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Chapter 58

If it were a game, this situation would have merely been an event cutscene. However, now that it was reality, he couldn\'t accept it so easily. Especially not after almost having his mind shattered while defenseless.

How exactly does it bypass my Resistance and hijack my consciousness? Is it that powerful...?

It was then that darkness began to ripple like waves. At that moment, Ian\'s thoughts halted abruptly. It felt as if something beyond the darkness was watching him. It was the very gaze he\'d felt occasionally from some point in time.

It was you. Muttering to himself, Ian glared into the rippling darkness.

—...Come.

A whisper spread like an echo. It was a strange voice that seemed a mix of a young girl\'s and an old woman\'s husky voice.

—Come to me... Chosen one.

At the continued whisper, Ian felt frustrated again at being unable to respond. He wanted to scoff at the voice. Calling him a chosen one, was such a cliché line.

—Immortality awaits you...

Immortality, even?

It felt less like temptation and more like it was desperately courting him. Ian scowled into the darkness.

So, where should I go? If you just reveal yourself, I\'ll find my way th—

"...there."

...? Was that my voice just now? As Ian puzzled over it, the rippling darkness suddenly calmed. The silence was brief.

—Destiny awaits you...

The whisper continued nonchalantly.

Seemed like you were surprised just now too. Thinking this, Ian tried again to speak.

But the scenery around him dissolved faster. Every sensation dispersed as if into thin air. And then, there was only darkness once more.

Ian finally opened his eyes to a pitch-black sky, with the vision he had just witnessed seamlessly overlaying it. He was clueless about the identity of the clumsy entity that appeared before him. It was an event he had never encountered in the game, suggesting he might have met some specific, unknown condition, or perhaps it was an event exclusively for the fallen. Inside him resided the power of chaos, a trait solely attributable to the fallen.

He felt a sense of loss for not having a quest window to provide clear guidance, although such mechanisms were not uncommon in games. He anticipated that similar to past experiences, this event cutscene wouldn\'t conclude with just one occurrence. As he drew closer to the area enveloped in mysterious darkness, he expected the event to trigger again. The quest window, he presumed, would only materialize after the entity\'s identity was completely revealed.

...So, did it all start because of that just now?

Ian\'s eyebrows slightly rose. A snow-covered forest, and he was heading north, making it a logical inference. If that were the case, continuing north would likely result in encountering the corny entity\'s illusions once again.

...Next time, it\'d be nice if it revealed its identity. As Ian thought this, he belatedly noticed green eyes staring intently at him from across the way and narrowed his eyes.

"Haven\'t you slept?" said Ian.

"I couldn\'t sleep." Lucy answered calmly, then added, "What was that just now?"

Did you feel something too? Ian blinked and asked back, "What did it seem like to you?"

"I\'m not sure. It just felt creepy. It seemed like something was flickering around you, Ian. And then you... emitted magic... But it\'s just a feeling. I can\'t explain it any other way," said Lucy.

Lucy\'s explanation sounded almost rambling as if she couldn\'t properly articulate her feelings, making it feel more like the typical manner of speech for a mage.

It seems like she did see something... Ian muttered to himself and then spoke, "I saw an illusion."

"An illusion...?" Lucy asked.

"I don\'t know its identity, but it\'s probably the restless spirit of ancient times left in this world, calling me. It\'s what people call the whispers of darkness," answered Ian.

"...! I\'ve read about it. Mages are beings who have breached the boundaries of consciousness, thus they are often exposed to the temptations of darkness and madness," said Lucy,

"...What kind of books have you been reading?" said Ian.

"In Vernon\'s library. He started collecting books on magic and mysteries at some point. I don\'t know if he read them all though," replied Lucy.

"Ah...," said Ian.

After learning that the kingdom was shadowed by darkness, Vernon must have conducted his own research. Vernon might have been more meticulous than Ian thought, especially since he gathered information related to Lucy. Being sandwiched between a paladin sister and a cousin blessed by God, he had no choice but to exert himself in some way. He probably never realized his efforts would come to light in this manner.

"...Anyway, it\'s not entirely wrong. To seek greater power and knowledge, mages often cross lines they shouldn\'t," said Ian.

"Do you do that too, Ian?" Lucy asked.

"I don\'t want to admit it, but to some extent, yes," said Ian

Ian shrugged and added, "But I\'m not stupid enough to sell my soul to demons or the void."

He had experienced the fate of such people enough through games.

"Will I face such temptations too?" Lucy asked.

"Probably. The greater your talent, the greater the temptations you\'ll face," Ian replied.

In this world, the brighter one\'s talent shone, the darker the shadow of corruption loomed.

"Just remember that giving in to the temptations of darkness means losing what\'s dear to you. That way, you can at least avoid making the worst decisions like Sir Riurel did," said Ian.

"Being a mage... seems scarier than I thought," said Lucy.

"It\'s the same with anything. Even if you end up serving Lu Entre, you\'ll face other temptations," said Ian.

"I could become a priest?" Lucy\'s eyes widened in surprise.

"You can be anything you want. You might even become a paladin, considering you have the blood of knightly families flowing through your veins,” said Ian.

Lucy\'s mouth slightly opened, seemingly overwhelmed by the multitude of choices. But to Ian, it was a perfectly viable prospect. Lucy was still young, and her talent could catch the eye of the priesthood. Maybe what Mev wanted was not for Lucy to become a mage, but a priest. The choice, however, would be Lucy\'s to make.

"There\'s no need to worry about it now. You can start thinking about it after this journey ends safely," said Ian.

"...Right. We might end up going to the Empire," said Lucy.

Ian\'s expression hardened instantly. He turned to Lucy and said, "That won\'t happen. Never."

Lucy blinked in confusion. It was a natural reaction. She had no idea what she would face if she were taken to the empire.

