I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 477

쿵……. 쿵……. 쿵…….

The plains between the Black Lake and Crossroads.

With heavy thuds, three monsters advanced.

Hair made of snakes, large gray eyes open and fixed without pupils, an upper body covered in needle-like fur, and limbs gleaming with metallic light.

The Gorgon Sisters Three.

From a distance, they looked like three similar monsters, but upon closer inspection, they were slightly different.

The largest monster with thick arms and legs, walking in the lead, was the eldest, Stheno.

The monster walking beside her, with membranous wings on her back, was the second, Euryale.

And walking behind them… the youngest, Medusa, who had a much more human-like appearance compared to her two older sisters.

Stheno and Euryale had chains wrapped around their necks, and those chains were held in Medusa’s hands.

The youngest controlling and dominating her two older sisters.

That was Medusa, the leader of the three sisters.

《Isn’t it absurd, sisters?》

Medusa opened her mouth. The tips of her forked tongue flickered, emitting venom.

《Did you hear what that nasty lich, Baekya, was babbling about? What? If we move according to his orders, he’ll lift the curse on us?》

Medusa shook her head.

《That’s nonsense. The curse placed on us is from the gods. It’s something that a lowly lich can’t undo.》

Medusa spoke earnestly, but Stheno and Euryale did not respond.

With their dull eyes fixed forward, they simply took steps forward without any intelligence.

《……But, just in case.》

Medusa’s hand holding the chain tightened as she looked at her two sisters with pity.

《If we could remove even a little bit of the curse. Then.》

To return to the distant past, before they were cursed, which they no longer remember….

《I don’t even wish for the curse to be completely lifted. If only I could have a normal conversation with my sisters…》

Even after saying it herself, she knew it was a futile hope.

Medusa, who had been wearing a hollow smile, hissed and pulled her snake-like tongue back into her mouth.

《……Because of such vain hopes, I’ve ended up going to war, something I never wanted to do. I don’t even care if the mortal realm is destroyed or not…》

The Gorgon Sisters Three were originally monsters specialized in defending their territory.

This was because they could completely block enemies approaching within a certain area with their petrifying gaze.

So, they had built their own fortress in a corner of Dungeon Area 9, turning everyone who approached into stone statues.

Their indiscriminate petrification and its power had made them infamous, but in reality, they were more skilled at defense than offense.

They were monsters who had confined themselves, fighting to protect themselves from those who came to their hideout.

They were not originally skilled at attacking.

《I never wanted to set foot on this hateful land again.》

However,

If there was even a sliver of hope.

If there was even a slight chance to change this terrible life… then they had no choice but to attack.

《Let’s finish this quickly, sisters.》

Medusa muttered, glaring ahead.

《Let’s destroy the mortal realm quickly… and go back. Back to our own little hideout, again…》

Crack, crunch…!

Whoosh!

The second, Euryale, spread her membranous wings.

Then, grabbing Stheno and Medusa in each hand, she soared into the sky.

Screeeeeech-!

The three monster sisters flew across the sky in an instant, heading north towards Crossroads.

Medusa bit her lip.

Nothing would change. She would turn all nearby enemies into stone and kill them.

Even if she was just being used, even if there was no salvation at the end… she had to rush towards the bait in front of her, spitting venom.

That was the fate given to a monster.

***

Crossroads. The smithy.

Clunk!

Lucas placed a shield that the blacksmiths had just made on the table. Evangeline, standing next to him, blinked in confusion.

“What is this?”

“A mirror shield.”

Lucas nodded.

“The only way to block the petrifying gaze is this, according to the strategy guide left by our lord.”

“What’s the principle? Is it like… rainbow reflection~! or something?”

“……That’s not entirely wrong.”

Lucas explained, holding up the shield and fitting it onto his arm.

“The petrifying gaze used by the Gorgon Sisters Three basically petrifies anyone who makes eye contact, but even without eye contact… just by having their gaze land on you, they can force petrification.”

