I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 228

The day after the defense battle ended.

Crossroad had completely returned to its usual peace.

The citizens who had been evacuated all returned to the city, and it was bustling as if it had never been emptied by the monster invasion.

The citizens returned to their livelihoods with vigor, but.

The heroes who had suffered terribly on Jormungandr’s back for three days were all knocked out.

After a hearty dinner at the lord’s mansion, everyone without exception collapsed into bed and fell fast asleep.

Even now, with the sun high in the sky, they were all still unconscious and unable to move.

Thud. Thud.

Only Damian, who had not climbed onto Jormungandr’s back, was moving his body early in the morning.

With bandages wrapped around both arms and a large cardigan draped over his body.

Damian left the mansion and walked briskly towards the west gate of the city.

Outside the west side of the city was a cemetery.

Passing by countless rows of stone markers, Damian stopped at a place.

“…….”

It was a tall communal tombstone.

It was a monument erected for the soldiers who had died in the battle against the black spider army at the forward base, whose bodies could not be preserved and thus could not be buried here.

Half of them had died horribly, and Damian had cremated her at the forward base.

It was because he had promised Ban in life that if either of them died, they would cremate the other without leaving a grave.

So, there was no separate grave for Ban in this cemetery.

In front of the communal tombstone, a blue sacred fire was burning. Damian stood quietly in front of it, gazing into the flames.

“……It’s been over half a year since you died.”

Damian opened his mouth with a slightly hoarse voice.

“It still doesn’t feel real, Ban.”

Damian’s bandaged hand slowly stroked the tombstone.

“It’s like we were…… together until yesterday.”

If he closed his eyes, it felt like he could almost grasp her smiling face.

Damian recalled his memories with Ban for a moment. The days he had spent with the girl who had been with him from his childhood to the present.

And the future he might have spent with her for the rest of his life, which he could not draw.

“After becoming a sniper, I learned something.”

Damian slowly opened his eyes.

“Life is like…… an arrow released from the bowstring, a bullet fired from a gun.”

The boy looked down at his bandaged hands.

“The arrow has already left the bowstring and is flying, and you can’t go back to the moment before it was fired. No matter how much you want to turn back…… you can’t.”

No matter how much he regretted the past, no matter how much he savored the memories.

You cannot go back to the moment before firing.

Life has already been thrown into the void.

“Then, I have to decide.”

A faint smile formed on Damian’s lips.

“Where I will fly.”

Damian looked up at the tombstone again.

“Ban. I admired you. I wanted to become a strong person like you. ……Yes, I wanted to be you.”

So he followed her path.

He imitated her bravado. He acted like he was strong.

He hoped that by doing so, the difficult and painful moments would pass.

But it wasn’t. It was only after imitating her bravado that he realized.

Ban was strong not because she was putting on a brave face, but because…… she faced her life without running away.

“Do you remember how the orphanage director forced us to become his son, Willer?”

The faint smile on Damian’s lips became clearer.

“You never tried to become Willer. You always tried to live as yourself.”

Life is like an arrow released from the bowstring.

“I admired you, but I tried to abandon myself and become you. Isn’t that ridiculous?”

Whether to be thrown as someone else shot him, towards someone else’s target,

Or to decide his own destination and throw himself towards the future.

The arrow must decide.

And Damian chose.

“I won’t follow behind you anymore.”

There was no more hesitation left on the boy’s face.

“I’m not Willer, and I’m not Ban, I’m Damian.”

Not the life that others want,

Not following someone he admired,

But by his own will. By his own conviction.

“I will be me.”

To live.

Damian chose.

“No matter how long it takes, I’ll keep my promise.”

Not because of his promise with Ban, but solely by his own will.

Damian decided to embark on an adventure to the end of the world.

“So, Ban. You too…… be you.”

Damian slowly took his hand off the tombstone and stepped back.

“Stay beautiful within me.”

The cemetery is quiet.

The sacred fire burns silently, and the dead are silent in their eternal sleep.

But at that moment, Damian felt the illusion that he heard the girl’s laughter tickling his ears.

‘Come back safely.’

It must be a hallucination.

It must be an illusion.

Just like the daydream he had of spending his life with her.

Damian turned away from the tombstone. He roughly wiped his eyes with the back of his bandaged hand.

With a bright smile on his reddened eyes, the boy began to walk towards the city.

Towards the target of life he had set for himself.

Without wavering, straight.

***

“Ughhhhh.”

I let out a zombie-like groan.

“Ughhhhhh.”

“Kieeeeeeek.”

“Guaaaaaak.”

All the heroes sitting around the table were making similar noises.

The day after the defense battle ended. Afternoon, past noon.

Eider forced us to wake up and dragged us to the dining room, saying we had to eat lunch.

We, who had not yet recovered from the fatigue of three days of all-night labor, were all zombified and acting like this.

I felt like I could sleep for a week, but that damn aide kept saying things like, ‘That’s bad for your health!’ and forced us all to sit at the table and shove food into our mouths.

This is worse for my health! Just let me sleep!

“Gueeeeeee.”

I don’t know if the food is going into my mouth or my nose, or if it’s even going in at all? I think I’m just spilling it? Anyway, I don’t know, but somehow the meal was over.

The heroes crawled back into the guest rooms and passed out again, and I didn’t even have the strength to go back to my room, so I sat at the head of the table and barely swallowed the cold coffee.

