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Chapter 156

"It can still be resolved. Think carefully, Ian. No matter how much you hate us, there\'s no need to risk your life over that insignificant fairy girl."

“Thesa, is she alive?”

"Not yet. But if you persist until the end, she will eventually die."

Mev\'s gaze turned back to Charlotte. In her orange eyes, a thick, murderous intent was pooling. Ian also stood still, having stopped in his tracks.

The Empress\'s voice continued. “I still don’t hate you, Ian. It’s quite the opposite. You\'re too valuable a person to die in a place like this. If you survive, you\'ll accomplish many feats and leave your name in history multiple times, just like you did in the North.”

“Killing all of you will also be part of my achievements.” Ian finally spoke in a detached tone.

The head wore a faint smile.

"What a tragic situation. Here I am, trying to save you, while you\'re so eager to kill me. Even at this moment, my entire clan is gathering. Do you really think you can stand against all of us, no matter how strong you are?"

“All of you are gathering?”

“Yes. By the time you arrive, we\'ll be ready.”

Ian nodded. Mev realized that he was continuing the conversation only to gather more information.

Perhaps even the Empress had noticed.

Then why does she keep trying to persuade him? Is it really because she doesn\'t want to kill Ian?

As she tilted her head in confusion, Ian spoke. “Good. It’ll save me the trouble of hunting you down. I’ll also gain a lot of experience.”

"Again with those incomprehensible words... I know very well what kind of achievements you accomplished in the North, Ian. They\'re nothing short of legendary."

The Empress\'s voice lowered.

“But I also know it wasn’t entirely your doing. Things are different now. You know that better than anyone, don\'t you?”

“....”

Ian didn’t respond. Although his face wasn’t visible, Mev thought he must be expressionless. The deeper his anger, the more his face showed no emotion.

“You must be quite anxious.”

Unexpectedly, Ian\'s tone was very soft.

“What? What do you mean by that—”

"It seems the ones backing you aren\'t providing any help at all, are they?"

“....” The Empress\'s voice quieted. Surprisingly, Mev could sense a faint trace of confusion emerging from that disgusting face.

“Otherwise, there’d be no reason for you to spout such nonsense yourself.”

Ian continued calmly.

"The truth is, you know it too. Without their help, your beloved clan, which you\'ve worked so hard to build, will all die by my hand. That\'s why you\'re desperately trying to persuade me, coming up with all these unconvincing reasons. Isn\'t that right?"

"...You\'re jumping to conclusions too much, Ian." The Empress finally spoke.

Ian, who had chuckled softly, added. “I don’t care whether Thesa is dead or alive. Even if you use your people as cannon fodder, you can\'t stop me. Dying by my hand will be far less painful than being drained of blood by you.”

“....”

The head seemed at a loss for words, lips moving silently.

Ian stepped closer and added. "Stop this meaningless nonsense already. And next time."

Ian lifted his foot. “I’ll crush your real head.”

“Ian, you’ll truly regret th—”

Crunch!

Ian stomped on the head. As its internal magic dissipated, the shattered intestines sprayed everywhere.

“Ha....” Ian let out a short sigh, covered in blood and flesh. He wiped the blood from his face with his palm and returned to the campfire.

Philip wore an awkward smile."Ah, you were magnificent, my lord. Not only did you stand firm against the demon\'s threats, but you also declared war. Surely, you have something in mind, don\'t you?"

“No,” Ian replied immediately, looking straight at Philip.

“There’s no plan. We’re heading to Glumir and will face them head-on.”

“....” Philip\'s lips parted as he paused, his reaction mirroring that of the grotesque head made of entrails earlier.

Ian let out a dry laugh and spoke. “The Empress won\'t budge from her den. There’s no way to sneak in, so we’ll have to break through the front.”

“Huh....” Philip sighed.

Charlotte, with a somber look, spat out her words. “It’ll be a grand battle. Even if we die fighting, it’ll be memorable, and if we survive, it’ll be remembered forever.”

"What kind of crazy... If what the Empress said is true, it would be like throwing straws against the wind. Of course, you all are warriors who can take on a hundred men each, but still, the opponent is undeniably... the demon race..." Philip finished, shrinking under Ian’s gaze.

Ian nodded. “Well, you make a valid point.”

