I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 79

A little while later.

The special forces members sat in a neat circle on the floor of the room.

With precise, stiff movements, they ate their late-night snack in an orderly fashion.

With sharp motions, they speared food with their forks, then opened their small mouths rigidly like robots, popped the food in, and chewed exactly ten times before swallowing.

All five of them repeated the same actions simultaneously, as if performing synchronized swimming.

“…….”

Watching this, I felt like I was going to get indigestion even though I hadn’t touched my late-night snack.

“Um, well, you know, that…….”

I couldn’t help but speak.

“Don’t be so uncomfortable, just eat comfortably…….”

“What do you mean, Your Highness?”

Godhand, still kneeling, lowered his fork with a right-angled motion and smiled mechanically.

“We are perfectly comfortable right now.”

“No, I’m not comfortable, I! I’m uncomfortable because you’re all so stiff!”

At least move in a curved line! Watching you eat at right angles is making my joints ache!

***

The late-night snack time was more or less over.

The five special forces members, having wiped their mouths clean, sat upright in front of me.

“We five will keep the boundless grace Your Highness has bestowed upon us deep in our hearts.”

Godhand bowed, and the other four followed suit. I rubbed my aching forehead.

“No, what boundless grace? It’s just a late-night snack.”

“Your Highness, you have shown mercy to us who were starving, so how can it not be boundless grace?”

“Never mind, never mind…….”

I had originally planned to loosen their minds by feeding them something and then ask them various questions… a sort of indirect interrogation.

But seeing their defensive attitude, it seemed impossible to get honest answers.

Well, they wouldn’t open up so easily.

So, instead of asking what I originally intended, I decided to start with a side question.

“When did you five become a team?”

They seemed quite close, so I asked about their relationships to ease the atmosphere.

However.

“Our Team 8 was formed only a year and a half ago. But as special forces candidates, we were managed together, so we’ve known each other since we were young.”

The answer was rather heavy.

I asked hesitantly.

“Special forces candidates? Managed?”

“Having lost our country and our land, the only resource left for us elves is ourselves. We are ‘selling’ our human resources in various ways.”

“…….”

“Children with combat aptitude are trained as reserve special forces members from a young age. They are also deployed in minor real battles. Then, according to the plans established by the higher-ups, those with suitable skills are combined to form a team.”

Godhand lowered his eyes and answered slowly.

“We train as a team for this one mission, and after being deployed…….”

“……Regardless of success or failure, you are discarded?”

“That is correct.”

I pursed my lips.

From the perspective of ‘humans’ and the ‘Empire,’ this method is extremely efficient.

No matter how dangerous the mission, they don’t use precious human lives.

And the risk is low. If they succeed, great, if they fail, they can just deny it.

Since it’s something the elves, once the main enemy of humans, did, there are many ways to deny it.

Politically and practically, there is almost no risk, and it’s easy to gain benefits. How efficient is that?

But.

But…….

How cruel.

This idea of using the lives of other races as bullets without hesitation. How…….

“Who is the commander-in-chief of the Aegis Special Forces?”

I asked carefully.

“Who is it?”

I wanted to know who was responsible for this cruel decision.

Godhand hesitated for a moment, but then bowed his head.

“Why would I hesitate to tell Your Highness now? You probably already know everything. You’re just asking for confirmation.”

No, I’m really asking because I don’t know…….

“The commander-in-chief of the Aegis Special Forces has been the head of the Imperial Household Affairs Department for generations. Currently, it is-”

A fleeting fear crossed Godhand’s eyes as he spoke the name.

“Second Prince, Your Highness Fernandez.”

“…….”

Fernandez ‘Emberkeeper’ Everblack.

My brother, who sent these people to me.

When Fernandez’s name was mentioned, the other special forces members also showed signs of agitation.

I didn’t miss it.

These special forces members, who don’t fear for their own lives, are afraid of him.

‘What kind of person is he……?’

Anyway, the atmosphere was too heavy, so I changed the subject.

“How’s the room? Does it seem livable?”

The special forces members’ faces brightened.

Some of them fidgeted with their hands, glancing at the cushions and pillows rolling around behind them.

They looked like they were dying to touch them.

“Your Highness. We were locked in a prison for death row inmates for the past few months, and for the past few days, we were locked in a transport carriage and dragged here.”

Godhand smiled gently.

“This room is like paradise. To be more honest, we don’t want to take even one step out of it.”

“No, that’s not good…….”

Please don’t become a shut-in…… I also only used to play computer games at home when I was a streamer…….

“How’s the food? I tried to pay attention to it.”

Elves aren’t unable to eat meat, but since they mainly eat vegetables.

I asked the chef to prepare a vegetarian-focused menu.

The late-night snack I brought was also made from the leftovers of that.

“After eating only prison food, this feast is the best. Especially since the other members are still at an age where they need to eat and grow.”

The members except for Godhand nodded in unison. Yes, yes!

That’s a relief. I should tell them to keep making it like this.

“However, thank you very much for your consideration, Your Highness.”

