I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 645

Crossroad downtown. A smithy.

“Heh, heh heh heh……”

Dearmurdin chuckled ominously.

He was wearing the [The Old Phoenix], equipment made from the Winged Huan’s magic core that had just been completed today.

It was a robe densely covered with dark, grayish-black feathers. When Dearmurdin, wearing this robe, stood proudly while stroking his long beard, he looked quite impressive.

‘He looks like some kind of leader of a heretical sect or demonic cult from a martial arts novel….’

He doesn’t look like a righteous hero; he definitely gives off that vibe. Is it because of the color of the robe?

The old mage seemed to be quite pleased with his new equipment, as he kept spinning around in place, checking himself in the mirror.

“Actually, I haven’t said anything until now.”

“Yes.”

“Whenever other young people received their fancy equipment, I was always wondering when my turn would come.”

So you were expecting it, I had no idea….

“I didn’t show it, but I was thinking, ‘Why are they taking so long to give me something?’ I was thinking that.”

“……”

“And just when my disappointment was about to reach its breaking point, you took care of me just in the nick of time. Heh heh, Prince Ash, you’re quite perceptive.”

No, I’m not… I just found out you were thinking that now….

Of course, I didn’t show it and just smiled brightly.

“It was a bit late because we didn’t have the right equipment for you, Dearmurdin. How is it? Do you like it?”

“I do. I like it very much. The equipment made in our Ivory Tower’s workshop is already quite powerful, but this is on a different level.”

Dearmurdin then snapped his fingers.

“This function is also amazing.”

With a snap-.

Flap!

Large wings suddenly spread out from both sides of the robe. The people around gasped in admiration (and horror) and ducked to avoid the spreading wings.

“It’s like giving wings to a tiger!”

Dearmurdin called himself a tiger, but no one thought it was arrogant. This old man actually deserved it….

“With these wings, I can cast flight magic on all allies in the area. We’ll be able to avoid those terrible dragon attacks more easily.”

Dearmurdin, who had flapped his wings as a demonstration, grinned at me.

“And it even enhances wind attribute sensitivity. With this….”

“Does that mean you can use wind magic now?”

“No, that’s not my style. I can use this wind to create even more powerful flames.”

He was a blatant pyromaniac, not just subtly… This old man only thinks about enhancing his fire magic.

Anyway, besides these special functions, this robe is equipped with excellent performance as it uses a dragon heart.

What I’m particularly focused on is the magic amplification function built into the robe itself.

It has the same performance as the artifact magic amplifiers that are being used effectively on the front lines. It boosts the power of magic a limited number of times.

It’s truly like giving wings to Dearmurdin, who is already an incredible damage dealer, a nuker [a character specializing in high damage output].

“I don’t think there’s any better equipment for a mage. I’ll use it well, Prince Ash.”

Dearmurdin muttered, looking at the flame he had created in his hand.

“Now I can avenge those children even better….”

“……As you’ve seen with the equipment given to other heroes.”

I felt the need to nag.

“That equipment also contains the malice of the monsters, a kind of Nightmare Slayer. Please be careful when using it, Dearmurdin.”

“Don’t worry too much. To be in this position at my age, I have no choice but to befriend the darkness.”

Dearmurdin smiled grimly.

“No mediocre darkness can bring me down.”

“……”

I nodded silently.

Dearmurdin is the strongest offensive mage on this front, the master of the Ivory Tower, and as he said, a veteran who has been through thick and thin. Of course, I should trust him.

In addition, many other pieces of equipment were completed and poured out simultaneously. Among them were several custom-made items for me.

“Here, this is that problematic cloak you ordered!”

Kellybay shouted, waving a red cloak like a matador.

“You have no idea how much we struggled to cram defensive capabilities into this thin cloak… We’ve been melting down for weeks now, keeping the magic fires burning, and we still had to add more firewood!”

At those words, I looked around and saw the production team, covered in sweat and soot, sprawled all over the smithy.

Indeed, the production team was really dying.

Carpenters and stonemasons were mainly involved in assembling the walls, while blacksmiths and alchemists were in charge of equipment production.

However, since magical construction techniques and joining work were needed for the wall assembly, blacksmiths and alchemists were also involved in that. Similarly, for equipment production, stonemasons and carpenters were repairing existing furnaces, building new ones, and selecting stones that could withstand the magic fire and firewood that could be burned….

Due to the shortage of manpower, even the four major races with some aptitude in this area were all mobilized to help.

They were all in a near-death state, but they were working silently. Thanks to them, both the wall repairs and equipment production were proceeding on schedule.

“……I’m sorry for making you all suffer.”

Kellybay, who had handed me the cloak, growled.

“Hey, we’re still more comfortable working here than you guys risking your lives on the front lines, okay?”

“……”

“Don’t be sorry. Everyone on this front is fighting with the same resolve to die. The reason I complained to you is just!”

Kellybay pretended to drink from a beer mug.

“It’s just to ask for some cool drinks. Got it?”

“Haha, I understand. I’ll get you the best stuff.”

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, here’s your cloak.”

Kellybay scratched his head, gesturing to the cloak in my arms.

“You probably won’t die if you get hit by a breath attack… probably.”

“I was just saying it, but you actually did it?”

“That doesn’t mean you should go and get hit on purpose. You might not die, but you could get seriously injured.”

“I understand. I’ll think of it as an emergency measure.”

