Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 382
◈ 382. [STAGE 15] Before winter ends
……the battle is over.
After more than a week, the defensive battle was concluded..
The goblins in the southern plains were quickly eliminated with the help of the relief army, but it took time to clean out the goblins that had infiltrated Crossroads City..
A brutal street battle broke out in the city. It took three days to roughly finish the lecture..
It took an additional four days to kill every last one hiding in every nook and cranny and for the system message to end the defense battle to appear. So it was a week.
“…….”
Standing on the wall, I looked around the city in shambles..
There were still thousands of goblin corpses scattered throughout the city. And the amount of city equipment they destroyed was countless..
I gritted my teeth in despair as I looked at the city covered in ashes and green blood..
Is it possible to repair this damage?.
“People are strong.”
Evangeline came and stood next to me and said.
“The people at Crossroads are so stubborn..”
“…….”
“We will overcome this time too. Just like it always has been.”
Perhaps the rumor that the battle was over had already spread, but citizens who had taken refuge began to return one by one..
And the people who returned began to remove the goblin corpses and clean up the city stained with goblin blood without me even asking them to do so..
From one corner of the city, people began to work hard to recover in silence. I looked down at that figure blankly..
A broken city can be repaired.
But the dead lives... … can't turn back.
“lucas.”
“Yes, my lord..”
Lucas, who came with Evangeline, answered. I asked quietly.
“Preparation of the list of war dead?”
“It's already just finished. Would you like to see?”
“……okay.”
Lucas handed over a thick folder with an upright posture. I accepted it and turned the pages one by one, looking at the names..
On the silent castle walls, only the sound of me flipping through papers rang softly..
My drivers waited patiently while I checked each name..
Eventually, I finished checking all the names and closed the file..
22 heroes.
488 soldiers.
This is the number of dead people, and the number of injured is much higher. It's so quick to count the uninjured ones..
How many of those injured will be able to return to the front?.
“too… … You lost a lot.”
I raised my hand and covered my eyes..
A monster is considered annihilated only when every last one is killed..
Crossroads is different. Because we must continue the fight in the future. Must be approached from a military perspective.
And from a military perspective, if 20% of the total force is lost, the unit is considered to have lost the ability to fight and is judged to be annihilated..
2Out of 1,500 men, 500 were lost. In addition, the loss rate for hero characters, which are considered the core, was well over 20%..
The walls were collapsed, and the soldiers were extremely wasted. And the city was ruined even from the inside..
Militarily, it is as if we were also annihilated in this battle. That's how much damage is done.
“If the relief force hadn't come, it would have been the end..”
We were barely able to win because there was a relief army that we didn't know if would come or not..
If the relief force hadn't come, the damage wouldn't have been this bad..
In other words, this victory was more of a fluke.
The strategy must be carried out in the realm of confidence. However, none of the methods I prepared could inflict a fatal blow on the enemy, and I was almost defeated in the end..
“This victory was just luck. Just luck…….”
A refreshing voice flew into my muttering ears..
“Is there any need to blame yourself like that, Commander of the Monster Front??”
I looked up and saw an ivory girl coming along the castle wall..
Leading warriors from the Northern Kingdom wearing leather armor decorated with white animal fur..
“Isn't it you, His Highness Prince Ashe, who brought in that rescue army??”
“…….”
“The efforts you have made so far have led to this result. The chain of cause and effect you have built up so far is too clear to simply dismiss it as luck.?”
I called her name.
“Princess Yun.”
“In the imperial capital, he acted like a confident tiger, but now he looks like a wounded wildcat. His Royal Highness Prince Ash.”
The second princess of the Arian Kingdom - Yun Arian carried a large ax on her shoulder with her beautifully muscular arms, and came to a halt in front of me..
“This side is also attractive in its own way, but you smiled arrogantly as if you knew everything... … It was cooler.”
“You look better now than you did at the party..”
She took off her party dress and was wearing leather armor that clearly exposed her abs..
The unique white skin of northerners is splattered with goblin green blood..
