I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain-Chapter 570

I didn’t know that he could make a face like that.

With a smirk, Ian reached his right hand over his shoulder. Of course, he planned to get the hammer back, but in any case, this freed up some space in his pocket dimension for the time being.

Click—

He gripped the hilt of the fang greatsword, twisted his wrist slightly to release the locking clasp, and then pushed it into his pocket dimension, still hidden by his cloak. Mukapa was already back to picking up carriage fragments.

"Whoa..."

At the low gasp, Ian's head turned to the right. His carriage, parked next to the demolished one, stood untouched.

"How did you do that?" the Vanturian boy, who had been watching from the open window, asked as his eyes met Ian's.

Right, this kid was here too.

Ian lowered his arm and answered, "Just well."

"... You don't want to tell me. I was being nosy. Sorry," Shahin said with a sweet smile.

Ian turned his waist slightly and added, "Are you holding up alright?"

"Thanks to you, sir. May I go out and help?"

"No, you just stay right where you are. Mukapa and Sir Brennan are more than enough for this side." Ian shook his head and turned away.

Mukapa, who was bent over, nodded in agreement. Ian walked past Hashim, who was bellowing commands at the rowers.

"Pull! We're almost there, just hold on a little longer!"

Sanford was now near the main mast, urging on the sailors. Of course, the actual pulling was left to them, while he merely swung his right arm in circles from the side.

Keep that up, and you’ll have a mutiny on your hands.

Swallowing a laugh, Ian focused on the carriage that would soon become a makeshift brazier. Brennen, who had piled up the fragments Thesaya had thrown out, was just turning to face him.

"Are you alright?" Ian added bluntly, noticing that the middle-aged knight's eyes were blank as he looked back. That mask of composure was nothing but a thin cover for his unease.

"To be honest… I can’t really say. I don’t even understand exactly what’s happening," Brennen said, scratching his beard with an awkward air as he walked.

"I heard you were given the general idea."

"That's true, but..."

Ah, right. It hasn't really sunk in for him.

Looking at Brennen, who was trailing off, Ian swallowed a dry laugh. The man hadn't even properly seen the things that were following them. Even if he knew it was an archdemon, he would only feel a vague sense of fear.

"Well, there's no need to force yourself to understand it all at once. Once the brazier is complete, go back down to the cabin. You can just stay by the young master's side, but I'd be more grateful if you continued to guard the sailors as you were."

"…Understood. I’ll do so." Brennan nodded, still wearing that blank mask.

As Ian passed him, Brennen asked, "Sir. Will we be able to cross the sea safely?"

"We'll see," Ian murmured and looked back.

Brennan was standing still, looking back at him.

Ian gave a slight shake of the broken plank in his left hand and added, "I plan to do my best. As you can see."

"I see. Understood." Brennen nodded dumbly and turned back, muttering, "I, too, will do my best to help."

You'd better, if you want to live.

Ian approached the heaping pile of wreckage. He tossed the piece of plank in his left hand on top of it and looked inside the carriage, which was now just a frame.

Lucia was kneeling on the edge of the carriage, her left fist, dripping with blood, held up to the side. With her right hand, she was inscribing prayer runes on the floor, moving slowly on her knees without stopping. Thesaya was sitting inside, following Lucia with her hands cupped under Lucia’s left fist, catching the dripping blood in her palms.

Can't exactly stop her now.

Ian smacked his lips briefly, watching Lucia dip her right index and middle fingers into the pooled blood in her hand. Neither of them even glanced at him as he passed by the carriage, completely absorbed in their work.

"Good work, you bastards! See, you can do it!"

Sanford’s booming laugh echoed as he patted the sailors’ shoulders and made his way toward the stairs.

"Once you’re down, grab a mug of beer and take a quick break! Just one! You hear me?"

Letting his shouts to those below deck go in one ear and out the other, Ian glanced up. The sails, which had been jutting upright like shark fins, were now spread out at a slant. The raging wind bowed the canvas inward, and his eyes dropped back down.

"Sir, is there something you need?" Sanford was now looking at him.

Ian met that single eye, laced with unease, then gave a small nod toward the mast. "That rope, how strong is it?"

Sanford's head turned to the side. A thick rope, which had been used to tie him and Hashim, was coiled around the mainmast.

