I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 827

Elia swallowed before asking, "So you think so too, Sir Ian?"

"It’ll need more thought..." Ian nodded, bringing the shortened cigarette back to his lips. "But for now, there’s a good chance that at least one of our theories is true."

The councilors and their subordinates all had their own motives, though their stated goal was always to hasten an inevitable darkness and usher in a new age of light.

I always wondered how they ended up with such a twisted idea...

If it was the result of the chairman and core members’ loyalty and faith becoming distorted, then it made sense.

Ian drew in a breath of smoke, turning the thought over in his mind.

"I guess it’s not much help to you after all, Sir Ian. Either way, we still haven’t uncovered the most important parts," Elia said quietly after taking another sip. "I mean the chairman’s identity and whoever stands behind them."

Ian exhaled slowly and looked back at her. "That doesn’t make it meaningless. If our guess is correct, there must be clues somewhere within the Empire or the Great Church. And I can reach into both."

Elia’s eyes flickered. Princess Seras and Philip, who were likely still within the Great Church, must have crossed her mind.

Ian shrugged lightly. "And if your theory holds, the rulers of the archipelago are probably their pawns too. They’ve just slipped out of control now."

"Then we might be able to get more clues through them!" Elia replied, her eyes lighting up.

Ian gave a small nod.

She swallowed again, then added carefully, "Please let me help with this, Sir Ian."

"Weren’t you already planning to dig into them, anyway?" Ian asked, the corner of his lips curling slightly.

Elia hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. I was going to ask you."

"Only when it’s safe. And only if you promise to stay with Miguel or Charlotte at all times."

"I promise."

At her immediate answer, Ian let out a faint, amused breath and nodded.

"Alright. And thanks. Now I have a clearer picture of them. I wouldn’t have reached this conclusion without you."

Elia blinked in surprise, then gave a shy smile and looked away. "It’s nothing. You would’ve figured it out too, Sir Ian. I just happened to think of it first this time."

Modest, isn’t she?

Ian flicked away the spent cigarette, then looked back.

Mukapa was walking behind them, carrying the case.

Ian met his yellow eyes and added, "Forget what you just heard. Like always."

"You don’t need to worry. I won’t speak of it to anyone," Mukapa replied in his usual flat tone, his expression unchanged.

Ian’s eyes twitched slightly.

For a moment, it crossed his mind that this orc might be carrying far more secrets than expected. Of course, prying them out would probably be harder than killing him.

Mukapa blinked, slightly puzzled.

Ian simply smiled as if nothing were amiss. "Take good care of Thesa. And the request as well."

Mukapa bowed his head slightly. "I will do my utmost."

Reliable, as always.

Ian reached for the bottle Elia was still drinking from.

As expected for a dwarf, she was putting it away like water the moment she lost herself in thought.

—If you’re done with the boring talk, look over there, my friend.

Yog’s whisper came just as Ian was about to take a sip.

He paused, then looked to the right.

They had been so absorbed in conversation while walking along the shore that they hadn’t noticed that they were already passing by the encampment.

However, the reason his eyes narrowed slightly had little to do with that.

—Seems like they all have quite a lot they want to say to you.

Every fairy and beastfolk sitting together had turned to look at him. All of them kept their mouths shut, each wearing a different expression.

There was a strange anticipation in Yog’s whisper.

I thought they were being quiet because of Elia....

Ian let out a snort and faced forward again. This was something he had to deal with sooner or later, anyway.

Besides, the camp was close.

Prrr...

Nila, sitting in front of the warhorses, snorted and rose at the sight of him.

Ian smiled and lowered the bottle from his lips. "There were no problems. Get some rest."

After flicking its tail once, Nila settled back down. As if they had learned from her, the warhorses loosely tethered to the carriage were already lying on the ground, asleep.

"Put the case back where it was, Mukapa," Ian added as he passed the small pony standing alone behind the carriage.

The creature chewed lazily, wearing its usual dull expression.

"Yes," Mukapa answered quietly.

As Ian stepped past the carriage, the campfire hidden behind it came into view.

"So you’ve finally arrived..." Miguel greeted him with a weary sigh, already on his feet.

There was no need to ask why.

Beside him stood a line of fairies and beastfolk with less-than-pleasant expressions. The only one still seated was Lily, who had apparently fallen asleep.

Ian looked them over, a faint smile touching his lips. "Familiar faces, all of you."

Nehat, Palmer, and Diana—bound together now by fate. And standing beside them was Phoebe. Even the spotted beastfolk next to her was a familiar face.

"I didn’t get a chance to greet you earlier. Been a while, Idris."

It was the same young beastfolk warrior who had once guided him when he went looking for Charlotte.

Idris flicked his tongue and bowed slightly. "The honor is mine, Demigod."

"Looks like you’ve been paired with Phoebe?"

"Yes," Idris answered in a low voice after glancing at Phoebe, unable to completely hide the low rumble in his tone.

Phoebe, however, didn’t even spare him a glance. She seemed determined to ignore him entirely.

With a faint smirk, Ian stepped closer. "Where are Thesa and Charlotte?"

"My lady is—"

"The chieftain is—"

Diana and Nehat answered at the same time, then turned to glare at each other.

Diana’s eyes narrowed coldly, while Nehat bared his fangs, his nose wrinkling. If Ian hadn’t been there, it looked like a fight would’ve broken out immediately.

Ignoring it, Ian said, "Are they inside the carriage, Palmer?"

Palmer, standing between the two, bowed slightly. "Yes. They ordered us to wait here and went inside together a moment ago."

