I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 717

In the legion commander’s tent, a low sigh finally escaped Ian’s lips as he leaned his head back against the rim of the round wooden tub.

He had been washing for quite some time, yet the water remained warm. A stone heated with sacred flame was tucked into one corner of the tub.

So it really has been more than half a day.

Gazing up at the dim light filtering through a small opening near the top of the tent’s thick ceiling, Ian smacked his lips softly.

It had been one of the most intense battles he could count on one hand. After seeing everything through to the end, he had gone to rest later than anyone else. Even so, he had slept far longer than expected. It was mental exhaustion more than physical.

From aerial combat to the void itself, the entire sequence of events still felt unreal, like a chain of scenes pulled from a dream. He would not have been surprised if someone told him a month had passed.

Splash—

Ian lifted the water jug beside him and poured more water into the tub, then closed his eyes again.

There was no need to replay the battle. What mattered was that the North would now face a future different from the one he had seen. The course of events ahead was bound to change as well.

It’d be greedy to hope every vision I saw has changed, but at least one or two of them must have.

Without opening his eyes, Ian opened his status window. Compared to uncertain things like the future, the concrete changes stood out clearly: a single level gained, several increased stats, and newly acquired skill points.

Even this isn’t entirely clear.

One corner of Ian’s mouth twisted faintly. He had completed multiple chained quests at once, without any chance to examine the details properly.

On top of that, the status window did not display everything. Because of that, some of the question-mark rewards remain a mystery even now.

That, however, was not why his eyes twitched slightly.

From beyond the tent’s thick walls of layered cloth and leather, familiar presences were drawing closer.

"Thesa. Just wait outside—"

"Stop it already, Redhead. You know perfectly well that if we leave him alone, he’ll end up boiling himself like stew in there for hours. So why do you keep trying to stop me?"

It was Mev and Thesaya. Lowering their voices, they whispered as they moved briskly along the side of the tent.

They had clearly heard that he was awake. Just as one corner of Ian’s mouth was about to curl, their hushed exchange continued.

"Even so, we can’t just do whatever we want. Ian is now—"

"So what? No one’s going to think it’s strange. You know better than anyone what kind of rumors they’re already spreading about us."

"That’s exactly why we need to be more careful, Thesa."

That alone was enough to wipe the hint of amusement from Ian’s expression. He knew exactly what they meant. When, exactly, the barbarians had started making up those kinds of stories was beyond him.

I’ll need to shut that down properly sooner or later, and clear up the misunderstandings while I’m at it.

Ian sensed movement as someone entered the tent, slipping past the screen draped around the makeshift bathing area.

"Your Excellency, are you still bathing?" Thesaya asked.

A small sigh followed at once, likely Mev’s.

"I’m done," Ian said as he opened his eyes. He straightened his upper body, which had been resting against the tub’s rim. "Give me a moment. I’ll be out shortly."

"Take your time. We can talk just fine like this," Thesaya replied at once, then added in a suggestive tone, "Or would you like me to help you with your bath?"

"Thesa!" Mev’s shocked exclamation followed immediately, prompting Thesaya to burst into laughter.

"I’m joking, Redhead. Your reactions are too entertaining to stop."

"Honestly...." Shaking his head, Ian stepped out of the tub.

He took the cloth draped over the post holding up the screen and began drying himself before asking, "Has the damage assessment been completed?"

Thesaya’s laughter faded at once, and Mev’s subdued voice followed a beat later. "Not yet. The garrison’s investigation isn’t finished. They asked for a few more hours."

It’s taking longer than expected.

Ian merely nodded, offering no further comment. The joint funeral, held before the camp was fully established, was conducted in the presence of Ian and the priests of the ember.

Those who had undergone mutation were reduced to ash, leaving only a fraction of the fallen bodies to be recovered. Even so, their number still reached into the hundreds.

"There are quite a few whose survival is still uncertain. They say chaos seeped into them. The priests are having a rough time," said Thesaya. She was almost certainly sprawled out on his bed by now.

