I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 423

"So, you sensed it too, Lucifer," said Diana as Ian turned to look at her. "I haven't been feeling great either."

Ian glanced at Lucia's masked face. Now that he thought about it, the haze emanating from her mask seemed to have grown darker and more turbulent.

It was then that a faint, ticklish laughter echoed in his mind.

—So, you finally noticed.

As Ian and Lucia instinctively met each other's gaze, Yog whispered smugly.

—I was wondering when you'd catch on, my friends.

A cold expression crossed Ian's face as his gaze fell upon his right hand. "You knew and kept quiet again."

"Hm? Ah." Diana tilted her head, then quickly shut her mouth, realizing the direction of his gaze.

—It wasn't dangerous, so I didn't bother mentioning it. Besides, if it had been serious, the chaos inside you would've warned you before I did.

Yog added nonchalantly as it slithered out from the gap in Ian's glove and settled on the back of his hand. Ian clicked his tongue at the sight of the little creature flicking its tongue.

If it weren't for the help last time, you would've been in the pocket dimension by now.

"Just tell me what's going on."

—The chaos in the air is getting denser. That's all.

Ian turned his gaze toward the advancing line of Wolves. A faint shimmer of haze flickered around them as well.

Grrr... Grrrng...

The heavy breathing of the war beasts, which he had assumed was simply due to exhaustion, suddenly felt more noticeable. Still, there didn't seem to be any issues with the march. If it were severe enough to matter, Valten would have already taken action.

"It must be the aftermath of the war," Lucia murmured in a low voice. "The deaths of their minions are spreading chaos and madness."

"It's possible that the demon realm itself is being affected by them," Diana added dryly.

Ian only nodded. The cause didn't really matter to him. What was important was that, while it wasn't a big issue now, it could become one later—especially in the territories of the archdemons.

"But seriously, how are you completely unaffected by this, Ian Hope?" At Diana's question, Ian turned to look at her.

As their eyes met, she continued, "I mean, even if the contamination isn't that severe, you're not even wearing any protective gear."

"I could tell you, but, do you really want to know?" Ian smirked slightly.

The reason he was fine was simple. It was because he carried the bead of chaos essence within him. Of course, his high Resistance played a role, but the biggest factor was the essence.

Diana's expression immediately turned sour. "I'm starting to think you're just messing with me at this point—No. Forget it. I don't want to know."

"Smart choice. Now, keep your eyes ahead." Ian turned his gaze forward and gestured with his chin. "Looks like we've arrived."

Not just Diana, but even Lucia, who had been frowning, lifted her head sharply. Beyond the dim darkness, an even darker mountain ridge came into view.

Jagged peaks, sharp like a beast's fangs, stretched across the horizon, and nestled within them was the outline of a crumbling fortress.

***

To enter the fortress, they had to climb the rough ridgeline of a rocky mountain.

Ian gazed up at the fortress perched on the sheer slope. It was a fitting sight for something nicknamed the Ruined Fortress—a bleak structure blending seamlessly with the ominous sky and barren mountains.

—Not bad. I like it.

The spires, crumbling at odd angles, had lost their roofs, exposing their interiors and stairwells. The outer walls were no better, with one corner tilting precariously and jagged fractures running across other sections.

Looks like it got hit by a meteor, just like Karlingion.

The walls, which must have once stretched unbroken across the ridge, were now barely standing. Finding an intact section was harder than spotting the rubble.

Both the fortress and its outer walls looked like they had been abandoned for centuries rather than mere decades. It was clear no attempt had been made to restore them.

Not that it would've made a difference.

Beyond the jagged ridgeline, more spires peeked through in scattered fragments. He had no idea how anyone would reach them, but they seemed like ideal vantage points for monitoring the land beyond the mountains.

The fortress, at least, was still serving its purpose. Ian spotted Wolves hiding within the shadows of a partially collapsed tower. They blended in well, their forms nearly imperceptible in the shadows, but they couldn't escape his senses.

The Wolves soon came to a halt. The path leading to the fortress had abruptly ended, dropping into a sheer cliff. Instead of questioning it, Ian simply lifted his gaze toward the fortress's entrance.

A steel barricade blocked the way—thick, elongated iron plates fastened together in horizontal rows. It was, ironically, the most intact-looking part of the fortress's exterior.

For a brief moment, silence hung in the air. Then, with a deep, grinding noise, the steel barrier began to tilt forward. Beyond it, large stone slabs secured to metal plates slowly emerged, forming a bridge that led to the fortress. On either side, thick iron chains unraveled sluggishly from within the fortress walls.

Rumble—

The bridge settled in place before the procession. The Wolves began moving again as if they had been waiting for this moment. Ian tugged at the reins and followed.

This bridge hasn't been maintained at all. Or perhaps there was simply no point in doing so.

Even as the thought crossed his mind, Ian crossed the bridge without hesitation. Lucia did the same. Only Diana hesitated, glancing uneasily between the cracked and sunken slabs, the rusted chains, and the sheer drop beneath.

On either side of the entrance, two masked Wolves stood in front of slanted stone pillars. As Ian's group was the last to enter, they simultaneously grabbed the pillars and pushed and pulled with all their strength.

Rumble, creak.