His tone suggested that he had accepted the situation.

"Looks like that’ll take a while..." Ian nodded and sat down on the ground, glancing toward the carriage. He gave a small signal to Mukapa, who was now standing by the door.

Holding the case in one hand, Mukapa tapped lightly on the closed window with the other.

"Could you perhaps send these people away?" Miguel said as he sat down, gesturing toward Elia. He shot a disgusted look at the beastfolk and fairies collapsing one after another nearby.

"This is ridiculous. I can’t even breathe. Seriously, give it a rest... damn it."

Under the sharp gazes of the group, Ian let out a chuckle. "Hang in there a bit longer. Once those two come out, I’ll say what needs to be said and send them off."

"So things went well, I take it. Not sure if that’s a good thing, though."

The carriage door swung open just as Miguel clicked his tongue awkwardly. Mukapa had tapped on the window about ten times in a steady rhythm.

Through a haze of cigarette smoke, Thesaya stormed out, cigarette still between her lips. "Out! I’m coming out! I knew it was you, Snub-Nose. You’ve got a real talent for getting on my nerves!"

Mukapa didn’t even blink. He simply held the door and looked toward Ian, who gave a small shake of his head, signaling him to wait.

"You could’ve waited a little longer, Ian. It was just getting interesting."

"That was only fun for you, Pointy-Ears."

A low growl followed from behind her. Through the smoke, Charlotte emerged, leaning forward slightly.

"Gasp..."

That alone was enough to make those seated around the campfire widen their eyes and let out quiet exclamations. It was only natural.

Charlotte was clad from head to toe in relic-grade equipment lavishly adorned with gold. The base material was a black metal similar to the color of her fur, which made the golden embellishments stand out.

Below the knees, she still wore her original gear, but it did not feel particularly out of place. The same held for the armor-covered tail coiled around her right arm.

As Mukapa climbed into the carriage, Thesaya, who had stepped aside beside him, said, "Pretty impressive, right? It feels worth all the effort I put into picking them out. It’s a bit of a shame I couldn’t find a helmet that fit her, though. Still, this works."

She shifted the cigarette between her fingers and tilted her chin slightly, as if putting on airs.

Ian nodded with a smile. "It suits you very well, Charlotte."

"Are you really sure it’s fine to give something this valuable to me?" Charlotte asked, turning to him. She flicked her tongue out and smacked her lips awkwardly.

Ian shrugged. "You’re my lieutenant. Of course it is."

A faint ripple spread through Charlotte’s orange eyes. She bared her fangs in a brief smile.

Taking a step toward him, Charlotte said, "Then I’ll give my report, Ian."

Almost at the same moment, Thesaya extended an arm to block her path. "We’re not done yet. Wait."

Charlotte paused, her eyes narrowing.

Thesaya brought the cigarette to her lips and continued, "Make sure you all get a good look. These are relics collected by the great Platinum Dragon and granted by the gracious Demigod."

She parted her hooded cloak slightly, revealing the relics she wore beneath.

Slowly turning her head as if savoring the reactions of the beastfolk and fairies, she added, "I’ll decide who gets what, but I do plan to hand one out to each of you here."

"Y-Yes?"

"Us... too?"

That alone was enough to leave the beastfolk and fairies stunned. For the first time, they even seemed united. A satisfied smile spread across Thesaya’s lips.

"But the moment you receive a relic, you’ll become our official adjutants and enforcers of the alliance. That means you’ll be expected to set an example."

"You mean like the two of you?" Diana asked, narrowing her eyes.

Thesaya’s smile deepened. "Exactly."

She even linked arms with Charlotte in a showy manner. Though Charlotte frowned slightly, she did not push her away.

A low murmur spread through the assembled groups.

"I’ll give you until noon tomorrow. If you’re not confident, say so. I’ll pick someone else," Thesaya added.

Charlotte nodded in agreement.

The gazes directed at them grew complicated.

—Now I’m curious which one of them will give up.

Yog whispered with amusement.

Ian let out a quiet scoff and raised the bottle to his lips. From his perspective, it seemed unlikely that anyone would give up.

Thesaya looked up at Charlotte with a playful smile, still holding onto her arm. "Go on, finish what you were doing."

"Get that stinking weed out of here."

Charlotte growled, clearly restraining herself from shaking her off, then stepped toward Ian again.

"You saw on the way here, but I’ve paired them all up. Most groups are two beastfolk and one fairy, but there are some paired one-on-one as well."

"We didn’t really have a choice with the numbers," Thesaya added casually.

Ian nodded without hesitation. "Yeah. I saw."

"Anyone who kills their partner or stands by and lets their partner die will be punished severely."

Thesaya glanced at Charlotte with a scoff. "I said we should just kill them outright, but our soft-hearted kitty said no."

"Instead, any beastfolk who fail will have their tails cut off. Those already missing theirs will be sent back home to serve the elders for the rest of their lives," Charlotte added, her sharp gaze sweeping over the beastfolk sitting nearby.

Her sharp gaze made it clear that it was a warning. The ears of the conflicted beastfolk perked up sharply.

Thesaya, now standing before Ian, continued, "For the pointy-ears, we’ll cut off one ear each."

After glancing at Diana and Phoebe in turn, a distinctly fairy-like smile curled on her lips.

"If they lose both, they’ll be shunned by fairy society for the rest of their lives. It’s already a known punishment."

The hardened expressions on Diana and Phoebe’s faces made it clear she wasn’t joking.

Ian’s lips twisted slightly as he looked up at Charlotte and Thesaya.

"At that point, death sounds like the kinder option."