I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 53

We had set out for exploration in the afternoon, and by the time we returned, it was late lunch.

We had been moving all day, even after staying up all night.

I hadn’t felt the fatigue properly in the dungeon due to the tension, but as soon as we returned, my whole body felt heavy.

“Today is for rest… Everyone worked hard…”

As soon as I dismissed them, the party members all scattered, swaying like jellyfish.

Lucas and Evangeline have accommodations in this mansion. Damian is at the temple, and Jupiter is at the mercenary guild.

I called a coachman and instructed him to take Damian and Jupiter to their lodgings.

“Haaah, should I rest a bit too…”

I staggered towards my room in the mansion.

I’ll just sleep until dinner, then eat and do some work…

***

However.

“…”

When I opened my eyes in bed, the whole world was already dark.

Checking the time, it was 3 AM. It was already the middle of the night.

“Sleeping until dinner, my ass.”

I had just passed out completely.

Since it turned out this way, I thought I should sleep soundly until morning, but I couldn’t fall asleep, probably because I was hungry.

‘Should I organize the items I got yesterday?’

I reached into my inventory.

There’s no need to look at the other items. I just need to check the bonus items I got.

First, the ‘Blue Flame Torch’ I received as a reward for clearing all of Area 2.

Whoosh-

The blue torch burst into flames as soon as I took it out of my inventory.

It’s nothing special, just a torch that ‘won’t go out no matter what’.

No matter how strong the wind blows, or how much it’s hit by splashes of water, this flame won’t go out.

Since dungeon exploration in this game always involves fighting against the darkness, it’s not a bad item.

‘It’s not that significant beyond that, though…’

It’s better than nothing. I tossed the blue flame torch back into my inventory.

I hope it doesn’t burn anything else in there?

Next is an unexpectedly great gain. An item I got for completely destroying a boss monster’s part.

I took out a blue glowing magic scroll from my inventory.

[Summon Scroll: Giant Steam Golem]

“I can’t believe I got this…”

A player skill, summon magic. It’s an item that allows you to summon a boss monster.

It’s one-time use, but it’s really useful.

I can have that huge golem boss I met during free exploration as my subordinate.

There’s no need to save it, so I immediately started registering the skill.

[Do you want to use ‘Summon Scroll: Giant Steam Golem’?]

– Yes/No

Yes!

Whoosh!

As soon as I selected Yes, the scroll burned with a blue flame, and blue particles flowed out from the remaining flames and seeped into my body.

[Ash(EX) has acquired a player skill!]

> Summon Magic: Giant Steam Golem (Limited to 1 use)

“Nice.”

I’ll save it and use it as a trump card.

‘With this, I can get through any crisis in a stage or free exploration.’

Feeling reassured, I patted my stomach.

Grumble!

“Ugh, I’m hungry…”

My mind might be at ease, but my stomach is still empty.

After tossing and turning for a bit, I got out of bed. I figured I should eat something before going back to sleep or work.

“Haaah~”

I yawned widely and staggered to the kitchen.

“…”

“…”

I ran into them.

The knight duo, Lucas & Evangeline, were rummaging through the kitchen like thieves.

Lucas had a piece of meat bone in his mouth, chewing (is he a dog?), and Evangeline had her small cheeks full of peeled chestnuts (is she a squirrel?), rolling her big green eyes.

“…Cough, cough.”

“…Hiccup.”

After a moment, Lucas started coughing, and Evangeline started hiccuping softly.

“…What are you guys doing?”

I asked, feeling bewildered, and Lucas and Evangeline awkwardly pointed at each other.

“I came to the kitchen because I was hungry…”

“This old man was here…”

So they found a partner in crime and were raiding the kitchen together.

I laughed in disbelief and looked inside the kitchen.

“I came because I’m hungry too. Is there anything to eat?”

“It’s all neatly organized…”

“There are ingredients for tomorrow, but no prepared dishes…”

The two knights looked noticeably dejected.

“…Are you very hungry?”

When I asked, they nodded fiercely.

I chuckled and rolled up my sleeves, stepping into the kitchen.

“Then sit at that table over there. I’ll make something simple for you.”

At that, both Lucas and Evangeline’s eyes widened.

“My lord, you can cook too?”

“Well, sort of?”

“You’re a royal, but you cook yourself?”

“Why? Is there a law against it? No, even if there is, what are you going to do? I’m royalty, after all?”

Since I lived alone for a long time on Earth, I learned how to make simple dishes.

I’m hungry too, so let’s make something.

‘What’s there…’

I’m craving ramen with chopped green onions and an egg, with kimchi, but that’s impossible in this place.

I started rummaging through the pantry.

It’s quite well-stocked for a lord’s mansion. There’s butter, milk, eggs, spices, and even smoked ham…

“…”

“…”

Lucas and Evangeline, sitting awkwardly at the table, were looking at me with worried eyes.

Hey, don’t be scared. Do you think I’ll give you something you can’t eat?

I found a large loaf of bread in the corner of the pantry and nodded.

‘I guess I’ll just make some street toast.’

But the fireplace was out.

Come to think of it, there’s no gas stove in this place. Don’t they have fire spirits or something? It’s a fantasy world, isn’t there anything?

‘But I have this.’

I took out the blue flame torch I got this time from my inventory and put it inside the fireplace.

Soon, the frying pan on the fireplace was heated up.

I grinned and threw a generous amount of butter onto the frying pan.

Sizzle-

A sweet smell quickly spread everywhere.

I could hear Lucas and Evangeline swallowing hard. You little piggies, your bodies are honest, aren’t they?

***

I roughly put some milk, eggs, honey-glazed bread, smoked ham, and a bit of vegetable salad between the slices.

