Chapter 502

Chapter 502

"This is my limit…"

Diana, who had barely managed to swallow the meat she was chewing, slumped back against the chair. She had her mask pushed up to her forehead and was panting as though in agony, her lips glistening with grease and sauce.

"Damn it… I thought I could eat way more than this. My stomach’s definitely shrunk."

Contrary to her words, the area around the plate in front of her was littered with a pile of bones, stripped clean of their meat.

It wasn’t just her. The entire table around the group was a mess—bones, torn chunks of bread, bits of stew, and pools of oil, seasoning, and wine decorated every inch of the table.

"It’s more because you ate in such a hurry," Lucia, sitting beside her, mumbled as she chewed. Her lips were just as shiny as Diana’s. "When you’re starving, you have to pace yourself. Eating slowly and steadily helps you eat more."

She dropped the bone she was holding between her thumb and forefinger with a soft clack and added, "It’s a secret technique I learned from the dwarves."

"The stumpies I knew never taught me anything useful like that. Useless little half-pints," said Diana.

Clicking her tongue, Diana glanced across the table at Ian. He was silently, and without a moment's rest, continuing his meal. His jaw didn't even stop when he went back to the central round table to get more food. As a modern man, he considered not breaking the flow of a meal more important than anything else.

As he chewed and brought a glass of wine to his lips, Diana continued, "If I ate this every day, my whole body would be covered in flab in no time."

"You're right. I never thought I'd say this either, but it's delicious," Ian, who answered while setting down his glass, glanced at Diana and added, "Though not enough to bring tears to your eyes."

"No… that was…" Diana’s brow furrowed. "That was just… some grease splattered in my eye…"

"Right. I’m sure it was," Ian murmured, then took another bite of meat.

The sharp, salty, and greasy flavors of the food felt almost violent to the group, who had survived for so long on the meat of desert monsters.

The moment Diana took a bite of the meat, a stream of tears slipped down her cheeks before she even realized it.

"There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, Diana. My eyes welled up too, just a bit. So I can’t imagine what you felt," Lucia added while chewing. It didn’t seem to comfort Diana in the slightest.

"I told you, it wasn’t like that… Damn it," Daiana grumbled under her breath and brought the wineglass to her lips.

It was thinner and more sour than the one in Billion’s office, but no one complained. If anything, it helped them eat even more.

"This won't do. I'm going to pack it up and take it to my room, and eat more when my stomach settles." Setting down her neatly emptied glass, Diana stood, her very fairy-like greed plainly on display.

The round table in the center still had more than half of the food left.

Ian gave his chin a slight nod just then. "While you’re up, get me another piece of meat for my plate."

"Which one?"

"Doesn’t matter. They’re all just different cuts with the same seasoning."

"Alright." Diana readily nodded and walked over.

So even a fairy becomes docile after a proper meal.

Ian refilled his glass with wine. He was just as focused on the meal as the others. Any concerns about the future were pushed aside for now.

Soon, Diana came back and dropped a chunk of meat, bone and all, onto his plate before heading off again. Ian didn’t know exactly what kind of meat it was. All he could tell was that it was a rib, seasoned with something salty and strangely tangy, then grilled. It seemed that southern cuisine leaned heavily on strong, salty flavors.

"I've been thinking," said Lucia when Ian had finished stripping the meat off two ribs.

Cutting the meat off the third rib with his knife, Ian replied, "Sounds like your stomach’s full. You’re finally relaxed enough to think."

"Actually, I was full a while ago. I’m just eating this now to savor the taste more. No… that’s not it." Lucia, who had been answering readily, shook her head slightly.

Then, picking up the glass in front of her, she lowered her voice and continued, "It wasn't just to skip the troublesome investigation, was it?"

"What was?"

"Not revealing the details of what you experienced in the black land."

Lucia, who had taken a sip of wine while watching Ian chew like a cow, added, "You don't want to let the royal family know about Prince Hyked, do you? Am I wrong?"

In the corner of Ian's vision, Diana's figure flinched. Of course, it was only for a moment. She soon casually picked up a piece of meat and placed it on the large tray resting on her arm.

"They’ll find out eventually anyway. I just didn’t want to be the one to tell them."

Otherwise, I’d be dragged into the Emperor and the Dark Prince’s power struggle from the very start.

