Chapter 492

Chapter 492

"Huh?" The tension drained from Diana's face.

Having expertly finished putting on his gauntlets, Ian said, "Let's skip the pleasantries. I'm just cleaning up the mess I made. I heard what happened. You've been through a lot, Diana."

"So," said Diana, who had been staring blankly as Ian received the greaves from Seren. "I'm really… alive?"

"You are," Ian replied, smacking his lips. He didn't look at her, focusing instead on fastening the greaves to his shins.

Diana continued, "And you, you're back to being human?"

"As you can see."

"And Sir Seren is… uh… um." Diana's gaze shifted, but she trailed off.

Seeing her stammer, Seren offered an awkward smile. "My appearance must be quite terrifying. My sincerest apologies, Sir Diana."

"Don't mention it. Anyway… you're safe." A sense of reality was finally returning to Diana's eyes.

"Aren't you going to ask what happened to me?" a quiet voice from behind asked.

Diana's smile froze. Blinking, she finally turned her head to the other side. "Lucifer!"

Lucia, who had been lying down and looking up, finally smiled when their eyes met. "It's good to see you again, Diana."

The next moment, Diana toppled to the side. Lucia had sprung up and thrown herself at her, hugging her tightly. Her cloak fluttering, Lucia held Diana close and then raised her head to look down at her face. They were so close their noses were almost touching.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Your consciousness, your senses, are they all okay?"

"Uh, uhh? Uh… yeah…." Diana, who had been staring up at her with wide eyes, finally turned her head slightly to the side and added, "I think I'm fine."

"Don't answer so vaguely. Does the wound hurt?"

"I mean, it's fine. No, wait… where are you touching?" Diana tensed up, going rigid.

Lucia had placed her hand on the bare skin of her side. Of course, Lucia paid her no mind and continued to pat and press the area.

"Doesn't it hurt? Not at all?"

"Yeah, no. It tickles. Stop now…."

"I need to see the back, too. Turn over."

"What? No, wait. Just a moment—" Diana flustered. But even then, she couldn't resist Lucia's merciless prodding and was forced to turn over onto her side.

"So, you're fine, no pain?" Ian asked then.

Diana, who had been tense, looked up at him. Ian, who had now finished putting on his steel boots, was tapping his ankle and looking down at her.

Looking up at his somewhat unimpressed black eyes, she mumbled, "Yeah. Far from hurting, I feel lighter and somehow free."

"Looks like the elixir worked well." Ian, picking up the blanket he had spread on the ground, nodded.

Diana blinked. "Elixir?"

"Diana, you drank the elixir that the Platinum Dragon bestowed upon Sir Ian," Lucia answered.

It seemed she had finished checking Diana's left lower back and was now gently laying her flat again. As she obediently let herself be handled, Diana's eyes widened.

"The Platinum Dragon? Don't tell me, you mean the Elixir of Life?"

"I don't know the exact name," replied Lucia.

"Crazy! I guess… a treasure of that caliber would be needed to bring me back… My god…" Diana, who had been muttering blankly, suddenly raised her head.

Her gaze turned to Ian, who had now come closer. He was picking up the blanket Diana had thrown off.

"You used such a precious thing on me?"

"Should I have just let you die?"

"No, of course not, but…" Diana gasped at Ian's blunt reply and then made a strange face. It was a face where all sorts of emotions, including joy and gratitude, seemed to be rushing in at once.

For a fairy who had survived for a long time in the demonic realm, these must have been particularly unfamiliar emotions.

However, Ian was no longer looking at her.

"Lucy, are you okay?" he asked, walking toward the storage box.

Lucia finally sat up and nodded. "Yes. I'm a little thirsty and hungry, though."

"A good sign." Ian nodded, tossed the blanket inside, and then took out the small food bundle that was left.

"Then let's all get ready. It looks like all that's left is to get out of this goddamn desert."

***

The group left the ashen desert without incident. Rivers and lakes now flowed where only dry ground once lay, fed by newly risen groundwater. Not a single Yanar stood in their way—not even a larva. Ian wondered if he had driven them to extinction. And even if a few larvae had survived, it would be a long time before they could grow into full-grown Yanars.

Swoosh—

The black desert with its dry sandstorms was just as quiet, but there was still a strange tension in Ian's eyes as he looked beyond it.

Crackle—

It wasn't because Diana and Seren, who were leading the way, were occasionally stabbing desert scorpions or sand spiders to death.

