I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 231

The Wolf King, Lunared, was utterly crushed.

He couldn’t even touch the Demon King’s heel, let alone his neck.

The werewolf struggled against the formless darkness that the Demon King emitted, but ultimately, he was brought to his knees.

《In my life… even after being resurrected here… I’ve fought against all sorts of powerful beings.》

His limbs torn and his whole body drenched in blood, Lunared muttered through his broken fangs, pressed against the floor.

《You really are… on a different level of strength. Cough! Damn it…》

《You’re the type who can’t understand unless you experience it firsthand, Lunared.》

The Demon King looked down at the werewolf, unscathed, and smiled.

His white, empty-like mouth curved upwards from his face covered in dark shadows.

《That’s why it’s annoying every time, but you’re the only one who’s bold enough to challenge me. I don’t hate you.》

《…….》

《I forgive you, my nightmare.》

The Demon King reached out his hand to the werewolf, and Lunared’s body, which had been brutally crushed, began to heal.

His broken bones mended, and his severed muscles reconnected.

As if the fierce battle had been a lie, Lunared’s entire body was completely healed.

As Lunared awkwardly tried to get up, the Demon King grinned and flicked his fingers.

《But, you still have to receive the ‘punishment’ that was originally planned, right?》

Snap!

Immediately after,

*Puhak!*-

Violent vomiting of blood poured from Lunared’s nose and mouth.

The werewolf’s massive body, which had been half-risen, collapsed to the floor.

Kneeling on the ground, Lunared groaned and clutched his left chest.

《Kuh…?! What did you do…?》

《Werewolves have two hearts. One of a wolf and one of a human.》

The Demon King lightly dusted off his hand.

《I broke one of them. I’m not sure which one.》

《……!》

《You can challenge me as much as you want, Lunared. But I won’t forgive you for breaking the rules I set.》

The Demon King lowered his voice, his smile disappearing.

《I’m playing a ‘game’ according to the ‘rules.’ Don’t ruin my fun, wolf.》

With blood still in his mouth, Lunared glared at the Demon King, his eyes wide.

《Ruin? Did I ruin it? I was just trying to win for our legion!》

《…….》

《I don’t have the hobby of leisurely watching the war situation while playing chess like you!》

That’s why, even though the King had forbidden it, he had recklessly sent his subordinates with Jormungandr.

Although it failed, Lunared didn’t think his actions were wrong enough to deserve punishment.

Lunared roared in a voice full of anger.

《Why! Why are you letting them off, King! If all the nightmares you revived marched at once, the human world would be destroyed in an instant!》

《Haha.》

Then the Demon King scoffed.

《Lunared. My loyal dog. Did you ask why I’m doing this?》

The Demon King lowered his shadow-like body, sat in front of the fallen werewolf, and then.

《…Because, of course, it’s fun.》

He whispered like a snake.

《I’ve destroyed this world hundreds, thousands of times. But I haven’t obtained what I truly desire.》

Lunared’s eyes widened, not understanding the words.

Destroyed this world hundreds, thousands of times?

What does that mean? Then what is this world now?

《No matter how enjoyable something is, it gets boring if you repeat it endlessly. That’s why I introduced rules and started a game with my rivals.》

The Demon King’s hand came up to Lunared’s head and gently stroked his blood-soaked silver-red mane.

As if treating a dog. It was a humiliating touch.

《To add a little fun to this boring and tedious world destruction.》

The Demon King smirked, facing Lunared’s bewildered face.

《From the beginning, I never expected you ‘pieces’ to understand. You just have to move as I command.》

《…….》

《Now, prepare for the expedition, Lunared. I’ll leave this ‘Great Flood’ to you.》

At the Demon King’s words, Lunared rose, clutching his left chest.

Blood that had flowed back from his fragmented heart continued to flow down his nose and mouth, but he tried his best not to show any pain.

《Isn’t this the invasion you’ve been longing for? Go ahead and destroy the human world.》

《…….》

Lunared, catching his breath, requested.

《If I succeed, King. Grant me one wish.》

《What wish is it?》

《Your neck.》

The werewolf bared his fangs and growled.

