I Became a Ruined Character in a Dark Fantasy-Chapter 394

Ian settled onto a stone dining table that stood more like an oversized chair for him. "How do meals usually work around here?"

"There's a communal dining hall. Meals are rationed according to circumstances."

"And I’ll find dwarven craftsmen there, too?"

"Every damn dwarf considers themselves a craftsman. Oh, right." Diana’s eyes flickered in realization as she looked at Ian. "You're planning to negotiate with them directly, aren't you? That's why you're interested in going to the dining hall."

"I was told that was an option. Is it not?"

"It is. But don't expect it to be easy to win them over," Diana replied, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "Unless you're prepared to get massively ripped off."

"Sounds like you've had your share of experience," Ian chuckled.

Diana merely shrugged, neither confirming nor denying it.

Ian began unfastening the buckles on his White Phosphor Armor and added, "In that case, let me ask this—how does trade usually work here? I'm guessing gold coins aren't very useful."

"They are. But it's melted down to make other things."

"Oh, is that so?" Ian's lips curled up in amusement.

Clearly, Imperial laws didn't apply here—where tampering with or forging Imperial coins was punishable by death.

"And what else?"

"Anything those Half-Pints like. Metals, gemstones, essence beads, magic stones. Even parts from high-level monsters or hunted games."

So, a straightforward barter system, then.

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Ian nodded, setting his White Phosphor Armor aside to lean against the wall behind the table.

"Got it. First, bring me and Lucy some clothes. We'll eat before bathing."

"Find,"

With a resigned nod, Diana pushed herself off the wall and added, "On my way back, I’ll check in with the other Owls. Most of them will head out soon, so it's better to give them a heads-up about the situation."

"Go ahead. Just don't take too long," Ian replied with a faint smile.

Despite her grumbling, Diana was the second most reliable fairy Ian had ever met. Then again, the unreliable ones were likely dead or had turned corrupted, leaving only the oddballs like her.

As she turned to leave, Diana suddenly paused. "And— ... Never mind. I'll be back." Shaking her head, she stepped out. The mechanical sound of winding gears filled the air as the stone door rose.

Ian, who had unfastened his greaves, smirked slightly.

She probably wanted to ask when I’d return her weapons—especially the mask.

No sooner had the door closed than Lucia emerged from her room as if she had been waiting for Diana to leave.

Watching Ian unfasten his armor, she spoke. "The dwarves were looking at you strangely earlier. Are you planning to let them approach you first?"

"You're seeing things clearly," Ian said, setting down the storage chest he had retrieved onto the floor. "Those folks lose their minds over relics and valuables. If I wave something tempting in front of their noses, they'll come running."

To negotiate with the dwarves on equal footing, he needed to make them feel like they needed him first. Otherwise, as Diana had said, he'd end up being massively overcharged.

Luckily, Ian had plenty of items to make that happen. After all, half the gear he carried was relic grade.

"If you're tired, go ahead and rest. I'll have food brought here," Ian said, glancing down at Lucia, who was now opening the storage chest.

He set his greaves on the table and picked up his chest plate. He planned to put the armor back on for dinner, but first, he wanted to clean off the dust and dried monster fluids. The cleaner the armor, the more attention it would draw from the dwarves.

"I'll come with you. I'm not sleepy," Lucia said, pulling out a ragged cloth and a small pouch of oil before handing them to him.

"Suit yourself," Ian replied with a shrug, taking the items and settling onto the floor.

He removed his tattered shirt, placed it across his lap, and laid the chest plate on top. Then he began wiping the armor with the oil-soaked cloth.

Lucia, having pulled a sleeping bag from the storage chest, sat beside him and quietly watched. Even though he knew exactly why she was sitting there instead of resting in her own room, Ian pretended not to notice and kept polishing his armor.

"No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t feel good," she finally said.

I knew she wouldn't let it go.

Ian clicked his tongues slightly but kept his hands moving as he replied, "What doesn't?"

"The time," Lucia said. "The Black Wall stabilizes every one to one and a half years, but over twice that amount of time passes outside. I still can't wrap my head around how that's even possible."

"Yeah, neither do I."

Thoroughly thought through, as always.

Ian kept the thought to himself as Lucia, in a quieter voice, continued speaking. "The Platinum Dragon's timeline to break the Wall shortens as well. I can't shake the feeling that the day they destroy the Wall will come sooner than its stabilization."

She hesitated briefly before continuing, her gaze fixed on the chest plate, now steadily getting cleaner. "If that's the case, we might have less than a year left."

Ian didn’t respond. He simply continued polishing his armor. But of course, he'd already had similar thoughts the moment the situation became clear.

This must have been a scenario in the game as well.

The thought in his mind followed the same logic. Whether or not he became an Agent of the Platinum Dragon, Archeas had likely been preparing to destroy the wall all along.

He guessed that in the game, if the player failed to destroy the Black Wall within a set timeframe, the dragon would break it itself, forcing the story to progress. There had been more than a few hidden time constraints like this in the game.

"We have to bring it down first," Lucia said firmly.

Ian, instead of answering, place the finished chest plate aside and set his back plate across his lap.

"We've gained allies now, don’t we?"

"What, you want to involve His Highness Hyked?" Ian replied nonchalantly.

