I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 261

"Dreams of becoming a dark mage? No, wait... I see what you mean. Oh, Lu Solar..." Philip sighed, his gaze naturally shifting to Elia.

"You mustn’t do this, Elie. Dark magic isn’t just ordinary magic. It corrupts the soul and destroys the body."

Elia, who had been staring blankly at Ian, hesitated before speaking, "No... I'm not trying to learn dark magic, I just want to study the knowledge of the void...."

"Half of all dark mages probably started the same way, Elie," Ian cut her off bluntly, slowly leaning down as he continued, "But even if I prevent you from reading this now, I won’t be able to stop you from sneaking around black markets in the capital later. Getting forbidden books is difficult, but not impossible. Am I right?"

Elia pursed her lips as if she'd been caught out, then eventually nodded, "Probably, yes."

Just as I thought, Ian mused, clicking his tongue as he reached out to pick up the grimoire.

"In that case, it might be better for you to read it in front of me."

Elia’s eyes widened, and Philip, equally shocked but for different reasons, dropped the firewood he was carrying with a clatter.

"What did you say...? You're going to let the Great One's youngest daughter read that cursed book...?" Philip exclaimed in despair.

Ignoring him, Ian continued, "However, I'll tear out or black out all the parts related to spells. If you truly don't intend to practice dark magic, you won't have any objections, right?"

"Of course not...!" Elia replied, her eyes shining as she broke into a broad smile. Her features were so pronounced that the change in her expression seemed even more dramatic.

"That’s how the Order and the Magic Tower censor forbidden books! Only a few thoroughly censored forbidden books are allowed to be used as research materials. If Sir Ian is the one censoring it, maybe even the Order would accept it."

"... Just make sure you don’t take that book to the Order. If you must, ask me or Sir Philip here to handle it for you," Ian replied, his face devoid of any humor.

Elia nodded eagerly as if to promise she wouldn’t. Ian, with a flick of his wrist, tossed the grimoire into his pocket dimension, briefly clicking his tongue. A thought then crossed his mind: It might actually be useful to run into a dark mage during their travels—preferably one who had undergone a terrible mutation.

"My goodness... If the Platinum Dragon were to find out, he would surely be furious. Or worse, he might even be saddened... and that’s far scarier," Philip muttered, looking as if he might faint.

Ian finally turned to him and snorted. "He already knows."

"That Elie is a dark mage?"

"I'm not a dark mage," Elia interjected.

Ian pointed at her with his chin. "That she’s interested in dark magic. You’ve heard it yourself—trying to stop her is pointless. You know how stubborn dwarves can be, right?"

"I’ve... heard as much, yes."

"Then consider her a proper dwarf in that sense. Now, just pick up the firewood," Ian said with a nod.

Philip, wearing a conflicted expression as if unsure whether to laugh or cry, slowly began gathering the fallen branches into a pile.

"Just wait a moment. I'll get the meal ready right away. I'm sorry, I got so distracted," Elia said, snapping back to reality and hurriedly turning toward the sealed container.

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"Take your time. There's something we need to do before that anyway," Ian said as he flicked his hand lightly.

The flame that sparked from his palm landed on the firewood, and soon the surroundings were lit up, the warmth spreading to ward off the chilly night air.

"So, what did you and Sir Riurel talk about?" Ian asked, settling down next to the campfire.

Philip, who had been watching Elia with a conflicted expression, immediately darkened at the question.

"We talked about various things... Memories of the past, plans," Philip replied, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"She likely urged you to think carefully about the path you choose, didn’t she?"

"Well, yeah, something like that..." Philip muttered bitterly, then quickly changed the subject, looking more serious as he spoke.

"But let's talk about something more important. There’s a matter that requires our attention, isn’t there?" As he spoke, Philip removed his steel gauntlets and reached into the gap in his breastplate. He pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper, and Ian nodded casually.

