I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain
Chapter 477

Chapter 477

Diana stepped onto the crest of a low dune.

Swoosh—

A dry, cool wind swept over her right after. That it was thick with sand was hardly surprising anymore.

Frowning under her mask, she turned her head to the side.

A black desert stretched out, drawing even gentler curves. Here and there, the sand-laden wind shimmered like a heat haze, making it look like an undulating sea covered in oil.

The sandstorm had newly sculpted the landscape, serving as the path leading to the Desert of Death.

"I must be crazy..." Diana muttered with a sigh. She trudged down the gentle slope; this was the path she had chosen, after all.

This path seemed to offer a slightly better chance of survival than crossing a seemingly endless desert while fighting countless monsters. After all, they had already taken down one archdemon, and Ian even had a track record of slaughtering several demons himself.

He might have asked knowing what my answer would be.

It was still a grim situation. However, since there was no use crying over spilled milk, she had no choice but to accept it and adapt.

One way or another, Diana was still a survivor who had stubbornly endured this demonic realm.

A crunch snapped Diana from her thoughts. She looked ahead.

Seren, walking up front, was driving her short sword into the ground. Its sharp blade had pierced the back of a black scorpion the size of a small dog.

Just as Ian had said, the path was indeed open. However, smaller threats like scorpions, centipedes, and shelled insects still lingered. Though they survived the sandstorm and the larvae, these creatures were too minor to become Yanar Tash's minions.

"Sir Seren, wait a moment," Diana called.

Seren, who had been about to stomp and crush the writhing scorpion, paused. As she stepped back, Diana, who had silently run up, brushed past the scorpion.

The short sword in her hand drew a sharp arc.

Thwack—

The scorpion’s sharply raised tail was severed. Above it, the stinger, heavy like a fruit, spun in the air. Diana skidded to a halt, snatched it from the air, and nodded slightly.

"Okay now," Diana said.

Nodding, Seren stepped forward and once again stomped on the pommel of the short sword embedded in the scorpion’s torso.

Crunch…

The blade crushed the scorpion, mangling it completely.

In the meantime, Diana slowly inserted the blade of her short sword into the center of the carapace of the stinger, which was the size of a child’s fist.

Eventually, when the blade reached the opposite carapace, she carefully held the sword upright. Thick venom slowly trickled down the blade.

Diana moved her wrist with precision.

"Sir Seren," Lucia called from behind.

Lucia sat just in front of Moro’s saddle as the beast made its way down the slope behind them. A food bundle and a leather water pouch hung from her left arm, which held the reins.

"Come on up. I'll take the lead now," said Lucia, pulling her iron mask back over her nose and mouth.

Seren, who had been cleaning her short sword against the sand, shook her head. "It's alright, Priestess."

“You haven’t rested once. Or… is it awkward sharing a mount with Sir Ian?”

Ian was sitting on the saddle. His back was straight, but his body was relaxed, eyes closed. He was deep in Meditation and had been for hours. The entire group had insisted on it.

Not only had he fought a demon alone in the sandstorm, but a battle with Yanar Tash also loomed ahead. If anyone needed to be in peak condition, it was Ian. That was why the rest of the group was moving as if escorting Moro.

I don’t know how he can do that on a swaying saddle, though, Diana thought as she nonchalantly flicked the stinger off the tip of her short sword. She carefully observed the ominously gleaming blade.

"That's not it..." Seren started, then paused. Her lips curved into an awkward smile. "Actually, that's partly true."

"Get on," Ian cut in.

Seren's shoulders flinched, and Diana whipped her head around.

Seren glanced up at Ian, whose eyes were still closed.

Her smile turned even more awkward. "You were awake?"

"For a little while now. Come here," Ian said, slowly opening his eyes. "I had something to tell you anyway."

Though he still looked disheveled, he calmly glanced at Diana. When Diana nodded, Ian nodded back and stretched. A cloud of dust and sand scattered from his armor with a soft rattle.

"If you insist, then… excuse me..." Sheathing her short sword, Seren stepped forward.

Lucia, meanwhile, handed him the water pouch and a bundle of rations. “Feeling any better?”

“Perfectly refreshed. Looks like not much happened.”

“So far, at least. As ordered, Moro’s kept to a straight course. A few pests showed up, but nothing worth worrying about.” Lucia lightly jumped off to the side. Passing Seren as if taking over, she moved toward Diana.

Ian then leaned down, offering his left hand to Seren.

"Thank you, Agent of the Saint," said Seren. She politely took his hand and nimbly climbed on behind him. Already formal, she now seemed even more deferential.

"Have this," Ian said, placing the water pouch and food bundle on her lap. They didn’t have much food left, but this wasn’t the time to ration.

"Thank you," Seren murmured, bowing her head.

Ian looked ahead. While rolling his neck as if to loosen it, he scanned the ominously swirling reddish-brown sky and the desert shimmering with black heat haze. They only had a narrow view while descending the dune, but for now, at least, nothing seemed amiss.

Ian’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked forward again.

No, something is out there.

The distant sky was shimmering ominously. He could tell that the Desert of Death was much closer than he’d realized.

Just by focusing his senses, he could feel Yanar Tash's presence. It was sharper than before, probably because he had absorbed the creature's chaos.

At most, about half a day from here, Ian thought, his eyes narrowing further.

"The Agent of the Saint's secret..." Seren cautiously remarked from behind.

When Ian tilted his head slightly, she swallowed the last bite of jerky she’d been chewing and added, "Don't worry. His Highness is an honorable person. He would never speak of it without your consent or use it as leverage."

