I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game [EN]: Chapter 91

“Tell me. Don’t hide it. Why did you save me?”

“…….”

Godhand, who had been silent for a long time under Lily’s questioning, let out a low sigh.

“Can I be honest?”

“Of course. I won’t forgive you if you’re not honest.”

“…….”

After hesitating for a long time, Godhand opened his mouth.

“It’s not a big reason. It’s just that the moment the Gargoyle Chieftain rushed at you, I thought of my mother.”

It was an unexpected answer. Lily frowned.

“Your mother?”

“My mother also… couldn’t use her legs like you.”

Lily’s body twitched.

“Her tendons were severed when she was caught by slave hunters. She spent her whole life sitting down.”

Godhand’s eyes scanned the empty air.

“Even though she couldn’t stand, when the human owner tried to beat me, she would hug me and take the blows herself.”

“…….”

“For some reason, it suddenly came to mind. I saw my mother in you, standing in front of the Gargoyle Chieftain.”

Lily, who had been slightly opening her mouth, pointed at her legs with annoyance.

“So, because of these legs, you overlapped me with your mother. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Are you upset?”

“I’m not happy.”

“But it was you who told me to be honest.”

“That’s that, and this is this.”

Lily let out a deep sigh.

“So, you lost both your arms for such a reason?”

“Rationally, it was the tactical reason I mentioned earlier. And emotionally, it was because I was reminded of my mother. I think that’s enough to explain why I stood in front of you.”

“…….”

Lily, who had been holding her forehead, shook her head.

“I thought you were a more rational type.”

“I thought you were a more emotional type.”

To think that someone would risk their life to save her, and she would doubt their intentions.

Lily was more cold-hearted than he thought.

“Lily.”

Godhand opened his mouth quietly.

“We cannot understand each other. The wounds that our races have inflicted on each other are definitely… too deep to heal.”

“…….”

“But even if we don’t understand each other…”

Godhand smiled faintly and gestured towards the window.

“Can’t we at least celebrate that we survived together?”

Noisy singing could be heard from outside the window.

It must be the soldiers who were drunk at the victory banquet, singing with their arms around each other.

A slurred military song disturbed the two’s ears. ‘Comrades, shoulder to shoulder, we will break through the waves of the enemy…’

“…….”

“…….”

After an awkward silence, Lily blurted out.

“I don’t like you.”

Her sincerity was evident.

“I’m annoyed by your intention to unilaterally put me in your debt.”

“Isn’t that too cold a thing to say to someone who lost both arms protecting you…?”

“Enough, get up.”

Lily, who had brought the food tray again, shrugged her shoulders.

“Let’s eat something. It’s sad to be starving alone when everyone else is at the banquet, right?”

“I think I should just rest. I don’t have an appetite…”

“That’s why you’re so skinny. You need to eat to get better quickly, right? Here, I’ll help you up.”

Lily struggled to grab Godhand’s upper body and lift him up.

After placing the food tray on the table by the bed, she placed two cups. And she poured different liquids into each cup.

Godhand frowned as he looked at the clear liquid being poured into his cup.

“Is this just plain water?”

“Then, did you think someone who had their arm cut off today would try to drink alcohol?”

“Wouldn’t it be okay to drink at least a little on the day I lost my arm?”

“You’re surprisingly good at joking, aren’t you?”

Lily poured water into Godhand’s cup and filled her own cup with alcohol.

“Well… shall we at least have a toast?”

“I can’t hold a glass because I don’t have arms.”

“I’ll do it for you.”

Lily held both cups in her hands for Godhand and made a clinking sound.

Then, she brought the cup of water to Godhand’s lips.

Godhand emptied the cup cleanly. Lily snorted and gulped down her own glass of alcohol.

“It’s a funny sight. A human woman who can’t use her legs and an elf man who can’t use his arms, stuck in a hospital room instead of being at the banquet.”

“But it will be memorable.”

Godhand looked up at the window.

“A normal banquet would be easily forgotten, but today’s scene will remain for a long time.”

“…….”

Moonlight poured in through the window. The sky was clear, as if the past few cloudy days had been a lie.

As Lily stared blankly at the moon while sipping her alcohol, Godhand’s voice reached her.

“It’s funny to say this now.”

“……?”

“Can I say that I look forward to working with you, Lily?”

Lily stared at Godhand for a moment, then,

“Get your body back in shape, Godhand. And get a prosthetic arm made quickly.”

She snorted and turned her gaze back to the window.

“Because only when you’re healthy can I comfortably doubt you, hate you, and treat you badly.”

Godhand chuckled.

“Then I should stay unhealthy for a while.”

“No, I mean, don’t say such nonsense with that tall face of yours…”

After that, the two didn’t talk anymore.

Lily put a piece of cold vegetable dish into Godhand’s mouth one by one. Godhand accepted it without complaint.

A drunken military song continued to be heard from afar.

The night of victory… was deepening.

***

Chirp, chirp.

…The cliché sound of birds announcing the morning can be heard.

“Ugh, ugh.”

A zombie-like groan escapes my mouth.

My head is heavy and dizzy. My stomach is churning. It’s a typical hangover.

“Oh, oh, my head hurts…”

I must have drunk a lot. Ugh, I feel like I’m going to die.

I struggled to open my heavy eyelids, and in my still blurry vision, I saw something… flesh-colored.

Someone was lying next to me, shirtless.

‘Huh, what?!’

Is this a classic cliché where I wake up next to a woman I’ve never seen before after getting drunk?!?

With half worry and half anticipation(?), I rubbed my eyes and looked at the person. Who is it!

And next to me… was a pot-bellied middle-aged man dozing off.

The middle-aged man, who met my eyes, yawned widely.

