I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 124

A few days later.

“Wow, what is all this, Grandma?”

Junior’s eyes widened as she looked at the things Jupiter had bought.

From various groceries to snacks, new clothes, dolls, and toys. There were things that were hard to imagine, considering the family’s circumstances.

Jupiter smiled as she unpacked the luggage.

“My income has increased a bit.”

“……”

Junior stared up at her grandmother with wide eyes. Jupiter called out into the house.

“Hey, kids~ come out and see what your grandma bought!”

The children who came out one by one from the house screamed with joy.

The children, some missing limbs or with burns all over their bodies, limped forward and received gifts from Jupiter.

“And~ ta-da!”

Finally, Jupiter smiled and handed something to Junior.

It was a few books. Junior’s mouth opened slightly.

“You said you wanted to read books, right? Grandma picked some up.”

“Wow! Thank you, Grandma! I’ll read them well!”

Junior, who was smiling broadly while holding the large books in her small arms, slowly lost her smile.

“But, Grandma.”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t get involved in anything strange, did you?”

“……”

“Where did you get the money to buy all this? It’s not even payday yet……”

Such is the sharp intuition of a young child.

Jupiter was momentarily flustered, but soon smiled gently.

“Hey, is your grandma just an ordinary person? I have more than a few coins stashed away in my emergency fund.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So don’t worry about that, and enjoy reading the books!”

Jupiter smiled and patted her stomach.

“Let’s make dinner together. Grandma is starving.”

“……Okay!”

They headed to the kitchen together, chatting.

“But Grandma, you said my cooking was bad?”

“I can’t cook either, so we’re even. Let’s just try our best.”

The two stood side by side in the kitchen, preparing dinner with clumsy skills. The sound of children laughing echoed in the house.

It was a rare, abundant night.

***

After dinner.

While the children were playing noisily with their dolls and toys, Jupiter lit a cigarette outside the front door.

“Hoo……”

The cigarette she had started smoking again after a long time was impossible to quit.

The guilt about the first time she had engaged in smuggling, and the anxiety about the injustice and crime she had committed, were suppressed by smoking.

It was then.

“Grandma?”

Junior peeked her head out the door. Jupiter, startled, quickly shook the cigarette to put it out.

“Junior? What’s wrong? It’s cold, go inside quickly.”

“Hehe. I have something to show Grandma.”

Junior, smiling brightly, approached and raised her finger.

“Look at this!”

Magical elemental particles glowed and rose from Junior’s fingertips.

Jupiter’s face hardened. Junior smiled brightly.

“After that day, I can move them as I please. I think I have a talent for magic!”

The priest’s words from just a few days ago flashed through Jupiter’s mind.

– The magical power is flowing backward from the magical scar left in her heart. It’s even more of a problem because the child has a talent as a mage. She can’t handle her own magical power because of the scar.

Oblivious to her grandmother’s feelings, Junior nodded.

“I want to be like Grandma when I grow up! I want to become a great mage like Grandma, make a lot of money! And for Grandma and the kids-”

Thump.

Junior, who was about to say more, stopped talking.

It was because Jupiter had grabbed Junior’s shoulders with a scary face.

“Don’t even think about learning magic.”

“Huh? Why……?”

“Even if you don’t learn that, your grandma can feed you for the rest of your life.”

“But……”

“Promise me, Junior. Promise me. For this grandma’s sake, don’t learn magic.”

Junior, who was dazedly facing Jupiter’s serious face, mumbled reluctantly.

“But, Grandma…… it’s hard for you to raise us.”

“……”

“I just want to grow up quickly and help Grandma……”

“It’s okay for Grandma, so Junior, you just think about yourself. Okay?”

Jupiter hugged Junior gently and patted her back.

“Grandma is okay.”

“……”

“It’s okay, so don’t worry.”

Junior quietly lowered her eyes while being held in her arms.

***

The affluent times were short. It didn’t even last a few months.

The Empire’s investigators were competent. Jupiter’s smuggling was quickly discovered.

The decisive factor was that high-level healing magic was administered to more than ten children in the capital.

It was magic that was too expensive for a demoted soldier to afford.

Investigators who smelled something fishy came to the village and started an investigation, and the smugglers who were arrested on the spot called out Jupiter’s name.

The investigation proceeded smoothly, and Jupiter did not protest.

Because it was true that she had committed injustice.

Jupiter eventually had to retire in disgrace.

The end of a lifetime devoted to the military was so futile.

‘It’s my own fault.’

Jupiter, taking out her belongings left in the guard post, chewed on the cigarette in her mouth.

She didn’t regret it.

If she hadn’t engaged in smuggling at that time, the children wouldn’t have received high-level healing magic, and they might not be in this world now.

However, she was worried about the future.

There were still many mouths to feed at home, but the source of income had been cut off.

‘Where do I make money now……’

She saw fishing boats coming and going at the nearby pier. She was thinking about whether she should become a fisherman.

“Captain Jupiter!”

Turning around at the voice calling her, a group of rough-looking men rushed over.

“Welcome to freedom.”

A neatly dressed man among them smiled.

It was a man she had seen a few times. He was a trading partner she had encountered while engaging in smuggling. Jupiter frowned.

“Did you come to make fun of someone who got fired?”

