Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 385
◈ 385. [Side Story] Funeral (5)
It was just as Evangeline said. The people of Crossroads were strong, and the city's recovery was quick..
About a month after the end of the defensive war,.
The goblins' corpses were removed without leaving a trace, and their blood was wiped clean..
The returning residents began to lead their lives again as before. Restoration work is in full swing on the city walls, and the city has regained its usual vitality..
……but.
Some wounds never go away.
650 years of the imperial calendar. last day of february.
Exactly one year has passed since I fell into this world. It was on this day that the funeral was held..
And coincidentally, this day was also a day to commemorate the soldiers who died at the hands of the Black Spider Army during the tutorial stage..
“…….”
West of Crossroads. grave site.
I swallowed my words as I looked around at the cloud of people gathered in..
All the bodies had already been placed in the grave. Priests sprinkled holy water on the graves and blessed the dead for their afterlife..
While the choir's funeral song rings out. People shed tears at the graves of those they had lost..
“…….”
Lily could only watch this scene from afar..
Godhand hasn't built a tomb yet. Because his lover, Lily, wanted it that way..
His colleagues Burnout and Bodybag, as well as his former boss Verdandi, agreed..
That's why Godhand was still missing..
From tomorrow until March.
Although it was now definitely spring, Lily was still waiting for Godhand's return..
Burnout and Bodybag were standing behind her, looking down at the grave site..
I glanced at the three, then looked away..
Many people died, many mourners visited, but there was a particularly crowded tomb..
It was Margerita's..
Is there anyone in this city who hasn't been touched by her??
From a minor cold to a serious injury that exposed bones, Margerita was the one who healed them all..
Suddenly my left arm started throbbing. I held my left arm tightly with my right hand..
Her hand that wrapped the cast on this arm is still good..
Now I can never be treated by her again..
“I would like to apply for the dispatch of a new priest to the central denomination..”
Damian, who was standing next to Margerita's tomb and saw me approaching, came running and said:.
Damien has been very busy working as a temporary acting chief priest for the past month..
“It also serves to supplement manpower. The Central Church is said to be in turmoil right now due to the civil war between the princes, so I don't know if they will be appointed properly.…….”
“…….”
“There may still be some foolish priests who will walk into the fortress city. haha…….”
It's just as Damian said. This is a place that only a foolish priest cannot handle..
In a city where you never know when it might fall to monsters, you have to treat seriously injured people who die every day..
Margerita was a very foolish person..
Even though he poured out his complaints, he never once ran away and fought against death in the temple..
I will miss that foolishness..
I quietly ruffled Damien's curly hair. Now that I think about it, I guess you are just as foolish..
“Please just suffer a little longer until the next priest comes..”
“What a hardship. I don't think so at all. but…….”
Damian smiled sadly as he looked at Margerita's tomb..
“I think Margerita was a truly amazing person. Even with help from other priests, I always make mistakes, so how did Marherita handle so much work on her own?…….”
“…….”
Only when you lose something do you realize its value. Foolishly, as always.
In addition, we visited the graves of other heroes and soldiers. Everyone was crowded with mourners, but there was one place that was particularly empty..
It was in front of the tomb of the leper extermination unit..
Thorkell stood alone in front of the empty tomb..
Damian and I quietly approached and prayed in silence in front of the grave..
Thorkel glanced at us once, bowed to me, then bowed his head again and closed his eyes..
“Mr. Thorkel... … Since then, you have been taking care of the temple's chores..”
Damian said as he left the leprosy extermination group's grave..
“Even if I try to ask you to do something more comfortable, you insist on doing the dirty work that others don't want to do... … Of course, I am thankful that the temple is busy, but a little more…….”
There was sadness in Damian's voice..
“It would be better if you pushed yourself less.…….”
“…….”
That might be his way of alleviating his sadness..
So I decided not to bother stopping him. We headed to the next tomb..
After everyone had visited the newly built grave and paid their respects, the sun was already setting in the sky..
The funeral was over before I knew it, and it was my turn to speak for the last time, and I stepped up to the podium..