"Maybe I shouldn\'t have mentioned that. Should we go back to talking about illusions?" said Lucy.

"There\'s nothing to go back to."

It\'s late, go to sleep, Ian concluded and stood up abruptly.

"Uh...?" Miguel, who had been nodding off, looked up at Ian and suddenly widened his eyes as if he had just been awakened.

"I thought it was too quiet," said Ian.

"No, I was just... lost in thought for a moment. Deeply," said Miguel.

"Wipe the drool from your mouth before you speak." Ian chided him with a gesture.

"Go to sleep. I\'ll take over," said Ian.

"Really...? Then, I\'ll leave it to you for a few hours." Miguel awkwardly lay back.

Ian quietly drove the carriage, not opening his mouth again, despite Lucy\'s gaze, throughout the night.

***

"Ugh...."

A fleeing mercenary fell, with a bolt embedded in his back. Miguel, who had been aiming the crossbow, clicked his tongue briefly.

"Dealt with," said Miguel.

"Good." Ian, who was dragging the bodies sprawled in front of the carriage, responded without even looking.

he peaceful journey of several days had been abruptly ended by a group of mercenaries. They had come charging, shouting that they had found them, and immediately started shooting crossbows. Of course, their rash actions led them to their deaths.

"Are you okay, Lucy?" Miguel asked after looking around.

"I\'m fine." Lucy nodded.

"Good. Those madmen, what were they thinking, risking a child\'s safety." As Miguel tutted, Ian climbed onto the carriage.

"Let\'s go," said Ian.

As they left behind the unclaimed horses and the bodies, the carriage moved on.

Miguel, his brow furrowed as he held the reins, finally spoke, "Those guys, they didn\'t even try to check our identities, like those mercenaries before."

"Yeah. They were just convinced the moment they saw us," said Ian.

"Damn it. At this rate, it seems everyone knows about us. I should have asked how much the bounty was on us," said Miguel.

"It was inevitable. No need to make a fuss." Ian remained calm as usual.

But Miguel couldn\'t stop mumbling. He couldn\'t shake off the feeling that an invisible noose was tightening around their necks. He had felt it before, but now it was clearer and more distinct.

"I wonder if we\'ll end up with the lord\'s armies on our tails," said Miguel.

"Likely. I suspect they\'ll be guarding the passes,” said Ian,

"Damn... I don\'t want to spill soldiers\' blood," said Miguel.

"And you\'re fine with your own blood being spilled?" Ian chuckled.

"It\'s different, you know. Mercenaries are scum who\'ll do anything for money, but soldiers are not. Their only crime is following their lord\'s orders. Most of them are just doing as they\'re told without understanding why," said Miguel.

"Hmm..." Ian let out a sound of interest, as if surprised that Miguel could think that way.

Miguel snorted and added, "I mean, I\'ve done my share of illegal deeds living by the sword. But I\'ve always tried to maintain a minimum line of morality. It\'s inevitable to fight those who stand in our way, but killing those just doing their duty seems wrong."

Considering Ian\'s personality, Miguel was sure Ian would not hesitate to kill anyone who came at him, not caring about their circumstances. Mev had called him a mercenary more knightly than knights, but to Miguel, Ian was the most ruthless among mercenaries, not hesitating to do whatever it took to complete a mission.

"That\'s a valid point," said Ian.

"Eh...?!" Miguel was inevitably surprised by Ian\'s response. He hadn\'t expected Ian to take his words seriously.

"Why are you surprised? Do I look like someone who enjoys killing?" said Ian.

"No, it’s not that...." Miguel trailed off.

Of course, Ian\'s agreement wasn\'t just for emotional reasons. They would inevitably encounter a large pursuing force. It was necessary to reduce the absolute number of obstacles in their way beforehand. From experience, even the weakest opponents could become unpredictable in large numbers. Of course, Miguel had no way of knowing such thoughts.

Ian added, "Like you said, most soldiers are just following orders. Instilling fear beyond a sense of duty once or twice will make them think twice about engaging."

"That sounds good... but is it that easy?" Miguel asked.

Considering they were just three people.

"We\'ll just have to show them that what they know isn\'t everything." Ian\'s voice remained calm.

Miguel, turning around, narrowed his eyes. Ian stood there, draped in a robe and hood, and on top of that, a cloak received from a maid. Ian then pulled out a magic wand from his robe. It was a sinister-looking wand with a purple gem embedded at the end.

"What\'s that...?" Miguel asked.

"A wand used by a necromancer from the underground tombs," replied Ian.

"You what...? Wait, you\'ve been carrying that cursed thing around? Where? Is it the magic that hides things in thin air again?" Miguel asked again.

"Something like that." Ian calmly answered as he detached the essence bead from the end of the wand.

"A necromancer\'s wand, you say? Wow." Lucy gasped in awe, reaching out her hand, which Ian swatted away.

"This thing is cursed. Better not to touch it," said Ian.

"...It\'s cursed too?" said Lucy.

Glancing at Miguel, Ian smirked, "Don\'t worry. The curse only affects the one who wields it. Anyway..."

He slightly spread his arms and spoke, "With this, there should be no risk of my true identity being revealed."

"Uh... Well, you don\'t look much like a master swordsman," said Ian.

Finally catching on to Ian\'s plan, Miguel cautiously added, "Are you sure about this? Magic is indeed unmatched for instilling fear in villagers. But you said you needed to conserve the magic."

"So, should we just kill all those who stand in our way? That\'d be effective enough," said Ian.

"No, I didn\'t mean that..." Miguel, licking his lips, decided not to think too deeply about it.

"Just do what you want, Sir. I\'ll just follow along as usual," said Miguel.

Whatever happened, it would be better than living with the guilt of having killed innocents.