I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 816

After the funeral.

In front of the tombs of several kings, people from various nations began preparations for reburial.

King Kellison of the dwarves, King Skuld of the elves, King Poseidon of the merfolk, and Kureha, the brother of the beastman king Kuilan…

And many kings from human nations as well.

Finally, Grand Duke Dusk Bringer, the king of the Bringer Duchy.

“……”

I watched from afar as the coffins of the kings were respectfully taken out.

Numerous kings had lost their lives during the three-year war.

Most of the soldiers would remain here at the Crossroads graveyard, but the kings, along with a small number of soldiers whose families requested reburial, were now to be moved to their respective homelands.

“There’s a catacomb where all the former dwarf kings are buried.”

As I approached Kellison’s tomb, Kellibay, who was caressing his son’s coffin, spoke in a calm voice. A golden crown glittered above his head. Kellibay was here as the representative of the Dwarf King.

“This one should rest there too. He deserves it.”

Unable to say anything, I stood silently. Kellibay, rather, gave a small smile.

“And… I’m thinking of gathering the dwarves who have nowhere to go in a small place.”

“Not rebuilding the nation?”

As a result of participating in this war, the interspecies slavery system was abolished, and all interspecies people were freed. This was an issue agreed upon and announced by all the nations that participated in the World Protection Front.

So, I naturally thought that the dwarf nation would be rebuilt.

“As you know, we dwarves were treated as artisans even after the defeat in the race war. We’re scattered all over the world, living well… So, many of them have become attached to their own places and don’t want to leave.”

Kellibay shrugged.

“There are many who would return if called, but most have already established their own bases. There’s no need to force them to gather again. They’re individualistic anyway.”

“Ah….”

“Now, rather than a nation… well, I’m thinking of forming something like a guild. We’ll each live our own lives, help each other when things get tough, work together on big projects, something like that….”

I watched my blacksmith, who was drawing a blueprint for a new era, for a long time, then smiled.

“I’ll support you, Kellibay. …I’ll miss you.”

“Why are you acting like we’re already saying goodbye? You’re going to stay for the ‘dissolution ceremony’ tomorrow!”

Due to the disappearance of magic, the entire world was currently in a state of chaos.

To resolve this chaos, the kings of the World Protection Front who had gathered here had to return urgently…

And so, the dissolution ceremony was to be held immediately after the funeral and memorial service.

“And even if we part this time, we’ll see each other often. Right?”

Kellibay grinned and patted my back. I smiled back and put my arm around his shoulder.

“That’s right. I’ll come to see you until you get tired of me and complain about seeing me too much.”

“Oh yeah. Let’s see who gets tired first!”

Kellibay and I stood side by side for a while, watching Kellison’s coffin being loaded onto the hearse.

***

When I went to Skuld’s tomb, Berdandi was already carefully placing various flowers on the coffin that had been taken out.

I carefully called her name.

“Berdandi.”

“Ah, Ash!”

I gave a bitter smile to Berdandi, who finished arranging the flowers and stood before me.

“Let’s drop the honorifics and speak casually, shall we? You’re a queen now.”

“Oh, right… I mean, yes…”

Berdandi was embarrassed. A pure white branch crown was on her head.

Following the wishes of her sister Urd and her younger sister Skuld, Berdandi, the last survivor of the fairy royal family, had ascended as the new fairy queen.

Moreover, with the abolition of slavery and liberation from subjugation.

There was no reason for her to speak formally to me.

“Th-then… I’ll speak casually. Ash…”

Berdandi twisted her body, unable to adapt. Her appearance was somehow funny and new, so I covered my mouth and laughed. Why would someone much older than me act like this?

“…In the dungeon under the Black Lake, I didn’t find the Holy Grail I was looking for after all.”

We looked south together.

In the dungeon-like lake kingdom there, Berdandi had wandered for a hundred years in search of the Holy Grail. It was a Holy Grail as a means to save the fairy kingdom.

But the identity of the Holy Grail she finally found was a sapling of the World Tree.

Even the sapling she planted in her homeland had now become an ordinary tree that had lost its magical power.

It seemed that the ‘miracle magic’ she had been searching for for a hundred years had never existed in the first place.

“But Ash, I met you, saved the world, and… the fairy kingdom was saved.”

We smiled at each other.

The Holy Grail had lost its role and identity.

But in the process of exploring the Holy Grail, we met, fought shoulder to shoulder, and as a reward for contributing to saving the world, the elves were given back the land of the original fairy kingdom.

We walked different paths, a little far apart, but in the end, Berdandi succeeded in saving her country.

“That’s why I think my past hundred years had meaning.”

Berdandi smiled brightly.

“Maybe the Holy Grail I was looking for was you, Ash.”

“Don’t praise me too much. It’s embarrassing.”

After waving my hand in a sly manner.

I looked at Skuld’s coffin, which was full of flowers.

“What are you going to do now?”

“I have to go back to my homeland. I’m going to rebuild the kingdom there.”

Berdandi let out a long sigh.

“…But, many have already become accustomed to life in the migration zone over the past hundred years. And there are many of my people who have been sold as slaves all over the world.”

“You must have a lot to solve.”

“Well, I have to start one by one.”

Berdandi reached out her hand to me.

“Urd and Skuld are gone now, but…”

It was a request for a handshake.

“We have a new, reliable ally.”

I gladly took her hand.

“If it’s hard, you have to tell me right away? If there’s anything I can help with, I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“That’s what I should be saying, Ash. Our elves will never forget all the good you’ve done.”

We couldn’t let go of each other’s hands for a while, and we quietly looked at the faces of our comrades who had fought together for a long time.

***

King Poseidon’s coffin was empty.

