Chapter 405
"Is that so?" A pale smile crossed the Count's face as he repeated the news. It was the expression of a weary office worker bracing for the next task without a moment's rest.
"Well, let's prepare and head out," said the Count.
The orc, still bowing, stepped aside to make way. The Count turned back to Ian and added, "It seems we'll have to cut our conversation short here, Agent of the Saint. I'll remember everything you've told me."
"Do I need to come along?" Ian asked, standing up with the bottle in hand.
"You're welcome to. Though—" The Count hesitated near the door, then turned back with only the corners of his mouth slightly lifted. "If you allow me to handle them alone, things will proceed much more smoothly."
Ian chuckled softly. It was clear what the Count meant—Ian's presence would only complicate matters.
"If that's the case, I'll leave it to you," said Ian.
It was a relief for Ian, too—someone else handling the most troublesome tasks was hardly something to complain about. "Go on ahead. I'll follow at my own pace—discreetly."
"Understood. Are you heading back to the residence?"
"No, to the dining hall. I came here right after waking up.""Then you've been drinking that strong liquor on an empty stomach?" The Count looked genuinely astonished.
Ian shrugged in response, taking another sip from the bottle.
"Incredible. I can't even skip one meal without my stomach acting up." The Count shook his head, bowing once more. "I'll take my leave, then. Thank you for your consideration, Saint's Representative."
Consideration? I'm just doing what's convenient for me, Ian thought as the Count exited the room with the guard.
Ian leisurely took another sip of his drink and added, "So, not all the Owls were taken out."
Diana, still leaning her head against the wall with her eyes closed, responded without moving. "As I've said before, fighting isn't our role. If a stronghold falls, it's our job to survive and report the situation."
"Last witnesses, then."
"Exactly. That's how I ended up here, too." Diana nodded and followed behind Ian as he left the office. "Some of them must've seen the Wanderers invading the city. They'd have stayed close, observing the situation from nearby."
Ian nodded as he walked, and Diana shrugged as she continued, "They probably waited, blocking any other Owls from entering the city, using the prearranged routes we set for emergencies."
"They must've found it strange when the Wanderers didn't come back out."
"Exactly. So as soon as they regrouped with the Wolves, they stormed in." Looking out beyond the door, Diana let out a low scoff and added, "They must have been shocked to see the barrier intact. And even more so to see guards still stationed. They're probably in complete disarray right now."
Good thing I sent the Count alone, Ian thought, smiling as the growing commotion outside reached his ears.
Stepping past the main gate, Ian replied, "I'll order something to eat. In the meantime, head to the workshop and tell them to hurry now that the Wolves are here."
"Alright, though I doubt it'll be easy. But since it's your command, maybe those stubborn dwarves will listen."
Ian crossed the square and stepped onto the stairs leading to the upper levels. The sprawling view of the underground city stretched below him. Residents had cleaned the mid and upper levels, like the uppermost layer, leaving no trace of bones or debris. Only the lowest level remained in disarray, where most residents gathered.
For now, however, all work had stopped. The residents were busy welcoming the returning Owls. Of course, the Owls weren't the focus of Ian's attention.
—Interesting.
Yog, who had been silent as if bored until now, let out a murmur. Ian's gaze narrowed slightly as it shifted past the residents.
"The Wolves must still be waiting outside," Diana remarked beside him, noting the absence of any Wolf figures. However, someone entered.
"Then that person must be the Lion," said Ian.
Standing alone at the edge of the cavern near a flowing underground stream was a knight clad in pitch-black full-plate armor. A heavy visor completely obscured the figure's face, but their piercing golden eyes glowed through the slits.
Diana nodded. "Makes sense. They wouldn't just send the Wolves alone to take down a group like the Wanderers. That one looks like a Black Lion—one of their elite."
However, Ian's furrowed brow wasn't due to the knight's imposing presence. "If my eyes aren't playing tricks on me, that horse looks mutated."
The black steed beneath the knight was far from ordinary. Its enormous frame resembled that of a bison, its form seemed fused with the armor it wore. The beast didn't thrash or menace the residents, though. It simply lowered its head, its glowing red eyes flickering as it crunched on bones scattered on the ground.
"All warhorses look like that. They're incredibly dangerous. They say only those who can tame such beasts are recognized as Wolves." Diana spoke with a tone of disgust, shrugging. "I'd never ride one of those things."
"They look amazing. They don't seem like they'd die easily, either."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. But, by the way—" Ian glanced at Diana with a curious expression. "Is His Highness Hyked in a similar state?"