“What? That’s cheating.”

“Exactly. That’s why this is necessary.”

Lucas thrust the mirror shield towards Evangeline. Evangeline stroked her chin, looking at her face in the mirror.

“Wow, who is this stunning beauty?”

“That’s strange. I was reflecting the pig we raise at our front lines….”

“Ugh! Mister, are you doing this on purpose?!”

Lucas turned away from the fuming Evangeline and cleared his throat. He looked at the mirror shields that were being continuously made.

“Anyway, mirrors deflect the petrifying gaze, so they don’t get petrified. Also, you don’t get petrified even if you make eye contact through a mirror.”

“Oh, I see….”

“All the melee units will be given these mirror shields. But you don’t really need one.”

Evangeline’s [Cross Family Shield 改] had the ice spirit Glacier residing within it.

As soon as he finished speaking, Evangeline manipulated the spirit within her shield, causing ice to form on the surface of the shield like a mirror.

“Like this?”

Evangeline smiled and held out her shield. Lucas looked at his reflection and nodded.

“You’re handsome as always… though not as much as our lord.”

“What are you talking about, you’re so annoying….”

“I’ve learned some seduction techniques from watching our lord. Maybe if I get a count title from our lord next time and go to the imperial social circles, I might become popular.”

“Stop talking nonsense with that shameless face! More importantly, are you really thinking of getting a count title?!”

“No. I just thought you seemed tense. I was just joking to lighten the mood.”

It was hard to tell if he was joking or serious, given his serious face in this urgent situation.

Evangeline grumbled and retracted the ice mirror. Lucas crossed his arms and sighed.

“The problem is, even if we can deal with the petrifying gaze with this, the rest is the problem.”

“Huh? What do you mean by the rest?”

“The Gorgon Sisters Three’s abilities aren’t just the petrifying gaze. Their basic physical specs are just that of powerful high-ranking monsters.”

The fur that grows on them is like armor, and their limbs are stronger than most metals.

Even if they could deflect the monsters’ gaze with mirrors, they couldn’t withstand their physical attacks.

If they were to take a physical attack, the mirror would break, and then they wouldn’t be able to deflect the petrifying gaze, creating a vicious cycle.

In the end, the mirrors should be used as a supplementary tool, and they would have to use other methods in actual combat….

Lucas was about to discuss melee tactics with Evangeline when it happened.

“Reporting, Sir Lucas!”

A soldier rushed into the smithy. Lucas frowned menacingly and looked at him.

“What is it?”

“Report from the scouts! The monsters have transitioned to flight mode!”

“……!”

“One of the three monsters used its membranous wings to fly, and is transporting the other two towards Crossroads!”

A look of dismay crossed the two knights’ faces. Lucas pressed his hand against his furrowed brow.

“They’ll arrive faster than expected… was their speed measured?”

“Yes. Based on observations, it’s estimated that they will reach Crossroads in a day!”

“Damn it….”

Their flight ability had drastically reduced the estimated time of arrival. Even here, there was no room to spare….

After pondering, Lucas sighed.

“This won’t do. We need to reinforce our forces.”

Evangeline blinked in confusion at his words.

“Huh? Reinforce our forces? From where?”

Not only Crossroads, but all the spare forces from the surrounding borders and cities had been sent to the Imperial Capital under the banner of the World Protection Front.

There was no way to reinforce their forces. So, from where?

“……Our lord has left some bait beforehand.”

Lucas said heavily, opening the door of the smithy.

“We need to retrieve the fish caught in that net.”

And the direction Lucas was heading was… towards the hotel.

Evangeline, who was blankly watching Lucas walk ahead alone, yelled.

“Wait a minute, you’re not talking about those guys, are you?!”

***

Hotel Crossroads.

This place, which was bustling with distinguished guests from all over the continent just a few weeks ago, was now deserted.