Regardless, her words were enough to make Ian pause mid-motion.

"Is it the same for the barbarians?"

"No, there have been no additional casualties on our side. It must be thanks to the blessings of the God of Battle and the Blazing Goddess," Mev answered immediately.

Ian resumed drying himself, but his expression did not brighten in the slightest.

The fact remained that far more people had died than he had expected. Six centurions alone had been lost, and he knew the faces and names of nearly every legionary. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"There are plenty who look battered, but they survived, so that’s what matters. And the souls of the dead must have been properly received by Karha," Thesaya said.

Ian did not reply. He simply tossed the cloth aside and turned away.

As he moved toward the small side table in the back corner, where neatly folded clothes had been laid out, Mev’s cool voice followed him.

"Even so, too much blood was spilled. A price must be paid for that."

"Of course," Ian replied quietly.

As he pulled on his trousers and straightened, his gaze settled into a deep, hardened calm. There was no need to consider who should bear the greatest cost. He had decided that long ago.

"And on that note, don’t worry about the garrison, Ian. Things have already been settled with General Gelud," Thesaya added.

Ian’s hands froze as he fastened his shirt. "What exactly has been ‘settled’?"

"The First and Second Legions will now follow your command, Ian," Mev answered.

The words alone were enough to crease Ian’s brow deeply. "And who decided that?"

He had stayed in the camp precisely to draw a clear line between himself and the garrison.

Thesaya let out a short laugh. "Didn’t you say you would make the archduke pay a fitting price, Agent of the Saint?"

"That doesn’t mean seizing the archduke’s legions. You know how this is going to look," Ian said, his frown unrelaxed.

A fleeting thought crossed his mind that he might have slept far too long. Too many things had unfolded without him while he was out.

"General Gelud made the decision of his own accord. The soldiers didn’t object to it at all. If anything, it was the opposite," Mev answered calmly.

Thesaya immediately continued, "Her Highness personally guaranteed that this is purely voluntary support from the legions, with no political agenda attached. She also made it clear that this isn’t an act of defiance against the Empire, Ian."

Ian let out a long sigh with his eyes closed.

Of course she did.

Without opening his eyes, he said, "Even so, I doubt General Harald agreed so easily. Did he finally die?"

"No, unfortunately not. I was hoping for it, but he’s tougher than he looks," Thesaya replied with a snort.

She continued as if it were nothing, "In any case, even that old man agreed. He did insist on meeting you again, though. Probably wants to hand over command himself."

"Then I’ll have to see him right away," Ian replied. He opened his eyes and resumed moving his hands.

Ian had a strong feeling that nothing but tedious, meaningless obligations awaited him. Judging by the situation, everything had already been arranged so tightly that there was no room left to refuse.

They’re trying to push this through before I can say anything.

Ironically, the only person who might help him navigate this situation without escalation was Harald himself. Even if Harald had grown more favorable toward him, he would not want to see the archduke openly challenged.

"You probably don’t need to worry about the Red Magic Tower either. The spellcasters seem pretty angry at the archduke as well," Thesaya added, unaware of Ian’s thoughts.

As Ian bent down to pick up his leather boots, his brow twitched once more.

"They said they never heard anything about an archdemon. On top of that, a high-ranking mage died. Apparently, he was one of the great archmages. And as you know, spellcasters—"

"So you completely ignored my order to rest, didn’t you?" Ian cut her off.

Thesaya drew in a sharp breath.

As he slid his foot into the boot, Ian added, "Given how thoroughly you’ve been chatting with the spellcasters."

"T-That’s not true. This all happened after I slept properly. I didn’t even go to them first. It was Moro’s fault," Thesaya replied a beat late, her words spilling out faster than before.

Ian snorted softly as she hurried on. "Moro caused a huge commotion on top of the wall while looking like some kind of demonic beast, following Nila around. The two of them were an absolute spectacle...."

"And what does that have to do with the spellcasters?" Ian asked.

