Chapter 887

Ohara blinked and tilted her head. "I find that hard to believe. There were battles every night. And every monster we encountered had been driven mad and mutated."

"That's exactly my point. Under normal circumstances, we'd be getting attacked day and night around here," Ian replied.

With a faint chuckle, he stretched out his right hand. A bottle of liquor leaning against the empty seat beside him slid neatly into his grasp.

"We should've passed near areas where the demonic realm transformation is still progressing. And over there, we're not talking about creatures that are merely mutated. Some of them should be in the process of becoming demons."

Ohara narrowed her eyes. "But you passed through this road before, Tower Master. I assumed that was the reason."

"Maybe. But that was over a year ago. I doubt the monsters would've left an empty territory untouched for that long."

Lowering the bottle, Ian shrugged. "Besides, there’s no reason for the Bastard King to come through here. They’re probably too busy expanding their territory toward the Empire."

"You're right. Come to think of it, it wasn't quite as terrible as the rumors claimed. Hmm...."

Ohara nodded slowly, sinking into thought while her hand drifted absentmindedly through Lily’s messy hair.

Lily, meanwhile, paid her no attention whatsoever. With a blank expression, she simply continued chewing on a strip of jerky.

Perhaps her emotions are dulled; she certainly doesn't act like a mage.

Ian suppressed a laugh.

There wasn't a trace of scholarly curiosity in her—a stark contrast to Ohara, who had spent the last few days stripping Lily’s clothes to examine the spell circuits engraved across her body.

Elia, who was traveling with Miguel aboard Nila, was no different.

Having finally reached the remote frontier she had only ever heard stories about, she barely spent any time inside the carriage at all. In fact, she had been eagerly anticipating monster attacks.

Claiming she needed 'specimens' for her research, she spent her spare moments dissecting corpses, her ledger often stained with viscera—a sight grotesque enough to make even the hardened fairies recoil.

Though I still don't understand why everyone sees that and starts talking about how she's truly worthy of being a Demigod's goddaughter.

Ian had just turned his gaze back toward the window when Ohara asked, "What if the chaos and madness that stained the frontier are being purified?"

"Well, I’ve considered something similar myself. But when the Wall collapsed, all the madness and chaos that had accumulated beyond it spilled out."

Ian gestured with the bottle in his hand and looked back at her.

"The archipelago is still suffering from the aftermath. It doesn’t make sense for the frontier to be recovering while those effects are still spreading elsewhere."

"Then what could it be? Unless there’s something out there absorbing all the chaos and madness..."

At Ohara’s absentminded remark, Ian paused with the bottle halfway to his mouth.

A moment later, his eyes narrowed. "Maybe that’s exactly what’s happening."

"Pardon?"

"There’s a massive rift hidden in a remote corner of the frontier," Ian answered quietly before raising the bottle to his lips again.

He was thinking of the rift beyond the cursed jungle, the one that had existed within the White Mage’s secluded sanctuary. The fragile equilibrium that was held there for centuries shattered the moment he dismantled the White Mage’s trap.

If it's still drawing things in...

There would be nothing strange about it absorbing not only ambient magic but also chaos and madness. Perhaps the rift was slowly sealing itself through that process. Of course, the opposite possibility was just as likely.

"A remote corner of the frontier... Don’t tell me—" Ohara began speaking in a meaningful tone, only to trail off as she turned toward the side.

A knock sounded against the door beside Lily.

Receiving Ian’s glance, Lily quickly opened the window. A pair of orange eyes belonging to a black-furred beastfolk appeared outside.

"Great Warrior. Do you have a moment? A letter has arrived from the head of House Erenos."

"Really? Good timing. I was just about to bring something up myself. Come in."

As soon as Ian nodded, Lily rose and opened the door.

Charlotte stepped into view, clad in gold-trimmed relic armor—immaculate, despite the carnage of the battlefield. It was a testament to Elia’s meticulous, if eccentric, care.

Having regained her composure, Ohara rose from her seat. "I was hoping to get some fresh air anyway. I'll leave you two to it. Take your time."

"This might take a while. The sun will be setting soon, too," Ian said as he looked at her.

Jerking her chin toward Lily to signal her to come along, Ohara smiled faintly. "Then I hope some monsters show up while I'm out there. Nothing helps a mage regain her instincts faster than real combat."

"In that case, can you ask Diana to come over while you're at it?"