《…Let me bite it just once.》

《Granted.》

The Demon King answered immediately.

《I’ll let you bite me as many times as you want, so do your best.》

《…….》

《Please show me an enjoyable match.》

Lunared thought.

He would definitely end the human world with his own hands.

And so, he would destroy the ‘fun’ of that arrogant Demon King with his own hands.

Staring at the Demon King, who was like a flickering shadow… the unknown demon who had resurrected him here. The werewolf made that vow.

***

“Huuuuaaam.”

I yawned widely.

It was a day after we had all passed out that the hero characters, including myself, had more or less regained our senses.

After feeding them lunch, I sent them all back to their respective lodgings.

I couldn’t keep them staying in the mansion’s guest rooms forever.

However, even though most of them had recovered and returned, there was one person who was still groaning and bedridden.

“Kellybay~”

It was the dwarf old man, lying face down on the guest room bed, holding his back in pain.

I grinned as I entered the room, calling out the dwarf blacksmith’s name.

“How are you feeling today?”

“Ugh, grrr! D-don’t talk to me, you son of a… I feel like I’ve crossed the river Styx [the river of the dead in Greek mythology] halfway…”

“You’re such a drama queen…”

Kellybay had apparently twisted his back while flying around on Jormungandr’s back.

I should have stopped him from evolving into a flying dwarf when he was already old.

Anyway, for this reason, he couldn’t return to the Lake Kingdom base camp and was currently recuperating while receiving the utmost care from the priests.

“Why don’t you move your workshop here? I’ll set up a nice workshop for you and provide you with plenty of materials and funds. You can just commute to the Lake Kingdom. How about it?”

“How many times have I refused, and you’re asking again…?”

“They say that when your body weakens, your mind weakens too. When else would I have the chance to recruit a master craftsman?”

“You’re so disgustingly honest, you damn brat…”

Kellybay chuckled, then immediately let out a short scream and sank into the bed, as if his back was hurting. He must have been seriously injured.

“It would be nice if you could just help me with my recovery for a while. There’s no point in going back to the dungeon in this state, so it’s better to go back when you’re fully healed.”

Kellybay said with a pale face. I was delighted.

“Ah, recovery is great! Stay at this mansion for a few months and relax!”

“I will relax, but not in this mansion. It’s terrible.”

“No, this mansion is the most comfortable place to stay in this city?”

It’s true that the guest room where Kellybay was staying was a modified room to Evangelin’s taste. It was a bright room with a bling-bling pink-yellow-frill-lace combo.

There aren’t many guest rooms as comfortable as this in Crossroads.

“What I mean is, there’s not enough fire energy!”

Kellybay, a guest, was being picky and got angry.

“Dwarves need a bellows and a furnace next to them even when they sleep!”

“You sound like an old man going into a hot bath in the middle of summer…”

It’s the end of summer, but it’s still quite hot. And yet, he wants to be next to a fire.

“Should I add more firewood to the fireplace?”

“Not that childish, tiny fire!”

Kellybay finally made his request clear.

“Let me stay in the city’s blacksmith! The place with the biggest fire!”

***

And so, Kellybay was delivered to the side of the largest furnace in the Crossroads blacksmith, bed and all.

When I asked for the largest furnace, the head of the blacksmith’s guild was initially dumbfounded and tried to refuse, but when I said that the elder dwarf blacksmith would be using it, he almost prostrated himself on the floor and begged me to bring him over.

“An elder dwarf blacksmith! If I could learn from him, even just watching him hammer would be enough! I’ll clear out the largest furnace and workshop!”

And so, Kellybay took the best spot in the Crossroads blacksmith, which was already quite large.

With his back to the furnace, which was at full power, Kellybay had a satisfied expression.

“Ah~ It’s warm. I feel a little better.”

Kellybay, who had been basking in the heat, turned his face, which had regained some color, towards me.

“And it would be nice if you could find me a decent assistant.”

“There are skilled blacksmiths all over this blacksmith.”

I pointed around.

The hot gazes of the human blacksmiths, watching the elder dwarf blacksmith, were fixed on us from all directions.

