I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 723

724. [Side Story] Lake Kingdom (5)

Dirandahi, the head of the research institute who led the Eastern Continent expedition, was secretly arrested and brought to the royal palace.

“There was an accident during the expedition,” Dirandahi said calmly.

“The environment of the Eastern Continent was harsher than expected. We had quite a hard time establishing the search base, but just before returning, a pillar of fire that seemed to scorch the sky engulfed the base.”

“……”

“When we were all in mortal danger, Prince Christian made a heroic decision… After teleporting us all through the gate, he remained alone at the search base.”

Dirandahi bowed her head to Ariel.

“Knowing his heart, we had no choice but to escape with heavy hearts.”

“……”

“I am truly sorry, Princess. We were inadequate…”

Ariel, looking down at Dirandahi who was shedding tears, spoke coldly.

“Don’t lie, Dirandahi.”

“……!”

“My brother is selfish. He would sacrifice his subordinates for his own purposes, but he is not the kind of person who would give his life for them.”

It was a cold but accurate assessment.

A frustrated, bitter smile flashed across Dirandahi’s face, who had been bowing her head. Ariel pressed her.

“Tell me everything in detail! What exactly happened in the Eastern Continent!”

“…Prince Christian is too inadequate to be a king.”

Dirandahi, wiping away her fake tears, said in a dry voice.

“I could tell because I have been by his side for a long time as a close acquaintance. He should not become king.”

“What did you say…?”

Dirandahi slowly raised her head and looked up at Ariel.

“And… Princess Ariel. You are the one who is truly fit to be the next monarch.”

“……”

Dirandahi continued, speaking to Ariel, who was looking down with a pale face.

“For the sake of our Lake Kingdom’s thousand-year future, I, Dirandahi, have planned this with only a loyal heart… I would be grateful if you would understand.”

“…So, what is it?”

Ariel, clenching her fist, spoke in a trembling voice.

“To prevent my brother from becoming the next king… you lured him with a lie about the magic of immortality, and left him alone in the Eastern Continent?!”

“The information that there is magic of immortality in the Eastern Continent is not a lie. It’s just a rumor.”

Dirandahi chuckled.

“And it’s not like we abandoned him. There were no results during the month-long search, and a small accident occurred just before returning… The prince was simply isolated at the search base alone.”

“You induced that to happen!”

“But it was the prince’s own will to go there.”

To become a human worthy of the throne himself. He was under pressure to achieve great things.

The prince, clinging to the illusionary magic of immortality that could not exist, eventually disappeared at the eastern end of the world.

“Prince Christian will not be able to return alive.”

Dirandahi clicked her tongue.

“And His Majesty the King is seriously ill.”

“You…!”

“Princess Ariel.”

Dirandahi spoke with an unwavering face, as if she had no regrets.

“Ascend to the throne. And, continue the glory of this country that has conquered the world, the Lake Kingdom…”

“……!”

“That is all this unworthy subject desires.”

Ariel, feeling dizzy, closed her eyes tightly.

‘The crown, the crown, what is so important about that crown…’

Because of that position she had never coveted, her brother’s life was in danger…

Ariel, gritting her teeth, shouted to her subordinate next to her.

“Dispatch a rescue team to the Eastern Continent immediately!”

“Yes, Princess. And…”

The subordinate asked cautiously.

“To His Majesty the King, how should we report…”

“……”

Ariel bit her lip with a pale face, then turned around.

As expected, she saw the fake prince – Aether – standing there with a flustered face.

“…His Majesty is ill, so we must not cause unnecessary worry.”

Ariel nodded, having made up her mind.

“Rescuing my brother is the priority. Keep this matter confidential.”

“Yes.”

“And, Aether.”

Ariel gave Aether a strained smile.

“Please… continue to act as a substitute for a little longer.”

“…Yes, Princess.”

Bowing his head, Aether felt it at the same time.

An ominous air.

A faint stench rising from the base of the country.

***

At the same time.

Eastern Continent.

“Huff, huff!”

Prince Christian, covered in blood, sat down in the ruins.

It was a building built by humans, proving that there was once a civilization on this continent. But now it was all ruined.

