I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 656

The situation had become strange.

Layton and his soldiers, who had initiated the coup, were now the ones surrounded by the retired soldiers and citizens.

Weapons began to fall from the soldiers’ hands, one by one.

It was a coup without any justification from the start. Due to the nature of the military organization, they had been under Layton’s control, who had long held the reins of power.

‘Tch!’

Layton gritted his teeth, feeling the situation turning against him. The coup, which should have been dealt with swiftly, had been delayed to this point, and many things had already gone awry.

‘But it’s not too late yet. If I kill the Duke and seize the Dragon Heart and Dragon Blood…!’

The legitimacy of the Bringer Dukedom ultimately comes from the power of the dragon.

Day-Bringer was currently unable to exert her true power due to the Dragon Slayer Sword. If he could take the Dragon Heart and Dragon Blood that remained within her and inherit them, it was still possible for him to become a ‘Dragon’ and the next Bringer Duke.

The citizens’ resistance?

That could be crushed with absolute power…!

“Don’t worry about the rear, break through the front!”

Despite Layton’s command, most of the soldiers hesitated and faltered. However, Layton didn’t care and charged forward. A small number of knights and soldiers loyal to him followed.

They were already in a situation of ‘riding a tiger’ [a situation where one is committed to a dangerous course of action], having joined the rebellion. Rather than laying down their swords and giving up, they decided to gamble with Layton.

The retired soldiers formed a wall in front of the Queen, but they were quickly cut down, spilling blood. Layton, swinging his sword at the forefront to clear a path, rushed towards Day-Bringer.

‘I’ll tear out her heart and devour it! Then I will, this nation…!’

As Layton cleared a path through the blood, overcoming the last resistance, he finally reached Day-Bringer.

“…?!”

Gooooooo…!

There, with her fiery crimson hair billowing upwards-

The girl who had inherited the name of Bringer stood with her eyes tightly closed.

***

When she was first stabbed by the Dragon Slayer Sword, Day-Bringer was already in a near-death state.

From the moment she escaped the palace, she felt death looming behind her. She should have started the succession ceremony immediately and passed the Dragon Heart and Dragon Blood to Dusk.

However, she gritted her teeth and endured death.

And before the succession ceremony, she tried to calm the Dragon Heart and Dragon Blood raging within her… and her emotions.

The anger of being betrayed by a subordinate she trusted and cherished surged to the top of her head. She had the urge to go berserk immediately, transform into a dragon, and destroy everything.

But she endured it.

She couldn’t give a heart and blood inflamed with such anger and hatred to Dusk.

To avoid destroying the girl’s small body and soul, and her future life. She had to pass on the legacy intact and precious…

“Dusk.”

And finally, peace came.

The surging anger and resentment subsided like a lie when she met the girl’s eyes. Day-Bringer smiled, realizing she was ready.

“Take my hand.”

Dusk took the Queen’s hand as if entranced.

The next moment, the girl’s consciousness had moved into Dusk’s mental world, not reality.

“Where is this…?”

Dusk looked around in surprise.

It was a land where embers were burning. It was a place where everything was black, burned, and turned to ash, yet the heat of the flames still flickered on the ground.

On this black, dead land, Day-Bringer was smiling as usual. But only then did Dusk realize.

Why Day-Bringer had smiled so often.

She had always smiled to endure the inner fire that was always boiling within her.

This desolate landscape was- her true inner world, after living as a queen for over a hundred years.

“To become the Bringer Duke, you must first acknowledge it.”

Day-Bringer slowly opened her mouth.

“The fact that you are a monster.”

“… !”

“You have physical abilities far superior to ordinary humans, you live several times longer than ordinary humans, and you look down and rule over ordinary humans. You realize the difference even more when you go from being an ordinary human to a dragon.”

Day-Bringer slowly scanned her inner world, where everything was burned, and ashes were flying to the end of the horizon.

“You might not think so now… but when you stand on a high tower, on a high castle, your perspective will change. Superiority and elitism will inevitably arise at some point.”

“…”

“That’s why the first Dusk Bringer established one qualification as a criterion for selecting future Dukes.”

And Day-Bringer smiled at the girl who had obtained that qualification.

