I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 819

“…The promise you made with me three years ago. Do you still remember it?”

Damian’s words triggered a long-forgotten memory.

Three years ago. The forward base.

The day we cleared the tutorial stage.

– I promise. If we survive this place, I will, without fail, die by your hand someday.

I had made that promise to Damian.

Back then, he was lost in despair after losing his friend, Ban. To move him, I declared that I would give him my life someday.

Because at that time, Damian hated me. He wanted to kill me for sending troops to the forward base, which led to his friend’s death.

– Someday, when all the monsters are defeated and peace comes to this front line, Your Highness. Please ask me again then.

– I will answer you then. Whether I still… hate you.

After that, Damian began to follow me, and the fulfillment of that day’s promise was postponed until after the battle with the monster.

And three years passed.

Now, after defeating all the nightmares and bringing peace to this front line.

Damian had finally come to demand that promise…

“…Of course, I remember.”

And I.

Nodded calmly.

“If that’s what you want. I’m willing to die for you.”

Three years ago, on that day at the forward base.

If Damian hadn’t sniped the Spider Queen, I would have died there that day.

If Damian hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have been able to endure this three-year journey. My strategy would have failed long ago.

Damian was the one who started my strategy and fired the first shot… he was my trigger.

“I was able to come this far because of you. That day’s promise is still valid.”

Smiling, I asked the young man behind me.

“How about you, Damian? Is your hatred for me from three years ago still valid?”

“…”

“Do you still… want to kill me?”

After a long silence.

Damian slowly answered.

“…Actually, I had completely forgotten about it. Both my hatred for Your Highness and that day’s promise.”

Damian’s voice was slightly trembling.

“But today, as the disbandment ceremony is held, while thinking about the path I should take… I remembered that day’s promise.”

“…”

“And that I can’t just bury that promise as if it never happened.”

I listened quietly to Damian’s words. Damian continued.

“I still can’t forget Ban’s death. I will probably remember the last moments of that child, who died in my place, for the rest of my life.”

“…”

“At the same time… I remember Ban’s life.”

The warmth began to return to Damian’s subdued voice.

“I remember the hand of that child who led me out of the orphanage, the smile that child showed me on the mountain as the sun rose, the life of that child who fought fiercely against his own life. I remember it.”

“…”

“Because Your Highness taught me to look at life, not death, to look at hope, not despair… that like two sides of a coin, there is always a morning after a nightmare.”

After taking a moment to breathe.

Damian said as if making a vow to himself.

“The days here on the monster front are an unhealable wound for me, but at the same time, they are the most shining memories of my life. They were painful but precious moments.”

“…”

“So… I’ll tell you my conclusion.”

Listening to that firm voice, which now had a strong core…

“I… the Your Highness of that day… no. I don’t want to hate my powerless self of that day anymore.”

I closed my eyes tightly.

“I want to acknowledge and accept that version of myself as it was.”

…I still dream of that day.

Thousands of corpses lined up on either side of the flickering blue sacred fire.

The scenery of that forward base, which was always a debt in my heart.

Every time someone fell under my banner after that, the scenery of that day would come back to my mind.

“So please, Your Highness, too.”

My past three years, blaming myself for not saving even one more person.

“Please… don’t hate yourself from that day anymore.”

Can I also stop hating myself from that day?

Can I acknowledge and accept myself from that day as I was?

“…This is my conclusion.”

I realized anew.

My sniper, until the very end…

Was the kind of guy who tried to heal someone’s wounds.

He was trying to heal not only himself, who had walked this far with the wound of guilt, but also my wounds.

“…Thank you, Damian.”

Damian will not forget Ban.

I will not forget that day’s funeral either.

But we will be able to move forward with these scars.

I want to believe that.

“Hoo…”

After letting out a long sigh of relief.

I carefully asked Damian.

“Hey, Damian.”

“Yes.”

“Can you please remove this… gun from behind my neck? Honestly, it’s really scary…”

Something cold and hard was still touching the back of my neck.

No, if you’re not going to kill me, please take this off! Honestly, it’s terrifying! If something like this is on the back of your neck, most people would faint immediately!

“Huh?”

But what came back was Damian’s puzzled reaction.

“Your Highness, I didn’t point a gun at you… ?”

“Huh? Then what is this?”

Puzzled, I turned around.

And.

Shhh-

I met the gaze of a reptile creature with yellowish eyes.

A snake with a gray-white body, flicking its long tongue.

It was Jormungandr…

Jormungandr, wrapped around Damian’s neck like a scarf, had stretched its head out and was poking the back of my neck.

“Waaaaaah?!!”

Terrified, I jumped up from my spot.

“Why is it here?!!”

“Well… when I said I was going on a trip, it tried to follow me.”

“A trip?”

“Yes.”

Only then was I able to face Damian.