"Right. Something more pressing. Looks like you've finished your assignment."

Philip shrugged and sat down beside Ian, spreading the map out on the ground between them. Ian finally focused on the map. It was a map of the Empire, depicting parts of the frontier, the western region, the central area, and the inland sea below.

Though the northern, southern, and southwestern regions were only partially drawn, it was still a valuable item that would have cost a considerable sum. Of course, to Ian, it still seemed more like a detailed drawing than an actual map.

"Actually, we have two main routes to return to the capital," Philip said, pointing with his index finger to the center of the map, where the western and central regions bordered each other.

The presence of a mountain illustration showed that this was where their group currently was.

"We could head north after entering the central region..." Philip's finger traced a counterclockwise circle, stopping at the large depiction of the capital in the center of the map, as if it were the center of the world itself.

Then his finger returned to their starting point. "Or we could continue inland, and when we reach the inland sea, follow the upstream."

This time, his finger moved in a straight line across the center of the map, stopping just before the inner sea near the capital and then following the river upward.

Philip glanced at Ian, trying to gauge his reaction. "Personally, I prefer the former route..."

"I bet you do," Ian replied, suppressing a snort.

You’d rather stay near the frontier, he thought to himself.

His gaze rested on a city they would encounter shortly after entering the central region. No matter which route they chose, Philip's finger had passed through that point. Despite never having been there, the name of the city felt familiar.

"Either way, it seems we're stopping by Borta," Ian said.

"Yes, it would be wise to replenish our supplies," Philip agreed, nodding.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Ian's lips as the face of a merchant, known for always finding himself in dangerous situations, flashed through his mind.

"Good. If luck's on our side, we might even get treated like guests and replenish our supplies at a discount."

Whether that merchant had returned safely from the frontier, or if he was still around and hadn't left for another trade trip, was anyone's guess, Ian thought to himself as he glanced over at Elia, who was busy preparing something.

"Elie, where did you say the branches of the Steel Vault are located?"

Elia paused for a moment, gazing into the air, then spoke. "Niose, Midfert, Haybury, Ospol, and Eglaron. If I remember correctly, those are the five cities."

Ian recognized two of those cities from the game. One of them was controlled by the Larmut family, a city where a demonic realm called the Nightmare of the Mage would open—originally a place Lucia was supposed to visit.

"Could you repeat them once more, Elie?"

"Niose, Midfert, Haybury, Ospol, and Eglaron," Elia repeated as she continued preparing the meal.

Philip glanced at the map, noting the locations of the cities, and then nodded. "If we head north, we'll reach Ospol. If we go inland, we'll encounter Midfert. No matter which direction we choose, we'll pass through one of them. But why do you want to visit the Steel Vault?"

"I have some gold to retrieve. Anyway..." Ian answered vaguely, shrugging his shoulders.

"It seems we've come to a rough conclusion. We can think more about it once we reach Borta. Something might come up in the meantime." As he spoke, Ian unfastened the truesilver steel longsword from his waist and placed it on the ground. Then, he pulled out another steel longsword from his pocket dimension and used it as a makeshift staff to help him stand.

"Put the map away and grab your shield," Ian added.

"... Right now? Before we eat?" Philip asked, blinking in confusion.

"If we do it after eating, you'll just complain about feeling sick. A bit of exercise will give you an appetite and help you sleep better."

And it'll help get rid of these gloomy thoughts.

Ian clenched his left fist. With a low hum, a golden shield materialized from the back of his hand. Philip stood up, no longer displaying the amazement he'd shown the first time he'd seen it. Elia, on the other hand, still gaped at the Platinum Barrier.

Ian glanced at her as he moved beyond the campfire and added, "It’ll take about thirty minutes. Have the meal ready by then."

"Yes...! Can I finish preparing early and then watch?" Elia asked, her eyes shining.

Ian chuckled. "Do as you like."

***

Clip-clop.

