I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 562

When Candler came to her senses, she was sitting in a boisterous pub.

“Alright, let’s start with a toast!”

“Cheers!”

“You’ve all worked hard today!”

The ‘Uncles’ party clinked their glasses together with vigor.

Nobody, Chain, Janice, and Torkel were sitting at a table, holding their beer mugs. Candler, who had been swept along, also raised her glass and joined in the toast.

“Ahhh!”

“There’s nothing better than a drink after work.”

“I thought I was going to get heatstroke today, but this one drink is making it all go away.”

The three of them spoke, except for Torkel, who was silently drinking. Candler, who had been sitting blankly beside them, flinched.

‘……Why am I here?’

She had been swept away by the atmosphere, but how did she end up here?

Candler hurriedly gulped down the drink in her hand.

“I, I’ll just finish this and be on my way…….”

Then, Nobody and Chain’s faces crumpled.

“Huh? What are you talking about, Candler?”

“Just because you quit being a mercenary, you’re not going to hang out with us anymore, old lady?”

“No, it’s not that…….”

……Isn’t it the opposite?

She, who had retired because she could no longer be on the battlefield, she who had run away because she was afraid of the monsters…… was it okay for her to continue to associate with them?

As Nobody and Chain handed Candler a new mug of beer, they clicked their tongues.

“Why are you being so distant? We’re comrades who’ve been through thick and thin together.”

“You can’t get so cold just because you moved to a better job!”

Janice and Torkel chimed in.

“Was it when we fought the Gorgon sisters together? That was a real near-death experience.”

“Heh heh…… but it was worth it, wasn’t it?”

Everyone’s expressions softened at Torkel’s words.

“Because we saved Seed.”

“…….”

That’s right.

Everyone at this table were comrades who had fought together for the sake of the pregnant Lily and the newborn Seed that day.

Holding a newly filled mug of beer, the group toasted again.

“To Seed!”

“Grow up quickly! Your uncles and aunts will give you lots of pocket money!”

In the end, Candler couldn’t leave and just kept drinking, watching their faces.

It was around the time her second mug was half empty.

Squeak- Thud!

The pub door burst open, and a group of people rushed in.

Other customers sitting near the entrance looked over and flinched, quickly backing away.

“Eek!”

“L-look over there!”

“Why are they here?!”

Candler, puzzled by their fearful reactions, turned around. And she was just as startled.

“Heh heh.”

“Heh heh heh…….”

“There’s a delicious smell here.”

Evangeline was at the front. Behind her were Lily, Elise, Yoon, Junior, Verdandi, Rosetta…….

The famous female heroes of the front lines were swaggering in.

“It’s, it’s the ‘Fearsome Female Force’!”

“It’s the ‘Scary Sisters’……!”

“Aaaah! Are they here to destroy this pub today?!”

“Everyone, run! Once they’re here, the pub’s drinks and snacks are doomed!”

The terrified customers quickly paid their bills and hurried out of the pub.

Evangeline, who was enjoying the atmosphere with an evil grin, soon spotted their group and swaggered over.

“Oh? Who do we have here? It’s the ‘Uncles’!”

“Welcome, Miss Evangeline.”

Torkel greeted Evangeline politely.

“Just to let you know, Sir Lucas will be joining us shortly.”

“Ah! Thank you…… wait a minute. Why did you think that’s the first thing I’d ask?”

Anyway, the female group took over the next table.

And as their fearsome reputation suggested, they ordered a huge amount of food and drinks. The waiter was sweating as he frantically wrote down the orders on his notepad.

Everyone was sweating as they watched them order almost twice as much as their table. Then, Torkel noticed an unexpected person buried among the female group.

“But why is Damian there……?”

Damian was seen among the female heroes, who were drooling as they looked at the menu with sinister smiles, looking lost and confused.

“T-the Order Leader said he’d buy me dinner, so I just came along…….”

Damian mumbled, looking tearful. He looked pale, probably because he was surrounded by scary older sisters.

“Isn’t the Fearsome Female Force…… a female mercenary group in the first place? Why am I here……?”

“Hush, Damian oppa! If you get to eat with such pretty ladies, you can honestly be happy about it.”

But Damian was not happy at all at Evangeline’s words. Instead, he started to sob.

“Waaah, I miss…… Ban…….”

“Aww, he’s crying. He’s crying.”

“Okay, okay. Then Damian oppa, go over to those gloomy uncles over there!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Damian visibly relaxed and quickly got up from his chair. He must have been really scared.

At that moment, Lily, who was looking at the ‘Uncles’ party’s table, brightened up.

“Oh, Candler! It’s been a while!”

Candler, startled, pointed at herself.

“Y-you remember me?”

“Of course. You got hurt protecting me and my child. Did you think I was such a heartless person that I’d forget my benefactor?”

Lily smiled brightly and waved her hand.

“Great! Damian, sit there, and Candler! Come over here! Let’s catch up.”

So, somehow, Damian and Candler switched places.

Lily, who had Candler sit next to her, introduced her to those she didn’t know.

“This is Candler. She’s a golemancer [a magic user who creates and controls golems], and she helped me and Seed before…… and these days, she’s helping the production guild with base restoration.”

Yoon and Junior clapped their hands.

“Ah, I saw her passing by. She’s the one who was building the walls with golems!”

“I’ve heard about her too. Thanks to the golems, we didn’t have to install heavy construction equipment, and our work efficiency has skyrocketed…….”

Why does everyone know me?

Candler’s hand, holding her glass, trembled slightly.

Since she quit being a mercenary, this city has already fought in over 10 defense battles, and she was just one of the mercenaries who passed through…….

Why do these people still remember her?

