I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 319

"Iron Fist...? Haha! I like that. Not surprising, though—anyone who gets hit with this is out cold," Miguel laughed heartily.

"What kind of priest talks about knocking people out, huh?" Ian teased, smirking as he picked up his spoon.

"No matter what tricks I pull, I can’t hope to match you, Brother," Miguel replied, smiling but then lowering his voice. "I’ve heard all about your journey since you left the north. You could write a book on your accomplishments."

Ian gave a low snort. "Seems you’ve heard quite a bit."

"Of course. Sir Mev had plenty to say, and that new squire of yours was quite the talker too. For a while, both the temple and the entire city were buzzing for a while. They say the superhuman from the North is the savior of the continent. I was puffing my chest out with pride."

"Nasser, that kid..."

Pretends he’s quiet, but he sure talks a lot, Ian thought, shaking his head as he took a sip of the stew. Of course, rumors spreading like this were nothing new.

"Eh," Miguel made a strange sound before continuing. "As for me and Lucy, we got most of our stories from Sir Mev."

"... Sir Mev?" Ian asked, raising an eyebrow.

"When she talked about you, her eyes sparkled. But I guess after spending so long together, it’s only natural to develop feelings..." Realizing too late what he had said, Miguel quickly closed his mouth.

He glanced at Ian, who had stopped eating to stare directly at him, and hurriedly added, "S-So, what exactly are you planning to do from here?"

"..."

"I mean, I know you’ll be joining the northern front to help with defense, but I haven’t heard the specifics," he said.

"... I guess you missed out on the details sneaking out," Ian replied indifferently, finally looking away.

Miguel shook his head immediately. "No, as far as I know, His Majesty’s decree only instructed you to join the front lines and assigned priests to support you. Isn’t that right, Lucy?"

"That’s right." Lucia, who had been chewing her food, nodded.

Meeting Ian’s gaze, she swallowed and spoke, "I read the decree myself. It only mentioned what Miguel said and ordered us to cooperate with you as much as possible."

Leaving the details for them to figure out? How... generous, Ian thought, chuckling to himself as he spoke.

"No orders to monitor me or report my actions?"

"None at all," Lucia replied.

"Hmm." Ian nodded.

This was unexpected; he hadn’t expected the Emperor would truly intend only to assign support.

Lucy, looking a bit puzzled, then asked, "Is there any reason His Majesty would need to monitor you, Sir Ian?"

"... No, there isn’t. Now, eat up and listen." Ian shook his head, concealing his thoughts as he pulled out the bottle Archeas had left from his pocket dimension and continued speaking, "I’ve been appointed as the Margrave of the Northern Autonomous Territories."

"Margrave ...? Isn’t that basically just one rank below Archduke?" Miguel asked, eyes wide.

Ian shook his head. "It’s a title in name only. I’ve only been given governance over the snowfields."

"The snowfields... of all places. Why there?" Miguel’s expression soured, a hint of disappointment showing—seemingly more interested in easier spoils.

Lucia, who had been quietly eating, interjected. "Because he’s the Great Warrior of the North. That’s why he said he’s headed for the snowfields—to gather the barbarians and have them join the front lines."

She’s quick on the uptake too, Ian thought, smirking as he nodded.

"Right. Even if I skip stopping by the temple, time isn’t exactly abundant. I’ll need to travel the territory directly to gather the barbarians. I’ll also need to get them properly equipped before joining the front."

"Just hearing about it makes my joints ache. Oh, when are we ever going to cover that cold, endless land again?" Miguel grumbled, raising his beer with a grimace.

"Did you know that most of the barbarians who settled down have already moved back out?"

"I didn’t know, but I’m not surprised," Ian replied calmly.

Miguel nodded, taking another sip. "After you defeated the dragon, our side sent out an investigation team. Priests all receive basic medical training, you know," he said, glancing at Lucia.

"Anyway, Lucy and I were part of that team. We went specifically to meet you, Brother. The other priests didn’t think you’d be willing to see them. In the end, though, it was a wasted trip."

Ah, right. We must have missed each other, Ian thought, shrugging slightly as he opened the bottle, noticing Miguel smiling as he watched him.

"Back then, I wondered why you left so quickly. I only found out recently that you went to rescue a friend. Anyway, I passed by the barbarian settlement then. Everyone was preparing to return to the snowfields. With the evil dragon gone, it was time to reclaim the ancestors’ land."

"There seemed to be some people left at the settlement, but not many," Lucy added.

Ian poured two glasses and nodded. It wasn’t surprising at all that the barbarians had made such a choice.

"I figure they’re back there now, living well and smashing the bones of undead that lost their master."

"Are the undead still wandering around?"

"Indeed. For a while, they roamed inside the walls every night. After the dragon died, they scattered but didn’t disappear—they wandered around every night. Soldiers and mercenaries had to keep hunting them down. The inside of the walls is mostly clear now, but the snowfields probably still have them."

Shrugging his shoulders, he placed the glass Ian handed him in front of him. "There are always undead crawling out of the mountains. I don’t know where they keep coming from."

"That makes it all the more reason for you to bring me along," Lucia said with a smile, interjecting.

When Ian turned to look at her, she rinsed her mouth with water and spoke calmly. "If you only bring the warriors, those left behind will be in danger. But if you bring everyone, there won’t be enough time or supplies."

"And why does that make it a good idea to bring you along?"

"Because while the warriors are away, I can create a safe place for those left behind. A place monsters can’t approach."

Ian’s gaze narrowed further. "What, are you planning to light a holy fire or something?"

"Yeah, that’s right."

