I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 45

“Aren’t you going to recruit Miss Evangeline into the party?”Aider asked me again as I hesitated.

“Miss Evangeline would be a great asset.”

“…It would be a lie to say I’m not tempted.”

No, I’m incredibly tempted. I’m dying to recruit her!

Two SSR-grade [Super Super Rare, the highest rarity] front-line characters at Stage 3? And they’re Lucas and Evangeline?

‘No matter how much this game messes with the difficulty, if I have them, I can clear it easily!’

But.

– I hope my daughter can escape this cursed land, escape this cursed task, and live peacefully and happily.

I promised.

– Please, live freely… as your heart desires…

Those were the dying words of the late Count.

A final request to ensure his daughter wouldn’t be bound by the family’s duty.

“I have to keep my promise. I’ll let her do what she wants.”

“If you miss her, you’ll regret it forever, won’t you? Wouldn’t it be better to keep her by force?”

“I don’t want to abandon my morals as a person just to clear the game.”

Aider tilted his head slightly.

“Wasn’t it because you didn’t care about those morals that you were able to clear Hell Iron Man?”

“That’s right.”

I threw my subordinates into deadly situations. Used them as disposable pawns.

I traded sub-quests, treasure chests, challenges, for countless lives.

I sacrificed lives for efficiency. That’s how I managed to break through Hell Iron Man.

“But if I clear it the same way this time, there’s no progress.”

I chuckled.

“I want to be a better version of myself than yesterday.”

Aider looked at me with a complicated expression.

“That restriction will one day choke you, my lord.”

“I don’t care.”

I’m not trying to act like a saint, but I don’t want to become a monster either.

Even in a world where lives are lighter than feathers, I want to remain human.

That’s all.

“Anyway, take good care of Evangeline, Aider. She’s a teenager going through puberty. Her mind must be complicated.”

“Understood, my lord.”

Aider, who had been quietly bowing his head, suddenly exclaimed.

“By the way, my lord.”

“Yes?”

“About the spear and shield of Miss Evangeline that you smashed the other day…”

“Oh, that.”

Evangeline’s equipment was completely destroyed by my 777 Punch. I haven’t told her yet.

Aider, who had been hesitating, spoke slowly.

“After appraising them, both the spear and shield were SSR-grade items…”

“…”

“They’re so damaged that it’s hard to salvage any materials. How are you going to compensate for this…”

My mind went blank for a moment.

SSR-grade items? Both of them?

Not only are they expensive, but they’re also incredibly rare.

Should I be amazed by the overwhelming power of my Prince Punch that destroyed them in one blow?

“C-Can I make new ones?”

“To manufacture new high-grade equipment, you need magic cores…”

Oh, right. I used all the remaining magic cores to manufacture magic guns.

“Can’t I make it up with my Lucky Strike? How about a draw?”

“I don’t think that’ll work…”

“Damn it!”

I pressed my temples, feeling a headache coming on, and sighed.

“Gather the party.”

It was time to go dungeon exploring anyway.

I opened my tired eyes wide and stood up from my chair.

“Let’s go get some magic cores!”

Equipment is nothing, I can just make new ones!

***

And so, a few hours later, in the evening, in the backyard of the mansion.

“It feels like it’s been a while.”

I said, looking around at the party members gathered in front of me.

“Did everyone rest well these past few days?”

The party was the same as always. Me, Lucas, Damian, Jupiter. And.

“Why is it me again!”

Lily, who now shows a predictable reaction.

As soon as the summons was issued, Lily tried to run away, but knowing she would, I had soldiers stationed all around the alchemist’s workshop.

Lily was caught while trying to escape and was forcibly dragged here. Lily, with a tearful face, desperately shouted.

“I heard you recruited some new people! Take them instead!”

It was true. I had recruited a few hero characters from the mercenary guild this time.

The problem was, they were all gray. N-grade [Normal grade, the lowest grade].

And they didn’t have any special abilities.