Is there still something left?

A strange sense of impatience and unease still lingered. He had expected it to fade after defeating Yanar Tash, but instead, it had only grown more distinct. Perhaps it simply stood out more now that the immediate danger was gone.

Crunch!

Even though Yog was still asleep, Seren and Diana were dispatching demonic beasts without any trouble. Not only Seren, whose transformation had progressed further, but Diana also seemed to have sharper senses—probably an additional effect of taking the Elixir of Life.

However, that wasn't the only reason.

"I guess there really are no big ones left," Diana muttered, casually twirling the short sword in her hand as she walked.

Right behind her, Seren, gripping the flail caked with ichor, nodded. "It seems they didn't simply scatter after being freed from Yanar Tash's control, just as the Priestess predicted."

Her gaze shifted to Lucia, who was riding in front of the saddle on Moro.

Lucia, with her hood pulled down, smiled brightly. "If we had gone east instead of north, we would have seen a sight filled with demonic beast corpses."

All the desert's demonic beasts had once gathered to pursue the group. Lucia had guessed that they might not have scattered even after the group entered the Desert of Death. It was a guess closer to a wishful thought, but it had hit the mark.

"Then everyone can just ride Moro now," said Ian.

Diana and Seren looked at him as he gestured with a nod of his head.

"We just have to go straight north anyway. I doubt the small ones can harm Moro."

Moro snorted as if in agreement.

The small demonic beasts of the desert carried deadly venom, but it was only dangerous if they managed to inject it. More likely, they'd end up as snacks for Moro.

Of course, those were also the group's emergency food supply. They had eaten all their remaining rations before leaving the Desert of Death.

"That's a very persuasive argument." Diana quickly sheathed her short sword, turned around, and hopped up behind Ian. Seren also took her usual spot at the very back.

Grrr…

Moro started walking without the slightest trouble, even with everyone on its back. It seemed to still be full of energy from snacking on small demonic beasts along the way.

"It feels like peace after a long time," Lucia said, looking back at Ian.

When their eyes met, she smiled brightly. "Actually, I don't even know when the last time it was peaceful, except for the time I spent in the dream."

"Yeah." Ian also chuckled.

No wonder his subconscious had desired rest the most. It had been a long time since he'd felt this kind of ease in the real world, though they were still in the heart of the black desert.

Well, I'll find out when the time comes.

Placing a hand on Lucia's hood, Ian shook off the nagging feeling in the corner of his mind. Besides, it wasn't like he had nothing else to focus on.

Ian opened his status window, a faint smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth. He'd already skimmed through it while the others slept, but seeing it again lifted his spirits. He had leveled up once more. Now, the max level truly felt within reach.

On top of that, he'd gained another stat point—and even an extra skill point, in addition to the one awarded from leveling up.

This all should be quest completion rewards.

Even all of his stats had increased by one. There was no concrete proof, but Ian suspected it was the effect of the Sacred Blood seeping into him. He'd never seen a quest reward that boosted every stat.

This is probably because of that, too.

Ian's gaze finally stopped at a corner of the skill tree.

In the common skill category, a new skill was registered, set apart from the others—Willful Grasp. It was a unique skill whose level could not be raised. The only explanation was that its effect increased in proportion to his level.

"Diana." Ian finally closed the skill window and looked back.

The masked fairy, sitting with a relieved expression, looked at him. "What?"

"Can I borrow a dagger?" Ian nodded toward her forearm with a slight tilt of his chin.

A dagger was sticking out from the leather strap wrapped around it. It was one of the few daggers she had left.

Diana raised her right hand and replied, "That's not difficult."

"No. I'll get it," said Ian.

Diana's eyes, which had been watching Ian with curiosity, widened in an instant.

A faint red glint had appeared in his eyes, and the dagger strapped to her arm slipped free on its own, rising to float in the air.

"What is that?"

"It really is fascinating. It feels like I have another invisible hand," murmured Ian, turning his gaze. The dagger floating in the air slid through the air, following his gaze.

"Are you moving the dagger with just your will?" Lucia, who had looked back, asked with wide eyes. She had immediately noticed that it wasn't magic that was moving the dagger.

Ian nodded. "Probably. It's a kind of telekinesis. I just suddenly found myself able to do it."

"The Sacred Blood!" As expected, Lucia found the answer right away with just that much of a clue. "The Sacred Blood has settled in you, Sir Ian. That's why you've gained a special power. Just like the royal family!"