I really wanted an iced Americano when I was fighting Jormungandr, and drinking this makes me feel a little better.

“Ash.”

Then someone came and stood next to me and called my name.

I raised my hazy eyes to look at the person. Who the hell is it? Who dares to call the lord’s name so casually?

It was a woman with long, snow-white hair.

Her pale skin, which had not been exposed to the sun, was as white as her hair.

Large, clear turquoise eyes like a lake, a cool, straight nose. Tightly closed, pale lips…….

“…….”

She was an incredibly beautiful woman I had never seen before in my life. Literally doll-like, a possessor of beauty that seemed not of this world.

Yes, she was incredibly beautiful, but.

“……Who are you?”

I was flustered because I had never seen her before.

I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was seeing things because I was tired, but there was no mistake. It was someone I had never seen before.

“Hey, what the! Who are you! Why are you coming into my house so casually and calling my name!”

I screamed, almost spilling my coffee cup, and the woman frowned as if she was dumbfounded.

“What are you talking about? It’s me, Muyeong.”

“Ah.”

Only then did I realize who she was.

It was Muyeong, the merchant NPC from the Lake Kingdom.

……But she’s become a completely different person! She took off her tattered robe and put on guest clothes, and just by washing her dirty hair(?) her impression changed this much?

“Wasn’t it you who insisted that I stay here for a day……?”

Muyeong grumbled.

Yes, that’s right. Originally, Muyeong was going to return right away yesterday.

But I forcibly held her back and made her stay at our house for a day. I wanted to at least feed her since we had suffered together.

But after bringing her in, I realized that she had gone into Jormungandr’s mouth and come out the back(!)!

I couldn’t let her into our house like that, so I told her to wash up first and put her in the mansion’s bath.

It seems like there was a commotion there.

The maids who were mobilized for Muyeong’s bath screamed that ‘dirt that looked like it had been there for hundreds of years was coming out’.

And so, Muyeong’s laundry(?) continued for several hours, and she couldn’t even join the evening banquet.

Right after the banquet, I and the others fell asleep as if we had passed out.

And so, I was meeting Muyeong for the first time after her bath.

“Wow, you look like a different person after washing up! You should have washed up sooner!”

I admired Muyeong, who looked so refreshed, without realizing it.

In other words, how dirty had she been all this time! Are the people of the Lake Kingdom all like this with their hygiene?! I’m a little disappointed!

“My kingdom’s people are all suffering in hell, how can I enjoy luxury alone?”

Muyeong shrugged.

No, luxury or not, hygiene is something you should naturally maintain, you fantasy world resident! Just wash up!

“Anyway, I think I’ll go back now.”

Clean-Muyeong stretched her long neck and looked around.

“Do you know where my luggage is? My clothes, my sword, I can’t see them.”

“Your luggage……?”

I suddenly felt uneasy. Could it be that the maids threw it all away because it was too dirty? It’s a very real possibility.

That’s when it happened.

“All of the guest’s luggage has been kept here.”

Eider appeared with a clean bag.

“The clothes and robe you were wearing have all been laundered. And the sword is here, in a new scabbard.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Clean-Muyeong thanked him and received the bag and put the scabbard on her back.

Then, Eider, who was looking at Muyeong’s long white hair dragging on the floor, carefully asked.

“Guest. If you don’t mind, may I tie up your hair for you?”

“Huh?”

“I thought it might get in the way when you walk. If I tie it up a little, it would be much better.”

“Ah. Please do. I’ve sometimes lost my balance when I accidentally stepped on it while swinging my sword.”

Eider walked behind Muyeong, took out a long red cloth from his pocket, and carefully groomed and braided Muyeong’s long white hair before tying it up.

I, who was an amateur, had no idea how he tied it, but anyway, Eider’s skills were quite good, and Muyeong’s hair no longer dragged on the floor.

It was still long and flowing, covering her back like a cloak.

“Thank you. This is much more comfortable.”

“You’re welcome. Then.”

Eider bowed his head and was about to step back.

Then, Muyeong tilted her head, looking at Eider, and carefully asked.

“Perhaps…….”

“Yes?”

Muyeong seemed unsure herself, but,

“……Have we met before?”

She asked.

Eider blinked his eyes a few times behind his round glasses, and then burst into a hearty laugh.

“No. That can’t be, guest. I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

“…….”

Muyeong, who had been standing blankly, also smiled bitterly.

“I guess so. That can’t be. It’s been hundreds of years since I went out into the outside world, I must have been acting foolishly without realizing it.”

Muyeong scratched her cheek awkwardly and smiled at Eider.

“Thank you for tying my hair.”

Eider bowed deeply to Muyeong.

“It was my pleasure.”

***

Flash-!

Muyeong returned to the Lake Kingdom through the teleport gate.

I didn’t bother with a grand farewell since I thought we would see each other again soon. We just waved at each other.

As soon as Muyeong disappeared and the magic particles subsided, I asked.

“What’s your relationship with her, Eider?”

Eider answered immediately.

“No comment.”

“This bastard…….”

Just give me some spoilers, please!

“Don’t you have many other things to ask me about?”

Eider smiled mischievously and spread his arms.

“Let’s have that long-delayed talk with the director now.”

“…….”

“I’m always listening to the opinions of you players!”

The moment I heard those words, I couldn’t help but think.

……Why do all the bad game operators always say things like that?