Chapter 63

The materials to summon an automatic defense turret were a Magic Power core of R rank or higher, and construction materials such as stone and wood.

I had an SR-ranked Magic Power core, and as for construction materials...

'I have a lot of them.'

The golems were kind enough to smash my mansion to pieces. Bricks and wooden planks were scattered everywhere.

I tossed the Magic Power core into the mansion and shouted,

"Summon!"

Grgrgrgrgr-!

Immediately, the debris from the surrounding buildings shot up into the air.

Clang! Rumble! Clunk!

The soaring stones and woods broke apart and started to form a structure, falling like Tetris blocks onto the gaping hole in the roof.

Sensing something strange, the stone golem began to cast magic at the turret under construction.

Boom! Brrrmbmbm!

Yet, despite the constant barrage of light beams, the automatic defense turret was completed through sheer determination. Particularly, the barrel was completed first.

Clunk!

The gigantic cannon-like barrel aimed at the stone golem, and the next moment.

Boomboomboom-!

The muzzle belched fire.

The stone golem dodged swiftly, but the ensuing Magic Bullets severed its right arm and leg.

Groan, oooh...!

With a scream-like operating sound, the stone golem plummeted, crashing relentlessly.

Next, the automatic defense turret swiveled its barrel. It aimed at the golems approaching from the opposite direction.

Boom! Boomboomboom!

Dozens of azure Magic Bullets poured out.

The golem that was in the lead turned into a honeycomb, and immediately exploded.

Ka-Boom...!

The remaining golems ceased their advance, and hastily retreated.

It seemed they realized that continuing on would result in their destruction.

'I've been feeling it for a while, but why are these creatures so intelligent...?'

The basic intelligence of the monsters in this game should be to relentlessly charge the shortest path to kill humans.

Such movement in a situation where there's no significant commanding entity.

Still, I finally got a breather. As I confirmed the retreat of the creatures, I exhaled a long sigh.

"It seems we've finally entered a lull."

"You really have all sorts of strange tactics, senior... ugh!"

Evangeline let out a pained groan.

I quickly went to her side and sprayed a standard potion on her injuries from my inventory.

"It feels like I'm going to drink all the potions I'd have for my life today..."

As I handed her the remaining potion, Evangeline, who gulped it down in one go, asked with a worn-out face,

"What's next?"

"Wait. Until sunset."

I muttered, watching the sun still hanging above the horizon.

"When the sun sets, I can use my other insurance."

It was already late afternoon.

Although the sun set late in the land situated at the southernmost point of the continent, night was imminent.

All I had to do was wait until then. And then...

"Argh...!"

At that moment, Evangeline clutched the wound on her shoulder, groaning in pain...

It was the part that took the most damage during the earlier attack. Even with the potion applied, blood was still flowing.

"I'll look for something like a bandage. Wait here."

I got up and surveyed the interior of the building. It was a total wreck, but there were some usable items around.

This place used to be the kitchen of a villa.

Shattered liquor bottles lay all over the place as the cupboards and display shelves had collapsed. The sharp smell of alcohol permeated the air.

I found a clean cloth from a drawer and used it to bandage Evangeline's arm.

Evangeline, who had been struggling for breath, scrunched her brows.

"By the way, why is there so much alcohol around? The smell is intense."

"Well, because the Margrave of Crossroad was a hard-core alcoholic."

"What?"

Evangeline's sharp eyes widened, and I blinked back at her.

"You didn't know? Your father was no joke. He practically lived drowning in alcohol."

"There's no way... The father I remember hadn't even touched alcohol all his life."

Evangeline muttered with an uneasy voice.

"He said he must always be on full alert, as monsters could invade anytime... He never took a single sip..."

I let out a bitter laugh.

"A lot seems to have changed in the three years since you left."

"..."

"He was terribly tormented. He couldn't last a day without alcohol."

Evangeline's pale lips tightened.

Feeling pity for the little girl, I asked cautiously.

"Do you still hate your father, even after all this?"

"Yes."

She replied immediately.

"I still can't forgive him."

"If your father had chosen to save your mother instead of protecting the city three years ago, would you have forgiven him?"

"...I probably wouldn't hate him as much as I do now."

"But you were in the city at that time."

Evangeline's eyebrows twitched.

"If your father had left to save your mother, then you would have been in danger instead."

"..."

"He could only defend one side with Crossroad's troops at the time. Your father didn't abandon your mother. He chose to protect you. You know that."

"...Yes, I know."

Evangeline bit her lip slightly and mumbled.

"I know my father did his best. He always did... I know that. But still!"

Evangeline slowly bowed her head.

"Then who am I supposed to blame...?"

I blinked in surprise.

What?

"My mother was torn apart by monsters, and I'm so angry and sad that I'm going insane. But there's no point in hating the monsters. They're just accidents, disasters... So who am I supposed to blame?"

Evangeline covered her face with her hands.

"I know, it's cowardly... To look for someone to blame instead of hating the monster that killed my mother... it's cowardly."

"..."

"But if I don't blame someone... it feels like my heart will burst from...

It was not unlike a natural disaster, an uncontrollable monster.

They resent the living human who would take responsibility before their eyes.

Because it's easier to hate someone than to forget sorrow.

"My father was willing to take the blame. For not going to save my mother. It was his fault, his responsibility. So I hated him freely."

"..."

"And now I'm supposed to forgive my father? Because he really did his best? Because he did it to protect me?"

Evangeline's small fist pounded the ground.

"So if it's not my father's fault, then whose fault is all this...!"

"No one is at fault."

I said calmly.

"We're all just... trying to survive."

No one has evil intentions.

Everyone's just desperately trying to live their best lives.

But monsters attack, and people die.

Families die, friends die, comrades die.

"We can't help it. Humans are weak... To survive, we need someone tangible to blame."

