“Just as I thought, this was intended. It looks so much better from this side.”

Thesaya’s voice, laced with awe, echoed through the vast space due to its sheer size.

She was standing at the circular plaza in the heart of the Platinum Dragon’s nest, right in front of Archeas’s throne.

“Come over here and take a look, Ian. It’s an incredible piece.”

“I’ll pass,” Ian answered without even turning his head, continuing forward at an unhurried pace.

Thesaya pressed on, almost whining, “You’ll regret it. From here, you can perfectly see all the wall carvings, and the sun and moon line up exactly behind the backrest—”

“Let’s get going. By now, everyone should be ready and waiting.” Ian cut her off with a click of his tongue.

Thesaya hesitated, then spoke more cautiously, “Can’t we stay just a little longer, Ian? Please? I’ve barely seen half of it.”

“You’ve seen more than enough,” Ian answered with a sigh, continuing toward the entrance corridor. “Fine. I’ll give you a bit more time.”

“Good choice. Honestly, if you’d just shown me sooner, we wouldn’t be in this situation. I still can’t believe you were going to keep something like this from me. That’s just cruel.” Thesaya grumbled under her breath.

Ian simply snorted instead of responding.

It’s only peaceful because I showed her now.

He kept that part to himself.

Even while being dazzled by the artifacts, Thesaya hadn’t missed the fact that Ian had taken Nasser below earlier. And when they returned, not a single one of them had said a word about what lay inside.

On top of that, there had been far more artifacts to sort than expected, leaving her thoroughly worked up.

Ian knew if he’d let her in earlier, she would’ve caused chaos, running wild and exploring everything on her own. He had no intention of playing chase in a palace this large.

He had only brought her inside after setting up camp and preparing to leave, waiting until she had moved past her frustration into something closer to reluctant acceptance.

“Seriously, this place is unbelievable. I could live here.”

Thanks to that, Thesaya now seemed reasonably satisfied just skimming through it.

Ian stopped at the corridor entrance and finally turned to look at her. His lips curved slightly.

Anyone else would think she owned the place.

Her appearance was, after all, impossibly extravagant. She wore a delicate winged circlet adorned with gold and a robe that shimmered like starlight.

Her undergarments showed through the finely woven mesh of thin metal chains interlaced with countless golden rings she wore.

Unlike the others, who had only tried on their items before storing them, Thesaya had insisted on keeping everything on.

According to her, she could just cover it with her hooded cloak, and as a fairy, no one would find her love of flashy things unusual.

It was, annoyingly enough, a convincing argument.

Ian hadn’t bothered to argue, partly because he agreed and partly because, once he gave something away, he had no intention of commenting further.

After several minutes, Ian finally said, “I think I’ve waited long enough, Thesaya.”

It was, for all intents and purposes, an ultimatum.

“Alright, alright. Honestly, you’re so impatient...” Sensing the shift in his tone, Thesaya grumbled but turned around anyway.

Even crossing the plaza toward him, she kept glancing around, continuing, “Now I get why everyone was so tight-lipped. The first nest of that being—how could anyone dare speak of something like this?”

“I don’t know. Nasser didn’t seem to treat it that sacredly.”

“Well, that Half-Ear is always like that. He probably doesn’t care about anything except his precious redemption.”

It’s like what they say, you hate what you are.

Ian let out a snort as the thought crossed his mind.

Thesaya finally turned to him. “Still, it really seems to favor you, Ian. I mean, sure, you killed multiple archdemons and even the Heaven Defier, but handing over an entire nest like this?”

“Yeah.” Ian shrugged lightly.

Careful to mask the bitterness, he forced a small smile. “It’s a lot.”

“It said it’ll be asleep for a long time, right? By the time it wakes up, you’ll either be a god or dead. What’s there to worry about?” Thesaya said it without hesitation.

Stepping closer and tilting her head, she added, “Once all this chaos is over, let’s live as the richest people on the continent, Ian. I’ll help you.”

“Keep that ambition in check.” Ian scoffed and turned, heading into the corridor.

“We’ll only use what’s here when it’s absolutely necessary. Bit by bit.”

“You’re no fun...” Even as she teased him, Thesaya let out a quiet laugh, idly rolling an ancient gold coin between her fingers.

Ian extended his left hand. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Swoosh—

Golden magic spread from his palm, forming a radiant passage across the concave wall.

Thesaya’s relaxed voice followed, “Don’t tell me they’re still not ready. If they’ve been slacking off, I’ll have to give them a proper scolding.”

“So you were planning to wait until they were done this whole time.”

“Obviously. Did you forget how hard I worked yesterday?”

To pick out artifacts for yourself, more like...

Ian kept the thought to himself as he stepped through the golden barrier. After a brief, unpleasant sensation, the swirling veil of fog filled his vision once more.

The fog drifted slowly, but not a single wraith remained.

And there likely wouldn’t be any again. They had lost their focal point, and more than that, they had been utterly overwhelmed by fear.

Given a little more time, even their lingering instincts would fade.

“Hmm, guess there’s no need for a scolding after all,” Thesaya murmured from behind after a few steps. Ian finally looked left.

Mev, back in her original armor, was approaching. Behind her, the wagons and the rest of the group stood ready.

“We’ve finished preparations, Your Grace.” Meeting his gaze, Mev spoke in a formal tone.

Walking toward her, Ian gave a small nod. “Good work. Sorry that I couldn’t help. Someone here was being a handful.”

As Thesaya snorted, Mev turned to walk beside him. “There wasn’t much to do anyway.”

“The crates holding our items have been sorted separately at the back. We’ve marked them on the outside as well, so there shouldn’t be any mix-ups.”

