I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 268

“Ugh…”

Evangeline looked terrible. It must be because she overexerted herself managing the funeral with her injured body.

“Evangeline, are you okay?” I asked worriedly, moving closer to her. Evangeline then smiled nonchalantly.

“Of course, I’m fine. Who’s the toughest person on this front? It’s me, isn’t it?” She boasted, patting her injured area with her hand.

“Kueeeek!” Immediately, Evangeline screamed horribly and rolled on the floor. Wh, what…?

“Are you okay? Why did you have to show off?”

“I, I almost died… I’m not kidding, I just saw my dad’s face…”

“You should have just rested at the temple…”

I had told her to rest at the temple, but it was Evangeline herself who insisted on managing the funeral.

“But since Uncle Lucas is in that state, I have to step up and do the work.” Evangeline, as if she hadn’t just screamed, got up and smiled with trembling lips. Sweat was pouring down her face. Seriously.

Evangeline seemed to feel a sense of responsibility for the outcome of this defense battle.

That’s why she, who was the most injured in this battle, didn’t rest and stepped forward.

“…I was confident,” Evangeline muttered, looking at the newly made graves.

“After awakening and learning new skills, I was confident. That I could prevent any more of our allies from getting hurt.”

“…”

“If I had a shield. If I had a spear. I thought I wouldn’t lose anyone else. That’s how confident I was.”

Evangeline bit her small lip.

“I was wrong. I was complacent. I was lacking. I’m really, nothing. I still have a long way to go.”

“You did your best.”

“A shield knight ran forward. I focused on destroying the enemy instead of protecting our allies. But I couldn’t kill the enemy commander, and so I couldn’t properly protect our allies either.”

Evangeline was reviewing her battle with Lunared.

“If I had done it right, I would have properly stopped the enemy legion commander at the north wall, and then the damage in other places would have naturally decreased.”

“…”

“It’s definitely my fault.”

“Evangeline.”

I gently chided the young knight.

“You don’t need to think like that. I’m the commander here. If I had properly grasped the enemy’s intentions, the front lines wouldn’t have been so scattered in the first place.”

I meant it.

Lucas, Evangeline, Damian.

The three who awakened their ultimate skills were incredibly powerful. But this time, they couldn’t unite and had to fight separately.

There was no synergy between them at all.

If the three ultimate skills had been deployed on one battlefield, complementing each other, this defense battle would have unfolded in a completely different way.

“It’s my fault as the commander. I’m responsible for the deaths in this defense battle.”

Then, Evangeline glared at me sharply.

“Senior! Please! Please don’t try to shoulder everything alone.”

“What?”

“The conversation we had when I decided to stay on this front. Have you already forgotten?”

If it was when Evangeline decided to stay here, it must have been during Stage 3.

…At that time, Evangeline clearly said,

“The resentment and responsibility that you try to bear… I said I would share it with you.”

“…”

Right.

She had said that.

“I am the successor to the Cross March. I’m the one who will rule this city someday.”

“…”

“You don’t have to give me everything. But Senior, please share just a little with me.”

Evangeline smiled brightly, her large emerald eyes curving, her prominent fangs gleaming.

“It’s too heavy for you to carry it all alone…”

“…Evangeline.”

“I, and we, are by your side. Don’t forget that.”

Only then did I realize.

This girl… knew that I would suffer alone, and she forced herself to manage the funeral to be by my side.

I was so touched and grateful for her heart… that I couldn’t say anything.

‘She’s really growing up day by day, Evangeline.’

…Though her height is still the same.

Ahem.

We stood quietly on the hill, watching the graves being cleared. People had left, and it was now quite deserted.

“Aren’t you going to recite a poem today?” Evangeline suddenly asked. I turned to her, saying, “Huh?”

“A poem?”

“Why, like you did at my father’s funeral before. I was wondering if you wouldn’t recite one this time either.”

“…”

I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. This girl is surprisingly sharp. Actually, I had prepared one as a dedication this time too, but I skipped it because the timing was ambiguous.

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Your voice is nice, Senior. Come on, hurry!” Evangeline closed her eyes and waved her hand near her ear, ready to listen. It’s a bit embarrassing to have the stage set up like this.

I took a breath and recited a short verse.

Come closer, for we too shall one day be fallen leaves.

Come closer, for night falls and the wind blows.

Autumn.

Death.

And, humans who need each other…

There were a few more verses before and after, but I stopped there. Evangeline, who had been listening quietly, smiled.

“It’s nice.”

“You like it?”

“It’s lonely, though. But it has its own charm.”

A red leaf fell beside Evangeline, who shrugged her shoulders. Evangeline looked up at the tree and muttered.

“It’s autumn, already.”

“Yeah. It’s autumn.”

It was just becoming spring when you joined here. It’s already autumn.

Time is relentless.

Have I used my time meaningfully?

Have I been leading this front properly…?

“Senior!” Evangeline jumped in front of me as I was about to fall into thought again. I was startled.

“You scared me! Hey, you’re not well, move slowly!”

“Please get me a new armor! It’s all smashed!” I stopped myself from saying more. Right, the golem armor Evangeline had been using had become a rag.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you an awesome one.”

“And a shield and spear too! They’re all tattered. I don’t even know if they can be repaired?”

