Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 601
◈ 601. [Side Story] Pogo (布告))
After the funeral ceremony, I visited all the newly created graves..
“His Royal Highness Prince Ash.”
A man who was silently stroking his handsome beard in front of one of the grave sites turned to me..
It was Valen, the head of the City-State Alliance..
“valentine ball.”
As he approached and called his name, he glanced at the newly created grave in front of him. I saw that grave too.
It was the tomb of the Insect Busters, a mercenary group that joined during this defense battle through Valen's introduction..
Five mercenaries who were experts in bug extermination, but were captured by the Lord of the Flies during the first battle of the forward base..
They could not even retrieve the bodies, so they had to hold a funeral with an empty coffin, and since they had no connections in the city, there were almost no mourners..
Only Valen guards the grave like a mourner..
After a moment of silence, Valen opened his mouth..
“Insect Busters..”
“yes.”
“In fact, it was a relationship that I had no face-to-face relationship with..”
“yes.”
“I scouted him and brought him here just because of his reputation..”
Valen let out a long sigh..
“I feel strange.”
“how strange?”
“I think I arranged their deaths. It was also a very lonely and lonely death..”
“…….”
“It's not just these. Among the soldiers I have brought in so far, not many have survived..”
A hot wind blew.
I asked, carelessly brushing back my hair that had become disheveled in the late summer gusts..
“do you regret?”
“As the head of the City-State Federation, that shouldn't be the case. But as an individual... … is it so. I regret it.”
Valen muttered bitterly and looked at me..
“I am in such pain, even though I have only been recruiting soldiers, and I don't know how much your Majesty must be upset..”
“No matter how much my heart hurts, will it compare to the loss of the bereaved family? Is it comparable to the pain the dead experienced at that moment??”
How can you compare?.
No matter how burned my insides are…….
I said a brief moment of silence in front of the Insect Busters' grave. When I finished my silence and looked up, Valen asked:.
“Your Majesty, will a lot of people die in the future??”
“It will happen.”
“To be honest, I feel like my heart is breaking..”
“…….”
“I'm scared of that huge monster, and it's painful to see the people I brought with me die... … . It's a shame. Even after all this, he is the head of an organization..”
“There's no need to be ashamed. It's natural for humans.”
“What should I do? Will those who have become weak like me be able to fight in the future??”
I thought of Candler. She recalled the image of the woman who had already run away, but came back and fought again, just like her lie..
Such a miracle, such a sacrifice... … You can't force it on everyone..
“There are about two months left until the next battle..”
I turned the answer.
“Until then, make up your mind, Lord Valen. Will I be able to keep fighting, or…….”
or not…….
Even if I leave this place, I can't hold on.
Valendo, and everyone who has fought here so far. Because I know better that I did my best so far..
I already fought hard enough.
That your heart can be broken enough. Because I know it well.
Valen, who hesitated, answered bitterly and bowed his head to me..
“I will, Your Majesty..”
***
When the southern wall collapsed.
There were many people who were unable to evacuate in time or were caught up in the collapse. Half of the casualties of this battle occurred here..
And, among those caught up in this collapse were wizards..
“…….”
Junior was looking at the grave in front of him with red eyes. In front of the tomb, two young wizards were lying face down in bandages, crying..
They were the young wizards who formed a party under Junior and learned magic from Junior and Diarmudin..
When the castle wall collapsed, these young wizards, who were not physically well-trained, were caught in an accident..
In the end, two died and two were injured..
Junior quietly approached the crying young wizards and rubbed their shoulders. The three cried together.
“…….”
Diarmudin, standing behind this scene, was staring blankly..
“Children die, old people survive.”
His empty mutterings were blown away by the summer wind..
“Children die, old people live…….”
“…….”
I stood quietly next to him and meditated..
There was nothing I could do except meditate..
***
Schooled and Kelly Thorn.
The elf queen and dwarf king did not receive imperial funerals. They held separate funerals in the style of their own tribe..
Skuld's wooden coffin was filled with white flowers. Kelly Thorn's metal coffin was piled high with gold coins..
However, even if the format is different and the order of ceremonies is different,.
The human heart is the same thing.
The elves holding each other's hands and desperately singing their hometown song, and the dwarves silently pouring precious metals into the coffin, were all crying..
