I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game

Much time had passed while trapped in the nightmare, and it was now past mid-February.

With the final battle, Stage 50, set to begin at the end of February, the end of this long game was truly near.

Fortunately, the city that had been plunged into the nightmare quickly regained its vitality and returned to normal. They say the paralyzed southern continent also normalized quickly.

People couldn't remember what they saw in the nightmare.

"It just feels like I slept deeply for a long time. My body's a bit stiff from sleeping too long, but..."

At the Ariane Kingdom military camp.

King Miller Ariane of the Ariane Kingdom said, stretching his stiff neck.

I faced him with an awkward smile.

"Is that so."

"Why, Prince Ash. Did I... or the people of my kingdom cause any trouble in that nightmare?"

"Not at all. Rather, the opposite."

I told him that Miller had supported me in the nightmare world.

Hearing my story, Miller waved his only hand.

"That would have been true for anyone else in this front, not just me, Prince Ash."

"..."

"We've all witnessed the miracle you've brought about, and the legend that the people of this front have written. Whatever the outcome of this war, we will all support you until the very end."

Right after, Miller scratched his head sheepishly.

"Haha, it's funny that I'm saying this when I was the first to try to leave the front, but still."

"...Thank you."

I gave a quiet nod, then stood up.

Both Miller and I are busy preparing for the final battle. We shook hands lightly and headed to our respective tasks.

"Oh."

As I left Miller's tent and headed towards the entrance of the Ariane Kingdom camp.

I saw Yun's tent in between.

Thinking I might as well pay a sick visit since I'm here, I peeked inside.

I saw Yun sleeping soundly, and Kuilan sitting silently next to him, knitting.

"...?"

Huh? Knitting?

Looking closely, Kuilan was skillfully weaving a scarf.

The already woven part of the scarf was wrapped around Yun's neck, and Kuilan was carefully knitting the remaining long part.

"..."

Yun sleeping peacefully, and Kuilan focused on knitting. The warmth of the fireplace burning in one corner of the room.

Somehow, the scene looked nice, so I watched for a moment before slowly walking out.

***

The next place I visited was the Silver Winter Merchant Guild.

The Silver Winter Merchant Guild's Crossroad branch had somehow grown larger than the New Terra branch. It might be because the land is cheaper, but I suppose it's mainly because they're dealing with military supplies in this situation.

"Hmm..."

Right? That's the reason? They're not really thinking of moving the main branch(?) here, are they?

"Your Highness!"

As I entered, Serenade rushed out in her slippers.

I smirked and asked jokingly.

"Serenade. How was it, did you sleep well?"

"What?! Ah, yes! I slept so deeply that all work came to a halt...! I've been sweating to get things back in order."

After briefly discussing the front's supply situation with Serenade.

I looked at the indigo-haired guard standing silently behind Serenade.

"Elize."

It was Elize, as always in her maid uniform, carrying a large sword coffin.

When I called her, she looked at me quizzically, and I gave her a small smile.

"You've worked hard."

"Yes...?"

"Let's keep working hard in the future too."

"Ah, yes sir."

Elize seemed not to understand, but she answered quickly.

I wanted to express my gratitude in my own way to Elize, who had been dedicated to the end in that nightmare.

I smiled warmly, and Elize just blinked, not understanding.

"...Ugh!"

Serenade, who had been looking back and forth between us, suddenly approached me with a slightly sulky face.

"Your Highness! Me, me too!"

"Hm?"

"Me too, um... please! Praise!"

"Ah, right."

I gently took Serenade's hand and smiled brightly.

"Thank you always, Serenade."

"..."

"I'll be grateful in the future too."

"...Hehehehehe."

With her face bright red, Serenade wore a proud expression and rubbed under her nose.

She's always had this tendency to act younger in front of me, but well, it's cute so it's fine.

After finishing our brief conversation, I left the Silver Winter Merchant Guild. Behind me, Serenade waved her hand big, and Elize bowed politely.