Christian, panting, looked up at the sky with a shudder.

It was burning.

Flames surged in the red sky and poured down like rain. Each time, the ruins, which had nothing more to burn, were engulfed in flames again.

He didn’t know what had happened to turn the entire continent into a land of death.

The Eastern Continent was a place where even survival was difficult, let alone exploration.

And in this land, the expedition team had returned by teleport, leaving only Christian behind. Then the connection of the gate was cut off, and Christian was isolated.

‘Dirandahi, why did you do this to me…’

With dry lips, Christian shuddered.

Dirandahi’s intention to find the magic of immortality might have been somewhat true. If she had intended to eliminate him, she wouldn’t have gone through such a troublesome process.

But after coming here, he realized there was no hope. Where in this living hell could such magic remain?

So, Dirandahi gave up on the magic of immortality and even abandoned the prince himself.

She had been playing both sides between the prince and the princess, and then sided with the more certain one.

‘Am I so worthless…?’

Christian smiled hollowly, crawling on the heat-scorched ground.

‘Am I so hopeless as a king that even Dirandahi, who was on my side, abandoned me…?’

Now, that fact was not even miserable anymore.

He just desperately wanted a sip of water.

Leaning against the hot stone wall, Christian closed his eyes.

‘Am I going to die like this…’

Without achieving anything, so futilely…

Accepting his fate with bitterness, Christian quietly waited for his end.

And then, it was then.

Clang…

A cool sound of water was heard in front of him.

‘Huh?’

Thinking he had heard things, Christian slowly opened his eyes.

In front of him, there was a wine glass full of clear water held out.

Someone wearing a robe, standing right in front of him, held the glass and shook it slightly.

“Are you thirsty? Here, drink it all.”

“……!”

It didn’t matter if it was a hallucination or not.

Christian hurriedly took the glass and gulped it down. The water that went down his throat in one go was fragrant and cool.

“Th-thank you. Thank you so much.”

Christian, who had swallowed a glass in a daze, bowed his head and returned the glass.

The one who received the glass back was a shadow-like being wearing a robe.

A gruesome, pure white smile was cracked like a fissure on the face made of shadows.

‘Huh?’

No, it wasn’t.

He must have seen it wrong due to dehydration. In front of him was an old man with white hair and a benevolent expression.

The old man chuckled, stroking his beard.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a person in this land. Are you alright?”

“If it weren’t for the benefactor giving me water, I would have died.”

Christian, bowing his head repeatedly, asked cautiously.

“May I ask for the benefactor’s name?”

“Hmm. I have many nicknames.”

The old man murmured, stroking his beard.

“The angel who grants wishes, the owner of the monkey’s paw, the fallen constellation… But now, I would like to introduce myself like this.”

At the words that followed, Christian’s eyes widened.

“The immortal sage.”

“……!”

“And you, you don’t seem to be from this continent… What did you come here to find?”

As he said that, the old man’s smiling face looked like an angel descended to earth to Christian.

“If there is anything I can help you with, just say the word. I will do my best to help.”

A broad smile bloomed on Christian’s face, as if he had found the person he had been looking for for a long time.

And also.

As if he had found the person he had been waiting for for a long time, the old man also smiled broadly.

***

Half a year later.

The Lake Kingdom was becoming more prosperous.

In the huge city-state floating on the clear lake, songs praising the royal family’s reign flowed every day. The national power had become stronger, and the lives of not only the citizens but also the non-citizens were becoming stable.

The king was lying in bed with a worsening illness. But Prince Christian and Princess Ariel were ruling the country well in his stead.

“……”

Prince Christian, no.

The fake – Aether, who was his substitute, stared blankly at the streets of the Lake Kingdom, where the clear sunlight was shining.

The citizens gathered in the fountain square burst into laughter next to the gushing purified water. The huge city-state was peaceful and beautiful.

All the citizens and non-citizens of the Lake Kingdom blessed the excellence of the prince and princess who would succeed the king, and rejoiced in the country’s destined prosperity.

And every time Aether heard that praise, he couldn’t stand the discomfort.

How long would he have to continue playing this fake prince role?

But, the timing to reveal the truth never came. That was because.