"... Is that possible outside the temple?"

"As long as I have enough time and space, and plenty of firewood. Of course, it won’t last forever. If I put all my effort into it, I should be able to light a holy flame that won’t go out for a while... probably."

"So you’ve never done it before..."

Lucia gave a faint smile. "I just haven’t done it by myself before. But I know how, and it won’t be risky. I am, after all, an Apostle of the Blazing Goddess."

Judging by her tone and expression, it didn’t seem like baseless confidence.

Ian finally nodded. It was certainly an appealing idea—he’d originally planned to bring all the barbarians south, but if they could select only the warriors, it would save time and improve their pace.

Miguel chimed in, "Either way, you’ll need to establish a base in one of the barbarian villages. But the maps don’t even show where the villages are."

"We’ll use the first village we come across in the southern snowfields as a base."

With trees scattered everywhere, it would be easy to clear space just by logging and expanding the fences.

"Since we’re on the topic, let’s take a look. Exactly where is your territory?"

Miguel stood up, rummaging through his belongings, and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. It was an old map showing the northern region.

"Lu Glast, Nor Lindor, and Gal Maro." @@novelbin@@

"So you’ve been given nearly all the snowfields—a vast, freezing stretch up north. But either way, if you’re not visiting the temple, there’s no need to take a detour."

Miguel moved his finger over the map. "We’ll head north, follow the road eastward, then cross through the gate at the northern wall. No idea how much of the fortress wall has been rebuilt, though."

"Seen it before?"

"Not personally, no, just heard the gist. After the dragon’s defeat, the North has been busy eliminating the remaining undead and rebuilding towns and walls. I heard they’re short on manpower, but I haven’t heard recent updates."

Miguel shrugged, glancing at Ian with a wry grin. "We’re cooped up in the temple, so news doesn’t travel quickly to us."

Quite bold to admit how little he knows as a supposed aide, Ian thought with a quiet laugh.

"Still, the temple should be relatively close to the frontier."

"Geographically, yes, but it’s not in a position that’s easy to access from the frontier. The frontier has become chaotic, and I’ve heard that some unsettling monsters have been crossing over."

Miguel shrugged his shoulders, his expression somewhat irresponsible. "It doesn’t really concern us anyway. The undead can’t get anywhere near the temple. That little blacksmith village didn’t grow into a small city for nothing."

Ian recalled something Thesaya had mentioned back when she was a vampire. The area around the temple, she’d said, felt like it turned one’s insides upside down.

Like the capital, the temple’s vicinity was undoubtedly blessed ground. With Lucia reigniting the Sacred Flame, that power had likely only intensified.

"Anyway, so you know nothing about the frontier?"

"I'm sure I’m not the only one. When I go into the city, I sometimes hear mercenaries talk, but none of them know exactly what's going on at the border. They just vaguely chatter about how the border might push closer to us one day."

Filling the glass, Ian added, "Sounds like mercenaries are flocking there, just like they are here."

"Well, our equipment here is top-notch. Expensive, but worth it. I’d say you might know some of those folks," Miguel said, finally lifting the glass Ian had given.

Ian’s eyebrow arched. "The Dragon Slayer’s Warriors?"

"Ah, so you know them."

"They must be doing well for themselves."

"They are. With soldiers tied up in the cleanup and rebuilding efforts, the Archduke hired them directly, using them as a sort of civilian patrol force."

So are they like an official vigilante group?

As Ian’s gaze narrowed briefly, Miguel snorted and continued, "Their influence keeps growing, and now it’s said that you can’t get mercenary work in the north without going through them."

There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. Thinking back, Fael from the Ark Caravan had spoken similarly.

With a smirk on one side of his mouth, Ian replied, "So, they’ve grown into quite a force."

"The exact size? Only the captain would know. Seems like a capable fellow, though. Wouldn't you know better? I heard you fought together at Bellium Fortress."

"Well, I wouldn’t say I don’t know him. Though I’m not sure about him being particularly capable." Ian murmured, nodding with a smile.

Miguel shook his head, muttering, "But if they’re mercenaries, they should act like it. The way they carry themselves, you’d think they were some sort of regular army. There’s even a rumor they’re shaking down travelers, though I haven’t seen it myself."

He finished his comment with a scoff, sipping his drink, only to widen his eyes in surprise.

After tilting his head back for another taste, he sighed, "By Lu Enter... What is this? It’s amazing."

"Really?"

As Lucia's eyes sparkled, Ian spoke, "Are they still stationed at Travelga?"

"Hm...? I don’t think so. I heard they moved to Ninglosth. It’s closer to the frontier and the other chaotic zones, so they drop by the temple area now and then."

"Then I’ll definitely have to pass through Ninglosth."

"We could stop by if we need to. Though it’s a slight detour. ... Wait, you’re not seriously thinking of..." Miguel paused, mid-sip, looking at Ian with suspicion. "You’re not thinking of taking them to the front line, are you?"

"If they’ve been making a living off my name, they ought to pay up. Privilege comes with responsibility, right?" Ian remarked, offering Miguel the bottle.

Even with a hundred—no, just fifty mercenaries—it would provide a significant boost to their strength. Of course, he planned to have them arm themselves at their own expense.

Miguel, as if entranced, raised his glass and nodded. "Well... if that’s what you want, let’s do it. But do you think they’ll comply so easily? They’re in the middle of fulfilling His Highness the Archduke’s request, and heading to the front lines is something they’d hate as much as death."

Ian’s lips curled into a slight smile.

"Whether they truly hate it as much as death... we’ll find out soon enough."