I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 467

Lucia and Diana turned toward Seren—so did Ian. Since he was walking right alongside Moro, Seren's head was actually closest to him.

"Ugh... nnngh..."

Thanks to that, Ian heard the faint groan threading through the tangled hair loud and clear.

Talk about perfect timing.

Clicking his tongue softly, Ian shrugged slightly. "We'll finish this later."

Lucia, who had also turned her gaze back to him, nodded slightly. She looked faintly disappointed—clearly, there was more she wanted to say. However, whatever remained couldn't be discussed before Seren.

Leaning forward as if to brush away lingering regret, Lucia whispered, "Sir Seren. Can you hear me? If you can, please say something."

"I... I hear..." Seren barely replied before releasing another groan-laced breath. She slowly turned her face, which had been buried against Moro's armor.

Through dark blue hair strands, a pointed horn's curve and her pale, drawn features came into view. Her eyes were still too weak to open fully.

"I hear you... Priestess..."

But she was conscious, at least.

Lucia let out a quiet, relieved sigh. "So you still recognize me. That's good. I was worried you might not wake at all."

"What... what happened... how did I!" As she muttered, Seren's eyes suddenly widened, stretched until they looked ready to tear. She froze, as if forgetting how to breathe, before finally exhaling in a sharp gasp.

"The stigmata!" The memory must have returned to her then—everything from just before she lost consciousness. "What is this? What happened to me?"

"It was because of me." The calm voice came from beside her, cutting through her dazed muttering.

Seren turned her eyes toward Ian, lips parting slightly. "Because of... The Agent of the Saint?"

"That's right,"

Ian continued steadily, explaining that to save her from Inaskurgl's corruption, he'd had no choice but to inject his chaos into her. And that in doing so, some of it seeped into her stigmata.

"Don't misunderstand. I have no intention of turning you into one of my vassals," said Ian, with a voice quiet but firm.

Seren, who had been lying still with her face against Moro's barding, blinked rapidly in surprise.

"I... I would never assume something so disgraceful. Not of you, Agent of the Saint. You're the one who saved my life. I would never harbor such suspicion... I was just... surprised, that's all."

"Then I'm glad to hear it."

Seren let out a long breath, then carefully turned to look at him again. "If you don't mind... may I check my stigmata again?"

"Do as you like. I only restrained you for safety while we moved. I've no intention of treating you like a prisoner."

"Then... pardon me, just for a moment..." Seren's voice was weak as she spoke, eyes falling shut.

Diana immediately turned away with a swift pivot and backed off, her expression oddly hopeful as she watched from the side.

"Will it be okay?" Lucia's voice was filled with worry, concerned Seren might lose consciousness again.

Ian only shrugged vaguely. Unless she was a complete fool, she wouldn't try to directly resonate with the stigmata again.

Rumble...

It took less than a few minutes for them to realize the Black Lion really was a knight. The bead of chaos essence began stirring with a low resonance.

Ian's eye twitched in response.

"Ghk! Cough, cough—" A faint violet hue began spreading along the veins of Seren's face as she doubled over with violent coughs. Dark blood, streaked with inky shadows, sprayed from between her lips.

"Sir!" Lucia gasped, immediately moving to pat Seren's back.

Suppressing the growling chaos within, Ian let out a quiet sigh.

She really went and tested the poison with her tongue, huh?

Then again, maybe he'd underestimated what the stigmata meant to them. To those people, it wasn't just a power source. It was something much deeper.

"Tch." Diana clicked her tongue and shook her head, turning away again.

The leather water pouch slung over her shoulder swayed heavily. She had clearly given up on the idea of getting any more help from Hyked.

"I-I'm fine now, Priestess..." But this time, Seren didn't lose consciousness. The black mist that had flared up with her breath had already vanished, and the violet glow rippling through her veins was fading.

"You were right, Agent of the Saint." She parted her bloodstained lips, slowly opening her eyes again. "There's no way I can handle this tangled chaos alone."

"That's not all there is to it." Before Ian could speak, Lucia cut in, brows drawn tight. "If you keep forcing it, your stigmata might collapse. If that happens, the damage to your soul would be irreversible. You might die or, worse, end up just an empty husk."

"Or you might actually become one of my vassals," Ian added flatly.

Seren flinched as he spoke, and his even tone continued without pause. "If that happens, it won't exactly reflect well on my relationship with His Highness."

Seren's eyes snapped open wide as she turned to look at him. Ian met her gaze coldly—her large, inhumanly altered eyes reflecting the gravity of his words.

"Seems you've forgotten. I've still got a debt to collect from His Highness. And now, that debt includes your life."

It was true that Ian had started genuinely like Hyked, but that didn't mean he intended to give up the deal. Besides, the gear he'd acquired back in Drag Velga was already showing signs of wear.

If he wanted to take down more Archdemons, he'd need to strip Hyked's vault clean and gear up as much as possible.

"I don't intend to give up on either. Do you understand what I mean?" Ian leaned his head ever so slightly toward Seren as he finished.

