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Chapter 211

"Do not worry. If there is any sin, I will gladly accept the punishment."

Ignoring the Count\'s indifferent response, the two purifiers descended the steps. The soldiers and residents who had made way for them closed ranks once they passed.

The Count turned his gaze back toward the church.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes... thanks to you. Thank you." Luce, approaching the door, bowed his head.

Meeting the Count\'s eyes, he lowered his voice. "I heard some astonishing things from those men. It turns out Sir Ivan is, actually..."

"Enough." The Count cut him off.

Luce\'s eyes twitched as he fell silent. The Count\'s dry laughter revealed that he had known Ivan\'s true identity all along.

Adding further, the Count said, "Let\'s discuss the details privately at my residence. It seems we have much to talk about."

"... Yes. But when did you send the letter to the church?"

"I didn\'t. That was a lie."

"What...?!" Luce\'s eyes widened again.

The Count, snorting softly, looked back at the retreating purifiers through the crowd.

"But now, it can\'t be postponed any longer."

If the purifiers had heard that, they would have drawn their swords immediately. But of course, that didn\'t happen. The Count\'s words didn\'t reach their ears. They simply quickened their steps toward the city gate, feeling the unfamiliar sting of the residents\' gazes.

The young purifier spoke up once the residents were no longer in sight. "At least in the West, the church\'s authority won\'t be what it used to be. Not anymore."

"We should have overturned the Western branch long ago. Those pigs, fattened by peace...."

Clicking his tongue, the older purifier spat out. "Not much time remains. Soon, the unfaithful in this land will know what kind of battle we\'ve been fighting."

He had fought the unseen battles against darkness for a long time, like other purifiers and holy knights of the church. Their fates were always the same: either they were consumed by darkness, or they leaned even more on the light. He was the latter, and thus, his disappointment and disgust for those who took the light for granted ran deep.

"... Then, they will realize again how great the light that repels the darkness truly is."

The young purifier didn\'t respond. He had no interest in his companion’s feelings.

Lost in thought while ignoring his words, the younger purifier finally murmured, "That priest earlier, and the Count, too. They definitely knew something. But they clearly weren\'t going to tell us. That man must have completely won their hearts."

"..." The older purifier looked at him with a somber expression. "Do you still think that man might truly be a savior chosen by the divine?"

A faint smile crossed the young man\'s lips. "Remember the Archbishop\'s words. We are not going to kill him. It will not be too late to condemn him after confirming whether he truly is a chosen warrior of the light. That’s probably why I was sent along. So, I will fulfill my role."

“... The wise believe without seeing, but the foolish must see to believe. You will see his true nature, Nasser. And when that moment comes, it will be you who takes his head.”

“If he truly is a harbinger of chaos in the guise of a prophet, I will gladly do so,” Nasser, the young purifier, answered as he returned with their horses, which were tied up by the city gate.

The older purifier mounted first and spoke, “Send a message to the church. Tell them to contact the Aynas, those detestable elves. Ask why the elder Tensia is going to the western regions, where she has no business.”

“Yes. Mentioning it involves the Dragon Slayer will expedite matters.”

Mounting his horse, Nasser added, “I’ll also inform the Archbishop and the main branch that we’ve found him.”

“....” The older purifier moved ahead.

Following behind, Nasser asked, “So, what will we do now? Wait for support?”

“... No. By then, it will be too late. We must capture him ourselves.”

The older purifier scanned the landscape beyond the city gate.

“They said he left five days ago. If we head in the right direction, we can catch up.”

“Where will we go first? Tessen? Racliffe?”

“... To where the light guides us.” Murmuring, he led his white horse forward, toward the shadowed, pitch-black fields beyond.

***

“Tessen doesn\'t seem far. Once we cross that mountain, we should reach the city.” Philip, sitting in the coachman’s seat, spoke.

Ian, who had been lying on the roof of the carriage gazing at the night sky, leisurely sat up.

Philip, holding the Magic Stone Lamp to illuminate the map, added, “This time I’m sure. ... Probably.”

“Who said otherwise?”

“Haha. Just felt guilty.” Philip scratched his head sheepishly.

The reason he was acting like this was because he had already taken a wrong turn once before. As a result, the group had to take a slightly longer route and arrived in Tessen about a day later than expected. However, no one blamed Philip. After all, it was an unfamiliar path, and in Ian\'s view, the real fault lay with the old, worn-out map given by Luce. From Ian\'s modern perspective, it was not even a map, but a scribble that inaccurately depicted the paths and terrain.