Of course, they would become good fighters if they grew in future battles, but they were not good enough to be in the main party.

It would be best to operate them as a sub-party.

So, after filtering and filtering again… R-grade [Rare grade] fire mage Lily was called back to the main party.

Moreover, Lily had leveled up to over 20 through the battles and had completed her first job advancement.

She learned a new skill, ‘Fire Cannon.’

It’s just a skill that throws a fireball with strong power, but even if she’s not the best, she’s still a mage.

She guarantees more power than any average mercenary.

“The items you ordered from the blacksmith! They all need to be done in collaboration with the alchemist’s workshop! I’ll manage and supervise them rigorously! Yes, Your Highness?!”

Lily was even grabbing my pant leg and begging.

“Hmm…”

I let out a troubled groan.

I don’t intend to keep using Lily in the main party forever.

It’s definitely reckless to take a friend who can’t even walk due to a leg injury to that dangerous dungeon.

But the reality is that there are no suitable replacements.

‘If a decent R-grade, or even N-grade, hero character who can replace Lily is recruited, I’ll replace her immediately…’

The supply of hero characters is slow.

The number of new recruits coming to the mercenary guild is still small. I’m recruiting everyone who comes.

‘It would be nice if I could meet a good NPC [Non-Player Character] in the dungeon and recruit them, but that’s completely luck-based…’

I rested my chin on my hand and pondered.

‘What should I do…?’

“Yooour Highness! Please have mercy!”

Now Lily was even using courtly honorifics to beg me. She must be desperate…

That’s when it happened.

“Where are you going?”

A young girl’s voice rang out. Everyone looked in that direction.

Evangeline was walking from the mansion with a sulky expression.

Since she wasn’t armed, it’s hard to keep saying this, but she’s really tiny…

“Huh?!”

Lily, who sensed the SSR-grade aura emanating from Evangeline, asked me urgently with her eyes wide open.

“Your Highness! Who is this?!”

“…Some of you might be meeting her for the first time. Everyone, say hello.”

I had no choice but to introduce her.

“She’s the only daughter of Count Cross, Evangeline Cross.”

Lily and Damian, surprised by the story of the Count’s daughter, quickly bowed.

Jupiter, who had put out his cigarette, gave a sharp salute.

“I am sorry for your father’s passing, Miss Evangeline.”

Evangeline also returned a flawless salute. As expected of a military academy cadet, her form was fantastic.

“Thank you for your concern. But I’m fine.”

Evangeline then looked at me.

“So, where are you going?”

I didn’t want to, but I answered honestly.

“Dungeon.”

“Dungeon? Where is there one around this city…”

Evangeline stopped talking and looked at me with a dumbfounded expression.

“Don’t tell me, you mean the dungeon under the lake?!”

“Oh, you knew about it?”

“The lake is just a hellish maw where monsters crawl out. The dungeon below it is just a ridiculous old tale.”

Evangeline crossed her arms and shrugged.

“Sometimes, foolish adventurers go to the lake for treasure, but no one ever comes back.”

“Not no one. We’ve already been there.”

Evangeline raised her sharp eyes as if she didn’t believe me. I shrugged back.

“And we’ll be going again.”

“…So, what Your Highness is saying is.”

Evangeline raised a finger and questioned.

“There’s a dungeon that even our Cross family, who has ruled this place for generations, doesn’t know about, and Your Highness has been there. Is that what you’re saying?”

“The latter part of what you said is correct, but not the former, Evangeline.”

I grinned.

“Your family might have known about it. You might just be the only one who doesn’t know.”

“…!”

Evangeline bit her lip.

As the successor of the Cross family, she did not receive the lessons she should have.

Instead, she took the elite officer course at the Imperial Academy.

Even if the Cross family had passed down a secret like the dungeon under the lake, she would have no way of knowing it.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me. We’re going anyway.”

I need to go to compensate for breaking your weapon.

As I waved my hand, Evangeline stepped forward.

