I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 320

Miguel hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile.

"Well, that... that's true. We'll only know when we get there, I suppose. Hmm..."

His gaze naturally drifted down to the refilling glass. It was likely just a habit from his days as a mercenary, but it seemed he was taking Ian's words as seriously. However, only half of Ian’s words were genuine. He was prepared to risk his life if necessary, but he didn't actually intend to kill everyone. After all, they were valuable allies going to the front lines with him.

"Could I have just one glass, please?" Just as Ian was about to put the bottle down, Lucia asked.

Ian answered without a moment’s hesitation, "Absolutely not. Don’t even think about it."

"I'm coming of age after my birthday next year, Sir Ian."

"Then you can start drinking then. I’ll leave a sip for you."

"... Fine," Lucia answered and eyed the bottle, swallowing hard.

Why is her mouth watering?

"Don’t tell me you’ve already been drinking at the temple."

"Just a sip now and then. I was told that just tasting a sip was fine."

"Who told you that?"

Lucia quickly pursed her lips and looked away. Of course, Ian immediately pinpointed the culprit.

Miguel, who had been savoring his drink, froze under Ian’s stare. A slight sheen of sweat formed on his forehead again.

He slowly lowered his glass and muttered, "It’s... it’s just a taste. Just a taste, I swear. You know, there's that saying you should learn about alcohol from an adult."

Ian’s gaze remained icy.

... You’ve really taught her only the best things, haven’t you?

The small, mercenary-like behaviors Lucia often displayed flashed through Ian's mind. There was no need to wonder where they all came from.

"S-So, where did you get this drink?"

Looking down at his glass, Miguel asked hastily, as if trying to change the subject. "Even in the Empire, I doubt you’d find something like this lying around. Is it... incredibly expensive?"

"... I don’t even know its name."

Clicking his tongue, Ian pushed the bottle toward Miguel as he replied. "All I know is that it’s expensive. It’s a gift from the Great Platinum Dragon."

"The P-Platinum Dragon...?!" Miguel’s eyes widened.

While he stared at the bottle with renewed awe, Lucia, equally surprised, exclaimed, "You met him? When?"

"Today. Just a few hours ago."

Lucia’s mouth fell ajar. Miguel also muttered the name of the Blazing Goddess with a sigh.

Finally, Lucia licked her lips. "It's a shame. I've always wanted to meet him."

"If he'd known it was you guys waiting, perhaps he would have."

"Do you plan to meet him again?"

"After we secure the front lines."

"I hope I'll be by your side then. I’ve heard he possesses the insight to see through the essence of all things, with a depth of understanding beyond anyone’s guess."

Ian chuckled softly and raised his glass. "Did Sir Riurel tell you that?"

"Yes, and Nasser said so as well."

So, that meeting must have left quite an impression, Ian mused inwardly as he took a sip.

After all, he couldn’t even fully grasp Archeas’s true intentions. It was only recently that he comprehended its emotions towards the Order, the royal house, and the Heaven Defier. It wouldn’t have been surprising if Archeas harbored other motives. Perhaps its goal wasn’t even to destroy the Black Wall.

Maybe, like the pure devotees claim, it just wants to break free of its invisible shackles...

Of course, that was neither certain nor a matter he needed to conclude right now.

Shaking off his thoughts, Ian spoke, "So, I assume Sir Riurel prepared well before leaving?"

Lucia nodded. "Yes. She didn’t even stay at the temple for half a month. She took a few days to rest well, but after that, she trained my body whenever she could and prepared to leave."

"She left sooner than expected...."

"I tried to convince her to stay longer, but she wouldn’t listen. If she’d stayed just a few more months, she might have heard news of you, Sir Ian, and come along."

"... We’ll see her again. She’ll be fine." Ian replied calmly.

Lucia smiled as if trying to brush away her lingering regret and worry, while Miguel, sipping his drink, nodded in agreement.

"I feel the same. Sir Mev is impressive, but that squire of hers is something else. They sparred whenever they had the chance, though sparring doesn’t quite capture it—it was more like a real duel. Just watching them could make your head spin. Whatever threats lie in the frontier, those two won’t be taken down easily."

In agreement, Ian pushed the bottle toward Miguel, who grinned and took another sip, pecking at his drink like a bird.

"Come to think of it, I haven’t even properly thanked you," Lucia spoke up suddenly.

When Ian looked at her curiously, she straightened her posture and continued, "I heard you helped fulfill my family's revenge. Thank you, Sir Ian, from the bottom of my heart. For achieving my sister’s desire and for bringing her safely back to me."

... She always acted mature, but she’s really grown up now.

Watching Lucia bow her head, Ian chuckled. "I’ve already received all the thanks from Sir Riurel. More than enough."

"And please, continue to look after me. I’ll do my best to be of help to you, Sir Ian." Lucia smiled at him, and Ian shrugged as he lifted his glass.

"Then eat well and rest tonight. Starting tomorrow, we’ll be traveling all day, except for sleep."

He shifted his gaze and added, "That goes for you as well, Miguel. If anyone here lacks the stamina for it, it’s you."

"Don’t worry about me. Heh heh. But even if I end up falling off my horse tomorrow from drowsiness, I’m not calling it a night until I finish this drink. It’s worth it."

Miguel joked, and Ian smirked as he took a sip, letting him do as he pleased. Their idle chatter continued late into the night, mostly tales of Lucia and Miguel’s time at the temple.

***

Their route led them across unfamiliar hills, through freezing streams, and into serene forests.

The air smelled of winter. For nearly a day and a half, the group hadn’t encountered a single traveler. It was only natural, as Ian had chosen the quickest route, which led them along a restricted road bordering the frontier.

