I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 644

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Hecate, with a large chunk of her side hair missing, smiled calmly.

“I’ll just go die for a bit. Then I’ll come back to life with my old hair, so I’ll see you then…”

“What are you saying so scary?!”

Junior desperately grabbed Hecate, who was swaying as she tried to go outside.

Hecate kept trying to escape, saying, ‘It’s okay because I know many ways to die without pain,’ while Junior held onto her pants, insisting, ‘I’ll fix it somehow, so don’t die!’

As the two women were struggling, Dusk Bringer sighed deeply and blocked Hecate’s path.

“First, Hecate. I must tell you why I came here.”

At that moment, Junior, who was practically on the floor holding onto Hecate’s pants, shouted with an utterly wronged expression.

“It’s all because the Archduke suddenly opened the door that things got this way! Apologize first!”

“Th-that’s not what I intended! Anyway, listen to why I came!”

Cough! Dusk Bringer cleared his throat and faced Hecate with a serious expression.

“Hecate. Your ‘curse’ is coming to an end.”

At those words, Hecate’s unfocused red eyes found their focus.

Hecate slowly faced Dusk Bringer, and Dusk Bringer nodded.

“Since coming to this front, you have already died twice.”

Once, caught in an accident at a construction site.

Once, while saving Ash during the Winged Huan raid.

Hecate died and was resurrected by the curse.

“I am the one who created the curse on your body. So, I know.”

Dusk Bringer raised a small hand and held up one index finger.

“One more time. If you touch death just one more time, the curse on you will disappear, and you will… end.”

One more death, the third death on this front.

Dusk Bringer calmly declared that Hecate would end at that point.

Junior, who was alternating between looking at Hecate and Dusk Bringer with wide eyes, stammered.

“W-what do you mean by ‘end’?”

“…You will be resurrected one last time. The problem is what comes after.”

Dusk Bringer crossed his arms and sighed.

“Usually, you will be ‘frozen.’ Your soul and body will be embalmed, unable to move or decay… alive, but simply stopped.”

“Hieeek.”

Junior, who had swallowed a scream, asked urgently.

“W-what if you’re lucky? Is there a better outcome?”

“This is the lucky outcome.”

“This is lucky?! There’s a worse outcome?”

“Yes. In the unlucky case…”

At the next words, Hecate’s fist clenched tightly.

“You become an evil spirit.”

“Huh? An evil spirit, you mean…?”

“You will lose your reason, your memories, and your pride… and try to massacre everything around you.”

Dusk Bringer declared calmly.

“In short, you become a monster.”

“… !”

“Therefore, the Glory Knights pass on their curse to their successors when they are close to being frozen… and prepare for their end.”

“End, you mean…”

“If frozen, they are placed in a joint tomb while still alive, and if they become a monster, their successor will personally cut off their head.”

A sneer formed on Dusk Bringer’s lips.

“It’s a curse that grants immortality while active. It’s only natural to pay this much of a price.”

“Th-that’s… How could such a thing… !”

“Don’t blame it too much, young mage. This child and I have already gone too far for that.”

Dusk Bringer clicked his tongue, looking at Hecate’s short-cut side hair.

“So, Hecate. Don’t throw away your last remaining life for something as trivial as a strand of hair.”

“…”

“Above all… it’s not like there isn’t a third path.”

Hecate and Junior both widened their eyes. The bitter smile on Dusk Bringer’s lips deepened.

“To you, the last generation of Glory Knights, for whom the succession of the curse is impossible… as the inventor of the curse, I have come to make a proposal.”

Dusk Bringer’s amber eyes flashed with a sinister darkness.

“If you don’t want to be buried alive or be beheaded as a monster… how about it? Will you listen to my proposal?”

***

Dusk Bringer left the room after finishing his ‘proposal.’

“Sorry about the side hair… ahem.”

Leaving only those words behind.

“…”

Chewing over the ‘proposal’ left by Dusk Bringer, Hecate slumped back into the chair in front of the mirror.

Junior, who had been awkwardly standing behind Hecate, took a deep breath and raised the hairdressing scissors again.

“Hecate-nim.”

“Yes?”

“Now that it’s come to this… about your hair. How about we try an adventure?”

Hecate looked at Junior in the mirror with a puzzled expression. Junior rambled.

“Anyway, that dense knight Lucas doesn’t care how much we dress up.”

“…That’s true.”

“Then, how about we go the opposite way… and go all out?!”

“All out?”

“Let’s be very bold and try something new that we haven’t done before!”

It was a story about hairstyles, but it was also a story about Hecate’s curse.

Since they were already at the edge of a cliff, wouldn’t it be better to boldly look for a different path…?

‘At least it’s better than being buried alive or having your neck cut off by your comrades.’

Junior then added without realizing it.

“The world is ending anyway!”

“…”

“T-the world might be destroyed soon? Of course, we’re working hard to prevent that, but anyway, it’s the end of the century! When else would we try such a bold adventure? Don’t you think?”

Hecate, who had been listening blankly, finally chuckled.

“…I guess so.”

“Huh?”

“Since the world is ending anyway, there’s no need to hesitate about things we haven’t done before.”

Hecate closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair.

“Let’s do it, an adventure.”

“… !”

“Please, Junior-nim. Make it so that… Lucas that guy can’t help but open his eyes wide, please make it a very bold style.”

Junior smiled brightly and readjusted the scissors.

“Leave it to me!”

Feeling the scissors touch her hair, Hecate asked cautiously.

“But, how are we going to be bold…”

Snip!

Swoosh…

The already heavily cut side hair was cut off again in a handful.

“…?”

Cold sweat trickled down Hecate’s chin.