Swallowing the unspoken words along with the meat he was chewing, Ian shrugged one shoulder. "Of course, it's also because the later they find out, the better."

"So you’re saying it’s for purely practical reasons? Not because you support Prince Hyked."

So that's what she was curious about.

A corner of Ian’s mouth curled up as he held his glass. "I’m not on anyone’s side. If I had to say, I’m on my own."

Ian, moistening his lips with wine, picked up a piece of meat with his fork and added, "Whether that will continue to be the case in the future, well, we'll have to see."

While the future remained uncertain, his past experiences suggested all too clearly that a time would come when he’d be forced to take sides.

"I see. I understand." Lucia, who had nodded and taken another sip of wine, smiled at Ian. "Whatever choice you make, I will support you, Sir Ian. Even if it’s a choice that would sadden the Blazing Goddess. I’m sure you already know, but I wanted to tell you."

"That’s reassuring. But there will be no reason for your goddess to be sad. I won't drag you into it."

Ian bit off another chunk of meat, prompting a faint twitch in Lucia’s brow.

"What do you mean, you won't drag me in?"

"You’re going back to the temple, Lucy. Don’t tell me you weren’t planning on sticking with me, were you?"

"Well..."

"So you were…"

As Lucia hesitated, Ian let out a long sigh through his nose. Even in the midst of this, his mouth was still chewing.

Lucia, biting her lower lip slightly, said, "Of course, I was planning to return to the temple first once we crossed over to the mainland with you, Sir Ian. However…"

"You were planning to come back out again after that?"

When Lucia just gave a slight nod, Ian finally let out a dry laugh. The temple would never allow it, yet it was clear that such a thing wasn't even on her mind.

She had joined him in the North on her own, after all. That choice had led them all the way past the Black Wall, and yet she didn’t seem to have learned anything from it.

Or maybe it was the opposite. Maybe she’d seen and endured so much beyond the Wall that she simply couldn’t let him go alone.

"If you insist on doing so, I can't forcibly stop you. You're an adult now. It's also a fact that you're a great help," said Ian, who had swallowed the meat he was chewing. He was staring at Lucia as calmly as his tone.

"But whether that's really fulfilling your responsibilities and duties is something you should think about a little more deeply, Lucy. And whether it's the right choice for the people who risked their lives for you."

Ian, who had stabbed the center of the meat with his fork, brought it to his mouth and added, "Because you're an adult now."

Lucia couldn't give any answer. Only after Ian had swallowed the meat he was chewing, she said, "I was thoughtless. While worrying about the well-being of my precious people, I was overlooking the fact that I myself might be their biggest worry."

She looked into Ian's eyes for a moment, let out a big sigh, and added, "When I return to the North this time, I won't act irresponsibly and selfishly anymore."

"I don't think you are, Lucy." Ian smiled at last and brought his wine to his lips. His already good mood got a little better.

"You've made a wise choice, Lucifer," said Diana. She had returned and placed a large tray on the table.

As Ian’s eyes landed on the chaotic pile of food dumped haphazardly onto it, his brow twitched slightly.

Diana added, "You were born with the qualities of a hero. A desire to quell all this strife and bring peace must be welling up inside you. But that's impossible."

She slumped into a chair and shrugged. "You can tell just by looking at history. There have been so many heroes, yet the world is still a mess, isn't it? It's much more meaningful to just pursue peace and stability around you. That's also difficult to achieve, but at least it won't be impossible."

"Is that why you decided to let go of everything and return to your hometown?" Lucia, who had been looking at her, asked.

Diana nodded. "Yes. It's a conclusion I came to after rolling in the gutter for decades. The conclusion was reached long ago, but I couldn't get out of the gutter, so I just kept rolling."

"That’s the first thing you’ve said in a while that I can agree with," Ian said, setting down his glass.

Diana's gaze turned to him. "Then you should think it over again too, Ian Hope. Getting out of the gutter isn't as hard as you think."

"It is hard. Your gutter was over there, but my gutter is this world itself."

"This world itself…?" Diana, who had tilted her head at Ian's listless reply, soon narrowed her eyes and nodded. "Right… as expected, your goal must be ascension. Befitting of the North's Great Warrior."

It was enough to make Ian’s brow furrow deeply and Lucia press her lips into her mouth.

