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Chapter 369
Ian had discovered a hint for dealing with the dragon.
But...
'There's not enough time to figure out the exact method.'
Ian was a wizard.
He was undoubtedly an expert at observing and communicating with mysteries.
Е̊n ü mа
But expert or not, he needed time to use his abilities.
If he just had a little time to talk with this unusually silent Predius...
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He was certain he could discover something.
Ian surveyed his surroundings.
The battle situation was clearly unfavorable.
His skeleton had already been smashed to pieces, and Predius had easily destroyed the ballista.
Ẇ ѐb̀n о v ѐl̀ È n ǔm̀ ā
Though the mercenaries and Hastria forces were still intact, they were no match for the dragon.
Well, they might be able to buy some time by throwing themselves at it.
But that would mean terrible sacrifices.
Ian wasn't heartless enough to order soldiers to "die for the greater cause!"
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"No!"
"Sir Salvador!"
Wе̄ b̃ n̊_оv е l̂ E ńu m а
Belenka rushed to assist Sir Salvador.
At present, they had no means to hold the dragon back.
They could only buy time through infantry sacrifices...
But no matter how exceptional Belenka and Sir Salvador were as knights, directly drawing the dragon's attention was madness.
"Urgh...!"
"Grab the javelins! Hurry!"
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The Hastria soldiers hastily took up javelins, but their resistance was pitiful.
Javelins could barely pierce the dragon's hide.
Even if they luckily struck where the scales were thinner, they couldn't inflict enough damage to kill the dragon.
"...Ian."
Kira looked at Ian with trembling eyes.
He was the only one who could create a variable now.
Е.n̂ ŭ m а̌
"It seems the outcome has been decided."
Antios moved Predius forward.
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The black wizard stood atop the dragon's head, looking down at Ian.
Their positions perfectly represented the current situation—a clear hierarchy of high and low.
Ian quietly gazed back up at Antios.
"Do you have something to say?"
Wе b ṅ.ȯv ёl̂ Е̄ǹ u ṁȧ
"Of course."
Antios said.
"I've won, Wizard Ian."
"..."
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"You won't deny it in this situation, will you?"
A single dragon had completely flipped the situation.
Еńú m̂ а.id̄
The orcs, goblins, and vicious mercenaries who had fled were now regrouping around the dragon.
The more enemy infantry gathered, the harder it would be to defeat the dragon.
"I'll give you a choice."
Antios spoke in a gentle voice.
"You can struggle until the end and meet a miserable demise. Or..."
He extended his hand toward Ian.
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"Join the Society."
"..."
Join the Society.
A simple yet clear proposal.
Antios was now inviting Ian to become a black wizard.
Ian slowly closed his eyes.
Ёn̄ ū m̀ а_
'I need to buy time.'
Time was what Ian needed most right now.
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Given enough time, he could prepare magic to counter the dragon.
And... he had no choice.
If he chose to struggle to the end, they might not even achieve victory, and the bodies of the fallen would pile up like mountains.
That wasn't the outcome Ian wanted.
Ё n ů mā . і̆d
Still carrying the sensibilities of a modern person, Ian couldn't act like a medieval king who would sacrifice his subordinates for his own purposes.
"If I surrender. What about the others?"
"What would you like to happen?"
"...Set them free."
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If Antios refused, Ian was prepared to fight to the death.
But Antios replied casually.
Ẃ еb̃ nо̊ v̂ е l̇ Е ñ um а̂
"Fine, whatever."
Antios understood to some extent.
Even a mouse will bite a cat when cornered.
Leaving an escape route would prevent meaningless loss of strength.
"But that woman is an exception."
Antios pointed at Kira.
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He would take Ian and Kira as prisoners but release everyone else.
"That's..."
"It's fine, Ian."
Kira nodded.
Her eyes said it all.
Two was better than one.
Wе̂b̀ nо̌v e l Еñ ŭ ṁ а
Rather than sending Ian alone into enemy territory, Kira preferred to go with him.
Ian ended his deliberation.
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Continuing to fight here would create too many casualties.
"I surrender. I've abandoned resistance and request treatment as a prisoner."
"Ah... of course."
Antios smiled with satisfaction.
W̃е̃ b̆n̆o v е̄ ľ Ë n̂_ũm ā
Immediately, a scream-like shout rose.
"Ian! I'll stay too!"
It was Belenka.
But Ian shook his head.
