicked out of the temple was the barracks. It was a place used as a residence for mercenaries.

In the evening of the day the funeral ended, I asked around and found a place in the barracks that smelled musty.

“Ugh, old man smell…”

I clutched my nose in front of the room’s door. What is this dense… the smell that only old men can produce!

Looking at the nameplate in front of the door, I saw familiar names.

Blind Swordsman Nobody, Black Mage Chain.

They were the two old men who joined during the Gorgon Sisters battle. Even if there were two old men, could they produce such a smell…?

‘Air out the blankets and pillows! Ventilate twice a day! Wash your clothes regularly! Do I have to spread this myself at my age?’

I grumbled and slammed the door open!

Inside the dark room, where the curtains were drawn, five men who had been whispering, as if plotting something, were startled to see me.

I shouted and yanked open the curtains covering the window.

“Are you guys children of darkness?”

The evening sun shone brightly into the room. The five children of darkness, touched by the light, shrieked and covered their eyes. What are they doing?

The five huddled together, plotting something, were none other than the ‘old men’ from Lucas’s temporary party.

Lucas, Torkel, Nobody, Chain. And Zenith.

“I knew it! It was an old man stench that two people couldn’t produce! It smells like this because there are five of you! You guys, air out! Ventilate! Wash! Spray air freshener! Don’t you know?”

At my shout, Lucas protested with a very hurt expression.

“No, I’m innocent, my lord! I manage myself thoroughly every day! I only came here for a brief meeting!”

Then the other old men clicked their tongues and shook their heads at Lucas.

“Everyone is like that when they’re young…”

“I never thought I’d become like this either.”

“You don’t become an old man, you are one.”

“You too… soon… beardy… salty…”

“No! That can’t be! I’ll never become an old man!”

I pushed away the screaming Lucas and plopped down on the floor, gesturing with my chin.

“So, what kind of treason were you plotting here?”

“Treason? Our loyalty to Your Highness is unwavering…”

Torkel said something admirable in a firm voice. This guy, you get 10 loyalty points.

“We, who have some personal acquaintance with Zenith, were having a meeting to discuss what he should do in the future.”

“Is that so? Well, isn’t the conclusion already decided?”

I turned my head towards Zenith, who had a gloomy face.

“You don’t want to die, right? Then you can be dismissed as a priest and live a new life, right?”

“…I don’t want to die, but being dismissed as a priest is like another death sentence.”

Zenith made the sign of the cross, then closed his eyes tightly and clasped his hands.

“If this is the way to protect my honor and the honor of my colleagues, wouldn’t it be better to atone with death now…”

“Please don’t do that, how about living here as a mercenary?”

Torkel earnestly tried to dissuade him, and Nobody and Chain chimed in.

“That’s right! Living as a mercenary is quite fun!”

“There’s a casino right next door, too.”

“Booze! Cigarettes! Gambling! And the battlefield where monsters rush in!”

“There’s no life as fun as this?!”

The two mercenaries clinked their liquor bottles together and began to pour them into their stomachs… these guys are no help.

“If it’s someone with Zenith’s abilities, it would be entirely possible for Your Highness to hire him as a private soldier.”

Lucas said, watching my reaction. I nodded. Well, there are many ways to find a solution.

“That’s not the important thing. Hey, Zenith. What do you want to do in the future…”

I was about to continue, but wait.

Through the door that I had kicked open, a round-faced young boy was peeking in. Recognizing him, I gestured.

“Hannibal! Did you follow me all the way here?”

“…!”

Hannibal was startled, but then cautiously opened the door and came inside. Lucas sighed.

“Why is a kid like this in a super old man den with six old men…”

“…Wait a minute, six?”

I asked with a dumbfounded expression.

“Are you including me?”

“Well, I’m included… did you think you, who are one year older than me, could avoid it, my lord…?”

“D-d-don’t be ridiculous! Royalty, you know, have anti-aging as a passive skill! I, I, I won’t become an old man!”

I felt a little dizzy for a moment, but then I regained my senses. This is not the time to waste time with unproductive old man talk.

“Hannibal? There must be a reason why you came all the way here. Tell me.”

“Y-yes, yes… that is…”

Hannibal, hesitating, walked to the center of the room and stood carefully in front of Zenith.

To Zenith, who was blinking his eyes in confusion, Hannibal clenched his small fist and shouted in a trembling voice.

“Z-Zenith-nim!”

“O-oh, yes?”

“The child that Zenith-nim had with a foreign princess, and then left at the temple orphanage!”

“O-oh… yes.”

“T-t-that child, is…”

Hannibal pointed at himself with a tearful face and shouted.

“It seems to be me?!”

“……”

A hellish silence fell.

Six old men gathered in a musty-smelling room in the barracks.

A boy who had suddenly appeared was declaring ‘You’re my dad,’ and everyone was desperately exchanging glances, wondering who would be the first to break this situation, looking for someone with the courage to step forward.

Bang-!

The seventh old man appeared, kicking the door open as if to break it.

It was Kellybay, who had followed Hannibal. He let out a refreshing roar.

“What the hell is this nonsense!”

It was a moment when everyone’s hearts became one.