Thousands of eyes flew like arrows and focused on me..
I caught my breath and opened my mouth..
“When I first took office here and held my first funeral. I said. You will continue to die here on the front lines..”
When I first entered Crossroads and held a funeral for the soldiers who died in the tutorial. I said this.
“But your death is expensive. So I will save you as much as I can. I will do whatever it takes to keep you alive and use you, so don’t die easily..”
After listing what I said back then, I quietly looked back at the grave site..
“I made such a bold statement, but now a year has passed... … The graves continue to grow.”
“…….”
“The monsters' invasion is becoming more and more intense, and the damage on our side is growing uncontrollably like wildfire..”
People swallowed dry saliva. I clenched my fists..
“At the last funeral, I said: We will use every means at our disposal to crush their invasion..”
“…….”
“Even though I boasted so much, did I really use every means at my disposal? … I had doubts.”
Then take a breath.
“I promise. Now I'm really going to pull out all the stops.”
I made a decision.
“If we can eradicate the monsters and save at least one more person... … will do anything.”
Did you read the will behind my words?.
Some people turned pale, some people trembled their shoulders, and some people looked at me with trembling eyes..
Does not matter.
Anyway, we'll all soon find out what this means..
And I will force them all to follow me.
“I hope for your active cooperation in the future, as I and the Kaiju Front move forward..”
I turned my head and looked at the gravestone..
It was a tombstone commemorating those who died during the tutorial stage..
I turned my head again and saw the new tombstones..
I repeated the names of the dead people to myself..
Wait a minute, I’m thirsty..
“……Only after making many sacrifices was I able to reach this conclusion..”
I bowed my head..
“I will stand in silence for all those who have died in the past year, and for all those who will die in the future, whose deaths have become milestones on the monster front..”
Thousands of people bowed their heads in unison..
After a short moment of silence, I nodded and walked down the podium..
Lucas, who was waiting next to the artillery unit, waved his arms, and the artillerymen ignited the cannons..
pop! pop! Bubble bung!
The sound of gunfire in honor of the dead echoed hollowly at the grave site..
Another funeral ended like this.
***
“I was expecting Crossroads' funeral speech to be touching..”
As I was standing on the hill watching the people scatter, I heard a voice next to me..
“Rather than being moving, this speech was… … It's bloody.”
“……queen.”
The one who approached was an elf woman wearing a white twig crown and with diamond-shaped tear spots..
It was the elf queen schooled..
I chuckled slightly..
“I thought you were going back to the borough right away. You're staying quite a long time..”
Just a month ago, he acted as if he would leave immediately, but Skuld and his elves used the Crossroads as a base to tour the surrounding area..
I left it alone because there was no reason to stop it, but it's a bit absurd..
Schooled calmly shrugged his shoulders..
“I left the autonomous district after a hundred years. You can get a little bit of outside air. That outing is over now, but... … I'm planning to go back soon..”
“I heard you are busy traveling between the surrounding city-states. Did you get the results you hoped for??”
“Although I achieved only small results, I was unable to achieve my biggest goal. This outing didn't turn out very well..”
Her biggest purpose is… … You're probably talking about me.
It seems she was trying to do something based on the banner and cause I had put forward. When I broke that banner, it became something that never happened..
“Oh. Before I leave, can I ask you a small favor??”
Schooled took out a small pouch from his arms and handed it to me..
“Please tell this to Sister Verdandi..”
“This…….”
“These are sunflower seeds grown in the elf borough. It's a breed brought from my hometown. Hehe, it's the best in the world.?”
Even the queen carries seeds around in case anyone thinks they are a hamster race. I took it without saying a word..
“…… It doesn't matter if the Holy Grail is real or a hoax. Whether it's there or not, the Fairy Kingdom has already been destroyed and the World Tree is dead..”
Schooled sighed softly..
“I just wish that she would at least acknowledge that reality and come back to my side..”
“…….”
“Please pass along this message along with the seeds. Come to the autonomous district at any time. I'll be waiting for my sister.”
