Chapter 29: Mysterious Figure in Black

*Pant, pant, pant.*

The sound of heavy breathing echoed through a forest outside Far East City.

It was Ian.

While Veronica was locked in combat with the Fang Wolf Leader amidst the Beast Tide, Ian was sprinting through the forest with hundreds of Fang Wolves hot on his heels.

“Why are these Fang Wolves following so closely?”

Ian did not dare look back.

He ran through the thicket with all his might, fearing that a single misstep would allow the wolves behind him to catch up.

Even though the levels of these hundreds of Magic Beasts were not particularly high, they were still more than a lone Second Tier Mage could handle.

‘Damn it, I was so focused on leaving the city and completing this quest that I didn’t expect these Fang Wolves to be this persistent.’

‘How am I supposed to gather the herbs like this!’

Ian complained inwardly as he ran.

‘It looks like I’ll have to lead them in a few more circles through the woods. I need to lose these wolves before I can try to pick the herbs.’

Just as the thought crossed Ian’s mind, the pack of Fang Wolves behind him came to a sudden halt.

They looked up at the sky, their bodies trembling as if they were terrified of something.

Even the effects of Ian’s Might of the Night were instantly dispelled.

The Fang Wolves, now snapped out of their frenzied state, began to flee in every direction like they had seen a ghost.

‘What’s going on?’

Sensing something was wrong, Ian turned around.

He saw a black figure streaking across the sky.

Ian frowned, his mind racing.

‘To be able to terrify these Fang Wolves with just an aura… that figure must be at least a Fifth-tier Mage, perhaps even higher.’

In Ian’s memory, people of that caliber in Far East City could be counted on one hand.

Only his father and a few commanders of the Knight Order possessed such strength.

‘Could it be that reinforcements have arrived?’

If reinforcements were here, he needed to hurry up, gather the herbs, and head back.

If he stayed out too late, it would be difficult to explain his absence.

Relying on his memories from playing the game, Ian quickly reached the location where the Dragon Breath Grass grew.

However, the area was hauntingly silent.

Seeing three stalks of Dragon Breath Grass growing on the ground, Ian did not rush forward.

Instead, he carefully observed his surroundings.

After confirming there was no danger, he stepped forward and plucked the three stalks of Dragon Breath Grass.

‘This was too easy.’

The process of gathering the Dragon Breath Grass had been so smooth that Ian found it hard to believe.

Logically, picking such a rare herb should not have been this effortless.

So, where exactly was the problem?

Recalling the details leading up to this moment, Ian suddenly realized what was wrong.

The forest was too quiet—frighteningly quiet.

Even though it was night and the number of Magic Beasts in the forest would naturally decrease, it was impossible not to encounter a single one along the way.

Even the Magic Beasts that were supposed to be guarding the Dragon Breath Grass had completely vanished.

‘What is happening?’

Faced with such a bizarre situation, Ian naturally refused to believe he was just lucky.

The more likely explanation was that the Magic Beasts in the forest had been scared away!

‘Scared away?’

The moment that thought occurred to him, it was as if a light bulb had gone off in Ian’s head.

‘Yes, they were scared away.’

Recalling the black figure he had seen flying in the sky, a sense of dread washed over Ian.

‘That figure flew from this direction, but the commanders of the Knight Order and my father should be stationed in Far East City right now.’

‘What if that figure isn’t reinforcement?’

The realization sent a shock through Ian’s heart.

If it wasn’t reinforcement, then what was the figure’s goal in approaching Far East City?

Was this figure present during the Beast Tide plot in the game?

There was no time for deep thought.

Ian packed away the Dragon Breath Grass and immediately activated his Dark Cloud skill, rushing back toward the gates of Far East City.

‘Please, don’t let anything bad happen!’

—

Meanwhile, back at Far East City after Ian had gathered the Dragon Breath Grass, the battle between Veronica and the Fang Wolf Leader had reached its climax.

