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Chapter 183

Philip smiled, then lowered his voice cautiously. “But are you really sure about this? I’m asking again because I’m concerned. Given your conditions, this journey will be very tough for both of you and Charlotte.”

“I’m fine, Philip,” said Mev.

“Me too. This is just a minor injury,” Charlotte said, clicking her tongue.

Ian looked down at his own hand instead of replying. In truth, his condition was far from good. He could barely move and felt as if he would fall asleep if he closed his eyes. Ideally, he needed a few more days to recuperate.

“My lord...?” Philip prompted.

“I can rest while we travel,” Ian said nonchalantly, withdrawing his gaze. “I noticed that the roof of the carriage looks comfortable.”

“I’ll take charge of the guard duty for now. I’ll ride the horse, so you can focus on resting, Ian,” Mev added resolutely.

Charlotte, holding her glass, looked at her. “We’ll take turns. Sitting in the carriage all the time would drive me crazy.”

As Mev met her eyes and faintly smiled, Thesaya suddenly leaned forward. “What about me?”

“Don’t even think about riding a horse, you pointy ear. Especially since you can\'t fight anymore,” Charlotte replied firmly, gesturing toward Philip with her chin. “Your place is on the coachman’s seat, so discuss it with him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Charlotte,” Thesaya said sweetly, her tone refined like a noblewoman’s. She met Charlotte’s frown with a leisurely smile. “How can I, an elder of the Aynas family, sit in the coachman’s seat?”

“...Damn it,” Charlotte sighed, bringing her glass to her lips.

Satisfied, Thesaya nodded and stood up.

“The coachman’s seat is yours. I’ll ride in the carriage or on a horse. Now, I’m going to bed. Wake me when it’s time.”

Thesaya gave a slight bow to Ian and walked over to lie down on the bed.

She\'s in high spirits.

While Ian was thinking this, Charlotte, having set down her glass, stood up to pull Thesaya out of the bed.

Ignoring the commotion, Ian took off the ring from his finger and handed it forward.

“Get everything ready for departure, Philip. Load plenty of drinks for the journey. Ones that won’t spoil.”

“As you command,” Philip took the ring and stood up, adding, “Do you have any messages for the residents of Glumir? They’ll be heartbroken if they wake up to find us all gone. I can leave a message with the stable keeper if you like.”

"Of all things..." Ian scoffed, pausing briefly before grabbing the glass in front of him and saying, "We haven\'t saved Lu Sard. It just overcame one hurdle, but a greater darkness is coming."

Charlotte and Thesaya\'s voices suddenly fell silent. The smile disappeared from Philip\'s face as he alternated his gaze between Ian and Mev\'s stoic expressions. Finally, he bowed his head deeply.

“I will convey every word.”

The next day, the group left the city as planned. They departed quietly, just as they had entered, before dawn had even broken.

***

The carriage carrying the group veered off the main road and headed south to avoid being seen as much as possible until they crossed the border. The imperial carriage offered a decent ride, even on unpaved paths, comparable to the wagons of the Libra Trading Company or those built with the utmost care by the northern folks.

Of course, the ride quality wouldn\'t have made much difference to Ian, who had fallen asleep the moment they left the city. Everyone insisted he rest inside the carriage rather than on the roof, making the carriage interior his domain. Instead, Thesaya, Philip, and Charlotte took turns on the roof.

Ian did not wake up for an entire day. He briefly opened his eyes for one meal, only to climb back into the carriage and cover himself with a blanket right after eating. He did not wake even when the group fought off a goblin horde in the middle of the night, resembling a bear in hibernation.

During this time, the rest of the group carried out their roles with no issues. After about a day and a half, they began conversing freely, confident that the noise wouldn’t wake Ian.

“There’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“Go ahead. What is it?”

“What’s it like living as a vampire? Is it very different from how it is now?”

“It’s very different. It’s hard to describe exactly. One thing I can say for sure is that now is much better, especially in terms of not being hungry.”

Most of the chatter was between Philip and Thesaya.

“You mean the hunger for blood?”

“Yes. I was always hungry and thirsty. Drinking blood only kept me from starving, but never made me feel full. Now it’s clear that what I thought was fullness was just not being thirsty.”

“Always hungry and thirsty... That must have been an unbearable urge. It’s amazing you endured it.”