***

The next place I visited was the alchemist's workshop... or rather, Lilly's house nearby.

"Ah, Your Highness!"

A surprised Lilly greeted me.

Inside Lilly's house were several female heroes gathered, including Bodybag, Scarlet and Orange from the Gambler's Club, Violet, and even Evangeline.

I blinked in surprise too.

"Isn't this the Cr... whatever meeting. What are you doing here today?"

"It's not 'Cr whatever', it's the Great Female Hero Squad! And what else? We came to see our Sid while we had a moment."

Indeed, as Evangeline said, everyone's faces were relaxed as they admired little Sid's figure.

"These days all our activities are just Sid appreciation meetings... I wonder if we should change our name from Great Female Hero Squad to Sid Fan Club or something."

Muttering, Evangeline lifted Sid, whom she was holding, high up and played airplane with him. The baby seemed to enjoy it, laughing continuously.

"..."

Evangeline, you're not going to trigger 'Error-Prone' there, are you? Well, that negative trait disappeared a long time ago, but still.

I watched nervously, just in case. On the contrary, Lilly, the baby's mother, seemed used to it now, calmly working on some documents while Evangeline played with Sid.

"Auwa!"

At that moment, Sid, floating in the air, flailed his arms towards me.

Huh, what? Is he asking me to play with him?

I asked Lilly for permission first.

"Lilly, can I hold Sid too?"

"Of course. Who else would be more qualified than you, Your Highness?"

With Lilly's permission, Evangeline reluctantly handed Sid to me. I carefully took Sid into my arms.

"Hello, Sid?"

"Au!"

"Yes, godfather is here. Say 'godfather~', Sid."

Then, the child really said it.

"Dyabu!"

"...?"

I widened my eyes.

After being frozen in shock and amazement for a moment, I asked in a trembling voice.

"Did he just... call me 'godfather'?"

Evangeline snorted as if it was nonsense.

"No, he said 'dyabu'."

"That's the same thing! Sid! You just called me godfather, didn't you?!"

Then Sid smiled brightly and raised his chubby hands to pat my cheeks.

"Dyabu!"

"He really said godfather, godfather!"

"Dyabu~"

"Oh my god, this is crazy. Our Sid must be a real genius..."

I was even tearing up with emotion.

The women around us, whether they were the Cr... whatever or Sid Fan Club, all looked exasperated, but no, this is real! He called me godfather, not dyabu!

"Sid."

To the child smiling brightly with an innocent face, as if he knew nothing of what happened in the nightmare.

I made a promise once again.

"Godfather will take you there."

To spring.

To the world of March.

To a future where you can live as you wish.

Without fail.

***

The blacksmith's workshop.

This place, reactivated as soon as we escaped the nightmare, was hot with heat even in the middle of winter.

Fortunately, while all the blacksmiths were collapsed, Kellibey kept the fire burning to maintain the heat, or so I heard.

Anyway, equipment was being busily produced in preparation for the final battle.

Basically, since Crossroad might have to endure and fend off infinite monster waves in the final battle, equipment for the soldiers and the entire city wall was the top priority.

But even in the midst of this busyness, Kellibey was producing the equipment I had ordered.

"You had that invisible cloak you weren't using, right?"

"Ah, yes, I did."

There was a piece of equipment I got a long time ago, used once in the Imperial Capital, and then left unused. It had a low stealth level, so it wasn't very useful on the battlefield and was being neglected.

Recently, I gave all my unused equipment to Kellibey and told him to do whatever he wanted with it, whether to melt it or reforge it. I wonder if he did something with it?

"I upgraded that equipment using Parekian's magic core and Parekian's scales."

Saying this, Kellibey pulled out a cloak covered densely with intricately crafted dragon scales.

"The name... how about [Dragon Scale Cloak]?"

"What are its functions?"

"Basically, it's sturdy. And it has inherited some of Parekian's characteristics..."

Inherited?

"You can walk on walls."

