I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 691

The wind-laced silence did not last long.

"I am Harald Edberk, Supreme Commander of the Calbrook Defense Force." Harald raised his right arm slightly to halt his adjutant as he spoke in a deep voice. His tone was anything but welcoming.

"The snowfield barbarians are criminals whom His Grace has forbidden from entering the Northern mainland. Admitting them would not only defy his command but also undermine military discipline."

"My goodness... Lu Solar..." Lucas muttered from behind his visor, his voice flat and drained.

Thesaya twitched her nose and clicked her tongue as Harald’s gaze swept over Ian and the legion behind him.

"It would be appropriate to mete out the same treatment to the accompanying Snowfield Defense Force and the Ember Priesthood as well."

"Are you saying you will refuse the support of the Margrave and the Crimson Legion?" Mev asked coldly.

"Currently, over six thousand of the North’s elite are stationed at Calbrook Fortress and along the front lines," Harald replied. "In addition, more than fifty red mages, summoned directly by His Grace, are deployed here with high-quality combat supplies."

He glanced past Mev toward Ian as he continued, "Even if the invading monsters number in the tens of thousands, we are fully capable of holding them back. The Margrave and the Crimson Legion’s assistance is unnecessary. Therefore, the fortress will not open—"

"Supreme Commander!"

The urgent shout came from behind the gate.

Harald paused, his eyes twitching, as a middle-aged commander rushed up beside him with an adjutant in tow.

"Do you truly mean that?"

Although a little older, it was a face Ian knew well. General Gelud, whom Lucas had mentioned earlier. He was the one who was said to have advised on the ceiling painting of the Travelga Church.

Harald nodded as he looked at Gelud, who had not even had time to straighten his cloak. "Of course I do, General."

"Sending back the warriors who ran such a long way for the protection of the North without even opening the gate goes against reason. Besides, the person over there right now is the Guardian of the North and a demigod!" said Gelud.

"The Guardian of the North is not an individual!" Harald shouted, his eyes wide. "The guardians of the North are the knights standing here, and the soldiers shivering atop these walls and within this fortress!"

Gelud froze as Harald pointed toward the towering wall behind them.

"It is true that Margrave is a veteran of countless battles and a hero of the North. However, the fate of the North must not be entrusted to a single man. Or do you doubt the strength of our defense forces, General? Enough to believe we desperately need their aid?"

After looking at Harald in silence, Gelud lowered his head slightly. "...That’s not it."

"Do not forget that we serve the Radiant Goddess, not the demigod of the North. Our loyalty lies with Archduke Olaf. Do not forget who caused this invasion in the first place!"

Gelud clenched his teeth and fists, but Harald did not stop.

"If the Platinum Dragon had not destroyed the Black Wall, there would have been no invasion of the North. No soldiers at the front would have died such meaningless deaths!"

The corner of Ian’s mouth twisted faintly. He had sensed it earlier, but there was no mistaking it now. Those words were aimed as much at him as at anyone else.

—Humans really are entertaining.

It wasn’t surprising. After being treated as a demigod and the Agent of the Saint for so long, he had simply forgotten. There were bound to be people who viewed his very existence as a threat. And when it came down to it, Harald’s words weren’t wrong.

That was why Gelud clenched his teeth yet failed to offer a proper rebuttal. Pressing the matter further would verge on insubordination. With battle imminent, conflict between commanders would only erode military discipline.

"So convey my decision to Margrave," Harald said, turning back to Mev as he crossed his arms beneath his billowing cloak. "Tell him entry to the fortress is denied."

His rigid expression left no room for compromise.

Gelud stood beside him, visibly displeased, yet said nothing.

"Understood." Mev pulled on the reins and turned her horse without hesitation.

Thesaya’s lips twitched as she muttered under her breath, "That crazy old man..."

Almost simultaneously, Ian flicked the reins. Nila stepped forward as Mev, already turning back, drew closer.

"You’ve done enough. Return and wait." Ian murmured and moved forward.

Harald’s gaze shifted back to him. Gelud stood off to the side, head slightly bowed, avoiding Ian’s eyes, as though he couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze.

"I am Margrave Ian Hope," said Ian, pulling on the reins. He could feel eyes upon him—not only from the wall before him, but from the great rampart beyond as well.

