Chapter 520

"Well, maybe," Ian murmured casually, then fell silent, his thoughts already drifting back to the vision he had just seen.

"What, is that all?" Thesaya asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Ian nodded without even looking at her. "Yes."

The grass and trees, which had been growing increasingly dense, had become even more packed while he was lost in the vision. If they continued on this path, it might soon be worthy of being called a jungle. The uneven road, long neglected, was also dark with deep shadows.

If Lu Vile isn’t far from the front lines…

However, that was all. To him, who had become a semi-expert on demonic realms, there were no particular signs of abnormality.

The road ahead was dark due to the overcast day and many trees with dense leaves. The contents of the vision he had just seen were far more ominous.

"How boring. It was so gloomy and ominous, I thought something was about to pop out. You really don’t feel anything? The lightning struck over there just now." Thesaya smacked her lips in disappointment, her gaze lingering on Ian as if reluctant to let the subject drop.

"Unfortunately, not at all yet."

Do you want something to come out, or what?

Ian let out a short scoff and asked, "So, have we entered Maro Tel now?"

Thesaya, her eyes narrowed, nodded. "Maro Tel should start after we pass this forest. I heard they intentionally left the surrounding forest intact. Like a kind of fence, to give outsiders who wander in by mistake a chance to turn back."

"It doesn’t seem easy to wander in here by mistake," Ian murmured, recalling the signposts they had occasionally encountered since yesterday.

Animal skulls were mounted on wooden stakes, and signs marked with crimson crosses jutted out along the roadside. It was more than enough to warn travelers not to go any farther. Then again, these markers likely existed because outsiders had already dared to pass through the forest.

"That’s true. This isn’t the neighborhood anyone would go out of their way to find," Thesaya replied, seemingly having taken his words in a completely different sense.

Ian just nodded without much of a reply. Her words didn’t seem entirely wrong.

The South, like the North, appeared to be as vast as the Empire’s mainland. Yet the regions with a mild climate and livable terrain seemed confined to the northern stretch along the inland sea and the central south, where Tahena lay.

There were deserts and wastelands to the southeast, and jungles, swamps, and a whimsical mountain range led by Table Mountain to the west and southwest.

In the first place, the reason this land was given to the beastfolk was likely because it was not suitable for human habitation.

"Still, I hope tonight is a little more interesting. Like the old days," Thesaya added casually.

She really misses those days, huh?

Ian let out a low, dry laugh and said, "You seem to have already forgotten all about crying for me to save you every time we fought."

"Of course I remember. But looking back, that’s when I felt most alive, Ian. Everything was simpler, too." The smile on Thesaya’s lips suddenly turned bitter.

"You’ll probably change your mind once you face another life-or-death crisis," said Ian.

And it seemed like you were the only one who felt that way back then, too.

Thesaya nodded her head. "Maybe so. Well, I guess this isn’t something I should say in front of you. You’ve been dancing on the edge of death this whole time."

She smiled, glancing at Ian, then immediately gathered the hem of her cloak with a flourish.

"So this time, leave the heavy lifting to me, Ian. As you can see, I’m more than ready."

"Well…" Ian’s gaze dropped.

Thesaya was currently wearing form-fitting leather armor with no gaps. Like her hooded cloak, it emphasized practicality over flashiness.

"It’s not bad, but it seems a little lacking to be fully prepared."

"Huh?"

On her left thigh was the dagger Ian had gifted her in the past. At her waist was a short sword she had brought from the family. But her true main armaments were likely the orb in her left palm and the small horn bow fixed next to the saddle with a leather quiver.

"This is enough. I told you, I’m a blue spellcaster now. The mage who taught me spells said that my magic is much more aggressive than the norm. It’s probably the influence of my time as a vampire," Thesaya said, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Hmm…"

More likely that you’re just gifted.

Ian tilted his head and said, "I was meaning to tell you. It’s good that you’re learning magic, but don’t get too close to that spellcaster. The Blue Magic Tower is already corrupt."

Thesaya let out a short scoff and added, "Don’t worry. They weren’t the kind I wanted to get close to anyway. They kept saying they could sense traces of chaos in me. That’s not normal to begin with. How would they know, unless they’d had dealings with dark magic? Ah, right."

Her eyes brightened as if something had just come to mind, and she turned to Ian. It was the look she always had when she was about to veer off into an unrelated story.

"Did you know that the Blue Magic Tower is in the South?"

This time, it was enough to catch even Ian off guard. "It’s in the South?"

"Unexpected, right? Blue, in this warm South." Thesaya, seemingly satisfied with Ian’s reaction, put on a slight air of importance and added, "I think they were probably aiming for that blind spot. Maybe the Red is in the North, like the Temple of the Brazier."

"Do you know the exact location?"

"I'm not sure. They just told me it was somewhere in the South, as if they were doing me a huge favor. They said they’d invite me someday when we’ve built more trust."

"Aha. Maybe they think you’ve picked up dark magic," Ian said, nodding as if he finally understood.

Thesaya snorted. "No chance I’d go. You know what I’ve suffered at the hands of lunatics like that."

"I know. At least that’s one thing I don’t have to worry about. It seems you’ve at least prepared thoroughly to survive."

Ian’s gaze shifted to the back of Thesaya’s waist.