Every time Veronica unleashed her magic, the Fang Wolf guards surrounding the leader would fall, only for the leader to immediately heal them.

It had turned into a war of attrition to see who would collapse first.

However, the outcome was now clear: the victory belonged to Veronica.

As Veronica swung her final blow, the Fang Wolf guards stayed down for good.

The Fang Wolf Leader could do nothing but howl in frustration.

“It looks like I won this war of attrition!”

Veronica did not waste words.

Her blade fell, and in an instant, blood sprayed from the Fang Wolf Leader’s neck.

Its body crashed to the ground, its breath stilled.

“Yes! Yes! This is wonderful!”

“We’re saved!”

Seeing this, the Guard Corps on the city walls erupted in cheers.

Thanks to Veronica and Ian, they had successfully repelled the Beast Tide without losing a single person.

For a moment, they were all lost in the joy of victory.

After defeating the Fang Wolf Leader, the tension on Veronica’s face softened.

Defending Far East City was her duty as Aetherinra’s guardian.

She turned her gaze toward the direction where Ian had led the wolf pack.

‘Ian should be safe now, right?’

She had to admit that while Ian’s past behavior had been despicable, his actions today—volunteering for battle and drawing away the vast majority of the Magic Beasts—proved that today’s events had nothing to do with him.

‘To think I actually suspected Ian of causing this Beast Tide… I suppose I truly misjudged him this time.’

At this thought, Veronica felt a twinge of guilt.

Reflecting on Ian’s behavior over the past few days, Veronica realized he really had changed a lot.

He was no longer as annoying as before, and he hadn’t done anything out of line recently.

‘Could it be that what Ian said was true? That he only contacted the Demon Race to save the Young Lady?’

Though she was still reluctant to believe it, the probability no longer seemed to be zero.

At the very least, it was more credible than before.

Veronica looked up at the sky.

‘However, I can’t fully trust him yet. I’ll have to wait until the Adelan Magic Academy Entrance Test is over before I can be certain if Ian is actually colluding with the Demon Race.’

Veronica shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside.

As Aetherinra’s guardian, her primary task was to protect Aetherinra.

As long as Ian showed no intent to harm the Young Lady, she didn’t need to worry about the rest.

Just as she was about to turn back toward the city, Ian’s figure suddenly appeared in her line of sight.

‘It seems Ian is fine. But why does he look so panicked?’

Veronica was puzzled by the frantic expression on Ian’s face.

“Watch out behind you!”

Standing atop his Dark Cloud, Ian screamed at Veronica with all the strength in his lungs.

‘Behind me?’

Before Veronica could even turn around, a blast of magical energy slammed violently into her back.

*Splurt—*

Deep red blood erupted from Veronica’s mouth.

Her body collapsed, and the Sword of Courage slipped from her grasp, clattering onto the ground.

‘Damn it, I was still one step too late.’

Ian had rushed back at the highest speed he could manage, guessing that something major was about to happen, but he had still been too slow.

He never expected that the black figure’s target would be Veronica.

What was their goal?

“Oh? Still alive? The Child of Destiny in this world is quite tenacious.”

The figure in black frowned as he looked down at Veronica, who was clinging to her last breath on the ground.

He raised his hand, condensing another orb of light, preparing to deliver the final blow.

“Dark Magic — Hand of Darkness!”

In the critical moment before the orb could strike, an arm made of darkness shot out from Ian’s sword.

It snatched Veronica’s body and pulled her away.

“How is there another annoying ant here?”

The figure in black clearly hadn’t expected Ian to appear.

“But an ant is still an ant. How can you hope to escape the palm of a God?”

Ian pushed his Dark Cloud magic to its limit, carrying Veronica on his back as he fled toward Far East City.

Veronica was the most important figure for defeating the Demon God and getting him back home.

He could not let her die like this.

No matter who this mysterious figure in black was or what they wanted, he would not let them kill Veronica.

Absolutely not!