Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 384
◈ 384. [Side Story] Monster
Serenade is a civilian..
She is a merchant, not a soldier.
Civilians should have nothing to do with this mess. Civilians should not risk death.
However, she repaired an airship that could not be obtained by normal means, drove it to the battlefield, and participated in the battle, even getting injured herself..
With help from such a group, I was able to barely win..
“…….”
If the political situation had not been favorable to me, the third prince,.
So if the rescue army didn't come.
If the adventurers of the Lake Kingdom had not responded to the anonymous request,.
If Serenade, a civilian, had not risked injury herself to help me.…….
It was game over for me here..
When I saw the blood smeared on her body, it became very real..
My strategy is poor.
Enough to drive countless colleagues to death and even injure civilians who had nothing to do with it.…….
“majesty?”
Serenade called me in a worried voice..
“Are you okay?”
“……then. I'm fine.”
I adjusted my expression and smiled.
“thank you. Just, thank you. serenade. Be careful until your body gets better.…….”
“It's really just a scratch. You don't have to worry!”
Serenade waved her arms as if she was fine, but I wasn't oblivious enough to notice that her normally unwrinkled eyebrows were twisted in pain..
And he wasn't tactful enough to point it out one by one. I smiled and pointed in the direction of the secret ship..
“I think it would be a good idea to ask Kelly Bay for advice on repairs to the secret ship. They say they are the ones who designed this secret ship..”
There was a crunching sound coming from the bottom of the aircraft, as if Kelly Bay was crawling somewhere..
Serenade also smiled bitterly..
“Our people worked hard, but there were a lot of sloppy parts. Since the original designer is there, we can fix it better... … I will do my best to be of help to you..”
Instead of saying thank you anymore, I squeezed Serenade's hand one more time..
Serenade blushed and smiled softly..
It hurt.
I felt sick inside..
***
I came to the temple.
This was a real battlefield..
There were too many wounded soldiers and not enough priests..
The good news was that I had plenty of medical supplies such as bandages, hemostats, and potions..
Other mercenaries and citizens who were still in good health volunteered to work as volunteers..
Next to Damian, Junior and the young wizards were seen sweating profusely and applying medicine to the bodies of the injured..
And in the midst of this chaos - she was not there.
margerita.
Although she usually droops like an office worker exhausted from overwork, she is a brave woman who fights without fear when she is in front of a patient..
The R-rated healer who was with me until the end in my 742nd game..
She was killed by goblins who attacked the temple..
Despite the groans of countless injured people, this temple does not hear her nervous cries... … It felt desolate.
I could not bear to enter the temple and looked at this scene from outside..
“……majesty.”
At that time, I heard a voice next to me. i looked that way.
A man with his entire body covered in bandages and a blunt helmet on his head limped along the stone wall of the temple. I nodded slightly..
“Thorkell.”
“I heard that you overextended yourself during this battle. Are you okay?…….”
I gritted my teeth at his question of concern for me..
Thorkel lost all of his party members. The leprosy extermination squad was wiped out, leaving only the leader behind..
I had no idea how much his insides must have festered..
Still, he asked how I was doing..
why?
what am i?
Because I didn't plan the strategy correctly, your colleagues died.?
“……I am truly sorry about your colleagues..”
I tried to keep my voice steady..
“We will hold a funeral with the utmost respect as soon as preparations are made. As fast as possible…….”
Thorkel silently bowed his head to me and expressed his gratitude. I couldn't bear to face him anymore and turned my head back towards the temple..
“Why did I survive?.”
Thorkell, who came and stood next to me, had his eyes looking at the inside of the temple - the statue of the goddess..
“The saint died while embracing me..”
“…….”
“Such a noble person, on behalf of a dirty man like me... … He was struck by an arrow.”
Since I had already been informed of Margerita's fate, I just listened quietly..
“No matter how much I think about it, I don't understand.”
Thorkel's voice, once as blunt as a rock, gradually became more heated..
“Wouldn't it be better for me to die??”
“…….”
“Wouldn’t it be better for the saint to live and for this leper idiot to die??”
thud!
Thorkel shouted, hitting himself in the chest..
“The only thing I know how to do is swing a knife with this sick body that can't even feel pain! Better than a mercenary bastard…….”
he was crying.
“Wouldn’t it be better for a saint to live as a saint who can save countless people in the future?……?”
