Chapter 471

I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain

Seren's eyes flickered. "Are you proposing a deal?"

"Let's call it an exchange. Though I suppose it makes little difference how you phrase it." Ian shrugged.

It wasn't a question he couldn't answer. Still, there was no reason to turn down an offer that had fallen into his lap.

Turning his gaze forward again, he scraped a sliver of meat off with his dagger and added, "Of course, if you'd rather not, you don't have to say anything."

That, too, was genuine. Whatever Hyked was hiding would come to light eventually, one way or another.

Seren watched him quietly as he popped the meat into his mouth.

After a pause, she finally said, "If you can accept that there are some things I'm simply not permitted to say... then yes, I can tell you."

Her gaze drifted to someone beside Ian. "But only if you promise to keep it between us."

"If you're saying that because of me, that's a little disappointing, sir," said Lucia, her brow slightly furrowed, without avoiding Seren's gaze.

Seren shook her head. "It's not a matter of trust, Priestess. But aren't you bound by doctrine? As an Apostle, there are rules and laws you're expected to uphold."

"As you may know, the Blazing Goddess isn't a difficult one. Her gaze doesn't even reach here. Besides, even if that weren't the case…." Lucia lifted her chin slightly. "I've already broken more than my fair share of rules, Sir Seren. So, you can put aside your worries."

Why is she proud of that?

Ian, who let out a dry laugh inwardly, looked back at Seren.

"Don't worry about keeping secrets. However, you should know that the same applies to you, Sir Seren," said Ian.

"I won't be able to keep it from His Highness, though."

"Well, such obligations are an exception. Isn't Lucy listening with me as well?"

Ian shrugged, thinking of Hyked. He might become an enemy someday, but Ian was confident that Hyked wasn't the type to go around blabbering other people's secrets.

"In that case… very well," Seren said at last, nodding. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if gathering her thoughts.

Neither Ian nor Lucia rushed her, waiting for her to speak.

"His Highness desires neither the imperial throne nor war." Seren opened her mouth when Lucia was chewing on a piece of flesh, her brow furrowed.

With eyes as calm and cool as her voice, she looked back at Ian and Lucia and then added, "His Highness wishes to open a new era."

Lucia's eyes narrowed slightly. "A new era, you say?"

"Yes. However, before I tell you more…," Seren's gaze returned to Ian's face. "I believe it's my turn to hear the answer to my question."

"I see that you are quick to learn," Ian, one corner of his mouth curling up, answered and swallowed the piece of flesh he had been chewing.

Smacking his lips briefly, he soon opened his mouth. "To answer your question, yes. I do not serve the Radiant Goddess."

"As I thought…." Seren nodded as if she had expected it. In truth, she must have already been convinced inwardly. She probably just wanted to hear Ian admit it himself.

Meeting her large, clear blue eyes, Ian added, "To be exact, I don't serve any god. Not even Karha."

"You don't serve the God of Battle?" Her eyes widened for a moment.

Seren, her brow furrowed in disbelief, asked. "However, Agent of the Saint, aren't you his Great Warrior?"

"That title was something he decided on his own."

"What is..." Seren let out a quiet sigh, but Ian only shrugged.

To be honest, there were times these days when Karha almost felt like a friend—an ill-tempered, overpowered friend.

Of course, that only held true because Ian was certain Karha had nothing to do with why he'd ended up in this world. That simple-minded bastard couldn't possibly be interested in anything beyond fighting.

"I trust that answers your question?"

"Yes, Agent of the Saint. More than enough." Regaining her composure, Seren bowed her head.

Lucia stared intently at Seren again, likely waiting for her next words.

"The age His Highness seeks to bring forth... we call it the Age of Freedom." Seren's gaze briefly met Ian's, locking with the heat in his eyes as she spoke.

It was enough to make Lucia's eyes twitch.

Seren's calm voice continued, "When that day comes, all the civilized races will gain true free will."

"True free will? What do you mean by that?" Lucia murmured, her eyes narrowing in clear puzzlement.

Ian, too, furrowed his brow. It sounded like an outlandish, vague statement. The Hyked he had met hadn't seemed the type for lofty ideals.

"Of course, there will be bloodshed along the way, but most of it will be the blood of the blind."

"And how, exactly, does he intend to open this new era?" Lucia asked.

"That is…." Seren, who had paused at Lucia's added question, finally bowed her head. "I cannot tell you that either. Not only is it beyond my authority, but I also do not know everything. However, if I may dare to add my presumptuous opinion…"

She carefully met Ian's eyes again. "We won't end up standing against you, Agent of the Saint. And if I'm right… not against that great one, either."

Ian's gaze narrowed slightly. Hyked's true plans were still a mystery. At least now he understood why Seren had asked him that question. She wanted to know whether he would become their enemy.

—Surely he's not arrogant enough to dream of killing the gods, is he?

It was then that a leisurely whisper spread through his mind. As Lucia whirled around, Seren's startled gaze also turned toward Ian's hand. From the wrist of his gloved right hand, which held the dagger, Yog was slithering out.

And why is this bastard interfering again?

Even as he thought this, Ian simply flicked aside the empty shell in his left hand. Ian reached behind him to grab a fresh shard of shell as Yog climbed onto Ian's shoulder.

—Is he trying to sever this world? So that no transcendent being can ever interfere in your world again?

Its tone was nonchalant, but it was enough to make Seren's eyes narrow and Lucia's eyes widen.

—Looks like that's the right answer.

The creature, now settled on his shoulder blade, coiled slightly and chuckled.

