I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 206

When the Shadow Squad was still called ‘Aegis Special Task Force Team 8’ and belonged to the Empire’s dark forces, they were dispatched to the Bringer Duchy to assassinate the Everblack Empire’s diplomatic envoy, creating a pretext for war.

The mission was a success, and the Everblack Empire, despite killing their own diplomat, blamed the Bringer Duchy. The relationship between the two countries deteriorated, eventually leading to war, and the Bringer Duchy was reduced to ashes.

And Aegis Special Task Force Team 8, after completing their mission, was ‘disposed of’ and sent to Crossroads as death row inmates. It was Prince Ash who took them in and gave them the new name, ‘Shadow Squad.’

‘To give us, of all people, a mission to infiltrate the Bringer Duchy again.’

Hanging in chains, with a bloodied face, God Hand smiled bitterly. ‘You are cruel, Your Highness Prince Ash.’

God Hand, Body Bag, and Burnout—the mission the Shadow Squad received from Ash was as follows: Infiltrate the Bringer Duchy secretly and make contact with the Bringer Duke. And deliver this letter along with my words.

Having carried out secret missions in the Bringer Duchy, the Shadow Squad was well aware of the Duchy’s terrain and situation, even though it was a war zone engulfed in flames, occupied by the Imperial Army, and where the Duchy’s forces were waging guerrilla warfare.

Even though all sides were filled with refugees, defeated soldiers, and a field of corpses from death, starvation, murder, arson, and looting. Even though all this was a catastrophe perhaps created by the Shadow Squad themselves, the Shadow Squad completed their mission in this hellscape.

After a month of searching, they finally located the Bringer Duke’s hideout and succeeded in making contact. However, the Bringer Duke was not naive enough to simply accept the letter and words and send them back. Her country was burning. The Bringer Duchy was on the verge of collapse.

In this situation, a letter sent by the prince of the enemy country was brought by members of the enemy’s special task force, who were suspected of triggering the war and were wanted. God Hand, Body Bag, and Burnout were immediately captured by the Duke’s subordinates and brutally tortured.

However, despite being tortured to the brink of death for the past few days, none of the three uttered a single word. Eventually, the Bringer Duke herself appeared to interrogate them. “So, how do you wish to die?”

Jet-black hair like ebony, a pitch-black dress, and amber eyes. On the surface, she looked like a young girl, but in reality, she was a 120-year-old transcendent being with an evil dragon inside her.

The Bringer Duke opened her mouth and growled. Inside her small mouth, sharp teeth like a shark’s gleamed menacingly. “Your crime of insulting me is great. I was already lacking in magic power, so it might be good to chew you alive.”

“……”

“No, that would be too easy. To feel the pain my people have suffered, it would be better to crush you from your fingertips to your toes.” The Duke took a small step forward and pressed the tip of her shoe against God Hand’s toe.

A force that was unbelievable for her small frame pressed down on God Hand’s toe. The pain was as if he was being crushed by a giant rock. God Hand barely managed to suppress a groan. “No, that’s not it either! Physical pain alone is not enough.”

When God Hand endured, the Bringer Duke grinned, took her foot off, and thrust her gleaming dragon eyes directly in front of God Hand. “With my magic, I will send your souls to the Fire Realm [a plane of existence associated with fire and torment] and burn even the last fragment of your souls. Even the greatest warriors have crumbled before the pain of their souls burning.”

“……”

“You will soon be like that too.” She actually had the power to do so. The owner of the dragon bloodline, of which only one could exist in a generation even within the Bringer Duke’s family, who inherited the blood of the dragon. That was the Bringer Duke before their eyes—Dusk Bringer.

But God Hand did not waver. Silently staring at the small Duke threatening him, God Hand’s mouth slowly opened. “First, I would like you to clear up a misunderstanding.”

“Hmm? A misunderstanding?”

“We have never insulted the Grand Duke. We have only delivered our master’s letter and words.”

“Ha!” The Bringer Duke scoffed, took out the letter from her bosom, and then, “Do I look like a fool to you, elf!” She slapped God Hand’s cheek with it. Even though it was just paper, the impact was so great that blood gushed from God Hand’s lips.