Godhand spoke carefully in a serious tone.

“We will stay, eat, and follow as you command.”

“…….”

“Please treat us more comfortably, like objects.”

No. That’s what’s uncomfortable…….

If I were a real prince, that might be possible.

But I’m just an ordinary citizen from 21st-century Korea. How can I treat people like objects?

After that, we talked a little about their future life. Things like clothing and their range of movement.

After finishing the conversation about their immediate living situation, I left the room.

“Let’s keep talking and adjusting as we go.”

“Thank you again, Your Highness. Have a good night.”

Godhand and the others, Bodybag, Skull, and Burnout, all bowed respectfully, but Old Girl just smiled and waved her hand again.

I unconsciously waved back, then suddenly came to my senses. What was that?!

Thump!

As soon as I closed the door, a loud cheer erupted from inside.

“Is the Third Prince a good person? Is he a good person?”

“He seems like a good person?!”

“He saved us in the first place! Even if he has ulterior motives, this is still commendable~”

“He gave us a late-night snack!”

“Late-night snack!”

“I hope he gives us another late-night snack!”

……I should move them to a room with better soundproofing.

Leaving the noisy children’s room behind, I walked down the hallway. My mind was still racing.

In the end, I couldn’t ask the question I was most curious about.

Even if I had asked, I don’t know if they would have given me a definite answer.

‘Did they really pull the trigger of war?’

The war between the Everblack Empire and the Bringer Principality was a major event in the game.

Because many large-scale events occur starting with the fall of the Bringer Principality.

War refugees from the Principality begin to pour into Crossroads, and new, high-quality mercenaries are also incorporated into Crossroads.

‘A large number of hostile NPC [Non-Player Character] groups are also created.’

The defeated soldiers and knights who poured out of the Bringer Principality.

If they are successfully absorbed, they will become a strong force on this monster front.

‘If things go wrong, you might have to fight humans instead of monsters in the defense battles.’

If they go crazy, we might have to fight a war against a human army.

In the game, they could be absorbed without any problems.

Even though the monster front was part of the Empire, it wasn’t greatly involved in the war with the Bringer Principality.

But now, I’ve accepted Aegis Special Forces Team 8, who could be said to be the spark of that war, into my party.

How this will affect things in the future… no one knows.

As I was pondering these things, I turned a corner in the hallway, and

“Ah.”

Lukas was hiding and looking this way.

“…….”

“…….”

A moment of awkward silence passed between Lukas and me.

I was momentarily stunned, wondering if I should ask why Lukas was hiding here, or if he wasn’t uncomfortable hiding in such a crouched position with his large frame.

Anyway, I couldn’t just stand there, so I asked.

“What are you doing, Lukas?”

“Since Your Highness went in alone, I was preparing to intervene immediately if anything happened.”

Lukas cleared his throat and looked away.

“After all, they are death row inmates with suspicion of treason. I thought surveillance was necessary.”

“I have their ‘leashes,’ so I don’t think there will be any major problems…….”

But there is always a chance of something happening.

‘I should have them watched, even for Lukas’s sake.’

I raised my voice towards the inside of the mansion.

“Aider! Come here quickly!”

After waiting a moment, Aider came rolling towards us with a clatter. He must have come down from the second floor.

“Yes, yes! Lord! What can I help you with?!”

I gestured towards the room where Special Forces Team 8 was.

“Keep watch in case something happens, and report immediately if anything happens.”

“Yes?! Me?!”

“Then you, the only one with spare time, should do it. Should we, who are busy with defense battles and free exploration, do it?”

Of course, I didn’t mean for him to stand guard with his weak body. I meant for him to use something from the system. There are many such means, right?

“No, Lord, you know… they’re not the type to betray us…….”

“Yeah~ I can’t hear you~ You should suffer a little~”

I left Aider, who was looking tearful and muttering something, and left the place with Lukas. That should do it.

***

The next day.

[STAGE 4]

– Until start : 5 days

The start of the next stage was fast approaching.

I had to accelerate the preparations for the defense battle.

So, to the blacksmith.

“Here are the results of the equipment disassembly you requested.”

The blacksmith guild leader politely handed me a box. I swallowed hard and took it. Please!

Even though they were broken, I had disassembled four SSR-grade equipment. There was a good chance of getting an SSR-grade magic core!

‘Please! Please come out, please!’

I even prayed as I checked the contents of the box. Did it come out?!

Roll.

Inside the box, a golden magic core was rolling around.

“It came out-!”

I picked up the SSR-grade magic core and screamed with joy.

[Standard Special Magic Core (SSR)]

It might seem like a loss to get only one out of four, but it’s a win to get anything at all!

‘With this, I can make ‘that equipment’!’

I had a plan for how to use the magic core. I chuckled and put the SSR-grade magic core into my inventory. I’ll use it well.

“And, the three magic rifles you ordered are also complete.”

The blacksmith guild leader handed me equipment wrapped in cloth as I was dancing with the magic core.

Three magic rifles made with three Ratman Champion magic cores.

It seems they are finally complete.