I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 755

《Huh?》

Cromwell made a dazed sound.

Clearly, just a moment ago, she had been fighting.

For the sake of her sole remaining goal—conquering the human realm—she had been in a life-or-death battle against enemies she could no longer even identify.

But when she came to her senses, she was inside a familiar ship.

The dimensional transport ship that had set sail from her home.

This ship, which carried the demon legion to other dimensions far away, was like Cromwell’s beloved old home from her childhood, her true home.

Cromwell’s appearance had also returned to that of a young girl.

The abnormally grown horns and the flesh covered in blood and mucus were gone.

Cromwell blinked, examining her small, intact body.

《What is this…?》

Then, she heard footsteps.

Startled, Cromwell turned to see a familiar figure slowly approaching.

Without realizing it, Cromwell smiled brightly and called out to the person.

《Dad! Ah, no… Elder.》

《Your Excellency. You were here.》

The one who approached was the Elder.

He smiled as he approached, his face looking somehow sadder than usual, and slowly knelt before Cromwell.

《I was worried because you weren’t in the training grounds.》

《Ah, sorry. I’ll go back right away!》

The Elder carefully asked the flustered Cromwell.

《Do you not wish to train today?》

《Huh?》

Cromwell blinked her eyes wide and quickly shook her head.

《No, I like training!》

《…….》

《I also enjoy the military strategy and politics that Elder teaches, and I like combat skills and magic too.》

《Your Excellency.》

《Elder always said it, didn’t he? That I mustn’t lose. That I am the hope of our legion. So…》

《Your Excellency.》

The Elder interrupted Cromwell and smiled gently.

《You may rest comfortably today.》

《Huh?》

《You don’t have to study or train. Today, you may do whatever you truly wish to do.》

《…….》

《If you could play freely for one day, what would you want to do?》

Such a thing had never happened in her life. Not once had such a day existed.

So, Cromwell, who had been frozen for a moment with wide eyes, soon blushed and smiled brightly, grabbing the Elder’s hand.

《T-then, I…! Then I want to play with Dad, no, with Elder…!》

The Elder gently stroked Cromwell’s head as she hastily corrected her address.

《You may call me Dad today.》

《Huh? R-really? But I’ve never…》

《It’s alright today. Just for today, you may be as spoiled as you like.》

The Elder rose and took Cromwell’s small hand, leading her forward.

《Now, what shall we play today, Your Excellency?》

Cromwell couldn’t believe whether this was a dream or reality, and with tears welling up in her eyes, she followed her dad.

The two spent a happy day inside the empty ship.

They cooked together in the kitchen, read fairy tales while lying down, played hide-and-seek, and sang songs while touring the ship…

Just like a normal father and daughter spending a weekend day.

Cromwell tasted the happiness of everyday life that she had never experienced in her entire life.

《Huuuahm…》

The happy day quickly came to an end.

The Elder picked up Cromwell, who was starting to doze off, and headed to the bed.

He placed her head on the pillow, pulled the blanket up to her neck, and then sat beside the bed, stroking Cromwell’s hair.

《Did you enjoy today, Your Excellency?》

《Yeah… so much. It was the most fun in the world…》

Cromwell smiled faintly with a sleepy face.

《Actually, you know, I… I didn’t want to study things like military strategy or politics.》

《…….》

《I was always envious of the other kids who sang and ran around. I wanted to eat sweets like the other kids instead of growth stimulants, and I wanted to read fairy tales with Dad instead of training with a sword until my muscles burst.》

《…….》

《I hated training, fighting, eating, growing, everything.》

Cromwell’s voice, which had been whining and confessing her true feelings, gradually faded.

《But I’m the legion commander… I have to take responsibility for our legion. Failure is not allowed…》

《…….》

《I have to be perfect, so…》

《It’s alright.》

Cromwell’s closed eyes opened halfway.

The Elder smiled gently and stroked Cromwell’s cheek.

《Because you’ve worked so hard.》

《…….》

《It’s okay to fail. It’s okay to lose. Because you did your best. So, please…》

Don’t suffer, and be able to accept what follows after failure…

The Elder gently kissed Cromwell’s forehead and whispered in her ear.

《Sleep well tonight, my daughter.》

Cromwell smiled faintly and replied in a fading voice.

《Good night, Dad…》

***

“……”

Cromwell was collapsed.

Violet and Diarmuid had their hands on the forehead of the monster legion commander. Violet was mediating the daydream, and Diarmuid was directly infiltrating his consciousness into it.

While Violet and Diarmuid were suppressing Cromwell with the daydream, I had neutralized Cromwell.

I separated and destroyed all the countless horns that had sprouted on Cromwell’s head—no, the magical parasites that had looked like horns.

These parasites were the source of the zombification, and they were the ones that had stolen the magic and abilities of each legion’s monsters and supplied them to Cromwell.

I used my ‘will’ to extract and destroy these parasites one by one, as if performing delicate surgery.

Originally, I wouldn’t have been able to even guess the principle behind the chaotic magic formulas, but with the knowledge and experience of the real Ash, I was able to do it without much difficulty.

Saaaah…

Each time a horn was separated and turned to dust, the magic power of other monsters that Cromwell had absorbed, which had been boiling, also scattered and disappeared in vain.

Kyaaaaaaa!

Ah, ah, ah-!

Also, every time I destroyed a parasite, the flesh monsters in the distance screamed in agony and collapsed. It seemed there was some kind of magical connection.