The only guests left here were either tourists who weren’t afraid of monsters, or…

“Ah, just lend me some chips!”

“Are we saying we won’t pay you back?! Huh?! No, we’re going to pay you back properly! Don’t you trust us?”

Those who had been lured by the casino and had squandered their fortunes, gambling addicts.

The reason Ash had initially built a hotel with a casino was to lure high-ranking heroes who were crazy about gambling.

The first group he recruited was the Gamble Club. They had gone to the Imperial Capital with the World Protection Front.

And in the few weeks that Ash had been away, there were several high-ranking heroes who had newly arrived and become casino regulars.

But these people were not like the Gamble Club, who were skilled gamblers. They were just hopeless people addicted to gambling.

They had already been banned from other famous casinos on the continent, and after spending the money they had earned each day at various gambling dens, they had drifted to this remote southern region, human trash gambling addicts.

“I’ll pay you back if I win, huh? Here’s my mercenary badge, and hey, do you know how expensive this ring is?”

“You don’t know who I am, do you? Hey! I’m on sauna buddy terms with your lord at the Imperial public bathhouse!”

“No, I’m saying this casino cheated! There’s no way I would have lost all my money like this otherwise! Bring the manager. Bring him here now!”

They had already squandered all the money they had brought, and everything from their equipment to their clothes had been pawned. Now, with nothing left to offer, they were just causing a ruckus in front of the casino. The name for these people was,

“Blacklist.”

Lucas muttered, watching these troublemakers causing a scene at the casino entrance.

“Even in this place, which is operating loosely with few customers, they’ve managed to get on the blacklist. They’re truly hopeless.”

“…….”

The gambling addicts, who had nothing to lose, were now grabbing the casino staff by the collar. If left alone, they looked like they would break down the casino entrance.

“Haa…….”

Evangeline, who had placed her hand on her forehead and sighed deeply, glanced at Lucas.

“……You’re going to hire those guys?”

“They’re hopeless, but their combat power is usable.”

If Ash were here, they would be named heroes who would rush in while shouting incomprehensible things like ‘S-Rare! S-S-Rare!’

The problem was that they were not good named heroes, but bad named heroes, infamous human trash….

‘With the Gorgon Sisters Three attacking in just a day, is infamy important?’

If they would just fight alongside them, as Ash had said before, they would gratefully accept anyone, whether they were ghosts or spirits.

Thud. Thud.

Lucas deliberately made heavy footsteps as he approached the casino entrance. Evangeline reluctantly followed behind him.

“……?”

“Huh?”

“What is it.”

The troublemakers at the casino entrance turned around one by one at the sound of clanking armor. Lucas examined their faces.

A blind man wearing tattered rags, with a cloth covering his closed eyes.

A muscular man with metal plates embedded all over his body.

A woman dressed like a pseudo-religious leader, with a burning candelabra on her head like a crown.

A bespectacled man whose one arm, one leg, and one side of his face had been replaced with magical engineering devices.

And lastly—a child in a prisoner’s uniform, with his whole body bound in chains, only able to move his hands.

These five simultaneously showed hostility towards Lucas.

“Who are you?!”

“Are you a shoulder here? Are you trying to kick us out?”

“That won’t work! We may have lost our weapons at the pawnshop, but we’re still tough with our bare hands!”

“No, no, I’ll just take a hit, so can you give me some compensation?”

“What? Then I’ll go first! How much is it per hit? Huh?”

Lucas, standing in front of the noisy gambling addicts, spoke coldly.

“You have two choices.”

Lucas held up his index and middle fingers, then waved his hand up and down.

“Either get beaten and kicked out, or cooperate in defeating the monsters for a while and continue to enjoy the casino.”

“…….”

“Which will you choose, you trash?”

The five members of the Blacklist quickly exchanged glances. The blind man staggered forward. He grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.

“Shall we sit down at the negotiation table first?”