I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 495

The difficulty starts to increase exponentially from the third year.

The first and second years are so different from the third that they might as well be different games.

If the difficulty of the first two years makes you want to curse, the third year leaves you speechless. You don’t even have the time to curse.

The monster invasions become more frequent, and their numbers increase rapidly.

If you could barely manage to hold the line against the monsters in the first two years, from the third year onwards, the monsters pour out with the intention of destroying the world.

At least in the first half of the third year, you can grit your teeth, scrape together resources, and barely manage to hold on. But the second half of the third year is truly impossible to withstand.

As if the gates of hell have opened, the black lake endlessly covers the ground, spewing out monsters.

Even if the city burns, the walls crumble, and the defending forces die while holding on, in the final great offensive of the third year.

All the named monsters and legions that you failed to deal with until now pour out and march towards Crossroad.

If you failed to defeat the final boss in the dungeon, the final boss will also march with them. Well, if it gets to this point, it’s practically game over.

That’s why from the third year onwards, it’s a time attack.

Before the monster front completely collapses. Before the fortress falls and the defense line crumbles.

You must completely conquer the dungeon beneath that black lake and defeat the final boss.

While the tower defense is holding, you must succeed in the dungeon offense.

‘So… from here, I need to carefully manage the quality and quantity of the army.’

The elite unit must be deployed for the dungeon offense. A suicide squad must be formed with heroes and soldiers who can pierce the heart of the final boss through that hellish darkness.

And the rest, excluding this elite suicide squad. The heroes and soldiers below the second-tier must perform the tower defense.

…Here, a dilemma arises.

If all the elites are deployed for the dungeon raid, the quality of the troops deployed for city defense will decrease.

Then the damage on the city defense side will snowball, and eventually, the city defense will fail before the dungeon raid, resulting in a game over.

On the other hand, if you deploy too many elites on the city defense side, the dungeon raid will become difficult.

In the end, you need to succeed in the final boss raid to eliminate the source of the monsters, but if you focus too much on city defense, the dungeon raid will fail instead.

If dungeon raids and city defense were compatible goals in the first two years.

The third year is a goal where you have to strategically choose the priority.

So, what is my choice?

‘I will succeed in both!’

I will not give up on either.

The number of units that can be deployed for the dungeon offense is limited. But the number of units that can be deployed for tower defense is not limited.

The more, the better. I can push through with numbers.

I will deploy the elite first-tier heroes and soldiers I have cultivated so far for the dungeon raid.

And I will use the heroes and soldiers of the World Guardian Front for city defense. This was my goal for the third year.

The fallen kings, and the leaders of each country and their elite guards, have already reached a certain level of talent and strength.

They are much stronger than recruiting new soldiers and training them from scratch.

If they are properly managed, they will be able to defend the city well enough.

The problem is, of course… getting them to unite as one army.

‘The situation is different from when we were attacking the Imperial Capital.’

At that time, it was a situation where I just needed to threaten, appease, and cajole the fallen kings to unite them as one. We needed the numbers on our side.

But the third year that will unfold is not a problem that will end simply by uniting.

Giving them benefits, pouring gold into them, scratching their political itches… I cannot make them all into true Crossroad soldiers.

‘Actually, at first, I thought that would be enough.’

Show them the fear of real monsters, provide each faction with what they need, and if that doesn’t work, grab their weaknesses and threaten them… then I thought they would all come under my command.

But half of the World Guardian Front troops I gathered that way initially betrayed me in the middle of the Imperial Capital attack.

Faced with greater benefits, greater threats, and the fear of the Imperial power that was greater than the monsters, they succumbed.

That’s when I realized that something more than material gain was needed.

‘This is the end of the world.’

The people of Crossroad… the mercenaries who came here on their own feet are those who have nowhere else to go.

They are people who have no land or opportunity to live except here. That’s why they gritted their teeth and fought together.