The Duke unfolded the letter and read its contents. “The third prince of the Everblack Imperial Family is now the master of the southern front of the Empire, and if I escape there, he will hide me and help me rebuild?”

“……”

“Isn’t the third prince the most useless good-for-nothing in your Empire’s Imperial Family? Such a person suddenly sends me a secret letter and lures me to the monster front, which is a field of monsters, and the ones who delivered the secret letter happen to be you, who killed the diplomatic envoy back then?”

“……”

“How can I believe this secret letter! It is much more believable that it is a trap to lure me in and kill me!”

“It’s too much trouble to be a trap.” When God Hand blurted out, the Duke’s amber eyes widened. “What did you say?”

“If we had intended to harm the Grand Duke, the Imperial Army would have surrounded this place a few days ago when we discovered the Grand Duke’s hideout.” The Duke frowned. God Hand continued. “There is no chance of winning in this war zone. It is best to withdraw for now. If the Grand Duke were to be captured, the Bringer Duchy would truly be finished.”

“So you’re telling me… to give up my country and run away?”

“Isn’t that what you were already considering?” The Duke did not refute it. Because it was true. The war situation was already too tilted to be overturned by guerrilla warfare. The Bringer Duchy had undoubtedly lost this war.

“If the Grand Duke were to escape, there are many options. There are allies of the Duchy remaining in the west, and there are also countries in the north that have built friendships over the years. Therefore, the Imperial Army will already be stationed at the northern and western borders of the Duchy.”

“……”

“But the encirclement is relatively weak on the southern border. There are no large countries in the south that can resist the Empire, and as you go further south, there is only the monster front, which is full of monsters, as you said. Even if you escape there, there will be a lack of foundation to plan for the future.” God Hand’s voice gained strength.

“Because everyone thinks that way. You should escape to the south in reverse.” Stopping her treatment of it as mere nonsense, the Duke was listening to God Hand’s story. “The southern front is vast. As you said, it is a monster field. If you hide there, it is virtually impossible for the Imperial Army to track you.”

“Hmm.”

“And mercenaries from all over the world are gathering on the southern front. There is no better place to recover military power. Above all, it is not far from this Duchy. You will be able to exert influence on the Duchy while hiding there.” The Duke scoffed. “You speak so eloquently. Did your master tell you to say that?”

“Yes.”

“You were sent knowing that you could die if you were dispatched here?”

“Yes.” God Hand immediately continued. “And we were dispatched knowing that the Grand Duke would not kill us.”

“What?”

“Because we are the evidence.” God Hand nodded heavily. “Evidence that the Everblack Empire started the war.”

“……!”

“If you keep us alive, you can use us as witnesses later. That the Empire’s dark forces killed their own ambassador to deliberately start a war.”

“You, who were the executors, will testify directly?”

“Yes.” The Duke’s girlish face was momentarily replaced by the look of an experienced politician. After all, international politics is a place dominated by the logic of power. There may be no great meaning in examining the rights and wrongs of a war that has already broken out.

However, the Duke was in a position where she had to gather even the smallest means to attempt a counterattack. No one knows how this testimony might be used later. “……Hmph. So Everblack is Everblack? The third prince wasn’t just a simple good-for-nothing either.” The Duke, who was organizing her thoughts in her head, chuckled.

“Interesting. But elf, you haven’t talked about the most important thing yet… what does Everblack’s third prince intend to do by drawing me in?” God Hand readily replied. “He asked for your help.”

“Help?”

“Yes. In the war against the monsters, at least while you are staying on the southern front. He asked for your help.” The Duke was so dumbfounded that she frowned. “Just because of a fight with mere monsters, you’re saying that this Dusk Bringer… the Dragon King of the Evening Glow, is being called into his backyard?”

“Yes.”

“Hahahaha! He will be eaten instead of using me! The third prince is a fearless child!” The Duke, who had laughed in a shrill voice, glared fiercely with her dragon eyes. “I would like to meet him in person and gauge the size of his vessel [a metaphor for his ambition and potential], but that will not happen.” She straightened her small body proudly, her back straight.