I didn't shed any tears or cry, but.
In a dull voice, she was crying, pounding her chest that did not feel pain..
“All my colleagues are dead, so why am I alive? … We have to live for a long time to come, we have to spread light to the world... … Why did such a noble person die?.”
“…….”
“I do not know. I do not know. I don't know at all.”
Thorkel lowered his head and slammed his helmet into the stone wall..
“I should have died.”
I couldn't bring myself to offer any kind of awkward consolation, so I just listened to what he said..
“I am… … should have died…….”
***
no.
None of you deserve to die. You all deserved to live.
I clenched my fists..
I opened my tightly closed eyes. The shaking world was clearly visible.
In this place full of death and pain, what I have to do... … It seemed.
iced coffee.
okay.
Now I'm finally making up my mind.
***
Field south of Crossroads.
In this place where goblin corpses are still scattered, Skuld captured Verdandi..
“sister!”
“…….”
Finally caught, Verdandi chewed his lips and averted his gaze. Skuld stood in front of Verdandi and couldn't speak for a long time..
“live… … There was.”
“……Schooled.”
“It was alive. I just thought my sister was dead…….”
Schooled hugged his older sister. Verdandi lowered her eyes as she was held in her sister's arms..
“……Why didn't you tell me?”
“…….”
“why… … Didn't you tell me you were alive? Why a hundred years... … where was she and what did she do?”
“Holy Grail.”
Verdandi let out a short sigh..
“According to the orders Urud eldest sister gave me... … I was looking for the Holy Grail that could save the World Tree..”
“Holy Grail… … yo. this?”
Schooled, who was shocked, shook his head..
“Come to your senses, sister. There's no way such a legendary item actually exists..”
“…….”
“The world tree had long since died, and even its rotted base was burned by the empire. Now all that's left are the roots rotting beneath the ground. How can we bring it back to life??”
“…….”
“Come back, sister. The remaining elves, and I need you.”
Skuld pleaded, but Verdandi stood firm..
“I will find the Holy Grail. And we will revive the world tree and revive the fairy kingdom..”
“Please come to your senses, sister..”
Schooled let out a long sigh..
“The fairy kingdom ended a hundred years ago during the tribal war. Urud's eldest sister was executed, and the remaining elves became human slaves and are living day by day trapped in the autonomous district..”
“…….”
“Come back. Just like us, we can make the lives of the remaining elves a little better. I can do it if my sister helps me.”
“……I can't give up yet. There's definitely a Holy Grail in that dungeon…….”
When Verdandi did not back down, Skuld's face distorted horribly..
“By myself... … ! After all my sisters died or disappeared, I alone led the surviving elves.!”
“…….”
“My hometown is reduced to ashes! Forced to move a thousand miles away! Exploited, exploited! Starving, lying down! Adults die, children are taken away! I've lived like that for a hundred years!”
Belldandi looked at Skuld, who was yelling in a threatening voice, with a pale complexion..
“Every moment of my life was hell! I am the worst elf queen in history who had no choice but to watch as her people were sold for gold! Still, I willingly wore this crown of shame and humiliation. As a descendant of the fairy royal family, it was a responsibility I had to bear.!”
“…….”
“But what about your sister? Holy Grail? Holy Grail?!”
Verdandi could not make eye contact. Schooled scolded her older sister in a voice that sounded like she was spitting out blood..
“You put me and my compatriots in hell for over a hundred years because you were looking for an illusion that didn't exist! Did you say you don't know me??!”
There was silence..
On a plain full of goblin corpses, the two women of the fairy royal family said nothing to each other for a long time..
It was finally time for me to step forward..
“The Holy Grail exists.”
When I spoke out, the two elves looked at me in surprise..
I was standing next to the southern gate, listening to their conversation, and slowly walked towards them..
“In the darkness of the Lake Kingdom. Area 8 dungeon ‘Magic Tower’. It's sleeping there.”
“Prince Ash…….”
“I and the Holy Grail Exploration Team will go there together and retrieve the Holy Grail. How about you at least wait until then? queen.”
Verdandi is still needed on this front. I can't let them take me.
Schooled brushed his hair and adjusted his expression..
“You seem to be in trouble due to problems in our family..”
“I understand. My family is also in a pretty rough situation..”
“Let’s put aside what happened between me and my sister for a moment and finish talking about what we were talking about earlier..”