Diana froze momentarily, avoiding his gaze instead of answering.
Ian took another sip of his drink and shrugged. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just curious."
"It's not that I don't want to say it. I just don't want to speak carelessly about His Highness," Diana muttered quietly, her voice lowering further. "But as far as I know, His Highness has not accepted darkness or chaos—at least, not since the last time I saw him."
That's even more surprising.
If Hyked truly hadn't fallen to corruption, it was likely due to some extraordinary innate ability. What exactly that ability was a complete mystery.
—At last, this city has something that pleases me.
Yog added his comment, and a faint smirk tugged at Ian's lips. "So that's what you're impressed by—something completely different from me."
It wasn't hard to figure out what had caught Yog's attention.
On the opposite side of the city, beneath the farmlands on the lowest level, several massive bone mounds loomed. The scattered remnants suggested that another equally sized pile could be made from the remaining pieces.
It was an impressive sight, enough to hold even the Black Lion's gaze, as he stared at the bone mounds instead of approaching the Count.
Ian added, "If they pile them up like that, it'll just make it harder to get rid of them."
"They're not planning to get rid of them," Diana replied with a shrug. "They're going to grind them into fertilizer. Apparently, they're useful for laundry and even for the forge. I don't know how, though."
"Efficient."
"All of it's technically your spoils of war, though. If you don't like it—"
"No." As they turned onto the stairs leading to the middle tier, Ian cut her off. "Let them use it. They're just leftovers anyway."
—Then may I use them for a bit too, my friend?
Yog whispered eagerly.
—They look like such a cozy place to curl up.
Typical snake behavior, Ian let out a low chuckle as they descended the stairs. At that moment, someone below turned to look up at them. Lucia was there, her face dirty.
She looks like a proper local now.
Ian's lips curled slightly upward. Lucia returned the smile and tilted her head to the dining hall.
Ian raised his right hand and whispered, "Go ahead, rest up, and report anything unusual. If the Wolves enter or that Black Lion guy does something, let me know."
—Gladly.
With a flick of Ian's wrist, Yog darted off into the air.
The Black Lion, who had been speaking with the Count after dismounting, spun his head sharply. The murmurs in the area fell silent in an instant as the crowd followed his gaze. All their eyes focused on Ian, who stood midway down the stairs.
"I'll be off, then," Diana whispered before briskly stepping ahead as the residents began bowing.
So much for passing quietly.
Clicking his tongue, Ian descended the rest of the stairs and swiftly turned toward the path leading to the dining hall. He ignored the piercing yellow eyes of the knight, which seemed fixed on him, as though he hadn't noticed them at all.
***
The dining hall was nearly empty, with only a dwarven woman remaining. Everyone else seemed to be out helping with the city's cleanup. Balancing a tray on her head, the dwarf approached and deftly placed a series of dishes in front of Ian with practiced ease.
Ian arched an eyebrow as he looked over the table.
"If that’s not enough, let me know." The dwarf woman tossed the comment casually over her shoulder as she turned away.
Ian let out a faint laugh, glancing at the table before him. On the table was an assortment of dishes: grotesque-looking sausages, thinly sliced ham, a stew filled with various unidentifiable ingredients, and steaming black bread. Each item was piled high on its plate, and even the goblet was filled to the brim with liquor.
"Even an orc wouldn’t eat this much," Ian muttered, shaking his head as he picked up a fork. The sight of the food was making his mouth water—a clear sign he'd fully adjusted to life in this demonic realm.
—That steed, I hear, prefers monster bones. Apparently, human bones aren't delicious.
Yog's faint whisper drifted into his mind. Once again, it was information Ian didn't particularly care to know. In fact, the only useful thing Yog had shared so far was that the Count was currently explaining recent events to the Black Lion.
"Sorry, I'm late. I had to finish something up," Lucia said as she entered the dining hall.
As Ian, mid-chew, turned to look at her, she smiled. "Good to see you're looking well. I thought you'd be struggling for a while after—Wow. What is all this?" She gawked at the feast spread across the table, drawing a smirk from Ian as he gestured with his fork.
"Sit down. There's no way I’m finishing all this by myself."
"I doubt my help will make much of a difference," Lucia replied, but she sat across from him. Her dirt-streaked face showed clear signs of exhaustion.
"Eat, then go rest. Don't forget to wash up."
