I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy

Chapter 268

A quest line where every path except one ends in death... typical.

The branching points related to this group flashed through Ian’s mind. If they had allowed the caravan to head to Travelga in the North, they would have fled the city when Tahumrit invaded, along with the other merchants.

Whether they could have sold all their goods was one thing, but they would never have been able to trade in the North again. There would be no fallback option of heading to the northern borders, and they would have likely met the same fate as the other missing merchants. In the first place, if Ian and his group had never crossed paths with them, they might have met their end in the northern snowy wastelands.

Even now, the same was true. Had Ian arrived just a few days later, Bor would likely have already been dead. Based on what Ian had seen so far, Fael and Bor shared a bond beyond a mere employer and guard. If Bor had died, Fael’s grief and anger could have led to unpredictable choices.

He could have been dead before the alliance was even formed.

If it didn\'t stop after Bor\'s death, then Fael would have been next in line. Then again, the tragedy being the default outcome in this world was no longer surprising. The world itself was steadily marching toward ruin.

From what Ian had experienced so far, the less a side quest influenced the main plot, the more it leaned toward a tragic outcome—like with Thesaya and the Northern barbarians, or even Drenorov.

However, saving them had, in some way, always benefited Ian. Even if it couldn’t change the grand scheme, it brought favorable shifts in the smaller details.

If I save these two, maybe the major merchant guilds won’t be able to gouge prices like last time...

It was a minor gain, but Ian shrugged. The quest rewards alone made it worthwhile.

Shhh...

Philip’s prayer ended, and the radiant light that had filled the room around Bor and Philip dissipated, scattering like grains of sand. Elia, who had been standing with her hands clasped in front of her chest, bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"... I did my best, but I’m not sure if it worked," Philip said, standing and looking at Ian, his eyes still shimmering with the remnants of golden light.

He’s really looking like a paladin now, Ian thought.

"Well done."

Ian stepped closer to the bed to check Bor’s condition. Despite Philip’s modesty, the effects were apparent. The dark traces of the curse that had covered Bor’s skin were completely gone. The corrupted magic was no longer present, though the unpleasant stench remained.

Lu Solar’s divine power is quite something.

If this were a game, it would have been nothing more than a level one purification prayer.

However, it wasn’t over yet. There were still practical issues to deal with—the wound was still swollen and filled with pus.

Of course, Ian had a way to handle this without touching it directly.

Can you devour it all? And if there are any remnants of the curse, take care of those too.

Ian extended his hand over Bor’s side, where the wound was. In response, the black ring on his finger slithered down. The Swamp\'s Resentment crawled across Bor’s body and sank its teeth into the heart of the infection.

Somehow, I’ve ended up using it this way more often...

Ian quietly watched as the Swamp\'s Resentment devoured the pus from Bor’s wound. This wasn’t a method he’d ever used in the game, and, oddly enough, each time he used it like this, the item’s stats seemed to improve, as if it were growing.

"Wow..." Elia’s quiet exclamation drew Ian’s attention.

She had approached the bed, her eyes fixed on the Swamp\'s Resentment. Anything related to dark magic captivated her entirely.

Ian gave a low chuckle and spoke, "I’ll let you admire it all you want later. For now, go fetch the water and bandages. They’re already waiting at the door."

"Really...? Okay!" Elia smiled with wide eyes and quickly turned around.

Moments later, she hesitated and looked back up at Ian. "Sir Ian, may I handle the rest?"

"Go ahead," Ian replied with a nod, glad to have handed off the bothersome task to Elia.

While he didn’t fully trust the medical knowledge of this world, cleaning and bandaging wounds was simple enough.

Elia’s smile broadened, and she hurried toward the door. Fael, standing anxiously outside, handed her the basin of water and the bandages. It was clear he had rushed to prepare everything out of concern.

"Assist Elia," Ian added to Philip before turning away.

Philip nodded, taking the water and bandages from Elia, while Ian approached Fael, who swallowed nervously.

"How did it go...? I saw a radiant light shining through the door," Fael asked, his voice tense.

Ian shrugged. "For now, it seems to have worked."

"Truly? By Lu Solar... thank you, Sir Ian. Thank you so much...!" Fael, eyes wide, nearly shouted as if ready to embrace him.

Ian waved him off, almost pushing him away, and added, "It\'s not time to relax just yet. It all depends on Bor\'s recovery. For now, keep the windows open at all times, and change the bedsheets and blankets. Make sure the room is kept spotless, and the bandages and replace them daily."

"I... I understand. I’ll make sure of it," Fael replied, his expression tightening with renewed focus.

Ian nodded, knowing the quest wasn’t complete yet.

Just a few seconds later, Elia’s voice called out from the other side of the room. "All done."

Already...?

Ian raised his eyebrow as he and Fael turned their attention back to her. Ian’s expression softened as soon as he saw Bor’s condition.

"... Impressive."

In addition to being cleansed, the body had perfectly wrapped bandages with no faults.

If this were a game, she\'d be the one who maxed out only Vision and common skills.

Then again, there were rare mercenaries who specialized in support roles, like wandering priests.

"Thank you, Sir Philip. And my lady," Fael said, bowing his head to both of them as he checked Bor’s state.

Philip and Elia exchanged proud smiles.