Schooled, whose expression changed to gentle in an instant, looked at me with serious eyes..
“In the year since you came here, I have heard about the banner that the Monster Front has set and maintained. He was 'killing monsters and protecting people.' He also said, ‘If it’s within reach, it will save everyone.’.”
“…….”
“And among those people were not only our elves, but also humans from other races and foreign countries..”
The Fairy Queen took a step closer to me. I looked at her silently.
“You have no idea how long it has been since you last encountered such an inclusive cause..”
“…….”
“Prince Ash. The world is becoming more and more filled with hate. I am one of the younger elves, but over the years I have felt that the world has become increasingly filled with evil..”
“…….”
“The banner you raise can bring this divided world back together. so…….”
“I'm sorry for speaking to you, Queen..”
I cut her off..
“That banner is retired as of this time..”
“yes?”
“Kill monsters, protect people... … It's a beautiful cause..”
A self-deprecating smile appeared on my lips..
“But now I realize it. That beautiful things cannot protect people..”
“what is that…….”
“It is not the flag that protects people. It's a sharp knife. I learned it this time.”
I looked back at the crossroads..
The southern wall was horribly burned and collapsed..
And the lives I lost.
“So, that banner is now retired..”
“……So what banner will you raise now, Prince Ash??”
“We will still protect people. but.”
I put my new resolution into words..
“If I have to kill someone to protect someone, I will do it..”
“……The definition of what a ‘person’ is will be up to you.?”
I silently agreed. A look of cold disappointment crossed Skuld's face..
“If we can save more 'people', a certain race or a certain country as a whole... … You could probably exclude him from that ‘person’..”
“…….”
“I guess I was wrong about you.”
Schooled turned around..
“In the end, you are just like other kings.”
“…….”
“Let’s pretend the story never happened..”
Skuld walked towards his soldiers waiting on the other side without looking back..
As I was quietly looking at the back, Verdandi noticed me and approached me..
“Ash, are you okay?……?”
“huh? I'm fine.”
I smiled brightly.
“Don't worry, I'll go talk to my brother..”
“…….”
“It's been a hundred years since we last met. There's probably a lot more to share. Go see.”
Verdandi looked at me with trembling eyes, bowed his head, and ran towards his brother..
I don't understand.
Why is everyone looking at me with such worried eyes?.
My mind is clear and my resolve is strong. Finally all the illusions disappeared.
I walked along the southern fields. There was a dirty flag waving in the center of the field..
It was the white flag I planted while using [Imperial Proclamation]..
It was once a white and straight flag, but now it was covered in the red blood of humans and the green blood of goblins, and was half burned, shedding ash with every breeze..
Like the countless lives that died while following this flag. That flagpole that was horribly damaged... … i grabbed.
“…….”
742In every game, I always threw my characters to death..
In order to clear the entire game efficiently, countless subordinates were thrown to death without any remorse..
There was no question about the action.
i was a monster.
He was a monster who was crazy about efficiency, knew nothing but strategies, and didn't regard people as human beings. And that's why I succeeded in clearing it..
-okay.
Why did I realize it only now? Didn’t you know the truth painfully? So, isn’t that how you cleared the game?.
In order to save more people.
someone is bound to die.
If that's the reality anyway, all you have to do is order death as efficiently as possible..
If you kill someone, you can save another person.
Why did I turn my eyes away from such a simple equation?.
Because it was cowardly. Because I was weak. Because he was not prepared as a prince..
But now I'm ready.
- So who will decide who will die? Who will order death? Who will carry the weight??
The voice of the Goblin God King rang in my mind..
- If it's to protect the world. Shouldn't someone take on the monster's skin??
okay.
If you can kill someone and save someone else.
Then, I am.
I have no choice but to order that death..
“You're right, Alexander..”
Covering my face with my hands, I smiled bitterly..
“I have no choice but to be me.”
Wow!
I broke the flagpole I was holding in my other hand. And then he carelessly threw the flag on the floor..
- There will come a time when you have to sacrifice what is most precious to you to protect this city..
I remembered the advice Margrave Cross gave me a long time ago..
Those words that seemed like a prophecy and a curse.
Finally it became a reality.
To protect this city.
To protect this world.
I am my most precious thing.
banner.
The purpose of protecting people... … I decided to give up.
To save more people,
It's me.
Become a monster that eats people.
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