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Chapter 23

...No. It can\'t be. It shouldn\'t. Mev immediately denied it, but it was not easy to shake off the thought that had already surfaced. Perhaps if he had fought bravely against the darkness and died in battle. But to be used as nourishment for some nameless beast, without even being granted salvation. Or to be abandoned in the darkness and never have their bodies found.

If that\'s the case.... A grinding noise of metal echoed from her tightly clenched fist.

I would stake everything I have—

At that moment, her eyes darkly distorted as if sinking into a swamp.

"The more I look at it." Ian\'s voice resounded. "This doesn\'t seem like the work of the one we\'re looking for."

Mev quickly regained her composure and turned her gaze. Ian, with his usual indifferent face, was staring at something in his hand.

"Are you saying it\'s not the work of a dark mage?" Philip blinked and asked.

"For starters, the method is different. He uses magic, not living sacrifices,” said Ian

"...And?" Philip asked again.

"These corpses. About half are criminals, as you guys would have guessed, but the rest are soldiers. Probably those escorting the criminals." Ian\'s gaze swept over the skeletons.

"Even I wouldn\'t use regular troops of this scale as a sacrifice. Especially if they\'re from Orendel\'s lord\'s army,” said Ian.

"Orendel... did you say?" Philip remarked.

"Yes."

Ian extended what he was holding in his hand. It was a wooden tag found while searching the bodies. Half-rotted and with a blurred seal, but the letters at the bottom were recognizable. Dave. Orendel.

"It\'s true. It\'s an identity card issued only to regular troops." Philip carefully confirmed and muttered.

"A dark mage in hiding wouldn\'t touch such a risky target," said Ian.

"That\'s a convincing point," Mev, who had been listening silently, spoke with a calmer face.

"It\'s just a speculation for now," said Ian.

The moment Ian saw the name tag, he easily thought of a suitable beast. His reasoning was merely fitting clues to it.

What\'s so special about a targeted investigation? In any case, it was a monster who needed to be killed, so being wrong wouldn\'t really be a problem.

"So...." Ian leisurely brought up the main point. "I plan to check it out myself that whether this is an accident or the result of someone\'s conspiracy."

"Check it out yourself?" Mev asked.

"We haven\'t decided on our next contract\'s destination yet," Ian replied.

"...!" Mev\'s eyes finally widened.

"What do you mean? The next contract?" Philip asked.

Ignoring the bewildered Philip, Ian continued. "Surely in Orendel, there must be someone who knows these people. If we trace back, won\'t something come up?"

"...Alright. Let\'s decide that." Mev nodded.

Her decisions are always swift.

Thus, the next destination was set. Ian satisfactorily placed the name tag in his pocket.

"You\'ve made another contract, my lord?" Philip asked in a lowered voice.

"It was necessary, Philip. As you can see, there\'s a possibility of more immoral beings existing besides the dark mage."

"But my lord...”

"Stop the nonsense and go take care of the horses, Philip." Ian cut him off. "If the horse dies, I\'ll ride you instead."

"It doesn\'t seem like the time for jokes, sir,” said Philip.

"...," Ian replied in silence.

"It\'s not a joke, is it? Understood,” said Philip.

When will he ever catch on? Ian clicked his tongue as he watched Philip\'s retreating back.

"It... seems like you have finished your conversation." A panting voice echoed. Below, in the pit, sweat-covered Miguel stood.

"Can I stop digging now? It seems like nothing more is coming out," said Miguel.

Next to Miguel was a pile of skeletons. The result of his continuous digging while the others conversed. Ian glanced at Mev. She was staring intensely at the skeletons once again, as if they were weighing heavily on her mind.

"Sir," Ian called Mev.

Mev, who turned to face him late, listened as Ian casually added, "Could you offer a prayer for them?"

"Did you say a prayer?" Mev\'s eyes widened.

"It wouldn\'t be strange if these resurrected as monsters. It might be good for them to have been granted peace by you," Ian replied.

"A wise decision. I will gladly do it," said Mev.

Mev stepped forward, delighted. She knelt on one knee in front of the pit and began to whisper a prayer. Ian watched her back, glowing with blue holy power, recalling the distorted look in her eyes she had earlier when staring at the skeletons.

It\'s a relief that she is easy to read, thought Ian. To Ian, that was undoubtedly a sign of madness. That\'s why he asked for the prayer, to suppress the madness with holiness.

