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Chapter 133

In any case, the change wasn’t only in the composition of the group.

“I’ve been thinking, my lord.”

As Ian approached the carriage, Philip, sitting on the coachman\'s seat, spoke up. He sounded as if he had been waiting.

He was the new guide for the group. Charlotte handed over the role to him without a hint of reluctance, feeling rather relieved.

“I think it would be better to change our route a bit.”

Philip unfolded a large piece of paper for Ian to see. The paper, with clear creases, was a map of the border region. Although it seemed to have significant inaccuracies, it detailed various landmarks such as castles, villages, mountains, and rivers. Ian took in the black lines and various letters on it, noting their route and the summary of events and information they had gathered.

They have been doing their best.

Ian recalled last night’s conversation. He didn’t dismiss Philip\'s conspiracy theory about the secretive networks of the corrupted as mere delusion.

Ian admired Philip’s intuition in finding connections among them, however vague. It seemed to Ian that the Round Table Parliament was behind many conspiracies, just as he had heard through Archeas.

What a fucking predictable bastard...

If that was indeed the case, Mev and Philip had unwittingly stepped to the edge of a vast darkness. Mev just wanted to find out the fundamental cause of her tragedy. That’s why she would not retreat but move toward the center, not knowing what awaited her.

But it\'s true that I don\'t know exactly either.

“Sir? Are you listening?” Philip’s voice continued.

Ian calmly nodded. “Alright. How are we changing it?”

Philip pointed to their current location on the map. “First, we will proceed for a while and then veer off the main road. Like this.”

Philip moved his finger downwards.

“And?”

“Aren’t you curious why we are veering off?”

“Not really.”

“Ah... but just to explain, the southern region of La Drin is particularly dangerous. Bolton has fallen to Bel Ronde, making it practically a border area. There was a big battle here recently–-”

“I said I’m not curious. Move on.”

Philip nodded without showing any signs of embarrassment and continued.

“The fastest route to Lu Sard is to keep going southwest. Your route was also in that direction. But we will encounter many checkpoints and bandits along the way. Some might even hold grudges against you because, as you know, we’ve caused some trouble.”

Philip grinned but quickly added as he saw Ian’s cold gaze.

“Furthermore, I heard the Kingdom of Lu Sard is strictly controlling border crossings. They have almost all their forces deployed in the northern border area.”

“Finally, some useful information. Do you know the reason?”

“After a failed expedition, they locked the borders down so that one can enter or leave.”

“Hmmm...”

That must be the official reason.

Ian nodded, thinking they must be preparing for his visit by completely isolating their interior.

If it’s similar to the state in the game, then perhaps...

While Ian’s eyes narrowed, Philip continued, “So I suggest we pass through the Empire briefly from Bel Ronde.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed further. “The Empire?”

“Yes. Like this. Since there won’t be any troops on the Empire’s border.”

Philip moved his finger past the southeastern border of Bel Ronde, through the Empire\'s territory, and toward the eastern part of Lu Sard.

“But the Empire’s border guards will be patrolling there.” Charlotte, sitting on her horse, spoke from the other side of the carriage.

She calmly added as Ian looked at her.

“Border kingdoms may not place troops near the Empire\'s border, but the Empire will. They’ll be guarding against bandit gangs or fugitives. Identifying ourselves might not be a problem, but–-”

“Excellent question, Charlotte.” Philip interrupted her, looking back with eyes that seemed eager to finally answer a worthy question.

Charlotte, frowning, clicked her tongue and smacked her lips.

Philip, undeterred, continued speaking. “Even the Empire can\'t guard every inch of its border. There are so-called mouse holes—hidden paths to cross the border.”

“Mouse holes...?”

That\'s not something a squire of a paladin should be saying, is it?

Ian thought as he glanced at Mev. Surprisingly, she just sat quietly. Sensing Ian\'s gaze, Mev awkwardly turned her eyes and spoke in a low voice.

“We once saved some refugees while passing through Bel Ronde. One of them was a smuggler who crossed the Empire\'s border. He told us about it as a way of repaying us. We originally planned to cross the Empire\'s border using that route...”

Ah, I see. You were accomplices from the beginning.

Ian\'s mouth twisted into a wry smile. After all, she had shed most of the restrictions of her past as a Knight of Judgment when she became an Agent of Vengeance. While she gained different, more extreme restrictions, she had far more freedom in her actions and words than before.

“Thank you for the kind explanation, my lord.”

Philip smiled and looked back at Ian.

“If we take that route, it will take a few more days, but we can enter Lu Sard safely. Considering the troublesome and dangerous situations we might encounter otherwise, this might actually be quicker. Besides, those vampires wouldn’t expect us to come through the east.”

Ian nodded. The element of surprise wasn’t a major concern. He was confident in breaking through any obstacles head-on, regardless of what the vampires had prepared. But even if that wasn’t the case, it was still a good plan.

“Didn\'t you say there was a place you needed to visit in Bel Ronde?”

“Yes. I can handle that schedule. Unless some absurd variable arises, we can move as planned.” Philip’s tone was very composed. Surprisingly, it was also quite reassuring.

...I guess people do grow through hardship.

Ian laughed quietly and nodded. “Proceed. From now on, you’re in charge of the route. Report only to Sir Riurel if you must.”