Unperturbed, he looked up at Harald and continued evenly, "I heard your words clearly, Supreme Commander. You are not wrong."

"In that case, please refrain from creating further unnecessary friction," Harald replied. His tone was firm, but neither dismissive nor contemptuous.

"However, there is something you don’t know. What advances in this place is not merely the monsters of the Black Lands. They are the vassals of the archdemon Akihatara—and those of another archdemon, Dharmaraja."

Harald’s eyes widened for a brief instant. The spellcaster standing behind him stiffened, eyes flashing beneath the hood, and even Gelud opened his eyes wide as he turned sharply toward Ian.

"Are you saying the archdemons have invaded the North?" Gelud asked, his voice hollow.

Ian nodded. "I don’t know the reason, but two Archdemons have joined forces."

At that moment, a horn sounded from the far side of the barrier. As Ian paused, the sound spread at once, echoing outward. More horns answered in quick succession, their cries rising from every section of the wall.

Harald and Gelud both turned toward the barrier as shouts and commotion from beyond the gate tangled with the blaring horns.

"Even if the enemy is a cursed archdemon, nothing changes!" Harald snapped, looking back at Ian.

With the horns still sounding, he thrust his right arm forward. "Withdraw, Margrave! We will protect the North with our lives. Move out! Follow me, General!"

He spun on his heel and strode away, calling for Gelud to follow.

Without taking his eyes off him, Ian said, "The Crimson Legion and I will remain here and stand by."

Harald’s shoulders flinched midstep, and Gelud looked back at him.

"If the moment comes when you require aid, open the gates at once. I pray for the victory of the Supreme Commander and the warriors of the defense force," said Ian.

"Let's go!" said Harald, casting Ian a sharp glance before striding off.

Gelud followed with the knights, mages, and adjutants in tow. As he went, he turned back once more and gave Ian a slight nod.

"Let's go back." Ian finally pulled the reins, his face expressionless as he stared at the fortress wall and the barrier beyond.

Nila turned smoothly in place and began walking back toward the commanders.

"What will you do now?" Thesaya asked. She had removed her hood, her silver hair fluttering freely in the wind. "Surely you don’t intend to just wait like this."

"That is my intention."

"What?" Thesaya frowned in disbelief.

Lucas pressed a gloved hand to his visor. "Oh, Radiant Goddess... protect the North..."

"If I break down that gate and force my way in, it will mean openly opposing the Supreme Commander," Ian said evenly as he approached them.

He felt no better about the situation than they did, but letting that show here would accomplish nothing.

"It would only deepen distrust and confusion among the soldiers," said Ian.

"And it would look as though we don’t trust the defense forces," Edith murmured, his tone balanced somewhere between admiration and irony. "Truly, General Harald lives up to his reputation."

Thesaya let out a long sigh.

"Perhaps, really, they might be able to block the invasion alone. The North's elite are strong," Lucas said quietly. He sounded hopeful.

Ian nodded, glancing up at the wall where flickering lights and restless movement continued to spread.

"But if they can’t, the moment will come when they need us. At the very least, there is one commander we can still reason with," said Ian.

"Shall we let the legion rest?" Mev asked, lifting her visor. Her exposed face was stiff and expressionless, like wax. Whatever emotions churned beneath, none showed on the surface.

Offering her a small, reassuring smile, Ian nodded. "Yes. Have everyone gather around the braziers and eat. They should sleep if they can."

"Understood. Let’s move." Mev turned her mount and motioned to Lucas and Edith. Both followed, lowering their visors as they turned away.

Ian shifted his gaze toward the legionnaires lined up behind them.

"To dare speak such blasphemy to a demigod...."

"Guess city living made him forget himself... stubborn old fool."

"If he knew an ax was waiting for his skull, he wouldn’t spout that nonsense."

The exchange at the gate had clearly carried. Amid the movement, low curses murmured through the ranks.

A faint, bitter smile touched Ian’s lips.

"You know this already, but they’re going to die in droves, Ian," Thesaya whispered.

Moro snorted while Yog let out a snickering laugh.

Meeting Ian’s gaze, Thesaya continued, "I’ve faced an archdemon myself. That wall is tall and solid, sure—but they’ll find a way over it. And Akihatara... that monster can fly, can’t it?"