"One more thing." Ian gently lowered Elia from the bed and removed the simple necklace from around his neck, a sturdy leather pouch hanging from it.

"What is that?" Fael asked.

"A holy relic. It contains the blessing of Della Lu."

"...! By Lu Solar—no, Della Lu...!" Fael clasped his hands together in awe, staring at the necklace.

Ian smirked internally at Fael\'s overreaction but said nothing as he placed the relic on Bor’s chest, positioning the pouch at the center.

"Just return it before you leave. I\'m only lending it to you."

It was then that the quest completion window appeared before his eyes. Even though Bor hadn’t died, the quest was marked as complete, which meant his recovery was now certain.

"Thank you, Sir Ian. I don’t know how many times I’ve been in your debt. You’re truly a savior of my life," Fael said, bowing deeply, nearly to his knees.

Ian shrugged and smiled. "Show your thanks with food, drinks, and help when I need it."

"Of course. I’ve already instructed them to prepare a new feast at the guesthouse."

"Perfect timing. I was still craving more," Ian said, nodding toward Philip and Elia before turning to leave.

"You handle the cleanup. I’ve got drinking to do."

***

On the dining table lay cheese, ham, roasted chicken, and an entire barrel of wine. The barrel was placed sideways on a stand, and when the cork was pulled, wine would flow out freely.

Now that the tension had eased, Philip and Elia were eagerly helping themselves to the food, while Ian leisurely sipped his wine.

"But you know, my lord," Philip began, licking his fingers slick with grease.

Ian frowned but allowed him to continue.

"Even though we saved Bor, the dark mage is still out there, isn’t he?"

"That’s right," Ian answered with a casual nod, taking another sip.

Elia tilted her head, curious."Wasn’t the goal to send a warning to the caravan leader? Doesn’t that mean the objective was achieved? You said it seemed like the mage was just hired as a mercenary."

"That might be true for an ordinary mercenary, but we’re dealing with a mage here. And spellcasters, well..."

Philip hesitated for a moment as he glanced between Ian and Elia. It seemed he felt uneasy badmouthing a spellcaster in front of two others.

Since when did he care about such things?

Ian smirked and spoke in his stead. "They are incredibly prideful. Even if they forget favors, they never forget grudges. They obsess over strange details. If they realize the warning didn’t work, they’ll try something else. They might have already figured it out by now, since the curse has been broken."

"Perhaps from the start, the request was to prevent an alliance from forming," Philip added.

Elia blinked, muttering to herself, "Then... the caravan is still in danger."

Philip shrugged. "If he’s a mercenary, he probably won’t stir up trouble within the city. But it’s hard to say for sure. Besides, the caravan will leave the city soon."

"Right. Fael probably knows that too—" Ian’s voice trailed off as he suddenly chuckled.

"Speak of the devil," he said, hearing the door open in the distance. The sound of footsteps grew closer, and sure enough, Fael entered the room.

"I hope the new food suits your taste," Fael said with a smile.

As Ian raised his glass with a nod, Philip smiled. "The food is excellent. But why have you returned? I thought you’d be by his side."

"Well, he was snoring away, so it seems he’s recovered well. If he’s alive, that’s what matters. Besides, it’s not my job as the employer to nurse the guard, is it? More importantly, it’s my priority to treat my saviors."

At Fael\'s playful remark, Ian chuckled through his nose and took a sip of his drink. After all that worry, now that the crisis had passed, other thoughts must have surfaced. Fael had rushed back, probably worried that Ian\'s group might leave first thing tomorrow.

After refilling his glass, Fael sat down with a smile. "So, what were you discussing?"

"The dark mage," Ian replied, setting down his glass.

Fael, who had been bringing his drink to his lips, flinched and froze. He soon lowered his glass and spoke.

"So, you believe that the one who did this to Bor was indeed a corrupted spellcaster."

"It was a fairly advanced curse," Ian responded calmly.

As Fael’s expression hardened, Philip added, "You should consider hiring more guards. As many as possible. If the enemy hasn’t given up, there could be another attack while you\'re traveling."

Fael clicked his tongue in frustration and nodded slightly. " Imperial law limits the number of guards a trading company can hire. We can’t hire many, and to make matters worse, all the skilled mercenaries have gone to the frontier, so it\'s hard to find any decent talent."

"Couldn’t you request soldiers from the lord?" Philip suggested.

Fael shook his head. "That’s possible within the city. Since I have quite a good relationship with the lord. But without a royal or church order, or a valid reason, sending soldiers to another city is prohibited. Unless the other city requests it, that is. Hiring soldiers as caravan guards is out of the question. It could cost me my head."

After taking a sip of his drink, Fael muttered, his gaze troubled, "I could try to push the limits, but crossing that line could create bigger problems."

"The laws of the Empire are strict," Philip remarked with a nod as he took a sip of his wine. "Very different from the border kingdoms."

With a sigh, Fael raised his own glass. "Time is the real issue. The day after tomorrow, or at the latest, by dawn three days from now, we must leave the city. Bor can\'t come with us, and there’s not enough time to ask for help from the Order. I don’t have connections to hire a mage, either. No matter how I look at it... there’s no other option I can think of."

After wetting his lips with his drink, he hesitated and looked between Ian and Philip.

"... Except for the two of you. I know it’s shameless to ask for more help after everything you’ve done... but could you help me once more?"