“A strong heart that will not give up on living as a human.”

“… !”

“That is what is needed for a person to become a dragon. The qualification to become a descendant of the Red Dragon.”

Day-Bringer knelt down on one knee in front of Dusk and took the girl’s hand, placing it on her chest.

“What is truly strong is not this heart or the magic flowing in the blood.”

“Then…”

“The heart you showed me, the courage not to hate, that is what is truly strong.”

Dusk’s eyes widened.

“The courage not to hate…?”

“There is always a reason to hate someone. But you have decided not to hate even those who almost killed you. That’s a great thing.”

Day-Bringer nodded.

“It was because of your courage that people saved you again… saved us.”

“…”

“But such miracles will not happen often. In the future, what you have to protect as a king are not the weak and good people. They are the weak, cowardly, petty, and occasionally good, ordinary people.”

Just like you and me – Day-Bringer smiled.

“They will sometimes please you, but most of the time they will use you, betray you, and hurt you. Many trials will come to you in the future.”

Day-Bringer pressed down on the small hand of the girl that was on her chest.

“Anger and hatred will burn inside you. There will be times when you will want to give up on living as a human.”

“…”

“But love, Dusk.”

In her own mind, which had been burned black.

“Even if your heart is burned so black that it is covered in soot, still… don’t hate, love.”

Don’t give up on living as a human.

The previous Dragon Blood Duke whispered so, looking at her successor who would inherit this burned world.

“The reason I am handing over this crown and this blood to you… is because you are a child who can do it.”

“…”

“I’m sorry for entrusting you with such a heavy burden.”

Dusk slowly nodded.

“…I will do it, Mother.”

The girl smiled, facing the woman who had been her mother for a very short time.

“I was born from soot from the beginning. Even if I burn a little more, it won’t even show.”

“…”

Day-Bringer, looking at the girl with affection, suddenly grabbed the girl’s hand-

And pushed it into her chest.

Soon, Dusk grasped something from within that chest and pulled it out.

It was a dazzlingly burning, red flame.

The flames that erupted burned the girl’s entire body. The girl, gritting her teeth, held it up with all her might-

And thrust it into her own chest.

***

The consciousness that had entered the mental world resurfaced into reality.

Dusk – no, Dusk Bringer opened her closed eyes.

Her amber dragon eyes shone within the swirling flames. Dusk Bringer slowly lowered her gaze.

“Kuh, keuk…”

Layton was already lying on the ground, covered in blood, and Dusk had her foot on his head.

The Dragon Slayer Sword, broken in half, was embedded in Layton’s stomach. It was a fatal weapon even for a dragon knight, so Layton trembled in pain.

“S-save me… please…”

“…”

Anger filled Dusk Bringer’s amber eyes.

The one who killed the person who gave her love for the first time, a sworn enemy she couldn’t even chew enough.

If she put a little more force on her foot, she could easily evaporate this man’s life. Dusk Bringer was swept away by a fierce impulse.

“Dusk.”

But when she heard Day-Bringer’s weak voice from behind, she suddenly came to her senses.

Dusk Bringer, panting, looked around. The soldiers, having realized that the situation was over, had all knelt down and surrendered, and the citizens were binding them.

Everyone’s eyes were on her. Dusk Bringer slowly opened her mouth.

“I am Dusk Bringer, who has formally inherited the title of Duke from the great Dragon Lady, Day-Bringer.”

The girl’s voice trembled, but she did not hesitate.

“This is my first order as the Bringer Duke. Imprison the criminals. And let them receive the strict judgment of the law.”

The priests who had rushed over pulled the sword out of Layton’s stomach and gave him first aid.

Dusk Bringer coldly murmured to Layton, who was gasping for breath.

“This is not where you should die. It’s on the execution ground where all the citizens are watching. Until that moment, I will hold onto your life and protect it.”

“…”

Layton, who was bound, was dragged away, and Dusk Bringer turned around.

She saw Day-Bringer leaning against the collapsed stone wall.

As Dusk Bringer rushed over, Day-Bringer smiled faintly with a pale face.

“It’s a shame, it’s our first autumn festival together…”

Day-Bringer slowly took off her silver crown and placed it on Dusk Bringer’s head.

