I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 162

After an early dinner,

As I tried to leave the Imperial Palace, the guards blocked my way.

“It is His Highness Prince Fernandez’s order that you wait in the detached palace.”

“Well, now?”

I thought they were being nice to me. It seems they intended to lock me up in the detached palace and let me play around only there.

For now, I quietly returned to my room.

Ash’s life itself is that of a troublemaker, but there’s no need to cause a ruckus in this situation.

‘There’s a way to get out quietly!’

I took out a cloak I had brought from Crossroads.

[Transparent Cloak (SSR)]

I put the cloak over my shoulders and looked in the mirror, and saw an empty mirror. It works properly.

I was worried that I might not be able to balance myself if I couldn’t see myself, but thankfully that wasn’t the case.

My body was visible to my eyes, albeit semi-transparent.

‘Okay, then…’

I fastened the cloak’s front and looked at the bright city lights visible through the detached palace window.

‘Shall we go for a stroll downtown!’

There were many reasons why I was dragged to the Imperial City, but one of them was to handle matters that could only be dealt with in the Imperial City.

‘Meet the architect, connect with the merchant guild, and…’

The Mercenary Guild!

I have to go pick up some heroes!

***

The stealth provided by the [Transparent Cloak] is level 3.

That means it can be detected by detection magic of level 3 or higher. And this place is the Imperial Palace, the heart of the Empire.

There will definitely be detection magic at the entrance, so I could get caught right away if I’m not careful.

But I was lucky. My accommodation was not in the main palace but in a detached palace far on the outskirts.

The level of surveillance was much lower, as expected.

I squatted down next to the wall and stared at the detached palace’s main gate, where the guards stood watch.

Thanks to my increased Intelligence and Magic stats, I could roughly sense the magic around me when I focused.

‘There is surveillance magic, but… is it about level 1?’

It wasn’t long before it was time for the guards to change shifts.

In the brief moment when the gate opened and soldiers were moving in and out, I slipped out quietly.

‘Easy peasy!’

After that, it was smooth sailing. Ash’s detached palace was located on the outermost edge of the Imperial Palace, and the security was correspondingly weak.

Before long, I was completely out of the Imperial Palace area and standing at the entrance to the city.

After confirming that no one was watching, I took off the transparent cloak and whistled, looking back at the Imperial Palace. I’m just going out for some fresh air, Dad!

***

Walking through the streets, the city was much larger than it looked from the sky.

The evening glow permeated the streets, which were not yet completely dark.

The streets around the Imperial Palace, which had been kept clean, became more cluttered as I moved south, but they also gained vitality.

The sounds of lively conversations echoed, and the smell of alcohol, fire, and bread wafted from the stalls and street vendors.

I pulled my robe’s hood down and crossed the back alleys teeming with people.

Perhaps because I had become accustomed to the quietness of Crossroads, I felt dizzy from being in such a crowded place for the first time in a while.

I stood in a slightly quieter place, took a breath, and unfolded the map I had in my pocket.

‘Let’s see, where should I go…’

Since the port is south of the Imperial Palace, commercial facilities and guilds naturally sprung up south of the Imperial Palace.

It seems that noble families and salons and high-end cafeterias that cater to them are located north of the Imperial Palace.

‘I don’t need to worry about the class distribution of this city.’

After confirming my destination, I folded the map and put it in my pocket.

There were three places I needed to visit.

The architect and the merchant guild I had sent letters to in advance, and the Mercenary Guild.

The architect is needed for the Crossroads tourist city project, and the merchant guild is needed for me to take over the magic stone distribution network.

The Mercenary Guild is just me poking around to see if I can pick up a hero.

The closest of the three was the architect’s office. I hurried my steps to arrive before it got too late.

***

The architect’s office.

“Come here!”

Bang!

I kicked the door open and went inside, and the architect, who had been looking at blueprints with a serious face, was startled and looked at me.

“Hiiik?! W-Who are you?!”

“Who else? Your esteemed customer.”

I took off my hood and grinned.

“You’re not going to say you forgot about the letter, are you, friend?”

“A letter… the hotel construction in Crossroads? H-Huh! Y-You don’t mean, Prince Ash…?”

“Don’t be so surprised.”

I’ll catch you!

I went to the architect’s desk, sat on the chair in front of it, crossed my legs, and tilted my chin.

“Hey, you and I are going to work together.”

I acted all cocky, but I intended to treat the architect properly.

Crossroads is far from the Imperial City and a dangerous place where monsters appear.

I would naturally pay extra for work in such a place.

But.

“I am truly sorry, Your Highness…”

No matter how much I tried to persuade him, the architect refused to budge. I was genuinely puzzled.

“No, even if I give you a lot of money? You’re saying you can’t do it no matter what?”

“…”

“Why? Is there another reason?”

“I cannot tell you that. However, if you go to other architects in the Imperial City, they will all give you similar answers.”

There’s something else going on.

I narrowed my eyes, moved closer to the architect, and lowered my voice.

“Okay. Then I won’t say anything more and quietly step back. But just tell me this. What’s the reason? Did someone threaten you not to take my work?”

“Hick!”

The architect’s shoulders twitched. I guess that’s the answer.

“Look, friend. It’s a bit awkward for me to say this myself, but I’m Prince Ash.”

I frowned and muttered menacingly.