“If your life depended on it, you\'d endure it too, freckles. Anyway, I have no regrets. I got to taste Ian’s blood in the end.”

“You drank... lord Ian’s blood?”

“Yes. It was the best taste of my life. Meat and wine are good, but they don’t compare. I’ll never forget it. Why are you looking at me like that?”

“...You don’t still have the urge to drink blood, do you?”

“Caught me. You’re sharper than you look, Philip.”

“....”

“I’m kidding, so don’t point that ring at me.”

Thesaya was naturally growing closer to the new members of the group. She was bonding not only with Philip but even with Mev. She was learning to read and write from Mev and even getting beaten up by her during nighttime training sessions.

“Just wait...! I’ll repay everything you’ve done to me one day.”

Thesaya, after Mev\'s rapier disarmed her, rubbed her sore wrist and spat out. Though she no longer got hit in the face, the irritation was clear in the blood vessels popping around her eyes. Sliding her rapier back into its scabbard, Mev smiled.

“You’re a quick learner. Maybe in five years, you’ll actually land a hit on me.”

“Five years? You’re joking, right? That’s not a compliment!”

“No, I’m serious.”

“But we’ll part ways before then.”

“Yes.”

“....”

“That’s unfortunate, pointy ears. But if I help, you might shorten that time.” Charlotte, who was stoking the campfire, chimed in. She smiled, showing a hint of her fangs.

“Just let me know anytime. I’ll help you with all I’ve got.”

Thesaya scoffed. "Dream on, cat. Do you think I don’t know you’ll use that as an excuse to beat me up? I\'ll just run away if you come after me. That\'s what I do best."

"...." While Charlotte clicked her tongue, Philip interjected with a curious smile.

"Then what about me? After my arm heals, of course."

"No offense, freckles, but I don’t think I’d lose to you either."

"You never know until you try, right?"

"You\'re confident. Fine. Once you\'re fully healed, challenge me. I’ll accept it."

"It’s not exactly a challenge..."

"Philip is skilled in both swordsmanship and shield techniques," Mev commented, nodding, then turned to Thesaya.

"There\'s definitely something to learn, Thesa."

"But I’m not really interested in shields."

"Why not?" Philip frowned.

Thesaya shrugged. "No one uses them except you."

"No... That\'s only because these people are exceptional. Shields are excellent for both offense and defense—"

"They look weak."

"—in some ways, they’re the best— What did you say?"

"But if you beat me, I’ll let you teach me."

"...." Philip, who had been gaping, finally turned to Charlotte.

"Now I understand why you always said that. She really has a knack for turning people inside out."

"It’s a fairy nature," Charlotte added nonchalantly.

"That\'s right. And I’m the fairy among fairies."

"And also an ex-demon."

"Indeed. As Ian would say..."

Suddenly, Thesaya’s gaze snapped to the darkness beyond. For a moment, her eyes filled with blood vessels and her pupils dilated.

"Monsters."

"Again?" Philip frowned at the whisper.

"Yes. Similar to yesterday. Small and cute ones."

"You\'re the only one who’d think they’re cute," said Charlotte, clicking her tongue.

Charlotte and Mev rose to their feet simultaneously.

Philip, climbing onto the carriage with Thesaya, muttered, "An attack two nights in a row. Even though we left the main road... This is definitely abnormal. It might be the Vampire Queen’s curse, as Ian suggested. Otherwise, maybe the monsters are gathering now that the vampires’ influence is gone."

"What does it matter? Redhead and the kitty will take care of everything."

Thesaya lightly jumped onto the edge of the carriage roof and perched there.

"We just need to guard the carriage. Make sure Ian doesn’t wake up."

Soon, various sounds emanated from the darkness beyond. The clashing of metal and the distinctive screams of monsters followed. Philip, sitting in the coachman’s seat, murmured nonchalantly.

"Looks like that won’t be an issue."

As he said, not a single monster reached the vicinity of the carriage.

***

“By the way, Charlotte.”

It was already the third day. Thesaya, sprawled out on the roof of the carriage, suddenly spoke up.

Charlotte replied without even turning around, “Don’t call me by name. Go play with the guy next to you.”

Thesaya glanced at Philip, who was dozing off while sitting, and shook her head.

“I’ve heard everything I wanted from freckles by now.”

