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Chapter 217

Ian raised his eyebrows as Thesaya, springing to her feet, shouted. Without turning her head toward Thesaya, Mev raised her visor and spat out her words.

"Consider yourself lucky I let you off this easily. If it weren\'t for Philip\'s plea, one of us would be dead."

"What nonsense is that? We had no choice because of freck—"

Thesaya, who was growling as if ready to pounce, stopped mid-sentence when Charlotte held out her hand toward her.

"No need to be angry, pointy ears. If anything, getting hit made me feel better." Charlotte, spitting out blood-tinged saliva as she got up, met Mev’s gaze.

Without wiping the blood from her mouth, she spoke. "Is that enough? If not, you can hit me again."

"... No, that won\'t be necessary."

"Very well. You\'ve got a powerful punch. It really woke me up." Finally, Charlotte rubbed her jaw and turned away.

Mev simply let out a long sigh.

Ian, observing, shook his head. There was no need to ask what had happened between them.

Thesaya, wobbling as she ran over, stood beside Mev and leaned her face in. "Hit me too, redhead. If that\'s how it is."

"... No need. Looking at your face, it seems wrong to do that to you." Mev gave Thesaya a ridiculous look, then let out a light chuckle.

"I gave you a chance!" Thesaya huffed, turning her body away sharply. "You stupid cat. Why put on a brave face now? You already look ugly, and now you look worse."

"Look at your own face. You look the worst."

"Seems like you are hurt. Are you okay?" Finally stepping forward, Ian asked.

Thesaya turned her head, realizing the question was directed at Charlotte, and pouted.

Charlotte nodded. "Not bad. When I was hit by the holiness, it felt like my insides were burning. The Goddess’s grace burned away the poison inside me."

"That’s good. It would have been hard to carry you if you collapsed."

"What about you? Are you alright?"

"I’m fine. Not a scratch on me."

"That’s thanks to the kitty. She blocked it all with her body like an idiot."

"Is that so...? As expected, you are my squire."

Mev turned to look at Ian, who had responded to Thesaya\'s remark with a joke. "So, was that commotion really your doing, Ian? I knew the entity of the void had taken over your consciousness, but did you fight back?"

"There was a way. It won’t last forever, but I did manage to steal some of its power. They’re no longer immortal, and the demonic realm isn’t perfect anymore. Probably."

"Stealing its power..." As Mev muttered absently, Ian approached the large door.

Mev hurriedly turned her head and added. "The door won’t open, Ian. There’s some kind of magic—"

"I know." Ian, whose pupils had turned violet, cut her off and reached out his hand.

As his palm touched the door, violet cracks spread out like veins. The chaos power seeped into the center of the door, into the mark of the void. The purple mark quickly turned violet, a change likely visible only to Ian.

"How did you do that? That’s amazing."

"...?" Ian turned to look at Thesaya, who had spoken from behind him.

"You can see this?"

"Yeah, faintly."

"Then why didn’t you do anything about it?"

"How was I supposed to know what it was? Wait, is this something only I could see?" Thesaya turned to look at Charlotte and Mev, both of whom seemed confused.

Ian chuckled as he grabbed the door handle. "Next time you see something like this, try breaking it with magic."

The door slowly opened at his touch, revealing a bluish light beyond. As everyone’s attention focused on what lay ahead, Ian turned back with the door half-open.

"Now, we just need to get him inside."

His gaze finally settled on Philip, praying at the bottom of the stairs. It was clear that Lu Solar had given a significant amount of divine power to him. He was still enveloped in a shimmering light, and the barrier of holiness around the stairs held firm.

"So, is freckle a paladin now?" Thesaya’s voice came from the side.

She looked up at Ian, not bothering to wipe the blood dripping from her nose. Her face was pale, almost ghostly.

Ian, wiping his thumb under her nose, asked, "Are you dizzy?"

"What...?"

"I asked if you’re dizzy."

"Oh, yeah."

"Feel like your head is splitting and your stomach is churning?"

"How did you know? And my nosebleed won’t stop."

"You have magic exhaustion. Step back and stay out of this now."

Though nosebleeds weren’t a symptom he experienced, the effects of magic exhaustion varied slightly from person to person.

Thesaya gave a weak smile and added, "So, is he a paladin now or what?"

"That’s not for me to answer."

Thesaya\'s gaze followed Ian to the side.

Mev, who had been watching Philip with a look of overwhelming emotion, finally murmured, "We can’t be certain yet. Only Philip knows if the Radiant Goddess has given him a revelation."

"If that’s not a revelation, what is?"

Mev smiled faintly at Thesaya’s question. "When I first caught the Goddess’s attention, a miracle happened too. But that wasn’t the moment I received a revelation. I merely became a crusader. Of course, Philip might be different."

"So, we’ll have to ask him directly, huh?"

"Yes. It’s not a crucial part. He has already been acknowledged by the Radiant Goddess. It’s just a matter of time..." Mev stopped talking.

The light surrounding Philip flickered brilliantly and then extended toward the barrier. Amidst the dispersing holiness, Philip stood up. Turning back, he looked at the group with golden, gleaming eyes. For a moment, his gaze was a bit dazed. But soon, he gave his usual frivolous smile.

"... Indeed. This isn’t heaven." The radiance in Philip’s eyes shattered like fragments, and he collapsed, swaying to the side.

"Philip!" Almost simultaneously, Mev sprang forward and caught him just before his head could hit the ground, cradling him in her arms.

"Never do that again, Philip. Never..." she whispered into his ear, holding his unconscious body.