The carriage moved along a gentle downhill path. It had been quite some time since the ascent had given way to a descent.

"...." Sitting in the coachman’s seat, Ian wasn’t admiring the scenery; instead, he was frowning, staring down at the book in his hands.

... I really am doing all sorts of things.

He was busy rereading the grimoire, carefully blotting out any sections directly related to spells with ink. It wasn’t difficult or strenuous, but it was time-consuming and, more than anything, incredibly tedious. But there was no way around it. He wanted to complete the quest and ensure Elia didn’t fall into corruption.

No matter how he looked at it, Elia in the game had likely ended up on the path of dark magic. He couldn’t afford to lose someone who could potentially be a great help in safely dealing with the Black Wall. After all, Ian was destined to cross the Black Wall himself one day, so this task would ultimately benefit him as well.

Of course, whether this book would actually be useful for research was still uncertain.

What kind of bullshit is this, written so long and meticulously? Fuck...

Ian reached out, grabbed the bottle of liquor beside him, and took a swig. To his eyes, it was nothing but absurdity. He still couldn’t fully understand the principles of magic or chaos power, how they accumulated as overlapping waves in the mind, or how they materialized into particles according to one's will. It just happened to be possible, so he did it.

Rip—

Tearing out a page filled with spell formulas and mixtures, Ian resolved once more. If he ever encountered a dark mage, he would fight them in front of Elia.

"Sigh...."

Finally closing the last page of the book, Ian let out a quick sigh. He didn’t feel much relief, though. There were still two more forbidden books from Kralen's lab stored in his pocket dimension. But at least for now, there was no need to rush to finish them. No matter how smart Elia was, she wouldn’t be able to read and digest such a thick book in just one day.

Reaching out with his left hand, Ian grabbed the bottle and took another drink. His gaze finally wandered to the landscape beyond the downhill path. Although branches occasionally blocked the view, the scenery was vast and eye-opening.

A mix of forest, farmland, and fields stretched out onto the plains. The clouds in the sky grew lighter the farther they went, and in the distance, he could even see hints of blue sky. This made the forests, fields, and farmland below stand out even more vividly. The distant city and its walls looked almost like something out of a fairytale, a stark contrast to the dreary scenery Ian had grown accustomed to.

So there is a reason this is the central...

In the game, the central part of the Empire was dominated by gentle hills and plains rather than mountains or valleys. Forests, farmlands, wide and clean roads, and waterways leading to the inner sea were typical features.

Moreover, it wasn’t yet covered by storm clouds. This likely meant there was still plenty of time left before the events Ian remembered from the later chapters would unfold—perhaps at least six months, maybe even more than a year.

Of course, the aftermath of what happened in the western region had yet to fully unfold, and countless dark secrets and conspiracies were surely taking root beneath the surface. However, at least on the outside, it appeared brighter and more peaceful than any other place on the continent.

However, Ian’s peace, as he sipped his drink while admiring the scenery, didn’t last long.

"...?" Frowning slightly, Ian stood up on the coachman’s seat and looked back at the rear of the carriage.

He had heard hoofbeats coming from the direction of the mountain slope they had passed. He didn’t dismiss it as just another traveler because the horses were moving at a steady pace. Riding horses downhill at that speed usually meant one of two things: either the riders were being chased or they were the ones doing the chasing.

"Those guys...."

As was often the case, it was the latter this time too. Ian's eyes narrowed as he identified the riders. Clicking his tongue briefly, he bent down again.

Rattle—

Ian opened the small window behind the coachman’s seat. Philip, who seemed to have been dozing off, wiped his mouth and turned his head.

"...Is there a problem?" Noticing Ian’s expression, he asked without a hint of surprise. His eyes simply sharpened in an instant.

Ian shrugged. "Not quite a problem yet, but something’s up. Stay inside and keep an eye on Elie."

"Who are they?"

Ian answered as he pushed the censored grimoire through the window.

"Elves."