109 – 48. Astalgia (1)
It was awkward for a moment to meet his previous colleagues.
After confirming the extinction of the demons, Ian returned to Huangdo with his colleagues and his younger sister.
There was nothing special afterwards.
“Well then. Is it a moment of rest?”
“Yes, it is. My colleagues went to meet the Second Prince. And Ariel went to relieve her accumulated fatigue.”
“Good. You’ve worked hard, Ian!”
Looking at Eri and Ria sitting in front of him, Ian also stared at the cup of tea in front of him.
Bedon felt sorry for sending his soldiers to the battlefield despite taking a rest to prepare for the upcoming battle. Of course, it was only a suggestion, but he knew it was more of a command than a suggestion. He had no choice but to accept it without question.
“I guess it doesn’t matter since I took a rest.”
He thought that Ian Volkhanov, whom Bedon knew, would be devoted to training. But at least this time, Ian had no intention of doing so.
No matter how much time he wasted, Ian knew how important this moment was.
“While it’s good to be dedicated to training before an important battle, it’s not like you can gain new insights or improve your skills in a short time. It’s much better to keep your mind calm.”
Ian knew the importance of spending peaceful time, so he decided to spend it with his precious companions, Eri and Ria.
Originally, the plan was to take Igor with them and have a meal together…
“So Igor is currently trapped in Bishen?”
“Yes. According to the information I found, he was caught by his younger brother, who had been hiding and was dragged to Bishen. The latest news is that he is desperately trying to find a magic stone to feed the new pig.”
“No wonder it was the pet pig that Father was raising… I should have suspected it when it grew up only by eating magic stones.”
Igor, who stole Father’s precious pet without permission, was caught and taken to Bishen.
The first reason for heading south would be the punishment for his crime.
Even if it wasn’t, Igor wouldn’t have been here with them.
“Don’t blame yourself too much. And even if Igor’s theft hadn’t been discovered, he would have returned to Bishen anyway.”
“Well, since the attacks by the demons have increased, we have to protect our territory…”
After the massive attack by the demons, Ark began his temporary vacation.
Of course, the facilities where Ark could train his troops should continue to operate, but he judged that it wasn’t at that level yet.
If there are those without a place to return, wouldn’t the areas where families are present also suffer if damaged? Knowing this, Ark began his temporary vacation.
It must mean returning not for rest but to the places where families live, to minimize the damage together.
“So, are you all going back now?”
Ian asked, looking at them, wondering if they should go back.
“I am not. According to the letter sent by the family, there is no significant damage, so it means to stay in the Yellow Plains.”
“It’s still okay. The Hurst family is near the Yellow Plains, so they haven’t suffered from demon attacks.”
Nodding as if to reassure, he looked at them smiling.
After all, Eri, being in disguise, wouldn’t need much attention, and Ria’s family, not being a typical household, wouldn’t require much concern.
“The Hurst family is dedicated to producing goods in emergency situations.”
They had recently started venturing into weaponry, but their essence was a gathering of craftsmen making equipment with leather.
If it was preparation to become a craftsman after receiving thorough education from a young age, it might be unknown to Ria, who had focused on swordsmanship and practiced leathercraft as a hobby. Even if she returned to the family, it wouldn’t be much help.
“Especially since she’s a daughter raised with forbidden tree leaves, they probably want her to live in the relatively safe Yellow Plains.”
Of course, if a large-scale war broke out, she would help the family or return to Ark, but she had no intention of delaying until it reached that point.
Ian wasn’t just going to watch people he cared about lose their lives in a dangerous environment. From the beginning, he had tried to prevent that and make efforts to create a happy future.
“And now, the last step remains.”
With the start of the damn regression, the opportunity to put an end to the pain they had experienced so far had come.
Ian knew how important it was.
Anticipating the final battle, he decided to calm his mind.
‘And… I haven’t paid much attention to Erina and Ria lately.’
Before leaving memories with them to draw Leviathan, he had invested time in improving his relationship with Reyna and Bianca.
While new comrades emerged as a result, Erina and Ria couldn’t help but feel neglected.
Initially, he vaguely promised to build memories with them after dealing with Leviathan… but he couldn’t keep that promise.
‘Satan and Lucifer moved faster than planned.’
After dealing with Leviathan, he couldn’t focus due to Satan.
Killing Satan raised issues with Celia again.
The carefully laid plans had completely gone awry. Hence, Ian couldn’t look them in the eye with any dignity.
‘Celia deserves gratitude too. Erina and Ria are precious as well.’
Even if many doubted and pointed fingers, they remained indifferent and believed in themselves.
Ian was sure he wouldn’t be in this position without their help.
Therefore, Ian felt he had to repay their dedication even more.
‘Perhaps… the best repayment is to end the battle with Lucifer as soon as possible.’
The problem was not knowing when Lucifer would emerge.