"You know how obsessed they are with familiars. They all rushed over, asking how anyone could tame such a powerful magical beast."

Ian straightened, his brow knitting tightly. That, at least, was painfully mage-like.

"So I told them the truth. That its true master is the Demigod of the North, and that it was tamed beyond the Black Wall, in the demonic realm," Thesaya added. Her tone relaxed noticeably at the end, followed by a low chuckle.

Judging by her diction, she had already taken a cigarette between her lips. "You should have seen the looks on their faces. Anyway, they asked if they could observe Moro. They seemed especially interested in the parts where it imitates other forms."

"So you used that request as an excuse to have a long conversation with them?" Ian asked as he rolled his shoulders.

"Exactly. You really do know how to handle spellcasters, Ian. They were practically ready to give me their everything." The sound of flint striking followed her words.

After taking a deep drag, she continued, "Of course they’d be fascinated. A familiar that usually passes as a horse, only revealing its true form when needed? To a mage, that’s practically a dream bodyguard."

"Well done, Thesa." With those words, Ian finally stepped past the screen.

Thesaya sat perched on the bed with a cigarette between her lips, while Mev stood beside her in full plate armor, her helmet removed.

"I know, right?" Thesaya turned toward Ian and smiled faintly as she exhaled a thin stream of smoke. "If the spellcasters had continued backing the archduke, things would have become quite troublesome—"

"Since once they realize that taming magical beasts requires harboring chaos, the red spellcasters would all end up corrupted sooner or later," Ian cut in.

At those words, Thesaya froze. She rolled her eyes toward him and forced an awkward smile. "Is that so? I know about that. Don’t worry too much, Ian. The Black Wall is gone now, after all. And the dawn of magic has returned...."

Ian answered with nothing more than a short snort.

In the next instant, the cigarette between Thesaya’s lips slid free and snapped into Ian’s hand. Catching it with a flick of his fingers, he glanced toward the pile of ruined equipment stacked beside the bed like scrap metal.

"Moro and Nila are unharmed, I assume?"

In truth, it was little more than a jab. No matter how curious spellcasters might be, there was no way they could uncover the secret behind Moro’s taming in such a short time.

And it’s not as though that thing would ever allow them close in the first place.

It would not have been surprising if a few of the more reckless ones had already been kicked half to death by Moro.

With the cigarette now between his lips, Ian bent forward and reached into the heap of broken gear, pulling free the edge of his hooded cloak. It was the only piece that still looked remotely usable.

Though this one’s not exactly in great shape either.

As he studied the tattered fabric and exhaled a tired breath of smoke, Thesaya said, "They’re both fine. And, well... how should I put it? They don’t seem as hostile toward each other as before."

She watched his expression closely as she continued, "Nila still ignores Moro, of course. But it doesn’t kick Moro away just for getting too close."

"They say a love-hate relationship is the hardest to shake...," Ian murmured. He stowed the cloak away in his pocket dimension before pausing.

A trace of quiet sorrow lingered in Mev’s eyes as she stood a short distance away. The reason was obvious enough.

"I’m sorry about Selim," Ian said as he shifted the cigarette between his fingers.

She had lost her beloved mount in the battle. After years together, it was no different from losing family once again.

"I know," Mev replied quietly as she stepped closer.

She reached out and carefully straightened the folds of Ian’s uniform. "It was a magnificent, brave companion. I’ll never forget it."

What Ian wore now was a Northern-style uniform lined with thick, soft fur, attire originally meant for generals. Mev brushed the ash from his shoulder with her palm and smiled, her face far cleaner than it had been the day before.

"Still, thank you for offering your condolences, Ian."

"It’s nothing," Ian replied lightly, then looked between her and Thesaya. "Is there anything else I need to be briefed on?"

"General Gelud has requested a meeting. So has the new representative of the spellcasters. Tarus, I think."

"Her Highness also asked that you let her know when you’re ready."

So I have to meet all of them.

Nodding, Ian turned and headed for the door. "Tell them to wait. I’ll see General Harald first."