I Became The Tyrant Of A Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 447

《So, what were you talking about?》

Even though he clearly heard the entire conversation, the Demon King still asked.

Knight Bringer didn’t back down either.

《We were discussing your purpose.》

《Oh? My purpose?》

《Lately, you don’t seem interested in destroying the human world. You’ve abandoned everything and are only focused on searching for Nightmares.》

Sensing Knight Bringer’s fierce agitation, the Demon King continued to smile. Knight Bringer snapped.

《Do you even have the will to destroy the human world? Who are you looking for in the Nightmares?》

《……Let me make one thing clear first, Black Dragon.》

Immediately, a vivid darkness poured out from behind the Demon King.

《No one desires the destruction of this world as much as I do.》

It was a darkness so intense that even the mighty Black Dragon Knight Bringer flinched. Knight Bringer soon realized the nature of that darkness.

Hate.

It was a bottomless, profound hatred—a hatred from the abyss.

《I cannot forgive this world. This world that did that to ‘that person’ deserves to drown in my darkness.》

But the next moment.

The swirling black hatred vanished without a trace.

The three Nightmare Legion Commanders, who had been holding their breath, could finally catch their breath.

《But my revenge is for the sake of that person’s salvation.》

Before they knew it, the Demon King was sitting comfortably on his throne, wearing his usual playful smile.

《If I cannot save that person, the destruction of the human world means nothing to me. But if I can save that person, the destruction of the human world will complete the salvation.》

《…….》

《The human world will surely be destroyed someday, and you will all march out when the time comes. Wait without doubt.》

Knight Bringer frowned and stared intently at the Demon King.

So.

Who exactly is the person the Demon King is searching for in the Nightmares…?

The Demon King didn’t speak further on the subject and gestured to the Great Mage Baekya.

《Baekya. You will lead the charge in the upcoming Great Flood this winter. Prepare in advance.》

Baekya quietly bowed, accepting the order.

《…….》

Behind the talisman-covered face, the Great Mage thought.

It was a pity for the Black Dragon, who so desperately desired destruction. But his turn would never come.

Because she, too, wished for the world to disappear.

***

The very next day after the kings’ meeting ended.

Thump!

At a gathering of my subordinate heroes, I slammed my fist on the chalkboard and shouted.

“It’s a flag design contest!”

“……?”

Everyone looked at me with bewildered expressions.

It was Lucas who finally asked.

“Huh?”

“A flag design contest, I said, a flag design contest!”

After repeating the same words three times, I finally explained.

“Now that the new alliance, the ‘World Protection Front,’ has been launched, we obviously need a flag to represent the alliance!”

Some might call it unnecessary formality or a mere show, but no, flags are quite important! They go down in history, you know!

“Besides, our Monster Front doesn’t have its own flag either…!”

I pointed sharply towards the hotel. The heroes all looked in that direction.

The flags of each country and faction that had visited were proudly fluttering… but only our Monster Front didn’t have an original flag.

Instead, the imperial flag with the sword and rose was waving diligently.

Then, Evangeline tilted her head.

“Before you took office, Senior, the Southern Front used our family’s flag. Should we lend you our family’s flag again?”

That was true. Originally, the Southern Front used the Cross family’s flag as its symbol.

Because the Cross family had been the Margraves [a noble title] for generations.

But with me as the current lord, I couldn’t just take the Cross family’s symbol. And more importantly.

“No way! Your family’s flag is boring!”

It’s lame!

The Cross symbol of your Cross family, with a sloppy X drawn inside an empty square frame! I wouldn’t take it even if you gave it to me!

“Waaah! That’s so mean! Senior, you’re a dummy!”

Evangeline cried and ran out.

Everyone was sweating, but I didn’t care and continued speaking.

“So, it’s a contest! I want you to actively submit your ideas!”

Currently, we had a temporary flag, a black background with a red embroidered border, but the center was empty.

I was thinking of holding a contest to fill this center with a symbol. Or, we could even renew the border entirely.

“The Monster Front and the World Protection Front do not represent any specific country or ideology. We have gathered purely to protect this world from destruction.”

Of course, if you looked at their true intentions, each country’s king had their own reasons for joining me.

But the ultimate goal was the noble cause of preventing the world’s destruction and protecting everyone.

“I will accept designs for a flag that will symbolize our Monster Front, and by extension, the World Protection Front.”

But it seemed that no one was as serious about flags as I was, as everyone looked rather indifferent.

Cough! After clearing my throat, I continued.

“I will provide a small prize to those who come up with good ideas.”

“A prize? What kind of prize?”

Evangeline, who had run outside, peeked her head back in and asked. That fickle girl.

I crossed my arms and announced the prize with a voice full of force.

“Of course, the unparalleled honor of having designed this flag that will go down in history….”

“Uuuuuuu!”

Boos immediately poured out.

I sighed and added.

“……And a bonus of one year’s salary, paid immediately.”

“Waaaaah!”

Applause erupted.

The heroes’ faces brightened, and they stood up and applauded. These money-grubbing bastards! Please care more about honor!

Now, Evangeline, who had completely come back inside, even unfolded drawing paper and picked up a brush, raised her hand again and asked.

“What is the deadline for the contest?!”