Verdandi and Kelly Bay, dressed in mourning clothes, also tried to stay strong but ended up shedding tears..
“…….”
Stop by the coffins of the two people and pay respects in the manner of both races..
As I turned around and walked out, I saw a giant with blue hair looking at me from afar..
King of the Mermaids - King Poseidon was 13 years old.
As I approached, the Mermaid King opened his mouth..
“I looked down on them.”
“…….”
“Younger than me, or weaker than me... … I was secretly ignoring it. Still, I mistakenly thought that I was the best in this place where people of different races gathered together..”
Instead of the sign language he usually used, the Mermaid King spoke in fluent language..
“But it wasn't at all. Those two were much greater kings than me..”
“…….”
“Sacrificing your life to save your people and the world... … Even if I had that ability, I wouldn't have done it..”
King Poseidon spoke honestly and shook his head..
“I'm ashamed of myself for being arrogant.”
“Their sacrifice is noble and great. however.”
I stood next to King Poseidon and watched the coffin go into the ground..
The two dead kings wrote their wills in advance..
When they die, ask them to bury them here. And after saving the world, I ask him to move to his hometown. like that.
I continued as I looked at the tombs built in their own style..
“However, those of us who survived should not feel guilty. We should not regret not being able to die like these people. That's not what they want.”
“…….”
“It would be more important to consider what they left behind and what we must carry with us..”
The Mermaid King let out a long breath. His hand, holding his trident like his staff, was trembling slightly..
“What did they want to leave to the world by sacrificing their lives?…….”
After paying deep respect to the completed grave,.
King Poseidon stretched his back and muttered heavily..
“We, the mermaid people, need to think about it too..”
***
In addition, after visiting the graves of all heroes and all soldiers,.
Lastly, I visited Burnout's grave again. When I stopped by earlier, the body bag was crying so sadly that it bothered me..
The time when the sun sets towards sunset. At the grave site dyed red by the sunset.
Bodybag, dressed in black mourning clothes, was squatting in front of Burnout's grave. In front of him, Lily, also dressed in mourning clothes, was sitting in a wheelchair..
“cadet!”
With her young son, Sid, in her arms.
The child, who did not understand what a funeral was like, innocently flailed his arms and legs. It's getting bigger every time I see it, but it's still small..
“The godfather has arrived, Sid..”
“Wow!”
“Ah, Your Highness! You came.”
After waving to Sid and Lily who greeted me face to face, I headed to the side of the body bag..
“Oh my, my waist.”
I'm exhausted after standing all day. I groaned and placed my butt on the floor next to the body bag..
“…….”
Body Bag glanced at me with red eyes and nodded slightly. I gently stroked the light green hair of that body bag..
A quiet moment passed without conversation. After a while, the body bag slowly opened its mouth..
“……majesty.”
“huh.”
“My code name, Body Bag, means ‘body bag.’.”
We listened quietly. The body bag mumbled with difficulty..
“The bag you put your dead allies in. And, it worked as the code name said. All my colleagues except me died, and I survived..”
“…….”
“I'm scared now. Being someone else's colleague. Getting close to someone else. I'm afraid that person will die too. I'm afraid that person will be put in my body bag too.…….”
Bodybag's face was buried in his forearm..
“All my colleagues are dead. There's no way I'm not to blame for all these deaths..”
“…….”
“scary… … Wouldn't it be better for me to die quickly and go to everyone's side... … ? Then no more…….”
Putting my arm on the trembling shoulder of the body bag, I slowly opened my mouth..
“Body bag. You know what a body bag does, right? Send our soldiers back to their homeland safely after their death..”
“…….”
“So you shouldn't die. Be sure to live, live for a long time, and avoid the death of your comrades... … We need to remember their lives.”
The body bag's trembling eyes looked at me. I nodded slowly..
“Follow Burnout’s will, body bag. survive. Survive and prove it. The shadow army existed here. the five of you lived here.”
“…….”
“That we are here fighting, you.”
After a while, Bodybag asked back in a faint voice..
“With that… … Will it work??”
“I don't know.”
I grinned..
“But, let's start there..”
“…….”
“It's okay to crouch longer. Let's stand up again slowly. On these ruins. together.”
It was then. Sid, who was looking over from Lily's arms, struggled with his body and stretched out his hands..
