I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain

Ian nodded.

"So go get the horses before they run off. Both of them are quite large, so be careful. Bring the carriage back."

"Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon!" Philip turned and ran off, his excitement evident in his retreating figure.

He was hesitant earlier, but now it’s like he never even thought about it.

Ian chuckled inwardly and turned to Thesaya, who was examining Gotheir’s equipment. The corpse had already disintegrated, leaving no trace. At Ian’s signal, Thesaya quickly approached.

"What?"

"I need you to search the city."

"... What am I looking for?" Thesaya asked, her hesitation clear.

She must have sensed it would be a tedious task, but Ian continued, unfazed. "My broken sword. It should be lying around somewhere."

The Broken Sword of Judgment was now almost completely worn out. It was in a condition where it could only be used for Strike of Judgment a couple more times at most, and one of those uses had already been spent in this fight. Moreover, since it had been smashed with full force, even attempting to use it once more might cause the blade to shatter into pieces. In any case, despite all that, leaving it behind was not an option.

"Got it. I’ll find it."

"And the robe that the dead guy was wearing. It’s somewhere in the city, too."

"... You do realize what the surroundings look like right now, don’t you, Ian?"

"That’s why I’m asking you. You have good eyes and instincts. As you can see, I’m in no shape to do it myself."

Thesaya’s reluctant expression gradually shifted to one of pride. Soon, a smile reminiscent of Tensia Aynas adorned her face as she spoke.

"Only I can handle this, huh? Fine, I’ll generously help you out."

This girl totally seems to have taken on that persona.

Ian chuckled as he watched Thesaya walk away, then turned to meet Mev’s gaze.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It’s nothing. Just feels like we’re a mercenary band or something."

"Good thing we’re not a bunch of bandits, then." Ian shrugged and turned his back.

As Mev followed him past Charlotte, she continued. "It’s worrisome. If someone within the order is targeting you, even identifying them might not be enough to stop them."

"There must be some way."

And also, it didn’t seem like killing them incurs the Goddess’ wrath

Ian shrugged again and added as he approached Gotheir’s remains.

"Don’t worry about it. Even if we clash with the Great Church, I won’t drag you or Philip into it."

"Even if that happens, I’ll stand by your side, Ian."

"...?" Ian stopped and turned to look at Mev.

Her weary green eyes were steady as they looked into his.

"Even if the Great Church labels you a heretic or a corrupted one, even if all the orders become our enemies, I’ll fight for you. Philip would too, I’m sure."

Ian stared at her momentarily before a faint smile spread across his lips.

"You sure know how to say things that make a person blush."

"...! I just wanted to let you know. I’m worried that you might try to handle everything on your own, even if you find yourself in trouble with thoughts like the ones you just had." Mev quickly averted her gaze, her voice trailing off.

It wasn’t his imagination that her ears looked a bit red.

"I’ll keep that in mind. If such a situation arises, I’ll make sure to find you first." Ian silently laughed as he reached out and picked up Gotheir’s two-handed sword lying nearby.

The blade, straight and white with a suitable thickness, still gleamed sharply without a single nick. It wasn’t even as heavy as it looked. The Purifier’s Truesilver Steel Sword was an exceptional two-handed sword of unique grade.

"No wonder it’s so sturdy. It’s made with truesilver."

"Truesilver...? The legendary metal?" Mev, who had been brushing her face with her hand, looked up in surprise.

It was understandable; truesilver was one of the rarest metals in this world. It shone like silver, was harder than steel, and was even lighter. It also absorbed divine energy better than any other metal, earning its nickname as the holy metal. Though difficult to forge and even harder to find, many renowned weapons were made with a mix of meteoric iron and true silver.

Ian examined the blade and then grasped it near the top.

"It’s the perfect sword for you." He handed the sword to Mev.

She took it reflexively, blinking in surprise.

"For me...? But I already received the rapier and a set of armor. Why don’t you keep it...?"

"I have my eye on something else." Ian glanced over at another sword lying next to a shield.

Judging by the scabbard, crossguard, and hilt, it was no ordinary sword either.

"So, take this one."

"But it’s such a precious sword..." Mev murmured, looking down at the blade in her hands. She cradled it with both hands, her gaze lingering on the white, gleaming edge as if it were a priceless gem.

"So then..." Ian chuckled and stood up.

He glanced at Gotheir’s full plate armor and the armor Charlotte was dismantling from Nasser.

"Which armor will you choose?"

Mev looked around at the two sets of armor before lowering her gaze and murmuring, "Can I try them on before deciding...?"

You’re being so shy, it’s hilarious

Ian let out a hearty laugh.

"As much as you need."

***

Clip-clop—

With the faint sound of hoofbeats, Nasser regained consciousness.

The first thing that struck him was a tremendous sense of loss. Something incredibly important, something he had always felt inside, was gone.

"...?"

With his eyes closed, Nasser stared into the empty darkness, frowning slightly at the bitter taste filling his mouth. As his consciousness sharpened, a stiffness in his neck became apparent. His neck and shoulders ached as if he had a crick. When he tried to touch his neck, he realized he couldn’t.

"...!" Both his arms were bound behind his back, tightly crossed, and immobilized. His legs were similarly restrained, with his knees and ankles tightly bound together. Any movement of his arms made his legs feel even more constrained.

"Mmgh..." He couldn’t speak either; a gag had been stuffed into his mouth. A piece of cloth was responsible for the bitter taste. Memories of what happened before he lost consciousness flashed through Nasser’s mind. The radiant touch of the Goddess, enlightenment, loss, a prayer of repentance, and then darkness.