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"No. You go back, Belenka."
"...What?"
Е̄n u̇ ḿ a. í ḋ
"There's no need for you to be captured too. Instead, go back and find some solution."
Belenka's expression showed she had much to say, but—
"...Understood."
She didn't resist and followed Ian's order.
Handing Ian over to the black wizards was terribly unsettling, but...
Belenka trusted Ian.
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If it was Ian, he'd have some kind of plan.
Perhaps...
This surrender was deliberately chosen for some purpose...!
"Ian..."
Elia looked at Ian with a hardened face.
"...I'll definitely come for you."
Е̇.nu m â. ĩ d̀
"I'm counting on you, Elia."
Antios and the black wizards took Ian and Kira deeper into the forest.
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Ian had become a prisoner of the Golden Rule Society...
***
Ian walked slowly along the gloomy forest path.
'I don't want to admit it but...'
Wе̊ bń о̊ ṽ е̄ l Е̄ n̄ ŭ ḿa
Walking with the dragon Predius, summoner Antios, and various minor black wizard troops.
On the surface, Ian seemed to be a helpless prisoner.
However...
'If I can just find a breakthrough, this might not be so bad.'
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Yes.
Truly, the situation wasn't as bad as it might seem.
Е̃ nù m а .і̂ d
...Ian definitely wasn't going insane from the shock of defeat.
This was the result of rationally assessing the situation.
The reasons Ian evaluated the current situation positively were as follows:
First, he could buy lots of time.
He hadn't had enough time to save Maria and deal with the dragon...
But now that Ian had become a prisoner (alongside?) Maria, he'd have a chance to watch over her.
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He could likely find the Emperor as well.
If he could find a way to escape, this would actually save time.
Additionally, the 'Regent' Antios was, for now, showing a friendly attitude toward Ian.
This was the decisive reason for Ian's positive assessment.
"We've finally met, after much difficulty, Wizard Ian."
"I wasn't particularly eager to meet you."
Е n ü m а
"Your will doesn't matter. What matters is the will of the world."
At first, Ian couldn't understand.
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After all, how much damage had Ian done to the Golden Rule Society so far?
During his travels, Ian had consistently interfered with the Society's plans both large and small.
He'd even recently killed one of the Society's executives.
Yet Antios didn't seem particularly concerned.
Е́ nůma
"The world's will told me that I'd be better off crushing you all."
"Hmm. Ian."
Antios spoke in a deadly serious voice.
"Your ability to understand mysteries is worse than I thought."
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"?!"
What...?!
Ẇ е b́ ǹоv̊ е̊ l̄ Еn̊úm̄ а̊
Ian was so shocked that he momentarily forgot who he was talking to.
Me... not understanding mysteries well?!
'Actually, that might be surprisingly accurate.'
But Ian quickly regained his composure.
It wasn't entirely wrong when he thought about it.
While Ian excelled at meeting and communicating with mysteries, he lacked knowledge about researching mysteries he hadn't encountered.
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The reason was simple.
He could meet most mysteries anyway!
Thus, Ian had rarely tried to pursue mysteries he hadn't yet encountered.
Ian could meet mysteries almost instinctively.
Whether they were new or familiar mysteries.
"Have you ever wondered why we keep colliding with each other?"
Wе b nо̆ v е̃ l Ě ṅü m â
"..."
No, he hadn't.
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Well, he had, but he hadn't delved too deeply into it.
The reason Ian and the Golden Rule Society kept clashing...
Wasn't it just bad luck?
But Antios had just mentioned mysteries.
W̊ е̄ b n̈ov̇е̃l̂ .Ѐ ṅů m а
This suggested there might be some flow that Ian hadn't been conscious of.
"At first, you accidentally discovered one of our members. That was a minor collision."
"..."
"But driving out Bertholdt and eliminating Karenne... that was clearly an unnatural flow."
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"Why do you think so?"
When Ian asked, Antios readily answered.
Ẇ.е̇b̃ n̆оv̀ е̌ l. Ên û m а̇
"Because it's beyond the realm of coincidence. Think about it, Ian. When objects collide, what happens?"
"They bounce off each other."
"Right. Our fates should have done the same. But instead of bouncing away, you've delved deeper and deeper."
That was the point Antios was highlighting.
The connection of fate.
Ian and the Golden Rule Society were intertwined unnaturally closely.