Of course, it was only a temporary measure. Once a crack has formed, even the smallest trigger can start it again. Considering the tasks ahead, there were more than enough triggers. Lost in thought for a moment, Ian\'s eyes returned to their usual cold demeanor.

...But still, I can\'t let this carefully planned quest end in failure, Ian thought to himself.

***

After escaping the corrupted forest, their journey became surprisingly peaceful. For days, there were no attacks, not even encounters with monsters. However, not everyone was enjoying this peace.

"...!" Mev woke up abruptly. The severed head of Vernon, crying blood, flickered in her retina. She gasped for air for a moment.

Now I\'m having such nightmares. Mev wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with a bitter smile. The cloudy sky caught her eyes. She finally felt the carriage\'s tremors.

To be anxious about peace. What foolish impatience, thought Mev.

Her bitter smile deepened. Her gaze inadvertently shifted to the coachman\'s seat beyond the backrest. She saw a familiar figure with a mace on his back.

If there was something, Ian would have noticed it first, Mev inwardly smirked

Somewhere along the way, Mev had come to trust Ian\'s judgment more than her own. In a way, it was natural. She could never have come this far on her own. Surely, she would have been caught in anxiety and doubt, making the wrong decisions as she had several times before. But on the contrary, Ian had continuously proven himself right.

Even with this carriage. The carriage, more like a cart, was found abandoned by the roadside. Miguel had said it was a sign of the death of the people that were in the cart. The remnants left behind after a raid or looting, it was like a kind of tombstone. Ian, of course, ignored Miguel\'s suggestion to leave it alone, saying this was more efficient.

In the end, his decision was right again. The burden on the horses was reduced, speeding up their march, and the group could rest in turns to conserve energy. Mev too had almost shaken off the effects of her injury.

I fear I might betray the greater cause, swayed by personal feelings. So perhaps, I should continue to rely on Ian instead of... Her thought was interrupted by a familiar voice

"Are you awake?" Just then, Ian spoke abruptly.

“How long have I been asleep?” Mev, though startled, maintained her composure and asked.

"About a couple of hours. You woke up just in time." Ian turned to look at her. He continued, "We\'ll soon arrive at the Tomb Forest."

"...!" Mev reflexively sat up. She then noticed the barren trees and the ash-gray fog that sat beneath them.

"Since when... Why didn\'t you inform me earlier?" Mev asked.

"We.. well, about that...." Miguel stammered with a troubled face.

"I told him not to say anything." Ian replied in his stead, looking back at Mev and adding, "You wouldn\'t have rested like you did now if you had known earlier."

"...I see. Alright." The tips of Mev\'s furrowed eyebrows relaxed again. She awkwardly shifted her gaze.

Meanwhile, feeling Miguel\'s gaze again, Ian narrowed his eyes.

"Stop sneaking glances and get on, you bastard,” said Ian.

Before I gouge your eyes out, Ian thought.

As Ian jumped off the carriage, Miguel quickly shook his head, "I wasn\'t looking to switch places."

"Then what is it?" Ian asked.

Hesitating, yet climbing into the coachman\'s seat, Miguel continued, "Well, technically speaking. Isn\'t my request now fulfilled?"

"Hmm." A look of admiration spread across Ian\'s face. He didn\'t expect such a conversation at this time.

"My task was to guide you here. So from this point on...," Miguel trailed off.

"Strictly speaking, it\'s a failure," said Ian.

"What additional... Failure, you say?" Miguel asked.

"You missed the promised deadline, didn\'t you?" Ian replied.

"That, that was because of that damned forest wasting our day! You should consider that." Miguel, who stiffened momentarily, squirmed in his seat.

"That\'s why you\'re still alive. And why I haven\'t asked for the money back," said Ian.

“...” Miguel replied in silence.

"Well, anyway. You\'re not entirely wrong." Ian gestured toward the back. He continued, "Go if you want. We\'re going to continue. You can leave and go back the way you came."

Miguel\'s head turned back. The grim forest was covered in ash-gray fog. While there was no event for the four of them coming in, there was no guarantee it would be the same for him alone. Finally, gripping the reins firmly, Miguel looked forward again.

"I just wanted to say that I faithfully fulfilled my request. From now on, I\'m here out of loyalty," said Miguel.