“Ah. You’re awake, Your Highness the Prince.”

“Who are you?!”

I was horrified and jumped up, looking around.

It was a spacious room, but everyone was a middle-aged man or an old man with a dignified aura, and they were all sprawled out shirtless. What is this?!

“It’s us, it’s us. The Twilight Legion.”

The old man who was sprawled out on the other side yawned and said to me.

Looking closely, it was the old man who was the commander of the Twilight Legion.

“Are you feeling okay, Your Highness? You drank a lot yesterday.”

“No, uh, well, I’m okay. But can I ask you one thing?”

I asked the fundamental question about this situation in a trembling voice.

“Why are you all shirtless and lying down…?”

“You ordered it, Your Highness. You said, ‘Let’s take off the pretense and drink like real men.’ You told us to take off our clothes and shout! So everyone happily took them off.”

I did that?! Do I have a terrible drinking habit of ordering people to strip when I’m drunk?!

Horrified, I felt my body and realized I was also shirtless.

What the hell am I doing, Kim Ash! You crazy drunk!

I was struggling to recover my lost memories when the soldiers of the Twilight Legion around me threw out a word each.

“Your Highness, yesterday was really… amazing.”

“I’ve never had a drinking party like this in my life.”

“I’ll never forget it, the precious memories of last night…”

“No, please don’t say it with such subtle nuances, it makes me feel bad!”

That’s not something that a bunch of muscular men with beards should be saying! More importantly, what exactly happened?! When did my memory cut off?

“Ah, you’re awake. My lord.”

A clear voice that saved me flew in.

“Lucas!”

The main character of this game and my escort knight! You’re the only one who can save me! I looked at him with a big smile on my face.

Lucas was walking into the room wearing only his boxer briefs, having taken off not only his top but also his pants.

“Why did you take off your pants tooooo!”

As I screamed while grabbing my head, Lucas scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Well, it was you, my lord, who told the main party members to take off their pants too…”

“I did that?!”

Horrified, I felt my legs and realized I didn’t have pants on either.

I was in my underwear. Seriously, Kim Ash, you crazy bastard, you’re going too far!

“Ugh, it’s cold…”

A faint groan could be heard from the corner of the room, and when I looked, Damian was also shivering, huddled up in his underwear…

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened, but I’m sorry anyway.”

What kind of crazy banquet happened last night?

I gave up on recovering my memories because I thought it would be more painful if I remembered.

I squatted on the floor and mumbled, covering my face with both hands.

“Seeing men’s naked bodies is enough in a bathhouse…”

“I was just about to say that.”

Lucas gestured out of the room.

“Let’s go, my lord.”

“Huh? Where to?”

“Didn’t you just say it, my lord?”

Lucas smiled refreshingly. He looks like a pervert just smiling so cheerfully in his underwear.

“It’s the public bathhouse. It’s right next door.”

My eyes widened.

“Public bathhouse?”

***

The place I was staying was the Imperial Army barracks.

It was originally a facility used by the Imperial Army, but there were almost no personnel there now.

Instead, it was also being used as a lodging for mercenaries.

“Soldiers are covered in monster blood every day, so they need a place to wash, right?”

Lucas said as he guided me to the public bathhouse. Fortunately, he was wearing something on top now.

“So, Crossroads has a public bathhouse. It was originally a facility only for soldiers.”

“As the city grew, it became a space for citizens to use as well. Is that it?”

“You are correct, my lord. As the city grew, the public bathhouse also expanded its facilities, and it is now quite a large facility.”

Nodding, I turned around.

Damian was following me, shivering. He must have caught a cold.

“Let’s go and soak in some hot water, Damian. You’ll feel better.”

“Yes, Your Highness…”

Damian answered in a small voice, sniffling. What did I make him do yesterday…?

The public bathhouse was a short walk from the barracks. When I arrived at the entrance, I let out a small exclamation.

“It’s quite big?!”

“It is big. It has to accommodate as many soldiers as possible.”

The entrance to the public bathhouse was quite large, and judging by the size of the building, the interior seemed to be quite spacious as well.

“There was a facility like this. I didn’t know because I didn’t come here.”

Come to think of it, in the game, I used to upgrade the bathhouse to maintain the city’s cleanliness.

I never thought I would actually go in.

“The past emperors often visited the public bathhouse in the capital. To meet with the citizens and understand the mood of the country.”

Lucas calmly guided me.

“As the lord of this place, if Your Highness also visits the public bathhouse often, following the example of the previous emperors, it will be helpful in understanding the current issues of the city.”

That’s a helpful piece of advice.

“But if the emperor visits the bathhouse often, the guards must have a hard time every time? You’re my guard, so be careful.”

“It’s already hard…”

“What did you say?!”

“No, I didn’t say anything.”

Lucas, who turned his head, coughed! This guy’s tongue gets a little long when he drinks?

As soon as I entered the public bathhouse, the entrance was divided into a men’s bath and a women’s bath.

It’s strange that even though I fell into another world, the bathhouses feel similar.

‘Maybe the bathhouse culture of humanity is universal, no matter when or where?’

I heard that bathhouse culture has been developed since ancient times on Earth. Like Rome or Islam.

It might not be strange that there is such a sophisticated bathhouse in a world that has achieved this level of magical civilization.

Stop.

I stopped at the entrance where the men’s bath and the women’s bath split.

Lucas and Damian, who were heading to the men’s bath first, looked at me with puzzled expressions.

“My lord?”

“Your Highness? What’s wrong?”

“That…”

After hesitating for a moment, I blurted out honestly.

“When it comes to bathhouses, isn’t there usually… an event with female characters…?!”

No, honestly, I think it’s something to expect?!