I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 320

In the back garden of the estate where the engagement ceremony was taking place, Fernandez and Lucas were secretly meeting, away from prying eyes.

Fernandez smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes, and complimented him.

“You’ve done an excellent job with your surveillance duties, Lucas.”

For the past five years, Lucas had faithfully reported the happenings of this detached palace to Fernandez.

Lucas had rationalized it as harmless, peaceful daily life, but deep down, he knew.

This could be a betrayal of Ash… no, of everyone in this detached palace.

Fernandez’s gaze shifted to the sword hanging at Lucas’s waist.

“It seems you’ve gained quite a bit of trust.”

“……!”

Lucas flinched and instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword. The short iron sword that Ash had bestowed upon him earlier was there.

To be allowed to carry a blade within the palace was a sign of complete trust.

Realizing the weight of that trust, Lucas pressed his lips together. Ash had trusted him enough to give him a sword, yet here he was… colluding with Fernandez.

Fernandez, observing Lucas with a knowing smile, turned his head.

“Don’t worry too much. These things are coming to an end now.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, your surveillance duty is over, Lucas.”

Lucas looked at him with wide, surprised eyes, but Fernandez paid no mind, watching the engagement ceremony in the inner courtyard.

In the middle of their dance, Ash, who seemed tense, finally had a mishap. He stepped on Serenade’s skirt and fell.

The boy and girl tumbled to the ground with a small scream, then looked at each other and giggled.

Watching the cute and fresh scene with a gentle smile, Fernandez gestured.

“You no longer have to deceive the people here… However, there is one thing I need to confirm from your last report. Just one thing.”

Behind his glasses, Fernandez’s thin eyes gleamed like a snake.

“Next week, Empress Dustia and Ash will be visiting the Winter Silver family. Is that correct?”

“Ah… Yes. It is.”

Dustia was a war slave of the Emperor, and her body had weakened due to the aftereffects of participating in several wars with the Emperor. [War slaves were individuals forced into military service after being captured in battle.]

So, she rarely left the detached palace. But this time, she was scheduled to visit Serenade’s family—the Winter Silver family, who would soon be their in-laws.

It was her first outing in over a decade, and the entire detached palace was already preparing for it.

To prevent any possible incidents, they were being extremely thorough in ensuring that no information leaked to the outside.

But Lucas had leaked this information to Fernandez.

Fernandez looked at Dustia and Ash in turn, then spoke softly.

“There might be a ‘small accident’ then.”

“……Yes?”

Lucas’s eyes widened. Fernandez nodded slightly.

“So, just in case, don’t move with them. You might get hurt if you get caught up in it.”

“Ah, no, wait a minute, Your Highness Fernandez…!”

“You’ve worked hard on your mission. Once this is all over, the McGregor family will receive proper compensation. Who knows? If you continue to follow my orders well, you might even rise to become a powerful family under the protection of the Imperial Family.”

Fernandez smiled and waved as he headed out of the detached palace.

“I look forward to working with you in the future, Lucas. Have a pleasant day.”

Fernandez’s subordinates, who had been waiting, escorted him away.

Lucas stood there, dumbfounded, watching Fernandez’s retreating figure.

‘A small accident might happen…? What does that mean…’

A clear sense of unease crept up his spine.

Lucas turned around, trembling.

Still, in the bright sunlight, the people of the detached palace were happily celebrating the engagement ceremony.

Like a child who had accidentally spilled black ink into a clear pond, Lucas trembled.

But the ink he had already spilled was spreading into the pond.

***

A few days later.

The day arrived for Dustia and Ash to visit the Winter Silver family.

It was also the day Lucas had received a rare day off.

He was given the consideration to go back to the McGregor family’s residence, which he hadn’t been able to visit often, and rest.

“Say hello to the McGregor family for me. And deliver the gift I sent. Rest well, okay?”

Dustia smiled kindly and stroked Lucas’s head. Lucas couldn’t bring himself to answer and just nodded.

“Then, see you later! Lucas!”

Ash and Dustia waved and got into the carriage.

Lucas stared blankly at the scene, then gritted his teeth and urgently blocked the carriage.

“W-wait a minute!”

“Huh? What’s wrong, is something the matter?”

“I want to go too!”

Ash and Dustia’s eyes widened.

“You too, to the Winter Silver family?”

Lucas tried his best to smile playfully as usual and joked.

“I can’t let our Highness and Miss Serenade have all the fun. I’ll get in between and be a nuisance.”

“Lucas…! This clueless guy…!”

Ash was furious, but Dustia covered her mouth and laughed, then opened the carriage door and held out her hand.

“Okay, Lucas! You come with us too. Come here.”

Dustia reached out both hands and lightly pinched Ash and Lucas’s cheeks.

“Yes. We’re already a family, so it’s strange to take separate vacations. Let’s have fun together, Lucas.”

Already a family.

At Dustia’s words, Lucas felt a burning pain in his heart, but he silently lowered his head.

“Yes, Your Majesty….”

The carriage started moving.

Ash playfully poked Lucas in the side with his elbow, teasing, ‘Are you happy to interfere with your brother’s romance?’ and Lucas joked back, ‘Then please introduce me to a nice young lady soon.’

Dustia peeled fruit and handed it to the two boys.

In the usual lively and peaceful atmosphere, Lucas made a vow.

He didn’t know what the ‘small accident’ Fernandez had mentioned was.

But while he was here, he would protect these two people.

***

The shattered carriage rolled on the road.

The carriage was attacked as soon as it left the outskirts of the capital.

The coachman and guards fell to the ground from the crossbow fire of unidentified attackers, and the horses, their necks pierced, let out painful cries.

