I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 433

“Whether it’s a favor or a grudge, I repay what I receive twofold. That is the way of the dragon.”

Following that, Dusk Bringer shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, and… Trahana, Lark, and Fernandes, they were all busy trying to devour my country. No matter which of the three seizes the Empire, it’s only a loss for my country.”

Dusk Bringer stretched out a small finger and lightly poked my chest.

“In the end, I have to bet on you.”

“Haha…”

I’m grateful that she’s being so honest about these things.

Immediately after, Dusk Bringer’s expression slightly hardened.

“And…”

“Yes?”

“…No, it’s nothing.”

She was about to say something but then trailed off.

“Forget it. It wasn’t anything important.”

“No, what is it! What is it! Why are you saying something so unsettling and then stopping!”

“Don’t be so impatient, little one. You’ll find out eventually. Soon.”

Dusk Bringer, showing her sharp teeth with a bright smile, kicked her leg nimbly and climbed onto her saddle.

Then, without even a goodbye, she just waved her hand and set off with her subordinates… I silently watched the people of the Bringer Duchy leave in a rush.

It’s been quite a while since they’ve been here.

Maybe that’s why, the sight of people leaving felt unfamiliar.

‘They’ll all come back.’

I have to believe that and wait.

“Well, with that, the envoys have mostly left…”

After looking around Crossroads, which had become quite desolate.

I took out my pocket watch, checked the time, and grumbled.

“Why isn’t Kellybay here?”

The last envoy, Kellybay.

He was supposed to leave today, so we prepared gifts and escort troops, but he hasn’t shown up. When is this old man going to come?

That’s when it happened.

“Hey! Ash!”

A gruff old dwarf voice was heard from the direction of the mansion’s teleport gate.

I turned to look… well, well.

Even though he’s supposed to leave as an envoy, Kellybay, still in his usual blacksmith attire and covered in oil and soot, was seen running as if he was rolling.

I was about to say something in disbelief when Kellybay shouted excitedly.

“I finished it! New equipment!”

In his hand, there was a piece of equipment emitting the golden glow unique to SSR grade [Super Super Rare].

“It’s a new Nightmare Slayer!”

“…You’re coming with immunity.”

Well, I have to acknowledge that. There’s no helping it. I stopped what I was about to say and welcomed him with an open mind.

What Kellybay had made was a helmet.

A combination of a mask, a helmet, and a crown.

“I finished it in a hurry, but my finishing is perfect! Here, take a look!”

“…”

I received it with a slightly bitter feeling, as it was a somewhat familiar shape.

That’s right. This is the Nightmare Slayer forged with the magic core of the Goblin God King.

Its name is-

“The best masterpiece among the helmets I’ve made so far, [Original Sin]!”

Original Sin.

Considering the anguish of the Goblin God King and the person who will be the new owner of this helmet, it’s a very fitting yet cruel name.

I examined the helmet in detail.

Originally, the Goblin God King’s helmet had a crown attached, and the mask part was quite ornate.

However, this helmet had a laurel wreath, the symbol of a champion, instead of a crown, and the mask part had a simple design.

“Even if you’re a prince, it wouldn’t do for your subordinate to wear a helmet with a crown, right? So I changed it to a laurel wreath.”

“Laurel wreaths were also used by emperors in the past…”

“Ah, they’re not really used these days! And the mask is more focused on its function as a face guard. It won’t break even if it’s hit by a cannon.”

Anyway, I received the helmet. Let’s see.

[Original Sin (SSR) Lv.50]

– Category: Helmet

– Defense: 50

– Durability: 50/50

– Health +30

– Your MP is converted to HP. The wearer’s magic and skills now consume HP.

– All attacks deal additional magic damage proportional to maximum health, but the wearer also receives a portion of that damage.

– Every time you receive any form of damage, physical and magical defense increase by 1 percent. The stack lasts for 3 minutes and can accumulate up to 100 times.

– Upon reaching maximum stacks, maximum health is doubled and additional health regeneration is granted. This effect lasts until the end of the battle.

– ??? (Unlocked based on the number of enemies defeated while wearing this equipment)

– ??? (Unlocked based on the number of enemies defeated while wearing this equipment)

The explanation is a bit long.

In short, it’s equipment that increases tanking ability by accumulating stacks during battle.

You just need to take damage 100 times in any form, and since your own attacks and skill usage also damage you, the stacks will accumulate quickly.

‘But if I recklessly continue fighting to accumulate stacks, there’s a risk of collapsing from accumulated damage before the stacks are fully built.’

Will you throw yourself into danger to quickly become powerful? Or will you safely preserve your health?

It’s equipment that requires you to continue fighting while contemplating these options. It’s quite perverse.

‘I like it!’

A Nightmare Slayer should be this perverse, shouldn’t it? The appearance is also fantastic. I nodded in satisfaction.

“Excellent, Kellybay. You made it very well.”

“Hehe. Well, I always make things very well. Anyway, I didn’t prepare much while finishing this, so can’t I just leave tomorrow…”

“You can prepare while you’re on your way. Depart right now.”

“You’re so ruthless, you lord! No, don’t do that!”

I forcibly grabbed the grumbling Kellybay and ordered him to wash up at the lord’s mansion.

After roughly splashing some water on him and dressing him in the clothes we had prepared, I put him in the carriage that was waiting.

“The gifts I’m sending are in the carriage behind. Please deliver the letter well and put in a good word for me.”