She was prominent among the Salvation Army, and because she was the highest ranking member of the Salvation Army, she took on the role of representative of the Salvation Army..
That's probably why I came here now..
“What business do you have??”
“Now that the battle is over, the relief force must soon be disbanded..”
Yes. The relief forces have only come together for a short time for a greater cause, and must return to their original positions..
1The 1,800-strong relief force ultimately suffered about 100 deaths. The number of injured is over 200..
We must first deal with these casualties and express our gratitude for coming..
“Everyone is waiting. I'm sure you don't plan on cheating on me again.?”
“…….”
I stood up silently. Yoon, smiling, took the lead, and I walked next to her. Lucas and Evangeline followed behind me..
I thanked Yoon again and again..
“I don't know how to thank you all, Salvation Army. Thanks to you, Crossroads survived..”
“Well, to be honest, not everyone was purely pursuing a cause. There's no need to be too grateful..”
Yoon shrugged his shoulders humorously. I looked at her quizzically.
“So you're saying there was a different purpose for everyone coming here??”
“There are several reasons, perhaps for purpose..”
Yoon continued speaking fluently..
“First of all, greenskins are a disaster that threatens everyone..”
“…….”
“It's different from other monsters. It is not a ghost of the past, but a disaster that remains even in modern times. If there are tens of thousands of them, the entire southern part of the continent will be devastated when Crossroads falls..”
That's why people from the South, Southwest, and Southeast actively came to help..
Because it's obvious that if Crossroads collapses, it will soon be their turn..
“Next, the active lobby at the top of Winter Silver.”
“yes? Did you lobby at the top of Wintersilver??”
“They said that was it? It seems that they requested military supplies from Crossroads and asked them to participate in the war if possible. From the perspective of a small city-state or a noble territory on the border, it is difficult to easily refuse a lobby from the top of the empire..”
I opened my mouth slightly..
serenade… … You worked hard to get there.…….
“And last… … Actually, this is the most crucial thing.”
Yoon, who went ahead with a thudding sound of footsteps, made eye contact with me in front of me and walked backwards. Her pale yellow eyes narrowed..
“Because of the succession to the throne..”
I closed my mouth and crossed my eyebrows. Yun continued..
“The Everblack Empire is a superpower that dominates the world. From the perspective of small countries around them, they have no choice but to try their best to impress the next emperor..”
“…….”
“But now that the 1st and 2nd princes are waging a civil war among themselves, it is difficult to keep them in line. I can't even guess who will be the emperor..”
Yoon stuck out his index finger and poked my chest..
“But what if we help you, the third prince, who is one step away from the war of succession? You can only score points for the imperial family without risk..”
“…….”
“Especially from the perspective of small countries on the outskirts, you are closer than the 1st and 2nd princes who have no way of contacting you at all. That's why everyone took off their feet and ran..”
In the end, it was a move based on political calculation?.
Did everyone decide that there would be more benefit than harm and came here with an army?.
“……Well, that's my opinion. Among them, really! With pure meaning! Some people may have come to help Crossroads.!”
Yoon tapped his head with his index finger..
“But I'm sure there are many people who have played the abacus in their heads! Your Majesty the Prince should keep this in mind.?”
“……Is that why you came too, Yoon??”
“Well, I won't deny it..”
After coming down the castle wall, we headed to the barracks. Yoon continued speaking softly..
“None of the agreements made between our kingdom and the empire at that time are being kept. I understand that the administration of the empire has come to a complete halt because the 1st and 2nd princes are fighting like that.…….”
“…….”
“So I came here to urge the implementation of the agreement, but I couldn't even get close to the imperial capital, so I came all the way here just to see your face... … I found out about the situation and joined the war..”
We stopped in front of the barracks conference room..
Yoon erased his smile and looked at me with a serious face..
“The whole world is watching Everblack. And as the civil war between the 1st and 2nd princes becomes more and more sluggish without a clear winner, everyone is slowly turning their attention..”
Her fingertips lightly pressed my chest again..
“to you.”
“…….”
