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Chapter 174

"Please rest comfortably while you eat. We\'ll return as soon as we finish our task."

"I\'ll leave a guard at the door, so don\'t worry and take a rest, Ian," said Mev, who still had her visor down, then left the room with Philip.

Ian casually sat down at the large dining table in the middle of the room. He was the only one who was seated. Charlotte and Thesaya remained standing before him, looking as if they were ready to take on any task he might assign.

... It seems they have no intention of letting me do anything myself, do they?

Ian, smiling faintly, spoke up. "Have the staff sort out the spoils. Bartering is fine too. Then, go out and gather the supplies needed for the journey. You know what to prepare, right?"

Charlotte answered immediately. "Horses, carriages, provisions, and equipment. I guess we also need to buy a few more clothes. Is there anything else you need?"

"If you can get them, bring back a few small, finely crafted magic stones. Leave the identification of those stones to Thesa."

"Alright. We\'ll finish quickly and come back. And don\'t worry. Even if I drive a hard bargain with the officials, I won\'t do that to the townspeople."

"Who cares? You can rip off everyone for all I care."

Charlotte smiled and turned around.

Why does she think it\'s a joke?

While Ian was pondering this, Thesaya quickly followed behind Charlotte and waved her hand.

"We\'ll be back, Ian."

Charlotte growled lowly.

"We\'re not going on a trip, so watch your expression, pointy ears."

"You mind your own business, beast. I\'ll just stand there with a blank face."

The two, who had been bickering, left the room with solemn expressions as if nothing had happened. And in just a few minutes, the servants began to serve the food.

The table was soon filled with various dishes, mostly meat, and a bottle of wine.

One servant, unable to meet Ian\'s gaze, asked, "If there is anything else you need, please let us know."

"Just bring more wine."

"I will get it immediately."

The servant bowed and promptly turned around.

I feel like a villain.

Ian, smirking silently, began to eat. The food was quite excellent. The spices and seasonings were lavishly used, indicating that the appearance was not the only thing influenced by the Empire. The wine, rich in taste and aroma, seemed scarcely diluted. They must have served the best of everything without hesitation.

There’s no way that the vampires ate these... Perhaps they put in extra effort to acquire it just to avoid suspicion.

Indeed. Just by looking at the size of the inner castle, it was clear that there were more than a few dependents. There must have been several nobles and officials. How many of them still remained was unknown.

Ian chewed on the meat as he surveyed the spacious room. A large bed showed no signs of use, while bear and deer skins were spread across the floor. Flickering lanterns adorned every wall, and a long curtain hung beside the sole large window. This place, where the dining table was set, seemed to be a reception room.

If thoroughly searched, there would be several pieces of evidence proving that the owner of this room was a demon. Nonetheless, it was a remarkably large and luxurious space.

Large and luxurious...?

Suddenly, Ian, deep in thought, dropped the chicken wing he was holding onto the plate and gave a bitter smile.

In the end, it was still a gloomy, somber room that would appear prison-like to modern eyes. The sense of alienation he had momentarily forgotten due to being surrounded by his companions started to resurface.

He felt as if he had become a native of this dark era. Using the word "adaptation" seemed meaningless. His resolution to avoid becoming attached to the beings of this world had long faded.

Though he had repeatedly thought it was natural for Thesaya to die, when it became a reality, all he could think about was saving her. When Philip was injured, he felt an overwhelming urge to go mad.

Even the fact that he had casually delegated his responsibilities to his companions was a testament to how much he had come to trust them.

Now, his original world felt like a dream, existing only in his memories.

Fuck...

But somewhere deep inside, he still remained a modern man. The thought of eventually leaving this wretched world and bidding farewell to the people here remained unchanged.

He still longed for the life of sighing over credit card bills and rent, waiting for payday, rather than struggling for survival in a crumbling world. At least for now.

But if someday... no. Is it because I\'m hurt? I\'m having all these meaningless thoughts.

Ian laughed at himself and drank down the wine in his cup.

Even so, nothing would change. This world was still falling apart, and standing by still meant death. He was also becoming more and more of a ruined character.