Lucia nodded. "Of course. We'll eventually meet him. When that time comes, we should tell him everything and ask for his help."

"I thought about it too. But I’m not too sure." Ian shrugged.

Lucia frowned slightly. "You don't think he'd help?"

"If he learns the wall will collapse just by waiting, why would he take unnecessary risks?"

"Uh?" Lucia blinked, clearly having not considered this. Then, she quickly added, "Bu-but! Didn't you say the Platinum Dragon's method would have side effects?"

"Yes. But would those side effects really matter to the people living here?" Ian calmly replied, turning to look at her.

"If I were one of the residents and knew the Wall was going to collapse soon, I'd hole up in the stronghold and not take a single step outside. That way, I'd be sure to survive and escape the demonic realm."

"But the situation outside the Wall might become dire by then. And we're talking about His Highness Hyked here—the most noble of all, the Son of Light, uncompromising against any injustice or darkness, the Crown Prince of the Empire."

She must've read his biography with great admiration.

Ian quietly chuckled and tilted his head slightly. "Do you think he's still like that now?"

Lucia furrowed her brows slightly—then froze. By the time realization started sinking into her, Ian had already finished polishing his armor.

As he turned and set it on the table, she hesitantly spoke again. "Are you saying His Highness might have changed? That he might be corrupted?"

"Who knows?" Ian replied simply as he pulled his greaves toward him. "I’m just saying that more than enough time has passed for that to happen. And the circumstances certainly allow for it."

"But you saw how the Count spoke about him. His loyalty was genuine That means His Highness is still protecting and caring for his people."

Ian pulled out a new cloth from the container, soaked it with oil, and nodded calmly.

"Yeah. At the very least, that much seems certain."

"Though, I suppose that doesn't guarantee His Highness will help us. On the contrary, he might not want to risk the lives of his forces and people. Wait a moment..." Muttering as her thoughts took a new turn, Lucia suddenly hesitated again.

A deep furrow formed between her brows. "My goodness. Why didn't I think of this before? If His Highness still sees himself as the Crown Prince... and if he's ruling and protecting these people under that belief, then..."

Her emerald eyes, now filled with delayed shock, turned to Ian's calm profile. "He might assert his legitimacy after the Wall falls. The people here would naturally follow His Highness. And perhaps even some nobles beyond the wall. If that happens—"

Her voice faltered momentarily before she added in a whisper, "The Empire might split in two."

Well, once the dam breaks, her thoughts sure run wild.

Ian chuckled quietly at the thought, shrugging his shoulders. "If that happens, then the Empire won't be the Empire anymore."

It wasn't an unlikely scenario, even from his perspective.

Lucia, taken aback, stammered before retorting, "That's not such a simple problem, is it?"

"It's not complicated either. The continent's already a mess. If every problem explodes at once, it might actually lead to faster, clearer resolutions."

Still polishing his greaves, Ian glanced at her.

"Whether it's peace or destruction."

Lucia remained silent.

"Besides, His Highness might still be as noble as ever." Shrugging, Ian continued, "If he prioritizes the continent's peace over power, there won't be any issues. The Emperor might even name him as the heir."

Ian's gaze returned to the greaves. "That way, they could joint forces and focus solely on eradicating the remaining demons. They might even quell the lingering madness across the continent."

"Do you really think that could happen?"

"I'm saying nothing is certain yet. And honestly, it doesn't change much either way."

Ian examined the now noticeably clear graves as he concluded, "We can’t stay locked behind the Wall forever."

"That's true. You're right," Lucia murmured, momentarily at a loss for words before nodding.

"We have to go back. Even if the continent falls into war again, I can't live knowing I'll never see the people I love again. And I don’t want them to be forced to come here and live in this wretched place."

"Exactly," Ian said with a faint smile, finally turning to her. "The reason I'm hesitating about revealing the Wall's collapse isn't because of the continent or the Empire's peace. It's because I'm not sure if it'll help convince His Highness. That's all."

Ian picked up the greaves and stood. Though he couldn't fix the dents or broken scales, cleaning restored the finely engraved patterns and unique sheen to some extent.

"Either way, we'll need his help to bring the Wall down safely. So, I'll decide when we meet him. If being honest helps, I'll do it. If not, well—"

Ian set the greave down on the table with a shrug. "Then I'll find another way. That's my conclusion for now."

"Alright. I'll do the same. But, Sir Ian—" Lucia nodded and rose to her feet as well. She seemed ready to say more, but closed her mouth as a loud grinding sound filled the air.

With a screech, the stone door opened, revealing Diana on the other side, her expression a mix of frustration and embarrassment as she carried an armful of clothes.

"I brought clothes—" As she stepped inside, she abruptly froze.

She froze mid-step, her gaze locking onto Ian's bare upper body.

Her eyes seemed glued there for a moment before she flinched and twisted her head to the side, resuming her approach. "Here. Get changed, then let’s head to the dining hall."

"You heard her," Ian said, turning to Lucia as he accepted the clothes made from an unfamiliar leather.

"For now, let's focus on getting some food and seeing what treasures the dwarves have stashed away. That's the priority."

Lucia nodded and reached out toward Diana. "I'll leave my armor off. That way, you will stand out more."