“We don’t have much time.”

We had to leave for the capital within a few days. If we delayed any longer, we wouldn’t be able to stop what Fernandes was planning in New Terra.

“So… the deadline for the flag design contest will be this evening.”

“Eeeeh?!”

“That’s too sudden!”

To the heroes who were complaining, I added one more thing.

“Instead, the prize money will also be paid immediately this evening.”

“Yeah, the best ideas come out right away!”

“Alright! Let’s start drawing!”

Shortly after, the heroes were squatting or lying down all over the mansion, each diligently drawing flag designs on the drawing paper they had received.

‘……It looks like an elementary school art contest.’

I put my hands behind my back and walked around quietly to see what the heroes were drawing. Let’s see.

First, Lucas.

He was drawing a very abstract three-dimensional structure on a large piece of drawing paper. I made a ‘hoh-‘ sound and approached him, asking.

“That’s a very philosophical drawing… what is it?”

“It is your face, my lord.”

“…….”

……Ah, is that me?

Looking closely, that round thing does look like an eye… and that pointy thing is a nose… why is the mouth attached here…?

Anyway, if I had to evaluate it.

“……It’s innovative.”

I don’t know why he had to innovate my face, though.

I touched my face for no reason. Fortunately, everything was still in its proper place.

“The symbol of this front is none other than you, my lord! Who else, what else, could represent this front other than you?”

His words are good. His intentions are good. If only what he had drawn so diligently in my name wasn’t like a Picasso painting.

“It is an expression of my overflowing loyalty, my lord! Please, make this the symbol of our front!”

“Uh-huh, okay… I’ll consider it….”

Your loyalty is the best. But your drawing seems to be the worst….

But if your heart is full of loyalty, then it’s okay.

I patted Lucas on the shoulder and said, ‘Finish it!’, and Lucas became even more engrossed in his drawing.

Next, let’s see.

Right next to him, Evangeline was squatting and diligently drawing something. When I went to look,

“Oh, wow. It’s pretty decent?”

Unexpectedly, her drawing skills were quite good.

When I admired her quietly, Evangeline puffed up her chest and said, “Heheng.”

“I’ve been good at drawing since I was young! If I hadn’t become a knight, I probably would have become a painter?”

“Oh, really….”

……The problem was that, regardless of her drawing skills, Evangeline’s taste was consistent and unwavering.

The flag had a vibrant hot pink background, with flowers and frills drawn all over it… her taste is really firm.

In the center of the flag was a man who looked like a character from a 70s-80s shoujo manga [a genre of manga aimed at a young female audience].

I asked, feeling a sense of unease.

“……Just asking, who is this?”

“Of course, it’s Senior! The symbol of this front is you, Senior, right? It looks exactly like a mirror image, doesn’t it?”

“…….”

I looked at Lucas’s and Evangeline’s drawings in turn.

How could there be such a hellish difference with the same subject…?

“Honestly, I think my flag is the prettiest! I think I’ve already won the prize! Mwahahaha!”

“……Y-yeah. Good luck finishing it.”

I patted Evangeline on the shoulder and quickly left. The knight duo has gone mad! Not that they weren’t before!

Not far away, Junior was visible.

Junior was lying on the floor in the hallway with his little mage subordinates, each diligently drawing something.

“Hmm…?”

When I approached, I saw that they were engraving complex magical patterns inside the flag.

“Junior, what are these patterns?”

“Ah, Your Highness.”

Junior smiled brightly and explained.

“I was trying to put an actual magic scroll that could be used for attack magic inside the flag.”

“……Attack magic?”

“And like this, if we line up our five flags, the magic effect is amplified… Boom!”

When Junior lined up the five pieces of drawing paper to show me,

Kiiiiiing!

“Huh?”

The magic patterns that the mages had diligently drawn began to function as actual scrolls, emitting light on the spot….

“Waaaaaah! The magic is activating!”

“Block it! Block it quickly!”

“But how do we block it?!”

“Erase it with an eraser!”

“But we drew it so hard!”

I quickly ran away from the chaotic mages.

Using a flag as a scroll?

It’s practical, but… flags aren’t for practical purposes in the first place… and more than that, if you’re going to go through the trouble of putting these patterns on a flag, you might as well just draw them on regular paper….

I was glad that I didn’t have to make such complicated excuses.

I heard explosions and the mages screaming as they flew away behind me, but I tried to ignore it. Magic is dangerous.

“Hmm….”

At the entrance of the mansion, Damian was deep in thought, drawing something on his drawing paper.

“Damian, what are you drawing?”

If it was Damian, the living conscience of our Monster Front, he would be different from the other weirdos, right? With a glimmer of hope, I approached him, but,

Inside the drawing paper was a plump hamster….

“…….”

……Huh? Is this the symbol of our front?

Damian, who was sweating profusely as he saw me stiffen, explained awkwardly.

“W-well, I drew my hamster, Podong….”

“…….”

Ah, the hamster he had been raising since last year. It seems to be doing well.

“But why did you draw this friend…?”

“Well, that’s….”

Damian hesitated, then pushed his drawing forward and strongly appealed.

“It’s, it’s cute!”

“But what does that have to do with our front?!”