"It's strong enough to secure the ship even in a storm."

"Good. And the length?"

"How long do you need it to be?" Sanford asked, looking back at Ian.

Ian shrugged. "Long enough for me to tie it around myself and move anywhere on the ship."

"On your body, sir?" Sanford's brow furrowed.

"Yes. And of course, secured to the mainmast."

"Why would you need to do that?"

"So I can come back even if I go overboard."

Sanford, who had been looking at Ian as if he'd just heard the most incredible nonsense, soon scratched the strap of his eyepatch and nodded. He must have realized that the person spouting said nonsense was the Superhuman of the North.

"I see. But you'd have to tie two ropes together, and that would be inconvenient. The rope itself is heavy. Couldn't it get caught or tangled? That would make things more dangerous for you." Sanford glanced at the mast.

"Sounds like you have an alternative," said Ian.

Sanford nodded. "It’s not perfect, but something just flashed through my mind."

"Then spit it out unless you want your vision flashing out." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Yes, sir." Sanford stroked his beard with his right hand, then spread that hand wide."There is a rope with a hook of this size at the end. It's originally used for climbing over railings or decks."

"Sounds like something pirates would use."

"That's right. It's from the archipelago. Ah, b-but I didn’t get it for piracy, of course. It’s strictly for emergencies," Sanford added hastily.

Sanford glanced at Ian’s face, swallowed hard, then added, "It requires a bit of throwing skill, but in an emergency, it would be much more useful. Or you could hook it to a railing beforehand and move around with it. It's made of sea beast tendon, so it's very tough and—"

"That's a good idea." Ian cut him off with a nod.

It sounded much more efficient than walking around with a thick rope coiled around his body. And not only was he confident in his throwing skills, but he also had the excellent support of the Willful Grasp.

"I'm glad. Then, could you please wait a moment? I have to search the storage." Sanford, flashing a grin that revealed his yellowed teeth, gestured with his chin toward the stairs behind him.

"Right. Find it and bring it. I have things to do, too."

As Ian nodded, Sanford turned and walked toward the stairs.

He's certainly cooperative when his life is on the line.

Lucia was still hard at work. Thesaya looked like she was growing restless, but she neither urged Lucia on nor dared to rise. She clearly believed the Blazing Goddess was watching.

And she probably is, in fact.

Ian slowly walked past the carriage, not forgetting to glance inside. Prayer runes written in blood formed a large circle along the edges. Being in an ancient language and written in blood, it looked more like a magic circle than a prayer. Of course, the reason Ian's brow furrowed slightly wasn't because of that.

She's drawn a lot of blood.

It was an amount that would clearly leave her dizzy for a while. It was a relief, at least, that the circle was almost complete.

—It seems the ritual is about to begin.

It was then that Yog's whisper echoed in his mind.

—Are you really going to leave me like this, my friend?

Ian gave a subtle tilt of his chin toward Brennan, who was approaching with an armful of fragments to be used as firewood, and said, "Then shall I put you where your friends are waiting?"

Instead of laughing like usual, it replied immediately.

—That won’t do a damn thing for keeping us alive. Don’t you think me staying conscious would be a bit more useful in a fight?

More like you just want to watch the fight.

—Or maybe it won’t end with just advice this time. Though, as always, I don’t know what that could be yet.

Meanwhile, Mukapa, with a load of wreckage in his arms, walked past Ian. The Shagnut's Battle Hammer was now slung diagonally across his back. He had clearly taken a liking to it. In any case, most of the carriage wreckage that had been scattered on the floor was now cleared away.

"You need some blood?" Ian asked as he entered the garage. He didn't let on that he had been planning to do so from the beginning.

—Of course, my friend.

Yog's reply was immediate this time as well. It was no illusion that there was more enthusiasm in its whisper than usual. As Ian nodded, a sharp sting pricked his neck.

"Sir."

It was then that Shahin’s voice came from beyond the carriage window. He clearly wanted to step outside.

"Is Moro inside?" Ian asked, approaching the carriage.

Shahin nodded. "Yes. Just a little while ago. If you need him, I can—"

"Just stay there. And if you can, don’t even open the window." Ian reached out and closed the window, then headed for the back of the carriage.