“If you don’t answer properly… you don’t know what might happen?”

“H-Hiiik…”

“Kuaaaang!”

“Hiiiiik! Please save meee!”

He was about to burst into tears after I scared him. I stopped joking around and patted the architect’s shoulder.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you if you just tell me this. Who is it? Who told you not to take my work?”

“That is…”

In the end, the architect confessed.

“The ‘Big Hand’ pressured us not to take any work from Crossroads, no matter what…”

“…?”

I blinked.

“Big Hand? Who is the Big Hand?”

“I-I cannot say, Your Highness. I am truly sorry!”

Then he collapsed on the floor and started wailing, so I couldn’t press him any further and had to leave the architect’s office.

It was as the architect had said. Other office workers also begged on their knees and refused my request.

Later, they even closed their doors and ran away, or even took down their signs. Do they really have to go this far?!

***

The merchant guild was the same.

Every merchant guild that I could contact when building a new distribution network in the game refused to contract with me.

After I coaxed, persuaded, and threatened them, they all said the same thing.

‘Big Hand’.

The Big Hand had blocked all contracts with Crossroads.

In the end, I couldn’t succeed in a contract with either the architect or the merchant guild, and I walked down the street, lost in thought.

‘Who the heck is interfering like this…?’

It’s been a few weeks since I sent letters to the architects and merchant guilds in the capital, so the rumors must have spread among the industry people in the meantime.

That I was looking for an architect and a merchant guild in Crossroads.

And the ‘Big Hand’ who heard the rumors intervened and made things like this.

‘Who is it that can wield this much influence?’

I am a prince. Even if I’m a delinquent, I’m still one of the Emperor’s three sons.

Moreover, I am the commander of the Southern Front.

Even though it’s a makeshift front line run only by mercenaries without a proper regular army, I am still the defense commander of the Empire.

Even though I came directly and demanded a contract, the architects and merchant guilds refused at the risk of their lives.

That means the Big Hand is a more terrifying threat than me.

‘Is it Fernandez? Or the Emperor?’

Those two are the only ones that come to mind right away. Because they are clearly above me.

But it’s too… petty for those two to step in and block me directly, isn’t it?

At best, it’s a small city in the borderlands, at best, it’s a small job, at best, it’s an architect, and at best, it’s a merchant guild.

It’s hard to believe that the administrative minister or the Emperor would block such a thing.

Those two can screw me over much more efficiently.

‘Then who the heck is it…?’

As I walked while pondering, I was already in front of the Mercenary Guild. I swallowed hard and looked up at the building.

The Continental Mercenary Guild, New Terra Main Branch.

‘Let me pick a broken hero character!’

Of course, I know. There are hardly any mercenaries who actually go into battle here.

This is the capital of the Empire. It is a city where the Imperial Standing Army is stationed, and it is the safest place in the world.

It’s far from conflict and strife. There’s no way there would be mercenaries, hunting dogs who seek war, in such a place.

This is just the headquarters that oversees the mercenary guilds scattered throughout the continent and handles administrative work.

It shouldn’t be a place where you can actually hire mercenaries. But.

‘I can at least figure out where the useful mercenaries are staying.’

I came here to find out where the SSR-grade [Super Special Rare] friends are wandering around on the continent right now.

If I can just find out their location, I can figure out how to scout them.

‘And who knows? Maybe there’s a high-grade hero character waiting for me inside? There’s always a possibility!’

Thinking that, I opened the door of the Mercenary Guild wide. Without really expecting much.

But.

Flash-!

“…?”

As soon as I opened the door, a dazzling golden light poured out. What the heck?!

A woman was standing in front of the empty Mercenary Guild counter.

The golden aura unique to SSR-grade was emanating from her.

She was a young woman with short navy blue hair, wearing a simple black and white maid outfit. But the most striking part was…

A coffin.

It was a huge black coffin she was carrying on her back.

I was momentarily overwhelmed by this unbalanced and absurd visual, and I opened my mouth slightly.

SSR-grade characters are all unique, so their appearances are unique, but a maid outfit and a coffin? For sure, it’s a character I’ve never seen in the game.

“Ah.”

She stared at me with her navy blue eyes, the same color as her hair. Her gaze was lifeless, like that of a dead fish.

She grabbed the hem of her skirt with a stiff movement, like a wooden doll, and greeted me.

“…You’ve arrived, Your Highness.”

“Huh?”

“I heard that you contacted the architects and the merchant guilds, so I was waiting here, knowing you would come.”

There was an undeniable sharpness in her monotonous voice.

“My master wants to see you. Please… come with me quietly.”

I could sense that this woman’s master was the ‘Big Hand’ who had oppressed the architects and merchant guilds.

At the same time, I felt threatened.

A person who can control the merchants of the capital from behind, predict my movements, and summon a member of the Imperial Family as they please.

This is dangerous.

“Who is your master to order me around? How dare you be so rude to a member of the Imperial Family.”

The woman tilted her head at my words.

“You’re not going to come with me?”

“What if I don’t?”

“Then there’s no choice.”

Thud-

The woman placed her hand on the huge coffin she was carrying on her back.

There was a short handle on the top of the coffin, and the woman grabbed it and easily lifted the coffin with one hand. Like a blunt weapon.

“I’ll have to take you by force.”