I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 232

Crossroad. The smithy.

Hannibal, a new N-rank mercenary boy, cautiously entered the smithy.

In one of the workshops, heated by the forge, was the person the boy was looking for.

“Tsk, those damn blacksmiths… Their eyes go red at the mere mention of a secret technique or know-how they can steal…”

Kellybay grumbled, rummaging through the furnace.

The sight of the stocky elder dwarf, lying on a wheeled bed and skillfully navigating the workshop, was both comical and fascinating.

Hannibal stared, his mouth agape, his clear eyes peeking out from his shaggy hair, watching the dwarf.

“Huh?”

Kellybay, noticing the boy’s gaze, barked.

“What’s so interesting to look at? If you’re going to stare, just come in and look!”

Startled, Hannibal rushed into the workshop and bowed deeply.

“Ah, hello! Master! I am Hannibal! Ash, the prince, sent me!”

Kellybay furrowed his thick eyebrows, scanning the boy up and down.

“So, you’re the one who’s going to be my assistant?”

“Yes! Just tell me what to do!”

“How old are you?”

“Fifteen.”

Kellybay clicked his tongue.

“Kid, it’s your business if you want to lie, but don’t lie if it’s a lie that will be found out. This old man has pretty good eyes.”

“……”

Hannibal flinched, and Kellybay asked again.

“How old are you?”

“…Thirteen.”

Hannibal, who had been momentarily intimidated, then raised his head proudly.

“But I’ll grow up soon. I’m already the tallest among my peers!”

“Besides your age, what else are you hiding?”

“Uh, nothing!”

Kellybay stared at the boy with narrowed eyes. Hannibal swallowed hard.

“…Hmm. Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll only use you as an assistant for a short time anyway…”

Kellybay shrugged and gestured towards the furnace.

“Have you ever touched metal?”

“I’ve touched weapons to the point of being sick of them! I used to recover equipment from the battlefield.”

“So, you were a petty thief who stole weapons from corpses. You’ve never done any blacksmithing work.”

Kellybay nodded.

“Alright, go change into work clothes and come back.”

Relief washed over Hannibal’s face. Kellybay chuckled.

“Learn well while my back is healing, kid. You might find a way to make a living later.”

***

Crossroad. The barracks.

Camus, an SR-rank warrior and middle-aged mercenary, walked into the barracks, his old duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

“You can use the communal bedroom over there. The bathroom and dining hall are over there…”

A soldier from the barracks showed Camus around the facilities.

Camus, who had been listening absentmindedly, suddenly noticed something and looked to the side with a glint in his gloomy eyes.

About fifty soldiers in Imperial uniforms were entering the barracks. They were reinforcements dispatched from the capital. In the middle of them were Reina and her mage party members.

Camus gestured towards them with his chin and asked.

“…Who are those people?”

“Ah, they are the magic corps dispatched from the Imperial Palace.”

The soldier who was guiding him explained with a smile.

“They are very powerful and have been a great help in the defense. They are going back to the capital after the next defense battle, which is a shame.”

“…I see, that’s right.”

The soldier, puzzled by Camus’s slow nod, asked.

“Do you have any business with them?”

“I saw a familiar face. I thought I should go say hello later.”

Camus gave a faint smile, adjusted his bag, and walked to his assigned quarters.

“Thank you for the guidance.”

The soldier, tilting his head, turned and walked away to handle other tasks.

There were many newly assigned mercenaries, and there was a lot to guide.

“To meet again in this remote southern region…”

Camus’s eyes were cold as he walked to his quarters.

“It’s a small world.”

***

“Hmm~”

In the carriage returning to the mansion after finishing my work at the mercenary guild.

I opened the system window and was deep in thought.

[STAGE 10]

– Time until start: 28 days

Stage 10 is a boss stage.

It’s more difficult than usual, but the preparation period is longer. This time, there’s about a month to prepare.

‘I need to go on a free exploration.’

First, I was thinking of sending one party to scout the dungeon.

I need to accurately identify the identity of the opposing army and finally enter the next level of the dungeon.

I opened the hero character list in the system window and chose the party members for the first scouting mission.

It would be better to organize the party around the main party, which is already formed.

‘Should I exclude Junior…’

Junior, the main party’s main mage, is already frail, and he overworked himself with all-nighters this time, so he’s sick. He also seems to have used his ultimate skill, [Elemental Disassembly], several times. He needs a good rest.

Looking at the remaining hero characters, I finally confirmed the composition.

‘The party for the first dungeon exploration will be me, Lucas, Evangeline, Damian, and…’

I dragged one of the characters from the sub-party to the main party.

‘Quilan.’

I should take the Bandit King.

This will make a party of two knights, one fighter, one marksman, and one commander.

It’s a composition somewhat focused on the front line, and there’s no mage, but I have some utility abilities.

Damian, who has reawakened as a marksman, can handle long-range sniping and healing.

It should be fine for the first scouting trip.

‘No time to delay.’

As soon as I arrived at the mansion, I had Lucas inform all the members. I told them to gather at the mansion by tomorrow morning.

“It hasn’t even been a few days since the last defense battle… Aren’t you overdoing it, my lord?”