"Yes, Tower Master." Ohara nodded without hesitation and climbed down from the carriage, one hand resting atop Lily’s head as she went.

"Why Diana?" Charlotte asked as she ducked into the carriage. She closed the door behind her and settled into the seat across from Ian.

After shutting the open window to his left, Ian shrugged. "There's something I want to ask her, too. I just never found the right opportunity before. Now's perfect. "Let's talk about the letter first. Did things go well with Duke Jihandar?"

As Charlotte blinked in confusion, Ian held out the bottle of liquor.

Licking her lips, Charlotte answered, "He expressed his gratitude to both the Pointy-Ear and you. It seems he even understood the meaning behind your words. He's decided to send all the troops originally meant for the capital to the Southern Front instead."

Ian chuckled softly and nodded. "As expected, the man's quick to calculate."

Duke Jihandar clearly had ambitions of his own. There was no way he would let an opportunity like this slip by.

"At the same time, he requested support from the Southern fairies and the orc tribes. It looks like our Pointy-Ear will have to visit the Deep Forest after visiting her house to deliver the news."

Charlotte took a drink and continued, "She spent quite a while cursing the duke for delaying the schedule."

"Looks like your prediction was right again, Charlotte. And she's the representative of the Deep Forest. If she has to deliver all the reports as well, she'll be tied up for quite some time," Ian replied with a chuckle.

Smiling in return, Charlotte handed the bottle back. "The pointy-ears are going to lose their minds. If it's her, she’ll probably get worked up and pull some bizarre stunt again."

Taking the bottle, Ian let out a dry laugh. "You're practically a Thesa expert at this point."

He couldn't help thinking that Charlotte's prediction might come true once again.

As Ian took a drink, Charlotte finally composed her expression and asked, "So, what was it you wanted to tell me, Ian?"

Ian shrugged, his gaze flicking toward the door. "Let's wait. Once I’ve spoken with her, the pieces will fall into place."

Another knock had sounded at the door.

As soon as Charlotte opened the door, a pale-faced fairy appeared.

Diana turned to Ian with an utterly unmotivated expression and asked, "You called for me?"

"Get in first."

When Ian jerked his head toward the interior, Diana stared at Charlotte for a moment before climbing aboard.

She was already letting out a sigh, as though she had a bad feeling about whatever was coming next.

Settling down beside Ian, she looked at Charlotte, who was closing the door. "It's cramped in here. Mind moving over a little?"

Charlotte merely shrugged. "Nope."

"Figured you'd say that."

Smacking her lips, Diana pulled both feet onto the seat and crouched there. She didn't even seem to have the energy to be annoyed.

Holding out the liquor bottle, Ian said, "At this rate, you might not even want to keep living once we go a little farther."

Taking the bottle, Diana replied in a gloomy voice, "I already feel that way. This place is just as awful as that damned sea. It really reminds me of Beyond the Wall."

That alone was enough to make Ian snort.

"You’re exaggerating. It’s not that bad. The entire place isn’t a demonic realm, and demons aren’t roaming around everywhere."

Diana shook her head and raised the bottle to her lips. "Just being reminded of those memories vividly is already bad enough."

As she drank, Ian’s smile sharpened. "If those memories are still vivid, then everything works out perfectly."

Diana froze and turned only her eyes toward him. Charlotte, who had been sitting with her legs spread comfortably, did the same.

Meeting Diana's gaze directly, Ian continued, "Tell me everything you know about the Black Lands, Diana. What monsters lurk there, where they are, and anything else you know. As detailed and accurate as possible."

She stared blankly at him for a moment before finally swallowing the liquor in her mouth.

She lowered the bottle and said, "Don't tell me you're asking because you're planning to go back there. There's another reason you need information about them, right, Ian?"

When Ian still said nothing, Diana asked again, "...Ian?"

There was a desperate hope in her eyes that the answer would be yes.

Ian took the bottle from her hand and said, "Don't worry. I won't ask you to come with me."

Charlotte froze, her expression shifting from confusion to cold horror.

Diana squeezed her eyes shut, a groan of pure defeat escaping her. "You've got to be kidding me... Fuck. Lu Solar... preserve us."

The reaction was exactly what Ian had expected.

"Same goes for you, Charlotte," Ian added casually before taking a drink.

Charlotte nearly sprang from her seat. "That's not the point, Ian! The Black Lands? Why the hell would you suddenly decide to go back there?"