As Diana tilted her head in puzzlement, Ian set down his fork with a sharp clink and muttered, "Just when I was about to praise you, you go and say something that ruins my appetite."

"Uh… if it’s because of the gutter talk… that wasn't my intention…"

"It’s fine. I already lost my appetite when you came back with that dog food."

At Ian's words as he stood up from his seat, Diana's brow also furrowed.

"Dog food? How is this in any way—"

Ignoring her, Ian walked over and opened the dining hall door. A gloomy-looking corridor with almost no windows was revealed.

"Did you enjoy your meal, sir?"

The dark-skinned boy servant who had been squatting beyond it quickly stood up and said, raising the tray he had been holding on his lap to his chest. On it were several rolled-up parchments.

"Is that the newsletter?" Lucia asked.

While we were eating, this kid must have been busy too.

In one hand, she held a pewter wine bottle, and in the other, a wine glass.

The servant nodded. "Yes. Sir Billion said that since this is a copy sent from the headquarters, there may be differences or omissions from the original content."

"We’ll keep that in mind."

"Yes. Then…" The servant, who had glanced at Ian with a cautiously careful look, turned around. "I will escort you to your quarters."

The boy turned and trotted ahead.

Ian, who was about to go out, suddenly looked back at Lucia holding the wine bottle and glass, and Diana holding a tray piled high with food in one hand. Lucia, receiving Ian's gaze, tilted her head.

"What is it, Sir Ian?"

"It's nothing. Let's go."

***

The quarters were in a corner on the top floor of the fortress. As had been the case on their way here, there was no sign of anyone else nearby. It was clear that Billion had cleared out the entire space for their use. This place was probably not the soldiers' quarters in the first place.

"Is there anything else you require?" As the group entered the room one by one, the servant standing at the door asked politely.

Nodding, Ian looked back at the boy. "Get some meat for my horse."

"Meat, sir? …Yes. Understood." The servant, who had asked back for a moment as if he didn't understand, soon quickly bowed his head and answered.

"Tell Sir Billion that we will be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Yes. And?"

"Come back after the sun has completely set. I heard there's a prayer room, and I need to visit it."

"Yes. I believe the timing will be perfect after I have taken care of all the matters you have mentioned. I will see you shortly. If you need anything, please ring this bell next to the door in the corridor. Someone who hears the sound will come."

"Alright. See you later."

The servant bowed his head. He was a pretty smart kid.

As Ian smiled faintly and closed the door, a low voice followed from behind.

"Not in the morning, but why the prayer room at night?"

It was Diana, who had set a plate down on the side table in the corner. The food on it was now completely mixed together like a single dish.

Turning around and heading for the bed closest to the door, Ian shrugged. "The Great One prefers to be called out at night."

"The Great One?" Diana, who had paused while asking back, had her eyes wide open. "You're going to see it right away?"

"There’s no good in postponing it. Want to come?" Ian asked, slumping down on the bed.

Diana shook her head without a hint of hesitation. "No. I have nothing to say even if I see it. I'd rather get some more sleep at that time."

"I want to see the Platinum Dragon so much, but…" said Lucia's voice.

She was sitting on the bed opposite Diana. "But I feel like there’s a lot you two need to discuss. I don’t want to intrude. I’ll stay in the room. I’ve got something to read anyway."

"I don't think that old guy would mind you being there," Ian added, leaning his back against the wall.

Lucia, who had picked up a parchment from the tray in front of her, shook her head. "No. If I see the Great One and hear its words, I think I'll want to keep following you, Sir Ian. I have to resist."

"Well, if that's the case."

It's always best to stay away from temptation in the first place.

Ian placed his hand into his breastplate. He pulled out a thickly folded parchment. Magical runes were inscribed densely across the back—it was the Scroll of Correspondence.

"Light a candle and read. You'll ruin your eyes," said Ian.

With that, Ian leisurely opened the scroll. When he’d pulled it out in the demonic realm, it had remained dormant. But after the Wall fell, it immediately flared to life with magic.

—Agent of the Saint. Did you successfully fend off the invasion? Please leave a reply if you have confirmed.

And below that, filling up nearly half the remaining space, were tiny, tightly written lines:

—There are rumors circulating that you have gone missing. Are you safe? Please reply. Please.

All of them, of course, were letters left by Princess Seras.