Strapped to her right hip was the Elixir of Life, secured in a leather pouch crafted to block even the faintest glimmer of light. Over that, she’d fastened a fine chain like a net, its ends anchored to her belt at several points.

To Ian, it was a clear display of her determination never to lose it. After all, it was a spare life.

"You’ve got one too," Thesaya replied nonchalantly.

Instead of answering, Ian put the barely half-burned cigarette back between his lips.

Thesaya’s eyes narrowed slightly. "You didn’t already use it, did you?"

"I did." Ian finally nodded and, with a somewhat bitter taste, exhaled a puff of smoke, adding, "Though I used it on Diana, not myself."

"What?" Thesaya’s eyes tightened even more. "This precious thing on that girl? Why?"

"I almost killed her."

"Oh, then I guess that’s fair," Thesaya replied, smacking her lips as if there was no other choice.

She then looked at Ian slyly and asked, "Mind telling me how that happened?"

"Then I’ll have to skip a lot in the middle."

"It’s fine. It’ll be interesting even if I know the ending."

Ah, right. Here we go again.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette and began his story.

***

Clip, clop—

It was already early dawn.

The road had turned into a mere path, forcing Ian and Thesaya to proceed in a single file. The path wasn't entirely narrow, but it wasn't wide enough for them to walk side-by-side.

Thesaya had insisted on standing guard, yet it took her less than an hour to start nodding off.

And she hasn’t fallen off yet. Impressive.

Watching her back, now completely limp and motionless, Ian swallowed another dry laugh. Of course, he had no intention of waking her. The reason he had sent Thesaya ahead was, in fact, simply to keep her in his line of sight.

Ian’s hand, which had been stroking the neck of his horse, paused for a moment. He sensed a presence beside him—presences approaching stealthily, like predators stalking their prey.

Faster than I thought.

They were the ones he had been waiting for.

Ian masked his awareness, stroking the horse’s mane as if nothing were amiss. The attackers had to believe they were unseen. Otherwise, they’d flee instead of springing the trap.

Shhhk—

Just like now.

The moment a sharp sound sliced through the air, mingling with the chirping of insects, Ian shot up as if launched from the ground.

A figure dropped from a tree branch, coming into focus in an instant. A massive hand tipped with razor-like claws was already inches from his face. Beyond it, a pair of orange eyes gleamed with a beastly light, leaving a burning afterimage.

Swoosh, crunch!

The beastfolk’s hand was driven into the ground as swiftly as it had shot toward him, as if struck by an invisible hand.

But Ian wasn’t even looking at the beastfolk anymore. Another warrior had burst from the trees at nearly the same moment, charging straight at Thesaya.

The beastfolk warrior wore black leather armor, dark as if rubbed with charcoal.

Swoosh—

His outstretched left hand hovered inches from Thesaya’s hood. In the other, he held a short sword with the blade turned inward toward his palm—a grip that suggested two grim possibilities: a slash to her neck, or a hand over her mouth before driving the blade home. There was no way to tell which.

Cruch!

But he, too, was driven into the ground as if struck by an unseen force. Almost simultaneously, Ian kicked off his saddle and hurled himself forward.

Woosh—

A golden arc streaked through the air like an arrow, plunging straight onto the beastfolk warrior’s back before he could even break his fall.

Crunch!

Ian’s knee crashed into the center of his spine, bending the beastfolk like a drawn bow for a moment.

Schwing!

As the beastfolk’s head jerked toward Ian, a hexagonal shield of golden light stabbed into the ground beside his neck like a blade.

"Stay still," said Ian. He glanced over his shoulder and added, "You too."

The beastfolk warrior, who had been bouncing up after being slammed to the ground, was once again pressed to the ground as if crushed.

"Ghrk?"

A groan of pain and confusion was just about to escape the beastfolk warrior’s lips when Thesaya, snapping out of her daze, yanked the reins in alarm.

Fortunately, the weary horses only shifted their weight instead of bolting. Not that there was time for panic—everything had unfolded in the blink of an eye.

"Oh my. What is all this?" Thesaya looked down at the pinned beastfolk.

"What do you think?" Ian gritted his teeth. "Hurry up and pin that guy down."

The beastfolk warrior thrashed, straining to break free of the Willful Grasp.

Ian’s head was already starting to throb. At this rate, he wouldn't be able to hold on for more than a few seconds.

"Oh? Uh, okay!"

Fortunately, Thesaya quickly launched herself. Landing just like Ian, with her knee on the beastfolk warrior’s back, she held the fairy dagger she had drawn to his neck.

"Behave, Spotty. Be a good boy, okay?"

"Pointy-ear? A pointy-ear?" As Thesaya whispered, the beastfolk warrior she was pinning down frowned. "You’ve got a lot of nerve, pointy-ear, to dare come here—"

"Not a good boy. You might get your tail cut off if you keep that up— Oh my. Sorry. You don’t have one already."

Letting the ensuing sounds from behind him go in one ear and out the other, Ian looked down at the beastfolk warrior pinned under his knee. Unexpectedly, the beastfolk warrior wasn't resisting much.

The beastfolk stared wide-eyed at the golden shield lodged in the ground beside his neck.

Putting his right hand into his pocket dimension, Ian said, "I came to meet a friend. Could you give me some directions?"