"Of course you are," said Ian.

Knowing full well that Miguel couldn\'t go, Ian scoffed and turned away.

Anyway, mercenaries were always cunning in a simple, predictable way, Ian murmured to himself.

Mev then stood up, "Philip, you get on too. I want to stretch my legs by walking."

"...Thank you, my lord," Philip replied.

The trembling Philip also climbed into the cargo area. Mev, walking alongside Ian, soon fixed her gaze on the fog brushing against her knees. The fog, far from being damp, felt as dry as the mist in a crematorium. A repulsive rustling sensation conveyed the tainted magic within. It was a familiar sensation. The same sensation as the corruption spreading from the tainted essence bead she possessed.

"It\'s his magic...," Mev murmured.

Mev wasn\'t surprised. Not just because she trusted Ian, but also because she had some idea of what to expect after the warning from the dark mage.

"That\'s right. It\'s his magic." Ian replied nonchalantly.

It was then that Miguel suddenly sighed. "Maybe I should have left the forest alone after all."

"Changed your mind already? Such remarkable loyalty." Ian chuckled sarcastically.

"It seems like too big a game for someone like me to be involved in. In my experience, those who overstep their bounds always end up dead," Miguel shook his head.

Ian\'s laughter deepened. The man knew his place, after all. And, in a way, his words were helpful to Ian.

"I don’t know about myself, but Sir Riruel would never let you and Philip die," said Ian.

It was Ian’s excuse to offload the troublesome ones to Mev.

"I will definitely protect you both. I swear it by the Goddess." Mev naively nodded.

"Did you say a vow...?" Miguel\'s face, initially perplexed, lit up with gratitude.

"My lord, you truly are the most honorable of all the knights I know," said Miguel.

"There\'s no need to thank me. I have my reasons for doing so," Mev replied.

"Eh...? Reasons, you say?" Miguel asked.

It was when Mev was about to say something that Ian abruptly stopped walking. The carriage also halted suddenly.

"Ouch... Why did we stop suddenly?" Philip, who had hit his head on the backrest, rubbed the back of his head as he stood up.

"It wasn\'t me who stopped it," Miguel said as he gave a confused look.

"What do you mean...?" Philip asked.

"Why are they suddenly like this?" said Miguel.

Miguel snapped the reins, but the horses only snorted and refused to move forward.

"It\'s no use." Ian, staring far ahead, muttered.

Mev, looking in the same direction, furrowed her brows.

"...I feel an ominous magic," said Mev.

"Ominous... magic?" Philip blinked.

"From there lay a demonic realm," Ian answered. He continued, "They say no one who enters comes out. It seems it\'s literally impossible to leave in the first place."

It was the corrupted or cursed lands. A place that completely was consumed by darkness, where even the laws of the world were twisted, which was called the demonic realm in this world.

"We\'ll have to leave the carriage here." Mev, having made a decision, looked at Philip and Miguel.

"Pack what you need," said Mev.

"Before that, shouldn\'t we get an explanation, my lord? Ian just said we can\'t leave if we enter." Miguel\'s eyes widened.

"Don\'t worry about it," Ian cut him off indifferently. He continued, "If we kill the dark mage, it\'ll probably disappear. Maybe."

"But, isn\'t that a bit irresponsible..." Miguel’s voice trailed off.

"Should I just take responsibility and kill you instead?" said Ian.

Miguel quickly turned away. Meanwhile, Philip, with his bag strapped on, stepped off the carriage with a grim face.

"I was prepared, but this is more nerve-wracking than I expected," said Philip.

"Better to be nervous than careless. You\'ll be leading the way," said Ian.

"Leading the way? What do you mean...." Philip hesitated, then looked back at Ian.

Philip’s voice trailed off. The memory of the day he first met Ian flashed through his mind. Especially Ian\'s gaze when he said he would lead the way through the forest.

"You... still remember that?" Philip asked.

"How could I forget?" Ian replied.

Philip, pale-faced, turned desperately to Mev for help.

"You made that statement, Philip. There\'s no room for me to intervene. I only hope this experience teaches you a lesson," Mev spoke firmly.

It was then that Miguel jumped off the carriage. He made eye contact with the disheartened Philip and gestured toward the mist.

"What are you doing? Stand up quickly and lead," said Miguel.