I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 596

Ian paused, then the corner of his mouth curved faintly upward. "To come here himself, instead of summoning me."

"Couldn’t bear to wait until the Agent of the Saint’s formal entry, I imagine. Truly, just as the Elder described," Simon breathed, his eyes shining.

He exchanged a look with Thesaya. "The Bastard King clearly still holds the Agent of the Saint in special regard."

"Or he has a good reason to," Ian said, chewing the food.

"A reason, you say?" Simon asked, blinking.

Ian shrugged indifferently. "I wouldn’t know what that is."

"Shall I show him in?" Lucia asked, then glanced at the food-laden table. "Or shall I tell him to wait until you’ve finished your meal?"

Her tone was far too calm for it to be an empty gesture. She clearly believed it was Ian’s right.

"We can’t exactly leave a king standing in the street," Ian said with a dry laugh, swallowed his food, and nodded. "Show him in."

Lucia nodded and turned. Ian set down his fork, clicked his tongue, and stood up. The rest of the party rose one by one. As Thesaya was the last to stand, adjusting her clothes, the door opened.

Screech—

Lucia, who had opened the door, stepped respectfully to the side. A moment later, a man in a hooded cloak stepped inside.

The room fell silent. The man, who had stopped, turned toward the party. The eyes shining from the shadow of his hood were already fixed on Ian’s face.

"By Lu Solar…" A low sigh was followed by a smile spreading across his stylishly bearded face.

Striding toward Ian, the man threw back his hood. "You really have returned!"

The handsome face of Declan Burchard, the Bastard King, broke into a wide grin.

"It has been a long time, Agent of the Saint." Though his words were more formal than before, his attitude and expression were as warm as if greeting an old friend.

Watching him approach without a hint of caution, Ian finally let out a soft laugh. "It has been a long time, Your Majesty."

"Hearing you call me that makes the joy of our reunion all the greater," Declan said with a hearty laugh, stopping in front of Ian. His presence was enough to instantly soften the tense atmosphere.

"Your Majesty…" A low sigh came from behind him. By the closed door, next to Lucia, a man stood with his back to it.

Though he had a large new scar, it was a face Ian recognized. Patton—The mercenary who had acted as Declan’s aide. Not only had he survived, but it seemed he had truly become Declan’s royal guard.

"Cleaning’s done. Is there anything else you need— Oh, Your Majesty?" The maid, Sophie, who had been coming down the stairs, stopped, blinking.

Receiving the gazes of Patton and Declan, she managed an awkward smile. "Looks like I’ve interrupted. Please, continue your conversation."

She backed up the stairs and disappeared. She seemed abashed, but not afraid of Declan or Patton.

Ian’s smirk deepened. "It seems you haven’t changed as much as I expected."

"I am glad to hear that," Declan replied, his smile becoming more pronounced as he looked back at Ian. "It means, at least, that I am not meeting the Agent of the Saint again as an enemy."

We did talk about that.

Ian just shrugged. The Declan facing him now still had the friendly, unpretentious air of the bastard son he remembered. The hardships of the past years had given him a certain gravitas, but he was still a young king. Perhaps the beard was nothing more than an attempt to look older than he was.

"My apologies, Agent of the Saint. I know it is improper, but I could not stop myself from rushing here." Declan said, bowing his head.

"The words are mine to say. I have made Your Majesty come to me."

Declan shrugged as if Ian’s reply were only natural and took a step back. He then bent his knee slightly in the imperial fashion. "I have heard a brief account from the Apostle at the castle. I congratulate you on your safe return, Agent of the Saint."

"Though it is late, I also congratulate you on your ascension," Ian said, also bending his knee slightly.

For an instant, something sharp flickered in Declan’s eyes—but it passed in a heartbeat. Straightening, Declan said, "Having returned from beyond the Black Wall, you will once again leave your name in the continent’s history."

History, my ass.

Ian let out a chuckle. "Let’s stop with the embarrassing talk. That’s not why you came, is it?"