“Yes, understood.”

Philip folded the map and looked at Ian with a subtle gaze.

“It will be a long journey, my lord.”

“I suppose so.”

“Nothing beats conversation to pass the time, don’t you agree?”

Ian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Here we go again.

“So?”

“Tell us about the North. Is it true that the ancient Giant Kingdom’s wraith army has covered the North?”

“I told you, it’s true.”

“And?”

“That’s it.”

“....”

“What, got a problem?”

“Of course not.”

Realizing Ian didn’t want to elaborate, Philip clicked his tongue briefly and looked away. He seemed unsurprised.

He’s quick to give up now too. Ian smirked inwardly.

Ian wasn’t particularly secretive about his experiences in the North, but the barrage of questions and awkward admiration that would follow was bothersome.

Philip then turned to the other side.

“...Why are you looking at me like that?” Charlotte squinted and asked.

Philip, with a subtle smile, spoke. “It’s fascinating. Ian rarely lets anyone close. You seem to have been with him for quite a while. You must be very capable.”

“I get what you want, but stop flattering me.”

“I’m just curious. How did you end up accompanying Ian?”

“...It’s not a pleasant memory.”

“That’s an interesting commonality. My first encounter with Ian wasn’t pleasant either.”

So, you’ve changed your strategy.

Ian snorted quietly. It was clear that Philip’s current approach was quite effective. Charlotte glanced at Ian, licking her lips.

Philip’s voice continued. “In that sense, how about we take turns sharing stories? From the beginning. After all, we have nothing else to do on this journey.”

“Hmm....” Charlotte let out a low breath.

Ian slowed his horse, tearing at a piece of jerky. Taking this as permission, she moved beside the coachman’s seat.

“It’s not a bad idea.”

“Right? I’ll start then. I heard about Ian by chance. In a small village we stopped at for a night—”

Here we go. Ian listened to Philip with one ear and smacked his lips. It was better than being constantly bothered.

“Would you like to ride in the carriage, Ian?” Mev\'s voice came from beside him.

When he looked back, she gently added. “I\'ve had enough rest.”

“Let’s take turns. You can ride the whole day today.”

“Alright... if that’s what you want.” Mev nodded and looked ahead again, a faint smile forming on her lips.

Ian easily noticed it was because of Philip\'s story. It seemed she was also reminiscing. Ian tightened his grip on the reins and put some distance between himself and the carriage. Before long, the desolate fields of southern La Drin stretched out before them.

***

The journey continued without pause even after they left the main road. They trudged through decaying leaves, pushed aside barren branches and weak grass, and crossed mossy streams and winding valleys.

These were the common scenes of the frontier, just outside civilized regions. The mountain peaks they used as landmarks slowly but steadily grew closer. And it wasn\'t just the journey that continued without stopping.

“A wave of flame strong enough to incinerate vampires... I’m curious. I’ve never seen you use such powerful magic, Ian.”

“I didn’t see it directly either. As I said, I was knocked out by that mosquito\'s trick. What I saw was much later.”

The exchange between Philip and Charlotte also continued.

Surprisingly, the two communicated quite well. Philip’s willingness to listen was a big part of it, but Charlotte also enjoyed hearing stories about Ian that she didn’t know. She sometimes sparred with Philip, blindfolded each time.

Initially, Philip’s pride was hurt, but he learned to accept it after realizing he couldn\'t overpower Charlotte. Her strong yet flexible movements became a refreshing lesson not only for Philip but also for Mev.

“Much later? When exactly are you talking about?”

“Not a story for now. Your turn.”

“...You’re quite firm, just like Ian. I understand why you two travel together.”

Philip clicked his tongue and glanced back.

“My lord, where was I?”

“You stopped at the story of fighting the headless knight, Philip,” Mev answered.

Despite her calm tone, she couldn\'t hide her disappointment, just like Philip. She rarely joined the conversation, much like Ian, but she listened attentively to their talk. Especially Charlotte’s stories, she listened with bated breath. It was clear she was secretly curious about Ian’s journey.

“Right. So, Miguel joined us and–-”

...He’s really going to continue till the end.

Ian sighed as he chewed on his jerky, staring indifferently at the eerie forest shrouded in mist. He looked up eventually. A flock of birds crossed the sky like ripples, above the network of tree branches.

The thick clouds above were still and silent. It was hard to tell the direction or time. The further south they went, the more the distinction between day and night faded.

Is it just this area? Or... Is it getting worse as we move closer to the heart of the frontier?

The sound of water splashing followed. It was a rather wide river. The depth in the middle seemed to reach the horses\' knees.

No wonder the mist was thick.

“Once we cross here, we’ll enter a mountain path. We’ll pass through the valley. Although it’s hard to see because of the mist.” Philip spoke, focusing on steering the carriage.

Ian nodded, then suddenly frowned.

“....”

His gaze was fixed on the foggy forest beyond the river.

Philip, looking back at him, continued calmly. “It’s a bit eerie. But it’s better to encounter monsters or bandits here than on the main road. This place is practically lawless. Whatever’s here won’t bother us much after a bitter experience.”

“Well....” As Ian muttered, the carriage crossed the river and entered the forest.

Philip glanced around, puzzled. Finally, his eyes narrowed.

“...You’re not worried about bandits or monsters, are you?”