King Poseidon had died in action during Operation ‘Titan Fall’ – the battleground of the colossal monsters. His body could not be found. Instead, only his crown could be recovered.

“The Rompellers.”

Instead of King Poseidon, who had no children, his nephews, the Rompeller twins, were in charge of the funeral.

I approached the two Rompellers, who were wearing mourning clothes, and paid my respects.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Well, we didn’t have much trouble.”

The two Rompellers looked at their uncle’s empty coffin.

“Our uncle worked hard.”

“It seems like we didn’t do anything special on this front… and now we have to carry on the honor of our deceased uncle.”

The two Rompellers had to act as the representatives of the vacant merfolk king’s seat.

Various oppressions against the merfolk had disappeared this time, and they needed someone to organize and represent the matter. So, they stepped forward. Even though King Poseidon had already taken care of everything, and the Rompeller siblings only had to stamp their approval on the confirmed matters…

“Still, it’s true that the two of you and the merfolk fought hard.”

I comforted the two, who seemed somewhat dejected.

“So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to stop being pirates?”

“Haha! It wouldn’t look good if the hero who saved the world from crisis was still a pirate.”

“We’re going to travel around the continental sea and deliver news to our people. Most of them have gone deep into the sea or to other continents… but there are some who remain.”

Most of the merfolk had already left this continent.

The remaining merfolk were said to be living in small villages near the coast or working on ships with humans in coastal towns.

The Rompellers said they would work to ensure that the remaining merfolk were not oppressed and could live peaceful lives.

“Maybe, a world where such distinctions between races don’t matter much will come soon.”

“A world where we just mix together, work, eat, and live.”

I nodded in agreement with the two Rompellers.

“We might be the ones to create such a world together.”

The two merfolk, who were once pirate kings, smiled at me, as if they liked my answer.

“If you ever need naval forces, contact us!”

“Ash, we think we can trust and work under you!”

For some reason, I had a feeling that I would have to contact them in the near future. Because there were many things to do at sea.

I bowed my head silently towards King Poseidon’s coffin one last time, then moved on.

***

Kureha’s coffin, Kuilan’s brother, was just being loaded onto the hearse.

Kuilan and the members of the penal unit party moved the coffin together and paid their respects.

After waiting for a moment, I approached and spoke.

“Kuilan. And the penal unit.”

“Oh, Captain.”

“You’ve arrived, Chief-!”

After looking around at the five who greeted me happily, I chuckled.

“By the way, shouldn’t you drop the name ‘penal unit’ now? It’s been a while since your punishment ended.”

“We’re so used to that name, haha!”

Kuilan, who laughed it off, turned to his subordinates.

“But, yeah… now that I’ve received the title of Beastman King and I’m going back to my homeland. These guys need to get a new title.”

Then, the excited penal unit members jumped up and down.

“What are you going to call us, Chief?!”

“The Beastman King’s Royal Guard?!”

“How about the Five Wolf Generals?!”

“Or the Maple Fist Squad-”

Kuilan, who had been pondering, quietly muttered.

“Kuilan and… his disciples?”

“……”

The penal unit members, who had become cold, looked at Kuilan with cold eyes. I laughed at the sight.

This time, Kuilan got his homeland back.

Considering his contribution to the World Protection Front, it was a very cheap price. But Kuilan insisted on paying the full price for the land with the money he had saved. So, I had no choice but to accept the money and instead decided to support him with various supplies. Because there would be many things needed to rebuild the ruined village.

“I’m thinking of creating a community where not only the Maple Wolf tribe but all beastman tribes and refugees can freely stay.”

Kuilan gently stroked his brother Kureha’s coffin with his hand.

“I have to live hard so that my brother won’t be ashamed to see me.”

With eyes that had deepened completely differently from when we first met, Kuilan smiled maturely.

“I have to carry on the miracle my brother gave me.”

“I’ll support you, Kuilan.”

After talking about the village that would be restored for a while.

I carefully brought up the next topic.

“How’s Yoon doing?”

“…Still.”

Kuilan scratched his head with a bitter expression.

“She’s a sleepy woman.”

“……”

“They say that the curse-like injury that Yoon had was gone with the disappearance of magic in this world. But I guess the area that was pierced in the beginning was fatal… she can’t wake up.”

Kuilan then let out a deep sigh.

“Besides, if Yoon tries to return to that distant Arian Kingdom, it’s dangerous. I’m worried if Yoon’s weakened body can endure that long, cold, and rough road. Especially since all the magic and artifacts that could help with long-distance travel are now useless…”

“……”

“I’d like to just marry her and take care of her, but now the laws of the Arian Kingdom are a problem. Legally, major events such as marriage require the person to express their consent in the presence of a witness.”

It was a difficult situation for the Arian Kingdom as well.

It was too dangerous to take Yoon, who could not wake up from her coma, to the Arian Kingdom by land, but it was uncertain to leave her at Crossroads.

At this time, Kuilan stepped forward, saying that he would marry Yoon and take care of her.

Everyone knew that the two were lovers. Moreover, Kuilan had become the Beastman King, so he was qualified enough.

But according to the laws of the Arian Kingdom, it was impossible to marry someone who was in a coma, especially a princess.

Faced with this tangled situation, Kuilan let out a long sigh.

“So, I don’t know what to do.”

“Ahem, that’s why, Kuilan.”

I lowered my voice and quietly said in Kuilan’s ear.

“Miller Arian, Yoon’s father, has a ‘proposal’ that he secretly asked me to ask you about…”

Kuilan’s eyes widened in surprise.

I grinned, a little mischievously, and asked.

“How about it, former bandit king? Want to hear it?”