I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 366

30 minutes prior.

Lily spoke to me in a calm voice.

“I don’t need anyone else. Just send me.”

“What nonsense are you talking about, Lily…”

She could barely walk and was in a wheelchair, yet she was asking to be sent alone into the heart of the enemy territory.

I was about to refuse outright, but Lily was persistent.

“If I don’t go now, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. I’ll think that I had a chance to save him, but I was too scared to move.”

Lily looked at me with unwavering eyes.

“I’m going to stop giving up without even trying.”

…That was,

a story I had told her.

“Haa…”

I sighed and shook my head slightly.

“You might die. No, the chances of you dying are much higher.”

“I don’t care.”

Lily pressed her hand firmly on her leg.

“I’d rather die than live without trying.”

“…”

“So, please send me. Your Highness. I’ll go save Godhand… and the Shadow Squad, even if it’s just me.”

Normally, it would be right to ignore her.

The risk is too high, and the return is not guaranteed. Trying to save a fallen party could lead to further casualties.

But, however-

‘I will save those within my reach.’

The principle I had established.

I couldn’t abandon it.

As long as there was a possibility that the Shadow Squad was still alive, I shouldn’t give up on them so easily…!

“Let’s ask first.”

I turned to the heroes and asked.

“Is there another fool who would willingly crawl into that goblin-infested hell?”

Then, almost all the heroes under my command raised their hands at once.

I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

“…It seems the Shadow Squad was more popular than I thought.”

“We save those we can. That’s what you taught us, senior!”

Evangeline stepped forward, tapping her shield.

“If we all combine our strength, we can definitely save the Shadow Squad!”

“…”

At that moment, Lucas, who had been watching the situation without raising his hand, quietly approached me.

“…My lord.”

“Speak.”

“Doing the right thing doesn’t always guarantee success. Good intentions are not always rewarded.”

“…”

“You might… regret this choice.”

“There is no regret.”

From the moment I chose this route, there was no room for regret.

I would just push forward to achieve my goal.

After exhaling, I turned to the heroes.

“I told you, I can’t risk the lives of others to rescue the Shadow Squad.”

Everyone was listening intently to my words. I nodded.

“So, we’ll use every means at our disposal to minimize the chances of us getting hurt.”

There was no time. I spread the map on the table and quickly explained the plan.

“There’s another teleport gate located a 15-minute ride from the forward base.”

Teleport gates were densely installed along the route from the forward base to Crossroads, which would normally take three days.

This was to inflict cumulative damage on the monster army through guerrilla tactics.

I pointed to the gate closest to the forward base.

“We’ll send a decoy unit there. All hero parties except the rescue unit will engage as the decoy unit.”

There was no need to overthink it. We would simply start the guerrilla operation we had originally planned.

“The decoy unit will charge towards the forward base, unleash attacks, and when the confused goblins come out to counterattack-”

My fingertip tapped the emergency gate drawn inside the forward base.

“The rescue unit will enter through the emergency gate inside the forward base. They will search for the Shadow Squad and rescue them.”

I then pointed to two parties in turn.

“The rescue unit is you. The Leprosy Eradication Squad and the Holy Grail Expedition.”

Torkel and Verdandi, the leaders of each party, nodded.

“The Leprosy Eradication Squad, after entering, guard the emergency gate. Buy time until the Holy Grail Expedition searches for the Shadow Squad and gets out.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Holy Grail Expedition, you must search the inside of the forward base and rescue the Shadow Squad.”

“Leave it to us!”

The Holy Grail Expedition itself was skilled in stealth, and its leader, Verdandi, was an assassin class.

Moreover, the ones they needed to find this time were three elves of their own kind. They were the best suited for the search.

“Lastly, there is something I must ask of you. This is also an order.”

After having the soldiers bring the horses for the heroes, I spoke.

“Do not risk your lives trying to save our allies.”

“…”

“If we lose our forces in a place like this, it will shake the defense of Crossroads, which is the main stage. Your lives are pieces that I must use carefully.”

After taking a breath, I looked around at the heroes.

“Do not take your lives lightly. So that I don’t have to plan another rescue operation.”

Clap!

I clapped loudly and raised my voice.

“There is no time! Let’s start immediately!”

***

Clop! Clop! Clop!

The decoy unit was riding their horses at full speed towards the forward base.

It was absurd that they were returning with all their might to the place they had barely escaped from just a while ago. But it was already underway.

‘…It reminds me of an American movie.’

War movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Black Hawk Down” suddenly flashed through my mind.

These movies had a common theme: rescue units were sent to save fallen allies, only to suffer even greater losses. They also had the commonality of being based on true stories.

“…”

Sigh. I shouldn’t be thinking such ominous thoughts.

After riding hard for a while, the forward base began to appear.

I turned to the side and shouted.

“Damian!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Damian turned to me with a bright face.

He had just fired a full charge shot of [Black Queen], so his stamina and mana were almost depleted, but what could he do? We had come this far.

“I’m counting on you!”

“Leave it to me!”

Damian was riding on the same horse as Evangeline for convenient sniping. Damian took out [Hunter’s Retribution] from the luggage behind the horse.

Click!

The long barrel of the magic rifle rested on Evangeline’s shoulder.

Evangeline, who had put on earplugs in advance, was sweating as she looked at the magic rifle right next to her face.

“…The sparks from this won’t be good for my skin, right?”