"It's not that grand of an ability, though," Ian added with a shrug. The dagger floating in the air swayed with him.

"This is a grand ability," Diana said, staring blankly at the dagger following them as it floated through the air. "You can move things just by looking at them. And without any warning, too. The applications will be endless."

"Well, it would be useful for things like assassination attempts, I guess."

"Of course. If you can float a sword like this, the enemy facing you will have to deal not only with your sword but also with a sword floating on its own."

Ian nodded without hesitation. It was certainly a useful skill with a wide range of applications, but oddly enough, he didn't feel especially pleased.

"How heavy can you lift? How far does it work?" Lucia asked, her eyes sparkling. Her characteristic eagerness to learn had kicked in again.

Ian scratched his chin. "Well, I haven't tested it thoroughly yet. But for now, I can lift something like this dagger without much effort. And—"

As Ian turned his gaze, the dagger shot out like an arrow. S He watched it fly off into the distance, then turned back to Lucia. "The reach seems to be only a few meters."

"Then what about my dagger?" Diana asked, looking in the direction the dagger had disappeared.

Ian shrugged. "Sorry. I was trying to catch it again, but I missed. I'm not used to it yet."

"Wait, what?" Diana's eyes narrowed at his irresponsible words.

"Then how about trying to lift Moro?" Lucia said, her eyes making it clear the lost dagger was already the last thing on her mind. "It's suitable for testing the limits, isn't it? If that doesn't work, you can try lifting us one by one."

"Hmm."

Why are you more excited than I am?

Keeping the thought to himself, Ian nodded and then looked down. The veins in his eyes stood out for a moment.

Grrr?

Moro shook its head in alarm, as if startled. All four of its legs flailed slightly, lifted just above the ground.

"My goodness!"

"Insane."

As they watched Moro slowly rise into the air, the group let out murmurs of awe. That was when Moro suddenly dropped back down with a thud.

Moro, snorting, scurried away as if running away. The group's gaze gathered on Ian again.

"It's not without a cost," Ian muttered, his breath slightly uneven as sweat beaded on his forehead. He wiped under his nose with the back of his hand—thick blood was dripping from one nostril. Unsurprisingly, a dull, throbbing pain pulsed through his head.

Lucia nodded. "Still, it'll definitely be useful. If you can lift Moro, then a human should be easy enou—" She trailed off.

It was because she had suddenly risen into the air. She floated upward as if pulled by an invisible hand, her limbs hanging limp. Suspended above Ian's head, she looked down at the others as they stared up at her in surprise.

"How does it feel?" Ian asked, his brow slightly furrowed. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Not great. It feels like something's gripping me," Lucia said, her face as expressionless as ever.

She soon dropped and fell into Ian's arms.

Looking up at Ian's sweaty face, she asked, "Can't you make yourself fly, Sir Ian?"

"I'm trying, but it's not working. Looks like I can't use it on myself." He let out a short breath as he set her back in front of the saddle and gave a shrug. "Still, it could come in handy in an emergency. Though it'll probably take a lot of practice before I can actually swing a sword with it."

"If the Sacred Blood has settled in you, then your descendants will also be born with special abilities," Seren said, having been quietly observing until now.

As the group's attention naturally turned to her, she blinked her now longer, more pointed eyes and continued, "You can now prove your nobility through bloodline alone. Though, of course, Agent of the Saint, you are already a noble soul."

"The person who marries Sir Ian will be very reassured… though I have no idea who that will be," Lucia added, looking at him, her eyes curving.

"Marriage? Don't be ridiculous," Ian scoffed.

In that moment, he pinpointed the strange feeling that had been bothering him. The skill was undeniably useful, but it offered no magical advantage, just like Karha's battle tattoo or the Platinum Barrier.

"I'm jealous…." Diana said then. "I was thrilled that my senses have gotten sharper and my magic has grown denser since coming back from the dead. But compared to the miracle that happened to you, it feels so minor."

Ian's head turned to her. "Your magic has what?"

"Well, I'm sure it's nothing to a powerful mage like you," Diana said with a shrug, but her eyes couldn't hide a spark of joy. "I used to be able to barely manage a single lightning spell. Now, I think I could cast it five or six times with ease. It's probably because of what you gave me…"

She trailed off, her brow furrowing in confusion as she asked, "Ian? What's with that look on your face?"