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It could be coincidence, if it were coincidence.
But Antios was a wizard who could read mysteries.
Could such a flow of world events really be considered normal?
"Listen carefully, Ian."
Antios said.
"This is an artificial result."
Wѐ b̀_n̊о̌v e̊l̇ Е̄_ñ u ḿа̌
"An artificial result?"
"Yes. Someone manipulated your fate, and that's why the future changed."
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"..."
Ian thought of someone's face.
The one face that perfectly fit this situation.
"...A space-time wizard."
Wе̂b n о̄.v el̀ Ӗ n u m̆ а́
"Who else could it be?"
Antios patted Ian's shoulder.
That touch was surprisingly affectionate.
"Our collision is no coincidence. It's fate. You were originally destined to become a member of the Society, Wizard Ian."
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"..."
"But those damned space-time wizards changed the future."
Е nũ ḿа
There was only one reason space-time wizards would manipulate the future.
[For a better future.]
"Your fate was stolen by space-time wizards."
"Stolen..."
"They intercepted you, who was meant to join the Society! They turned you into a pawn for their future manipulation!"
Antios's voice was fanatical.
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Just from his delivery, one could sense what an excellent wizard he was.
For just a moment...
He even made Ian think, 'Am I the victim here?!'
"And yet you trust the space-time wizards? You think they're leading you to the 'right' future!"
"..."
"Think carefully, Ian. Our fates have barely overlapped like this. Whether you'll continue as a slave to the space-time wizards or become the master of your own fate. The choice is yours."
Е ňum̄ а .і̄ d
Simultaneously, another face flashed through Ian's mind.
Eredith.
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[If Gerard hadn't introduced you, I would never have taken a disciple.]
If Antios was right...
The person who had twisted Ian's fate was clearly the space-time wizard Gerard.
Gerard had prevented the future where Ian joined the [Golden Rule Society]...
Е n um̂ ӑ
Instead, he created a future where Ian became Eredith's disciple!
What a terrible thing!
He'd missed the perfect opportunity to become a black wizard!
'...I don't really feel that way though.'
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Truly.
Perhaps Ian had already been so thoroughly gaslighted by the evil space-time wizards that he couldn't think properly.
W̌eb nоv̌ е ľ Е́ñūm а
But one thing was certain...
Ian was content with his current fate.
If Ian had become a black wizard, he would certainly have committed terrible crimes.
Of course, at the end of the black wizard route, an incredible outcome that Ian couldn't even imagine might have awaited him.
After all, black wizards liked to wield magic violently.
Perhaps he'd have reached an ending as a cruel ruler dominating people with magic.
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But... Ian had no regrets.
What? Dominate the world with magic?
Create a world where wizards are kings?
He had no interest in such things.
Ian had become Eredith's disciple and thoroughly enjoyed the privileges of being a wizard.
He'd had countless adventures in this medieval fantasy world and overcome numerous challenges with magic.
Ẃӗḃn̆ о_vе̂ ľ Е̌ñ.um̈а
And... he'd gained lovely wives.
Now, regarding this reversed fate?
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Whatever.
But answering honestly might get him eaten by Predius(...), so he lied.
Pretending to be interested in Antios's words...!
"Well... I never did like space-time wizards. Sneaky bastards with too many secrets."
Ẃ е.b̆ ň о́v̈ е̌l̂ Е̌ n̈ ùm̆.ӑ
"So your head isn't completely useless."
Antios replied with satisfaction.
"Do you know what Great Wizard Maronius's final wish was?"
"Maronius's final wish?"
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"He wanted to complete the universal language and usher in an age of wizards."
Ian knew this fact.
W еb̀ ṅ оv̄ ӗl Ё ń u m̄ а̌
What Maronius wanted was a world advanced through magic...!
"The purpose of the Golden Rule Society is to recreate the glory of the ancient Golden Empire through magic. That era when wizards sustained the empire..."
Antios said solemnly.
"Ultimately, wizards will become the empire, bringing about a golden age of magic. Thus carrying on the Great Wizard's will! The age of wizards will begin!"
Antios was completely wrong.
The world Maronius wanted wasn't one where wizards became kings.
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What he wanted was just one thing:
A world without misunderstanding and conflict.
Magic was merely a tool to create such a world.
But Ian applauded.
"Excellent. Truly excellent."
Now he had a better understanding of what kind of person Antios was.
Ѐnu m а̂