“Of course not. I’m not stupid enough to offend a mage.”

The man who came in front of Jupiter got straight to the point.

“To cut to the chase, Captain Jupiter, would you be interested in becoming a mercenary?”

“What? A mercenary?”

“Yes. The kind of mercenary who fights anyone for money.”

Displeasure flashed across Jupiter’s face.

“Are you telling this Lightning Jupiter to become a mercenary lackey……?”

“It’s not just a mercenary lackey, but you’re in a situation where you have to become a hunting dog that the mercenary takes around.”

The man grinned.

“You need a lot of money, right?”

“……”

“I don’t know what kind of charity work you’re doing…… but in this world where even raising two kids is backbreaking, you’re raising more than ten children alone.”

“……”

“Isn’t that why you got involved in this dirty business? You even did smuggling, so can’t you do mercenary work?”

The man took out a small box from his pocket. When he opened the box, there were several high-quality cigars inside.

“If you’re a skilled person like Captain Jupiter, you can make a fortune as a mercenary.”

“……”

“Come with us.”

The hesitation didn’t last long.

Jupiter reached out and took the cigar. The man smiled, cut the end of the cigar, and lit it with a match.

***

“The priest will come to take care of you often.”

The night she accepted the mercenary scout.

Jupiter gathered the children and explained how they would live in the future.

The priest, who was their doctor, had agreed to visit often, and she had also asked the neighbors for help.

The guards who had been her subordinates also readily promised to take care of the children.

The amount of money paid in advance by the employer was quite large, so she gave it all to them as a reward.

The remaining amount was given to Junior.

“It should be enough for about half a year’s living expenses. You have to save it.”

“……”

“Junior. You’re the oldest, so you have to take care of your siblings.”

“……Okay.”

“Grandma will make a lot of money and come back soon.”

Jupiter made eye contact with each of the children and said goodbye. Junior clenched the money pouch in her hand tightly.

That night.

Junior cautiously approached Jupiter, who was sitting on a chair outside the front door, smoking a cigarette.

“Grandma.”

“Huh? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Read this for me.”

In Junior’s hand was the fairy tale book she had bought a few days ago.

Jupiter chuckled and lifted Junior onto the chair with a “Heave-ho!” sound.

And with her granddaughter in her arms, she slowly read the fairy tale book.

Junior snuggled into Jupiter’s arms.

“Grandma, how far are you going?”

About halfway through the book, Junior suddenly asked. Jupiter answered nonchalantly.

“Well, they say I’m going to the west for now. It seems there’s another country at war over there.”

“Can’t you stay and be with us?”

“……”

“It’s scary without Grandma.”

Jupiter slowly stroked her granddaughter’s hair.

“I’ll make a lot of money and come back soon. You don’t have to be scared.”

Junior also knew. That her grandmother had to leave.

But she couldn’t help but be afraid. Junior pressed her face into Jupiter’s arms.

“……I’ve been having scary dreams lately.”

“Nightmares?”

“Yeah. Do you have them too, Grandma?”

“Yes. Grandma has them often too.”

Jupiter smiled as she patted her granddaughter’s back.

“But today, you’re not going to have a nightmare, but a good dream.”

On the creaking old chair, feeling the sea breeze, Junior slowly fell asleep.

Jupiter whispered softly in her granddaughter’s ear.

“Sleep well, my dear.”

***

After that, Jupiter wandered around the entire continent in search of war.

The income as a mercenary was not as good as she had expected. There were frequent wars, but most of them were in a lull.

Jupiter eventually had to get involved not only in mercenary work but also in all sorts of dirty work.

The honor she had upheld as a soldier was of no use in the face of her grandchildren’s livelihood.

By breaking and selling off the reputation she had built up throughout her life, Jupiter built a new reputation.

A corrupt soldier obsessed with money.

A gold digger who would do anything for money.

Junior was a naive and tender child, but as she became responsible for her siblings’ lives, she gradually became tough and tenacious.

Most of the neighbors who her grandmother had asked for help did not help Junior.

Rather, they threatened to take her money or harmed her.

Junior had to become stronger. She had to become cunning and harsh.

The magic that her grandmother had told her not to learn also had to be mastered to protect her siblings.

Above all, she knew it herself. That her talent was in magic.

No, that it was all she had.

In the blink of an eye, 10 years had passed.

As Jupiter and her grandchildren became physically distant, their emotional distance also grew.

Except for the occasional letters they exchanged, their interaction gradually decreased.

Still, Jupiter sent money, and Junior wrote letters.

Junior had become a full-fledged adult.

And as a mage, she fully understood what exactly had happened 15 years ago.

What Jupiter had done.

Jupiter had become an old woman with white hair.

Jupiter had become afraid of her granddaughter. The children she had taken in and raised, but who she had actually scarred in a way that she could not erase.

***

Present.

Southern Front of the Empire. Fortress City of Crossroads.

Junior’s inn room.

“……”

“……”

Jupiter and Junior stared at each other silently.

The affectionate gaze between grandmother and granddaughter that they had shared 10 years ago was gone.

Instead, their gazes were filled with fear, awkwardness, and a faint mix of love and resentment.

“……”

After staring silently at her granddaughter, who was covered in her own blood, Jupiter blurted out.

“……Are you eating properly?”