Chapter 414

"No." After a moment of thought, Ian shook his head lightly. "Just call it a horse."

"Why? Is it because it's a beast?" Lucia blinked as she asked.

The black horse, still chewing on bones, twisted its head sharply. Its crimson eyes locked onto Ian—as if it had understood every word of their conversation.

"It's not that."

What's with the staring now?

Ian took another sip of liquor before glancing at Lucia, who was still looking up at him.

"Later. If it survives a few battles, then maybe."

"

Ah

." Lucia's expression shifted, and a small smile tugged at her lips. "So it's the opposite. You're worried you'll get too attached. Isn't that right?"

Seriously, she doesn’t miss a thing.

Ian let out a low snort as he watched the black horse turn its head back forward. Diana, who had been chewing on jerky with her mask hanging around her neck, furrowed her brows as if she'd heard something absurd.

"Getting attached? What kind of nonsense—" She trailed off mid-sentence, lips pressing shut as Ian turned to her with a slightly colder gaze.

"What's so ridiculous about it?"

At Ian's remark, Diana, who had avoided eye contact, mumbled, "A hero like you, having such trivial emotions—I'm not saying you're heartless, Ian Hope."

That's exactly what it sounds like.

Ian clicked his tongue and capped the bottle before dismounting from his horse. Diana's reaction wasn't surprising. In fact, it wasn't entirely a misunderstanding. Except for the

hero

part, of course.

"Finish eating and get some rest," said Ian.

Lucia, smiling faintly, took the bottle from him.

Ian then casually sat down beside the horse and added, "You can eat while moving, but you can't sleep while riding."

Lucia nodded, as did Diana—who had been pretending to look elsewhere.

They respond well, at the very least.

Ian sighed before closing his eyes, immediately slipping into Meditation.

He could only fall asleep willingly if an intense fight had drained him completely. Once his stamina reached a certain threshold, sleep became impossible. To sleep, he had to calm his consciousness forcibly.

His senses dulled, and the quiet darkness of unconsciousness descended upon him. Of course, that didn't mean he had full control over his awareness.

— I smell something, friend.

Just that single whisper was enough to sharpen all his senses in an instant.

"What smell?" Muttering under his breath, Ian's eyes snapped open. His gaze instinctively swept the surroundings.

Lucia, wrapped in a cloak with a blanket draped over her, and Diana, resting her arms on her bent knees, remained asleep.

—Well, it's definitely not human. I can taste chaos and madness.

Yog's lazy whisper slithered into Ian's mind. Lucia's lack of disturbance showed the voice targeted only Ian.

— It's faint, though. Too many overlapping scents make it hard to pinpoint. It's muddled, almost diluted.

Ian silently lifted his upper body and scanned the area.

Darkness lay thick, veiled in a smoke-like fog. Around him, Wolves stirred awake one by one, their movements slow and drowsy. The steady rhythm of hoofbeats echoed through the mist as Sir Valten made his rounds, waking the others.

"I don't sense anything."

And that was it. His senses were operating at less than half their usual capacity in this demonic realm.

—Really? Well, there's nothing you can do about it.

Oh

, another scent is completely smothering it. That boring Lion fellow, perhaps?

Yog's indifferent remark came just as Valten finished passing through the Wolves' ranks and began approaching. Fully clad in plate armor, he sat atop his beast warhorse as always.

A black lance lay horizontally strapped across his saddle, its dark gleam standing out even in the dim light. Ian exhaled slowly, feeling his senses narrowing, all involuntarily drawn to the knight's presence alone.

"You're up early, Agent of the Saint." Valten stopped at a respectful distance. Though his voice was low, the deep, inhuman vibrations within it remained.

The sheer resonance of his voice was enough to jolt Lucia and Diana awake. Both of them shot upright, blinking lazily as they scanned their surroundings.

Ian, now fully standing, adjusted his cloak as he answered, "I just woke up."

"We must have been too loud."

"That wasn't it. I hear we don't have much further to go. Is that right?"

"Yes. Once we cross these hills, we'll be there soon. As long as no new rifts have opened, we should only need one more rest stop."

"Any other threats in the area?"

"Excuse me?" Ian's abrupt question made Valten's yellow eyes narrow slightly. "What threats are you exactly referring to?"

"The air feels off. And so does the sky." Ian gestured upward with a flick of his finger.

Valten hesitated briefly before letting out a quiet sigh. "So you can perceive the flow of chaos as well, Agent of the Saint."

"I have sharp eyes. Isn't that why you're rushing us?"

"This region is indeed near the territory of the archdemons. However, it's rare for them to extend their influence here. The Wolves frequent this area and root them out before they can establish a foothold."