"Got it. There's not much left for me to do anyway. Also—" Lucia spoke softly as she popped a piece of ham into her mouth, then lowered her voice. "I'm certain His Highness Hyked's ability is connected to that Black Lion. Otherwise, there's no way a corrupted one would have such a clear mind."
Thinking about something like that in the middle of all this…
Ian chuckled softly and nodded. "Maybe so."
"They say the wolves aren't corrupted, but all of them ride those mutated horses."
"They still seem to be outside."
"It's because the residents are busy with purification efforts. They don't want anyone panicking or causing unnecessary risks. Once the work is finished, they will come in."
"I see."
"And Sir Ian," Lucia added, her voice dropping to a near-whisper as she glanced around the empty dining hall. "There's something I realized today."
"What is it?"
"No one here prays."
A faint smile tugged at Ian's lips.
I thought it was more important than that.
"Prayers don't work here."
"Maybe, but I don't think that's the only reason," Lucia murmured, trailing off as she popped a sausage into her mouth. Her words stopped as a masked platinum-haired elf entered the dining hall.
"What a tiring little dwarves. What the—what is this?" Diana approached, shaking her head until she caught sight of the table, her expression shifting to one of surprise.
Ian didn't spare her a glance and instead gestured to the empty seat. "How did it go?"
"They're saying that it can't be rushed, no matter what anyone says." Diana dropped into the seat, pulling off her mask to reveal a face etched with exhaustion and irritation.
"Instead, they said they'd shorten their sleep to finish as quickly as possible. They asked me to pass this on—they absolutely won't let you leave empty-handed, so please trust them and wait."
"Looks like it won't be done anytime soon," Ian muttered, resuming his meal as if he'd expected no less.
Lucia, who had been chewing on a piece of meat, froze only a few moments later.
—The Count and the Black Lion are heading your way.
She glanced at Ian, her eyes narrowing slightly. Ian, unfazed, kept chewing leisurely.
Clank, clank.
Soon, the sound of heavy footsteps grew nearer. Though Ian appeared calm as he chewed and swallowed, his senses were on high alert. The distinct, chilling aura of a corrupted being crept up from behind him. Diana, too, tensed, her eyes widening as the Count and the Black Lion entered the dining hall.
The Count's awkward voice followed. "My apologies—I didn't realize you were still eating. I can return later."
"No need. I'm done." Ian replied, rinsing his mouth with a sip of liquor before rising from his seat. By now, both Lucia and Diana had quietly put down their forks.
"If that's the case." The Count approached, and Ian took in the Black Lion standing behind him. Up close, the knight's size felt even more imposing. Even without the heavy armor, the knight would still radiate the same overwhelming presence.
Definitely a Black Knight, but—
There was none of the ominous aura typically associated with corrupted knights. Instead, the figure exuded a refined and composed presence, one that felt more akin to a holy knight than a harbinger of chaos.
Ian had encountered such a presence before: the Third Apostle of the Heaven Defier.
Though this one isn't their Apostle.
The Black Lion, who had been steadily approaching Ian, came to a halt.
"I shall make introductions," the Count said after clearing his throat.
"The noble and valiant sword of His Highness, the Crown Prince, and the commander of the Blue Wolves, Sir Valten Borgos, the Black Lion."
Valten placed his right fist over his chest plate and bowed slightly.
"Pleased to meet you, Agent of the Saint." His deep, ominous voice contrasted with his impeccably polite tone.
Ian held up a hand to stop Lucia from rising and replied, "Ian Hope. A pleasure, Sir Valten."
"I have heard of your remarkable feat—driving out the Wanderers and saving the city single-handedly. I extend my deepest respect and admiration for your outstanding achievement."
"I only fought to survive. It helped that this place was a dragon's nest."
"As humble as the rumors suggest," Valten remarked as his gaze flickered from Ian to Lucia, seated across the table. "To see such noble individuals aligned with His Highness's vision is truly heartening. By His Highness' command, I will serve you with unwavering loyalty."
Though the words sounded like a veiled declaration to monitor him, Ian nodded calmly. "I heard we'll be heading to the headquarters. How long will the journey take?"
"My apologies, but His Highness is currently in Sol Bryn. We'll be escorting you there instead," Valten replied.
The Count turned toward him in surprise. "Sol Bryn?"
"Are you kidding me? This is insane." Diana groaned, furrowing her brows deeply as she ran a hand through her hair.
Ian glanced at her briefly before asking, "Where's that?"
It was Count Graham who answered. "It's one of the most dangerous regions, right on the border of the archdemon territories."