I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 407

Ian picked up a half-eaten sausage. "What demons are we exactly talking about here?"

"Akihatara, Inaskurgl, maybe even Dharmaraja. Fuck." Diana, as if trying to regain her composure, took a deep drag of her cigarette.

Chewing on the overly salty, cold sausage, Ian muttered, "So, it's an area where their domains intersect..."

"Prince Hyked truly does stand at the most dangerous front to protect his people..." Lucia commented.

"Just as I'd heard, he hasn't changed at all."

"Well, of course, he's the prince..." Diana murmured. Lucia snatched the cigarette from her lips, making her open her eyes.

Diana blinked at Ian, who had extended his hand. She held her breath as if trying to savor the smoke a moment longer. Ian, of course, didn't care about her actions. He only watched Lucia curiously as he took the cigarette.

"Did the Saintess tell you anything in particular?" Ian asked.

He recalled that the Saintess of the Brazier was Hyked's half-sibling despite looking much younger than her age, likely due to her role as a divine apostle.

"Not much. They were half-siblings, but she said he always treated her warmly and kindly. She said that he had a way of calming everyone around him and making people naturally follow him. Like a light that embraced all. That's why she felt even more sorrow and regret..." Lucia trailed off.

She then shrugged at Ian. "That's about it. The rest, as I've mentioned before, I read in books."

"A light that embraces all..."

Could that be related to his ability?

As Ian—lost in thought—exhaled a puff of smoke, Diana, who had been holding her breath, finally spoke.

"His Highness is exactly like that, but honestly, I never wanted to see him again. Not in my lifetime. Sol Bryn's ruined fortress was also one of the places I'd hoped never to revisit."

"Sounds like there are other places you'd rather avoid," Ian said casually as he pulled the bottle of liquor closer.

"Of course. Places like the Isolated Sea or the Desert of Death... Places where you only ever hear horrific stories." Diana sighed heavily, her expression one of deep, existential fatigue. freёweɓnovel.com

Ian took another sip of the dwindling liquor. He then replied, "Don't worry too much. I won't force you to fight."

"Really?"

"Really. Just do your part. When it's over, go back. I won't stop you."

"Well, that's a relief. Then I just have to be careful of that horse of yours. It's not my responsibility to take care of it anyway."

"That is your responsibility."

"What?" Diana's eyes widened. She then sighed in resignation her expression clearly desperate for another drag of the cigarette.

"Taking care of the beast warhorse sounds a lot safer than joining a fight, don't you think?" Ian scoffed lowly as he held out the cigarette.

Diana, who had been biting her lower lip, eventually took the cigarette. "Fine. Since this is the last time, I'll do it."

"Good." Smiling, Ian averted his gaze. "Make sure to get some rest too, Lucy. Don't waste your energy."

Meeting Lucia's green eyes, he picked up the bottle and added, "Once we leave this place, it seems we'll have to say goodbye to proper rest for quite a long time."

Lucia gave a firm nod. "I will."

She then picked up her fork and dramatically stabbed the ham on her plate as if to emphasize her point.

***

Shwaa—

A sound that resembled both rain and waves reverberated through his entire body.

Ian realized he was standing in the middle of a world made of black and white shadows. An endless expanse of shadowy land stretched out before him. The sky, a swirling sea of monochrome, roiled with countless vortexes.

How did I end up here?

Frozen, Ian stared at the terrifying, surreal spectacle. His memories were hazy. The only certainty was that this was not reality.

Shwaa—

Then, far off in the distance, a light flickered. In this monochrome world, the violet glow was strikingly vivid. He couldn't discern its source—only the way it writhed and pulsed, expanding ever so slightly.

Shwaa—

A light emerged in another direction, this time a deep violet. Unlike the first, it seeped and spread like a slow, creeping mist. The only similarity between the two lights was their overwhelming size and brilliance.

Soon, a crimson light flared from another point, blazing like fire.

Thump... Thump...

Elsewhere, a dark navy light spread. These four lights, though separate, were not entirely distant from one another. At the very least, they seemed closer to each other than the deep green glow rippling from the opposite end.

As the reverberations shaking him grew louder, ominous new colors began to rise and stain the monochrome world.

Compared to the lights that had appeared earlier, these new colors were faint and small, but they still glimmered like stars. The scene resembled a blasphemous night sky speckled with unholy constellations.

Thump... Thump...

The pulsations grew louder. Only then did Ian realize that the purple glow was emanating from his own body.

He did not know when it began. Flecks of other colors shimmered faintly within the purple, blending and shifting in a chaotic dance.

Right... The bead of chaos essence had suddenly resonated.

As Ian finally remembered, the lights that had each been swaying in their colors spread, emitting hazy, smoky auras. The brilliant lights that had flared first expanded their territories in their own ways, flowing toward one another.

At the same time, Ian felt a burning thirst and an insatiable longing—a desire to consume everything in sight.

Shwaa—

In that instant, the monochrome world bled like ink, swallowing all the lights into its pitch-black void. Only the pulsating thrum remained vividly distinct.

And then Ian blinked.

The resonance disappeared as if it had never existed.

He felt the solid wall against his back and the slightly rough texture of its surface. The noise of the city—busier than usual—drifted in through the high-set window in the ceiling. Ian glanced at the familiar walls of the dwarven estate and let out a short, dry chuckle.