Such lofty concerns about what was more important could wait until he had survived and seen the ending of this world.

Not that there\'s any guarantee I can return even after seeing that damned ending...

For now, thinking about the path he had walked, and the road ahead, was the priority. The unknown territory he had never experienced was no longer a distant story.

Suddenly, the food in front of him seemed rough and plain. The wine, too, tasted more sour than fragrant. Yet Ian silently chewed and swallowed the food and tilted the bottle again, thinking about what the best course of action would be from now on.

"Sorry for being late. Have you been waiting long... Oh, wow?"

It was Philip who brought Ian back to reality by opening the door and entering. At first, he was wide-eyed at the food on the table, then even more surprised at the pile of bones left by Ian.

"I\'ve never seen you eat this much before. I guess my stew didn\'t suit your taste."

"I need to eat to recover quickly," Ian answered indifferently as he continued eating the meat.

Mev and Philip, having removed their helmets and gloves, sat down at the table.

"To get straight to the point, everything went well."

Mev began talking, picking up a piece of cold bread.

"Not only did they accept our identities, but they also accepted the existence of vampires without much resistance. Besides the evidence outside, everyone had their own doubts somewhere deep down. Of course, they did. They just didn\'t want to believe it."

"There will be no more trouble for us, my lord. Everyone seems to have a lot of work ahead of them." Philip added with a strangely subdued expression.

Ian nodded. "I\'m sure they\'re thinking about filling the void of power created by this."

“Exactly. I could hear the wheels turning in their heads.” Philip clicked his tongue briefly as he removed the bandage from his fixed left arm. The slight furrow in his brow wasn\'t just due to the pain in his shoulder.

"They suspect the king is also a pawn of the vampires. They seem intent on checking if the king is safe. Did you see anyone among the vampires who looked like a king?"

"Well, even if there was, they\'d be dead by now." Ian shrugged.

He couldn\'t really guess. Even if there had been the king, they would have been an insignificant vampire. There was no way a puppet king would be granted much true blood.

"That makes sense. In any case, it seems they secretly hoped for that outcome. They were already thinking about how to seize control of the frontline troops first. What they plan to do next is obvious. They\'ll head to the royal palace with the troops and priests, investigate the royal family, and then crown the next king. They\'ll become the new power in the kingdom."

Philip spoke with a tone of contempt, taking a sip of wine before continuing, "When I told them we would be leaving within a few days, they seemed relieved. They stopped asking questions and just told us to stay comfortably until we departed. All they cared about was our lord\'s signature."

"Well, that\'s understandable. If we started getting involved in the power struggle, they\'d lose their share of the spoils."

Ian\'s nonchalant remark made Philip shake his head in disbelief.

"It\'s pathetic and disheartening. The ones who really risked their lives in this fight—"

"Don\'t say that, Philip. We\'re just outsiders. Besides, the more ambitious they are, the quicker the chaos in the country will settle. It\'s not all bad," Mev interjected softly.

Although she spoke calmly, her expression was far from pleasant.

Ian, who had been quietly sipping his wine, added soon after, "No matter what they do, it won\'t make much difference. Lu Sard is not truly saved, after all."

"... Now that you mention it."

Philip stopped chewing and looked at Ian.

"You mentioned something similar earlier. Do you foresee another problem arising in Lu Sard?"

"It\'s not just Lu Sard. The peripheral kingdoms, and possibly even the Empire\'s borders, will be affected."

"Even the Empire?" Mev asked with a somber gaze.

Ian nodded and replied, "The Empress lifted the curse before she died. She said it would carve another rift into the world."

"...."

"And that\'s exactly what happened."

Mev and Philip\'s mouths opened in shock. Finally, Philip, not even noticing the spittle flying from his mouth, asked again.

"Are you saying that erosion might start in this area?"

"Precisely, I don\'t know. But whatever it is, it won\'t be good."

"More demonic realms might be forming at a faster rate... or perhaps this whole area might become a wasteland. In the worst case..," murmured Mev.

Mev then looked at Ian. "Things from beyond the rift might come through."