After that, I also received armor. This time, it was custom-made for me and fit my body perfectly. I was even told not to give it to anyone else this time.

The heroes under my command all rushed in and forced me to wear it. I messed up, so just let me put it on myself….

“We made it especially lighter, considering your poor stamina.”

“Thank you very much…….”

Now everyone in this city knows that I have poor stamina… I grumbled and finished putting on the armor.

The thin leather armor was comfortable. It wasn’t comfortable enough to sleep in, but it didn’t seem like it would be uncomfortable to run and roll around in.

When I was fully dressed in armor and a cloak, all the heroes around me sighed in relief. Was I really that unstable all this time?

“……”

Other heroes besides me were also receiving and wearing new equipment.

The heroes, fully dressed in armor, robes, and cloaks, were all generally dressed in black. It was inevitable since the equipment was made using byproducts of the Black Dragon Legion.

It felt like everyone had taken a step closer to the darkness… and it didn’t make me feel good.

“The Ipian raid will depart tomorrow morning.”

I announced once more, looking around at the heroes led by Dearmurdin.

“Get plenty of rest, everyone.”

The heroes also nodded with serious expressions.

The Black Dragon Legion raid, which seemed so large, was now coming to an end.

The battle with Ipian is tomorrow.

***

After encouraging each of the heroes who would be departing tomorrow.

In the early evening, I returned to the mansion and headed to the garden.

《That constellation is the Lighthouse, can you see it? It stands tall at the entrance of the long Milky Way, illuminating the other constellations. That’s why it’s called the Lighthouse.》

In the garden, Skelian’s constellation lecture was underway.

Not only Violet and Parekian, but also other Gamble Club heroes and even the mansion’s servants were listening to this dragon’s lecture, who was more knowledgeable about human knowledge than humans themselves, while looking at the sky.

Parekian, in particular, had completely forgotten about his initial wariness of his brother, and was stretching his eyeless head out, gazing at the night sky as if he were mesmerized.

Violet had one hand on Parekian’s head, showing him the night sky with illusions… and with her other hand, she was munching on snacks. She seems to have become much more comfortable.

《And that’s the Claw constellation. It’s also called the Plow constellation. It looks like a claw, but it also looks like the end of a farming tool, right? So in the distant past, it was a constellation that hunters and farmers prayed to for their prosperity.》

《……!》

Parekian stretched his neck even further when he heard a name similar to his own. He was almost standing up.

“Whoa, Claw! I’m gonna fall, I’m gonna fall!”

Violet screamed, unable to maintain her posture, and Parekian, startled, slowly lowered his posture again and gently wrapped around Violet.

“Good boy. Good boy.”

Violet roughly wiped her greasy hand on Parekian’s head, as she was eating snacks. Parekian, whether he knew it or not, entrusted himself to the touch like a well-trained animal.

《To give order to the scattered stars, to engrave names and symbols, and to give them stories. Human creativity is truly amazing, isn’t it?》

Meanwhile, Skelian, engrossed in his own story, was finishing his story regardless of the surrounding situation.

《Without even knowing the true nature of the darkness beyond those stars…….》

“Ahem!”

The constellation story is interesting, but that’s not what’s important right now.

When I approached, clearing my throat, the people in the garden turned to look at me.

“Your Highness!”

“You’re here, Your Highness!”

“Yes, I’m here. Okay, everyone, we’re departing tomorrow, so let’s all start to disperse for today.”

At my command, everyone made sounds like ‘Yes~’ and began to scatter one by one.

“Skellian.”

I approached the dragon, who looked disappointed that his lecture had been interrupted, and asked directly.

“You really have no intention of helping in tomorrow’s battle?”

《I told you, Ash.》

Skellian scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

《I want to watch from the sidelines to see what kind of tricks you humans use and what kind of heroic battles you fight. If I join, the balance will be immediately broken.》

“……”

《I’m looking forward to it? How you guys will defeat our eldest brother.》

I wasn’t without the thought of using the ‘Absolute Command Authority’ to force him to participate.

However, if I had to drag this guy into battle, it would be during the Night Bringer raid, not the Ipian raid.

“What about Ipian? Is there no room for persuasion?”

If we could avoid the battle, that would be the best.

I looked around at the two captured dragons in my garden and asked.

“I heard last time that if the world is destroyed, you guys will die too? Ipian wouldn’t want to die either, would he?”

That was the story I heard when I captured Skellian. The story that if the world is destroyed, these guys will die too.

I thought that they would just live happily among themselves after the destruction… but the world after the destruction that Night Bringer is drawing seems to be a bit different.

《We are avatars and appendages created by our father by taking a part of his body. We are nothing more than tools to achieve our father’s great work.》

Skellian said calmly.

《It’s natural for tools to be discarded when they’ve been used. After the world is destroyed, we were destined to be discarded from the beginning.》

“……”

《From the beginning, the destruction that our father is drawing—the work of returning this world to nothingness—includes even our father’s own death.》

After turning the whole world into ashes, he intends to erase even his own life in the end.

Night Bringer, why does he want to end this world so much?

– You are a mortal. That life will eventually decline, and the will you hold will erode and perish.

Suddenly, the majestic voice of the guy who came to me at the end of the Lord of the Flies battle came to my mind.

– The end is inevitable. Then, what kind of end do you want to face?

– Tell me, the final grandmaster. While fighting to prevent the destruction of the world, what kind of death do you desire?

I want to ask.

Night Bringer, you…….

What kind of death do you desire?