Chapter 232

Chapter 232

Ian shrugged his shoulders.

"I had no idea."

All he knew was that a weapon made with dragon bones contained dragon magic. It was something he found out after making equipment from bone fragments obtained from the dragon’s tomb in the game. There was no mention there that it would inflict additional damage on dragons.

Is this another unrecorded setting?

Suddenly, he remembered the bones of Tahumrit that he had given to Archeas.

... I should have asked for a piece, after all.

Nasser blinked and then spoke. "But you already killed the Corrupt Dragon in the North, didn’t you?"

"At that time, the Platinum Dragon opened its chest for me. Thanks to that, I was able to stab its heart."

"I see... As I heard, it seems the process wasn’t smooth."

"I almost died several times. Both before and after that." Ian spoke nonchalantly as his head subtly tilted toward Nasser. "Just like you now."

"...." Nasser momentarily held his breath.

His eyes, heavily double-lidded, stared alternately into Ian’s eyes as if trying to find any glimmer of hope within them. But Ian’s eyes, darker than the dim interior of the carriage, showed no movement.

"... Please spare me." Nasser finally uttered.

Ian merely smiled with the corners of his mouth. "What a cliché last word."

"Please. Give me a chance to atone. Let me wash away the sins I have committed against the Radiant Goddess and you with my own hands. If not, my soul will never be saved. So please...."

Nasser quickly continued, a clearly forced smile on his lips. "Let me serve you."

"What, you want to be a squire?" Thesaya asked.

Nasser responded immediately. "I don’t mind being a servant. I am no longer a paladin, nor a member of the Purification Squad or the Dawn Brigade. From the moment the holy mark disappeared and the moment I confessed everything to you, there was no turning back. Knowing that I was a scapegoat, I didn’t even intend to. So please... give me a chance."

"Hmm...." Ian hummed briefly, stroking his chin.

Nasser’s eyes, looking up at him, were desperate.

Ian, who was indifferently meeting his gaze, turned to Charlotte.

"Put him back to sleep for now."

"Understood." Charlotte threw the handkerchief she had been holding to Nasser’s ear to Thesaya.

The ear of Nasser, which had been cut at an angle, was already scabbed. Even though the holy mark had disappeared, it seemed his body, strengthened by the blessing, hadn’t reverted entirely at once.

As Charlotte raised her left hand, Nasser hastily spoke up. "Sir Ian, please—"

Charlotte’s hand struck the back of Nasser’s neck. Nasser’s eyes rolled back.

As Charlotte released her grip on his face, Ian spoke. "Things are going from bad to worse. Don’t you think so?"

He then opened the carriage door. The darkening scenery outside was fully revealed, and a voice continued from the roof.

"Yes. The Dawn Brigade... really, it wasn’t just the corrupted ones who were the problem."

It was Mev, who had been listening to the conversation inside from the carriage roof. The makeshift window connecting to the driver’s seat opened again.

"They are dangerous individuals. To accept inevitable darkness. And for even the purifiers to hold such thoughts...." Philip said breathlessly.

From his slightly revealed expression, it was clear he was greatly shocked.

Ian shrugged his shoulders. "They probably believe it to be the natural order. Or want to make it so."

"If their plan succeeds, an era of chaos will come. Countless people will be sacrificed in the process. For the followers of Lu Solar to not even consider such things at all...."

"Well, as far as I know, priests who care about such things are rare."

"That is... true."

"What can you do? That’s your order." Thesaya added nonchalantly.

Philip let out a deep sigh instead of answering.

"Inevitable darkness and a new dawn...." Mev muttered.

Ian, curling one corner of his mouth, responded. "Doesn’t it sound familiar?"

"Yes. Not exactly the same, but similar."

"Their methods are also something I’ve seen before." At Ian’s words, everyone except Mev naturally turned their gaze toward him.

"Are you saying the Dawn Brigade is part of the Round Table Parliament?" Philip asked in a subdued voice.

He always makes the obvious sound like a big deal.

From the roof, a reply followed."The only difference is that we’re now talking about purifiers, not corrupted ones. Many aspects remain the same. They use people without them realizing it, and they don’t consider the sacrifices or damages their plans might cause."

"Exactly. At least...." Ian added, looking down at the unconscious Nasser. "Their higher-ups think so. Hold on...."

If that’s the case?

