Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 386
◈ 386. [Side Story] Purpose and means
“No, think about it, Lucas..”
I smiled and opened my mouth..
“It's not just simple self-destruction. If we deploy these as targets, the monsters will be effectively lured in, and they are also effective in concentrating our crossfire..”
“…….”
“That's it? Let's imagine dropping these prisoners behind the monsters. We can reverse the direction of their advance. We can even control the speed of their advance at will.!”
“…….”
“The applications are endless! Think about how efficient an advantage this condition is, ‘even if there is just one person, the monsters are unconditionally attracted’.…….”
“lord.”
Lucas usually never interrupts me, but this time he interrupted me..
“You're not talking about efficiency, are you?.”
“…….”
“You treat people's lives as expendable items that are used and thrown away. this is… … It's not like my lord..”
“What's different??”
I lifted one corner of my mouth and smiled and glared at Lucas..
“Whether you treat human life as expendable or precious, the result is the same. Over five hundred people died in this battle alone. Including the deaths of the relief army, there were more than six hundred. The number of injured is countless. Everyone died and got injured like this while fighting according to my instructions..”
“…….”
“Anyway, if you fight monsters, people die. In that case, it would be more efficient to throw away those who deserve to die anyway. Then we can save more people who don't need to die. is not it?”
“They deserve to die.?”
“Well, look at these bastards..”
I gestured at the prisoners trembling inside the iron bars..
“They're the damn Special Forces bastards who kidnapped me back then and tried to destroy this place, Crossroads..”
“…….”
“All my colleagues tried to kill us, but ended up dying. These four survivors are the only ones living happily in prison. I don't deserve to die enough?”
“They surrendered. They are a support group within the Aegis Special Task Force 1, and they are not the ones who caused direct harm to our front lines..”
Lucas retorted to me in a calm voice..
“You know that many of the special forces are forcibly conscripted and forced to carry out orders. The shadow troops who dedicated themselves to our front lines are also from the special forces..”
“…….”
“As special task force members, they simply followed instructions from their superiors. As prisoners of war, they are entitled to be punished according to military law for the mistakes they have committed..”
“lucas.”
I briefly declared.
“I am the law here. I am the principle and principle of this place..”
“…….”
“I am the commander who holds the power of life and death on this monster front. I decided that these guys deserved to be executed, so I decided to use 'bait for monsters' as their method of execution..”
Lucas took a moment to look at the prisoners in the iron bars..
“…… Let me give a hundred steps and assume that these are people who deserve to die. And let's assume that your 'new method' is very effective..”
Lucas looked at me again with his glaring blue gaze..
“What about after that? What will you do when you have no more prisoners to use??”
“…….”
“Are you going to sentence me to death even if it is not a crime worthy of death? Are you going to kill all the envoys from neighboring countries who were arrested on suspicion of ganja, the soldiers who drank alcohol in violation of military discipline, and even the petty thieves who stole bread because they were hungry??”
“…….”
“What is the standard for ‘those who deserve to die’ and ‘those who don’t have to die’ that you mentioned a moment ago? Are you saying that your lord will decide everything??”
at last.
Just as the other three fronts of the Empire have done.
“Are you going to maintain this front line by discriminating and selecting people and burning the ‘people who were not chosen’ by your lord??”
‘For the sake of those who need to be protected, we kill those who do not need to be protected..
The monster front here will also follow the same path..
I didn't deny it. Lucas shook his head slightly..
“My lord. No one in this world wants to die. But if someone must die, it must be a choice they made of their own will..”
“……What you mean is then. All of my people who have died so far... … Are you saying he died of his own will??”
When I ask with a sneer,
“I don't know if everyone is like that.”
Lucas nodded slowly with a serious face..
“But at least I am fighting for my life by my own will..”
“…….”
“And the reason I'm willing to risk my life is here on the monster front... … And because the flag you raised had a meaning beyond simple survival..”
Lucas took a step towards me..
“Who made us believe that the soldiers here were not fighting for mercenary money, but for something nobler and more dignified? It's you, my lord..”
one more step.
“Since this Monster Front is a place that protects the entire world, it should be a place that protects everyone, not just a specific country, and so is the person who declared the path of independence from the imperial family! It's my lord..”
Again, one more step.
“The one who taught us that people are not means, but ends... … It is none other than the lord..”
Lucas, standing right in front of me, asked in a voice that made my blood boil..
“That's why we were willing to fight, get hurt, and die for the people behind the walls and for our comrades next to us. But you're going to overturn all of this.?”
“…….”
“So what have we been fighting for all this time? What on earth did the dead colleagues and subordinates die for??”
The corners of my mouth twisted..
“……What did you die for??”
I got up from my chair..
“I'll ask you the other way, Lucas. Dying for ‘something’, so what’s left??”
“……!”
“What does the cause matter? What does the banner have to do with it? Justification and will, such nonsense! What good is it after you die?!”
I grabbed Lucas by the collar and screamed..
“Someone precious dies! Colleagues laughing and chatting! The soldiers who believed in me and followed me! die! I'm dying! I mean, he died.!”
They came in captivated by my flag and died..
Under the name of protecting the world, the lives of such precious individuals were evaporated..