From the start, Damian was completely unarmed. He was wearing a warm-looking coat with a thick scarf… or rather, a snake wrapped around him.

His hands were empty.

He had no intention of killing me from the beginning.

Damian glanced south, then scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

“I’ve seen the end of the south, so now… I have to go to the ends of the north, east, and west.”

“…”

“Because it was my promise with Ban to go on an adventure to the end of the world.”

And Jormungandr, who also wanted to go north, had joined him on his journey to the north.

Damian, now smiling gently as an adventurer, was about to leave for another end of the world.

After staring at Damian for a while, I opened my mouth.

“Damian.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Let’s make a new promise.”

I held out my hand.

“When your journey is over, please come find me.”

“…”

“And tell me what you saw at the end of the world, and what you felt there.”

“…I will, Your Highness.”

Damian reached out his hand.

“Promise.”

We slowly shook hands.

“It was an honor to be a part of Your Highness’s journey.”

“I was so, so… glad you were there, Damian. I can’t thank you enough.”

Damian’s hands, covered in burns, blisters, and calluses, were the hands of a sniper.

At the same time, they were the hands of a healer.

I held onto those hands, which bore the marks of the past three years, for a long time.

Eventually, our hands parted.

Damian bowed deeply to me once more, then took a few steps back…

“…”

Suddenly, he stopped walking.

And looked at me intently again.

Then, he extended his thumb and index finger from his fist, pointing the tip of his index finger at me. As if aiming at me with a hand-made gun.

And…

He smiled peacefully.

Damian slowly raised his hand, pointing the tip of his index finger at the distant sky.

“Bang.”

He pretended to shoot at the sky.

At the same time,

Taaang…

From the nearby temple – celebratory fireworks went off.

Following that, a large bell rang from the temple.

Ding… Ding… Ding…

Startled by the fireworks and the bell, birds soared into the sky all at once.

All sorts of birds lined up on the stone walls and rooftops on both sides of the alleyway flapped their wings and flew up like a painting.

Amidst the flight of the birds, Damian, who had smiled one last time with relief, made eye contact with me and turned away.

“Goodbye, Damian.”

I murmured to my trigger, who was now moving away.

“Have another wonderful journey.”

I also turned around and took a step forward.

No longer bound by the wounds of the past, towards our own new paths.

Leaving the shadows of the alleyway, into the bright sunlight of the plaza…

And beyond.

***

When I arrived at the temple, the service had just ended. The fireworks and bell were a signal to mark the end of the service.

“It’s the last service conducted by Head Priestess Rosetta here. It’s more crowded than usual.”

“Ah, I see. Indeed, it’s a rare opportunity to see the head priestess conduct a service in person.”

As always, I was standing side by side with Torkel, who was guarding the temple entrance, and talking.

“What are you going to do now, Torkel?”

“Thankfully, I’ve received many offers from various places.”

Torkel scratched his helmet, looking a little embarrassed.

“I’ve received scouting offers from famous mercenary groups, and also knighthood offers from several kings…”

“Wow, even knighthood? That’s amazing.”

It seems that many kings were impressed by Torkel’s sincere and dedicated attitude, and his willingness to throw himself into his duties. There are many countries trying to take him in…

“Lady Evangeline… no. Marchioness Cross also offered me the position of commander of the Crossroad Infantry.”

“Oh, another heated stove league is unfolding…” [Stove league refers to the off-season period in sports where teams negotiate and recruit players.]

But I can’t let him be taken away. Torkel is a talent I’m also eyeing. I’ll win him over and take him to the Bringer Principality!

So, as I was about to state my conditions, Torkel spoke first.

“But first, I’m going to take a break… and go to my home island.”

“Ah. Your home island?”

“Yes. The island where lepers like me used to live…”

Torkel’s eyes, visible through his helmet, became distant.

“It’s a place I haven’t returned to since I left, but I realized here in Crossroad that it was also a land where the sun always shines, just like Crossroad.”

“…”

“So… I’m planning to go back home with gifts in both hands. I’m thinking of deciding on my future path there.”

I smiled and patted Torkel’s back.

“That’s a great idea, Torkel. You’ve worked hard for a long time, so take a good rest.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And when your rest is over, please contact me…”

I was trying to say more to secure a contract for the next season.

“Torkel!”

A voice interrupted me.

Curious, I looked and saw a group of priests walking out of the temple. At the front was Head Priestess Rosetta, wearing her unique gentle… yet sharp smile.

“Oh my, Your Highness, you were here too.”

“Rosetta.”

“I’m sorry, but would it be alright if I spoke with Torkel first? Thank you.”

Then, Rosetta naturally squeezed between me and Torkel.

My eyebrows twitched. No, no way, Rosetta, you too…

“To cut to the chase, Torkel, have you ever considered becoming a priest?”

Are you a scout too-!

She noticed that I was trying to take Torkel and blocked me, making an offer to Torkel first! That sly priest!