Not to hate, but to live.

The people here need someone to blame. Someone to take responsibility for all this hell.

"So, now."

I knelt in front of Evangeline and gently stroked her head.

"Blame me."

Evangeline, who had been looking at the ground, looked up at me with wide green eyes.

"...Pardon?"

"Let me take over the blame from your father. I am now the lord of Crossroad."

I tapped my chest with my right hand.

"I am the one responsible for this place."

"There's no need for you, senior...."

There's no need.

But if this is also the burden that the Cross family has carried all this time, it is only right that I, the new lord, take it on.

"I'll be the one to blame. So... try to understand your father a little."

"..."

"He only wished for your happiness."

I ruffled Evangeline's hair roughly. Seeing the ashen face of the girl, I let out a quiet laugh.

"So, I am also going through all this trouble to save you."

"..."

Evangeline stared at me for a while with a speechless look in her eyes, then opened her mouth.

"I...."

Just then.

Gwoooh-!

A mechanical noise echoed in the distance. Evangeline and I turned our gaze towards it at once.

The golems were moving between the collapsed buildings.

They were surrounding the mansion broadly. Evangeline quickly stood up.

"They're surrounding us!"

"Tch, if only we had a bit more time..."

The automatic defense turret has a fixed amount of ammunition. And the directions it can fire at one time are also limited.

If they surround us and come in all at once, the automatic defense turret will be powerless against attacks from the blind spots.

Having realized this, the golems had surrounded us.

"These bastards, they're really smart, huh?"

"If they rush us all at once, we're done for."

"Then what should we...."

"We strike first."

The remaining number of the bastards was a mere sixteen. No, thirteen since one died from the automatic turret earlier.

Even if they surround the villa in a full circle, their encirclement would inevitably be thin. There's a possibility to break through.

I picked up the Magic Gun, Black Queen.

"Our only option is to break through their encirclement by attacking one side first, then eliminate the remaining bastards one by one."

I briefly glanced towards the west. The sun was gradually setting.

It's almost night.

The chance I had been waiting for is coming. The opportunity to use one of the two insurance policies I have left.

Evangeline showed me her empty hands.

"But I... don't have any weapons."

It was a shame that she had just destroyed two SSR grade set equipment pieces she had brought from the dungeon.

It was indeed regrettable. With a bitter taste in my mouth, I motioned to the outside.

"There's the backup equipment."

"Huh? I don't carry backup equipment."

"Not you. It's here."

"Really? Did Dad store weapons in this villa?"

"No, not exactly."

With a smirk, I gestured towards the orchard in the backyard.

"I buried it a few days ago."

Evangeline, who had been blank for a moment, suddenly opened her mouth wide.

"You don't mean, that...!"

***

Clank. Thud.

The heavy weight stepped on glass fragments, making a noise.

The sound of golems slowly tightened their encirclement.

They carefully approached the villa, pushing through the rubble of the destroyed buildings.

Oooong-

The automatic defense turret placed in the center of the villa emitted a threatening mechanical sound as it rotated its barrel.

If an enemy enters its range, it will fire without a 0.1-second delay.

The golems' encirclement gradually tightened, and the moment the range of the automatic defense turret and the golems' encirclement overlapped...

ThududuDum!

The cannon of the automatic defense turret spewed fire first.

The leading golem was turned into a rag doll under the shower of magical bullets. But there were still twelve more golems left.

ThuduDum! ThududuDum!

The golems charged all at once towards the automatic defense turret that was incessantly showering them with magical bullets.

The automatic defense turret managed to turn two more golems into honeycombs in an instant, but that was it.

By the time it rotated its barrel to find the next target, the remaining golems had already clung to the defense turret.

Crack! Creak! Groan!

The golems' violent punches quickly tore the armor apart, and the cannon that was vomiting magical bullets to the end was ripped out in an instant.

Kwagwang...!

The magic core shattered into pieces, and the automatic defense turret exploded.

Taking down a single golem caught in the blast was the last accomplishment of the automatic defense turret.

That's enough.

It worked.

"Charge-!"

I watched until the last moment as the golem bastards tore apart the automated defense turret.

Ta-at!

Evangeline and I dashed out of the villa building simultaneously.

Gwoh?!

The golems disassembling the automated defense turret all turned towards us at once. Without hesitation, they rushed after us.

"Keep running, Evangeline! Don't look back!"

Shouting to Evangeline, who was running ahead, I aimed the barrel of my magic gun behind us.

The golems had quickly caught up, almost on my heels.

Tu-kwang-!

Black Queen spewed fire.

A golem, torn apart from head to chest, fell backward. Without wasting a moment, I fired another shot to the side.

Tu-kuk-!

My aim was off, hitting the lower half of a golem this time.

It collapsed to the ground, looking grotesque, with everything below its thigh blown off. It wasn't what I was aiming for, but it was incapacitated, nonetheless.

"Just a bit more! I have my last insurance policy up ahead!"

Tu-kuk! Tu-kuk! Tu-kwang-!

I fired relentlessly, not sparing any bullets.

I managed to take down two more, but one shot completely missed. It didn't matter. I only needed to buy a little more time.

Soon enough, we reached the backyard orchard. The tombstones of the Margrave couple were erected there.

Evangeline, who had run ahead of me, kneeled beside her father's grave.

"...Gh!"

She started digging into the earth with her hands.

Desperately, Evangeline began to excavate a space right beside the grave.

In no time, a wooden box appeared from the mound of dirt. She quickly opened the box.

Inside, there was an old cavalry spear and a shield.

The weapons used by generations of the Cross family.

And on the day of her father's funeral, at Evangeline's request, these were buried together with the Margrave.

"..."

With her dirt-covered hands, Evangeline tightly gripped the worn-out cavalry spear.