“Don’t worry about that either. I’ll get you ones that you’ll love.”

I had new equipment in mind for the armor, and the spear and shield were waiting for a dedicated upgrade.

‘You will grow more, Evangeline.’

I watched Evangeline, who was jumping around excitedly and then clutching her injured area, and thought.

Equipments, matching traits, growing taller, balancing her physique, and…

To be the next Marchioness of Cross.

You will grow into a wonderful adult.

I smiled as I watched Evangeline, who had matured mentally beyond recognition in the past six months.

‘…But when will she grow taller?’

You’re the title character in the game’s limited edition. You’re really going to grow into that title illustration, right? It’s not false advertising, is it? Huh?

***

After most of the people had left the cemetery.

I headed to Kureha’s grave. Kuilan and the five members of the penal unit were still there.

“Kuilan.”

When I called Kuilan’s name, who had pulled his hood deep over his head, Kuilan slowly took it off.

A face that was half wolf and half human, but clearly recognizable as Kuilan, was revealed.

“Your Highness.”

“Was the funeral okay?”

“Of course. It was the best treatment possible.”

I had specifically ordered it. To give Kureha the best possible ceremony.

“We’ll rebury him when we reclaim our homeland someday, but it was such a wonderful funeral that it’s a shame to do so.”

Kuilan stared at his brother’s tombstone again, which he had been looking at all day.

“…My brother can rest a little easier.”

“I hope so.”

What comfort can there be for the dead? Funerals are originally for the comfort of the living.

“I’m grateful for the wonderful funeral, and I’m also grateful that you still treat us as people, even in this state.”

Then, Kuilan spoke with difficulty.

“But still, it seems we can’t stay in this city.”

“…”

I was about to say something, but I was at a loss for words.

Crossroad had been attacked by werewolves. Many people had died.

In this situation, it was impossible for the Maple Wolf tribe, who also had wolf blood, to live peacefully in the city.

Although their appearances were quite different, they still had quite a few things in common with werewolves.

Most of the people who had suffered from the werewolf attacks would never be friendly.

“For two weeks before and after the new moon, we’ll be in human form like before, but for two weeks before and after the full moon, we’ll be in this half-human, half-beast form.”

Kuilan waved his hand, which was covered in red fur.

“It’s like a dog shedding its fur every season, but anyway, we’ll be in this wolf form every two weeks. Wouldn’t the people here be very uncomfortable then?”

“…”

“But for Your Highness and our other comrades who have helped us, it wouldn’t be right to leave this front entirely.”

Kuilan looked at me, lost in thought.

“What should we do? I’d like to hear Your Highness’s opinion.”

“…There is one way.”

I slowly opened my mouth.

“It will be a bit tiring for you.”

“We’ve lived well while camping in rough mountains and swamps, and being chased by the Imperial Army.”

Kuilan grinned.

“Speak comfortably. We’ll follow you well.”

The rest of the penal unit members nodded.

I took a short breath and opened my mouth.

“I’m going to build an advanced base. How about living there?”

***

Advanced base.

The place near the lake where we fought the black spider legion in the tutorial.

Originally, this was the main defense line of the monster front. The monsters that couldn’t be stopped here would flow to Crossroad and attack it.

If we could restore this place, we could greatly reduce the monsters that attack Crossroad.

However, the problem was the difficulty of maintenance.

It was right in front of the enemy’s territory, so it would have to take the full force of the enemy’s first wave. If it were to be captured, all the stationed troops would die.

Since it was too close to the enemy’s wave starting point, just sending materials to start the restoration construction was a difficult task.

That’s why I had ordered the necessary materials to be prepared a long time ago, but the restoration construction work had stopped.

Moreover, since the defense battles had been successful, I even wondered if it was necessary to spend money and manpower to restore the advanced base.

But the situation had changed.

In this defense battle, the monsters had penetrated into the city. Civilian casualties had occurred.

Soldiers had also fallen while protecting the citizens. I felt it deeply.

The battlefield should not be in the city. It should be as far away from the city as possible.

‘I will start building the advanced base.’

No matter how long it takes, no matter how much money and materials are wasted. Human lives take precedence over time, money, and materials.

Kuilan nodded after hearing my story.

“Good! We have plenty of strength left, so we can help with the restoration of the advanced base.”

“I would be very grateful if you would.”

“Instead, please let us build a space just for us in the advanced base. That much is okay, right?”

“Of course. Live like kings.”

“Hahaha! I was once known as the Mountain Bandit King, you know? I was already thinking of decorating it like a mountain fortress!” Kuilan laughed heartily and tilted his head.

“So, how is this restoration work going to be done?”

“Originally, laborers would load construction materials onto carts and carry them, and then the production union people would start the restoration.”

That’s why in the game, it was only possible to send laborers for restoration during the times when there were no monster invasions between stages.

Moreover, it took three days to travel back and forth, so the actual restoration work time was even shorter, making it a very time-consuming task.

“So, let’s use a trick.”

I smirked, raising one corner of my mouth. Kuilan shuddered.

“Your Highness is a very good person, but sometimes you smile like a real villain…?”

“My evil smile is not the point, anyway, listen.”

It was an option that didn’t exist in the game. But it was something that I thought was possible in this reality.

Creating a victory plan outside the rules. The first one is.

“Teleport gate!”