"So it's not impossible, just unlikely."

"If anything were to happen, do not concern yourself. My duty is to see you and your companions safely at our destination. You only need to guard the rear as you've been doing."

"Well, sure." Ian gave a nonchalant nod, offering no further argument.

Valten observed him briefly before turning his horse. "If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask."

As the knight rode off, Ian redirected his attention elsewhere. "You heard him. Time to move."

Diana adjusted her mask while Lucia took a sip from her water pouch, both nodding without complaint. Neither looked fully rested.

—

Hmph

. It's gone now.

Yog's whisper came just as Ian settled into the saddle. The black horse was still crunching on the leftover bones from the night before.

"Gone completely?" Ian asked, storing the storage box Lucia had handed him in his pocket dimension.

—Yeah. Maybe they weren't worth worrying about. Just like before.

"Just like before?"

— To be honest, I've been catching traces of other scents for the past few days.

Ian's brow furrowed. "And you are only telling me now?"

Yog let out a chuckle before replying.

—They never stuck around as long as today. Ran off before it was worth bringing up. Besides, I figured things might get more interesting if I just watched.

That damn obsession with entertainment.

Ian clicked his tongue before muttering, "From now on, report everything. Unless you want to meet your friends and reflect on your choices."

—Gladly.

As Yog spoke, Lucia climbed onto the saddle behind Ian, her face half-covered by her iron mask. Like the Wolves, a faint shimmer of energy wavered around her.

She whispered, "What were you two talking about?"

"Something's been watching us. It's gone now."

"

Ah

, and I take it this wasn't the first time?" Lucia nodded in understanding, adjusting her hood.

Diana, who had been silent until now, added in a husky voice. "There aren't many creatures bold enough to attack a group this large. Like I said before, survival here means being discreet and cautious."

So she was eavesdropping the whole time.

Ian tugged on the reins and nodded. "We'll see about that."

The black horse sprang to its feet, turning in the group's direction. The Wolves had already finished preparing to move, forming ranks around the wagons.

As soon as the procession moved forward, Diana fell into step beside Ian, her hood pulled low over her face. Behind them, the crumbling ruins of the outpost gradually disappeared into the distance.

Woosh.

Blackened soil and gravel stretched out ahead. Scattered boulders littered the dark wasteland, and a thick, smoke-like mist wavered over the terrain. To their right, a ridge of rocky hills sloped gently upward, while to their left, the barren land stretched endlessly forward.

So this is the hills Lucia was talking about.

Maintaining his usual distance from the Wolves, Ian occasionally glanced up at the sky. It still swirled with chaotic hues—indigo, violet, crimson—coiling and shifting in an unnatural dance.

A vision flashed through his mind—something he'd seen often before leaving Drag Velga. Ominous lights, starlike in their colorful glow, clashed and spread in waves of brilliant light.

— As promised, I’ll tell you.

Yog's whisper came after several hours had passed.

— The scent is back. Still faint, but there.

Ian felt Lucia flinch behind him. This time, she'd heard it too.

"Is it the same as before?"

— Seems similar. No. I'm not sure anymore.

Yog hesitated before letting out a chuckle.

Ian's brow furrowed. "You little—"

— I'm not lying. It seemed familiar at first, but now I don't know. Too many other scents are mixing in.

"Too many?" Lucia was the one who asked this time.

Yog's whisper carried a hint of eager anticipation.

— Yeah. A lot of them. And they're getting closer.

"Where from?"

— Left side.

Almost in sync, Ian and Lucia turned their heads to the left. However, all they could see was the same murky mist, wavering in the distance. The haze was thin enough to allow visibility far ahead, yet there was nothing—just darkness stretching out endlessly.

"What's going on?" Diana's voice cut in.

Unlike her usual indifferent attitude, this time, she was looking straight at Ian. She likely had sensed something was wrong.

Ian kept his eyes fixed on the fog as he replied, "Looks like we've got some bold ones coming our way. Go tell Sir Valten. Something's approaching from the left."

Diana didn't waste time asking questions. She sprang into motion—not with her usual sluggishness, but with the same sharp swiftness she’d displayed when they had first met.

"Are you really just going to sit back and watch?" Lucia asked.

The sound of clinking metal suggested she was adjusting her equipment.

"Yeah. For now." Ian shrugged.

He wanted to see for himself—before meeting Hyked— how strong the Black Lion and the Wolves were. And, more importantly, whether their fights would grant him experience points.

"If things go south, get on the supply wagon. The one that was carrying bones looked nearly empty."

"Wouldn't it be better for me to stay and assist you?"

"Your priority is Diana. You made a promise to the Count. Besides, you and I are practically one person right now."