“So, you want me to entertain you?”

“I didn’t notice before, but you seem to have gotten bigger.”

“...What nonsense is that now?”

"It\'s true. Of course, you looked a bit stupidly muscular even before."

“Hmm....”

Finally, Charlotte looked down at her own body and growled.

“I don’t feel any different.”

“Well, I can see it clearly.”

“...!” A voice from inside the carriage caught Charlotte’s attention, making her turn her head. Thesaya, dangling her upper body over the side of the roof, peeked into the window on the carriage door.

“When did you wake up, Ian?”

“Just now.” Ian, still lying down, replied briefly, looking at Charlotte sitting in the coachman\'s seat.

“You\'ve gained a lot more muscle in the past few months. Your body might have been trained to the extreme.”

“There were times when my ax felt lighter than before....” Charlotte mumbled, looking at her large hands. Ian chuckled softly.

“That’s good. When you return home, you’ll need to take control of your tribe.”

“...!”

“From what I know, you guys don’t listen to the weak. Is that not true among your kind?”

“Of course not. It’s only natural that the strong one holds all the rights. Yes... Maybe I really can become the leader of my clan....”

While Charlotte was lost in thought, Mev approached the carriage on her horse and asked, “How are you feeling, Ian?”

Ian, who had sat up and leaned against the backrest, replied, “Somewhat better.”

He felt no dizziness or headaches, and his body no longer ached. He finally felt like himself again. Philip, who had poked his head through the window opposite Thesaya, smiled upside down at Ian.

“That’s a relief. Please rest. The journey has been uneventful.”

“If you want it to stay that way, stop saying it’s uneventful. Every time you say that, something happens.”

“Yes, sir.”

“On that note....” Ian glanced around at the eyes staring at him from all directions and finished his sentence in a lazy tone. “I’d like to continue resting now.”

Mev and Charlotte turned their gazes away, and Thesaya and Philip quickly disappeared back onto the roof of the carriage.

Finally, the scenery outside the carriage came into view. As he pulled out jerky and a bottle of alcohol from the bag on the floor, Ian took in the surroundings. Though they had traveled quite far south, the sky was still overcast. The trees hung lifeless with drooping leaves, and the air, though warm, felt heavy.

It seems the end of Chapter Two is near.

Ian\'s eyes dimmed as memories of the game flashed through his mind. Though he had caused significant changes, the main course of events likely hadn\'t shifted.

With the Empress carving new rifts into the world, the timeline might have even sped up. He had no expectations that the nobles of Glumir and Lu Sard would heed his warnings. Even if they did, any changes would be confined to Lu Sard. The war would continue until the madness of the Black Wall engulfed the entire frontier.

What can’t be helped, can’t be helped.

Thinking this, Ian took a swig from the bottle and leaned his head against the backrest. He kept his eyes fixed outside the window, but his gaze remained locked on something only he could see: the status window.

Resignedly, he skimmed over his stats, which hardly resembled those of a mage, and finally, his gaze landed on the skill window. This was the main point.

...I\'ve managed to hold out for quite a while.

He intended to use his skill points. Staring at the sprawling skill tree, various deferred conflicts played out in his mind: the increasingly clear strengths and weaknesses of each attribute, the limited points, and his already chronic lack of Mana.

“....”

After pondering these unresolved issues, Ian learned a few new spells. He didn\'t touch any common skills or Vision skills, yet nearly half of the points he had accumulated were gone.

“Whew....”

He sighed softly as he closed the status window. He couldn\'t shake the feeling that his character was even more ruined now. It wasn\'t entirely wrong; he had once again spread his points across various attributes. But there was no turning back. He was already too far gone to be considered a proper mage, so he had no choice but to see this path through to the end.

Stopping halfway is worse than not starting at all...

Taking a few more sips of alcohol, he reached into his pocket dimension. Soon, a sinister-looking sword in an ill-fitting scabbard appeared.

As his hand gripped the middle of the scabbard, the black sword\'s malevolent thoughts transmitted through to him: hatred and anger. But unlike before, it didn’t immediately bear its fangs at him.

It seemed to have learned something.

With a slight smirk, Ian finally opened the information window.

[The Black Sword of the Third Apostle]

It had been a long time since such a unique-grade weapon had appeared.