Episode 169: The head of your lord

"——There's a deal going on."

As he listened intently to the eavesdropper,

"……damn it, you bastard! You're all just a bunch of scum!"

The "King" raged into the void.

Unbelievable.

He never thought even his soldiers would betray him.

The collapse of the kingdom, once thought unshakable, was now looming just before his eyes.

He had wanted to build a nation fit for the gods.

Yet everything was still only halfway there.

— Is this my royal path fated to be crushed right here?

“What…? What went wrong…?”

Now, the mastermind behind this rebellion was clearly evident.

The two who had vanished without a trace, gathering silently—

— The Path of Suffering and Joy, Sasae.

— And the Path of Fellowship, En.

To be betrayed by both a concubine and a blood relative—was this not a tale from the chaos of the Warring States era?

— I never thought I’d be betrayed by that useless woman.

As a male, a bitter feeling welled up inside me.

Of course, I wasn't blind to the meaning behind my child's gaze toward Sasaeda. I knew it, yet I allowed it—then I shattered Sasaeda's body.

Even then, the bond silently accepted it all.

That was precisely why I had placed absolute trust in my child's loyalty...

"……………g… gugugug, k… ……………"

Scratching his scalp violently.

"……………huh. hehehehe… ……………hehehehehe…………"

A dry, hollow laugh echoed through the empty room of the abandoned building.

Conflicting emotions were beginning to stir within the "King."

——Of course, a traitor cannot be forgiven.

——But… is that really true?

Since the day, forty years ago, when my wife died in childbirth, I had always thought I was burdened with an impossible, insurmountable debt.

Even so, the time has finally come to fly the nest...

That might be a joyful thing in itself.

I had always hated the young people passing through this land and their culture.

Because I was poisoned here.

Because of the people here, my child has grown twisted.

The king had unwavering conviction.

A man must walk his own path.

One must not end up as a person who is satisfied with mere fantasies, like a picture of a rice cake.

But what about the outcome?

Nakamichi En was raised into an adult who failed to meet Nakamichi Ginga's expectations.

It's all the fault of the people who live in this town.

People like these from this town—what does it matter if I do as I please?

▼

In the end,

this old man, Nakamichi Ginga, was nothing more than an utterly ordinary man who clung to the easiest idea possible for the "player."

The belief he held dear was

— Everything in existence is established by fate.

— To be granted power means to have been chosen by fate.

That is the belief he holds dear.

Therefore, everything he does is "righteousness," and anyone who opposes him becomes "evil."

That is why the "King" never yields.

Doing whatever he desires.

Pursuing his own pleasure.

He believes all of this makes the world a better place.

If Heaven so desires, I shall gladly accept death.

But it's not something easily accomplished.

If my desired fate is to remove the fate you wish for, then so be it.

It was never meaningful from the very beginning.

Sinking deeply into the throne, he took a breath.

First, activate the "Domestic Mode."

All things, everywhere.

May it become as you wish.

When the "King" recited the password in his mind,

Hello, Your Majesty. As you wish.

Please select today's task.

A cheerful female voice responded.

1. Change laws (some functions are shared with other royalty)

2. Modify citizen unit settings

3. Adjust lifeform settings within the territory (→ some functions unavailable)

4. Improve the territory (→ currently unavailable)

5. Change national borders

――6. Adjust "Army" unit settings

――7. War Mode

――8. Diplomacy Mode

――9. Other, detailed...,

"Number five."

――Understood.

――Currently, the territory under your control is...,

"Confirmation unnecessary. Reset the national border ten meters from the current position."

――Understood.

――Caution. With this setting change, over ninety percent of the local population units will move overseas.

――Please note that residents located overseas will no longer fall under the jurisdiction of the "King."

――Moreover, numerous "hostile lifeforms" exist beyond national borders.

――If contact is made with a "hostile lifeform," the survival of subjects cannot be guaranteed.

"Who cares? Let them all become food for those 'walking corpses.'...And activate War Mode Seven."

――Currently, the players designated as targets are:

――1, "The One Who Shall End It," and all players subordinate to her

――2, "The Nameless Gambler"

――End of list.

"Cancel hostility toward 'The Nameless Gambler.' Focus exclusively on eliminating 'The One Who Shall End It.'"

――Due to the decline in population, the "King"'s territory will be lost.

At that moment, a memory suddenly surfaced in the "King"'s mind: a rainy day when he had fallen headfirst into a muddy puddle.

If I'm already this filthy...

...then it doesn't matter anymore if I'm soaked through by rain.

"No problem. Right now, all I need to control is this tiny abandoned building... nothing more."

He now realizes he should have done this sooner.

To carry the weight of so many people's lives...

He should have lived a more... humble existence.

▼

'...I see. So that's your thinking?'

'Yeah. And it's also the will of the "Hero".'

'Heheho.'

'You understand, right...? The "Disliked King" never had a single ally from the very beginning.'

The sound heard through the eavesdropper barely reached his ears.

Knowing his voice wouldn't be heard, the "King" screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Their heads—fit perfectly hanging from the pillars!"