I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 279

Beastification is largely divided into three stages.

Stage 1: The power of a beast begins to reside in the human body. This is a relatively normal stage where a human uses the beast’s power as a tool.

Stage 2: The beast begins to consume the mind. The ability to speak is lost, and one acts half like a beast.

Even though the ego as a human still remains, the boundary becomes blurred.

Stage 3: One completely becomes a beast. The reason and normal thinking as a human are lost, and one becomes a monster that only seeks violence.

If one enters Stage 3, they can never return to being human.

And Lukas had reached the very end of Stage 2 this time.

If he had taken just half a step further, he would have become no different from the werewolf legion we killed this time.

If that had happened…

I might have had to kill Lukas with my own hands.

‘Do you know how many days the Karma Eater [a magical artifact or ability that absorbs negative energy] sucked up your beastly tendencies for you to stabilize this time?’

His face, still red from where I hit him, was lowered, and he was still hanging from the chains.

Lukas was taking my abuse with the attitude of a dejected dog.

‘It was a week, a week! Do you know how far you went?’

‘…I’m sorry, my lord.’

‘Sorry? Does saying sorry solve everything, you bastard?’

I rolled up my sleeves and growled.

‘What was the order I gave you this time? Tell me.’

‘…’

‘Tell me!’

‘…You entrusted me with the defense of the southern wall. You transferred command to me.’

‘And what did you do?’

‘…I left the wall and charged into the enemy lines.’

‘And?’

‘…I used beastification.’

‘And!’

‘…I lost my reason. By the end of the battle, I had no memory left.’

Slap-!

I slapped Lukas on the other cheek. Lukas gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

‘There are three reasons why you’re getting hit by me right now. First, you didn’t listen to my order not to use beastification.’

‘I’m sorry, my lord.’

‘Second, even though you were the commander, you ignored your command and fought like a mad dog in the middle of the enemy lines. And do you know what the third reason is?’

‘…I don’t know.’

‘It’s that you didn’t value yourself at all, you idiot!’

Slap-!

I slapped the cheek I had hit first again. This time, Lukas’s nose was bleeding, and it was dripping down.

‘Becoming a beast! Charging into the enemy lines alone! They’re all suicidal acts! They’re all acts that eat away at your flesh and use your life as fuel! Why the hell are you doing that?!’

‘…’

‘And what, do you have some pathetic hero complex? Do you feel some kind of catharsis every time you scrape away your life and sacrifice yourself to win a battle? Huh?’

‘…’

‘If you knew how important your role is on this front! You shouldn’t be doing that! Why don’t you listen to people, you bastard!’

Lukas, who had been listening to me silently with his head down, slowly opened his mouth.

‘But my lord, you also…’

‘What?’

‘Even though you’re the supreme commander… you stand on the front lines.’

‘…’

‘My lord, you also… risk your life every time you fight. Every time, every time. Always…’

I was momentarily speechless, then I retorted in disbelief.

‘Hey, I…!’

I…

…I… is it okay for me to do that?

I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come out. I stammered and then closed my mouth.

Suddenly, I remembered what Evangeline had said to me before.

– Senior, you don’t take care of yourself enough.

– I’ve felt it since before, but you have too little desire for self-preservation that humans should have. A front-line commander fighting on the front lines is a completely special situation.

– Senior, you throw yourself into the battlefield too willingly. It’s like…

– It’s like… it’s not your own life.

‘…’

Indeed, that might be the case.

I might still be standing on this battlefield with the feeling of a game. So I might be using my own life as a chess piece while getting roughed up.

Lukas might just be… faithfully learning from watching me. Maybe.

‘Ah.’

Only then did I realize.

The words I had spat out at Lukas were all words that applied to myself as well.

It was no different from looking in a mirror and pouring out abuse on myself.

‘…Haaa…’

I covered my forehead and let out a long sigh.

I roughly swept back my disheveled hair and coldly spat out.

‘…Beastification is permanently sealed. Don’t ever use it again.’

I raised my index finger and warned him, pointing it right in front of Lukas’s nose.

‘If I see you use it even once more, then I’ll consider it insubordination and kill you. Do you understand?’

‘Yes, my lord.’

‘…’

Seeing Lukas’s face, covered in blood from his nose and lips after being hit by me, and completely dejected, I felt a pang of guilt.

But I had to be this harsh, or he wouldn’t stop using beastification, so I had steeled my heart and gone hard on him.

‘Is this a case of the pot calling the kettle black?’

I chuckled at my own contradiction. I sighed, turned around, and gestured.

The guards who had come inside released the chains that bound Lukas one by one.

I gestured with my chin towards the outside to Lukas, who was staggering as he was released.

‘You’ve worked hard. Go to the temple, get treatment, and rest.’

‘Yes, my lord…’

Lukas bowed to me, then lowered his head and limped out of the prison first.

‘…Hoo.’

I stared at the drops of Lukas’s blood scattered on the floor, then I also went out of the prison. Aider was waiting at the entrance.

Aider handed me a towel. I roughly wiped the blood off my hands.

‘…I wish everyone wouldn’t risk their lives.’

I muttered, watching the back of the carriage carrying Lukas to the temple. Aider smiled gently.

‘But weren’t those battles that couldn’t be won without risking lives?’

