Chapter 498

Chapter 498

The group veered away from the gradually curving northern coastline and began crossing the black desert that stretched westward.

It was on the afternoon of their second day when Diana, walking ahead with her short sword gripped tightly in her hand, suddenly muttered, "Wait, this place… could it be?"

"It probably is," Lucia said from behind.

She had moved to the front of the saddle again. It wasn't just because she was used to hugging Moro's neck, but also because it was more comfortable for talking with Diana.

"From what I can see, it looks like we're passing near the Black Wall right now," Lucia added, carefully taking in her surroundings. The sand in the area had turned an ashen color, as if it had faded.

"As expected." Diana sighed softly and turned her head.

Looking at Lucia, who was hugging a leather water pouch, and Ian, who had his eyes closed as if in meditation, she finally muttered, "It's a shame. I really wanted to see that damn Black Wall in person at least once."

Despite being one of the oldest residents of the Black Lands, Diana had never seen the Black Wall herself. From inside the demonic realm, the border had appeared as nothing more than shifting, shadowy darkness.

But now, there was nothing left—not a trace of the thick darkness, nor of the wall that once stood.

"Right? I thought I would get emotional. But now that it's happened, I don't feel much of anything. Maybe it's because not much has changed yet," Diana replied with a low laugh, looking back at the receding black waves.

"Well, I suppose that could be it." Nodding, Lucia looked up at the ashen sky.

Even though the demonic realm had collapsed, the beasts still roamed the black desert, and the dark clouds covering the sky hadn't thinned in the slightest. Thanks to that, the group had yet to see the rising sun, let alone a blue sky.

Of course, for those crossing the desert, it wasn't entirely a bad thing. Thanks to the clouds, the temperature remained mildly warm even during the day. And the chilly desert nights posed no problem for a group long accustomed to the demonic realm's climate.

"What about you two?" Diana asked suddenly.

After a moment's hesitation, she continued, "Even though you knew you'd be coming back, now that it's happened, you don't look happy at all."

It was the first time she'd asked them anything directly. Up until now, she'd pretended not to hear the quiet conversations Ian and Lucia had been sharing between themselves.

Unlike Ian, who was still deep in meditation, Lucia let out a long sigh through her nose and answered, "It would be a lie to say I'm not happy at all, but it's also true that I have many worries."

Lucia paused and licked her lips. It was a habit she shared with Ian.

"Several years must have passed. As you now know, Diana, the situation on the continent isn't very good. A few years is more than enough time for many things to change."

While they traveled, Lucia told Diana many stories about the world outside the wall. Ian had chimed in occasionally, too. It was a consideration to reduce the sense of disconnect Diana would feel, even if just a little.

"Yeah, the outside world seems to be just as much of a mess. Even more so as time passes," said Diana.

As Diana nodded, Lucia added, "Honestly, I don't care about the world. I just hope that nothing bad has happened to the people I care about. Selfish, I know."

"Everyone is like that," Diana said calmly, looking up at Lucia. "You will return safely to the North, Lucifer. Just as I am now."

Lucia, blinking in slight surprise, soon broke into a grin. "I won't answer that myself. It might bring bad luck. But thank you for saying so, Diana."

"Don't mention it." Diana just gave a nod.

Lucia, smiling a little more broadly, looked back. "What about you, Sir Ian?"

As Diana's gaze also turned to the meditating Ian, Lucia added. "I know you're listening."

"Me? Well, it's not bad," Ian finally replied. Slowly opening his closed eyes, he lowered his head. "Because the days of eating this crap are numbered now."

Several carcasses of demonic beasts, including desert scorpions, were hanging on either side of Moro's saddle. Those were the reserve food they had hunted on their way here, to be eaten until they reached the southern front. It might be difficult to find anything edible while crossing the Golden Desert.

"Is that all?" Diana asked, narrowing one eye.

When Ian just gave a half-hearted shrug, Lucia burst out laughing. "Well, I can relate. It's not something to say in front of you, Diana, but I can barely remember what proper food even tastes like."

"Food… Right… You two are lucky. The South has the most to eat in the entire Empire," Diana finally added softly. Her eyes were like those reminiscing about a very distant past.