Evangeline, who had naturally approached Candler, put her arm around her shoulder and spoke in a soft voice.

“Alright, then, Candler unnie [older sister, a term of endearment]? You’re going to join the Fearsome Female Force, right?”

“F-Fearsome Female Force……? Join……?”

“It’s short for the Crossroads Female Heroes and Mercenaries Rights Committee. If you join, you get benefits like…….”

Evangeline was explaining at length the advantages of joining, such as the benefits of company dinners and drinking parties, when Candler stammered.

“But…… I’m no longer on the front lines…… I don’t know if I should be in a place like this…….”

“That doesn’t matter.”

The answer came from a young man who had just opened the pub door.

“We are all fighting together in our own places.”

It was Lucas, who had arrived unnoticed.

Lucas smiled gently and looked around at everyone.

“No matter where we fight, we all have the same desire to protect the world. So we are all comrades.”

Evangeline frowned as if she was dumbfounded.

“This guy is saying the same thing as when the senior is giving a speech…….”

“I’m on my way back from seeing the lord. So I guess these kinds of lines come out naturally.”

Lucas chuckled at Evangeline’s grumbling, grabbed a mug of beer from the bar for himself, and approached the table, raising his glass.

“According to the lord, the next battle is predicted to be quite difficult again…… but if we all work together, we can overcome it again.”

Since he often took on the role of acting lord in Ash’s absence, Lucas was very skilled at these kinds of lines. Lucas led the toast.

“Now, for everyone in this city who fights together!”

Everyone, regardless of gender, cheered and raised their glasses.

“Cheers!”

“Cheers~!”

Only Evangeline looked tearful.

“No, I was going to do the toast! Why are you doing it as you please!”

“You’ll get to do it as much as you want when you become the lord later. I’m just borrowing the opportunity.”

“Eeeeeeek!”

Everyone emptied their glasses, chatted boisterously, and began to talk about the day that had been difficult but also rewarding.

“…….”

Candler slowly lowered her head.

Her face, reflected in the glass, was rippling with the drink.

***

The drinking party was over.

Lucas, Evangeline, Damian, and Junior had left separately, saying they had things to discuss among the main party members.

Janice and Rosetta had left separately, looking serious…….

After everyone had scattered, Candler, who was the last one left in the pub, left with Nobody and Chain.

The three of them naturally walked to the west of the city without a word and headed towards the cemetery. And they stood in front of a familiar grave.

It was the grave of two comrades who had worked together during the ‘Blacklist’ days.

They had died when the Gorgon sisters attacked the city and were buried here. And the three survivors were still bound to this city.

“Here, you guys have a drink too!”

Pour, pour-

Nobody opened the bottle of alcohol he had brought and poured it on the grave. Soon, the empty bottle was placed in front of the tombstone.

After a long silence, Candler carefully opened her mouth.

“……I was scared.”

Nobody and Chain looked at Candler, saying, “Huh?” Candler looked at them cautiously.

“I thought you wouldn’t treat me the same way after I ran away from the battlefield…….”

“Hey, Candler. I don’t know why you’re thinking that.”

Nobody chuckled and patted Candler on the back.

“You’ve never run away.”

Chain, who was listening, agreed.

“Yeah, that’s right! You never cut your losses, let alone take profits, and you always gambled until you ran out of money!”

Even when they were fighting the Gorgon sisters.

Even while shouting at her for not running away, it was she, Candler, who ended up getting injured while protecting Lily and Seed until the end.

Nobody and Chain chuckled in front of Candler, who stood silently with her mouth shut.

“If you understand, don’t avoid us in the future! Next time, let’s play at the casino, like before!”

“You’ve worked hard all this time, so you must have saved up some money, right? Let’s spend it all!”

After a few more chats, Nobody and Chain left first.

Candler was the only one left in front of her old comrades’ graves.

“…….”

Candler, who had been standing still until the summer sun set and the surroundings became dark, slowly looked down at her legs.

Her legs, which had been limping and unable to walk properly since that day’s battle, making it impossible for her to work as a mercenary anymore.

“……No, I’m not as great as you guys…….”

The golemancer’s two hands clenched into fists.

“I…… I ran away…….”

***

At the same time. The Other Races Barracks.

Ash, who had visited the Fairy Queen to meet Burnout and Bodybag, was sweating.

Inside the dimly lit room, illuminated only by flickering candlelight. Four kings were sitting around a table, having a meeting.

The Fairy Queen, Skuld.

The Dwarf King, Kellyson.

The Merman King, Poseidon XIII.

And even Quillan, who had now become the undisputed Beast King.

The four kings of the other races were gathered, whispering among themselves, and seemed flustered when Ash suddenly barged in.

Ash, who was awkwardly frozen, asked cautiously.

“……What kind of meeting is this?”

“Heh heh, we’ve been caught.”

Skuld, touching the teardrop-shaped mole under her eye, covered her mouth and laughed.

“As you can see, this is a secret meeting of the four kings of the other races…….”

“…….”

“We call ourselves the ‘Outsiders’.”

Ash swallowed a groan as he looked at this gathering of loners.

‘Why does it feel like there are more and more secret organizations…… no, secret gatherings that I don’t know about?’

It would be nice if the heroes got along with each other on their own, but…….

‘Is the prince a little upset?!’

……Ash felt a little hurt that it seemed like they were playing without him.

“So, Prince Ash. What brings you here today?”

Ash came to his senses at Skuld’s question.

The original reason for his visit was to recruit Burnout and Bodybag, but since he had met these kings, there was something he wanted to tell them.

“I have something to tell you all.”

Taking a breath, Ash spoke.

“This defense battle. It won’t be easy.”