Chapter 496

Chapter 496

For a moment, she paused at Ian's words.

"Truly," Diana murmured and raised her head.

She looked up at the sky, churning with dark clouds, with eyes that couldn't grasp reality, and then added, "Is it really… collapsed? Just like that, in a single moment?"

Ian didn't answer further. He simply sat cross-legged, as if exhausted, resting the head of the unconscious Lucia on his thigh. He, too, needed time to organize his thoughts. Everything had been just as sudden for him.

Of course, ‌Diana was no longer paying attention to his answer.

"Haha… hahahaha…." Laughter spread from behind her mask.

The sound, like air escaping, soon turned into a roar of laughter. "Haha… Ahahahaha!"

Diana cackled as if she were literally about to die from breathlessness. Her head was thrown back, and she was staggering as if she would fall over.

It was enough to pull Ian from his thoughts.

His brow furrowed slightly as he turned to look at Diana. She laughed on, heedless of his gaze. She even raised a hand and threw off her mask. The fairy's contorted face was revealed. Tears were even welling up in her eyes.

"Ahaha… To be this… this easy!" Laughing with a face that was impossible to tell whether it was smiling or crying, Diana placed a sand-covered cigarette in her mouth.

It was the cigarette she always kept hidden in the gap of her breastplate. She drew her short sword, scraped the blade against the iron plate of her vambrace a few times, and lit the end of the cigarette.

Diana only stopped laughing after taking a deep drag of the smoke. Her head was tilted back, gazing at the sky. "To collapse so… futilely…"

The tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her face. In contrast, the corners of her mouth, holding the cigarette, were curled up in a smile.

The tip of the cigarette, pointed toward the sky, glowed red.

I shouldn't mess with her for a while.

As Ian muttered inwardly, and was about to look away.

"So, is the Priestess all right?" asked Seren, pushing herself up, sand scattering.

Like Diana, she must have been lying face down where Ian had pushed her. Having quietly composed her shock on her own, her expression was relatively calm.

They're not giving me a moment to think.

Muttering inwardly, Ian turned his gaze and shrugged one shoulder. "She just fainted. As you can see, the gods gave her a rather intense welcome."

"The world has truly become one again…" Seren murmured. She was trying to remain calm, but it seemed her inner state wasn't quite the same.

Shrugging once more, Ian glanced at Moro, sprawled out in the distance.

Unlike the other two, it looked like it had gotten caught in the tail end of the divine explosion. Covered in sand, it lay there with its chin to the ground, panting—clearly, the shock hadn't been minor.

That bastard Karha, really.

While Ian let out a long sigh through his nose, Seren, looking around, continued, "Still, it doesn't seem like the chaos and madness rooted in this land have disappeared."

Ian nodded without a reply. It couldn't be a side effect of the Platinum Dragon forcibly tearing down the Wall. This was a demonic realm that had been maintained for a very long time. Even if it collapsed by destroying its core, it would take a very long time for the chaos and madness embedded in this land to disappear.

The side effects might not be internal…

Ian's eyes sank low as he looked down at Lucia's face.

"Anyway, by now, His Highness must have realized what has happened. So we must hurry and…" Seren turned to Ian, then paused as if she realized something. "We must… return to His Highness… but… that… umm…"

Her faltering voice faded with a low groan. A thought that was hard to say out loud must have crossed her mind.

"No." The one who broke the silence was, unexpectedly, Diana.

Looking up at the cloud-filled sky and exhaling cigarette smoke, she lowered her head to look at Seren again. "I'm sorry, but I'm not going back."

"Sir Diana..." Seren, who had been hesitating while looking at the back of Ian's head, turned to her.

Meeting Seren's blue eyes, Diana added, "I know how my words must sound, but I have served His Highness and the Empire for a long time. I have always been faithful to my role and responsibilities."

Pausing for a moment to take a deep drag of her cigarette, Diana continued with a sigh. "Besides, I've learned too many things I didn't want to know. Enough to fully expect what things will be waiting for me if I return to His Highness now."

The light in Seren's eyes grew dimmer as she listened. Without avoiding that gaze, Diana shook her head. "I'm sick and tired of war now. And there's no way someone like me could survive until the end. So I'm going back from here. Not to where His Highness is waiting, but…"

Diana raised one arm and pointed beyond the western coastline. "This way. To my real home, the South."

Ian's gaze, who had been listening, turned in the direction she was pointing.