“Here, let’s eat quickly and go to bed~ It’s a toast made by the prince.”

I don’t have the holy trinity of ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise. But this is good enough, right?

I cut the brown, delicious-looking toast sandwiches into easy-to-eat pieces and served them.

Two each for Lucas and Evangeline. One for me.

I took one first and took a big bite.

“Hmm. Not bad.”

It’s subtly different from the taste on Earth, but it’s edible.

Lucas and Evangeline also took a bite each and looked surprised.

Lucas, in particular, had a very moved expression.

“It’s delicious, my lord! You have the skills to be the head chef of the royal court! To be served your cooking is an honor for three generations!”

“Don’t overdo it… Just eat…”

I already know your loyalty, so don’t praise me too much…

Next to Lucas, who was eating with his mouth full, Evangeline nodded at me.

“But it’s really delicious. It tastes like something sold at a stall during a festival.”

“Oh, that’s an accurate assessment.”

It’s a street toast recipe, so it has that exact feel.

“…Being like this reminds me of the old days.”

Evangeline mumbled while munching on the toast.

“When I was little, there would be rustling sounds in the kitchen in the early morning, and when I woke up and came down… my dad would be hurriedly making something to eat.”

It was the story of the Marchioness [a noble title, similar to a countess].

I slowly stopped chewing my toast.

“The monsters would attack without regard for time. After fighting them off and returning in the early morning, he would be hungry and make a simple meal.”

Evangeline’s eyes became wistful as she reminisced about her childhood.

“Covered in blood and dust, he would put all the remaining ingredients in the pan and cook them… Then, if he made eye contact with me, he would stare at me blankly and always ask, ‘Do you want some?'”

I chuckled.

“So, did you eat it?”

“I ate whatever he gave me back then, so my cheeks are still this round…”

Evangeline grabbed and shook the baby fat remaining on her cheeks. She’s cute and adorable.

“While the two of us were eating, my mom, who had woken up late, would rush in and scold him for feeding the child in the middle of the night.”

Evangeline chuckled softly, but her smile slowly disappeared.

“It’s just… being like this in the middle of the night, it suddenly reminds me of that.”

Evangeline slowly looked around the lord’s mansion kitchen, which was full of traces of time.

This place where her father and mother, who were with her in those days, had both disappeared.

“I remember those early mornings.”

“…The Marchioness’s funeral is tomorrow.”

Evangeline gasped at my words.

Time had flown by while we were in the dungeon. The Marchioness’s funeral is now just a day away.

“Crossroads is a place with almost no funeral culture, so I’m managing everything myself. But if you want, you can take on the role of chief mourner.”

“…No. Please take care of it, senior.”

Evangeline said dryly and stuffed the remaining toast into her mouth.

“I respect my dad. I think he was a great man who protected people here his whole life. But.”

Gulp. Gulp.

Evangeline swallowed the contents of her mouth along with the milk and roughly wiped her mouth.

“I still can’t forgive him.”

“…”

“Senior, have you heard? How my mom passed away.”

What should I answer?

After hesitating, I slowly nodded. Evangeline lowered her eyes.

“Dad let mom die instead of protecting the city.”

“…”

“I… I can’t accept my dad’s choice in my heart, but I understand it in my head. Protecting the city is the first duty of a lord, and my dad was just being faithful to that.”

Evangeline’s prominent fangs dug into her lower lip.

“But on the day we buried mom’s coffin in the orchard, dad didn’t come to the orchard. Instead, he left to repair the southern forward base.”

“…”

“He had to prepare for the next attack. Because that was the work of the lord of Crossroads. Because it was more important.”

Evangeline’s small fingers tightly gripped the hem of her knee.

“While digging next to the ruined orchard stone wall with my own hands and burying an empty coffin in the ground instead of mom, I realized then. Ah, the head of the Cross family has to be this kind of person.”

Evangeline shook her head with a bitter smile.

“And I am a human who can’t be like that.”

I nodded slowly.

“That’s why you left this place.”

“…Yes.”

Evangeline raised her sharp green gaze and looked straight at me.

“Thank you for preparing my dad’s funeral, senior. But, even if I think the Marchioness Charles Cross is a respectable person.”

Evangeline said heavily.

“I can’t forgive him as my father.”

“…”

“The late-night snack was delicious. It’s truly an honor to be served by the prince himself.”

After getting up from her chair and bowing, Evangeline walked out of the kitchen.

I watched her retreating figure and sighed softly.

“Family is difficult…”

“…”

Lucas was sitting next to me silently. I slowly put the remaining toast in my mouth.

This kind of personal matter is not something others can interfere with. It’s something Evangeline herself has to choose and accept.

After finishing the remaining toast, I dusted off my hands and stood up.

“It’s late. Shall we go to bed too?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Lucas started helping with the cleanup.

It’s quite amusing to see the huge guy clearing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen. I covered my mouth and laughed.

On the way back to our respective bedrooms after the cleanup.

“…Are you alright, my lord?”

Lucas, who was walking ahead, suddenly spoke. I widened my eyes.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You also have a complicated family history, don’t you, my lord? That’s why you’re helping Evangeline.”

…Huh?

Really? Is mine complicated? No, isn’t Ash’s family history just that of a playboy?

I was flustered. Of course, I wouldn’t know about Ash’s family history.

“You’re seeing your past in Evangeline, aren’t you, my lord? Even though I’m foolish, I can tell that much.”

Lucas turned around and smiled with his eyes.

“Isn’t that so?”

“…”

I couldn’t tell if he was really asking out of concern for me.

Or if he was testing whether I was the ‘real’ Ash.

Not knowing, I froze for a moment.