Lucia looked back at her and soon nodded in agreement. "That's true. The South is a region where diverse environments coexist. The sea and farmlands, jungles, even deserts."

"You can leave out the desert. Orc food is terrible. It's probably not much different from what we're eating now."

"Actually, that makes me even more curious."

Letting their conversation flow in one ear and out the other, Ian turned his gaze. His eyes grew dim as he stared at the darkening, ashen desert.

In truth, he was just as worried. The only reason he didn't mention it was because there was no way to confirm or resolve it for now. It would only spread his anxiety to his companions.

Of course, not everything was entirely uncertain. Conversely, some things had become clear, like the Empress's Scroll of Correspondence he had taken out and checked last night, now stored inside his breastplate, or the holy ring on his left middle finger.

I was a little worried about this one.

Ian gently stroked his middle finger with his left thumb.

The Saint Damiel's Ring, which had begun to be imbued with divinity again, had regained all of its abilities. The Call of Duty skill, which had been deactivated since he fell into the demonic realm, was now usable again. That meant that the holy knight who had sworn loyalty to him had neither died nor fallen, nor had his stigma been taken away.

Well. He wasn't alone.

Philip had the Empress as his backer and a dwarf scholar, who was also a mage, as his aide. The Scroll of Correspondence alone was enough to tell that they had supported Philip well.

In fact, the Great Church might've even seen it as an opportunity. A paladin who had lost his lord would ultimately have no place to turn but the church. He wasn't a fool, so he wouldn't have missed such an opportunity.

He must have become a pretty decent paladin by now.

Of course, he had no intention of calling him right away. He didn't know how the Call of Duty worked, but it was clear that it wouldn't summon Philip directly to his side. Making that guy cross the inland sea was too great a risk.

And there's no reason to have him drop everything and come running.

It wouldn't be too late to call him when he needed information from within the capital and the church. Until then, it was better in many ways to leave him as a faithful paladin of the church.

"What are you thinking so hard about, Sir Ian?" Lucia asked.

She had turned back to look at him again at some point. It seemed she found it strange that he showed no reaction to Diana talking about southern food.

Waking from his thoughts, Ian replied, "I was just wondering… if we might be the first ones to return from the Black Wall."

"I've never thought of that," Diana, who murmured and looked up at Ian with fresh eyes, finally clicked her tongue softly. "But you're not wrong. This could get more annoying than I thought. We'll get a lot of attention. I just want to go back quietly…"

"Well, some trouble is unavoidable," Lucia said, licking her lips. "And cooperating, at least a little, might help us get the information we need. Don't you think so, Sir Ian?"

When no answer came, Lucia pouted and looked back. "Please don't do that. Now my heart drops whenever you don't answer."

"Don't worry. It's not because there's a problem," Ian answered with a dry laugh on his lips, meeting her eyes. "I was just wondering if there's any way we could make our return a little less noisy, like Diana wants."

"Ah, but there's no way we'll pass through the front quietly. I've also already thought about what to do."

Has she written another scenario?

Though he laughed inwardly, Ian nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "That part is unavoidable. We'll have to make good use of it. We don't know when we'll find ourselves in a difficult situation. Right?"

"Yes, that's true. It would be best to avoid unnecessary bloodshed." Lucia paused and nodded.

Diana didn't ask why there would be bloodshed. She just looked at Ian, pretending she hadn't heard anything.

"But it's still difficult. Regardless of your status, Sir Ian, we've returned from beyond the wall," said Lucia, rubbing her chin. "Being loud would be easy, but the opposite would be—"

"No need to worry about that. I've already come to a conclusion." Ian cut her off.

Lucia blinked. "Already? How?"

"We'll show them the Imperial seal."

"What?"

His casual answer was more than enough to widen both Lucia's and Diana's eyes.

Shrugging, Ian added, "I'll handle it. You two just watch."

"Understood. I'll play along as best I can." Lucia quickly nodded. Her eyes were like someone saving a tasty snack for later.

She really is addicted to thrills, thought Ian, slightly smirking.

