I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 318

15 years ago.

One winter day, as white snowflakes fell.

“……”

Lucas stared down at his parents’ bodies, broken from the fall.

The overturned carriage had tumbled from the bridge.

Because it was winter, the riverbed beneath the bridge was completely dry, offering no chance of survival from a fall into the water.

The carriage was shattered, and his parents were crushed to death.

Lucas was the sole survivor of the accident because his mother had thrown him from the carriage just before it plunged.

However, Lucas wasn’t given time to mourn his parents or even collect their bodies.

“You must be Lucas McGregor, the eldest son of the McGregor family.”

A cold voice reached Lucas’s ears as he gazed at his parents’ mangled remains below the bridge.

It was the Capital Defense Force, who had arrived at the scene after receiving the accident report.

Their priority wasn’t to recover the bodies of the McGregor couple, but to take the surviving Lucas to their ‘destination’.

“Come this way. His Highness is waiting for you.”

“But, my parents……”

“We will take care of the recovery. More importantly, hurry.”

The soldiers dragged the bewildered Lucas and placed him in a new carriage.

Lucas was taken away aimlessly, leaving his parents’ bodies behind.

It felt so unreal that he couldn’t even shed a tear.

Shocked by his parents’ death and covered in dirt and blood from the accident, Lucas was taken to the Imperial Palace.

Specifically, to the detached palace.

It was a smaller palace where the Second Prince, Fernandez, resided.

***

“The head of the McGregor family and his wife died in an accident, how unfortunate. I express my deepest condolences.”

Tap. Tap.

Light footsteps echoed in front of Lucas, who was kneeling on the floor.

Lucas, who had been staring blankly at the floor, slowly raised his head.

“I was planning to strengthen the bond between me and your family today, while introducing you. I never expected this to happen.”

There was a boy with glasses perched on the tip of his nose.

His glossy black hair had a reddish hue, and his dark eyes also held a fiery red light.

Fernandez ‘Emberkeeper’ Everblack.

He was the second prince of the Empire, who had just turned twelve.

Seven-year-old Lucas trembled as he looked up at the second prince. He had no idea what was going on.

Fernandez smiled gently. But his dark red eyes held no warmth.

“Let’s also talk a little about the repayment of the debt.”

“Debt……?”

“Yes, debt. Since you will be the head of the McGregor family from now on, you need to know about it.”

Fernandez’s explanation was simple.

The McGregor family was in dire financial straits and had to take out loans to maintain the family. Fernandez had lent them money, seeing the family’s name.

However, the McGregor family had failed to make timely repayments, and the interest had snowballed.

“I called your parents today to discuss the repayment… This has become a headache.”

Lucas, who was only seven years old, could not understand all of Fernandez’s complex words.

However.

“Still, just because it’s unfortunate and pitiful doesn’t mean we can just erase the debt, right?”

He could sense that his life was at stake in this conversation.

No, not just his own, but the lives of everyone left in the family.

He instinctively realized that the power of life and death over the McGregor family was in the hands of the boy in front of him.

“……I’ll do anything.”

So, Lucas bowed his head.

“Just… please spare us.”

Looking down at Lucas, who was trembling, Fernandez smiled softly and whispered.

“That’s perfect, Lucas.”

“Yes…?”

“There’s a job that’s perfect for you. And since you’ve lost your parents and become an orphan, it makes you even more suitable for this job.”

Fernandez, leaning down, stared intently into Lucas’s trembling eyes.

“If you can just carry out this task well, you won’t have to worry about the debt your family owes anymore.”

“What is that job……?”

“You know my younger brother, Ash, right?”

The Third Prince. Ash ‘Bonehater’ Everblack.

Lucas swallowed hard. How could he not know? He was one of only three princes in the Empire, and…

…Everyone whispered that he was a child born with a destiny to destroy this country.

“He’s about your age, you see? I’ll take care of the procedures, so go into his palace and become his friend. And……”

Fernandez’s fingers dug into Lucas’s shoulder.

“Monitor his every move and report it to me.”

“……”

“So, can you do it?”

“Yes, yes, I will do it……!”

“Good. As expected of someone from the McGregor family, you’re reliable.”

Tap. Tap.

Fernandez’s footsteps faded away, and then there was the sound of a chair lightly scraping the floor.

When Lucas cautiously raised his head, he saw Fernandez’s eyes looking down at him from the head seat at the table.

“Now, swear to me, young McGregor.”

The prince sat on the chair like a ruler,

and the fallen noble knelt, looking up.

“Loyalty.”

The hierarchy was clear, and the gap was too deep to overcome.

“An oath of loyalty, unchanging forever, on the line of your family.”

So Lucas slowly lowered his head.

It felt like an invisible iron chain had been placed around his neck.

That day, Lucas became the next head of the McGregor family at the young age of seven.

At the same time, he had to become a dog that moved according to what others told him to do.

***

As soon as his parents’ funeral was over, Lucas left home.

He was put in a carriage, not knowing where he was going, and traveled for a long time. This time, the carriage entered the Imperial Palace again.

The carriage stopped at a palace that was smaller and more modest than Fernandez’s detached palace.

Lucas got out of the carriage awkwardly, holding a bag that was almost as big as himself, filled with his meager belongings.

“Are you Lucas McGregor?”

Lucas was greeted by a stern-looking middle-aged man. His neatly combed hair and beard were half-gray, and his raised eyes showed stubbornness.