"Shall we? Ah, my apologies." Declan, who had readily agreed, finally turned his gaze to the rest of the party. "I have been chattering on without even greeting your esteemed guests."

"Allow me to introduce them." Ian clicked his tongue.

Since he was the only one who knew Declan, it was his role to make the introductions. "This is Thesaya Erenos, head of the Southern fairy house of Ereno, the last elder of the fairy clan, and also the representative of the Deep Forest."

"A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty," Thesaya said, curtsying gracefully.

As Declan returned the greeting politely, Ian introduced Simon’s party and Mukapa in turn.

"Indeed, an extraordinary group of individuals," Declan said, after exchanging greetings with everyone.

He glanced at the table and bowed his head. "My sincerest apologies. My unannounced visit has interrupted your valuable time."

"Not at all, Your Majesty. It is an honor to meet you." Simon bowed.

"I’ll gladly accept that apology," Thesaya replied.

Declan smiled. "I heard you crossed the inner sea to come here. It must have been an arduous journey. Why not rest from your travels at the castle?"

"We will be staying here today," Ian said, just as Simon and Thesaya’s faces lit up.

Receiving Declan’s gaze, he shrugged. "We’ve already paid for the room."

He didn’t mention his friendship with the innkeeper, as a courtesy. The man seemed to want to live a quiet life.

"Then I will have you escorted tomorrow. And if you do not mind, may I join you for your meal? It is just before dinner, and I would like to share the joy of our reunion a little longer."

Unlike Thesaya and Simon, whose eyes were shining, Ian’s eyes twitched slightly. Contrary to his appearance, Declan actually disliked people. And he knew that Ian had seen through to his true nature.

I thought he would ask to speak privately.

Despite the thought, Ian nodded. "Fine, let’s do that."

He had been planning to talk with Declan anyway. Whatever the king’s true intentions were, there was no need to delay.

"Excellent. I was worried you might refuse," Declan said with a relieved smile and turned his gaze.

"Come here, Patton. Ah, this is my guard knight, Sir Patton. He is also an old acquaintance of the Agent of the Saint," he quickly added, looking at the rest of the party.

As Lucia came to the table, Patton followed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.

Ian looked at him and nodded. "Of course, I remember. Your face has gotten more handsome, Patton."

"You still enjoy your jokes, I see, Agent of the Saint. After my handsome face ended up like this," Patton said with a grin. He was clearly happy that Ian had acknowledged him.

"Your jokes surpass mine, it seems. …Sophie?" Ian let out a smirk and raised his voice.

From the stairs, Sophie all but flinched into view, bowing hastily. "Y-You called?" She looked flustered, likely because she had been caught eavesdropping.

As Simon made way for Declan and Patton, Ian said, "Bring more plates and cups. His Majesty will be dining with us."

"Yes. What kind of liquor shall I bring, Your Majesty?" Sophie asked, descending the stairs.

Declan, who was sitting next to Thesaya, looked toward the stairs. "Beer will be sufficient. Thank you."

"Of course," Sophie replied nonchalantly and walked to the kitchen.

In the meantime, Lucia also took a seat beside Ian, after Mukapa had made way for her.

"Please, eat," Declan said, gesturing with both hands.

Ian raised his fork without ceremony, and Thesaya lifted her cup; the others followed suit.

"I knew that if you were alive, we would meet again someday. I just didn't know it would be today," Declan said, watching Ian chew.

Ian nodded. "The same goes for me. Just today, I was expecting to see Sir Mev and Miguel first."

"Ah, I see… Then I must start with some unfortunate news," Declan replied with a low sigh.

"Please call if you need anything else," Sophie said, having returned with a tray. Behind her, the cook was peeking out from the kitchen.

"Yes. Thank you," Declan said, taking the plates and tray. He glanced at Lucia, who was sitting opposite him. "I only told the Apostle the result, but Sir Mev is not here at the moment."

"You don’t mean she has left the kingdom entirely, I hope," Ian said, his brow furrowing slightly.

Declan nodded. "We received a report that a new demonic realm is forming near Agel Lan. There have already been several victims. Sir Mev left to purify it."