In fact, it was remarkable that Philip had found the way so well with such a thing up until now. Changes in the surrounding environment made it even harder to find the way. Passing through dried-up or fallow fields and empty farmhouses was manageable. However, as they entered the gently rolling fields and forests, the landscape became truly bizarre.

Creak, the window behind the coachman’s seat opened.

Thesaya peered out and asked, “So, how much further to the monastery?”

“From Tessen, it’s a half-day’s journey west....” Philip gauged the map for a moment before adding, “Even if we’re delayed, we should reach it in two and a half days. Once we cross that mountain, it won’t be long. Assuming, of course....”

He glanced at the horses pulling the carriage. “... If these guys hold up until then.”

The horses had been faltering since the day before. They noticeably ate less of whatever they could scavenge, and their pace pulling the carriage had slowed down. Although they were still maintaining a speed faster than walking, it wouldn\'t be surprising if they collapsed at any moment.

"We\'ll cross the mountain tomorrow. Find a suitable campsite."

Ian muttered. As the coachman\'s window closed, Charlotte, who had been riding alongside the carriage on horseback, nodded her chin in acknowledgment.

"I smell water. There must be a stream nearby," said Charlotte. Her horse was snorting heavily and its head was drooping low. Charlotte, however, merely glanced down at the animal occasionally, flicking her tongue without much concern.

It was right after that when the carriage door opened. Thesaya leaned halfway out of the carriage and looked up at Ian, who was sitting on the roof.

"Can\'t we just keep moving through the night? The horses are in terrible shape, but so is everything around us. What\'s the point of resting?"

"That\'s exactly why we need to rest," Ian replied, looking around.

"We don\'t know when the demonic realm will begin. Once it does, we won\'t be able to rest even if we want to."

The weather was hot and humid, and the previously dry air had become damp. During the day, the sky was a gloomy mix of swirling yellow clouds. The surrounding trees were twisted and gnarled, their branches extending like grotesque candy sticks, with unknown fungi and mushrooms growing in between.

Colorful moss clung to the rocks and tree trunks, spreading ever wider. At night, this moss emitted a faint glow. Since yesterday, pollen-like or dust-like spores had been floating around, wriggling as if alive. At night, these spores glimmered like fireflies. The horses likely inhaled these spores, which was probably why they were stumbling. Fortunately, the spores didn\'t seem to affect the group.

"So make sure you get a good rest tonight," Ian said, staring directly at Thesaya\'s bruised eye.

"And no sparring."

Despite the eerie surroundings, their journey had been unexpectedly peaceful. While there were some monsters, they were not as many or dangerous as in the borders or the North. Moreover, in the regions that had just started to become seriously contaminated, they didn\'t appear at all.

It was strange not to see monsters in such a desolate area, but it was the truth. Because of this, the group spent their remaining time in their own way. Thesaya was engrossed in two things, one of which was sparring, mainly with Philip, whose skills had become nearly equal to hers.

The bruise on her eye was the result of challenging Charlotte with newfound confidence. Ian wasn\'t entirely pleased with the calm. Just as he had glimpsed beyond the void through his mark, the beings of the void had also sensed his presence. They undoubtedly knew he had thwarted Drenorov’s ritual and would come for him soon.

They must be gathering at their base again. Fuck.

It was then that Thesaya, who had been staring at him, spoke up. "Can I still shoot my bow?"

Ian looked back at her, clicked his tongue briefly, and nodded. "As long as you replenish your arrows properly."

"Don\'t worry. The kitty will help with that."

"You\'re making it sound like you\'ve completely offloaded the task," Charlotte said with a smirk.

Thesaya stretched her upper body and looked at Charlotte. "If you have offered, you should be responsible. Besides, I don\'t know how to make practice arrows."

"I said I\'d teach you."

"And I said I wouldn\'t learn, didn\'t I?"

"That\'s just... never mind. It\'s not even worth responding to."

Ian nonchalantly shrugged as Charlotte sighed and made eye contact with him. It was Ian who had suggested Thesaya use a bow. Her close combat abilities were still lacking compared to the rest of the group.

Additionally, he thought that, as an elf, she would quickly become proficient with a bow—a very modern perspective. Although Thesaya had initially been reluctant, Charlotte had promptly fetched a sturdy longbow from the Count\'s armory. Thesaya quickly became proficient with the bow, more so than expected. Now, she seemed to enjoy it, shooting practice arrows almost every night.