I said bluntly, removing my fingers from her..
“I don't care who takes the throne. I just want to hold the line here..”
“If you wish to defend your little front, His Highness Prince Ash. You should even more willingly accept the world’s gaze. and…….”
Opening the door to the conference room - Yoon grinned..
“In fact, it's not like we didn't expect it to happen like this.?”
“…….”
I didn't answer, but followed her inside..
Inside the conference room, the heads of each organization that came to the relief force were sitting..
When Yoon and I entered, they all stood up..
I took a deep breath and smiled brightly..
“Thank you so much for coming to the Salvation Army this time, everyone.!”
It doesn't matter what purpose they each came to this city with..
“Your sacrifice and dedication will be remembered clearly by Everblack's third prince, Ash 'Bonhater' Everblack..”
How is this different from paying money to hire mercenaries? Everyone is willing to pay for what they want..
As long as we can support this front line, we can do anything.……!
“Before disbanding, Crossroads would like to provide appropriate compensation for the courage you have shown.…….”
***
Appropriate compensation was promised to the leaders of each relief army, and the Goblin Magic Stones extracted this time were generously distributed according to each person's merit..
In addition, in the name of the 3rd prince, they issued an abundance of official checks to ensure that they would not forget the kindness they had shown him..
These people, whose main purpose was this, smiled brightly and shook my hand repeatedly..
It was decided to bury the bodies of those who died among the relief forces here. The injured were also treated here and sent back..
After all these boring and formal conversations and meetings, I was able to leave the conference room only as night approached..
‘Politics is a disgusting business..’
I let out a tired sigh..
But no matter how terrible the politics are, they are better than war.
“…….”
I came out to the west side of town.
The bodies of the deceased are still buried in coffins at the western grave site..
Since there was no time to hold a funeral yet, the bodies were collected first and each person was allowed to pay their respects..
On the hill colored by the red sunset, the living quietly placed the dead beneath the ground..
And there was someone else who saw this scene besides me..
“…….”
It was Lily.
Sitting in a wheelchair, wrapped in a blanket, Lily watched the new graves with empty eyes..
The steps did not fall. I didn't even have the courage to open my mouth.
But, I am the commander..
And he is also her colleague..
That's why I slowly approached Lily's side..
Even though I deliberately made footsteps and approached, Lily did not look in this direction and continued to look at the grave site..
We watched the multiplying tomb together in silence.
After a while, Lily opened her mouth..
“Godhand's tomb, please don't make it..”
“……what?”
“Please report me missing..”
Lily's bony hands clutched the blanket around her shoulders..
“He couldn't identify the body..”
“…….”
“No matter how much we searched the forward base, we couldn't recover the body. therefore.”
It was as she said..
Troops were dispatched to find the bodies of those who died at the forward base, but even though the bodies of other heroes were found, Godhand was never able to find them..
“I mean, I promised..”
Lily muttered in a dry, dry voice..
“I'll be back before winter ends.”
“…….”
“It's still winter. So, the promise is valid..”
It has already stopped snowing.
Once this dry cold is over, spring will come.
But Lily didn't seem to have any intention of leaving this winter just yet. She buried her body deep in her wheelchair, muttering indistinctly.
“Until this winter ends... … Because I will wait…….”
“…….”
I didn't comfort her..
I couldn't even do that..
I answered that I understood and then turned around in silence. Lily continued to sit still on the western hill until I returned into the city..
Until the sunset fades and the cold wind stops.
Continue…….
***
[STAGE 15 - CLEAR!]
[STAGE MVP - Ash (EX)]
[Level up character]
- Ash (EX) and 45 others
[death character]
- Margerita (R) and 20 others
[missing character]
- God Hand (SR))
[injured character]
- Ash (EX) and 45 others
[Acquired Items]
- Goblin Legion Magic Stone: 8270
- Goblin God King Magic Core (SSR): 1
[Stage clear rewards have been paid. Please check inventory.]
- SR grade reward box: 3
- SSR grade reward box: 1
>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE
>> [Next STAGE: Shattered]
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