I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 257

The voice had just enough character to be identified as male, but it had no other distinct features.

"..."

Ian turned his head toward it.

A barren wasteland stretched endlessly before him, with the Black Wall continuing infinitely in the distance. Standing amid the scene was a man dressed in a black Imperial uniform. His face was as featureless as his voice.

Ian initially thought that this was his first time meeting this man. However, he quickly realized that this wasn't their first encounter. He had seen him before in a dream after his battle with Tahumrit the Corrupted Dragon. The man had been sitting across from him then, too.

"Isn’t it beautiful? This is nothing less than a work of art," the man remarked.

As Ian's memory resurfaced, the man’s facial features began to blur, seemingly smeared by a hand through wet paint.

Despite knowing that this dream would likely fade into a vague memory upon waking, Ian still asked, "Are you... the fragment of chaos?"

The man turned his attention from the Black Wall to Ian. Although he had indistinct features, Ian could sense him smiling.

"Interesting theory, but no, I’m not. That belongs to you, and in a way, it’s a part of you. Perhaps it might even become you."

"What are you, then? An ancient God?" Ian asked.

The man's smile deepened. "Well, I’ll leave that as a mystery. Knowing too much spoils the fun, doesn’t it?"

Fun? What a load of crap, you bastard.

Before Ian could grit his teeth, the man commented, "You’re doing well."

By now, their surroundings had darkened, and the man's uniform seemed to have blended into it.

"Keep resisting fate, just like you’re doing. And survive."

The darkness crept further into Ian’s vision. Amidst the encroaching void, red hieroglyphic symbols flickered like static.

"I can’t wait to see what kind of being you’ll eventually become."

"Answer me! Are you the one who brought me here? Or is it your void scum?" Ian shouted as he lunged at the man. He couldn’t care less about cryptic talk or mind games. He just wanted answers before the man disappeared.

Squelch.

But Ian's hand plunged into nothing but darkness. The man's face had vanished as if submerged in ink.

Ian swung his arm through the darkness that swallowed the man, desperately trying to grab hold of his collar or anything he could reach. However, the darkness engulfed him much faster, filling his vision with shadows and red static.

—But that’s not what you’re really curious about, is it?

With a whisper, someone shook his body. His consciousness surged as if being pulled from the depths.

"Ian, wake up. Ian?"

Ian blinked blankly. The hand shaking his shoulder and the pale face looking down at him came into focus. It was Thesaya.

She looked into Ian's eyes and smiled playfully.

"That’s surprising. You woke up later than us. Did you have a nightmare?"

Instead of answering, Ian took a look around the room.

Everyone was already awake, stretching or preparing for the day in their own ways, just as they did every morning.

"You didn't show it, but deep down, you must have been a bit upset, huh, Ian?" Thesaya teased further.

"... Yeah. Maybe so," Ian replied coolly as he sat up.

Though the memory of the dream was already fading, certain scenes remained vividly imprinted in his mind.

See you again, you motherfucker. Not that you'd answer any of my questions anyway. Next time, I'll start bashing your face in as soon as we meet.

As Ian mulled over his thoughts, Thesaya, with a mischievous smile, nodded toward something.

"I left your things down below. Don’t forget to take them with you."

Ian looked under the sofa, finding steel gloves and a pair of plate bracers that reached up to his elbows. He had lent these items to Philip to let him mimic a purifier. Everything, except for the parts that originally belonged to him, seemed to have been returned to their rightful owners.

"..."

Ian stretched and looked out the window. The sky, heavy with clouds, was beginning to brighten. As planned, they had woken up just as dawn was breaking.

Click, clank—clatter—

Soon, the group began donning their equipment.

Even though they had only slept for two or three hours after drinking until dawn, no one showed any signs of fatigue. On the contrary, they seemed more refreshed than ever. The aftereffects of the battle from a few days ago were nowhere to be seen.

While the others didn’t notice, Ian knew that this was thanks to the Divine Droplet. The alcohol they had drunk over the past two days had, in fact, completely reinvigorated them.

"Make sure you have everything. Don’t forget anything important."

"Don’t worry, Freckles."

"I packed some dried food and small items for you two and put them in a bag on the carriage. Make sure to take them with you."

"Really? When did you have time to prepare all that?"

"While you were taking care of business outside yesterday. I had nothing else to do while Elie was cleaning the house, so I prepared it all at once."

"As expected, the Apostle of the Radiant Goddess is different. Thanks."

Casual conversations, no different from any other day, filled the room.

Amid their preparations, Elia asked, "Are we going to see them off now?"

"No, we’ll be leaving first. Oh, you didn’t know yet, did you? No one really mentioned it, after all." Thesaya, who was fastening her metal boots, looked over at her. "Redhead and Half Ear are going North. You and Freckles will be going to the center with Ian. Today, we all go our separate ways."

"Ah, so it’s not just the two of them leaving..."

Elia looked at the others, who, despite what Thesaya had just said, remained focused on their preparations instead of showing any reaction.

"Hey, it’s okay. This is to be expected, no? Where there's a meeting, there's always a parting." Philip said with a cheerful smile.

He was donning the purifier’s metal breastplate and had placed his somewhat shabby pauldrons on his shoulders.

"Yes, I suppose so," Elia responded with a bittersweet smile. She had a strange look in her eyes.

Is she thinking of the Platinum Dragon?

"Nasser," Ian called.

Nasser, who was hurriedly putting on his gear, turned toward him. "Yes?"

"When you’re done, head down and get the carriages ready. We’ll be taking both, so let the guards know as well."

"Understood. Should I have them follow us if they insist on providing an escort?"

"Yeah. I’ve already briefed them yesterday. They’ll take care of it."

"Alright, I’ll see you there. Take as much time as you need."

