Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 154
◈ 154. [Side Story] Search (2)
“me… … Are you going to kill me??”
I nodded willingly to Margerita’s words..
“It could be so.”
“…….”
“Because all your priests will be fooling you. They could all be hanged for daring to humiliate the royal family..”
“……!”
Margerita’s complexion turned white. She could see that Damian, who was listening over there, was also startled..
“but!”
I grinned..
“I won't do that..”
“I really... … Are you?”
“then! I hope that you and your comrades will continue to care for the wounded here on the front lines. Just as sincerely as I have done so far..”
He put the cane he was swinging threateningly into his arms..
“I just hope for a little cooperation.”
I locked eyes with Margerita and whispered softly..
“For this city, for your temple, and ultimately for all humanity. please cooperate with me a little bit.”
“…….”
“Are you going to do that? huh?”
spies are useful.
And a spy who was on the enemy's side and then turned to my side is very, very useful..
I had no intention of killing either Godhand or Margerita..
The plan was to somehow lure him to my side, so to speak, 'wind him up' and use him..
“……majesty.”
Margerita, who was facing me with trembling eyes, opened her mouth with difficulty..
“I am… … What can I do for you?……?”
***
Temple.
Me, Lucas, and Margerita are crossing the hallway here..
Evangeline, Damian, and Junior were told to watch for the shadow unit..
They will be quietly huddled together in the living room of my mansion..
Jeez. Jeopuk.
As I walked through the temple hallways, I thought.
It was about what Margerita confessed while coming here..
‘Using a priest as a spy. It's really an incredibly efficient method..’
Since the Goddess Church is the state religion of the empire, at least one temple of the Goddess Church is mandatory in every city throughout the empire..
This temple serves as a public medical institution..
Priests on duty walk around the city, respected by everyone..
without any suspicion.
See and hear everything about the city.
These priests are the eyes and ears of the imperial family..
‘All the priests directly appointed by the Great Temple of the Emperor are doing this..’
I clicked my tongue inwardly..
‘Since it is a state religion, there must be a close connection between the leadership of the church and the imperial family... … Since when have we been doing this?.’
As I walked while thinking, I soon arrived at the central hall..
Margerita stood in front of the statue of the goddess with a pale face and a deathly complexion..
Lucas is keeping an eye on Margerita to see if she does anything foolish..
me? I'm humming with excitement.
I'm so excited and excited about what's to come that I can't bear it and my shoulders are shaking. The kid is excited.
Margerita knelt in front of the statue of the goddess, caught her breath, and let out a dry voice..
“……I will report to you.”
Then the faint sound of a magic device operating rang out..
It was a sound so small that you would miss it if you weren't fully focused..
A moment later, a murky voice came out from the goddess statue along with a crackling sound..
「I'm listening. report.」
“…….”
Margerita, who was silent, glanced at me. I smiled warmly and nodded at her..
Do as you are told..
“……The treason was a lie.”
Margerita continued speaking with her shoulders shaking..
“It was a trap by His Highness Prince Ash to track down a spy like me..”
「what?」
“I'll say it again. The treason was completely false. It was a misinformation due to a fatal mistake on my part. sorry.”
「What nonsense is that... … No, wait a minute. So, your true identity was discovered by His Majesty Prince Ash??」
“Yes that's right.”
Margerita spoke steadily as I told her..
“‘I've been caught. sorry.”
At this point I stepped forward..
“That's the story, the friend hiding behind the statue of the goddess!”
I pushed Margerita away and stood in front of the statue, grinning..
“Wow, even I, who have little faith, feel guilty for saying this to the goddess's face, and to think of asking priests to do something like this. You guys have really bad tastes too..”
「…….」
“Hey hey I know you're listening. You're not ignoring the prince, are you? huh? Don't take it out, let's peel some fish with me.~”
The silent voice leaked out again. A look of confusion was evident..
「His Royal Highness. We apologize, but His Royal Highness is not authorized to use this communication channel.…….」
“Then, call a person with authority..”
I growled fiercely..
“Bring me out.”
「…….」
“Can't I take you out? So let me guess who is in charge of you guys??”
I continued, pointing fingers one by one..
“A person who has a deep relationship with the Goddess Church to the extent of using the priests as his chess pieces, and is also connected to the dark side to the point where he can supervise spies within the empire. Moreover, who can build this kind of communication magic infrastructure and pay astronomical usage fees?.”
「…….」
“Who could it be??”
We cooperate closely with the national religion, the Goddess Church.,
He is the commander-in-chief of the Ambu Aegis Special Forces.,
A person who spreads spies across the continent to collect information and is willing to pay the costs of doing so..
I recited the name.
“The Minister of Administrative Affairs of our Empire and my second older brother! Fernandez ‘Ember Keeper’ Everblack! There's only one person~”
「…….」
“3Named after Prince Ash 'Bornhater' Everblack. Call my brother right away.”
Facing the exquisitely carved face of the goddess, I issued an ultimatum..
“I won't wait long.”
***
10Did I wait for about a minute?.
Communication was connected with a crackling sound..
「iced coffee. Can you hear me well??」
The voice that came out as if it were a microphone test boasted a clear beauty even in the crackling, low-quality sound..
It was the first time I heard the voice, but I felt it right away..
The owner of this voice is Second Prince Fernandez..
「‘The ‘center’ is at the ‘south end.’ Communication is good. wait for an answer.」
Finally- I got to talk to this bastard in person..
