I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 332

“Have you been taking some kind of… elixir recently?”

Saintess Margherita, who came for a medical check-up, asked me this.

“Huh?”

I was so surprised because she was spot on. What the heck! I knew she was skilled, but isn’t this like being half a Heo Jun [a famous royal physician in the Joseon Dynasty]?!

“How did you know?”

“If I couldn’t sense a large amount of foreign mana in your body, I should quit being a priest, shouldn’t I?”

Margherita, who spoke cynically, took her hand off my body. The light from her hand, which had been glowing with divine power, disappeared.

I, who was lying on the bed with a cold towel on my forehead, looked at Margherita with respect.

“What should I do to get better?”

Since she knows the cause, she must know the cure! I asked with that expectation.

The answer I got was not good at all.

“You’ll be sick for a few more days.”

“Huh?”

“It’s simple. You need time to absorb the foreign mana that entered your body. That process is why you’re sick… Don’t worry too much; time will solve it.”

So, what? In the end, there’s no medicine, and I just have to suffer while being sick.

Damn it! Cancel the 0.5 Heo Jun! That was an insult to the representative royal physician of Joseon!

“Margherita! You’re like… 0.25 Heo Jun!”

“Excuse me? What does that mean?”

“No, it means you’re an excellent doctor…”

As I mumbled, Margherita tilted her head, then got up.

“Think of it as a body ache caused by mana. Don’t overdo it and get plenty of rest.”

“But today is the start of the defense battle…”

“You have capable subordinates, don’t you? You don’t have to worry; they’ll do well on their own.”

Margherita said that and then shuddered.

“…Is it just me? I think I said the same thing last time.”

“Huh? Did you?”

“Last time it was overwork, this time it’s a body ache… Before that, your left arm was shattered. You also get minor injuries all the time.”

Margherita sighed softly.

“You’ve only been in office for a year, and you’re steadily wearing yourself down, Your Highness.”

“Ah, I definitely heard this nagging last time too…”

“If you don’t want this to happen again, you should exercise from now on.”

“Huh?”

“If you maintain a healthy body through regular exercise, you’ll have fewer of these minor illnesses. I’ll tell the knights on my way out, so start regular exercise when you feel a little better.”

Ugh! No! I hate outdoor activities! The prince wants to stay inside!

“Cancel it all! You’re 0.1 Heo Jun!”

“Yes, yes. Then get plenty of rest, and be sure to exercise.”

Margherita left…

Then, my party members, who had been waiting outside the room, rushed in.

“We heard everything, Senior. Leave this defense battle to us and get some rest!”

“No, I’ll leave it to you, but I also have to go and watch…”

I was about to say more, but the party members all frowned and made a ‘hmm’ face, so I stopped.

Right. Well, this stage is definitely easier than usual.

The monsters attacking in this defense battle are a harpy legion.

They are aerial units, but it’s snowing now. The mobility of aerial units drops sharply.

I’ve already finished providing earplugs to all the soldiers to prepare for their main attack method, sonic waves.

Moreover, I already killed the boss monster, Harpy Coloratu, the legion commander unit, during free exploration. I’ve also eliminated a significant number of elite units under the boss.

It’s really easy. They can carry out the defense battle efficiently enough without me.

“…Okay. I’ll trust you and leave it to you.”

I looked at Lucas, who was standing in the center of the party members.

From the beginning, Lucas took charge of preparing for this stage instead of me, who hasn’t been in good condition for the past few days. He’ll do well.

“But if a sudden situation occurs, let me know right away. Don’t overdo it and carry out the operation slowly. Got it?”

“I will, my lord.”

Lucas replied in a calm voice.

“Don’t worry about the defense battle, and get plenty of warm rest today.”

I still don’t know what he’s thinking because he’s wearing a helmet, but he’s reliable, as befits the protagonist of this game.

“Then, we’ll be off, Senior! Yap! Give me a high five!”

“Okay, go kill them all!”

Starting with Evangeline, the party members took turns high-fiving me and then went outside.

I looked down at the backs of my subordinates as they moved away through the window.