With a noise reminiscent of a massive wind-up mechanism, the bridge rose once more. Ian couldn't tell exactly how it worked, but one thing was certain—it was dwarven craftsmanship.

"It's emptier than I expected," Lucia murmured as she moved beside Ian.

She wasn't wrong. Aside from a few towers rising along the outer perimeter and scattered remnants of ruins, the outer stronghold was empty, paved only with cracked and worn stone slabs.

"It makes it easier for troops and supplies to move through," Ian replied, pulling on his reins.

The Wolves ahead had come to a stop and were dismounting.

Ian glanced past them and tilted his chin toward what lay ahead. "Not like they need to put anything out in the open, anyway."

One side of the fortress extended directly into the rocky cliff. In the middle of the cliff face, a massive gate stood as if embedded into the stone— a large, rectangular double door.

"So that's why they built it halfway up a cliff," Lucia murmured. Her breath, faint as mist, flickered around the edges of her mask.

Now, Ian finally understood why there were so many watchtowers peeking out from the ridgeline. There must have been passageways within the cliff, connecting to the spires.

"This place was probably just a storage site and barracks at first," Diana hopped down from the horse with ease and reached out a hand to Lucia.

As Lucia took it, she added, "The dwarves and Wolves must've expanded it. This isn't the only place they did."

Even in this world, they make soldiers do the construction work.

Ian smirked and leaped down between the two warhorses. A soft light leaked out as the gate opened.

Clip-clop—

The Wolves were the first to step through. Taking Lucia's reins, Ian slung them over his shoulder and followed at a steady pace.

—Hmm. I like it. Quite a lot, actually.

Of course, Yog was the only one who seemed pleased. Unlike Drag Velga, the underground passage carried a distinct musty scent that clawed at their noses.

Despite the massive door, the connected corridor wasn't particularly high—so low, in fact, that one could almost touch the ceiling just by reaching out while on horseback. The engraved spell circuits running along the ceiling seemed to only serve as a barrier, absorbing and dispersing external magic.

Well, not every cave can be a dragon's nest.

Ian shrugged as Lucia murmured, "Now I see why there aren't many fortresses suitable as strongholds. Unless the conditions are just right, they can't even be used in the first place."

Diana nodded. "No matter how much protective gear you have, it's best to avoid unnecessary exposure to chaos."

Soon, they emerged into a spacious chamber. Torches flickered along the walls, illuminating a square space with a slightly higher ceiling. Wide passageways extended to the left and right, while a narrower one, just big enough for a person to pass through, led straight ahead.

As the Wolves spread out and came to a halt, more figures emerged from each of the three corridors. It seemed they had rushed over as soon as word of the arrivals had reached them.

There wasn't much conversation.

"Hey."

"Good work."

The Wolves greeted each other by bumping their forearms together or briefly clasping shoulders before immediately getting to work. Some took the reins of the warhorses, while others unloaded cargo from the wagons and carried them away.

"Stay out of trouble," Ian murmured as he stroked his horse's head, noticing one of the Wolves approaching.

The black horse let out a low growl and nuzzled against Ian's hand. It rumbled low in its throat, pressing its head against his palm before allowing the Wolf to take the reins. The Wolf gave a polite nod before turning away, casting Ian a curious, lingering glance.

"So it wasn't just my imagination. They're all watching us," Lucia muttered from beside Diana. True to her words, the Wolves of the fortress, though busy moving about, kept stealing glances in their direction.

Diana answered in a hushed voice. "Looks like the rumors have spread. The Great Platinum Dragon's Agent, the one who eradicated the wanderers, has arrived."

Ian only snorted in response. Reactions like this hardly surprised him anymore. Without another word, he shifted his gaze past the bustling Wolves and started walking.

"Let's go." His eyes were fixed on Valten, who stood before the passage on the other side, facing another man.

The man wore an elegant blue hooded cloak and a smooth, mirror-like mask devoid of any patterns. He certainly didn't look like an ordinary administrator.

Valten nodded as he exchanged a few words with the masked man. With a small tilt of his head, the administrator turned and disappeared into the passage. Valten, watching his retreating figure, let out a visible sigh.

"The Wolves seem to be moving all of my spoils," Ian spoke as he approached from behind.

Valten flinched slightly before turning around, and Ian continued, "Have you figured out how you're going to pay for them?"

"I apologize, Agent of the Saint. I haven't even had the chance to bring it up yet." Valten dipped his head slightly.

Ian's brow furrowed faintly. "You haven't even brought it up?"

"There was... another matter that took priority. But I'll make sure your belongings are stored separately."

"Then tell me—what was this other matter?"

"Well... that is..." Valten hesitated, rubbing the back of his helmet before finally letting out a sigh. "His Highness is currently absent."

"Absent?" Lucia, standing behind him, frowned. "But he's the one who summoned us here."

Valten let out a sigh before answering. "I haven't been given the full details yet. But the fortress's acting commander will be here shortly."

That damn bastard. Making it this hard just to see his face once.

Though annoyed, Ian wasn't particularly surprised. He had figured they'd need to move quickly too—Hyked had just moved even faster than he expected.

"Forget waiting. Let's go meet them ourselves." Clicking his tongue, Ian jerked his chin toward the passage. "Lead the way."