I burst out laughing cheerfully..
“Hey~ bro! long time no see! It's me, Ash!”
Of course, this is our first time seeing each other. Still, let's stick together.
“How long has it been since I heard this voice? nice to meet you! It's good to hear my voice too?”
「…….」
After a short silence.
Fernandez spoke softly.
「Communication magic carries the threat of eavesdropping. Replace the area code name rather than the individual's name..」
“That sounds like navy blue, Sitpal. Damn it, bro, who in the world is eavesdropping on the Goddess Statue’s communications??”
I chuckled..
“If there is a real threat of wiretapping, the code name should be given regardless of the region. They just added them appropriately to classify the regions..”
「…….」
“Oh, okay, just talk comfortably, Mr. JoongAng.!”
A long sigh was heard..
「It's been a while, Ash..」
“It’s been a while too, bro. Just by hearing your voice, friendship is starting to grow..”
「You managed to find this line. This is the first time I've caught the tail so clearly. As the head of the dark department, I was very… … I'm embarrassed.」
It wasn't a shy voice at all, but you can roughly understand it as meaning 'I'm going to tear off all the underlings.'.
“Haha, but I'm still happy that I can talk to my brother like this, right? Let’s communicate often in the future! Are you eating well? Even that unlucky face is still shiny and shiny.?”
Of course I've never seen your face.
Fernandez is a character that only appears as a setting in the game. I'm just trying to do it 'like Ash'..
Fernandez sighed again..
「Do you know how much communication magic costs per second, Ash? I'm not using it for small talk like this..」
“expense? Well, I don't know? What's certain is that I'm not paying that money. This is why collect calls are good?”
「what? Collect… … call? what is that?」
There is something like that. It's called a toll-free phone. Even on Earth, it's something that's rarely used these days..
「Now, tell me your business, little brother. It's busy here..」
“How are you? I planted a spy and got caught, but he doesn't even seem sorry.?”
「why should i be sorry?」
Fernandez was the enemy..
「This was done for the well-being of the imperial family and the empire. There's no reason to feel sorry for you?」
“You're shameless, my brother..”
「It's natural for your face to become thick when you're in a situation like this. Isn’t it the same for both of us, little brother??」
I crossed my arms. It doesn't seem like there's much benefit in the tongue-in-cheek war..
“What do you like? Just talk about business.”
That's the point.
“Send reinforcements. Within a week. Otherwise, the southern front will be over, and monsters will begin an invasion of the empire's mainland..”
「Did you even mention treason to get reinforcements? My brother, you really are the opening commander..」
“I feel a little offended when the person who refused to send reinforcements for the opening ceremony says something like this..”
I gritted my teeth and spoke fiercely..
“Don't you think you've been informed of the situation here all this time through the Statue of God's communications? It's really, really, really hard here. I think we'll be happy if we just send some troops. Am I asking too hard??”
「…….」
Fernandez took out a tone of regret..
「It's difficult to send reinforcements. The war with the Principality of Bringer is not over yet..」
“You burned the entire principality and even captured the capital, right? It's not over?”
I don't have much means of knowing outside news, but the fall of the Bringer Principality is a big event in the game..
I know the approximate time zone. The capital would have been taken by now..
「How great would it be if the war ended just because the capital was captured. Sporadic resistance continues throughout the principality. Our imperial army is also fighting back with all its might..」
Fernandez's voice became stern..
「The well-being of the empire will be guaranteed only if the dragon's blood in the Principality of Bringer is rooted out and eradicated. That's what Abama decided..」
“…….”
「It's hard to send reinforcements right away, Ash. Will you hold on just a little longer??」
“I heard that if you do just a little more, a little more, the wire itself becomes ruined.?”
「Even if the southern front collapses, there is a chance to rebuild it, but the western front... … The operation to destroy the Bringer Principality can only be carried out now..」
Fernandez spoke clearly, as if he had not even considered sending reinforcements in the first place..
「The bigger crisis facing the empire lies in the west. I hope you understand.」
“Oh, that's right?”
I snorted. That's how it comes out?
“Then there is nothing we can do. We have no choice but to use other means..”
「……Are you really going to declare treason??」
“Why are you acting like this? I feel sad. Who am I? It's Ash! The filial son of filial sons! Abama, why would I dare to do something like treason that would pierce my heart??”
Smirk.
A bitter taste forms at the corner of my mouth..
“It's just that troops are supplied from somewhere else, not from the famous 'Central'..”
「different place?」
Fernandez's voice paused, as if he sensed something ominous in those words..
「somewhere else, where.」
“The Everblack Empire ate half the world. But that empire won't lend you troops.?”
I shrugged..
“Then you have to borrow from the other half. I can't help it?”
「……no way.」
“okay. We will gather the remnants of all the fallen countries that our empire overthrew to this southern front..”
Fernandez tried to say something, but I continued without giving him a chance..
“and! Oh my goodness, amazing! Just a three-day drive from here on the southern front is the Principality of Bringer.?”
「……!」
“To those who lost their capital and are continuing the difficult fight, someone unknown may accidentally provide them with money, military supplies, and a comfortable place to rest.~?”
It does not cause rebellion. Because it's too risky.
Instead, it destroys the operation to destroy the Bringer Principality - the tower that the imperial family has worked so hard to build over the years..
This was the mess I prepared..
「Ash, you……!」
“I'm going to lose anyway.”
It was an extremely honest feeling..
“What can't they do??”
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