I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain Chapter 537

Eli stared at him, holding his breath for a mont.

"So the rumors that you’d returned from the Black Wall were true, then," Eli said as if in awe.

"They are," said Ian, realizing that news about him had gone this far. Then again, it had been well over a month since he had set foot in the South. The word had more than enough ti to travel a thousand leagues.

"I don’t think showing the Agent of the Saint the edge of the Deep Forest is such a problematic matter," Thesaya cut in then.

Eli blinked in startled surprise, his gaze shifting to her arm wrapped around Ian’s. For a brief mont, a swirl of emotions flickered in his eyes. There was no mistaking how much they looked like a couple. And the impact this would have on southern fairy society was obvious enough without needing much thought.

Finally, a low murmur slipped past the fox mask, "It seems this is not a matter for to handle. May I send word to the garden?"

"Is that alright, Agent of the Saint?" Thesaya asked, glancing up at Ian.

So we’re not getting out of this quietly after all.

Ian, maintaining his blank expression, gave a reluctant nod. "If that's the rule, we will follow it."

"You heard him," said Thesaya.

Two sentinels bolted off like arrows, vanishing into the darkness of the trees. To Ian, it looked more like they were fleeing. Perhaps they were eager to gossip about the shocking scene they had just witnessed as quickly as possible.

Eli bowed his head slightly and added, "Until the ssenger returns, we will attend to you both. Please wait here."

"No thanks."

"Thank you—pardon?" Eli, who had reflexively responded to Thesaya’s imdiate reply, paused.

As he looked at her, Thesaya tilted her head toward the path. "Like I said, this is just a forest trail. We’re going to keep walking."

"B-But, Elder—"

"You’ve sent a ssenger already, haven’t you? A few more steps won’t change a thing."

Caught off guard by her shaless reasoning, Eli seed to freeze, likely opening and closing his mouth behind the mask.

Ignoring him, Thesaya tugged at Ian’s arm.

"Shall we, Agent of the Saint?" she asked sweetly.

Suppressing a laugh, Ian followed her lead, feigning reluctance.

It wasn’t long before Thesaya looked back. "Well? Don’t just stand there. Keep anyone else from interrupting us, Eli."

"No… that’s..."

Eli’s hand flopped weakly around the bow as he exhaled a long, defeated sigh. A glance passed between the other two sentinels before they trudged after the pair with resigned steps.

***

"It’s a sha the sky’s overcast today. The forest bathed in moonlight is far more beautiful."

"It is beautiful enough as it is."

"I’m glad you think so. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We are only passing through the outskirts of the Deep Forest. The closer we get to the garden, the more beautiful the scenery becos."

"Is that so?"

"Of course. Fireflies fly about everywhere, and flowers are always in bloom. The Tree of Life is incomparably more beautiful than a single branch growing in my family’s garden."

Arm in arm, Ian and Thesaya strolled along, whispering sweetly to each other. Mostly it was Thesaya talking and Ian nodding along, but either way, they carried on as if the sentinels trailing them didn’t exist.

Of course, that wasn’t really the case.

He’s buying it completely.

Ian glanced back at Eli, trudging along with a sour look, and nearly laughed. Following them while listening to their cringeworthy conversation looked like pure tornt.

It was the reaction Ian had hoped for. Thanks to that, they didn’t seem to have noticed that they were walking without rest, and at a considerable pace at that.

"It’s a sha I can’t show you the garden. Elder or not, I cannot take you that far."

"That’s all right. Just walking here with you is more than enough."

"You are making happy several tis over today."

Her acting is on point now.

Looking down at Thesaya, who was smiling with a shy expression, Ian once again let out a silent laugh. It was practically thanks to her that the sentinels suspected nothing. In fact, Thesaya herself seed to enjoy the situation.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

Just then, the very faint sound of horse hooves brushed past his ears.

Pretending not to notice, Ian continued walking and asked, "How far does the Deep Forest extend?"

"Well, it feels like we’ve got less than half left. A sha, really. I wish this walk would never end." Thesaya tilted her head, feigning sadness.

"All things are more aningful because they have an end."

Spouting whatever ca to mind, Ian smiled. In any case, it seed he had achieved his most important goal. They had kept moving like this to avoid having to go back the way they ca.

"That’s true, too. Just as this ti with you, Agent of the Saint, is all the more precious because it cannot be eternal."

Eli, who had been sighing quietly as though he couldn’t stand hearing another word, suddenly froze. Whipping his head to the side, he said with a note of relief, "Looks like the ssenger is coming back, Elder, Agent of the Saint."

Ian and Thesaya exchanged a look and ca to a stop. The leisurely smile on Thesaya’s lips hardened slightly the mont she turned around.

"It seems a situation I was hoping wouldn’t happen has occurred," she said, her brow furrowed as she gazed into the darkness. "The Elder Chief is coming."

"The rider in front?" Ian asked without turning.

At the lead rode a golden-haired fairy draped in a cloak of pure white. Behind them followed a fairy knight clad in full plate armor.