"...?"

"It makes 'dragon claws' sprout from the wearer's shoes, allowing them to freely walk and run on walls and ceilings."

I was taken aback by this unexpected function.

Come to think of it, that lizard did climb walls...

"And the effect of the original stealth cloak has been enhanced too. Like this, ta-da."

As Kellibey, who was trying it on, infused it with magic power, the dragon scales all sparkled at once and matched the surrounding colors, like a chameleon changing its body color.

"Wow... excellent camouflage effect."

"That's about it for special effects. Anyway, since it's equipment with dragon heart, you can expect effects like increased magic power and such."

The person to receive this equipment was decided from the start.

It was Violet.

As soon as I called her, Violet came running breathlessly from Lilly's house (which was right nearby) and immediately put on the cloak with delight.

"Ooh!"

Violet, who activated the stealth, shouted.

"I can't be seen!"

She really can't be seen. Only her voice can be heard from the front.

Then, Violet's voice, who had also activated the wall-walking function, could be heard from the walls and ceiling of the blacksmith's workshop.

"Can you really not see me? At all?"

"Nope. Not at all."

"How about this? Lalalala?"

I can't see her, but I can tell it's somehow irritating, hey...

Violet, who had come down next to me and deactivated the cloak, muttered with a furrowed brow.

"...Then maybe, if I wear this and go into the men's public bath... hehe...?"

"With that look on your face..."

By the way, public baths always have stealth detection magic operating. You'll be arrested on the spot, you idiot.

"Aw~ I'm just joking, joking. Hehehehehe."

Violet, who seemed to have been completely serious, wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, and then nodded with a serious face.

"But you know, this seems really useful for theft and cheating at gambling...?"

...I'll have to take that equipment back as soon as the final battle is over.

As I inwardly resolved this while watching Violet running on the walls and ceiling again, Kellibey beside me brought out and showed me other new equipment.

"And this... I made it simply because we didn't have much time."

It was four pistols.

Magic guns in the form of single-shot loading, capable of firing only one shot at a time.

"I made these with the magic cores of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Knights."

"Oho."

"Since they're pistols, they're only auxiliary equipment and can only fire one shot at a time... but I guarantee their power. They'll be your trump cards."

Four pistols in white, black, red, and blue.

The magic guns were named [Pestilence], [Famine], [War], and [Death].

They fire magic bullets of poison, water, fire, and ice attributes respectively.

"Those will obviously go to Damien..."

As I was pocketing the pistols, Kellibey pointed to the next item.

"This is the item with the magic core of that greed-anger-ignorance monster, being made as you ordered..."

Even though he was the creator himself, Kellibey looked worried, still not quite trusting my idea that brought this plan.

"Will this really move as you think it will?"

"..."

"Not just us, but the stonemasons, carpenters, and alchemists too. Everyone's been working on it whenever they have spare time..."

I grinned and looked up at the large object Kellibey was working on.

"Of course. Just trust me."

After all, even in the game, the greed-anger-ignorance magic core was used for 'this purpose'...!

***

As I left the blacksmith's workshop, heavy snow was falling.

I thought about calling Lucas to ride back in a carriage, but somehow I wasn't in the mood for that.

I wanted to walk through the city.

Walking along the snow-covered streets, I slowly looked around my city.

Amidst the soldiers from various countries busily coming and going in preparation for the final battle, the city's residents preparing for dinner coexisted in one scene.

The smell of baking bread mixed with the smell of oil, iron, and gunpowder.

The sound of a couple arguing and children's laughter as they threw snowballs mingled with the sound of weapons and iron plates clashing.

As I quietly observed this peculiar scenery.

Slowly moving towards my home, I suddenly murmured a verse that came to mind.

Past the dignified hearts of the people of this village who have been born and died, born and died for generations, past the dull dreams

On an ordinary night when heavy snow piles up on roofs, yards, and well mounds

It was a peaceful evening before the final battle.

--TL Notes--

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