“Alright, alright. Thanks for the send-off. I’ll be back~.”

Even while grumbling, Kellybay sat quietly in the carriage. Immediately after, the dwarf exclaimed, “Ah!” and turned to look at me.

“Ah, and. My assistant, Hannibal. He said he has something to say to you too.”

“Hannibal?”

“Yeah. I brought him over there, so talk to him.”

When I turned around, I saw the shaggy-haired boy, Hannibal, the spirit enchanter, standing awkwardly.

I thought he had come to see Kellybay off, but it seems he has business with me as well.

“Anyway, I’m off~”

“Yes. Have a safe trip~”

Kellybay and the escort troops left together.

I waved my hand and turned my body around. Hannibal had already come right in front of me.

I squatted down in front of the boy and smiled gently.

“Hannibal. What do you have to say to me?”

“Yes, Your Highness, that is…”

Hannibal hesitated, took a deep breath, and then puffed out his chest and spoke.

“…I think I need to talk about my origins.”

Origins?

I raised my eyes in bewilderment.

***

After finishing my conversation with Hannibal.

In the city of Crossroads, where all the people who were leaving had departed.

I walked around and headed to a facility located on one side of the city.

The temple.

At the entrance, a large man wearing a helmet was still sweeping. I called his name.

“Torkel.”

“Ah, Your Highness.”

Torkel, slowly turning his body, bowed to me.

“You’ve come. What brings you here today…”

“I have business with you.”

To him, who was slowly blinking his eyes inside the helmet, I handed over the new helmet.

“Take it, it’s your new equipment.”

“This is…”

Torkel, who received the helmet, flinched. It was probably because it was clear at a glance that it wasn’t ordinary equipment.

“…Your Highness.”

Torkel handed it back to me.

“I am not worthy of receiving such equipment.”

“…”

“Even the shield and mace you gave me before are already too much for me. I appreciate the thought, but this equipment should go to someone else…”

“Torkel.”

But I didn’t back down.

“You are the right person.”

“…”

Torkel looked back and forth between me and the helmet with a bewildered gaze.

In the recent battle, Torkel reached level 50, completed his third job advancement, and awakened his ultimate skill.

[Torkel (SR)] [Super Rare]

– Level: 50

– Title: Leper Seeker

– Job: Painkiller

– Strength 20, Agility 10, Intelligence 10, Health 50, Magic 15

The awakened job name is Painkiller.

It means pain reliever, but considering the illness Torkel has suffered from his whole life and his turbulent life, it’s a strangely poignant job name.

And the skill status is…

[Skills]

> Passive: Leprosy Eradication Corps

> Skill 1: Endurance of Pain

> Skill 2: Pain of Repentance

> Ultimate: ???

A passive skill that further expands and strengthens the characteristics of a leper.

Skill 1 that increases defense. Skill 2 that recovers health.

And the ultimate skill that was awakened this time, but…

‘It’s in a restricted state.’

A restricted state is, as the name suggests, a state where the skill cannot be used due to various factors.

There are many types of factors, but in Torkel’s case… it’s probably largely due to psychological reasons.

‘He seems to keep feeling guilty that he was the one who caused Margherita’s death.’

Just looking at how he’s been doing chores at the temple every day since then gives me an idea.

Moreover, not only Margherita but also all the other leper eradication corps members he had been with his whole life were lost.

I will never know exactly what kind of anguish and torment he is living in. However.

For the sake of future strategies, and for the sake of his future life.

We can’t stay stopped forever, can we?

“Torkel. From now on, you must fight as one of the core vanguards of our army.”

A strong anvil is a prerequisite for a powerful army.

Of course, there is Evangeline, who is a pure tank and can also deal damage.

Now that I have obtained [Snow White], Evangeline is now the strongest tank in the world.

However, war is not something you do alone.

We desperately need a strong sub-tank to form an anvil together. And Torkel is more than capable of fulfilling that role.

“Take it. I’ll have new armor made for you soon.”

“…”

In the end, Torkel took the helmet into his arms, but he was still hesitating.

“Your Highness, I…”

Torkel, who had been hesitating for a long time, was about to open his mouth to say something.

That’s when it happened.

“Hello there~!”

A nonchalant voice was suddenly heard.

Surprised, we turned around and saw a tall… man walking into the temple entrance.

“Is this the temple of Crossroads?”

That’s right. A man. That was the only way to describe his appearance.

Late 30s? Early 40s? Somewhere around there.

He was wearing a shabby priest’s robe, his hair was greasy, his eyes were hollow, his untrimmed beard was messy, and he had a burnt cigarette butt in his mouth.

The man, dressed like that, staggered to the front of the temple, took a long breath, and threw the backpack he was carrying against the temple wall.

The scriptures and other items inside the backpack spilled out.

“Wow, that was really freaking hard. Isn’t Crossroads way too far…”

“Uh…”

Seeing a man I’d never seen before walking around so casually, I asked in confusion.

“Who are you?”

“Ah, haven’t you heard?”

The man took out a cigarette pack from his pocket, confirmed that it was empty, threw it on the ground, and then.

Chewing on the remaining cigarette butt in his mouth, he introduced himself to me.

“I’m Zenis, the priest who was dispatched from the Central Order and newly appointed to Crossroads.”

Then, he made a circle with his fingers and winked.

“Please give generously to the offerings from now on, Lord.”