Chapter 256

Chapter 256

"You’ve already heard, haven’t you?" Ian said, wiping the remaining bread in the stew bowl. His plate was almost empty now.

"Yeah. You were wondering if the island folks were in cahoots with the Duke, right? But that’s not the real reason, is it?"

"There’s nothing else. That’s all there is to it."

"Hmm... Is that so? Alright. I’ll believe you."

Thesaya added with a peculiar smile on her lips.

"I thought Ian was planning to go to the islands."

Quick to catch on.

Ian thought as he put the bread in his mouth. As Thesaya had guessed, what he said was merely a surface reason. The Black Isles, like the South, was a region he hadn’t visited, so he asked to gather information in advance.

Philip, his eyes curious, asked. "So... as the rumors say, were they in cahoots?"

"They were close, but they weren’t minions of Round Table."

"Oh, is that so? That’s somewhat of a relief then...."

Instead, it seemed they were serving some other monster.

Ian added inwardly as he watched Philip sigh with relief.

According to Palmar, some lords of the isles served a being that was slumbered beneath the sea. This explained why their ships rarely suffered attacks from the monsters of the Black Sea. The islanders clearly had their own dark secrets.

Charlotte and Thesaya had also heard this, but neither of them showed any interest in that part.

Maybe one day we'll have to fight something like a Kraken.

For now, it wasn't an immediate concern. He did plan to visit the Isles eventually, but not anytime soon. The remnants of the Isles had fled in a hurry. If he headed there now, it wouldn't be taken well. He'd be lucky not to sink to the bottom of the Black Sea along with his ship. Even he wouldn't survive being lost at sea, especially against the entire pirate fleet of the Isles.

Placing his fork down, Ian lightly smacked his lips before speaking. "So, what's your plan when you get back?"

His gaze turned to Charlotte, who was sitting on his left.

"Are you going to kill that priest and all his followers? Like you mentioned earlier?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yes. The priest and his close aides must be killed. Kruxica will be saddened, but there’s no other choice. And their skins will be stuffed and hung on the castle walls."

As another gruesome conversation began so casually, Elia, who had been listening with fascination, let her mouth drop open. Ian, however, nodded calmly. There was no need to worry about Elia's reaction.

Once they left the city, she would inevitably encounter many horrific situations. Besides, she was an adult and a dwarf at that. All the dwarves Ian had met were strange but tough. Elia would likely be the same.

Charlotte continued, "There’s no more certain way to show that the tribe has purged the traitors. The younger warriors who strayed onto the wrong path will scatter with their leader gone. Of course, some might resist, unable to accept the situation..."

She glanced down at her left arm, which, despite her casual attire, was still wrapped in Palmar's tail.

"I'll cut off the tails of every one of them."

"An iron-blooded chieftain will be born..." Ian muttered, imagining her covered in severed tails.

Knowing Charlotte, it was easy to believe she would do whatever it took for her tribe.

Ian quickly wiped the smile from his face and added, "But that alone won’t be enough."

"... Even if I finish dealing with the internal matters?" Charlotte asked, her brow furrowing. It wasn't that she doubted his words; her gaze showed a desire for a more detailed explanation.

"Yes. You’ll be up against those cunning elves from the Central. Once they bring their forces and purifiers into the South, whatever you’ve prepared won’t matter. They’ll question your authority and look for any excuse to undermine you. The moment they find even a shred of inconsistency, they’ll act on it."

"...."

"You’re not actually planning to kill all the berserkers, are you? Just because they’ve lost their tails doesn’t mean Kruxica will abandon them."

Ian nodded along but then stiffened slightly as a thought crossed his mind. Without him around, Charlotte wouldn’t have a way to receive the Blessing of Battle. He realized he couldn’t just send her off unprepared.

After organizing his thoughts, Ian stood up and said, "It seems we’ve reached our conclusion."

He grabbed the bottle of liquor in the center of the table. "Now, all that’s left is to drink."

Everyone except for Elia hesitated for a moment and looked at him. Unfazed, Ian uncorked the bottle and began filling the glasses in front of them. The color was lighter from the added water, but the refreshing and sweet aroma remained the same.

"Of course, let’s drink," Philip stood up, cheerfully exclaiming as if to lighten the mood.

While he made his way around, delivering glasses filled with liquor to the group, Charlotte mumbled awkwardly. "On a day like today, I talked too much about myself."

"That’s just because you’re a bit clumsy," Thesaya teased with a smile as she lifted her glass. "How will you save your tribe being that clumsy?"

"Why don’t you worry about your own family, pointy ears?" Charlotte replied calmly. "You being the head and elder of your family doesn't make the future any brighter, you know."

"Funny. Just look at today. Ian hasn’t said much to me at all. That means he trusts me more," Thesaya said, grinning.

"It’s probably because it’s useless to talk to you. You don’t listen to advice," Charlotte shot back.

Soon, the two of them began casually exchanging insults as if it were nothing. Ian didn’t bother to stop their argument today. He simply let out a faint chuckle.

"Don’t misunderstand. Those two are very close. Close enough to risk their lives for each other," Philip whispered to Elia, who was sitting next to Nasser, while he watched the scene unfold with an amused smile.

Elia blinked in surprise. "That’s interesting. In the books I’ve read, it says that beastfolk and fairies are almost like sworn enemies."

"They were, at first," Ian replied, taking a sip of his drink. Even diluted, it still tasted good.

Philip glanced at Ian with a sly smile.

"May I share how these two became friends?" Philip asked.

"I’m curious about that as well. In fact, I've always wondered. Especially the part related to the demon," Nasser quickly added.

Ian nodded, letting Charlotte and Thesaya's voices from either side flow in one ear and out the other.

"This story goes back to the kingdom of Agel Lan in the frontier. That’s where I first met Thesaya. Oh, by the way, both my lord and I are from Agel Lan. That’s also where I first met Lord Ian. But let’s save that story for another time. To start, I’ll tell you about my first meeting with Thesaya...."

Philip continued to ramble on, as he glanced between Elia and Nasser, who were equally intrigued. The room was soon filled with a lively atmosphere.

"..."

As Ian and Mev’s eyes met across the table, they exchanged a smile and subtly raised their glasses. It was a fine night, with plenty of time still left to enjoy.

***

A deep, resonant sound echoed, as if vibrating through his entire being. It was a sound that resembled the wind, or perhaps an incomprehensible whisper. Ian realized that he was staring into the darkness. The darkness had a sticky, tar-like texture, and it seemed to ripple and distort, as if it sensed his gaze, forming waves that resembled screaming faces.

The scene was so vivid and realistic that it almost felt surreal, even more so than anything he had experienced in the game.

"..."

Ian instantly recognized that this was the Black Wall. It was exactly as he had seen in Archeas’s memories. The fact that he was dreaming about it now was likely because of that.

It must have left an impression on my subconscious. Or maybe it’s the aftereffect of our souls being connected...

Ian lifted his head to look up. The sticky darkness stretched endlessly upwards, and halfway up, it transformed into swirling black smoke, almost like an ominous aurora.

They called that the Veil of Perception, didn't they?

Seeing it like this, Ian could understand why mages were so fascinated by the Black Wall. It was something that was neither solid, liquid, nor gas, yet it undeniably existed, and it contained immense power.

Moreover, as he stared at it, he felt his gaze being drawn in as if it were pulling him closer. He could almost hear whispers in his ears, urging him to surrender to his instincts and step into the unknown world beyond.

"It's a shame it’s not your world," a calm voice echoed beside him at that moment.