Lucas, who had somehow shrunk back, answered hesitantly.

“Yes, I am……”

“Welcome, I am the head attendant, Alberto.”

The stiff expression skillfully softened, and Alberto smiled gently as he took the bag from Lucas’s hand.

“I heard that you will be staying at this detached palace from today. Now, give me your luggage and follow me.”

“Yes? Yes……”

Confused by the unexpected gentle atmosphere, Lucas hesitantly headed inside the palace.

As they walked along the path and reached a well-kept garden, a woman was standing there, waiting for them.

“Oh my, you must be Lucas!”

The woman was distinctly different from the other people in the palace.

She had dry, ash-colored hair, tanned brown skin as if she had been in the scorching sun, and freckles……

She looked like she would be more at home in a market than in a palace. She smiled brightly and introduced herself.

“I’m Dustia.”

“Hup!”

Recognizing who she was, Lucas immediately bowed deeply.

“I greet the Second Empress……!”

“Oh my, you’re so polite. I wish my son was half as polite as you.”

Dustia covered her mouth and laughed, then reached out and gently stroked Lucas’s head.

“But you don’t have to be so formal, Lucas. This place isn’t so strict. You can be more comfortable here.”

Dustia spoke kindly, but Lucas remained stiff.

Dustia gave Lucas a smile filled with pity and affection, then took one of Lucas’s hands and personally led him inside.

“The children have been waiting for you since long before they heard you were coming. Now, let’s go!”

Dustia’s hand was rough but warm. Lucas quietly followed her touch, feeling overwhelmed by the unfamiliar warmth.

In the inner courtyard of the detached palace, a girl and a boy were looking at them with wide eyes.

Dustia brought Lucas in front of the children and clapped her hands.

“Okay, everyone, pay attention! As I said this morning, Lucas will be living here with us from today. He’s younger than you, so you have to take good care of him, okay?”

Dustia introduced the two to Lucas in turn.

“This is Serenade! She’s your older sister, three years older than you. She often comes to play in this palace, so you’ll have many chances to greet her. Serenade? This is Lucas. You’re the oldest of the three of you, so please take good care of him?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The girl with the water-colored hair, Serenade, bowed deeply to Dustia and then smiled shyly at Lucas. Lucas looked away, not knowing what to do.

“And this is my son, Ash! He’s your older brother, one year older than you.”

As Dustia pointed with her hand, the boy with black hair ran behind Serenade and hid.

Serenade giggled as if she was ticklish, and Dustia let out a chuckle as if she was dumbfounded.

“Ash? Oh, this kid. He’s hiding behind Serenade again. Come out and greet Lucas. What are you being so wary of?”

“……”

“Yesterday, you were so happy about having a new younger brother that you prepared a long speech, but now that you see his face, you’re shy? Can’t you even greet him? Should I do it for you?”

“N-No! I can do it……”

The black-haired boy – Ash – wriggled out from behind Serenade.

“Ahem, ahem, ahem!”

Ash, looking around with his round eyes, wiped his small hand on his pants, then stretched it out and offered a handshake.

“Hello!”

“Ah…… Hello, Your Highness.”

Lucas awkwardly reached out and took the handshake. Ash looked at Lucas with curiosity.

“Are you really going to be my bodyguard?”

Lucas, as the successor of the McGregor family, was designated as Ash’s personal bodyguard. It was under that pretext that he was able to live in the prince’s detached palace.

“Yes! Y-Yes, Your Highness! I am still very lacking, but I will train hard so that I will be worthy of being Your Highness’s bodyguard in the future……!”

Lucas closed his eyes tightly and recited the lines he had memorized in advance.

Then, without realizing it, the following words slipped out.

“I will definitely become the strongest knight in this capital……! And bring honor to the McGregor family, and……!”

These were the words his parents had always instilled in Lucas.

You must become stronger than anyone else. And you must revive the fallen McGregor family.

Even until the moment the carriage fell off the bridge, his parents were instilling those words in Lucas.

Lucas, who had been speaking like a machine gun, stopped abruptly.

Ash, who had been looking at Lucas with wide eyes, smiled brightly and replied.

“You don’t have to be the strongest knight, Lucas.”

“Yes?”

“I may not become the Emperor, but my dream is to become the coolest man in the world.”

Ash smiled brightly, his big, round eyes curving like the moon.

“So, you, who will be my bodyguard, should also become the coolest knight in the world.”

Not the strongest knight.

But to become the coolest knight.

“Okay?”

“……”

He had never heard such a thing in his life.

The coolest knight?

What was that?

Lucas, who was in a daze, nodded hesitantly. Ash smiled contentedly.

At that moment, Alberto brought a tray with a teapot and snacks into the garden.

“I have brought tea and refreshments, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you, Alberto. Now, everyone, shall we talk while we eat?”

Ash and Serenade, who answered like little chicks, gestured for Lucas to come over.

Lucas, not knowing what to do, sat at the table with his older brother and sister as they told him to.

Ash and Serenade bickered over which snack was tastier and fed Lucas snacks.

The Second Empress Dustia watched the children’s scene with a smile.

Although it was winter, the garden in the middle of the day was even filled with warmth.

In Lucas’s life, no, in Lucas, Serenade, and Ash’s lives.

The warmest and most peaceful days began like that.

– Monitor his every move and report it to me.

And at the same time.

The days filled with poison, had begun.