‘I know. Still, I wish they wouldn’t risk it. I wish they would back off a bit if they think their lives are in danger.’

Bloodstains remained on the towel. I muttered, looking down at it.

‘I don’t want my comrades to get hurt. I don’t want anyone to die.’

‘…’

‘I know. I know this is like a child whining. That it’s nonsense. But.’

I recalled my living party members, and then the party members who had already died and gone to their graves.

Stage 10 [referring to a level or stage in a game or progression].

How many people had thrown away their lives like trash to get this far?

‘I don’t want to lose anyone else…’

‘…’

‘It hurts every time someone dies. I thought I’d get used to it if I kept experiencing it, but it’s not true. Still, every single time, it feels like my insides are being pierced with a red-hot skewer.’

‘Don’t forget that pain, my lord.’

Aider whispered calmly to me as I clutched my throbbing insides.

‘The moment that feeling wears out and becomes dull. The moment a person’s death becomes a number instead of pain… you will become a different being.’

‘…’

Still, this pain is vivid.

That’s why I might have reacted more strongly.

Because Lukas, the protagonist of this game and a precious comrade, kept fighting as if he was throwing away his life without taking care of himself. I wanted to stop him.

But…

Perhaps my comrades had been feeling the same way about me for a long time.

I pressed my lips together and kept wiping the blood off my hands. But it wouldn’t come off cleanly.

‘…I should never use corporal punishment again.’

My heart feels terrible.

Except for when I use the staff [Maestro] to buff them, I should never use corporal punishment again…

***

Several more days passed.

Autumn was in full swing, the trees in the mountains had completely changed into autumn colors, and the wheat fields in the neighboring city in the distance were dyed golden.

The sky was high and blue, and there were no clouds. It was cool autumn weather.

After the last defense battle, Crossroad began to regain its vitality. Colorful cloths covered the buildings, and stalls were set up on every street.

I wondered if the atmosphere was just excited because it was autumn, but then.

‘Autumn Festival?’

It turned out that a festival was coming soon.

‘Yes! The Autumn Festival. It’s about time to harvest this year’s crops, right? It’s a day when everyone across the country has fun. Well, our city is a bit far from farming… but still, everyone should eat and play after working hard for a year!’

Lord’s office.

Evangeline, who had come to visit, explained in a clear voice. I made an ‘oh’ sound.

So it’s like Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] or Thanksgiving. As expected, harvest festivals are a common culture in any world.

‘Come to think of it, there was an annual autumn festival event in the game too.’

It was only briefly mentioned, and it just gave the mercenaries a +5 morale boost and passed by, so it didn’t have much presence. But feeling the air directly, it feels like a big event is coming.

‘What’s the Autumn Festival in Crossroad like?’

‘Well, what’s so special about a rural town festival like this? They sell skewers at stalls, and each house brings out their homemade liquor to share…’

Evangeline shrugged.

‘They hold a simple martial arts tournament.’

‘…What did you say they hold?’

A martial arts tournament?

‘And a dance festival?’

‘…What kind of festival?’

A daaance?

Then Evangeline waved her hands.

‘Oh, it’s nothing like the fancy things you’re thinking of, senior. It’s a really small-scale event that’s typical of a rural town.’

‘Hmm…’

Still, the moment I heard those words, something flashed in my mind as the lord of the city.

‘Festival… martial arts tournament… dance festival…’

…Isn’t this a tourist attraction?

If I just put tags like ‘festival’ and ‘event’ and promote it well, tourists will flock like hyenas.

The ‘Crossroad Tourist City Plan’ that I had been promoting before but had temporarily stopped came to mind.

I was planning to build a luxury hotel with a casino.

‘Come to think of it, the architect from the capital still hasn’t arrived.’

The architect who would design the hotel. And the distribution of magic stones that are piling up in Crossroad.

Both were supposed to be handled by the Winter Silver Merchant Guild. But there’s still no news.

Well, it’s understandable that it takes some time since it’s so far away. I wonder when they’ll arrive…

…That’s when it happened.

‘My loooord~!’

Aider came running in a hurry. I looked at him, wondering why, and he said,

‘A guest has arrived from the capital!’

‘…!’

Speak of the devil!

I quickly grabbed my coat and went outside. Aider and Evangeline followed me.

When I arrived at the north gate by carriage, the streets were already crowded with citizens who had come out to see, and they were buzzing.

And through the wide-open north gate.

As if a parade was being held, luxurious and sophisticated-style baggage carts were coming in endlessly.

They were the Winter Silver Merchant Guild’s carts.

‘Wow… what is this? What’s going on?’

Evangeline gaped at the procession. I whistled. It’s getting serious, Winter Silver!

‘Your Highness!’

Then, a familiar voice came from the head of the parade.

When I looked over there, I saw a woman with clear water-blue hair fluttering in the wind, wearing an elegant suit.

Her silver gaze was clear under the autumn sunlight.

She was waving her arm enthusiastically at me. Her slender, white arm fluttered like a picture against the blue sky.

I smiled brightly and spoke her name.

‘…Serenade.’

The owner of the Winter Silver Merchant Guild.

A business and dance partner who had overcome hardships in the capital with me.

Serenade Winter Silver had come to Crossroad.