At a crossroads, a large warning sign stood squarely in the middle of the path, cautioning against entry due to the dangers ahead. According to Miguel, the opposite route was similar. That was why they had taken a detour, which added an extra day or two to the journey.

"Man, it’s too damn quiet," Miguel muttered, crouched near the fire with a dried jerky skewer roasting over his blade. His gaze drifted into the shadows of the surrounding forest, where even the campfire’s glow seemed barely able to cut through the darkness.

"You know what that means," Ian replied, dropping a pile of firewood beside the fire.

Miguel looked up sharply, "Hey now, don’t go jinxing us."

A priest, yet he still believes in superstitions, Ian scoffed quietly, glancing back over his shoulder.

Like Miguel, Lucia wore a thick, fur-lined hooded cloak. She was crouched near a tree along the restricted road, spreading out a fur mat for the horses to rest on. The horses that she and Miguel rode had noticeably shorter legs, thicker coats, and fuller manes. If Nila was sleek, these two were stocky by comparison.

Their appearance reflected their stamina, too; despite two days of swift, long-distance travel, they hardly seemed fatigued. Nila was no exception. Unlike the others, it wasn’t even tethered to a tree; as soon as Lucia spread out the fur mat, Nila walked over and settled onto it comfortably.

"I’ve never seen such a clever horse," she remarked, running a hand over Nila’s mane as she approached with blankets for the group. Each breath she exhaled fogged in the chill air.

"She’s a sharp one. Stick by her if anything happens," Ian advised, glancing at Miguel, who winced as he removed the sizzling jerky from his blade.

"Could you stop saying things like that...? You did that yesterday as well."

"But nothing happened, did it?"

"You really have a knack for saying the worst possible things," Lucia remarked, as she draped a blanket over Miguel's cloak and then did the same for Ian. She looked amused, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

... She’s always been bold, even back then.

As Lucia settled into her seat, Miguel offered her the knife with the jerky on it, struggling a bit with only one hand. While Lucia took the hot jerky and tore it into pieces, Miguel turned his gaze back to Ian.

"So, we really only have these last two pieces left?"

"Yep," Ian replied. @@novelbin@@

"Damn shame. It was good stuff."

"Finish it. Looks like there isn’t much game around here, so we might go hungry all day tomorrow."

Lucia handed the jerky pieces to Ian and Miguel in turn. Ian took his piece with his hand, while Miguel opened his mouth expectantly, as if asking to be fed. Chewing on a small piece herself, Lucia gazed beyond the campfire into the quiet forest.

"It’s definitely quieter tonight. Last night was so noisy in comparison."

"Lucia, you too..." Miguel muttered, pursing his lips.

The nighttime forest made it abundantly clear why entry to this road was restricted. Occasionally, the eerie cries of unknown beasts echoed through the woods. It was a distant sound, but it wasn’t hard to guess that the creatures were fighting each other.

"They must be resorting to cannibalism now that there's no food left," Miguel muttered with a resigned sigh.

Stabbing his sword into the ground, he reached for the bottle he’d set aside and continued, "I don’t get why these beasts born in cursed lands venture outside. When they do, they just end up dying, too weak to survive out here. It’s like the whole area is falling into madness or something...."

It was knowledge Miguel likely picked up from his mercenary days.

Ian, chewing on the jerky that had already cooled, responded indifferently, "Maybe there’s no food left in there either. Or there's too many of them and had no choice but to come out."

"... Either way, it’s pretty horrifying." Miguel passed the bottle to Ian, who shrugged as he accepted it.

"Or maybe there are some that have adapted to survive outside."

"That’s the worst possibility. If more of them adapt, the distinction between demonic realms and safe areas would become meaningless. I swear, at this rate, we’ll all end up stuck inside the temple walls for good. But..."

Miguel trailed off, then turned to Ian with a curious look. "Why aren’t you drinking?"

Ian simply set the bottle down beside him without answering. Then, as he shrugged off the blanket around his shoulders, Miguel’s face twisted in dismay.

"... Are you serious?"

"It seems we’ve said a bit too much of what we shouldn’t have," Ian murmured as he rose to his feet.

As Miguel grimaced further, Ian quickly tightened the gear strapped to his body and added, "You two, stay with the horses."

"Got it. I’ll take the front. Miguel, cover the rear," Lucia said immediately.

"Dammit..."

While Miguel groaned and started adjusting his gear, Lucia swiftly rose and readied the flail from her belt, a weapon with a spiked head that suited her perfectly.

"... There’s definitely something out there," she said, her gaze fixed on the darkness beyond, where Ian had been staring. A faint orange light flickered in her eyes.

"Are we spotted?"

"Probably." Ian slipped the gemstone into his left hand and secured the crossbow on his right wrist.

His eyes, black as midnight, focused again on the darkness of the forest. Now he could see the creature more clearly as it crept silently closer, blending into the shadows. Its form came into full view, and Ian could finally discern its shape.

It looked just like a swamp troll, but with an elongated horn covered in a hard shell extending down from its head, its body hanging limply as though weakened. It moved soundlessly, almost gliding. The mystery of how it moved so stealthily was soon answered; as it passed through the sparse foliage, its lower body emerged, revealing twisted limbs resembling those of a spider or scorpion.

What a revolting blend of features.

Ian drew his Truesilver Steel Sword, ready to engage, and in the next instant, charged forward without warning. His Shadow Cloak billowed silently behind him, tracing a long arc in the air.

Despite the distance and the muffled sound of his cloak, the mutated troll seemed to sense Ian’s approach immediately. Its massive upper body, previously slouched, arched back as though stretching. In its hollow eye sockets, a dim violet glow flickered to life, and its jaws creaked open.

"Krr—aaaah!"

A scream erupted, nearly a wail, identical to the cries they’d heard echoing through the forest the previous night.