"By beyond... Do you mean the void?"

"Maybe even worse. There\'s more than just the void beyond this world."

"... And?"

"There are monsters that live in the cracks of the world. I don\'t know their exact nature either. Just as there are things that come through from the void, there might be those that slip through the cracks."

They\'re good at speaking on their own.

Ian nodded, bringing his wineglass to his lips.

Philip, looking back and forth between Ian and Mev, sighed. "Then we must stop the war immediately. And save as many people as possible..."

“You know that\'s impossible,” said Ian.

Setting down his wineglass, Ian exchanged glances with Mev before continuing, "There\'s no point in thinking about stopping the war or evacuating people. That wouldn\'t be possible even if we killed all the lords."

"That... might be true, but..."

"As long as the war continues, that was bound to happen eventually, even without the Empress. We just need to keep doing what we can do."

"You\'re talking about finding and punishing those who desire and even foster such chaos and tragedy,” Mev added, placing the bread back on the plate.

Ian nodded, and Philip, with a heavy expression, lifted his wine glass.

"So, in the end, we will go back to—"

It was then the door suddenly burst open.

"We\'re back, everyone—oh. Why does everyone look so grim?" Thesaya, swinging her arms as she walked in, blinked in surprise.

As Philip swallowed hard, Charlotte walked past Thesaya, sat down in an empty seat, and looked at Ian.

"We\'re back, Ian."

"And the task?"

"Mostly sorted out. We\'ll be using the carriage we rode today. We also bought another horse. They\'re preparing food and wine for us as well. We can leave anytime after tomorrow."

"Excellent."

"There wasn\'t a merchant selling magic stones, but there were a few small ones in the castle\'s storeroom. I managed to take two. With the money saved, we can get more equipment. I\'m planning to go back tomorrow for additional purchases. If anyone needs anything specific, let me know."

"I thought it would be interesting, but it was rather dull. I didn\'t get to say a single word. The whole time, all I heard was the kitty growling and making threats—oh my."

Complaining, Thesaya put a piece of meat in her mouth and then widened her eyes in surprise.

"This is delicious. So this is why everyone eats meat? It\'s not as good as Ian\'s blood, but it\'s amazing."

She grabbed another piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth, getting seasoning all over her face. The atmosphere lightened a bit as Mev murmured about teaching her table manners.

Philip, chuckling softly, added, "Surprising. I thought elves didn\'t enjoy meat. Maybe alcohol, but not meat."

"Really? Maybe it\'s because I used to drink blood. This is delicious. And the wine is good too. The last time I drank it, it tasted like sludge."

"Eat slowly, pointy ears. Don\'t ruin our appetites." Despite her reprimand, Charlotte refilled Thesaya\'s wine glass.

Philip, watching Thesaya with fascination as she got oil and seasoning all over her mouth, asked, "How does the taste of blood when you were a demon compare to the taste of meat now? Does it feel similar?”

Under Charlotte\'s gaze, Philip quickly added, “... I apologize if that was rude. I meant no offense."

Thesaya, chewing her meat nonchalantly, swallowed and said, "The deliciousness is similar, but everything else is different. This is more varied. Hmm, I think I prefer it a bit undercooked. It\'s juicier."

Is this also an effect of being a former vampire?

Ian nodded, thinking of the fairies from games. Those fairies didn\'t completely avoid meat either, but they didn\'t particularly enjoy it and mostly preferred bread or fruits. They did like alcohol the most, as Philip mentioned.

Thesaya wiped her mouth with her palm, her eyes lighting up. “So, where are we going next? Kitty said we\'re heading to the Empire. Is that right?”

Mev and Philip, who had resumed eating, looked at Ian.

Ian nodded. "Yes. We\'ll cross the southern border of Lu Sard and head to the western part of the Empire."

"The West? Where in the West?"

"How would you know? You\'ve never even been to the Empire." Charlotte scolded Thesaya while Ian paused and took a sip of his drink.

Looking between Charlotte and Thesaya, he set his glass down and added, "But you two will leave before we get there."

"...?!"