“These guys won’t do. They’re too skilled in the human way.”

But Kellybay was merciless.

“It’s not that the human way is bad, but dwarves and humans have different ways of handling metal from the root. They might be able to learn each other’s applications, but as assistants, their ingrained habits are different, so we’ll just clash.”

“So, what you’re saying is… you want me to find an assistant who is smart but has no knowledge of blacksmithing, is that right?”

“That’s right! Someone sturdy and diligent who will follow my instructions without question.”

I nodded, understanding, and then stepped out of the blacksmith. I gestured to Lucas, who was waiting.

“Let’s go to the mercenary guild.”

I was planning to stop by and recruit some new mercenaries anyway, so this worked out well. Let’s find someone who fits Kellybay’s conditions among them.

Just before leaving the blacksmith, I whispered to the blacksmith guild leader, who had a flushed face.

“He’ll be here for a few weeks to a few months, so make sure to extract all his know-how! He’s too nice to refuse, so ask him everything you’re curious about.”

“Of course, Lord!”

“Treat him with respect and offer him some drinks, he’ll like that. Do your best.”

After patting the guild leader on the shoulder, I left the blacksmith.

The last thing I saw inside the blacksmith was all the human blacksmiths rushing to give Kellybay a massage, who was lying down.

He’s a hit, old man…

***

The mercenary guild.

Quite a few new mercenaries had filled the place.

I took the profiles and interviewed them one by one, hiring them on the spot.

My basic principle is to hire everyone, so I accept them into my ranks unless there’s a significant flaw.

‘I don’t see any SSR or SR.’

Most of them are ordinary soldiers, and almost all of the hero characters are R or N grade.

But you never know who among them will carry the game later.

I moved about a hundred new recruits into the Crossroads’s ranks, like sweeping them into a shopping basket, and the new hiring was coming to an end.

“…?”

There were two mercenaries that caught my eye.

One was a SR-grade hero, the highest grade mercenary I had met here today.

A man in his 40s or 50s with long, dark brown hair like seaweed, emitting a purple color from his back, the color of SR grade.

His eyes were filled with melancholy, and he had a rather sad impression.

“You came from the north?”

I asked, scanning his profile, and ‘Camus,’ the SR-grade warrior, nodded heavily.

“Yes, I did.”

“You were originally a soldier.”

“I am a remnant of a fallen kingdom… aren’t the pasts of mercenaries all roughly similar?”

Well, yes. About half of them are knights and remnants of fallen kingdoms.

Anyway, I’ve seen this man, Camus, a few times in the game.

He’s a decent SR-grade warrior character, and if used well, he can be a great front-liner.

There’s no reason to refuse an SR grade. I immediately hired Camus.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“I am the one who should say that, Your Highness.”

Camus smiled gloomily. It would be nice if his impression was a little brighter.

And the second mercenary that caught my eye was emitting a gray color from his back. That meant he was N grade.

A young boy.

With messy, dark brown hair covering his eyes, and a small stature. He was only fifteen years old.

His name was Hannibal.

The two eyes that could be seen through the messy hair were unwavering and straight.

He was the first mercenary I had seen today whose gaze didn’t waver like that.

“I came after hearing rumors from the southern front.”

“Rumors?”

“I heard that you pay well and treat mercenaries like soldiers.”

Hannibal spoke in a youthful voice that hadn’t yet gone through puberty.

“Please use me. You won’t regret it.”

“I’m sorry, but you’re too young to send to the front lines.”

On the southern front, they send people to the front lines from the age of sixteen.

As someone who thinks that sixteen is already very young, I can’t possibly send this fifteen-year-old kid into battle.

“Then please give me odd jobs. I’ll do anything. And when my next birthday comes, I’ll stand on the front lines.”

Hannibal skillfully responded, as if he had prepared for it. Hmm, it seems like he came with a plan.

I was somehow drawn to him.

He reminded me of Dion, who died a while ago.

“…Okay, Hannibal.”

So, I decided to hire this kid.

“Then, how about being an assistant to the elder dwarf?”