“...What?” Philip raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Ian shrugged. “As you said, it would be like throwing straws against the wind. You can turn back and return to Burbrook if you wish. The same goes for you, Sir."

Ian glanced at Mev and continued, "You\'ve both done more than enough just by helping us get this far. I wouldn\'t blame you at all if you decided to withdraw. If we win, we\'ll head straight to Burbrook. And, of course, we\'ll share any information we gather."

Philip looked startled, not expecting Ian to say such a thing.

"No... How can you say such disappointing words... Turn back? No matter how scared I am, do you think I would abandon you two, sir, and run away alone?"

"I feel the same. I can\'t just throw you into danger and run away. I\'ll fight with you until the end." Mev added.

Philip looked back at her and joked, "I even practiced how to deal with vampires, so it would be quite embarrassing to return empty-handed."

“No matter how many of them there are, true vampires might only number in the dozens. The rest are likely on the same level as the minions we saw before. From what I see, we do have a chance. We just need to each handle a few dozen." Mev’s serious words made Ian chuckle softly.

I knew they would say that.

“Alright. If you’re all so eager to die.”

Of course, Ian had no intention of dying. He didn\'t have many ability points left, but he still had plenty of skill points to spare. If things got tough, he planned to invest points as needed.

Besides, he had other things to rely on. The moment he rejected the Empress\'s proposal, a quest window appeared before him.

[The Mistress of the Labyrinth Mansion.]

The goal was to enter the Labyrinth Mansion and kill the Vampire Empress.

This meant it was a situation that existed in the game as well. So, in any case, it wouldn\'t be an impossible situation to clear. Just like the battle with Tahumrit.

Even in the worst case, if he struggled desperately, a path would reveal itself. However, these weren\'t reasons he could easily explain to his companions in a convincing way.

“From tomorrow, we’ll move slowly. Everyone conserve your strength and don’t skip meals.”

This was all Ian said.

Philip, muttering “Lu Solar,” looked at Mev with a grave expression.

“If I die in battle, please avenge me, my lord.”

Mev nodded. “Don’t worry, Philip. I’ll do so with my life.”

“If anyone is going to die here, it will be me first. So you should vow to avenge me instead.” Charlotte added.

Now they’re all eager to die first.

Ian chuckled and picked up a cloth to roughly wipe the blood off his face and body. Of course, he didn’t plan on letting anyone die.

If possible.

***

The next day, the storm clouds began to churn violently, as if a storm were brewing. As time passed, they descended lower and lower, giving the impression that the sky itself was shrinking. The distinction between night and day remained impossible.

However, the atmosphere among the party moving toward the center was surprisingly calm, more so than usual. They ate every meal heartily without sparing the rations and got plenty of sleep.

During this time, not a single vampire attack occurred. They didn\'t even feel the presence of watchful eyes. Ian wasn\'t entirely sure if this was truly the case. As they got closer to the center, the polluted magic grew thicker, disrupting his senses.

By what seemed like the third day,

“Hmm....”

Finally, the carriage emerged from the forest on the outskirts of Glumir. Ian, sitting on his saddle, suddenly felt his view open up. It truly did. The field sloped gently downward, allowing him to take in the entire panorama of Glumir at a glance.

The first wall stretched wide and long, encircling the farmlands and small forests outside the city. At the same time, it was low and thin, reflecting the style of the Empire. The city itself was nestled within high walls, occupying only a fraction of the area enclosed by the outer wall. Even so, it seemed like a fairly large and prosperous city.

At least, it had been until recently.

Now, the entire city was shrouded in a dim darkness. Not a single light could be seen, making it look like an abandoned city.

Ian was the only one to notice this oddity. The rest of the party\'s gazes were fixated on the swirling storm clouds overhead, specifically on the eye of the storm, a gaping hole in the center of the vortex.

“Lu Solar... my god....” Philip, staring at the dark purple sky and the large crescent moon visible through the hole, let out a sigh.

“...Magic. Or perhaps, another world.” Charlotte murmured next.

Ian nodded and added, “Well, at least we won’t get lost.”

“...?” Philip, who had been tilting his head in puzzlement, eventually followed Ian\'s gaze downward.

Ian was not looking at the gaping hole in the sky, but at the land below, illuminated by the pale moonlight. A large garden and the grand mansion at its center were bathed in moonlight, standing out vividly. The moonlight reached only as far as the walls surrounding the garden.