The Duke declared. “I will not run away. I will not defect, nor will I escape. I will fight and die in this country until the last moment.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Because I am the king of this country.” Then God Hand smiled bitterly. “My former king also said that.”

“……Your king? Your king, who are you talking about?”

“I am talking about the former Fairy King, who was the ruler of the elves.” Recalling the distant past, God Hand muttered bitterly. “He also valued honor more than his life and fought until he lost his life… and in the end, we elves, who lost our leader, had to scatter. Now we have lost our country and are living a life worse than slaves.”

“……”

“If you are truly a king, if you think of your people, wouldn’t it be better to live and plan for the future than to protect your honor by dying?” The Duke’s young face contorted with anger. “You bug-like elf dares to give advice to-” That was when.

“Your Excellency!” The Duke’s knight, who had been waiting outside, rushed into the prison. The Duke frowned. “What is it?”

“The Imperial Army has found our location. They have started shelling!” Thud! Ku-gu-gung…! No sooner had the words been spoken than the building shook violently, and the accumulated dust fell down. “The encirclement is closing in. And… it has been confirmed that Larc is at the head of their forces.”

The first prince of the Empire and the strongest knight. It seemed that Larc ‘Avalanche’ Everblack had come in person. The Duke gritted her teeth. “That arrogant brat, if it weren’t for the difference in military strength, I could tear him apart in an instant…”

“Your Excellency! You must evacuate immediately. The escape route to the next hideout has been secured, so come this way!”

“……Okay, I understand.” The Duke, reluctantly nodding, gestured towards God Hand. “And, take these guys too.” A cruel playfulness flashed in the Duke’s eyes as she looked at God Hand. “But there’s no need to take all three of them alive. It seems like one is enough to be useful.”

“……!”

“Now, then…” The Duke, raising a small finger, looked over God Hand, Body Bag, and Burnout in turn and muttered nonchalantly. “Who should I kill and who should I save among the three?”

***

The next day. Crossroads. The Lord’s Mansion. The Lord’s bedroom. “……” Waking up from sleep, I lay blankly on the bed. Staring blankly at the ceiling of my room, which had been restored with antique decor, I lay there without moving a finger.

‘Is it already stage 9?’ Just yesterday, stage 8 ended, and we ran late into the night with the victory feast. Now, stage 9. And after this is over. ‘Stage 10 is coming soon.’ The next boss stage was already fast approaching.

In the previous boss stage, stage 5, a vampire army appeared. At that time, I had to lose nine heroes and one hundred and forty-six soldiers. I can’t suffer such losses this time. I have to prepare more thoroughly. ‘The boss stage is incomparably more difficult than the normal stages. The quality of the enemy army that appears is different.’

We also need to prepare the best possible equipment and the best-trained heroes. It’s stage 9 now, but let’s prepare in advance. ‘…By the way, there’s still no news from the Shadow Squad.’ The three members of the Shadow Squad who were dispatched to the Bringer Duchy have not returned.

I had decided to accept the Bringer Duke and her party in this game. So, since I was going to accept them anyway, I sent the Shadow Squad to scout them first to quickly incorporate them into Crossroads and use them. ‘Will they return before stage 10…?’ Whether the recruitment is successful or not, I want the three members of the Shadow Squad to return before the start of stage 10. Their abilities are very useful in defense battles.

In addition, I organized in my head while lying down how to utilize the support forces of the Imperial Capital and how to develop the penal unit. ‘The main party members are doing so well, so for now, let’s practice properly running the other party, which has a lot of problems…’ While I was busy combining and running hero characters in my head, that was when.

Bang! “Lord! It’s a disaster!” Aider rushed into my room, opening the door in a hurry. I opened my eyes groggily and looked at him. “What is it, what happened? The poor lord is finally resting after yesterday’s defense battle, if it’s not a big deal, I won’t let you off.”

“D-D-Damian-nim…” Aider screamed in agony, clutching his head. “Damian-nim caused an accident!” Oh no, what did our Damian do again!