Not only the main party but also the Dragon Blood Knights of Dusk Bringer and Kuilan’s Punishment Unit, many reliable heroes are on the front lines.

‘There’s no need to worry.’

Well then, trusting my subordinates, I’ll take a good nap. If I keep being weak and causing trouble, it will have a worse effect on the front line operations.

I closed the curtains and snuggled into bed.

My whole body, which felt as heavy as if it had been soaked in water, soon fell asleep as if sinking into a dream.

***

“I think Senior is becoming more and more precarious these days.”

Evangeline opened her mouth while standing on the wall of the forward base in the southern part of Crossroads, waiting for the monsters that would soon come.

“It’s not just his physical condition… I should say it seems like he’s being driven mentally, too?”

“…”

“He always seems to feel responsible. For every subordinate who gets hurt and dies… It’s actually natural for people to die on the front lines.”

Lucas turned his helmeted face and glanced down at Evangeline.

Evangeline’s fangs, as she exhaled white breath while being hit by snowflakes, stood out and sparkled.

“As if it’s not natural for someone to die. As if he wants to change that somehow. Is that why he goes to the front lines and hurts himself, trying so hard?”

“…Do you want your lord to change?”

“I don’t know…”

Evangeline bit her red lips and made a ‘hmm’ sound.

“I don’t think Senior is an efficient commander. To maintain this deformed front line, I think you need to be able to coldly calculate lives like ammunition and weigh the pros and cons.”

“…”

“But I like Senior as he is now.”

Evangeline shrugged her small shoulders.

“I like the human Senior who overdoes it to save his subordinates, who is shaken, who cries and suffers…”

“Oh?”

As Lucas made a sound as if he had caught something, Evangeline made a strange sound, ‘duhuk!’, and waved her hands with a flushed face.

“No! ‘Like’ here doesn’t mean in a romantic way! It means I respect him as a superior! You know, old man?!”

“You don’t have to explain to me, miss.”

Lucas chuckled, and his voice soon became heavy.

“…I don’t know much about my lord.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve served him my whole life, but I still don’t know what’s inside him.”

It was rare for Lucas to talk about his inner thoughts like this. Evangeline widened her eyes and listened carefully to his words.

“But I thought it was okay. I thought it was enough to live as a watchdog, clearing obstacles in front of my lord.”

– If I forget, you lead me. I trust you.

As per the order I heard eight years ago.

Standing in front of Ash, guiding the way, biting and killing enemies. I’ve lived as such a watchdog.

However.

“But these days… it’s presumptuous, but I thought I understood him a little.”

Without realizing it, I was overstepping my bounds.

“Because he’s human. Too human. So, without realizing it, I felt a sense of kinship. I felt like we had become friends, not just master and servant.”

Lucas’s hand, which had risen to the hilt of his sword, clenched tightly.

“But these days, my lord, as you said, keeps trying to go far away… and like you, I was feeling anxious about it.”

“…”

“I’m just a watchdog. My role is to clear the way for him. But as if I had really become a friend, I was having presumptuous worries.”

To himself, who betrayed Ash and caused Dustia’s death. A role beyond a watchdog cannot be allowed.

I had forgotten for a while, but the reason I became aware of my role again this time… must be because of the sudden arrival of the past.

“…”

Lucas closed his eyes tightly inside his helmet and then opened them, muttering softly.

“…Right. A watchdog must be faithful to his role as a watchdog.”

“Huh?”

“Evangeline. Can you take over the command of today’s defense battle?”

Evangeline, surprised by the sudden words, widened her eyes.

Lucas glanced back – towards Crossroads.

“I have something else to do.”

“…”

“I’m asking you.”

Evangeline pursed her lips. The girl’s prominent fangs pressed down on her lower lip.

Just as Ash is becoming unstable, Lucas, you are also becoming more and more precarious.

I’m worried about you.

Evangeline didn’t say the thoughts she had in her heart.

“Okay! Go ahead!”

Instead, she smiled cheerfully.

“I’ve always wanted to try commanding the troops! After all, I’m the one who’s going to become the Margrave here! I need to practice in advance!”

Lucas’s face was not visible inside the tin helmet, but Evangeline thought Lucas was smiling.