“Huff, huff, huff…”

The king was dying.

Aether took his eyes off the window and looked inside the room – at the king buried in the large bed and Princess Ariel nursing him.

The king was breathing heavily with a yellowish face. He was already close to death.

How could he reveal it to this king?

That the one acting as the prince in front of him was a fake, and that the real prince had disappeared in the Eastern Continent?

Several rescue teams had been dispatched to the Eastern Continent. The nanny, Coco, a master of teleportation magic, led the rescue team.

But they couldn’t find any trace of the prince, and rather, the rescue team was almost annihilated several times. The Eastern Continent was truly a land of death.

Time passed helplessly, and half a year had passed. Christian’s death was already a foregone conclusion.

But they couldn’t bring up that story to the king. It was obvious that it would worsen the king’s already poor condition.

“I don’t want to die, Christian, Ariel…”

The king, panting, recited with difficulty.

“I conquered everything while I lived, but in the end, I can’t overcome this death…”

“Your Majesty.”

“But now I have to accept it… Christian, where is Christian…?”

Aether, who was standing by the window, rushed to the bedside.

Believing that the fake son was real, the king nodded with a serious face.

“I don’t know how fortunate it is that you have come to your senses and are standing here as a prince.”

“No, Your Majesty. I am still lacking.”

“Yes, you are lacking. But it is enough that you have set your mind right. Ariel will fill in the gaps.”

Aether and Ariel’s eyes widened as they realized what the king was about to say.

The king reached out and took Christian’s hand, putting strength into his cooling hand.

“Christian. You will rule this country from now on.”

“……!”

“You will inherit the throne. Become the next king and lead the Lake Kingdom.”

Ariel, who had been frozen, barely opened her mouth.

“Your Majesty, actually…!”

“Huh?”

“My brother… My, my brother…”

He is already dead.

The one you are holding hands with is a fake, a substitute.

…Was it right to say that to her father, who was on his deathbed?

But, to hand over the throne to a fake prince like this… Shouldn’t she stop it?

Ariel, not knowing what to do, froze. It was then.

“Your Majesty.”

Aether smiled gently and stroked the king’s hand.

“Please pass the throne to Ariel.”

“……!”

“I will assist Ariel well from now on.”

The king knew that Ariel was more capable, but he loved Christian more.

Aether, who had been acting as the fake Christian for the past half year, could feel that fact deeply. So he also expected that if the king were to hand over the throne, the recipient would be Christian.

So he had prepared to say this in advance.

“That is the right thing to do for this country. You know that better than anyone, Your Majesty.”

“……”

“Please pass the throne to Ariel, Your Majesty. I beg you.”

Tears welled up in the king’s eyes. He was moved by Christian’s mature appearance, who was finally yielding the throne to his younger sister.

“Yes… If you two continue to maintain such a good relationship, this father will have nothing to worry about…”

The king turned his head to Ariel.

“Ariel.”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Will you… lead this country from now on?”

Ah.

Ariel, swallowing her tears, bowed her head.

The guilt of lying to her father until the last moment weighed on her, but she also knew that this was the best course of action.

“Although I am inadequate, I will follow the will of Your Majesty and my brother…”

It was the moment when Ariel was about to answer that she would.

Bang!

The door to the king’s bedroom was roughly opened, and knights and soldiers rushed in urgently.

It was Baltimore, the supervisor of the inner checkpoint, and his knights. Baltimore, kneeling in front of the bed almost prostrate, shouted.

“Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty! There is an urgent matter to report!”

Ariel shouted.

“Sir Baltimore! His Majesty is in critical condition! How could you…”

But immediately after, Ariel froze like ice at Baltimore’s words.

“Prince Christian has returned!”

“……?!”

“He has returned from the Eastern Continent! After confirmation, it is definitely the real Prince Christian. He has requested to meet His Majesty the King immediately, and is coming here now!”

The air in the room turned cold.

“…Christian was abroad? And he’s back now?”

The king, blinking blankly, slowly turned his head to the side.

“Then, this man…”

There, Aether, with a pale face, was standing trembling like an aspen.

“Who on earth is this man who told me to hand over the throne to Ariel?”