Right... This isn't the first time I've seen this.

He suddenly realized a fact that he had completely forgotten.

He had been seeing these visions in his dreams lately only to forget them upon waking. However, this was the first time the essence bead of chaos had resonated so vividly, forcing the vision upon him while he was awake.

Perhaps it was because he had killed Carmiel and, in the process, absorbed a fragment of its chaos into the essence bead.

Or maybe something has happened.

Ian tried to cling to the rapidly fading memory of those unholy, star-like lights. It wasn't too difficult to guess what they represented.

Amid his contemplation, Lucia stepped out of her room.

"Ian."

Snapped out of his thoughts, Ian turned to her. "You're already prepared to leave."

Lucia was fully armed, wearing the armor that the dwarven craftsmen had repaired to its former glory.

"I need to stop by the dining hall," she said with a nod, pulling on a gray hooded cloak similar to the one that Diana had worn when they first met. "They're preparing food and water for us."

She then kneeled in front of a metal storage chest on the floor and opened its lid.

Watching her, Ian asked, "Did you notice anything strange about me? Like lights or something?"

Lucia glanced over her shoulder as she pulled out leather water flasks. "No? I didn’t see anything. Why? Did something happen just now?"

Ian shook his head. "No, nothing."

He then looked down at his right hand. The black ring on his finger, Yog, was completely still.

Of all times, it had to be sleeping now.

Clicking his tongue, Ian pulled the ring off and held it out. "Take this. If you have something to tell me, wake it up and have it deliver the message."

"Okay," Lucia said. She held her right hand out while cradling the water flasks in her other arm.

Ian slipped Yog onto her middle finger. By now, this sort of exchange had become so common between them that it felt natural.

"I'll be back soon. It won't take long," Lucia said as she headed for the door.

Ian nodded and turned his attention toward the table beside him. Everything was just as it had been before the vision—an empty bottle of liquor, an hourglass, a small storage box with its lid ajar, and a piece of parchment sitting in front of it.

Clunk—

As the stone door opened, Ian reached out and picked up the parchment—the Scroll of Correspondence that he had received from Princess Seras.

At the end of the parchment, the brief message he had written remained exactly as it was.

– Alive.

He had written it right after settling in Drag Velga.

Though quite some time had passed, he still hadn’t gotten any reply. As he suspected, the Scroll of Correspondences only seemed to communicate with others within their respective network.

As the door closed again, Ian folded the parchment and placed it back into the storage box. He checked the neatly organized interior once more before closing the lid.

Afterward, with a quick motion, he placed the storage chest into his pocket dimension and reached for the hourglass beside him.

Ian turned the handle on the top of the hourglass, making the gears beneath the handle click in sequence. Slowly, the nearly empty glass tube flipped over.

The crimson marker on the clockwork dial had already completed one full rotation and moved several notches further.

Including all the time spent wandering... it's already been well over a month.

Perhaps even over two months had passed. There were times when the flow of time felt ambiguous, like when walking along the edges of the rift.

If that were the case, then nearly four to six months had passed outside the wall.

They're probably still busy suppressing the aftereffects of the erosion.

Of course, the Platinum Dragon likely wasn't concerned about any of it. Ian had a growing, almost certain feeling that he'd be breaking through the wall much sooner than expected.

So, the time left must be...

Ian's thoughts trailed off as he paused mid-turn.

Thunk... Rumble—

A dull sound reverberated from beyond the wall, followed shortly by the door beginning to open again. Diana walked in, wearing a wooden mask. She glanced uneasily to her left before looking at Ian.

"The Half-Pints have brought the things, Ian," Diana said.

Finally.

Ian, who had been waiting, gestured with his chin. "Then don't just stand there. Come in."

"I can't. I need to see His Excellency. He's got something to ask of me—probably related to the Wolves."

"Do as you like. So, how are the Wolves?"

"They're preparing. They've been raiding the warehouses enthusiastically. You can probably hear it."

The city was noisier than usual because the Blue Wolves were preparing to leave. Ian, nodding calmly, tossed the hourglass to her.

"Take it with you. Don't forget to wind it when it's time."

She deftly caught it, tied its handle to her belt, and then nodded.

"If I don't want it to break, I'll just have to avoid fighting entirely."

"Just clear the way, Pointy Ears. Stop dragging your feet."

"Yeah, yeah. If you're done talking, hurry and leave already," someone gruffly said from behind.

Diana's sharp eyes narrowed. She then clicked her tongue briefly before glancing at Ian. "I'll see you downstairs once you finish your business, Ian."

After Ian gave her a small nod, Diana immediately spun on her heels.

As if on cue, Corvo led the group of dwarven craftsmen into the room, each carrying or cradling items wrapped meticulously in cloth.

Ian shrugged, observing their weary faces as they filed in. "Even wrapped them, huh? Quite the effort."

"Well, these are for the Great Warrior, after all," Corvo replied as the last dwarf entered and shut the door behind him. With all seven dwarves now inside, the room suddenly felt much smaller.

Ian chuckled. "Are you planning to dress me personally again?"

The dwarven craftsmen all nodded.

While unwrapping the cloth around a piece of equipment, Corvo said, "Come here. Take off those rags you call clothes."