But the others in the World Guardian Front are different. They have places to escape to. They can abandon this place at any time and go back to their respective homelands.

Self-interest collapses in the face of greater self-interest.

Even if I put them on the walls by handing out gold and empty promises, if the threat and fear of the monsters are greater, they will run away to save their own lives. Then the front line will eventually collapse.

‘Something more than material gain…’

Just as the people of Crossroad, who were like dirt and sand two years ago, have undergone a chemical reaction and become solid rock now.

To unite those who have lived in different worlds, looking in different directions, and make them fight shoulder to shoulder on this front.

Some kind of ideal. A great cause. A spirit of the age that can unite the newly gathered people.

What could that be…

***

Today’s meeting was adjourned.

Everyone was emotionally charged after having a good fistfight. It was difficult to have a rational conversation.

It’s not like I could have a good fistfight either. Well, there would be some ‘romance’ in that, but.

Anyway, I managed to calm them down and put them in their respective hotel rooms. The next meeting was scheduled for tomorrow evening. So that everyone could cool their heads in the meantime.

“Haa, haa! Your Highness! Here’s the popcorn and drinks… Ah.”

Serenade arrived a little late, carrying popcorn and drinks in her arms.

Serenade, looking around the empty conference hall, awkwardly placed the things she had brought on the table.

“I’m sorry. I was too late…”

“No, thank you for your concern.”

She brought a mountain of popcorn. I must have said something unnecessary, and she must have rushed to get corn and had the chef make it. I feel sorry.

I took only two bags and left the rest in the hotel lobby. People who are bored can eat it.

I left the hotel with Serenade. I opened one of the two bags and put popcorn in my mouth. It’s freshly popped and delicious.

“What’s the schedule after this, Serenade?”

“I was thinking of visiting the reconstruction site in the west… Ah, what about you, Your Highness?”

“I was thinking of going to the temple. There are people I haven’t been able to see properly because I’ve been busy.”

I shook the second bag of popcorn in my hand.

“And, the new mother who is in postpartum care might want to eat this delicious popcorn.”

Then Serenade urgently gestured to the maid-dressed guard (Elise) standing next to her.

After whispering something, Elise nodded as if she understood and ran west.

Serenade stood next to me with a bright face.

“I sent Elise to the reconstruction site instead! So, um… can I go to the temple with you?”

I chuckled.

“Of course.”

We shared a bag of popcorn, chatted, and walked towards the temple.

Not long after, Torkel and Janice were standing at the entrance of the temple.

After the last battle, there was a time when everyone who had contributed was gathered and praised, but this was the first time we had seen each other separately.

I patted both of them on the shoulder, thanking them for their hard work.

“Thank you for your hard work, and I look forward to working with you in the future, Priest Janice.”

I shook hands with Janice and winked.

It was also to praise him for helping Lily’s safe delivery, treating the injured as a priest, and even participating in the battle himself.

But it was also to sincerely thank him for faithfully performing his duties as a priest despite our suspicions.

When managing a large number of heroes, there is no job group as desperately needed as a good healer. I was truly relieved that Janice was not a traitor.

“And, Torkel.”

His face was still hidden by his helmet, which was pulled down low.

But Torkel’s eyes, visible through the gaps in his helmet, were much more relaxed. There was definitely peace in his gaze, which was always tense and stiff.

“…You’ve worked hard.”

Instead of saying much, I held his gloved hand tightly with both of mine.

Torkel seemed flustered, but he just silently bowed his head.

Passing by the two men, Serenade and I headed inside the temple. Lily’s room was a private room at the innermost part of the temple.

It wasn’t difficult to find which room it was. Because there were many visitors besides us.

“I brought precious northern fruits!”

“Freshly squeezed goat’s milk! If you drink it all, you’ll gain strength!”

“After such a hard time, you absolutely need meat, meat!”

“I brought seafood from the east! Especially this seaweed, called miyeok [a type of seaweed traditionally eaten by new mothers]! It’s so good for pregnant women! Make it into soup and eat it!”