It was just as Diana had said—this place was south of the inland sea. If she kept walking west, she would eventually reach the southern region of the Empire. She'd have to cross the desert and the southern front, of course, but it was still the quickest way to set foot on Imperial territory.

"You can call me a traitor if you want, sir. You can even try to kill me—I won't hold it against you. But you won't be able to stop me, because I'm not asking for permission." Diana ended her statement in a level voice, slowly drawing in a breath of cigarette smoke. Her gaze, however, was anything but relaxed, fixed sharply on Seren.

"Is that all you have to say?" said the Black Lion, staring into the fairy's swamp-colored eyes

"Please tell His Highness that I am not betraying him. I still admire and respect him, and I have not forgotten his grace." Diana added calmly, a slight smile curling her lips. "And that I will never divulge what I know to anyone. I just want to live out the rest of my life quietly in my hometown. As nothing more than a simple fairy."

"I see, I understand," said Seren.

Ian glanced briefly at Seren, who gave a nod. He didn't think Diana would actually get killed by her, but still, if Seren really meant to kill that pointy-eared one, he had no intention of just standing by and watching.

Fortunately, Seren did not draw the short sword at her waist.

"I will report to His Highness that Sir Diana has set off on her journey home," said Seren. Her tone was still subdued, but much gentler. "I will also deliver your message without fail. His Highness will not be angry. However, he will be very sad, just as I am now."

Diana's eyes widened for a moment. It was a face that seemed to have heard something completely unexpected. A ripple spread across her previously subdued gaze right after. Exactly what she was feeling now—only she would know.

"Thank you for saying so, sir." Diana finally moved the cigarette between her fingers and bowed her head. Her left fist was pressed to the center of her breastplate.

Seren responded with the same posture. "Congratulations on your safe return, Sir Diana."

"As I said, my feelings for His Highness and my comrades will not change. I will never betray them."

"I do not worry about such things. We are comrades who survived this hell together." Seren smiled faintly.

Diana, who was looking into her eyes, finally shifted her gaze to the side. "And, it would be best for you two to come with me. Ian Hope."

Ian's eyes twitched for a moment as he received her gaze.

As Seren's expression turned peculiar, Diana added, "You two are not loyal to His Highness. You only joined hands to execute the archdemon and destroy this demonic realm. Now that the Wall has fallen, there's no reason to do so anymore."

Glancing at Seren, she stood up from her spot and added, "Besides, you two are apostles of the gods. Now that you have received the gods' protection again, it won't be of any help to us for you to meet His Highness. I suppose that's what Sir Seren was trying to say as well."

"I am… ashamed…" Seren bowed her head as if she had no excuse.

Of course, there was no change in Ian's expression. It was a fact he had noticed from the moment Seren had faltered.

Walking slowly toward Ian, Diana smiled. "I know you have a debt to collect from His Highness. But how about putting that off for a while? For now, come back to the Empire with me. You have people waiting for you over there too, don't you?"

Is she planning to take the lead on this, now that she's leaving anyway?

As Ian watched, the now-stopped Diana held out the cigarette to him. Ian did not immediately take it. It wasn't just because a quest window had popped up before his eyes.

"I, too, shamelessly make this earnest request, Agent of the Saint," said Seren. She was even kneeling on one knee.

Ian paused and looked back, and she lowered her head and continued, "The reward promised by His Highness will not disappear with the passage of time. If you wish, I will visit you, the Agent of the Saint, with a suitable reward. I promise this in my name and honor. Of course…"

Her gaze became resolute. "Until that promise is kept, I will remain as your vassal."

"You have a misunderstanding." Ian finally opened his mouth.

Seren looked up at him cautiously. "A misunderstanding… you say?"

"The reason I am not answering is not because I don't trust His Highness," Ian added calmly.

In fact, he had been contemplating heading South even before Diana suggested it. The reasons she mentioned were valid, of course. But more than anything, it was the Platinum Dragon's condition that concerned him right now.

Well, it's not like its life would be in danger, but…

It was clear that it had pushed forward despite bearing some kind of backlash and strain. He wanted to meet the Platinum Dragon as soon as possible and hear the full story.

"Then?" Diana asked back, as if growing impatient. Perhaps she felt it was a waste of the slowly burning cigarette.

Ian shrugged one shoulder. "It's not a matter for me to decide alone. I have to discuss it with Lucy. This kid has a right to that, doesn't she?"

"Ah, aha?" Diana finally let out a small exclamation. Her reaction made it clear—it was something she hadn't considered at all.

"I'm open." A husky voice spread out then.

