I Became the Tyrant of a Defense Game-Chapter 44: [Side Story] Evangeline Cross (2)

Ding! Ding! Ding!

The rating slot of Lucky Strike whirred madly, eventually settling on the fateful numbers 777.

Triple Seven.

The full power of this whimsical weapon had been set loose.

"What on earth, why now?!"

I was the one who had made the attack, yet I was the one yelping in panic. No, no! Not 777!

That level of damage could take out most bosses in a single hit. If a person was struck, they'd meet their end!

"Evangeline! Move aside..."

Naturally, it was too late.

The damage slot had activated the second my fist made contact with Evangeline's shield.

7, 7, 7!

[Congratulations!]

[☆★☆JACKPOT!★☆★]

Fireworks exploded across the system interface to mark the lucky win.

The system window vanished just as quickly, and in its place.

Zap-!

A laser burst forth from my clenched hand.

"..."

Not kidding, no hyperbole, an actual rainbow-hued laser had been launched. This was sheer insanity.

Kwoooong!

A streak of radiant light slashed through the atmosphere, illuminating everything in its path.

"Kyaak-!?"

Caught in the laser's path, Evangeline was catapulted into the distance...

***

Whoosh-

When the dust finally settled.

The mansion's stone wall entrance was cleanly decimated by my punch (or more precisely, the laser that had emitted from it).

"..."

"..."

Standing dumbfounded on the scorched earth, Lucas broke into a cold sweat as he glanced my way.

"That, Your Highness. That was a remarkable punch. How did you...No, that's not the point."

"..."

"No matter who started it, how brutal to..."

"No, it wasn't like that! I didn't intend this!"

I merely sought to land a gentle hit to get their attention.

A noble and compassionate motive to cease their fight! How could I have known a jackpot would appear then?

Evangeline had been hurled a considerable distance, crashing into the mansion's stone wall, reducing one side to rubble, and was now buried under the wreckage.

Thud, thud thud...

She didn't so much as twitch, even as dust trickled down from above. It was deeply concerning.

"Did, did she perish? Is she gone?"

Racked with guilt at potentially having inadvertently caused the demise of both mother and daughter, I trembled.

God of Slots! Why the devil did 777 show up now, damn it!

Lucas raced to Evangeline's side and offered me a strained smile.

"No, she's okay. She's breathing normally."

"Really?!"

Surviving a max-damage Lucky Strike 777, she indeed was a true SSR-ranked Tank. A wave of relief washed over me upon realizing her strength.

"She has minor injuries but doesn't seem to have any life-threatening ones. However..."

Lucas trailed off, his gaze drifting to one side. I followed his line of sight.

There lay the fragmented Eagle Shield and the broken Cavalry Lance. They were all parts of Evangeline's gear.

My fortuitous punch had shattered her armaments while safeguarding its owner.

"That, that looks expensive..."

"Right..."

It was evident that this had been an SR-grade weapon, at least. Well, it was a weapon, but now...

I sighed, holding the remnants of the shattered eagle wing. What do I do now? Can this be repaired?

Lucas gently lifted the unconscious Evangeline from the wreckage of the stone wall.

"In any case, Your Majesty, that was remarkable. To take down an opponent I've struggled with in one hit."

"It wasn't me. It was the dice gods playing tricks..."

"Pardon?"

"Never mind, this darn game's all about luck."

At that moment, a commotion echoed from the direction of the main gate, and people began streaming out of the mansion.

I hollered at Aider, who was leading the throng.

"Aider! Summon a healer from the temple right away! Also, ready a room for her to rest!"

I let out a deep sigh as I glanced at Evangeline, unconscious and slumped in defeat. Alas.

Let's be grateful that no one lost their lives and that the situation has somehow been managed...

***

Evangeline was lost in a dream.

A dream from her childhood.

In a corner of a vast, timeworn mansion. The room that had been Evangeline's since birth.

Her mother would visit her unexpectedly, wrapping Evangeline tightly in her embrace.

Evangeline soon learned to anticipate these visits.

It was when her father would leave for battle.

Whenever monsters assailed the city and her father rushed to the frontlines, her mother would bid him farewell and then find her way to Evangeline's room.

And she would hold Evangeline for hours on end.

'Your mother came to comfort you because you might be afraid of the monsters.'

Her mother would explain with a smile. But Evangeline knew the truth.

It wasn't her who was terrified of the monsters, but her mother.

Her mother, her arms trembling around her daughter, was the one who was afraid.

Evangeline would pat her mother's back and offer her a comforting smile.

'Mom, you're silly. Dad will defeat all the monsters, so why are you scared?'

Whenever Evangeline said that, her mother would respond with a somewhat mournful smile.

It was only later that Evangeline understood.

What her mother feared was not the monsters.

What her mother feared was losing her father.

And the cruel fate awaiting her daughter who would one day have to step onto that brutal battlefield.

***

"...Mmm."

Bathed in the streaming morning sunlight, Evangeline slowly opened her eyes.

From a distance, an unknown bird called out.

"...Huh."

The familiar layout of the room.

The scent of freshly laundered blankets.

The patterns on the ceiling, forever etched into her memory.

Evangeline, gazing around in a daze, realized that this was her room in her family mansion.

"Ah..."

That's right, she had returned home.

Three years ago, after the passing of her mother, she fled from this place, heading to the capital city without a destination in mind.

She enrolled in the royal academy of the empire's capital.

After completing all the knight group courses over three years and graduating with top honors...

"So, where to next?"

Having received her diploma, she found herself standing there, lost in thought. As if guided by an unseen force, she found herself returning to her hometown.

There was no specific reason behind this decision.