On the other side, a crude stable came into view. On the far wall, Mukapa’s pony and a white horse stood pressed together. The others sat collapsed on the ground, barely managing shallow, ragged breaths.

Snort...

And Moro was pacing in front of them. To Ian, it looked as if it was protecting the other horses. The steed then turned at Ian's approach from behind the carriage, snorted, and came closer. Though its attitude was gruff, it at least wasn’t trampling the others.

"You've been through a lot, too. Well done." Ian said, reaching out his hand.

Moro lowered its head and pushed its neck forward. Ian placed his palm on the steed's hide, visible between the plates of armor.

Rumble... Rumble...

The essence bead, as if waiting, spewed out chaos energy. As Yog chuckled and drank his blood, Ian also channeled chaos energy into Moro.

Swoosh...

A faint purple light shimmered in Moro's eyes, mane, hide, and between the plates of its full-body armor. The horses sprawled on the floor panted as if terrified.

Without even a glance at them, Ian said, "It will get uncomfortable soon because of the divinity. Endure it. If you really can't stand it, call Yog. It will share its power."

Yog chuckled, and Moro snorted as if in reply.

"Guard the horses and the carriage. But if the brazier’s flame goes out and Lucy is truly in danger, then protect her. Put the child on your back. At that point, you may return to your true form. Understand?"

Moro answered with another snort.

Ian, having pushed in a generous amount of chaos energy, finally patted the steed's neck and turned. The ominous purple light that had been shimmering in his eyes was gone without a trace by the time he came around the side of the carriage.

—Looks like they're already performing the ritual.

Thesaya, who had come out of the carriage at some point, was standing by a heaping pile of firewood. Mukapa and Brennen were also standing a distance behind her, their hands clasped reverently despite the ship’s violent rocking.

Fwoosh…

The moment Ian stepped out of the storage area and looked at Sanford walking from the other side, he felt as if the surroundings had suddenly grown darker. Subsequently, a gentle orange light emanated from the carriage in the center of the deck. The next moment, a surging sacred fire shot up.

—I feel sick…

The light of the sacred fire pushed back the darkness and instantly spread across the entire deck, along with a warm heat.

"Oh, ohh..."

"The Blazing... Passion..."

Not only the three standing in front of the makeshift brazier, but also the approaching Sanford and Hashim bowed their heads. Hashim was even wiping his eyes with his forearm.

Certainly...

Feeling the seeping warmth settle like a wick deep inside his body, Ian silently smacked his lips.

This will be ridiculously conspicuous.

The ship they were on was now, for all intents and purposes, a moving beacon. Of course, since it would be a great help to all the passengers, including the sailors, it was a necessary risk.

Ian stopped in his tracks. A faint heat was running down his left arm. A moment later, a dim red divinity flickered across his body.

—This is really the worst.

Yog murmured even more languidly than before. Almost simultaneously, one of Ian's eyebrows furrowed slightly.

If you’re going to give it, at least do it properly.

The red divinity shimmering around his body was even fainter than when he had fought Nehat. The stat increase was, likewise, minimal. This damn butcher god clearly wanted him to overcome this ordeal with his own abilities again.

Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose.

Clicking his tongue, Ian started walking again. Just then, the fire that had shot up stabilized and subsided. Though it had shrunk in size, the light and warmth that illuminated the surroundings remained.

Fwoosh...

From within the brazier, Lucia rose, her hooded cloak stirring with a faint glow of sacred flame. She turned and stepped out of the carriage. Even the cloak she wore shimmered softly with firelight.

"Fortunately, the Blazing Goddess has answered." She said in a slightly tired voice, looking at the approaching Ian.

From beneath her mask, her eyes gleamed with orange light, gently curved. "And it seems I'm not the only one who got an answer."

Only then did Thesaya, Mukapa, and Brennen turn to look at Ian. Ian, approaching them, shrugged. "As you can see, it's different from before. It seems he’s just planning on watching me this time."

"Ah… truly, impossible to predict."

As Lucia nodded, Brennen, who had been blinking blankly, asked, "Sir... that red divinity... What in the world is it? You serve the Radiant Goddess, and yet—"

"Let's talk about that later." Ian cut him off and looked at the others in turn. "Right now, what matters is getting out of here alive. To do that, we each need to stick to our roles."