"How long ago was that?" Thesaya asked.

Declan exchanged a look with Patton and answered, "It would have been about two and a half days ago."

"Two days…" Ian muttered, clicking his tongue.

To have missed her like this.

"It is a matter of unfortunate timing," Declan said, cutting the meat on his plate. "Thanks to the efforts of Sir Mev and the other warriors, the kingdom had been quite stable for some time. We were even preparing to retake the regions that had been occupied by monsters…"

"But recently, there have been disturbances popping up again. This incident is one of them." Patton finished, in place of Declan, who was putting the meat in his mouth.

"It’s likely an aftereffect of the Black Wall collapsing," said Lucia.

Receiving Declan and Patton’s gazes, she added, "The chaos and madness that had been contained beyond it have been unleashed upon the world. The frontier, which was already heavily contaminated, will inevitably be more greatly affected."

"So that rumor was true. I was planning to hear the exact story when the imperial caravan arrived… but thanks to you, it has become certain much more quickly. We will have to prepare." Declan’s eyes narrowed. He had, it seemed, heard whispers of the Wall’s fall.

"And when do you expect Sir Mev to return?" Ian asked after swallowing the meat he had been chewing.

Declan narrowed his eyes as if estimating. "At the earliest, ten days. At the latest, she will be back within a fortnight."

"It will not exceed a fortnight," Patton added.

Ian let out a long sigh through his nose. It meant a longer stay than he had planned.

"Should we go and help?" asked Thesaya.

When Ian looked back at her, Declan shook his head. "Even if you leave now, you will be too late. By the time the Agent of the Saint arrives, the situation will likely be over. You might be able to meet her sooner, though."

"Things don’t always go as planned, do they?" said Thesaya.

A strange smile spread across Declan’s lips. "That is unlikely. Sir Mev is the greatest knight and monster hunter in the frontier. And though she rarely draws it, she is also the wielder of a holy sword."

"And she is accompanied by several Avengers," said Patton.

A holy sword, hmm.

"Avengers?" Thesaya asked.

"It is the name for the members of Sir Mev’s direct unit. As the number of soldiers who wished to follow only her grew, His Majesty created a separate unit for her," Patton replied.

Declan nodded and added, "They are all people who have lost their families to monsters. Of course, there are a few in this place who have not experienced such a tragedy, but the depth of one’s grudge varies from person to person."

"So they will fight without regard for their own lives. And even if they die, she will surely avenge them," Thesaya said with a strange smile on her lips.

Declan looked at her. "It seems that faith makes them even stronger. Of course, I have also heard that she always fights at the forefront."

"She’s still living true to herself," Lucia murmured, a nostalgic smile on her lips.

Declan nodded. "She has the trust and respect of me and many others. I am merely grateful that she is with us."

"If she is playing such a large role, you must not want to let her go," said Ian, meeting Declan’s eyes.

"Of course," Declan paused, then nodded. He met Ian’s gaze without wavering. "But we are merely bound by a contract. Now that you have returned, I must prepare myself to let her go."

It meant he wouldn't try any tricks to keep Mev by his side.

As Ian nodded, Declan added, "She always believed that you would one day return. It seems that faith has been rewarded."

"By any chance, is Miguel with her?" Lucia asked.

Receiving Declan’s gaze, she gave a slight wave of her left hand. "The battle priest from the North, with the steel prosthetic arm."

Declan smiled faintly. "I know who Priest Miguel is. He is a very cheerful and good person. I asked him to stay here, but he returned to the North about half a year ago."

"I see." Lucia nodded. A smile mixed with disappointment and relief touched her lips. In any case, if he had returned to the temple, he would have learned that she was safe.

"Will you be staying in Orendel until Sir Mev returns?" Declan asked.

"We’ll see…" Ian murmured, picking up his cup and looking at him. "On that note, there is something I would like to ask."

"It seems our minds are aligned. I was just about to say the same. Please, speak first," Declan said, raising his cup.

Ian, who had moistened his throat with beer, said, "The swamplands. What is the situation there now?"