"With dozens of mages present, it won’t be easy. The Age of Magic has risen again," replied Ian.

Thesaya narrowed her eyes as she looked up at the wall, where lines of lights stretched far into the distance.

"I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. There has to be a Red Magic Tower somewhere in the North. Otherwise, where would dozens of spellcasters suddenly come from?"

"Well, maybe," Ian said, nodding readily.

He had seen red mages in the North before. Perhaps the tower stood wherever it was most needed. Or perhaps it had been hidden all along, disguised in some unlikely place.

"Do you think the red mages might corrupt if they come face to face with an archdemon?"

"Well..." Ian shrugged.

Even in the game, he had rarely seen red mages become corrupted. Not for any noble reason, but because most of them were practically pyromaniacs to begin with. Red mages were less drawn to mystery or knowledge than to heat, explosions, and the raw spectacle of fire.

"Rest! Rest!"

Of course, they might very well be burning people alive somewhere in a magic tower. Still, compared to the corruption seen in other towers, that almost felt quaint.

"Dammit, gather! Let's eat!"

"Came all this way and can't even fight... dammit!"

As the formation finally broke, the legion grew noisy. Soldiers clustered around the braziers and wagons, rough complaints rising into the air.

Ian did not approach them. It would do nothing for morale and would only invite questions he had no interest in answering.

—You feel it too, don’t you, Friend? It’s getting closer.

Yog’s voice slid into his mind, thick with anticipation.

Ian turned his gaze back toward the wall. He could not see beyond it, but imagining what lay on the other side took no effort at all.

Whoosh—

A purple tide surged in, staining the raging snowstorm and the darkness beyond. The sense of distant, muffled howls echoing through the void did not feel like imagination.

A new perception, different from simple Intuition, stirred within him.

"Seems they only heard the news now," Thesaya said.

Pulled from his thoughts, Ian looked back toward the legion. Among priests tending the sacred flames, Mukapa helping where he could, and soldiers chewing jerky or packing snow into their mouths, Cherwyn approached with her hood pulled low.

"That damned—"

Miguel walked beside her, scowling. There was no need to eavesdrop to guess what he’d been ranting about—the Supreme Commander’s decision, and his words.

"Agent of the Saint." Finally approaching Ian, Cherwyn raised her head.

As Miguel, frowning, shut his mouth and stepped aside, Ian, dismounting from Nila's saddle, shrugged.

"As you heard, things didn't go well."

"I never imagined General Harald would go this far. Although somewhat strict, he wasn’t unreasonable," said Cherwyn, stepping forward.

Thesaya hopped down from her saddle and scoffed. "The archduke probably gave him some secret order. You said they’re close, right?"

"My thoughts are similar. He probably intends to monopolize the credit for blocking this invasion. The damage or sacrifice caused by it, he probably isn't even thinking about." Cherwyn agreed with a nod. A faint heat seemed to radiate from her.

Miguel, who had been grinding his teeth, finally snapped. "That damn bald bastard must have lost his mind. Pulling something this insane—this can’t just be ignored. That cursed—"

"Yeah. I don’t plan to let it go either."

"—head of his— Huh?" Miguel blinked, realizing a beat late what Ian had said.

Ian looked back at him, his eyes deeply sunken. "So calm down for now, Miguel."

"You mean you’ll step in yourself? Brother—no, Your Excellency?" Miguel asked hesitantly.

Cherwyn and Thesaya were staring at Ian as well.

"If this really happened because of the archduke’s order, then he’ll pay the price he deserves. It won’t bring the dead back. But that doesn’t mean it goes unanswered," Ian said calmly.

He turned his gaze to Thesaya and Cherwyn. "There’s no other meaning to it, so don’t think useless thoughts."

"I wasn’t thinking anything improper at all," Thesaya replied with a sly smile. "Don’t worry, Agent of the Saint."

Cherwyn nodded.

"If the Agent of the Saint steps forward, things will become much easier. Safely block this invasion, and after that..." She trailed off and turned her gaze upward.

Miguel, Thesaya, and Ian also turned their heads to look at the wall.

The surroundings suddenly brightened.

In the sky above the wall, fireballs large and small blazed through the sky, multiplying again and again as they spread.