Various gifts brought by the visitors were piled up in front of the sickroom.

“Oh my, there’s so much that it’ll go bad before I can eat it… Are you all trying to fatten me up?”

And thanks to eating well and resting well for the past week, Lily, who was sitting on the bed, had a bright complexion.

She had lost a lot of weight and looked haggard after the extreme difficult labor and the monster attack, but now her face was glowing.

The baby, Sid, lying in the cradle next to the bed, also had chubby cheeks. So cute.

Serenade and I stood outside the sickroom, quietly observing the mother and child surrounded by visitors. Serenade, in particular, stared intently at Sid.

“The baby… is so cute.”

“I know. It seems to have inherited only the good traits of the parents.”

…By the way, are you just going to look at the baby, or why do you keep glancing at me, Serenade?

Suddenly, the request Serenade made when we first met flashed through my mind. Ahem!

Then a priest came and chased away the visitors, saying that visiting hours were limited to 30 minutes. The visitors reluctantly left the sickroom.

“Oh, Your Highness? When did you arrive?”

Lily, who had just noticed me, widened her eyes. Entering the now quiet sickroom, I smiled.

“A little while ago. How are you feeling?”

“As you can see, I’m completely fine. The temple is treating me more than I deserve…”

“Of course, they should treat you well. It’s the delivery of my comrade’s child.”

Sitting on the chair next to the bed, I looked into the cradle. Sid was awake, not sleeping, because of the noise around him.

Looking into his large, light green eyes that resembled God Hand, I whispered.

“Hello, Sid. I’m your godfather.”

I playfully shook my fist in the air.

“If anyone bullies you, tell me right away. Okay? This godfather will punish them all.”

Even though he wouldn’t understand what I meant, Sid giggled.

…Then, his expression crumpled, and he suddenly burst into tears, ‘Waaah-!’ What, what?! Did I do something wrong?!

“That’s right, that’s right, our baby. Mommy’s here.”

Lily skillfully held Sid in her arms, patted his back, and soothed him. Sid quickly stopped crying in his mother’s arms and started babbling.

“…”

I was filled with an unknown emotion as I watched that scene.

The day I first saw Lily two years ago came to mind.

In the forward base surrounded by black spiders, she tried to brighten the party’s atmosphere while forcing a smile.

And two years later, she lost the use of her legs, fell in love with another comrade, and gave birth to his child…

A senior mage who is like a living history of this monster front. Lily.

“…”

Suddenly, one thought flashed through my mind.

I slowly faced Lily.

“…Lily.”

Lily smiled brightly while patting Sid’s back.

“Yes, Your Highness. What is it?”

“It’s sudden, but can you grant me one request?”

“Yes? A request?”

Lily, who was puzzled, nodded readily.

“Of course. Just tell me. What can I do to help?”

***

The next day, afternoon.

Hotel Crossroad. Lobby Hall. Conference Room.

“…”

“…”

“…”

A chilling silence hung in the air.

All the kings who had gathered the day before were gathered again. With bandages and gauze wrapped around their bodies, they glared at each other as if they were going to kill each other, just like yesterday.

In this desolate atmosphere…

Squeak. Squeak.

I appeared.

In front, I was pulling the wheelchair Lily was sitting in.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes were fixed on us at once. More precisely, not on me, but on Lily’s wheelchair that I was pulling.

And on Sid, who was in Lily’s arms.

“…Hiccup.”

Lily hiccuped,

“…Awoo.”

Sid raised his big eyes and looked around.

The gazes that had been directed at Lily and Sid moved again, this time fixed on me all at once.

Who are this child and the mother who suddenly appeared in the conference hall? That was the look in their eyes.

“Now.”

I smiled and opened my mouth.

“Before we discuss the future of the world, would you listen to a story for a moment?”

The ideal, the great cause, the spirit of the age that I found…

It was in this small woman and child.