I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 300

Chapter 300

Ian's chewing slowed slightly.

"Well...."

The initial talk of assassins was just something he had thrown out there. He simply didn't want to let Felix go that easily. In that sense, Seras was incredibly fortunate. If it hadn't been Felix who came, Ian might have manipulated the situation to establish a double contract or just let the visitor go peacefully.

"If you can persuade him to talk, maybe we'll find out something, don't you think?" Ian's casual question brought a faint smile to Seras's lips.

She knew better than anyone that by persuasion, he didn't mean a peaceful conversation. And if Seras was as Ian knew her, she would very much want to handle that persuasion herself. She'd probably enjoy every moment.

Eventually, she nodded. "True. That makes sense. I understand. I'll look into it."

Of course, the way Felix had reacted was indeed suspicious.

Though Felix's reaction had indeed been suspicious, Ian kept that to himself. In truth, he wasn't too interested in discovering who was behind the assassins. After all, they weren't targeting him specifically, and he had no desire to get more involved in the battle for succession.

"Well then, I’ll take my leave. There's much to do. Please rest well, all three of you."

"Take care."

Seras, now visibly more cheerful, said her farewells and left the dining hall.

"... I should go check on the prisoners too. We're short on hands, so I'd better help out." Philip, who had just finished his bread, rinsed his mouth with beer before standing up.

"Please rest well, both of you. If you need anything, just call me."

"Make sure no one comes into the dining hall while we’re here—not even the servants," Ian said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin.

When he saw Philip's questioning look, he shrugged.

"I’m about to do something that wouldn’t look good if others saw."

"Ah, I see. Understood." Without saying more, Philip nodded and turned to leave.

As he reached the doorway, he looked back at Ian. "Should I close the door, my lord?"

Now he's getting the hang of things.

Ian gave a slight chuckle and nodded. Philip murmured, "Oh, Lu Solar," as he closed the door and disappeared.

The quiet didn't last long. Elia, who had been watching Ian, whispered softly, "Godfather, if it's something that wouldn't look good to others, then surely...."

I was wondering when she'd ask.

Ian thought as he reached into his pocket dimension instead of answering. He pulled out a small, old wooden box, just a bit larger than his palm, and placed it on the table.

"I knew it!"

Elia's eyes gleamed.

"You're going to examine it again?"

"Last time, we looked at it during the day. Now, I want to see it at night. I also need to check if the Black Wall’s seizures had had any effect on it." Ian replied calmly as he rinsed his mouth with the remaining beer and stood up.

Holding the box, he walked into the adjacent kitchen. His gaze swept over the room until it landed on a wooden board placed over a hidden staircase in the kitchen's corner floor.

"...Hmm."

Ian paused just before taking another step, then turned to look back at the dining hall. Elia was still sitting neatly in her chair, watching him with bright, eager eyes. Ian tilted his head toward the inside of the kitchen.

"Want to come with me?"

"... Can I?" Elia's already wide eyes grew even larger as she asked, her short legs swinging back and forth under the chair.

... If something goes wrong, this might be the last chance to look at this.

Ian added silently to himself, nodding once more before turning around. Elia jumped off her chair, quickly following him.

***

Fwoosh—

The torches on either side of the wall at the bottom of the stairs flared to life one by one.

Ian grabbed the remaining flames with his bare hands and scattered them. The heat was mild enough that it only caused a slight sting, even with no protective covering. The flickering torch light dimly illuminated the underground space.

Perhaps that being was wandering through the void, trying to find Ian's home world. Its occasional visits to his dreams might be its way of seeking clues.

... So at the very least, that creature might not be the one who dragged me into this world after all. Is it interested in me just because I'm the only person from another world?

Ian couldn’t be sure. He could only speculate. He didn’t even think of asking the creature the next time they met. Given its personality,‌ it wouldn’t give a straight answer. Besides, even if he heard something, there was no guarantee he’d remember it afterward.

"Of course, it’s all just a theory," Elia continued. "Nothing has been proven yet. I also think most of it is far-fetched."

Ian replied in a nonchalant tone, "Far-fetched theories—is that all there is?"

"Not at all. Returning to the Black Wall, some claim that it’s a composite of divine power and chaos, a fusion of these two opposing forces tangled through the medium of magic. They say the Black Wall emerged during the era of wars because..."

Elia’s eyes reflected the slowly spinning fragment of the Black Wall.

"...it was the result of the apostles of the gods and the demons scattering too much divine power and chaos into the world. The onset of the twilight of magic following the Black Wall's appearance is said to be the conclusive proof."

"Of course, I assume they don't have any evidence to back up that claim," Ian muttered.

Elia let out a low chuckle, nodding in agreement.

Ian continued, still indifferent, "But last time I saw the Platinum Dragon, it seemed like it knew something about the Black Wall."

"That's probably not the case," Elia replied, slightly shaking her head.

"The Great One’s goal is to destroy it, after all. Destroying something doesn’t necessarily require a deep understanding of it. Of course, the Platinum Dragon won’t know what the consequences of that destruction might be. Figuring out those details is..."

Elia lifted her head slightly to look up at Ian.

"... the job of scholars like me."

"So, have you figured out anything by looking at it directly?" Ian asked.

"Well... I still don't even understand how the mages harvested this in the first place—" Elia's voice trailed off as she gazed back at the fragment.

Thin, reddish cracks were spreading like a spider’s web across its surface. It was a change that happened in the blink of an eye. Upon closer inspection, the cracks shimmered with a blend of violet and crimson hues.

The red light that gleamed in Elia’s eyes grew more intense and vivid in an instant.

"Ah, ah...!" The gasp that escaped Elia’s lips came almost at the same time Ian reached for the orb.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ian grabbed the orb. Instantly, the fragment of chaos inside him responded eagerly, drawing in the chaos energy contained within the fragment.

Compared to what Ian had absorbed before, it was meager—barely a few drops of chaos energy.

At that moment, a flash of vision crossed Ian’s eyes. He saw a desolate plain, with a towering black curtain rising to the sky—the Black Wall. But this time, it wasn’t as quiet as before.

The surface of the Black Wall rippled as if swarming with countless ants. Around the perimeter of this veil of perception, which flickered beyond the thick clouds, a crimson glow pulsed. Then, dozens of red lightning bolts, resembling roots or blood vessels, burst forth, piercing through the clouds.

Boom—

With a deafening roar that seemed to shake the very world, the vision ended, and his sight returned to reality.

He was standing there alone, still holding the orb.

"Phew... Phew...."

Elia, gasping for breath, had collapsed to the floor. She looked up at Ian, her wide eyes filled with shock. Her gaze, now returned to its original color, was brimming with disbelief.

"Are you okay?" Ian asked.

After taking a couple more deep breaths, Elia finally spoke.

"What... what was that...?"

"It was the Black Wall. You saw a vision of it," Ian replied.

"Not that! I mean you...!"

Elia's voice shook with shock and disbelief as she stammered, "Your eyes... they were glowing purple! And the blood vessels around them, too. It was like, like..."

Elia couldn’t finish her sentence, her mouth opening and closing in silence.

Ian curled one side of his lip into a faint smile and said, "Like a corrupted one?"

The smile was more than enough to make Elia freeze in fear.