She froze, holding his gaze for a moment, then said, "Yes. I was thoughtless, Agent of the Saint.

Lowering her head slightly, Seren continued, "I have no excuse. Instead of repaying the grace of having my life saved, I nearly became a burden. I'll be much more careful from now on."

Her tone was one of quiet embarrassment.

Ian, unfazed, gave a curt nod and added, "I've heard the Black Lions know the locations of multiple outposts."

"That's correct, Agent of the Saint."

"When we reach a region you're familiar with, lead us to an outpost. After that, contact His Highness."

"I'll do so gladly, Agent of the Saint. However..." Seren's gaze shifted at last, glancing behind Moro. "Where... exactly are we right now?"

"This is a desert," Ian replied flatly.

"A... what?" Seren's eyes widened as she whipped her head back to him.

However, Ian no longer looking at her. His eyes were fixed on the back of Diana's head as he replied, "If you want details, ask our guide. I don't know more than that."

As Seren turned her head the other way, Diana clicked her tongue softly and looked over her shoulder, clearly irritated. She had no interest in repeating herself—especially not for what she now considered dead weight.

Diana glanced at Seren, then licked her lips and responded, "If my guess is correct, this canyon is part of the Kalikram Mountains."

"Kalikram..." Seren narrowed her eyes slightly.

Diana glanced at Lucia instead of answering, but Lucia only looked back curiously, just as eager to hear more.

With another click of her tongue, Diana went on, "The Kalikram Range starts at the southernmost tip of the Golden Desert and cuts diagonally through the southeastern interior."

"Oh! Now I remember. I think I read about it in a book once. They said the land west of the range is the Golden Desert, and the east is the Red Desert. So..."

Lucia turned her gaze leftward, to the blackened wasteland stretching into the distance. "Over there... that must have once been the real Golden Desert. Why didn't you mention that earlier?"

"Ian told me to skip it."

"Ah, I see." Lucia glanced at Ian, nodding in understanding.

"If we follow this canyon all the way, not only is it an unnecessarily long detour, but we'll also pass through the Dharmaraja's domain."

Diana swept her gaze across the canyon, which twisted into the distant stone wall. "That's why we have to cross the desert. Preferably not through the Desert of Death."

"A grueling journey, then," Seren murmured softly, raising her head and gazing into the vast wilds. "Even if we make it through the desert, we'll still have to go around the Isolated Sea."

"It's the only way to return to Imperial territory quickly. And right now," Diana glanced sideways at Seren and added coolly, "We can't exactly expect anyone to come looking for us."

"I see. I have no excuse," Seren murmured, lowering her head again. Only now did she seem to fully realize what a liability she'd become.

—I get the plan, but...

Just then, as Ian half-listened to the conversation, a quiet whisper stirred in the back of his mind.

At the same moment, Seren suddenly tensed, her head still bowed.

"Yog! You're awake!" Lucia turned her head sharply, her voice rising in surprised delight.

A soft, amused chuckle followed.

—Ian's essence bead was getting noisy. Must've been bored without me, huh, Lucy?

The snake slithered from the cuff of Ian's glove, whispering as it emerged. Lucia's eyes grew rounder as the sleek black serpent climbed effortlessly up Ian's arm.

"Shedding? Did you molt or something?"

—Yeah. I only realized it myself after waking up.

Yog raised its head atop Ian's shoulder as it replied. Though still looking like a slender thread of a snake, it had grown far beyond the size that once wrapped only a single finger.

"So what?" Ian muttered, unimpressed.

Yog crawled fully onto his shoulder and added lightly.

—It's just, things clearly aren't going smoothly. The chaos inside you has gotten way too big for us to sneak through anywhere quietly.

Lucia's faint smile froze. Blinking, she asked quietly, ".Are you saying the archdemons will be able to sense us, no matter where we go?"

Diana, silently watching, turned her head sharply to Lucia, frowning in confusion. Lucia held up a hand, silently asking for a moment.

Yog flicked its violet tongue.

—Probably. You've already experienced it, haven't you, my friend?

Ian couldn't deny it. Even in Inaskurgl's domain, the creature had sensed him the moment he stepped in. Now that Ian had absorbed its chaos, just approaching another domain could give him away.

—So don't waste time with detours. Just cut straight across the desert. You're going to have to fight either way.

The whisper that followed made Ian's brow furrow even deeper.

Yog's tone was far too cheerful. He didn't intend to blame it aloud—but frankly, it was Yog's fault they ended up dropped into this hellhole. Now it was enjoying the chaos from the sidelines like it was someone else's problem.

That smug detachment stirred a quiet irritation in him.

Lucia, unaware of his thoughts, held her breath waiting for Ian's response, when suddenly a soft, stunned voice cut through the air.

"Good heavens."

It was Seren. Her head was raised again, her expression frozen in half-shocked awe as she stared at Yog.

"That snake is... actually speaking..."

—Huh?

At that, Yog stirred slightly, and both Ian and Lucia turned to look at Seren.

Lucia's eyes widened as she asked, "You can hear Yog's voice, Sir Seren?"

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