Nasser, barely dressed in his gear, left the room. He probably planned to wear the rest after preparing the carriages.

As Ian resumed putting on his gear at a relaxed pace, Thesaya turned to him.

"Ride with us, Ian," Thesaya offered.

Charlotte also glanced at Ian. Her shoulders seemed broader than usual, which was no illusion—she was now wearing the purifier’s steel shoulder guards that had belonged to Philip. While the mismatched gear didn't blend well, she was too much of a seasoned wanderer to care about that anymore.

Ian chuckled softly and nodded. "Alright. We’ve got some things to discuss anyway. Elia, you ride with Philip."

"Yes, Sir Ian,” Elia replied.

Philip turned to Mev, who was behind him. "You’ll be riding with me, right, my lord?"

Mev smiled and nodded. "That’s right."

For a moment, Philip’s eyes took on a strange look, but he quickly masked it with a smile and shifted his gaze.

Well, those two probably have plenty to talk about as well.

Ian smirked to himself as he fastened the straps on his bracers. After balling his hands into fists a couple of times, he stood up and turned to leave.

"I’ll head down first."

On his way out, he grabbed the Purifier's Truesilver Steel Sword on the makeshift table.

***

Clip, clop—

Trailing behind the large carriage carrying Mev, Philip, and Elia, the smaller carriage driven by Nasser also set off.

Spello and the guards, who had been waiting since early morning, naturally assumed a formation and escorted the carriages.

"..."

The carriage was unusually quiet. Even though it was cramped and uncomfortable, Thesaya didn’t complain today. Now that they were all gathered in one place, it seemed difficult for anyone to find the right words to say. Only the faint voices of the townsfolk, who were just starting their day, seeped into the carriage.

This isn’t like them.

Ian retrieved the purifier's cloak from his pocket dimension. It originally belonged to Philip, and they had been planning to use it as a swaddle for Elia. Nevertheless, he tossed it onto Charlotte’s lap.

Surprised, Charlotte blinked at it. She then turned to him.

"Use it,” Ian said.

Charlotte’s orange eyes widened, and her pupils narrowed sharply. "What...? You’re giving me something this valuable?"

After a brief pause, she stammered, "My current gear is more than enough, though..."

She wasn’t wrong—she was already equipped with the Ancient Craftsman's Battle Ax, Palmer’s Fang Sword, Purifier's Truesilver Steel Sword, and the Purifier’s Shoulder Guards.

Ian calmly explained, "Those are all for offense. You've always had a weakness in defense, and you won't have access to Karha's blessing there since I, the conduit of divine power, won’t be with you. This should help cover that."

Ian met Charlotte’s gaze and smirked. "So just take it. Besides, it's symbolic too, isn't it?"

Charlotte’s mouth slightly parted in surprise.

Ian shrugged. "If the church’s investigation team asks, just use my name as usual. Tell them a purifier donated it to me, and I personally bestowed it upon you."

Instead of waiting for her response, Ian then reached into his pocket dimension again for her response. He pulled out a well-preserved parchment and placed it on top of the cloak. It was a certificate stamped with the seal of Cherwyn Astrea, the saint of the Temple of the Brazier.

"This will add credibility to your words in many ways. With the name of the saint of the Brazier on it, they won't be able to touch you until they verify the facts."

"... When did you even think of preparing all this?" Charlotte asked.

Ian chuckled briefly. "Last night."

Charlotte and Thesaya were destined to be of help to him again someday. Just like other DLC areas, the South wasn't an entirely unknown territory. He couldn't afford to lose the only two lifelines that could aid him there. Of course, even without all that, Ian genuinely hoped she wouldn't die.

Even though their relationship had started like a punishment, she had since become one of the few friends he could trust in this cursed world. He had been reluctant to accept that fact, but he had finally come to acknowledge it.

"Anyway, don’t let your emotions mess this up," Ian added.

Charlotte stared at him with a mix of emotions. Eventually, she smiled, baring her fangs.

"... Alright. I’ll keep that in mind."

"Hey, what about me?" Thesaya, who was sitting across from him, suddenly interjected. She had been glaring intently at him ever since Ian handed the cloak to Charlotte.

Catching Ian's gaze, she quickly added, "You weren’t planning on giving Kitty a gift and leaving me with nothing, were you? I wouldn’t hold it against you if you were, but you've always looked out for her more than me, Ian."

Typical elf behavior.

Ian chuckled. He unsheathed an elven dagger from his belt and handed it to her.

"This is yours. You only need a weapon for self-defense anyway."

Thesaya’s expression softened slightly as she grasped the dagger’s hilt. "Hmm... I can't help but make comparisons, but since you prepared something for me, I guess—"

She blinked in surprise. Ian had fastened a bracelet around her wrist. Embedded in the center of the magical artifact was a small magic stone with intricately engraved spell circuits. It had once been the source of Ian’s force field.

Seeing her reaction, Ian casually added, "You like shiny things, don’t you?"

"That’s right...” Thesaya’s lips curved into a wide smile and shook her head. “You really are thoughtful, Ian."

"The force field is strong against physical impacts but weaker against magical attacks. It still offers some protection, but it’s best to keep that in mind. Make sure to check the magic level in the stone, too."

Ian pulled and handed her a small leather pouch from his pocket dimension.

"There are two more in here. You’ll have to find more on your own."

"Thank you, Ian. I'd like to give you a hug—would that be okay?"

"No."

"Yeah, I figured you’d say that," Thesaya quickly answered, her eyes sparkling as she examined the bracelet and dagger.

She clearly didn’t care about anything else now.

... Is it really okay for someone like her to be an elder?

Ian smirked to himself and turned his attention back to Charlotte. He pulled his hand from the pocket dimension, gripping something long and black, covered in armor.

"...!"

Charlotte froze. Ian was holding her tail.