“Thank you, Evangeline. Then.”

Lucas turned around and walked towards the teleport gate installed at the forward base.

Staring at the back of the knight as he disappeared into the falling snow, Evangeline turned back to the other side.

In the distance, from the black lake in the south, feathered monsters were crawling out with terrible cries.

“All troops! Prepare for battle!”

The brave girl knight shouted and readjusted her lance and shield.

“Let’s quickly defeat all the monsters and get into a hot bath to melt our shoulders!”

Ooooooh!

The soldiers all raised their weapons in response.

Since Evangeline had taken over command and led the battle several times, the soldiers were quite used to Evangeline’s command.

The heroes also naturally prepared for battle according to Evangeline’s orders.

Towards the forward base where humans stood guard,

Cawwwww!

Hundreds of harpies began to fall across the sky.

***

Crossroads Central Prison.

“Oh, Sir Lucas?”

“It’s time for you to carry out the defense battle… Kuhuk?!”

“S, Sir Lucas! What are you doing… Aaaack!”

Thud! Thwack! Clatter…!

With loud impact sounds, the guards fell out.

Lucas, who had subdued the guard post in an instant with his bare hands, entered the prison.

Mason was waiting in his cell with a smile on his face.

“Young Master Lucas. You’ve come.”

“Come out, Uncle Mason.”

Lucas found the right key from the bunch of keys he had taken from the guard captain and opened Mason’s cell door.

After releasing the other four agents who had been captured with Mason, he gestured outside.

“Follow me. I’ll guide you.”

“Just a moment, young master! Please remove these handcuffs first…”

Mason and the agents asked to have the handcuffs on their wrists removed, but

“More guards will be coming soon. Let’s prioritize getting out.”

Lucas, who spoke coldly, took the lead resolutely.

Mason and the agents had no choice but to follow Lucas with their handcuffs on.

There was no one on the streets where the snow was swirling. As they came out into the back alleys on the outskirts of the city, Mason smiled.

“You’ve made a wise choice, Young Master Lucas.”

“…”

“His Highness Fernandez will never treat you unfairly. If we succeed in this mission, the McGregor family will be restored, and you will be guaranteed a high position in the imperial family.”

Lucas listened quietly to Mason’s words, which were repeated like a parrot, and then his feet, which had been making their way through the snow-covered alleyway, suddenly stopped.

“…But, there’s one thing I don’t understand, Uncle Mason.”

Lucas, who had turned around, tilted his helmeted head to the side.

“Why did His Highness Fernandez ask for ‘that’?”

A few days ago, when he visited Mason at night. Lucas heard Fernandez’s demands.

He also heard exactly what mission Mason had received here.

But he couldn’t understand it at all.

Because Fernandez had given Mason a truly bizarre mission.

So, he asked again, but Mason just burst out laughing.

“Aren’t we just hunting dogs who follow orders? If we’re told to bite, we bite, if we’re told to find, we find, if we’re told to die, well, we die.”

“…”

“The content of the mission is not our concern. The important thing is whether we can carry it out or not. That’s all.”

“…”

“So, young master. If we go this way, can we carry out our mission?”

“No.”

Swoosh-

Lucas slowly drew his long sword, [Karma Eater], from his waist.

The smooth blade met the cold air and emitted a chilling metallic gleam.

“You will all die here.”

The four agents behind Mason flinched and stepped back. Mason was looking at Lucas with his eyebrows furrowed.

Exhaling white breath, Lucas murmured.

“I will never betray my lord again.”

“…”

“So, Uncle Mason. Even if you were a loyal subject of my family…”

The blue light emanating from Lucas’s helmet was so clear that it looked like a flame.

“If you are my lord’s enemy, I will just cut you down.”

“…”

“In the name of McGregor, I will take all the dirty blood myself… Please die quietly here.”

Mason, who had been listening quietly to Lucas’s words, slowly stretched his mouth wide from side to side.

“Ah…”

From within his thick beard,

A wild, raw, ferocious smile was held.

“I knew it, I knew it!”

While making a laughing sound as if he couldn’t contain his joy.