"Alright. If it gets truly dangerous, I'll use magic."

Ian gave a slight nod just as movement rippled through the Wolf pack. From the front, they began shifting their formation, angling toward the left. It seemed Valten had listened to Diana's report.

Lucia, looking in their direction, added, "It looks like they're planning to face it head-on."

It was a natural choice for cavalry. While they couldn't charge at full speed escorting supply wagons, but it was still better to meet the enemy head-on rather than risk being flanked.

However, even as those thoughts passed through Ian's mind, he give a glance at the Wolves. His gaze remained fixed beyond the mist, watching as silhouettes gradually took shape. They resembled cavalry riders surging forward.

As the writhing darkness behind them thickened, Ian’s narrowed eyes twitched as realization dawned.

Centaurs?

The creatures that had first appeared to be cavalry were, in fact, not mounted at all. They weren't mythical centaurs, at least not like the ones from the stories he knew. They looked as if someone had forcibly fused the upper bodies of the corrupted ones onto horses that transformed into monstrous beasts.

Well, it still is a half-man, half-horse.

As Ian clicked his tongue, watching the two of them glance back occasionally, Lucia let out a quiet gasp. "My goodness."

The seething mass of darkness behind them was finally revealing its true form. Twisted, mutated creatures of all kinds emerged, eerily reminiscent of the monsters that had poured through the Walls during invasions.

Ian, however, smirked for an entirely different reason. "Well, now. That's one hell of a dirty trick."

Lucia, still staring in stunned disbelief, turned to look at him. "A dirty trick?"

"Those things. They're not on the same side." Ian's eyes locked onto one of the centaur-like creatures as it turned back again.

The figure was barely larger than a fingernail from this distance, but it was clear enough—its hand drew a bow, shooting an arrow straight into the horde behind it.

"Wait, you're saying they're luring those things toward us?" Lucia asked, as if unable to believe what she was seeing.

Ian nodded. "Yeah. Probably."

Though I have no idea where they herded that many creatures from.

—So they weren't just running away earlier. This is getting interesting.

Of course, you'd think that.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Even for him, it was a surprising sight. He hadn’t expected to see monsters employing such tactics.

"Double wedge formation!" Valten's deep, resonant command cut through the air.

At that moment, Diana came skidding to a halt near them, having practically thrown herself forward in a sprint.

"Fucking hell!" She spat a curse as she pushed herself to her feet and met Ian's gaze. "We need to fall back now. Those cannibal bastards are pulling some beastfolk-level bullshit out here!"

Ian cast a glance over the Wolves as they spread out into formation, then turned back to her. "You know them?"

"I told you about them before, didn't I? The raiders who love the taste of human flesh? That's those horse-legged fuckers right there."

Lucia's eyes widened. "You mean they're not just monsters? They're corrupted ones?"

"Yeah. Or at least that's what the rumors said. And it seems this isn't the first time they've pulled this stunt. They've probably had some fun with it already. First, it was the Wanderers, and now this? Have they finally all lost themselves to madness?"

Unlike Diana, who muttered in disbelief, Ian let out a chuckle. "A pack of corrupted bandits? Now that makes more sense." He then turned his mount toward the left because the Wolves' formation obscured the approaching monsters.

"Wow." Lucia exhaled softly.

The Wolves had formed a double wedge formation, fanning out in two precise layers. The front and rear lines alternated their positions in a staggered pattern, providing a clear line of sight and enough space to wield their weapons effectively.

Despite the complexity, the formation didn't appear loose at all—every warrior maintained an exact, measured distance from the others.

"We're to stay behind. No breaking formation, no matter what." Diana added, her voice edged with impatience as the rumbling of monstrous footsteps and guttural cries echoed through the air.

Her wary eyes flickered toward Ian, as if afraid he would charge in—though Ian had no such intention.

"Relax. I'll be holding the rear," Ian answered, trailing behind the wagons alongside Lucia and Diana, before shifting his focus back ahead.

Swoosh—

A surge of magic rippled through the Wolves' ranks. Dust-laden winds coiled around them, drawn in by a collective enchantment.

They were all equipped with similar enchanted gear—no doubt about it. At the same time, the warriors thrust their halberds forward in perfect unison, a display of precise coordination that was almost seamless.

At the very tip of the arrowhead formation, the Black Knight, Valten, raised his long lance.

Woosh.

Darkness surged from his body, rolling outward like a spreading tide. Its core was black, but the edges shimmered with deep, bluish hues.

Ian's eyes narrowed slightly.

That color is—

With his lance lifted like a war banner, Valten let out a thunderous roar. "For His Highness—"

In an instant, the darkness erupted from his weapon, cascading down the formation and enveloping the Wolves in its wake.