I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 682

Snow fell thickly, washing the darkness into a dull gray. Inside the fortress spire, which rose higher than the wall itself, Caleb leaned beside the brazier.

"Tsk..."

He clicked his tongue softly. It wasn't because the icy wind mixed with snow was seeping into the spire.

"Dammit..."

It was because the soldiers gathered by the window were constantly sighing and groaning. They were part of the group he had been put in charge of a few days ago.

After returning from the snowfields, the commander had abruptly reassigned Caleb to regular infantry and slapped the role of squad leader onto him. Then, without giving him any chance to refuse, the man had immediately departed for Ninglosth.

After hauling those soldiers back here in a rush earlier today, the commander had gone straight to his quarters. While Caleb had dumped all the annoying tasks onto his deputy, he couldn't exactly pass off guard duty.

"Sigh..."

However, that they were sighing in rounds likely wasn't because they were on duty with an awkward squad leader.

Hood pulled low, Caleb finally stood up. "What’s with all the sighing? Are you trying to jinx us during a sacred watch?"

Four soldiers turned their heads simultaneously to look at him. Their eyes practically begged to be punched, but Caleb forced down the urge and stepped closer.

"Come on. Gather up. Let’s hear what’s got you all so miserable."

Like it or not, he was responsible for them now. He couldn’t treat regular soldiers the way he did scouting units. And ever since the commander had delivered the new orders, Caleb had noticed the unease spreading through the ranks.

"Are you asking because you really don’t know?" a soldier asked as he trudged toward the brazier.

He had a long scar running down his cheek below his eye. He was also the one who had served the longest among them. Caleb walked past him toward the window and shrugged.

"If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking. Speak while I’m giving you the chance."

Gathering around the brazier, the soldiers exchanged glances. Once again, it was Scarface who spoke first.

"We were supposed to be heading for Travelga by now. The mission changed all of a sudden. How can we not be worried?"

"Th-That's right. Besides, I heard monsters are swarming toward Calbrook right now," added a soldier standing hesitantly next to Scarface.

He was a greenhorn who hadn't even shed his youthful look yet. Caleb crossed his arms, leaned his shoulder against the window frame, and jerked his chin.

A skinny soldier with bulging eyes cautiously said, "They’re only mobilizing elite units like the First and Second Legions, right? With the Northern Demigod and the barbarian legion added in, shouldn’t that be enough? Do we really need to go too?"

"Exactly. The guys who came in from Ninglosth earlier looked just as uneasy," added a soldier with a bristly beard like a hedgehog.

As Caleb twitched his nose slightly, Scarface frowned and stepped forward. "That’s what you’re worried about? That’s not the issue. The veterans were all pulled from the front. What’s left behind are the scraps. How much help do you think we’ll be?"

"Huh?"

"Then what is the problem?"

The other soldiers' gazes focused on him.

Scarface let out a hollow laugh. "The real problem will start after the situation is over. Does this look like an order from His Grace to you?"

"Well, wouldn’t the commander take responsibility for that part?" Skinny said, exchanging a glance with Hedgehog Beard. "We’re just following orders. What crime is that supposed to be? Besides, even with the guys from Ninglosth, we're just a handful."

"You really think His Grace will see it that way? Not when rumors are already spreading that the Dragon Slayer might become the North’s next ruler," Scarface said, shaking his head.

Skinny paused, and the Greenhorn asked, "So... you’re saying the commander’s already thrown in his lot with the Northern Demigod?"

"He’s been standing behind him for a while now. Didn’t you know they fought together on the front? Bringing the Dragon Slayer and the barbarian legion into the heartland was bad enough. Moving together after that—how do you think His Grace sees it?"

Only then did the soldiers' faces harden. Hedgehog Beard licked his slightly parted lips. "So it’s not just defying his will. He’ll see it as outright opposition...."

"Exactly! Without even knowing it, we're taking part in a rebellion!" Scarface said, bringing the edge of his hand to his neck over his hood. "If things go wrong, heads will roll. Not by monsters, but by His Grace or the Imperial Army."

A cold silence settled in. The flicker in the soldiers' eyes wasn't just from the fire.

"Then... wouldn't it be fine if the rebellion succeeds?" Greenhorn finally murmured.

Scarface stopped, his brow furrowing. "What?"

"I mean... if he's the Demigod of the North, he might be able to persuade the generals gathered at Calbrook," added Greenhorn, swallowing hard and rolling his eyes nervously. "If he becomes the new ruler of the North, wouldn't our futures open up instead? Besides, His Grace the Archduke has been getting stranger lately—"

"You lunatic. It’s not that simple," Scarface cut him off, thumping his chest in frustration. "It has to come from the Emperor. Without an imperial decree, anything like that is treason. No matter how legendary the Dragon Slayer is, he’d be branded a rebel."

"I heard it was the Platinum Dragon that brought down the Black Wall. And that the Great Church is preparing to strip it of its sainthood because of it," Hedgehog Beard added in a subdued voice.

The faces of the other two stiffened.

"Then are we really going to end up as traitors?"