Ian watched her for a moment before turning to Charlotte.

"Can you carry him on your back like you did with me?"

"... You weren’t carried on my back; you were held in my arms," Charlotte replied.

"Whatever. Sir Riruel has work to do inside. Besides, you’re not in a condition to fight on the front lines. So, take care of him. And..."

Ian placed a hand on Thesaya\'s shoulder and added, "Take care of her, too."

"Understood. I owe her anyway." Charlotte nodded and walked up the stairs.

Ian took a moment to observe the Barrier of Light. The radiant barrier, imbued with scattered divine power, was still burning the poisonous mist, but was gradually fading.

"Gr... Ugh...!"

"Great... Cycle..."

"Worship... chaos...!"

Beyond the barrier, the minions were killing each other. Although it seemed even for now, Ian’s minions would eventually lose due to the overwhelming numbers. Ian clicked his tongue.

He knew most of them hadn’t chosen to become minions of decay and disease. They were victims. Even if freed from the cycle, their tangled and corrupted souls might not return to their original forms.

Maybe I should use all my chaos power.

All he could offer was revenge, which wouldn’t provide much solace to them.

Just then, Charlotte and Mev reached the top of the stairs, carrying the limp Philip. Ian nodded toward him and asked,

"Is he alright?"

"Yes. He’s just exhausted and lost consciousness. He should wake up in half a day at most."

"Then..." Nodding, Ian turned around. "Let’s finish this before he wakes up."

Mev\'s gaze, as she watched Ian\'s back, cooled sharply, as if it had never held any emotion of joy or gratitude.

"Yes. A wise decision."

***

Thud—

The door closed with a heavy sound. At that moment, an eerie silence descended, cutting them off from the outside world.

"...." Ian didn’t immediately remove his hand from the door. The chaos power that had spread from his grip seeped into the mark of the void on the other side. It felt similar to when he inscribed a dark relic. Now, nothing could open this door without Ian’s permission.

Unless there’s another entrance, the situation is under control...

Thinking this, Ian finally let go of the door and turned around. As he started walking, he noticed Mev checking on Philip’s condition once more.

"It’s very shiny and quiet here," Thesaya, with a cloth covering her nose and mouth, muttered.

It was just as she said. The corridor-like antechamber was entirely covered in moss and mold, which emitted enough light to see by. The entire interior likely shared this state, looking more like a well-kept indoor garden than a monastery.

"There won’t be any fighting as we go. I can’t sense any presence," added Charlotte as Ian passed by her.

Mev walked beside him, while Charlotte, carrying Philip on her back, followed at a distance, holding Thesaya’s arm tightly.

"... It seems, just as you said, that the demonic realm is cracking. The touch of the divine is clear. The thick darkness that was here initially has vanished," Mev murmured after a brief prayer.

Ian gave a slight nod, and Thesaya spoke up. "Do you know where you’re going, Ian? This place seems to have multiple paths."

"Well, somewhat." Despite his nonchalant response, Ian walked with confidence. He could feel the pulsing void power deep within the center, guiding him. His senses were heightened as they moved further in, likely due to the roots of chaos that were still connected to his mind through the shards of chaos power. This place allowed him to fully harness that power.

No wonder corrupted ones and mages desire their own lairs.

Ian Hope, the corrupted one. It wasn’t entirely inaccurate now. Smirking inwardly, Ian strode through the damp, musty antechamber and the corridor beyond. The poison and spores in the air no longer affected him, with or without the relic. In fact, the relic might be more of a hindrance in the upcoming battle.

It would only get in the way...

As he nodded and reached behind his neck, Mev spoke up.

"I wonder if Jurdo will be in any condition to talk."

"If he’s like the monsters outside—"

"Don’t worry about that," Ian interrupted, putting the necklace containing Della Lu’s grace into his pocket dimension. "They still have their consciousness."

He was likely the dungeon’s mid-boss.

"Is that so? That’s good to know." Mev accepted his assurance without questioning it.

Ian chuckled inwardly. She never asked about his magic or anything related to the void.

Mev spoke again. "May I ask a favor?"

"Of course."

"I have something I want to ask him. So... would you mind letting me handle him?"

"Sure."

"...!" Mev looked at Ian in surprise, not expecting such an easy agreement.

Ian shrugged. "This is your revenge as well."

He had experienced before that a quest could be completed even if a companion dealt the final blow. But that wasn’t the only reason he agreed so readily.

"In return, let me handle the entity from the void." Ian exchanged a look with Mev and added, "I’m the one who’s going to kill it."

"Gladly. I will assist you when the time comes."

"No need. I suspect it’s in the basement. Once you’re sure you can handle the priests alone, I’ll go after it immediately."

"Alone...? Are you sure? It’s a void entity—"

"Don’t worry. I’ll manage. It’ll be easier this time to fight alone. With no one else around."

"... Alright then." Mev, momentarily taken aback by Ian’s last statement, nodded without further questioning.

"You should focus more on how to get the answers you want," Thesaya interjected.

She shrugged under Mev’s gaze. "Of course, redhead. You\'re a knight here to kill them. Do you really think they’ll just spill their secrets?"

"I’m aware. That’s why I’m considering using Charlotte’s interrogation methods."

Charlotte nodded approvingly at Mev’s words. "Wise choice. Corrupted ones don’t die easily, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities. If you leave it to me, I’ll make sure they tell you everything you want to know."

"Maybe there’s an easier way this time," Ian interjected, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Because I’m here." Ian looked at Mev with his violet-glowing eyes and smirked.

"They think I’m one of them."

"...!"