With the same meaningless babble, Sid's small, plump hand touched the pale body bag's cheek..
Bodybag stared blankly at Sid..
Light green mixed with dull brown - Sid's eyes look just like his father, Godhand..
A faint smile crossed the lips of Bodybag, who was crying. Sid laughed and pressed the body bag's cheek..
“…….”
Lily, who was looking at this scene with a quiet smile, suddenly turned her eyes to the grave site..
Like searching for a tomb that isn't there.
Still missing, but everyone has already accepted death... … Godhand's non-existent tomb.
***
The truce period proposed to us by the Black Dragon Night Bringer is until the next major flood..
In other words, until the next boss stage - right before stage 40..
Stages 36, 37, 38, 39… … The idea was to let them pass without having to fight four defense battles..
Of course, it's not safe to take the monster's words literally, but he seems to be the type to stick to what I say. Is it true that we got some grace period?.
‘About two months?…….’
After the funeral, evening.
I visited Serenade.
The Crossroads branch at the top of Winter Silver was busy. This is because they were put at the forefront of recovery work..
Workers carried out the supplies that were constantly coming in..
Passing by that busy scene.
“serenade.”
“majesty! If you had sent me a message, I would have gone out to meet you.…….”
“I know you're busy, how could you do that?.”
When I entered Serenade's office, I made a request..
“I have a favor to ask. Send a proclamation to every country, every city, and every village in the world..”
“What does it mean to say it is a proclamation??”
“You can call it a notice, you can call it an advertisement, or whatever, because there is something to announce to the world on a large scale. can you do it?”
“sure. It's not difficult. leave it to the girl.”
I took out a new sheet of paper on my desk and held a quill in my ink-covered hands from hard work..
Serenade looked up at me. Her silver eyes sparkled behind the lenses of her glasses she wore whenever she worked..
“How should I use it, Your Majesty??”
“Recruiting Heroes.”
Behind Serenade's back was a window with wooden blinds half closed..
As I looked out the window where the setting sun was streaming in, I recited what I had been thinking..
“Financial compensation, high. Honor and honor, extremely high.”
Serenade's quill, which had been writing down my words with fluid strokes, flinched and stopped at my next words..
“Survival probability, low.”
“…….”
“Probability of success, extremely low.”
……Sigh. Grumpy.
The sentence that paused for a moment continues as if nothing had happened. I also continued speaking without showing any sign..
“Nevertheless, let's save the world. A person who has something to protect. A man who can fight against destruction, against the world's worst monsters, for all he loves..”
I finished my sentence..
“Everyone, come to the southern end of the world, Crossroads..”
“…….”
“Declared in the name of Ash 'Bornhater' Everblack, commander of the World Defense Front..”
My words stopped, and the serenade sentences I was writing along also eventually stopped..
Silence fell in the office..
Serenade looking down at the sentence, me looking at the city outside the window.
The smell of ink on Serenade’s hands. The smell of paper. The smell of bandages wrapped around my body. the smell of dried blood.
The sound of construction coming from afar, the faint cries of workers, and a hymn faintly flowing from the tomb site.)…….
“serenade.”
Cutting through the silence between us, I suddenly asked:.
“If the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do today??”
“…….”
Serenade slowly raised her head, and I turned my gaze from looking out the window to her..
Our gazes intertwined through the setting sun shining through the window..
Serenade thought for a moment, then opened her mouth..
“Festival… … I'm going to have a festival in this city.”
“and?”
“I will dance with you. Until the moment the world falls apart.”
Serenade laughed..
So I laughed too.
“Then let's do that.”
“yes?”
I took a step closer to the puzzled Serenade..
I took a new piece of paper from the table, took the quill in her hand, and wrote the second proclamation..
About a month from now. In the coming year.
A fall festival will be held at Crossroads..
“Even if the world is really destroyed…….”
I smiled brightly and handed the completed proclamation to Serenade, who blinked in bewilderment..
“But I'll still dance with you, partner?”
Recruiting Heroes.
And, fall festival notice.
Holding two proclamations in her hands, Serenade looked at me for a while with red eyes... … . Soon she smiled dazzlingly.
Late summer is over, now early fall.
3The annual Crossroads Fall Festival was approaching..
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