I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 448

Not a single one was usable.

My other companions had all submitted equally terrible designs. And the absurd part was that they all looked so proud of themselves.

Finally, that evening.

I sighed and announced,

“There are…… no winners.”

Uuuuuu!

Boos immediately poured out.

“That’s tyranny!”

“It’s an abuse of the lord’s authority!”

“Actually, you just don’t want to give out the bonus, right?!”

“No, you guys should have submitted something decent! You bastards!”

When I shouted back, the heroes held up their drawings and pushed them forward.

“Ash! What’s wrong with our elves’ lush branch design?!”

“Your elven flag is already a pile of weeds! You plant lovers! It overlaps!”

“Captain, what’s lacking in this drawing I poured my soul into?”

“Having just a giant fist there makes you look like some kind of violent gang, you martial artist!”

“Why was this beautiful oil painting I made rejected?”

“The dragon breathing fire is the symbol of the Bringer Principality! What changes just by changing the color?!”

I pushed back the heroes who were clamoring and sighed again.

“Alright, alright. Considering your efforts, I’ll pick a popularity award. The winner’s prize will go to the popularity award winner. Now, everyone, vote for the drawing that seems most suitable for our front.”

“As expected, the lord knows what’s what!”

“If it’s by majority vote, my work will obviously be first place!”

“If everyone has eyes, they’ll pick mine, right?!”

And so, the heroes voted for their respective flag designs.

The winner was…….

“……Damian’s work, ‘Hamster Podong,’ is the winner.”

With an overwhelming majority of over 50 percent of the votes, Damian’s drawing won.

Damian, with a moved expression, came forward holding his hamster drawing, and said with a slight sob,

“Thank you……! I dedicate this honor to Podong!”

“Congratulations! Can I come visit Podong?”

“Of course! You can see him if you come to the temple.”

“Let’s all go see him when this is over!”

The elves, in particular, were making a fuss. Maybe they felt a sense of kinship with the other rodent creatures who were also crazy about nuts.

“Cute.”

“It is cute.”

“It’s nothing compared to the grandeur of my flag, but, well…… I guess it’s acceptable.”

Everyone was nodding, looking at Damian’s flag design.

“……Are you guys seriously saying this is good?”

I had a headache and grabbed my forehead.

Are they all serious? They’re okay with a hamster becoming the symbol of our monster front……?!

“My lord! I believe the symbol of our front is only you!”

“Me too! So, can you at least use this as a mural?!”

“Thank you…… it’s not helpful at all, but…….”

I also pushed away the knight duo who were still appealing with their drawings (of my face).

“Get lost! Go play with Podong at the temple, you bastards!”

“No, it’s dinner time, give us food before you kick us out, Captain!”

“Fine! Then eat and get out!”

I gave Damian the prize money, fed everyone a hearty dinner, and then kicked them out of my mansion.

***

“Ugh, I’m tired…….”

I grumbled as I sat at my desk in my office.

Well, half of it was the intention of the design contest. But more than that, it was to relax everyone before the big battle.

Because the days ahead would be a series of harsh battles. It’s better to let everyone laugh and rest when there’s a chance.

‘Even so…… I was hoping to get some useful design hints…….’

I gathered everyone for brainstorming, but how is it that not a single usable idea came out?

‘The flag is done for now, should I open some boxes?’

Before the big battle, I was planning to open all the boxes I had collected.

– Pirate Random Reward Box: 10

– SR Grade Reward Box: 3

Ten pirate reward boxes I got from Stage 20. And three SR grade boxes that came as a reward for Stage 21.

‘Those pirate bastards, they even play tricks with the reward boxes.’

The pirate random reward boxes, as the name suggests, give random rewards.

The grade is randomly determined from N to SSR, and the rewards are also set with a slightly different item table than the existing boxes.

If you’re lucky, you might get rare items that you can’t get from existing reward boxes.

……Of course, that’s just what they say, and usually it ends with an N-grade explosion.

That’s why I hate it, but what can I do? I have no choice but to open them while hoping for a sliver of possibility.

‘First, just the three SR grade boxes.’

Reward boxes I received after defeating the Red Spider Legion.

Flash!

I opened them with a refreshing sound. Is there anything good?!

[Rewards]

– Standard High-Grade Magic Core (SR): 3

“……It’s average.”

An SR grade magic core isn’t a loss. It’s not as good as a complete one, though.

I roughly threw them into my inventory and lined up the 10 pirate boxes, the main event, in front of me.

“If you have any conscience, at least one of these will be a jackpot?!”

I shouted and opened all 10 at once.

“Did an SSR appear?!”

Flash!

Light burst out, and what was placed in front of me was…….

“…….”

A mountain of junk.

Just random junk…… full of trash. I picked up the items with a hollow feeling.

Cheap rum, a shoe with a hole, a broken key…… good heavens.

“Sigh, that’s it. What can I expect from pirates…….”

I grumbled and threw them into my inventory one by one, feeling like I was sorting trash, when I saw something strange.

Sparkle.