It was simply her final chance to visit her childhood home before she officially took up her role as a knight and ventured to the front lines.

She decided to visit this unremarkable corner of the city one last time, with no intentions of ever returning.

So, late at night, she found herself back in Crossroad...

'What happened after that... I can't recall.'

She remembered entering the town, but beyond that, there was a blank. How did she end up in her room?

'Did I have a drink?'

She was still under the legal age and hadn't indulged in any alcohol, even on graduation day. Could it be that she had let her guard down upon returning home and imbibed a little?

Rubbing her throbbing forehead, Evangeline suddenly became aware of a presence. Someone was sitting next to her bed.

"...Mom?"

She mumbled involuntarily, but then the harsh reality hit her.

Her mother was no more. She had left them three years ago.

Her eyes began to sting. Evangeline quickly covered them with her hand, her voice hoarse.

"No, it was Dad."

"..."

"It's been three years since we last saw each other. How have you been?"

"..."

"Well, I need not ask. You must have been content, battling monsters every day, right?"

Ah.

She hadn't intended to speak so harshly.

But the bitter words just slipped out of her. She bit her lip in frustration.

Her sharp tooth dug into her lip.

This wasn't the conversation she had anticipated, a little more.

Just a bit more...polite...

"Forgive me, Evangeline."

A strange voice broke her reverie.

"I am neither your mother nor your father."

"?!"

Evangeline sat up abruptly, pressing her back against the headboard.

She instinctively reached for the weapon she was trained to always keep at her side, but her bandaged hand clutched at nothing.

'A bandage? Am I hurt?'

As she tried to make sense of the situation, a man sitting in a chair by her bed came into view.

He was a young man with neatly combed black hair.

The man, casually dressed, was leafing through some documents. He glanced at Evangeline and frowned.

"Ugh. Are you still not fully awake? Maybe I hit you a bit too hard yesterday..."

"Ah."

Then it hit her. What happened yesterday.

Memories flooded her mind like a cascade. She pointed a finger at the man, raising her voice.

"You're the old man from yesterday!"

The man's expression immediately turned sour.

"No, I'm not an old man."

"You're that old man who looked weak but had a powerful punch!"

"I did not look weak... Oh, forget it. But I'm not old!"

"You even made fun of my height! Damn it, you're so tall! Must be nice to be tall!"

"No, you've got it all wrong... I regret to inform you, but... I'm no old man..."

The muttering man cast aside a pile of documents and laid his hand over his heart.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself, Miss Evangeline Cross. My name is Ash 'Born Hater' Everblack. I am the third prince of the Empire, and currently, the lord of Crossroad."

Evangeline's sharp green eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Stop your nonsense. If you're a prince, then I might as well be the queen of a duchy, got it?"

"Damn, this girl is so skeptical. You don't believe I'm the prince? Should I show you the royal emblem?"

"Yes! Prove it! Right now!"

Evangeline gave an eager nod.

With a hint of reluctance, the man fished out an emblem made of black jade from his pocket and handed it to her.

Evangeline's eyes widened as she inspected the emblem handed to her.

"It's... it's real."

"I told you it's genuine!"

"Why is it real...?"

Evangeline's gaze darted between the man - Ash, the emblem in her hand, then back to his face, and back to the emblem. She repeated this cycle several times.

"Is it authentic? You're... the notorious third prince, Ash?"

"I'm notorious...?"

"Of course, you're infamous! You're one of the only three princes in the royal family!"

Evangeline had spent the last three years confined within the royal academy.

However, the gossip about the imperial princes had often found its way to her. They were, after all, the talk of the town in the capital.

The stoic and cynical soldier, the eldest prince.

The kind-hearted, gentle politician and magician, the second prince.

And the wild, reckless, the third prince.

All three princes were regular topics of conversation. But, the stories about the third prince were by far the most frequent.

He was known to stir all sorts of chaos within the capital.

If there was any trouble brewing within the royal family, nine times out of ten, it was Ash's handiwork.

"I've been swamped preparing for an early graduation and missed out on the recent news. I can't believe a prince would visit such a remote place."

Returning the emblem, Evangeline rummaged through her bag next to her bed, produced a pen and paper, and thrust them towards Ash.

"Can I have your autograph?"

"Wha-what...?"

"I said, I want your autograph! Surely a prince has an autograph?"

"No, well, yes. I do."

Awkwardly, Ash scribbled his signature on the paper.

It wasn't in common language but an odd, alien script. However, Evangeline didn't seem to mind. She carefully folded the paper and stashed it deep in her bag.

She then extended her right hand to Ash.

"Can I shake your hand?"

"Huh? Uh, sure?"

Taken aback, Ash hesitantly reached out and shook hands with Evangeline.

Her face lit up with excitement, and she energetically shook his hand, a broad grin spread across her face.

"I'm a fan!"

"What?"

"I'm your fan."

"A fan? Like, fan as I'm thinking?"

"Yes! Among the royal family, I'm the biggest supporter of the third prince! I even kept a scrapbook of your news from the weekly paper published in the capital!"

Evangeline pulled out a scrapbook from her bag and flipped it open.

Upon examination, Ash confirmed it was true.

Every week, the flamboyant incidents and accidents caused by Ash were neatly recorded there...

"Well, yeah, I'm really grateful to have a fan."

Unable to shake off his nervous expression, Ash asked.

"But why? Why did you become my fan?"

"That's obvious, there's only one reason!"

Evangeline beamed a bright smile.

It was an innocent yet somewhat wicked smile, fitting of a teenage girl.

"Because you, the prince, are the biggest troublemaker in the Empire!"

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