“Good. I’m sure you all handled it well.” Ian swept his gaze over the merchant caravan group gathered beside the wagons.

Standing with their hands clasped behind their backs, they bowed deeply in the Northern style the moment their eyes met his.

Even Fael did the same.

I didn’t mean for it to go this far.

It was enough to make Ian suppress a dry laugh.

In truth, he gave them the artifacts mainly to eliminate potential risks born from greed. Of course, there was also no reason not to give them one, and it helped bind them through a shared secret.

Either way, the effect had exceeded expectations.

In their eyes, there was a resolve that seemed to say they would rather die than lose those artifacts or fail this mission.

“As planned, we’ll proceed on foot. Your Grace, please ride,” Mev added as Lily approached, holding Thesaya’s hooded cloak with both hands.

Nila and Moro stood at the front of their respective wagons. Though they had rested, it would still be difficult for them to pull the wagons the entire way back alone.

“I’ll walk too,” Ian replied without hesitation, glancing briefly at Miguel and Nasser by the driver’s seat.

The two nodded and climbed up at once. Even then, Miguel beckoned Lily over.

“And we’re really going to walk all that way again...” Thesaya sighed behind them as the merchant group naturally parted to make way for Ian.

She draped the hooded cloak over herself carelessly.

Ignoring her, Ian glanced at Mev and gave a faint smile. “Let’s move.”

Mev returned the smile and gave a small nod, then looked toward Miguel and Nasser.

Ian, meanwhile, continued walking without stopping.

Snort...

As he passed, Nila at the rear wagon snorted, followed by Moro at the front.

Those two are starting to resemble each other.

Ian chuckled and extended his left arm.

Swoosh—

The light gathered in the runes within his palm flared brightly. At once, the quiet, rolling fog ahead split apart to either side.

Good. It works.

He had been unsure. Without hesitation, he continued forward.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

Hoofbeats followed, forming a steady procession that would last until they exited the valley of mist.

The towering walls of fog on either side closed in.

Ian glanced back only after stepping onto the path carved through the fog. The slanted rock beyond the mist caught his eye.

For a brief moment, his gaze sank.

“Elder...”

“What is it, Bor?”

“When... do you plan to resume the story?”

“For someone from the North, you’re awfully impatient. Wait. After running around like that, my throat’s a bit dry.”

“Bring wine at once, Bor.”

“Yes, Master!”

They give no time for sentiment, huh?

Letting out a chuckle, Ian turned forward again.

Ahead of him, like his own uncertain future, the path stretched endlessly through the shifting fog.

***

“Tie it tight! Don’t let a single grain spill!”

“Pull the ropes tight! No slack!”

In front of a large warehouse reeking faintly of the military, porters of the Ark Caravan shouted as they hurried between wagons piled high with sacks of grain.

Off to one side of the road stood tense faces. At their center was a gaunt old man, arms folded across his chest, watching with piercing eyes. He was Count Morgan Westwood, lord of Drenorov.

Known for his strictness, the noble would not hesitate to unleash his fury if even a single sack of wheat or barley were spilled before him.

“Tch....”

However, the count wasn’t actually watching the porters. His gaze was fixed on his second son, Rinel, who was moving among the workers and attendants, inspecting the site.

Of course, as always, he looked more dressed up than diligent—the way he worked was far from satisfactory.

Rinel lazily tapped at the ropes of the lead wagon before clapping his hands together. “Inspection complete. Move out.”

The porter in the driver’s seat, who had been watching nervously, quickly snapped the reins.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

The wagons began to move.

After giving a few of the trailing wagons a half-hearted check, Rinel shot a glance at the steward and turned around.

When his eyes met the count’s, he even offered a faint smile.

“Do you really think you can check the knots properly by brushing over them like that?” Count Morgan Westwood asked with a frown.

Rinel shrugged as he approached. “You didn’t know? It’s one of the many spells I learned in the capital, Father.”

“And you call that an answer?” The count’s face tightened, and he pressed his lips shut.

He couldn’t keep scolding his heir in front of others. And besides, Rinel would undoubtedly talk back.

He was better than the eldest son, who used to run off the moment he was reprimanded, but still, a father and son constantly raising their voices wasn’t something he wanted on display.

“Let’s go.” With a quiet sigh, the count turned. He intended to personally confirm that the wagons made it safely back to the estate.

“You must have been anxious,” Rinel said softly as they entered the outer road.

The count’s brow twitched as he glanced sideways. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“You said they’d return within a week. It’s already been ten days. Didn’t you assign all this extra work just to distract yourself from worrying?”

“What nonsense you speak, my son.” The count let out an exasperated breath.

As Rinel blinked, the count continued calmly, “Then again, you’ve never seen him fight. It’s only natural you’d think something so foolish. No matter how vile those wraiths may be, they are no match for him, Rinel. Not with the Red Knight, the silver-haired Elder, and that attendant with him.”

“I see, your faith truly is something.” Rinel nodded slowly, stroking his beard before looking back at him. “So you were simply preparing in advance?”

“I’ve already decided how much more I’ll offer. And he’ll be returning soon.”

“If clearing out an additional warehouse was part of that preparation, then I’d say that was a rather excessive decision.”

“And what clever reasoning led you to that conclusion? Let’s hear it.” The count scoffed.

Rinel met him with a challenging smile.

“Well, given the current state of the capital, it’s obvious that— ...hm?” He stopped mid-sentence, turning his head.

The sound of approaching hooves had reached them.

Moments later, spotting the mounted rider, Rinel let out a low chuckle.

“Well, now, I can’t compete with experience after all. It seems the Agent of the Saint has returned.”