As a result, the surrounding areas appeared even darker by contrast.

Philip, taking in the surreal scene, parted his lips to speak. “So... that must be....”

“Our destination.” Mev, leaning out from beside the carriage, finished his sentence. She looked at Ian with her calm green eyes.

“That’s the Empress’s palace, isn’t it?”

“Most likely.”

As Ian nodded, the view of Glumir was obscured by the outer wall. Despite being low, it was still a wall. The carriage moved onto the flat land, following the main road. The city gate grew closer.

The open gates, like the rest of the surroundings, were enveloped in a silent darkness. There weren\'t even any guards in sight.

Philip, finally realizing the unnatural silence, muttered to himself. "Surely, there aren\'t no people at all, right?"

"Who knows? Maybe."

"Where could everyone have... No, never mind. It\'s better not to think about it." Philip shook his head and fell silent.

Soon, the carriage passed through the gates. Ian’s brow furrowed slightly. He felt a brief but subtle dissonance in his senses, similar to when stepping into a demonic realm.

“....”

Unaware of the change, Philip looked around. To their right, the distant city wall was visible, while in front, a hill led to the farmlands, and to the left, sparse trees formed a forest. The eye of the vortex was slightly to the left of the center ahead.

As Philip took in the faint column of light created by the moonlight below the eye,

“Stop the carriage, Philip.” Ian spurred his horse forward as he spoke.

Philip instinctively pulled the reins.

Ian, now wearing his helmet, added. “Prepare for battle.”

“...!”

At that moment, everyone in the party turned their gaze to the hill Philip was staring at. It was only for a brief moment. Mev quickly grabbed her helmet, and Charlotte sprang up from the roof of the carriage.

Immediately after, black figures began to rise over the hill. Philip stood up abruptly from the driver\'s seat, taking a careful look at them.

They were riders on dead horses. Following them, a figure shrouded in black smoke emerged.

It was a knight clad in full plate armor, riding a dead horse also covered in armor. The sight, combined with the swirling storm clouds above, evoked an image of an army from hell.

Just then, as Philip swallowed dryly, a red light began to spread in the corner of his vision.

“...?!” Philip\'s eyes widened as he saw Ian\'s body enveloped in a red light. The sacred power was quiet but seemed ready to erupt like a volcano.

“The Great Warrior of the North....” Mev sighed as she dismounted the carriage.

Ian\'s eyes subtly curved upwards as he glanced down at his hand. Partly because he had a premonition that it would be a rough day, but also because the holy power permeating his body felt more vivid than before.

Checking his status window, he saw that his stats had indeed increased by a few points. This was surprising, considering he wasn\'t receiving any more holy power than usual.

Is this similar to how the Sword of Judgment got stronger?

Perhaps it was thanks to the Source of the Dragon. It was something he couldn\'t be certain about. In fact, the reason didn\'t matter much.

Ian soon shifted his gaze and pulled out a cigarette from the wooden box. With a flick, a flame ignited at his fingertips, lighting the end of the cigarette. He shook his hand to extinguish the flame and took a deep drag of the smoke.

“Puff....”

Ian exhaled smoke and watched the riders slowly descending the hill. A considerable number, but they were only a part of the whole. The process of reaching the Labyrinth Mansion would not be smooth.

Even so, he couldn\'t afford to waste his magic on such foes. The same went for his weapons. At this point, even swinging an ordinary sword a few times would break it.

However, there was an alternative.

On the contrary, it was something possible only now.

“Phew....” Ian exhaled the smoke from his cigarette and extended his right hand. His hand, which had disappeared into the pocket dimension, slowly emerged again, gripping a thick handle too large to be grasped with one hand. Following it, a long and broad blade, as tall as he was, appeared.

The blade was a single-edged greatsword, slightly curved at the tip, with ancient runes engraved along the spine. It was the Legion Commander\'s Greatsword.

Startled by the sudden increase in weight, the horse staggered and snorted, trying to regain its balance. Ian, unfazed, gripped the handle with both hands, with the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

Crack, crack—

His grip deepened on the thick, long handle, leaving faint indentations. The divine power coursing through his body blazed silently.

Eventually, Ian adjusted his grip on the greatsword with one hand. He let the massive blade hang diagonally and turned to look back.

The cigarette in his mouth moved slightly as he spoke.

"I\'ll clear the way. Follow me slowly."