Ian wondered about her sudden, out-of-place comment, then gave a faint, dry laugh. “I already know His Highness isn't that type of person. He might have even already noticed that I’m a magician. What I was going to say to you, sir, wasn’t about that.”

Seren blinked. "Then what did you want to say?" Ian slightly tilted his chin. "I noticed something while fighting Yanar. My chaos that seeped into your stigma is slowly receding away."

Seren's eyes widened in surprise.

“Before long, you should be able to regain control of your stigma.”

“May I, just for a moment, check?” Seren asked.

Ian shrugged. "If you're just going to look inward."

"Of course, Agent of the Saint."

Seren closed her eyes. Considering the essence bead didn’t react in any way, it seemed she truly wasn’t doing anything reckless this time.

"It's just as you said," Seren uttered as she opened her eyes. Unable to hide her smile, her sharp teeth glinted slightly between her darkish lips. “The amount of chaos entangled in my stigma has decreased. It still feels like it's in a state I shouldn't rashly disturb, but…"

“Exactly, so even if you encounter Yanar Tash, don’t do anything foolish. This is what I was trying to say.”

If they could just alert Hyked to her survival, they could skip a great deal of trouble. More importantly, there’d be no need to worry about her becoming one of his vassals.

Seren bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your thoughtful advice."She then politely added, "However, I cannot simply stand aside while you and the others fight for your lives."

Ian wasn't particularly surprised; he had somewhat expected this reaction. "Well then, you can be a meat shield, I suppose."

Seren blinked in bewilderment. "A meat shield?"

"I mean, if Lucia or Diana are in danger, throw yourself in the way to protect them," Ian elaborated.

"Or, hey, throw them out of the way instead," he said nonchalantly as he looked into Seren's eyes. He shrugged one shoulder. "That's honorable enough, isn't it?"

Seren nodded. "If that's the role... I'll do it willingly."

It wasn't an empty promise—she had already once thrown her life on the line to protect Hyked.

Just as Ian turned his head in acknowledgment, Seren hesitantly said, “Forgive me if this question is rude, but…”

He glanced back at her with a look that seemed to ask, "Now what?"

She lowered her voice slightly. “How do you plan to face Yanar Tash? Despite how powerful you are, Agent of the Saint, it won’t be an easy fight.”

"Well..." Ian murmured softly, then shrugged. "I'll have to use everything at my disposal. If that's not enough, I'll just need to commit more."

Seren looked puzzled.

"You just focus on your role, Sir Seren, and I'll do the same. That should be enough, shouldn't it?"

"Yes. I asked more than I should have."

“It's alright,” Ian replied. He subtly licked his lips as Seren bowed her head.

Truthfully, he didn't have a clear answer either. Their opponent was a colossal monster that swam through a vast sea of sand and even used ancient magic.

He couldn't be sure of anything until he faced it himself. He could only guess that, since it was a boss that existed in the game, a strategy to defeat it also had to exist.

Adapting to the uncertainty was crucial for his survival. After all, most future boss fights would be like this.

It's not like I'm completely without options, though. Ian’s gaze subtly shifted toward his right hand.

"Get back!" Diana shouted as something cut through the air.

Ian reflexively turned toward it, finding Lucia flinging herself aside in alarm and Diana’s arm outstretched. He also registered the dagger that Diana had thrown and a charging demonic beast. With long, armored legs, it looked like a mutated king crab.

Crunch!

The dagger slammed into the middle of its torso, which was covered in sharp, grater-like bumps. As the demonic beast lost momentum and fell, Diana rushed forward, raised her foot, and stomped down hard.

"Thank you, Diana." Lucia, who had rolled on the ground, brushed herself off and stood up. "That's embarrassing. I didn't sense its presence at all."

“It's okay. I barely sensed it just before it attacked. There’s no way a human like you could have sensed it.”

Retrieving the dagger from the crushed corpse, Diana flicked her blade and clicked her tongue. "This is annoying. If we keep moving this tensed up, we'll be worn out before we even get there."

Sheathing the dagger in the leather strap at her waist, she glanced at Ian. "Things would be much easier if that little snake were around."

Just then, chuckling echoed in Ian’s mind.

—What a shame. I didn’t think you’d adapt to me this quickly.

Diana paused. Ian also narrowed his eyes slightly, glancing at his wrist.

When the hell did you wake up again?

—Still, it's not all bad. It means you've missed me, doesn't it?

Yog crawled out from the gap in Ian’s wrist guard.

While even Moro had sand covering it, Yog’s scales were impeccably clean, with not even a speck of dust. The reason it looked particularly glossy was probably thanks to consuming so much chaos.

—So. You’ve decided to leave the desert, have you, my friend?

Yog slowly slithered up Ian’s forearm.

Ian shook his head slightly. “The opposite. We’re heading into Yanar Tash’s domain.”

—Is that so? Good. I was hoping for that.

Yog, chuckling in a way that tickled his mind, suddenly looked up at Ian and flicked its purple tongue.

—I’ll finally get a chance to show off my new trick.

It was likely referring to its new skill—the ace up his sleeve that Ian had been inwardly considering.

Keeping it under wraps, Ian simply shrugged. “I need it right now, too. Try using that extrasensory perception of yours.”

Yog flicked its tongue delightedly and crawled up Ian’s forearm again.

—Gladly, my friend.

Lucia and Diana looked at each other and subtly nodded. Meanwhile, Yog settled on Ian’s pauldron and repeatedly flicked its tongue.

—Hmm… This is even more interesting than I thought.

Then came its subtle whisper, sliding into the minds of the whole group.

—There’s definitely a scent, but I can’t tell where it's coming from or how many there are. There are probably just too many of them.