Holding the Empire’s main forces with demons was not what Lucifer desired, clearly wanting to prolong the situation.
‘If he’s trying to destroy the Empire… I won’t just push through with sheer numbers.’
Though it was a mere speculation, according to Ian’s thoughts, Lucifer’s true intention was simple.
‘Reduce interference from others and pour all his power into opposing the hero party… that must be his goal.’
The place that would become the stage… Perhaps it’s the demon realm, Astelgia.
Excluding those blessed by Eris, the combat power decreases exponentially due to the authority of the Demon King, reducing the involvement of others. Above all, it’s the most comfortable place for Lucifer.
The enemy’s thoughts have been read to some extent. Therefore, what remains is when he will reveal himself.
‘We don’t need to find the entrance to the demon realm directly.’
From Noble mtl dot com
It was the moment when he was contemplating the worst-case scenario of having to find it himself rather than the enemy revealing himself.
Knock! Knock!
“Oppa… It’s me, Ariel. Can I come in for a moment?”
The moment the trembling voice and the sound of knocking on the reception room door were heard.
“Sit for a moment.”
Ian calmly rose from his seat, opened the door carefully, and could see her at the same time.
“Oppa… The prophecy has come down again. It seems like Lucifer has opened the way.”
‘Seems more urgent than I thought.’
Lucifer had opened the way.
At Ariel’s faintly trembling words, Ian clenched his fist as if expecting it.
***
The news that Ariel had received another prophecy soon spread to the royal palace.
At the same time, a great commotion began.
‘A portal created in a forest not far from the capital… It might be a trap, and the reason is whether it’s right to use it.’
The officials were divided exactly in half.
‘How important are these hero parties to use the portal created by the Demon King? That’s one side. Now that they’ve come, there’s no other portal to find, so it’s better to use it. That’s how it’s divided.’
In fact, neither of them was wrong.
It was stated that Lucifer, who does not pursue a fair fight, would not hesitate to use traps.
If one of them makes a mistake, the result would lead to the destruction of one of them, so there was no room for hesitation.
However, that didn’t mean they couldn’t use the path they had opened willingly.
‘Now, coming to find another portal… with no certainty of when we’ll discover it.’
The path to Astelgia is not always open.
Even recalling the memories of playing the game, it took about an hour to wander around the continent and finally find it.
Already struggling to withstand the massive invasion of demons, it was somewhat difficult to come and find a portal now.
‘Bedon… he must have suffered a lot too.’
It would be a headache to decide which side to choose.
Even if he is the Second Prince who can read the rise and fall easily, it wouldn’t be an easy decision.
‘Even if a judgment is made on which side is better. I can’t ignore the atmosphere of the bureaucrats and make a choice.’
However, there is no time to pour time into making a decision.
In the end, Bedon had no choice but to choose.
‘Use the portal. That’s how I concluded.’
– Ian. Are you nervous?
‘No. I’m not nervous.’
As he thought about Bedon’s face when he made the decision with hesitation, a warm sensation was felt in his right hand.
Turning to follow him, Nathalion appeared, looking extremely tense.
– W-well, I’m not nervous either!
Neltalion raised his right hand as if to assure that he was fine.
No matter how much of a descendant of the ancient god he was, it was inevitable to feel nervous in a situation right before fighting the demon.
“Although she might not understand as a child… she’s still just a child.”
Ian looked around and met her gaze. He firmly tightened his grip on his clothes.
“This outfit is different from what you usually wear, right?”
“Yeah! Bianca unnie bought the fabric and made it for me!”
“Bianca?”
“But… Bianca unnie can’t sew, so Reina unnie did it for her! Originally, she asked the undead to do it, but they couldn’t sew either!”
“Really? I should thank Bianca and Reina when we go back.”
“Yeah! I’ll wear the clothes they made for me and brag that I defeated Lucifer!”
Neltalion finally relaxed and showed a smile.
Ian, who was stroking her head, embraced her in his arms.
“Yeah. I’ll make sure to thank them when we go back.”
At first, Neltalion was nothing more than a hidden piece he acquired just to survive.
But to the current Ian, Neltalion was a significant existence.
She was like family… like a daughter.
“Of course, she’s a daughter who is a bit stronger… but she’s still someone I have to protect.”
That was the reason why he could never lose to Lucifer.
At least until he saw her become the True Form, he couldn’t close his eyes.
And there was only one thing that it meant.
“I’ll win and come back.”
– Yeah! I’ll help too, Ian!
With the final step… they would put an end to this long regression.
They would go further… and reap the fruits of their efforts.
Ian, who had gathered his determination while looking at Nathalion’s happy smile.
“Ian. What are you doing alone? Get up quickly. Do you want to keep the old man waiting?”
“… Let’s go.”
He stood up, seeing Ilyan leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette.
Finally, a massive portal came into view behind him.
“To Astellgia.”
It was time to head towards Lucifer.