“J-Junior-nim…? Just a moment…”

But Junior’s eyes, already visible in the mirror, had entered a state of concentration unique to mages.

Hecate looked down at her beige hair, which was being cut into small pieces, and screamed silently inside.

***

After finishing the conversation with Skaerian. Evening.

I took the heroes from the lord’s mansion to the restaurant district in the center of the city. It was because Evangeline was whining about wanting to eat out.

“The world is ending, so I’m going to eat everything I want! Let’s go out to eat!”

“No, what’s with the world ending being a cheat key, a cheat key. Do I have to listen to everything you say if you use that as an excuse?”

Of course, I’m listening to everything. Damn it.

Sitting down at a suitable (chosen by Evangeline) cafeteria, Evangeline giggled and picked up the menu.

“This place is delicious! They arrange New Terra food in a southern style, and there’s no dish that isn’t delicious, you know?”

I guess it’s like they make Seoul cuisine in a southern style (=spicy).

“Is there any dish that isn’t delicious in your mouth?”

Ignoring my sarcasm, Evangeline called the waiter and started ordering. The young waiter nodded diligently as he wrote down Evangeline’s endless orders.

“So, how was it, my lord?”

Lucas, who had been watching Evangeline’s meat, meat, meat order with satisfaction, suddenly asked me. I, who had forced a salad into the end of the order, faced Lucas.

“You’re talking about the conversation with Skaerian, right?”

“Yes. I was wondering if you got enough of the answers you wanted.”

“Yeah… it was enough.”

Skaerian answered my questions faithfully.

The strengths, weaknesses, and hidden elements of the Ipian.

The personalities of each of the three heads, the rare locations of the Ipian, and points to be especially careful about, etc…

‘It matches the information from the game. No, it was even more detailed.’

Thanks to that, I was able to establish a tactic to deal with the Ipian. Skaerian was definitely cooperating with us.

But… I still couldn’t trust Skaerian.

Of course, it’s foolish to trust a surrendered enemy general right away. But, more than that, I felt a hint of eeriness from him.

‘What could it be?’

Of course, it’s enough to use each other as needed. If he’s helpful in the Ipian raid and the Night Bringer raid, I’ll suck him dry.

But what is his true intention?

Why is he really… cooperating with us?

“Humans are beings who strive to understand each other.”

Lucas suddenly said, and I quickly looked at him.

“That is the definition of a human that you, my lord, have given on this front.”

“…”

“Will you apply that rule to monsters as well?”

If Skaerian truly tries to become one of us, will we see him as a person we should protect, not a monster we should kill?

That was Lucas’s question.

“How much darkness… do you intend to embrace, my lord?”

“…”

I couldn’t answer easily. Lucas was about to ask something more with a serious face.

“Oh, everyone’s here!”

Junior’s voice came from the street. I said, ‘Oh,’ and looked that way.

“The great mage of water, wind, and lightning has arrived. Good. Let’s eat together…”

I stopped talking.

It was because Hecate, who was awkwardly approaching behind Junior, looked completely different from before.

“H-Hecate, your hair is a bit… different?”

When she first came to the front, she had long, lush beige hair.

It was burned in the battle with the Winged Huan, and then it turned into a bob that came down to her neck.

Now, it was a refreshing short cut that revealed her ears, as if drawn in a picture.

“I-is it strange…?”

Hecate, as if awkward with her unusually short hair, didn’t know what to do, and I gave her a thumbs up.

“No, no! It suits you perfectly!”

Since it was partly my fault that Hecate’s hair was burned, I gave her an exaggerated thumbs up. It was actually very cool too…

Then, Junior, who had puffed up her nose, said, ‘I cut it for her-‘ and raised her nose.

“It’s not easy for a woman to look good with a short cut!”

“That’s right, it’s not easy.”

“It was one of my dreams, but since it’s obvious that it wouldn’t suit me, I wanted to see someone who would look good with it… and Hecate-nim happened to be here. Hehe, I took this opportunity to fulfill some of my personal desires!”

“Good job, good job.”

But the important thing is not my or Junior’s opinion, but Hecate’s and Hecate’s interest- Lucas’s opinion.

And surprisingly,

“No, Hecate!”

Lucas was incredibly delighted.

“You’ve become so cool!”

“Huh? O-oh, um…”

Hecate, surprised, blushed.

Lucas, who ran to Hecate and examined her hair, nodded with satisfaction.

“As expected, a knight’s hairstyle should be functional.”

“…?”

“You look great now, but how about cutting it even shorter next time? If you want, I’ll cut it with a razor myself.”

“…”

We, who were listening, swallowed hard.

Could it be…

Is this knight saying that Hecate’s hair is shorter than before, and that’s why she’s cool…?

“You’re so cool, Hecate! You’re the coolest I’ve ever seen!”

=The shortest hair I’ve ever seen?

Hecate, with a smiling face, began to tremble her shoulders, clenched her fist tightly. And she spat out.

“Even if the world ends…”

“Huh?”

“Even if the world ends, your cluelessness will remain the same, you jerk!”

Hecate grabbed Lucas by the collar and started a brawl, and the heroes sitting around rushed to stop them. The inside of the cafeteria instantly became a mess.

Junior, who was looking at that side with a gaunt face, muttered softly.

“…Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no.”

I picked up a drink that the waiter had just brought out, handed it to Junior, and muttered while putting my glass to my lips.

“It’s because the world is ending, just…”

Still.

I wanted to see this peaceful scene for even one more day.

Thinking inwardly, I chuckled.

***

A few days later.

The production of equipment made from the Winged Huan’s magic core was completed.

At the same time, preparations for the Ipian raid were also completed.