Lucas asked worriedly, but I grinned and patted my body.

“I’m tougher than I look! I’ve fully recovered, so don’t worry and call the party members by tomorrow morning!”

***

…However.

There was something I hadn’t considered.

That other hero characters weren’t necessarily tougher than me.

“Um… Can’t we go on the expedition after resting for a few more days…?”

Quilan asked, trembling with a pale face.

He seemed to be flying around during the last defense battle, but he had a severe reaction and fell ill. Come to think of it, his stamina stat was 5, that glass-bodied guy…

‘Those thick muscles are a waste.’

It was a sight to see a giant over 2m tall wrapped in blankets. Geez.

Quilan, shivering with chills, sat huddled in a corner of the backyard, wrapped in blankets. How pathetic…

But there was another person who was unexpectedly in bad shape.

“Cough! Cough cough cough!”

Evangeline, with a long snot hanging from her tiny nose and a wet towel on her forehead… was sick.

“…Did you catch a cold?”

“No, no, I’m not. I’m totally fine, you know? Cough cough!”

Evangeline, speaking with a nasal voice, blew her nose loudly into a handkerchief and said in a slightly clearer voice.

“I’m in perfect condition.”

“I think the word order is reversed…”

“So, who are we fighting today, senior?”

“Look at me when you talk, look at me.”

“I’m always looking at you, senior!”

Evangeline snapped at the fountain statue in the garden. No, that’s not me! Has your eyesight gone bad too!

Evangeline, her face flushed with fever, approached the statue and stroked its face with her hand.

“Hehe, senior, your face looks even more fair and clear today…?”

“Well, I guess so. That statue is made of marble.”

“When did you grow your hair so long…?”

“That’s not hair, it’s a mane.”

“Oh my. And such wonderful wings… I knew it…”

“What kind of image of me do you have in your head…?”

For reference, the statue sculpted in the garden fountain is a Pegasus. A winged horse.

Evangeline giggled and clung to the statue, groping its back, and finally climbed on it.

“Alright! Senior! Let’s go! To our own paradise!”

“I’m not going, I said I’m not going.”

Evangeline was even wearing a wide dining table on her left arm instead of her shield.

She was holding a fire poker instead of a lance, as if she had been rummaging through the fireplace.

“She’s completely out of it…”

I left Evangeline, who was giggling on the Pegasus statue, and looked at the remaining members.

“Lucas, Damian. Are you guys okay?”

“I am different from those weaklings, my lord.”

With a good-natured face and a smirk, Lucas took out a blue crystal ball from his pocket and pointed it at Evangeline.

I tilted my head.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a recording crystal ball. It can record videos. It seems rare to see Evangeline ‘Miss’ in such a broken state, so I’m going to record it.”

“Hmm… Good idea.”

If I show the video to Evangeline when she comes to her senses, it will be a very entertaining reaction.

Lucas and I looked at each other and laughed evilly.

Finally, Damian,

“My arms are still a little sore, but I can definitely carry out the mission!”

He raised his arms, which were wrapped in bandages. Even though he received intensive healing at the temple, he wasn’t fully healed.

I nodded.

“Okay, so you can shoot a gun, right?”

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

“Okay, wait a minute, Dad.”

“Pfft-!”

Damian spat out violently when I called him that in a nonchalant way.

Lucas, who was listening next to me, frowned and looked at me.

“’Dad’? What does that mean, my lord?”

“Ah. It’s nothing. Damian had a dream where I appeared as Damian’s son. So, I’m going to call him that sometimes.”

Damian covered his red face with both hands and screamed.

“Ugh! It was just in a dream! I was wrong! Please stop teasing me!”

“Yeah~ I’ll tease you forever. Give your son some pocket money, Dad.”

“Ugh!”

Damian, tormented by intense embarrassment, ran away to the other side of the garden.

I chuckled at his retreating figure and then looked at all the party members.

Anyway, Damian’s arms weren’t fully healed, Quilan was trembling like a gimbap [Korean seaweed rice roll] wrapped in blankets, and Evangeline was out of her mind and clinging to the Pegasus statue.

‘I thought only Kellybay wasn’t fully recovered, but everyone seems to have suffered. The aftereffects are no joke.’

But since I’ve already gathered them, it’s not good to disband like this.

After a moment of thought, I clapped my hands! I had a good idea.

“We will proceed with entering the Lake Kingdom as planned. However, today we will not explore the dungeon, but other facilities within the Lake Kingdom.”

“Other facilities, you say?”

“Yes.”

I smiled and explained to Lucas, who was puzzled.

“The depths of the Lake Kingdom dungeon from level 6 onwards are nicknamed the Demon Realm. Because the difficulty of the dungeon and the strength of the monsters increase dramatically.”

Lucas was listening with a tense face.

“That’s why there is a facility built between depths 5 and 6 where the party can rest. Just resting there has the effect of restoring stamina and magic power, and it also gives various minor buffs. Today, let’s open the path to that place and rest.”

I continued to promote it like a medicine peddler and mentioned the name of the facility.

“It’s the Dungeon Spa!”

In other words, it’s a hot spring facility that the people of the Lake Kingdom used!