How much time had passed?

Thud—

The floor shook briefly.

Nasser blinked his eyes open. He was lying on a wooden floor, now clearly visible. He was inside a carriage, on the floor between seats that faced each other. Long legs clad in steel boots, adorned with claw-like spikes, loomed over him. As he slowly turned his head to look up, his eyes widened.

"...." A pair of slit, vertical orange pupils stared down at him.

"I thought you’d struggle more. You grasp the situation quickly. How boring." A clear voice came from behind him.

Nasser twisted his head to look back. Thesaya was lounging on the opposite seat, resting her chin on her hand, smiling.

"Hello, Nasser. Did you sleep well? You were out for so long, we thought you might be dead."

"...."

"That’s a knot our kind uses when capturing prey alive." Charlotte’s voice followed.

She looked into Nasser’s eyes and smirked. "The more you struggle, the tighter it gets. I hope you like it."

Nasser’s gaze grew calmer, though he couldn’t fully conceal a flicker of fear. Charlotte, satisfied, reached out and touched his chin with her sharp nails.

"Know this: I am not afraid of being abandoned by the Radiant Goddess. I serve her, but she has never embraced me."

She whispered in a soft, low voice and smiled.

"So, please, I hope you spare us the unnecessary words and save the important ones. I would like you to experience not only our way of tying knots but also our way of persuasion."

"...." Nasser blinked once in response.

Charlotte lightly scratched his chin before withdrawing her hand. Thesaya reached over and untied the gag. Nasser spat out the wad of cloth, which looked like it had been used to clean equipment. He spat on the floor and leaned his head back weakly, smiling.

"... I would have cooperated willingly without all this."

"Willingly, my foot. You’re with that shiny guy," Thesaya retorted.

Nasser turned his head back and smiled. "Your manner of speaking has changed quite a bit, my lady. Is this your true self?"

"Yes. Besides, I’m not really Tensia Aynas."

"... You’re not?"

"Nice to meet you. I’m Thesaya. I’m still an elder elf, so show some respect."

Nasser instinctively knew that these people had no intention of letting him go alive. If they did, they wouldn’t have revealed such truths to him so readily. Despite this, he could only let out a bitter laugh.

"This is quite... troublesome. I sent a letter to the Aynas family without knowing that."

"A letter...?" Thesaya furrowed her brow in confusion, just as Charlotte reached out and gripped Nasser’s cheeks.

With her left hand resting on the hilt of her dagger, she added, "Explain. Everything."

"... We assumed that the lady was protecting Sir Ian. So, we contacted the House of Aynas to explain why their elder was in the West and to request information about her. But now, it seems... that was pointless."

"It’s not pointless."

The response came from outside. The carriage door opened, and Ian slid inside from the roof.

"Thanks to you, the House of Aynas will send elves to patrol the West, to catch an elf using their name without permission," Ian added as he settled onto a seat.

"Greetings, Sir Ian." Nasser smiled as best he could while his chin was held, and Thesaya looked at Ian.

"Does this mean I’m on the run again?"

"Well, you’re still an elder, no matter what. Depending on how you handle it, there might not be any issue. Unless it ends up exhausting me, that is."

Ian placed his sheathed sword on the opposite seat.

"They’ll want to know how you got your hands on the Aynas brooch."

"I might get to slit a few more elf throats."

"That’s only if you stay with me until then."

Charlotte smiled at Ian’s words. "Would it be alright if we waited to meet them?"

"That’s a good idea. I’m curious about how the elves will react to me."

As Thesaya added her comment, Nasser’s expression turned slightly bewildered.

"That’s something we can think about later. Right now, though...." Ian looked at Charlotte.

She eagerly drew her dagger with her left hand, placing the long blade against Nasser’s ear. Ian smiled at Nasser’s frozen gaze.

"Let’s focus on our conversation. I have many questions for you, Nasser."

Nasser’s gaze, having swallowed dryly, turned to the blade resting above his ear. The white blade was straight and sharply extended. Through Charlotte’s grip, the gold embellishment on the hilt was faintly visible.

"That dagger looks… familiar."

"It’s a fine blade. I’m curious to see how sharp it is. This is a good opportunity to find out." Charlotte whispered.

Nasser turned his eyes back to Ian. "You don’t have to do this, Sir Ian. As you know, I never intended to fight you from the beginning."

"Then you should have stopped him instead of standing by and watching. Standing by is a crime too, you know?"

Thesaya teased, and Nasser responded quickly.

"As you’ve experienced, my senior was a very stubborn man. I also wanted to see if you were truly the great hero you were said to be. That was what mattered most to me, unlike my other seniors."

"By other seniors, do you mean your purification squad, or are there others you work with?"

"The latter... I suppose." Nasser answered Ian’s question immediately, causing Ian’s smile to widen.

"Then we should start there."

"Ask whatever you wish. I’ll answer everything I know. But..."

Nasser glanced down and to the side.

"Could you at least remove the blade from my face or the hand gripping my chin? At least one of them."

Charlotte scoffed and moved her left hand slightly. The blade nicked Nasser’s ear, causing blood to trickle down.

"Don’t even think about it. With every useless word you utter, the blade will move a little lower. If I see divine energy in your eyes, my hand will snap your neck."

"If that’s the case... there’s even less need for this."

Nasser smiled bitterly, looking at Ian.

"I am no longer an Apostle of the Goddess."