And so, when I had separated most of the horns, most of the parasites.

“East wall, monster suppression complete!”

“The north also just reported completion!”

“The west is also almost finished! We will now enter the castle and subdue the remaining monsters!”

The tide of the battle had turned in an instant, and victory was already within reach.

It was then.

“Hoo…”

Diarmuid let out a long sigh and opened his eyes. At the same time, Violet, who was covered in sweat, gasped for breath.

And Cromwell, who had been suppressed by the two’s daydream…

《…….》

With a faint smile on her lips, she was still asleep in her dream.

I lightly patted Violet’s back, telling her she had done a good job, and asked Diarmuid.

“…What kind of dream did you show Cromwell?”

The reason I asked this question was simple.

Cromwell’s face was too peaceful.

It was not an expression that a monster, especially one who had been zombified and rampaging like a demon, could make. It was so docile that it was a little disconcerting.

Then, Diarmuid muttered bitterly.

“The dream this child most wanted to see. And… the same dream that the Elder, who was this child’s father, wanted to see.”

***

In the abandoned cathedral, Diarmuid said he had stayed with the Elder and heard stories.

“The Elder regarded that Cromwell as his own daughter. And Cromwell also regarded the Elder as her father.”

But that was never expressed between them.

Cromwell had been a legion commander since birth, and the Elder was merely her training instructor.

“After time passed, and after Cromwell died at the hands of the Night Bringer, the Elder regretted it too late.”

“Regretted?”

“He regretted training his daughter to function only for the legion. And he regretted not being able to do more than that himself.”

“……”

“He should have treated her more warmly, not just functionally. He should have let her live more ‘humanely’… such belated regrets.”

We quietly looked down at the dying enemy commander in her peaceful dream.

With all the parasites removed and the zombification lifted, Cromwell died quietly.

Diarmuid exhaled softly.

“I understood that regret.”

“Understood… you say.”

“I have raised many disciples like my own children. I have seen so many young people leave before me, an old man.”

Diarmuid turned his piercing eyes towards me.

“Of course, Prince Ash, I do not regret pushing my disciples into the jaws of death.”

“……”

“The history of humanity, the history of magic, is built with blood and lives. My disciples who went before me fulfilled their roles valiantly. I may grieve, but I do not regret it.”

Diarmuid repeated.

“I have never had the same regrets as the Elder. However, I understood his heart.”

“Heart, you say.”

“Yes. So… I wanted to give this child a peaceful end. I wanted to fulfill the happiness that the father and daughter could not reach, even if it was just a daydream.”

Not because this was the only way to attack, but because he wanted to fulfill the last wish of an opponent he had sympathized with and understood, even though she was an enemy, a monster.

That was why Diarmuid had proposed this plan.

“……”

In fact, I had another way to attack. Perhaps a safer and more certain method. I have various powers and abilities now.

But the reason I followed Diarmuid’s proposal was…

Because this ‘heart’ that Diarmuid possessed was necessary for my future attacks.

“What I thought about while staying with them in the abandoned cathedral… was about the difference between humans and monsters.”

Diarmuid muttered dryly.

“You said it before, didn’t you, Prince Ash? That what distinguishes humans from monsters is the heart. That if we can hold hands and look in the same direction, we will treat each other as the same people, regardless of race.”

In fact, the World Protection Front is originally a coalition of people who were divided into various races and countries and fought against each other.

We are now standing shoulder to shoulder with enemies from a thousand years ago, a hundred years ago, and ten years ago.

“I thought that the demon species in the abandoned cathedral could also become like that.”

In the abandoned cathedral in District 10 of the Lake Kingdom, we were trying to build an advance base fortress.

The demon species survivors needed to survive the zombies, and we needed bait to draw the zombies’ attention and reduce their numbers.

Our interests aligned, and the abandoned cathedral was able to function as an advance base for a short time.

For a short time, we were allies.

“It’s an absurd idea, that monsters and allies can become one… but perhaps it’s no different from the history we’ve experienced so far. That’s what I was thinking.”

Diarmuid clicked his tongue bitterly.

“I thought they could become the same as us. Because they also had human nature.”

“Human nature…”

“Yes. Even those who treated the elderly carelessly and tried to burn this world had hearts. Even if their cultures are different and they point weapons at each other, I thought there was a common ground and a place where their hearts could connect. Just like the people of this world have done with each other.”

After thinking about the days in the abandoned cathedral for a moment, Diarmuid shook his head.

“But I know, Prince Ash. This is the result.”

“……”

“Everyone in the abandoned cathedral died, and this demon, who devoured all of his own kind, became a zombie and invaded our human realm. Perhaps it is absurd to give such a peaceful end to this monster who caused so much damage to the human realm.”

Diarmuid’s voice trembled.

“But, I… even though it was a faint flame that disappeared before my eyes, I clearly saw the possibility. The moment when yesterday’s enemy could have become today’s compatriot…”

“……”

“Haha. For the great Diarmuid to be making such weak-hearted noises. Perhaps human nature is our greatest weakness.”

“And perhaps our greatest strength.”

The human heart was what had put this front line in so many crises.

And it was also the human heart that had brought us this far.

‘And that human nature…’

The human heart that can understand and sympathize even with the enemy.

Because it is necessary for the path I am going to take.

Diarmuid, who had let out a bitter sigh, reached out his hand.

“Sleep well.”

Diarmuid whispered as he closed the faintly opened eyes of the monster who was taking his last breath.

“Sleep well…”