"Reassuring." Diana, who had been looking up at the smiling Lucia, finally shook her head and turned away.

Lucia looked down at her. "Shall we get back to the main topic then, Diana?"

"The main topic?"

"Tell me about the South, other than the food. I've only read a few lines in books, so I know almost nothing about the real South," added Lucia, tilting her head to the side. "Same goes for Sir Ian. You're the only one among us who truly knows the South."

"That's true, but unlike you two, my story won't be very helpful," added Diana, scratching her chin slightly under her mask as she looked away. "I only remember what it was like decades ago by your standards. It will be different in many ways from how it is now."

"That's fine. Actually, that makes me more curious. Those are stories from before I was even born. And some things don't change with time, right?"

After a low hum, Diana asked, "So, what do you want to hear about first?"

After all the stories she'd heard from Ian and Lucia, it seemed she'd decided it was finally her turn to share.

"How about you start by telling us about your family, Diana?" Lucia replied without missing a beat—she'd clearly been waiting to ask. "It's the destination of our journey, after all. I'm also curious about the forest where the Erenos live. You said fairies live in forests."

"The forest," Diana muttered, then let out a short laugh.

She shook her head once more and continued, "I guess it's true that some things don't change over time. Like the prejudice that fairies live in forests."

"Is it not true?"

"Of course we live in forests. But that's just a figure of speech. We came from the forest, yes. But now, we're civilized. We didn't build our civilization in the forest... You could say we brought the forest into civilization. How large and well-tended a forest one cultivates around the Tree of Life is directly related to the honor of the family. And, of course, the wealth and power."

"So what you're saying is…" Ian began.

As Diana looked at him, he went on, "You plant a bunch of your favorite plants inside a fence and insist you live in a forest."

Diana shrugged. "It's not insisting. If there are many trees, then it's a forest."

Of course, you'd say that. Ian let out a low scoff.

To the fairies, the forest was not a home to coexist with, but a tool to control and show off. It was truly befitting of pointy-ears.

"Of course, once you secure a place at the center, the size of the forest stops mattering. I've heard the fairies there follow an extreme sense of moderation," Diana added, glancing back at Lucia, "In that sense, Lucifer, the kind of forest you imagined would be the worst-case scenario—primitive, savage, barely different from the beastfolk."

"From what I heard, your family was on the verge of ruin."

At Ian's added remark, Diana's eyes twitched slightly as she added, "That doesn't mean we were driven out into the forest. We're just one of the mediocre southern fairy families that failed to advance to the center."

Her tone was tinged with a strange bitterness. Perhaps the reason she went to the battlefield was to establish a foothold to advance to the center. There weren't many ways to raise a family's prestige as quickly as by achieving merit in war.

"Things might be different now. Since a new elder was born," Ian added.

Diana, waking from her thoughts, nodded. "I suppose so. An elder isn't just a single high fairy. It would be enough to change the power structure."

"So we were heading to a city, not a forest," Lucia added cautiously. Unlike her tone, her eyes were sparkling brightly. This was something she'd never even read about. Fairy society was notoriously closed off.

"Yes. We're going to Tahena. If they haven't advanced to the center, they'll still be there."

"Tahena…"

"It's quite far from the desert and not too far from the inland sea. It's a good city to live in, with a warm temperature all year round. I used to find it boring, but now I realize how precious that really was."

Diana's story continued. Once she started talking, she rambled on about things Lucia hadn't even asked.

—Mortals, they really obsess over such trivial things.

Yog, which had woken up as night fell, also chimed in from time to time.

The flash in the sky came while Diana was rambling about other southern fairy houses.

Rumble!

A loud thunderclap followed. However, the reason Diana stopped talking wasn't just because of the sudden dry thunder.

"Am I seeing things?" Diana murmured, looking up at the sky with narrowed eyes.

Before anyone could answer, the distant night sky flashed once more.

Rumble—

As thunder rumbled louder than before, Diana's eyes twisted into a grimace.

"Shit. I wasn't seeing things…"

The clouds had, for just a moment, been stained violet—the same color often seen in the skies of the demonic realm.