"It's highly likely. Of course, I respect the Dragon Slayer, but there is an order to everything. That's why guys like me who've served a while are all worried..." Scarface fell silent before he could finish his sentence. It was because Caleb, unable to hold back any longer, let out a low laugh.

Only then did the other soldiers look at their smiling squad leader. Engrossed in their own conversation, they had momentarily forgotten the man who had thrown out the topic, who had even gone out to the snowfields with the Dragon Slayer recently.

"Now I get why the mood’s such a damn mess," Caleb said lightly. At this rate, someone’s going to start talking about mutiny next. Right?

"T-That wouldn’t happen. Of course not," Scarface said urgently, shaking his head and panting.

The fear in his eyes wasn’t surprising. Caleb had been a scout before this, and scouts were infamous for being ruthless, short-tempered, and utterly unforgiving, befitting those who handled the most dangerous missions.

"We have absolutely no such thoughts. It's just... guys like us have lives as fragile as flies, so everyone is—"

"Worried, I get it. Anyone would be, given the circumstances," Caleb replied in a calm tone that contrasted with his sharp eyes.

He looked away and continued, "But do you know what the Demigod is called by the barbarians of the snowfields?"

"Uh... that's..."

Scarface only moved his lips silently. The others were the same. Of course, Caleb hadn't expected an answer.

After watching them quietly, he said, "The Demigod Who Does Not Reign. The barbarians tried to crown him King of the Snowfields. But he refused. He said he would fight alongside them not as a king, but as the Great Warrior of Karha."

"Such a thing... happened?" Scarface asked, stuttering slightly with his mouth agape.

Caleb nodded. "Yes. Not just me, but the commander saw it clearly, too. Rumors have probably already spread to Travelga."

"Huh..."

"He has no interest in power. No ambition to rule the North. Of course not—he’s a man destined to ascend to the heavens one day."

The soldiers’ eyes flickered differently from before. As Northerners, their hearts couldn't help but race at the thought that another god might be born.

Curling his beard-covered lips into a smile, Caleb looked at them and added, "Now you realize how absurd your misunderstanding was. And whom you dared to doubt."

They froze, holding their breath. This silence didn’t last long.

"F-forgive us."

"Please forgive us!"

As Scarface bowed his head, the other soldiers followed suit.

Caleb snorted softly. "You don’t owe me an apology. If anything, repent before the Demigod himself. And watch what you say from now on."

Staring briefly at Scarface's sweat-beaded face, Caleb turned back to the soldiers. "When you go down, spread the word. I don’t want to hear this kind of nonsense from anyone under my command again. Clear?"

"Yes!"

The soldiers answered in unison.

Just as Caleb licked his lips and was about to look away, Greenhorn asked, "Was he really as great as the rumors say?"

Caleb paused and looked back. The young soldier cautiously added, "There are so many people who say they’ve seen it firsthand, but... honestly, it’s hard to believe. Slaughtering countless monsters with a sword as big as a house. Calling down thunder and lightning, and all that...."

Caleb’s bearded lips twisted into a smirk again.

Greenhorn, gauging his reaction, continued, "Sir, I heard you watched him subjugate the wastelands of the snowfields."

"Yes. I watched it all," Caleb answered readily.

He swept his gaze over the others, whose eyes now burned with curiosity and anticipation, and said, "And from what I saw, the rumors aren’t exaggerated. If anything, they’re understated."

"Understated, you say?"

"You'll never believe it until you see it yourself. Don't worry. You'll probably get to see it soon."

He shrugged, his voice dropping into something more weighted.

"Contrary to your delusions, the Demigod did not wish for conflict with His Grace, the Archduke. Yet, if he is bringing his legion, there is a reason for it."

The light in the soldiers’ eyes dimmed all at once.

"You don’t mean Calbrook’s about to fall, do you?" Scarface asked first, swallowing hard.

Caleb shrugged a shoulder. "Perhaps. Probably."

"By Lu Solar..."

"Superman of the North..."

The soldiers finally groaned, fear pooling in their eyes.

"That is, if the Demigod isn't there."

At his casual addition, the soldiers' eyes widened. Caleb let out a low chuckle.

"That’s why we don’t leave his side. Our lives depend on it. That’s how we survive."

The soldiers swallowed and nodded, one by one. Seeing their eyes finally fill with resolve, Caleb looked out the window.

"I don’t know what’s about to happen. But once His Grace receives the report, he may start drawing some... unfortunate conclusions—" He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly snapping his head up.

He stared into the distance beyond the storm for a long moment, then sharply said, "Ring the bell. It’s time to open the gate."

"Pardon?" Scarface asked, tilting his head.

Caleb glared back at him. "Did you not hear me? Get ready to open the gates! The Demigod is coming!"

"Y-Yes! Right away!"

Only then did the startled soldiers blink and turn. They didn't all need to go, but they all scrambled up to the bell tower on the top floor.

"Finally..."

Caleb ignored them and looked out the window again. Beyond the darkness, through the swirling blizzard, a long line of lights was approaching.

Ding— Ding—

Soon, the sound of the bell spread throughout the fortress. Caleb turned toward the stairs leading down. He needed to report directly to the commander, who would have woken up at the sound. And while he was at it, he’d request to relinquish his post.