“I want to go too!”

“What?”

“Even though I look like this, I’m the top graduate of the Imperial Academy! I’m confident that I’ll be more helpful than anyone in battle. ‘Senior’.”

Evangeline emphasized the title ‘senior’.

It was probably an appeal that ‘I also went to the school you went to. I can also do my part.’

Hmm. I groaned.

“No, I know that, junior. But.”

“Please take me with you. If there’s really something under the lake, I want to see it with my own eyes.”

“Hmm…”

“I’m the only heir of the Cross family, and both of my parents died because of the monsters that came out of the lake. I think I have the right to go.”

I closed my mouth.

That’s exactly why. I was trying to keep you away from fighting the monsters under the lake.

‘That was your father’s wish…’

I swallowed my words and gestured with my chin.

“How’s your body? Are you okay?”

Instead of answering, Evangeline unwrapped the bandage on her arm.

The minor scratches and bruises had already healed cleanly. As expected of an SSR-grade tank, her recovery power is amazing.

“How’s your mind?”

“Huh?”

“Have you calmed down a bit?”

“…”

She had learned about her father’s death just a few hours ago. Her mind must still be in turmoil.

“It’s more unsettling to stay still. It’s better to move my body.”

Evangeline, retying her messy hair, opened her sharp eyes.

“So, what do you say? Will you take me? Yes?”

“…Okay.”

There was no more reason to refuse.

I turned my head to the side. I saw Lily, who was glaring with scary eyes.

“Then Lily, you stay in Crossroad.”

“Yay~!”

Lily started dancing with her arms wide open. She really looks happy…

“By the way, have you seen my spear and shield?”

Evangeline asked, seeing that the rest of the party members were fully armed.

“I’m sure I had them before I lost consciousness yesterday…”

“C-cough! Cough! Well, they were a little damaged, so I left them at the blacksmith for repairs.”

I quickly gestured to Aider. Aider hurriedly ran to the warehouse.

“I’ll lend you some of the remaining equipment for now.”

“Well… I don’t mind.”

Aider returned a few minutes later, bringing a spear and shield on a cart.

“Hah, hah! I just brought whatever I could find…!”

It was a large cavalry spear and shield. Both were smaller than what Evangeline originally used, but they were still large.

Evangeline was delighted and equipped the two items.

“It’s the equipment I used when I was young. It’s been a while.”

Whoosh! Whooosh!

Evangeline lightly rotated the huge cavalry spear as if it were a pen and nodded.

“It’s too light to use now… but it seems usable.”

Even so, it looks like a lump of iron to me. Is it light?

‘Oh, right. Her strength stat is 35.’

Even if there were five of me, I’d probably lose if I arm-wrestled her…

“Okay. We’re ready.”

Evangeline, who had attached the lance to her waist with a leather strap, confirmed with me once more.

“You’re accepting me into the party, right?”

“Yes, yes. I have to listen to what my junior says.”

I opened the system window and added Evangeline, excluding Lily.

[Main Party (5/5)]

– Ash (EX) Lv.11

– Lucas (SSR) Lv.31

– Jupiter (SR) Lv.37

– Damian (N) Lv.24

– Evangeline (SSR) Lv.35

Ding!

A new party synergy was applied.

It’s a composition of 1 commander, 2 knights, 1 healer, and 1 mage.

[Active Party Synergy]

> (Commander 1) Battlefield Guard: This party’s morale will not decrease.

> (Knight 2) Dual Knights: All party members’ physical defense increases by 20 percent.

The knight synergy was activated. It’s quite a sturdy party.

“…”

“? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

I vaguely brushed off Evangeline, who was looking at me with a puzzled expression.

I felt uncomfortable thinking about the Count dying in my arms, but honestly, I felt reassured that an SSR tank was added to the party.

I smiled.

“Please take care of me, Evangeline, junior.”

Then Evangeline’s brow furrowed.

“By the way, how long are you going to call me junior?”