Bang! Crash!

Explosives had even been planted on the road. The wheels burst, and the carriage, which had spun half a turn in the air, crashed to the ground.

“C-cough… ?”

Inside the wrecked carriage, Lucas tried to regain consciousness. He had hit his head when the carriage overturned, and blood from his forehead was dripping down his face.

Looking at the blood on his hands, Lucas shuddered.

How could this be called a ‘small accident’…!

Inside the carriage, Ash was also staggering, clutching his bloodied forehead, and Dustia was motionless, as if she had fainted. Lucas gritted his teeth.

‘Get a grip, Lucas…! You’re a guard! You have to protect them!’

Staggering, he drew his sword from his waist and pulled himself out of the wrecked carriage.

Dudududu!

Unidentified attackers on horseback charged, their black robes fluttering. The cold glint of metal flashed in their hands.

Lucas gritted his teeth and swung his sword to meet them.

Clang-!

“Kuh!”

Born into a knightly family and trained his whole life, he was still only twelve years old. It was impossible to block the powerful attack of an attacker riding a horse. Lucas was thrown backward.

Click! Click!

The attackers, who had surrounded the carriage, all pulled out their crossbows and loaded them. And then,

Fwoosh! Fwoosh-!

Without a moment’s hesitation, they fired their crossbows at the carriage.

There was no chance to dodge. Lucas stared blankly at the arrows being fired.

Just then.

Whack!

Someone grabbed Lucas’s shoulder and yanked him back, then threw themselves forward.

It was Ash, the third prince of the Imperial Family, who was a year older than Lucas but smaller in stature.

Lucas’s eyes widened.

Thud! Thud thud…!

A barrage of crossbow bolts pierced Ash’s body, blocking Lucas.

The crossbow arrows easily tore through the fragile body of a young child, piercing his chest and protruding from his back.

Ash’s blood splattered all over Lucas, who was standing right behind him.

“…Your Highness, Prince?”

Lucas desperately caught Ash’s body as he staggered and fell backward. Arrows had pierced vital points all over Ash’s small body.

Lucas looked down at Ash with trembling eyes, at a loss for what to do.

“Your Highness, Your Highness! A-are you alright… Ah… I’ll get a doctor… Your Highness…!”

“Hey…”

Ash mumbled, his face covered in blood.

“I… told you to just call me hyung [older brother]… how many times…”

“Please don’t speak, Your Highness! I’ll get a doctor right away…!”

“Haha. You really… never listen to me… until the end…”

Ash’s dark eyes instantly lost their light.

“Ah… Serenade noona [older sister]… I want to see…”

Thud.

Ash’s arm fell to the ground.

Lucas stared blankly at Ash’s dead face.

The boy who had been happy at the engagement ceremony just a few days ago, who had been joking and chatting just moments ago, was no longer breathing.

Lucas couldn’t believe this reality, and no tears came out.

“It’s all my fault, my…”

Because he had colluded with Fernandez and given him information, this… everyone was dying.

It was then.

A soft hand touched Lucas’s shoulder. Surprised, he turned around and saw Dustia.

The Second Empress shook her head slightly with a serene smile.

“It’s okay, Lucas. It’s okay.”

And then, she reached out her hand—

And snapped her fingers.

Click.

The sound of magic activating, which he had heard before.

Then… an unbelievable thing happened.

Gray magic surged from her body, sparkling, and then, as if a clockwork mechanism was winding, it swirled in a spiral, enveloping the area.

And then, time began to flow backward.

The shattered carriage spun half a turn in the air in reverse, and the broken parts stuck back together, restoring it to its original state.

The dead horses, coachman, and guards also recovered from their wounds and staggered to their feet, looking as they had before the attack.

And—Ash too.

The arrows that had pierced his body reversed and came out, the drops of blood that had splattered on Lucas were sucked back into his body, and even his torn clothes were restored—returning him to the state he was in just before being hit by the arrows.

“Huh?”

Ash blinked, bewildered, breathing normally again.

It was as if only the time around the carriage had been rewound.

“Cough! Cough!”

Then, Dustia coughed up blood violently and collapsed. The gray magic that had filled the area scattered like mist, unable to return to her.

“Your Majesty!”

Lucas urgently checked on Dustia’s condition.

The attackers were just as confused, not understanding the situation.

The attackers, who were visibly flustered, hurriedly prepared for battle again, and the revived guards also scrambled to prepare a response.

At that very moment.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

A group of knights was seen galloping from the direction of the Imperial Palace.

“Tch…!”

The attackers clicked their tongues and exchanged hand signals, then quickly mounted their horses and left the scene.

Lucas, watching the retreating figures of the attackers, muttered in a daze.

“W-we’re alive…?”

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

It was then.

The man who had arrived at the scene of the attack, leading the knights, gave a fierce command.

“Everyone, chase after them.”

“By the Emperor’s command!”

“Those ruffians dared to attack my wife and son. I will tear their bellies open and interrogate them alive. Do you understand? You must bring them back alive.”

“Yes!”

The knights spurred their horses like a storm, chasing after the attackers.

The man’s voice seemed to be made of gold.

Lucas turned his body around, trembling. Everyone else around him was already bowing their heads to the ground, trembling.

Thump-

The man, dismounting his white horse with a light movement, came to Dustia, Ash, and Lucas.

“I told you not to use the secret art of time regression carelessly.”

The man.

The Emperor who ruled the empire and governed half the world.

“That magic is not a blessing, but a curse placed upon your clan.”

Traha ‘Peacemaker’ Everblack whispered, unexpectedly, in a gentle voice.

“My beloved Dustia.”