"Yes. She rarely ever leaves the garden, but it seems she has decided to et you in person," added Thesaya. It wasn’t as if the situation had co completely out of nowhere, yet there was a subtle tension in her voice.

Ian finally turned to her and asked, "What kind of person is she?"

"She is not cruel, but she is strict."

"Then we’d best mind our manners."

"You are right. Don’t worry. I will take responsibility." Thesaya readily released his arm and stepped to the side.

Ian answered with a low snort. He had no intention of letting her take all the bla from the start. After all, he was the one who had been rushing to return.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

The riders closed the distance quickly. Ian’s gaze drifted past the Elder Chief to the knight behind her, drawn to the pristine white plate gleaming under the dim light. Truesilver seed to be mixed with steel, studded with embedded magic stones.

Now that’s tempting.

His thought lingered only a mont before the lead rider pulled her horse to a halt. The two sentinels dipped their heads respectfully as the golden-haired fairy swung down from the saddle, her white cloak rippling like a banner.

As the knight who had followed behind dismounted, Thesaya bowed her head slightly. "It has been a long ti, Elder Chief."

"It has been a long ti, Head of Erenos," the Elder Chief replied, then turned to Ian. "It is a pleasure to et you for the first ti, Agent of the Saint."

Before Ian could even reply, she curtsied in the Imperial style.

"I am Rowena Redines, the head of the Southern Council of Elders and the keeper of the Deep Forest," said Rowena, her tone dry and polite.

Ian bent his knee in return. "I am Ian Hope. It is a pleasure to et you for the first ti, Elder Chief."

"I have heard the news of your safe return, but I did not expect to et you in person like this. And in the middle of the Deep Forest, no less. It is a pity. If you had followed the proper procedures, I would have been able to greet you with a joyful heart."

Rowena stared into Ian’s eyes for a mont before adding, "This forest is a sanctuary of our clan, notarized by the royal family and the Order. It is a space where the laws of the fairies take precedence over Imperial law, and even you, Agent of the Saint, cannot be an exception."

Ian bowed his head slightly and listened to her words in silence. He could see why Thesaya had been tense.

The Elder Chief, who was likely much older than she looked, was a stickler for rules. It wasn't a word that suited a pointy-ear, but to handle the arrogant elders, she would have had to beco one. Even Thesaya herself had bossed the sentinels around as she pleased. That likely wasn’t unrelated to why she’d decided to show up in person.

"However, I will not hold you, Agent of the Saint, responsible. It seems there is soone else who must pay the price this ti." Rowena’s gaze turned to Thesaya standing beside Ian.

As if she had already been prepared, Thesaya imdiately bowed her head, likely to bring the situation to a swift conclusion. "I will gladly pay it, Elder Chief."

Rowena nodded. "Then return to your family and await your summons."

"I believe I should be the one to take responsibility for this matter," Ian interjected then.

As Thesaya turned to him with a frown, he continued, "The Head of Erenos was rely unable to refuse the request of a benefactor. Besides, if there are no exceptions to following the rules, then isn’t the sa true for the price of breaking them?"

"You are as noble as I have heard, Agent of the Saint," Rowena said after looking at him for a mont. Her eyes showed genuine surprise.

Then again, this was likely a situation rarely encountered in fairy society.

"However, the only way for the Agent of the Saint to pay the price is to pay in gold or provide information of equivalent value. For example…"

"Information about what lies beyond the Black Wall?" Ian finished her sentence.

Rowena paused for a mont before answering, "Yes, exactly that. Important information that is not yet known."

From the looks of it, she had clearly intended to demand information from Thesaya as well.

"Important information that is not yet known… Hmm, if that is the case, I would be happy to cooperate, but…"

Ian repeated what he had told the commander of the front-line fortress once more. That he was carrying out an Imperial decree and that there would be information he could not divulge. Also, if it were to be known to the outside, she would have to bear the responsibility for it.

"I see."

However, Rowena did not cower in fear like the commander back then. She nodded in response and then turned to the fairies standing behind her. "All of you, step back."

The fairy knight and the sentinels turned without hesitation. Despite being in full plate armor, the fairy knight also moved away quite quickly.

"I swear on the na of the Radiant Goddess and the Tree of Life, that what the Agent of the Saint says in this place will be known only to . I will not tell the Southern Council of Elders, nor the central one," said Rowena, only when Ian could no longer feel the presence of the distant figures.

"I’ll need a guarantee that you won’t make the sa demand of ," Thesaya added. Knowing that the ball was now in Ian’s court, her tone had beco much more relaxed.

Rowena readily nodded. "I swear it."

Of course, Ian didn’t believe a fairy’s oath in the slightest, but he didn’t let it show. "Then I will tell you one piece of important, unknown information."

"Yes, Agent of the Saint."

"Within the Order, there is a secret organization called the Round Table Parliant."

"Pardon?"

For the first ti, one of the ever-calm Rowena’s eyebrows twitched. It was likely because a completely different story from what she had expected had co out.

Ian continued without paying her any mind, "They are those who wish for the world to be plunged into darkness. And among the central fairy houses, there are those who are loyal to them."