We\'ll have to see if it works against the monsters of Tessen, though...

The group soon arrived near the stream that Charlotte had mentioned, a winding flow of water emerging from the forest.

“It would be best to set up camp here without crossing. The scenery looks unsettling,” said Philip.

“Right, that seems wise,” Ian agreed, nodding.

His eyes traced the eerie bluish lights flickering throughout the twisted forest that stretched to the mountain\'s base. These lights were not confined to the ground; they floated in the air like swarms of fireflies.

As Philip drove the carriage toward the water, Mev and Thesaya disembarked first, carrying their bags. Charlotte tethered the horses by the water and ran across the stream to gather firewood, while Mev and Thesaya deftly laid out blankets and provisions.

“I’m hungry. Can’t we just eat now?” Thesaya asked.

“No, wait,” Ian replied, snatching the jerky from Thesaya\'s hand and sniffing it before tearing it apart and eating it. He did the same with the dried bread and cheese that followed.

He was making sure the food wasn\'t spoiled. It felt like being a royal food taster, but there was no choice. His resistance and recovery were vastly superior. No one could afford to get food poisoning before entering the demonic realm.

“I’ll go shoot some arrows then. I was dying of boredom. The redhead is way too quiet,” Thesaya shrugged and dashed toward the carriage.

She just can’t stay still, Ian thought, watching Thesaya rummaging through the carriage and Philip untying the horses to water them. Thesaya quickly passed Philip and splashed through the stream.

“She’s not of ordinary lineage,” came a voice beside Ian, who turned to see Mev laying out an oil pouch and cloth while removing her wrist guards.

Since leaving Drenorov, she had been living each day in a calm and almost reverent manner. She spoke little during the day, checked her equipment at night, and prayed in the morning. It was likely because she was on the verge of another revenge after a long wait.

“Are you talking about Thesa?” Ian asked.

Mev nodded as she set her wrist guards aside. “I only taught her the most basic etiquette. But what she showed in Drenorov far surpassed that. It was very natural, as if she was born with it.”

Looking back at Ian, Mev then added, “Clearly, Thesa was never an ordinary elf.”

“Maybe she’s just a natural liar, like the other elves,” Ian joked, and Mev smiled faintly.

“Maybe. Anyway...” Mev said, turning her gaze toward the darkness beyond the stream as she unfastened her shoulder guards.

“I want them to return home safely. I don’t want anyone, including Philip, to be hurt or sacrificed because of my revenge.”

It seems you worry about everything, Ian thought, chuckling briefly.

It seemed she had been quietly concerned since Charlotte got injured. Indeed, Ian couldn\'t guarantee that everyone would make it through this journey unscathed. His enemies were growing stronger, and now they faced the unknown entities of the void. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone died or was severely injured along the way. Ian was determined to prevent such outcomes, preferring to be the one hurt instead. After all, his recovery abilities were almost superhuman.

“They all know what they’re getting into. They must have accepted it,” Ian said nonchalantly, despite his inner thoughts.

Mev shrugged as she removed her chest armor. "I know. But the only one who can die or get hurt here is me. This is my revenge journey."

"It’s also my request. As you know, I always complete my request one way or another."

"... Alright. Then it’s just you and me." Mev smiled faintly.

As she removed the wrist guard from her other arm, Ian tore off another piece of jerky and added, "What are you going to do after?"

"...?" Mev turned her head.

Ian, chewing the jerky, tilted his chin. "Your revenge might end here. What then?"

"Then... I\'ll have to pay you the overdue reward."

Ian swallowed the jerky and turned to face her. "What if I say I don’t plan to take it immediately?"

"...!" Mev’s eyes widened slightly, immediately understanding that he meant he wouldn\'t continue traveling with her once her revenge was over.

"Will you... really?"

"Who knows? Maybe."

Mev gazed at his eyes, trying to read his intentions. But it was impossible. His gaze was as calm and unyielding as ever. Mev sighed softly and opened her mouth to speak.

"In that case, I would—"

"Ah! What? No...?" It was then that Philip\'s startled cry echoed from the water\'s edge.

Mev stopped talking and turned her head sharply. Ian also looked toward Philip, his brow furrowing slightly.

"...." Philip was rushing over in a panic, and two of the horses collapsed by the water\'s edge.