A strange look appeared in Ian’s eyes as he stroked his chin, lost in thought. Meanwhile, the conversation continued without pause.

"There are even many who suspect the Platinum Dragon. What on earth is a pure believer supposed to be? It seems the main order is different from what I thought."

Nasser nodded in agreement.

It was at that moment that Thesaya approached them. "With this, it’ll look even more convincing."

She handed over a bundle of faded cloth she had been holding. It was the robe of the main order. As Mev and Philip silently began to don the robes, Ian turned to Nasser.

"You’re awake, Philip."

Nasser blinked in confusion. "Ph... Philip?"

"For the time being, that’s your name publicly."

"What...?"

As Nasser tilted his head in confusion, Charlotte clicked her tongue and drew a dagger. With a quick slice, the blade cut the ropes, freeing Nasser’s limbs. Though he couldn’t move immediately due to stiffness and numbness, he could only wiggle his fingers.

Charlotte’s low voice followed. "Don’t get too comfortable. I’ll always be watching. The moment you try anything foolish, your soul will lose any chance of salvation."

Despite being threatened, a smile appeared on Nasser’s lips. "Don’t worry. That won’t happen."

"If you want to keep living, you need to do your tasks well," Ian said, crouching in front of him.

Nasser looked at him. "Yes. What’s the first task?"

"Your new name."

"...Philip?"

"Yes."

"...Alright. I am now Philip." Despite his bewildered expression, Nasser answered.

Ian nodded and pointed to the side with his left arm.

"The second task is to become a coachman."

As Nasser naturally turned his head, he saw a black carriage and two white horses tied beside it. Their silver armor shimmered faintly.

"They’re very good horses. The armor is magical, and they still have energy to spare even after pulling a carriage with six people. It’s no wonder they survived crossing that mountain."

"...That’s probably because they have Northern warhorse blood in them. I’m glad they were helpful." Nasser murmured weakly before continuing. "As a token of my gratitude, if you look at the saddles—"

"There are bags attached discreetly. Inside are supplies, including magic stones and food. We’ve secured everything, so don’t worry."

"...You’re thorough."

"Yes. We even took your rings, earrings, and bracelets. Everyone got a fair share." Ian replied nonchalantly.

As Nasser let out a hollow laugh, Philip’s voice continued, "It’s all done, my lord."

Ian turned around and nodded. "Excellent...."

Mev and Philip had their hoods pulled deep over their heads. Mev’s face, now without a helmet, was barely visible except for her chin.

Philip muttered. "It’s amazing that I can see clearly despite this."

"It seems like no one will suspect anything. What do you think? Do they look like purifiers?" Ian asked, turning to Nasser.

Nasser nodded, still somewhat dazed. "Yes, they do, but..."

"Good. From now on, those two are Sir Gautier and Sir Nasser."

"...?" Nasser looked back at Ian in confusion. "What is going on here?"

"What’s going on?" Ian smirked slightly. "You won’t be remembered as martyrs who died fighting me. Instead, you’ll be remembered as traitors who betrayed the Dawn Brigade, fooled by my words."

As Nasser’s mouth hung open in shock, Ian shrugged. "That is if Duke Kralen is part of the council."

"The council... what is that?"

"It’s a group you should fervently hope the Duke is a part of."

"...?" Nasser’s head tilted. Too many parts of the conversation had skipped over his understanding.

Ian, of course, didn’t care at all. "Because that’s how you’ll get to meet the Platinum Dragon."

"... So, this is related to the mission given by the Platinum Dragon."

"When that time comes, you’ll do your third task. You’ll tell him everything you told me, including how you and your group view him."

"Me...? Not you?"

"Yes. I’m too lazy to do it myself. Besides, I have a mountain of other things to discuss."

Nasser looked at Ian, trying to determine if he was serious.

Ian, genuinely serious, continued. "You are now the lowly servant and coachman, Philip. Those two are the purifiers and members of the Dawn Brigade, Gautier and Nasser. And I’m leading them. That’s all you need to know. That’s the setup."

"Why... are you putting on this act?"

"There are things we want to learn from Duke Kralen. This makes it easier to extract that information. Whether it works, we’ll see."

"Duke... Kralen?"

"Oh, right. I didn’t mention it. We’re going to kill him."

"...!?" Nasser’s eyes widened in shock at Ian’s nonchalant addition.