“It’s okay. You’re a tank, so your health regeneration is high. Besides, you’re a teenager.”

At your age, you can recover from skin damage just by sleeping. Believe in the power of youth.

“Scarred skin is a warrior’s honor! I don’t mind if my flawless skin gets a few marks…”

Evangeline glared at the forward base with her green eyes.

“I hope everyone is safe.”

“…”

I thought so too. Sincerely.

“Hoo-”

Damian exhaled, attaching the scope he had previously adjusted and looking through it.

On a horse running roughly, with depleted stamina and mana, and a distant target…

There were only unfavorable conditions, but nothing was a problem for Damian.

Bang-!

With the sound of the shot, a magic bullet shot forward like a ray of light. One of the armored goblins standing on the forward base wall far away fell, spilling blood.

I, who was looking at the forward base through binoculars, whistled.

“Nice shot, Damian! Keep going!”

Bang! Bang! Bang-!

Damian didn’t stop. He began firing indiscriminately at the goblin officers who came into view.

The magic bullets, flying in bizarre trajectories, pierced the heads, necks, and chests of the goblins.

By the time Damian had used all 12 rounds of the [Hunter’s Retribution] magazine, the forward base was already in chaos.

Well, it was only natural that there would be chaos since twelve officers who had been standing there were all dead.

The goblin army began to pour out through the open gate of the forward base. Their reaction speed was quite fast.

“Everyone! Prepare for battle-!”

Everyone except Evangeline’s party and Lucas’s party had equipped themselves with ranged weapons.

Since the plan was just to lure them out while keeping a distance, they had to inflict as much damage as possible with their superior range.

The mage unit cast their spells, and the rest of the warriors who had equipped bows also prepared for ranged attacks.

Kuilran and the Punishment Squad took out boomerangs, the ranged weapons of the Maple Leaf Tribe.

“Everyone, attack when I give the order!”

While shouting and looking around, I noticed something strange. Huh?

“…What. Where did Lily go?”

Lily, who should have been creating blazing fire magic with Junior’s mage party, was nowhere to be seen.

When I looked at Junior, he also had a puzzled expression.

“Weren’t you with her?”

“Huh? No? She wasn’t there from the beginning…?”

“…”

I gritted my teeth.

“Lily, that girl, could it be…!”

***

Top floor of the forward base. On the gun emplacement.

“…”

“…”

The rescue unit, the Leprosy Eradication Squad and the Holy Grail Expedition, who had just finished entering through the hidden emergency gate, looked at their eleventh member with bewildered eyes.

It was Lily. She had stubbornly followed them here in her wheelchair.

“Lily. I’ll be blunt.”

Verdandi spoke sharply, deliberately using a harsh tone.

“You, who can’t use your legs, are a burden to our rescue unit. Go back immediately.”

“But I can use wide-area magic.”

Lily quickly slashed her palm with the dagger she was holding. Her skin rippled like flames, deflecting the attack.

It was her trait, [Flame Skin].

“I’m also immune to physical attacks.”

“…”

“The difference between having a mage and not having one is huge in terms of situational response. You know that, right?”

It was a hundred times true, but still, not being able to walk…

Lily spoke to the hesitant Verdandi with a serious face.

“Godhand is my lover. Please, let me help.”

“…”

“If there is a price to pay for taking the risk, I am willing to pay it.”

Verdandi chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

“Lily, have I ever told you that Godhand was once my subordinate?”

“…I heard a little about it from Godhand.”

“That kid got such a good girlfriend. Time really has passed a lot…”

Verdandi put the dagger she was holding into her waist belt.

“Okay. But you can’t use the wheelchair. I’ll carry you. Is that okay?”

“I’m heavier than I look.”

“It’s okay. I’m stronger than I look.”

Verdandi lifted Lily up with a whoosh. Verdandi smiled with her beauty mark, and Lily, who was somehow embarrassed, avoided her gaze.

“We will… definitely guard the gate.”

Torkel and the Leprosy Eradication Squad raised their shields and greatswords.

“This time, we will… properly fulfill our role as the rearguard.”

“We’ll be back soon. Just hold on a little longer.”

It was then. A gunshot faintly echoed in the distance, and with the sound of the wind tearing, one of the goblins on the wall fell, spraying blood.

Damian’s sniping had begun.

The goblin janissaries fell one after another, and the murmuring goblins soon began to rush out to the north with angry shouts.

The elves of the Holy Grail Expedition and Lily looked at each other and nodded.

“Now! Let’s go!”

***

Present.

The Holy Grail Expedition and Lily barely managed to find the location of the three members of the Shadow Squad, and Lily, throwing fire magic as she charged in, succeeded in rescuing them.

“I told you. If anything happened, I’d come to save you.”

Godhand rushed to Lily, who was saying that while being held in Verdandi’s arms.

Verdandi quickly and discreetly handed Lily over, and Godhand and Lily hugged each other tightly.

The two lovers were covered in monster blood and soot, but they didn’t care. They buried their faces in each other’s necks and inhaled each other’s scent.

“You’re alive, right?”

“Yes. I’m alive.”

“In the future too?”

“In the future too, always. By your side…”

***

《A diversion.》

The attack from the north, the lured-away soldiers, and the magical explosion inside the base.

Kali-Alexandros, having received reports on all the situations, immediately noticed the situation.

《Humans value the lives of their comrades.》

From behind the mask, a cruel smile appeared on the goblin god-king’s lips.

《So, we can use it.》