“Huh?”

I saw a dingy ring among the junk.

I quickly picked it up. Could it be?!

[Kraken’s Ring (SSR)]

“Hail the great octopus god-!”

I unknowingly shouted an idolatrous cry and threw my arms up in the air.

No, I don’t know if the Kraken is an octopus or a squid, but anyway!

The SSR item that was notorious for not dropping even from the item drop table of the ghost pirate commander Bernard Fokker, the Kraken’s Ring, appeared!

The effect is very simple. It allows you to summon and control the Kraken.

Although the cooldown is a whopping 3 stages, which is terribly long, this is still something! It’s like getting a free boss-level summon every three stages!

[Rewards]

– Kraken’s Ring (SSR)

– 9 other items

I finished processing all the accumulated boxes like that.

I was spacing out for a moment, immersed in the unique languid emptiness that comes after opening boxes.

‘……Wait a minute.’

Come to think of it, wasn’t there one more box left?

I stretched my neck and looked around.

Then, I saw a small box placed neatly on one side of my office desk.

It was a box that Alberto brought when he escaped from the capital.

What was it, something that the ‘Wind-Chapped Ladies,’ a private organization built by the past Ash, had given him.

– I don’t know either. It’s just called ‘a gift from the past’…….

“…….”

I frowned, recalling Alberto’s words.

A gift from the past.

In other words…… something that the past me left for my private organization to send to the present me.

It felt a little scary. Facing the past Ash, a me that wasn’t me. That’s why I had been putting off opening it.

But I couldn’t avoid it any longer. I carefully picked up the box.

“Hoo.”

After taking a breath, I opened it.

Click.

Inside the opened box was…… a short handwritten letter and a piece of old cloth.

I picked up the letter first. The letter was short, with only a few lines, but the first sentence, scribbled in a rush, caught my eye first.

– Fighting for the world, doesn’t it suck?

“…….”

As soon as I read the sentence, I was sure.

The bastard who wrote this was definitely the past Ash.

– It’s been a series of suckiness from the beginning, right? It’s been constantly, endlessly, sucky, right?

“Are you mocking me, you bastard…….”

I gritted my teeth in annoyance and read the next sentence.

– But you’ve come this far.

“…….”

– What can you do? You’ve already come this far. Just suffer a little more until the end.

With writing that contained mockery, pity, and…… a hint of affection.

– Cheer up, me.

With that, the letter ended.

“……A useless bastard.”

I was dumbfounded and looked at the letter, then folded it up and threw it back into the box.

I picked up the other item in the box…… a piece of old cloth.

And it was,

[Fragment of the Great Commander’s Flag] (5/5)

– One of the five pieces of the exclusive equipment [Great Commander’s Flag (EX)] for the character ‘Ash.’

– When all five pieces are collected, they will form one flag.

It was the last puzzle piece, arranged by the past me.

“…….”

The fifth.

The final flag piece was finally in my hands.

I took out the flag pieces I had collected so far from my inventory and spread them out. And I matched the five pieces into one.

Flash-!

A pure white light flashed, and the five pieces of the flag merged into one.

[Great Commander’s Flag (EX)]

– A flag of a man who has fought as the last player in the world for countless unrecorded times.

– The performance of the flag will be determined by the achievements you have made during the journey of collecting this flag.

– May you find glory and hope in future battles as well.

– Welcome Back, Commander.

Flap…….

The completed flag was a black flag with no pattern.

A shabby old flag with the marks of the five pieces sewn together.

I carefully picked it up.

I put off reading the flag’s stat description for a bit. Instead, I stared at the old flag for a long time.

It was just an empty flag with no pattern or symbol.

***

The next day.

I gathered the heroes and, with my new flag—an empty black flag—standing beside me.

I declared,

“We will not use a symbol.”

“Huh?”

Everyone looked at me with puzzled faces. I nodded.

“Once we defeat the monsters and save the world from the brink of destruction, the World Protection Front will be disbanded.”

“…….”

“Our purpose is not to leave our names in history, nor to gain power.”

Purely. Simply.

We gathered to save the world.

“Regardless of the inner thoughts of other front members, as the leader of the front, I must prioritize the value of saving the world.”

I continued in a serious tone.

“If we want to protect the world, anyone is our comrade. There is no need to divide or separate ourselves with symbols or flags.”

“…….”

“Therefore, we don’t need a symbol. I will make this non-symbol (無象徵) [meaning: without a symbol] the flag of our front.”

A faint smile crossed everyone’s lips. I frowned.

“……What is it. Why are you all smiling like that? I’m being serious here.”

“No, it’s just that.”

Evangeline, who was standing at the front, shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re saying things that a righteous hero from an old story would say, so naturally and confidently.”

I felt embarrassed for some reason, but I spoke roughly.

“Do you have a problem with that?”

“Of course not. That’s why it’s good to be under your command, senior.”

I shook my head and picked up my flag next to me.

“Prepare for departure!”

I raised the empty flag without a symbol and shouted,

“To the capital…… to New Terra!”