Diana's and Ian's gazes turned almost simultaneously.

"You were awake?" asked Ian.

"Since a little while ago. I'm not a heavy sleeper, you know. It didn't seem like the right atmosphere for me to jump in, so I just stayed quiet." Lucia answered, opening her closed eyes. The back of her head was still leaning diagonally on Ian's thigh.

As Ian's lips curled into a slight smile, she added, "I want to go back with Diana, Sir Ian."

"Yeah?" Ian nodded. Her eyes held many other reasons for wanting to go back, but he didn't ask for now. There would be plenty of time to hear her thoughts, anyway.

"Tell His Highness, Sir Seren," said Ian, finally turning his head again.

Seren, who was still waiting on one knee, bowed her head. "Go ahead."

"He still owes me the equivalent of two archdemon heads. And when the time comes, he'll have to pay it back—interest included, for all the time it's been delayed," said Ian.

Not just Seren, but Diana too shot her eyes open. It seemed they had never imagined he would say he'd add interest.

Soon, Seren bowed her head again. "I will relay your words. His Highness will probably accept it."

"He will. He knows that if he breaks his faith, I will side with the Empire. …Not this one, the other Empire, I mean," Ian added, tilting his head to the side.

It was enough to make Seren freeze for a moment. For her, it would be an unwelcome outcome in many ways. She had even promised to remain as Ian's kin.

"I will do my best to prevent such an unfortunate event from happening."

"You can stop kneeling. Your legs must be hurting." Ian finally reached out his hand and took Diana's cigarette. He flicked his hand to shake off the ash and sand.

"I'm just saying this just in case, but you don't have to worry about my gaze right now. My stigma has fallen silent again. I'm suppressing it, too. Perhaps the Goddess is feeling sorry, too. She welcomed me a little too warmly," said Lucia, pushing her upper body up.

Lucia smiled. "Wasn't it the same with the God of Battle?"

"Well, he was a real pain in the ass." Ian, with the cigarette in his mouth, shrugged.

His combat tattoos had also quieted down. Not because he was sorry like the Burning Goddess, but because he was probably busy with many other places to look.

By now, the barbarians were probably deep in their night of frenzy.

"I was not worried about that, Priestess," Seren said as she stood up and walked over.

Lucia smiled faintly and turned her gaze. "Well, that's a relief. …But more importantly, will you really be okay on your own, Sir Seren?"

Facing the approaching Seren, she added, "Just because the demonic realm collapsed, it doesn't mean the monsters of this land have disappeared."

"I will be fine, Priestess. My stigma is still full of the chaos that you have bestowed upon me. Besides…"

Seren's gaze swept around. "As I said earlier, the chaos and madness rooted in this land haven't disappeared. Even if the world has become whole again, I doubt the gods' gaze will reach clearly—unless an apostle remains on our side."

Nodding in agreement, Lucia reached a hand behind her back. "Even so, you'll need a proper weapon. I'll give you my flail. It's a farewell gift."

Drawing the flail, she extended her arm forward. Seren, who had stopped, blinking in a daze, finally kneeled on one knee. "I seem to only accumulate debt from you, Priestess. But… I will gratefully accept it."

She received the flail respectfully with both hands.

That was a pretty easy knee to bend.

While Ian inhaled the cigarette smoke, the smiling Lucia added, "Even so, my worries don't disappear. If the gods were to see you now, Sir, I don't think they would forgive you. Not just you, but…"

Her gaze shifted to the demon beast, Moro, lying on his side. "Moro, too."

In fact, this was the more pressing issue. Seren would at least remain in the black land for a while, but Moro would be returning to the Empire with them immediately. Even if the gods forgave him, the Imperial army would not.

Ian didn't want to lose his beloved steed again, either. Of course, there was the option of having Seren ride him away, but that was a last resort.

Ian, who had passed the cigarette back to Diana sitting beside him, looked at Seren.

"We still have a debt between us, don't we?"

"It is nothing, Agent of the Saint. Please take care of Moro first," said Seren, shaking her head.

Ian was pushing his right hand into his pocket dimension. Soon, a black serpent slithered out onto his palm.

—That was too cruel, my friend. Tossing me in with no warning. Still, this time it's more. Hmm.

Yog, who had been rambling as it crawled, let out a sigh. The creature stopped on Ian's forearm and lifted its head.

—I thought something seemed different… The demonic realm has collapsed.

The creature finally whispered.

Ian nodded. "Yeah. It collapsed."

Yog flicked its tongue once.

—And I, once again, missed it.