“I was looking forward to many days with you… It’s sad that we have to part like this.”

“…”

“Don’t cry, my dear. We will meet again.”

Day-Bringer gently stroked Dusk Bringer’s head as she sobbed.

“According to legend, the Red Dragons who have reached the end of their lives gather on the shores of the end of the world and wait together for the last sunrise… I will be waiting there, so come slowly. Okay?”

“…Yes, Mother.”

Day-Bringer, with her eyes now unable to see, asked in a fading voice.

“It’s quiet around here. It’s the autumn festival… are the citizens enjoying the festival?”

The citizens surrounding the dying queen were sobbing silently.

Dusk Bringer, wiping away her tears, lied with a smile.

“Yes, Mother. The whole city is filled with laughter and songs.”

“Hehe, that’s how it should be. That’s what an autumn festival is. And, what else…?”

“People with food and drinks are gathering in the square like clouds. They are praising you for this year’s bumper harvest.”

“They were all grumbling when I made them build the dam… See? If they do what this old woman tells them, the farming will be good… Hehe. And, what other scenery is there?”

Dusk Bringer raised her eyes and looked up at the clear sky.

“There are fireworks in the sky.”

“I told them so many times to do it only on the last day, these people are really… they never get tired of it every year…”

“Fireworks of various colors are blooming all over the sky. Look. That one looks like a flower bud, that one looks like an umbrella, and that one…”

Dusk Bringer, who was describing non-existent fireworks, held Day-Bringer’s cold hand tightly.

“…Now the citizens are waiting for your words, Mother. What words have you prepared for this year? Please say them quickly.”

Then Day-Bringer smiled faintly with her cracked lips, and said,

“All the good people of this nation.”

She repeated the same words she had said every year to all the citizens who had fought against the soldiers to save her.

“Spend every day like a festival. Drink, dance, sing, and… love.”

The Queen’s voice slowly faded.

“Love, children. Love…”

That became her last words.

Day-Bringer’s head dropped down. She was no longer breathing.

Amidst the sea of weeping citizens, Dusk Bringer, who had been facing her deceased mother for a long time, also slowly lowered her head.

***

…A long time had passed since that day.

Had she lived well, as her mother had asked her to?

Dusk Bringer thought she had not.

The crown that was suddenly placed on the young girl was too heavy. The citizens constantly compared her to her predecessor. There were many neighboring countries that looked down on the young queen and swindlers who tried to use her as they pleased.

Managing the state affairs was difficult, and the wars continued without end. She was just barely surviving.

For over a hundred years, she had survived, struggling and drifting along.

The courage not to hate had long since burned away.

Dusk Bringer had come to hate many people. She had come to hate many countries. And many people and many countries had come to hate Dusk Bringer. She had killed many, and lost just as many.

‘I’m sorry, Mother.’

Looking around her mental world, which had become as black and ugly as her mother’s, or even more so, Dusk Bringer murmured softly.

‘I didn’t live as you wished.’

You trusted me and entrusted me with it, and I tried to live uprightly…

Looking back, only her long, crooked footprints, covered in ash and soot, remained.

Looking down at her hands, which were stained black even under her fingernails, Dusk Bringer clenched her fists tightly.

‘So, at least…’

That child, who has the same warmth as you, I will make sure…

***

“…”

Dusk Bringer suddenly opened her eyes.

Cool wind was coming in through the gap in the curtained window. The feather pillow was soft, and the blanket was warm. A refreshing scent of fruit was coming from somewhere.

She had had a long dream of the distant past, so she couldn’t tell if this was reality or an illusion.

“…What, did I die this time and come to heaven?”

Dusk Bringer muttered blankly,

“If such a handsome angel is fluttering around next to you, it’s understandable that you’d doubt whether it’s heaven or not.”

A familiar voice was heard from the side. Dusk Bringer was startled and looked that way.

“Too bad, Your Grace. This is Earth.”

The young man with black hair, Ash, who was sitting on a chair next to the bed, slammed the book he was reading shut and smiled mischievously.

“How was it? Did you have a good dream while you were sleeping for so long?”