“No more. I won't stand by and watch my people die anymore.”
“…….”
“Select people if necessary! Equally! Consume it as a means, not as an end! Even if I burn the rest of them as bait!”
I gritted my teeth while glaring at Lucas as if he were going to kill him..
“I won't let you die..”
“…….”
“I won't let you die. no more, never.”
Lucas looked at me as if he felt sorry for me.,
“lord.”
He spoke slowly, but with a strong voice, as if he had made up his mind..
“I don't agree with this approach.”
“……Are you complaining to me now??”
“No, my lord. It's not a protest.”
Lucas smiled faintly.
“I'm just following my lord's original intention..”
I looked blankly at Lucas' smile, then scrunched up my face..
***
Lucas was imprisoned.
It was decided to keep them locked in until the end of this defensive war. The reason was that it might interfere with my operation..
“This operation has already been confirmed. We will definitely take the test of using death row inmates as bait..”
After gathering the remaining main party members and explaining the outline of this defense battle,.
“If you disobey my instructions, you will be locked up next to Lucas... … Do you have any questions??”
When I asked while looking back at the main party members, Evangeline, Damian, and Junior looked at each other. and.
“Eight!”
Evangeline was the first to raise her hand and said:.
“Please put me in jail too.”
“……what?”
“I follow you, and I am willing to die to protect your path..”
Evangeline stood up and gathered her luggage..
“So I can't follow this path. This is not your path..”
“…….”
“Please put him in jail. Instead, please reconsider this operation one more time. Seniors.”
Shocked, I looked towards Junior and Damian..
“Do you also think the same??”
Junior and Damian also nodded slowly..
“after…….”
I let out a long sigh and gestured to the guards outside..
“It is a crime to defy the commander. Lock up all three in the central prison..”
The hands of all three were handcuffed..
Evangeline bowed her head to me, and was the first to be dragged away without a word..
Afterwards, Junior came in front of me and spoke quietly..
“majesty… … sorry.”
“what? for not following orders?”
“no.”
Junior spoke in a tone of sincere apology..
“While you're suffering this much, I can't help ease your burden... … sorry.”
“…….”
I looked blankly at the back of Junior being dragged away..
Then Damien came in front of me..
“Prince.”
Damian, who couldn't speak for a while, put his hand in the air in front of my chest.,
“Get better, get better…….”
He said that and waved his hands in a circle..
Damian's palm, imbued with divine power, left a white trace in the empty air..
It was so absurd that I laughed without realizing it..
There are no injuries on my body.
I'm not in pain anywhere..
***
next defense.
The scheduled date for monsters to rise out of the black lake. morning.
It seemed like all the heroes didn't follow my orders, so I had no choice but to lead only the soldiers and send them off. Four prisoners were placed on a cart with sturdy iron bars..
Arrived at the forward base through the teleport gate..
The restoration of the outer wall had not yet been completed, and only a newly constructed gate remained at the miserable forward base..
The goal is not to annihilate the monsters here..
Today's purpose is to test the practicality of this human bait and bomb..
Four prisoners will each be placed on a cart with iron bars and placed at a point in front of the forward base, and their attraction and killing power will be tested..
I said while looking at the stage information window..
“There's time before they show up.”
The expected appearance time of the monsters is around noon. It's early in the morning, so there's still time..
“Let’s all take a break and eat.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Following my instructions, the soldiers sat down in various places around the forward base and began to rest comfortably. Simple meals brought from Crossroads were distributed..
I also slowly chewed a sandwich with smoked ham and cheese between the pieces of bread. Ham and cheese are very salty, probably because they are preserved foods..
Then a soldier came up and asked.
“Stir, Your Highness.”
“why but.”
“Shall we provide meals to the prisoners too??”
“…….”
“Well, don’t you know? It is customary for death row inmates to be given a proper meal before execution..”
I snorted. Anyway, this damn world has such unnecessary acceptance..
Apart from his reluctance, he was not so poor that he would not provide one last meal to those who would soon die..
I nodded and saw the soldiers manning the prisoners pushing sandwiches through the bars..
With bombs and detonators hanging all over their bodies, the four prisoners accepted their sandwiches with haggard faces..
The screaming for help was already over, and the four people who had given up on life had a long, empty conversation..
“Guys, look over there. Flowers bloomed.”
One of the prisoners gestured. Other prisoners also looked in that direction..
Forests and fields were spread out right next to the forward base. The gray plants that had been spread out barren all winter were all in flower buds..
The weather is still chilly.
Among them, one impatient flower bud was sprouting light pink petals..
“Eating while looking at flowers, don’t you remember that time??”
“when? During the Imperial Spring Festival?”
“okay. In front of your house, under the hedge full of magnolias and forsythia, lay down a mat.…….”
“The day when a thief stole our bags after we all fell asleep after drinking.?”
“crazy… … hey. How many years ago was that already??”
“It was really fun back then.”
“Funny thing, I had my first paycheck in my bag at the time.?”
One of the prisoners who was giggling looked at the flower petals and muttered..
“It's spring.”
“I know.”
“Today the weather is good…….”
I silently chewed the sandwich in my hand, listening to the conversation between people who were about to die..
“…….”
squeezed.
The sandwich was terribly salty..
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