“Let's do that..”
Skuld's subordinate elves brought a deer. Skuld, who was stroking the back of his deer's neck, looked at me and opened his mouth..
“Prince Ash. I don't know why you broke your spirit.”
“…….”
“But I know that breaking the spirit you pursue is as painful as breaking your own heart..”
I glanced at her..
“how do you know that?”
“Because I tried it.”
Schooled gave an empty smile..
“In order to survive, I've thrown away so much.”
“…….”
“Breaking the flag is very difficult at first, but becomes very easy after the first time. Because it's already broken.”
Schooled's long fingers went up to the center of his chest..
“Once you start compromising, you will bend endlessly. In the end, you will end up lying face down. like me.”
“…….”
“One last piece of advice. Even if you have to give up everything and compromise with everything, keep one strong intention in your heart. Without it, a person would not be alive even if he lived..”
Her advice was sincere and appropriate, but it was too late..
I already broke it..
My flagpole has already been torn to pieces. I have already decided to abandon it..
I greeted him formally without replying. Skuld also bowed in imperial style and hopped on his deer..
I turned around while watching the backs of the elves moving away..
Now it was time to do what had to be done..
***
I took Lucas and the soldiers and headed to downtown Crossroads..
Lucas had a dark expression throughout the funeral, but as soon as he joined me, he spoke in a worried tone..
“My lord. The next defense is coming soon... … However, the restoration of the Crossroads walls and forward bases has not yet been completed..”
“…….”
“Most of the teleport gates installed in the monsters' path have been destroyed. This makes guerrilla tactics difficult to use. How do you plan to fight a defensive battle in this situation? You haven't even shared with us.…….”
It's already been about a month since the last defensive battle ended..
It's soon the next stage. However, repairs to water-borne facilities were not completed, and healing of wounded soldiers was not completed. Recruitment of new soldiers is also slow..
Even in this situation, I remain calm, so it's only natural that Lucas would be worried..
“Don't worry, Lucas..”
I grinned..
“I have something prepared for you. right here.”
“here is……?”
The place where I stopped was where the entrance was blocked by thick iron bars..
It was Crossroads Central Prison. The guards guarding the entrance split to the left and right to make a path..
Lucas looked at the prison with a puzzled look on his face..
“Have you prepared anything? In this prison?……?”
“okay.”
I took the lead and went inside. Lucas followed me carefully..
And inside the prison. Lucas' eyes widened as he stood in front of the large prison room..
“Fu, release me! release me!”
“What is this doing! Why do we put these things on our bodies?!”
“Help me! Please save me, Your Majesty! please!”
Four prisoners were tied up screaming..
These were the four Aegis Special Forces agents captured during the previous Special Forces infiltration incident..
Their tightly bound bodies were connected to an explosive device containing a magic core, as well as a large amount of explosives..
“During this goblin invasion, I know where the goblins flocked to after the temple.?”
“no way…….”
“okay. This was a prison. A bunch of goblins came in to kill the prisoners hiding behind the strong iron bars, but the iron bars were surprisingly strong, so all the prisoners survived..”
I sat down calmly on the chair in front of the prison room..
“After seeing that scene and thinking a little, I was able to kill the monsters very easily..”
“…….”
“The basic behavior of monsters is simple. Attack the nearest human.”
I stretched out my legs and kicked the iron bars of the prison cell. Prisoners screamed and fell to the ground..
“Then, put the human bombs with detonators hanging around in a sturdy iron cage and throw them in front of the monster group.?”
“…….”
“Like monkeys trying to lick the flesh inside the shell, the monsters will flock around the iron cage. Right then, bang!”
I pretended to explode a bomb with my hands..
“It inflicts a huge blow on those who flock to us like a swarm of ants. Totally efficient.”
“…….”
“It's not just this. This is just a very primitive trap, and if this test is successful, this method can be applied…….”
“lord.”
Lucas called me heavily..
When I turned around, Lucas shook his head heavily, his face pale and tired..
“……This is not your way..”
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