While Seren stared intently at it, Lucia, who had been frozen, let out a sigh. "Sever… the heavens and the earth? That's impossible. There's no way something like that is possible."

—Why wouldn't it be?

Yog slowly turned its head to look at Lucia.

—We're already in a world severed from the heavens, aren't we? Though, it's neither complete nor stable. If it were refined a little more…

The creature, chuckling lowly, flicked its tongue once.

—It might not be impossible to perfectly isolate this world. Not just the heavens and the earth, but even the void and the material plane.

Lucia's lips parted slightly. Her gaze naturally drifted to Seren again. However, Seren said nothing. She didn't even meet her eyes.

"Good heavens…." A deep sigh finally escaped Lucia's lips as she stared blankly at the scene for a moment. "It's true then. His Highness truly dreams of a world where gods do not exist."

"…They will continue to exist." Seren, finally speaking in a subdued voice, met Lucia's eyes again. "However, they will no longer be able to wield the beings of the earth as they do now. And humans will no longer be able to access their divine power."

"Oh, Lu Entre," Lucia murmured, almost like a prayer. She had never even imagined such a world.

"Even if that's possible, that's not freedom. It's the same as losing the path that once guided us." Lucia faltered as she spoke, words tumbling slowly from her lips.

Her eyes, now tinged with something close to fear, fixed on Seren. "That's not freedom. That's chaos. It would be the beginning of an age of disorder."

"That might be so. At first." Seren nodded. Her voice remained calm and subdued. "But His Highness believes in the people of this world. He believes that, in the end, they'll overcome the confusion and find a new path with their own will."

Lucia's lips quivered as if she were at a loss for words. Yog's whisper followed right after.

—-Is it such a simple matter? Even if the interference of transcendent beings disappears, the power of their servants won't vanish all at once. Especially those who dream of transcendence.

The creature, chuckling lowly, added.

—In a world without gods, beings like that will take their place.

Seren, who had been watching Yog with no particular change in expression, immediately opened her mouth. "The civilized races will eventually unite again to face such common enemies. And when that time comes—"

Her gaze suddenly turned toward Ian. "The great one will fight alongside them. As it will no longer be bound by anything."

So that's what they are counting on.

Ian gave a faint, inward scoff and shrugged. Seren had clearly concluded that the Platinum Dragon, too, only served the goddesses on the surface. Ian's answer must have confirmed that suspicion. And perhaps, deep down, she wasn't just hoping he wouldn't oppose them. She was hoping he might actually help.

—I see. So everything's been accounted for. Then I suppose there's no need to explain just how difficult and dangerous your plan really is, is there?

At that whisper, Seren froze for a fraction of a second. Her eyes met Yog's obsidian-like gaze.

Then, after a breath, she finally replied, "As I said, I don't know the detailed method. The detailed plan and method… only His Highness knows."

—And he doesn't share them with any of you?

When Seren didn't answer, Yog cackled as if it had expected as much.

—Yes… truly wise. He must already know that if everyone knew the plan, they wouldn't follow so obediently.

"What do you mean by that?" Seren, her eyes finally narrowing slightly, asked.

Yog flicked its tongue.

—Are you really asking because you don't know? How dangerous what your master is trying to do is, and what price will be paid even if he succeeds. Have you really never once thought about it?

Seren's eyes flinched. Yog's words seemed to have hit the mark.

"He has warned us it would be difficult and dangerous," she said, her voice faltering. "But he believes it can be done. That in the future, we'll be remembered not as the corrupted ones from the Black Land... but as the bearers of freedom."

"He did say it would be a difficult and dangerous path. But he also said that we could sufficiently achieve it… and that in posterity, we would be remembered not as the corrupted ones of the Black Land, but as the standard-bearers who brought freedom…."

Yog, who had been listening to her stammered words with a cackle, finally flicked its tongue.

—Then keep believing that. Halfwit.

Seren couldn't offer any reply. She merely stared at Yog with eyes in which doubt and shock flickered.

That snake's got her wrapped around its tongue.

Ian sighed inwardly and narrowed his eyes, saying nothing. Hyked's vision might have sounded noble on the surface, but to Ian, it was anything but welcome.

Couldn't I be screwed over by this?

If this world becomes truly severed, then any chance of returning to where he came from might vanish with it. If that were the case, regardless of Hyked's intentions, Ian would have to stop the plan from succeeding.

Of course, it wasn't a matter to conclude right away. Before that, he might get to see that damned ending of this world. Besides, judging by Yog's tone, Hyked's plan seems to have a good chance of failing.

In any case, the conversation didn't continue. Lucia was in her own shock and Diana, too, was lost in shock and thought.

Ian continued chewing absently, glancing between the two of them.

Rumble... Rumble...

A faint sound of thunder spread. It sounded as if it had originated from a very distant place. The sky, which had been a stagnant reddish-brown, was now churning and shimmering like collapsed mud.

—Well. Looks like it's not the best time to be sitting around having a peaceful meal.

As Yog's whisper spread, Ian, who had lowered his head again, looked forward. The cloaked fairy, who had been sitting silently as if deaf to the world, was slowly getting up.

Diana took a long drink from the leather water pouch and turned around, fastening her mask.

Ian met her sunken, uneasy eyes for a moment, then finally nodded and opened his mouth. "I'll tell you one more secret."

Seren blinked, startled, and turned to him.

Ian casually tossed aside the empty shell in his left hand, then glanced her way. "A deal's a deal. My familiar's forced more out of you than you probably meant to say."

"That is… true… but what other secret…"

"I can wield magic."

"Excuse me?"