Before Nea could lecture him further, Ian quickly changed the subject.
“So, about the clothes. Can we wash out the bloodstains?”
Of course, Nea knew he was dodging—but what could she do?
No matter how much she scolded, if he wouldn’t listen, it was pointless.
“No, we’ll have to discard them. The stains are set.”
“Really? That was my favourite outfit. What a shame.”
He said it, but he didn’t seem particularly bothered.
“Actually, it’s for the best. Why don’t we take this chance to refresh your wardrobe? You’ve been rotating the same few outfits for years.”
Ian had never been one to care about fashion.
Even as a college student, he’d worn the same things endlessly—and becoming Ian hadn’t changed that.
‘Honestly, he has zero fashion sense.’
His complete indifference to clothing meant he’d never felt the need to buy more.
But with situations like this likely to repeat, having spare outfits ready to ruin seemed practical.
“Hmm, maybe I’ll go shopping after I wake up.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“Wait, you’re not stopping me?”
Given that he’d just declared he’d go alone—half-joking, half-serious—her response surprised him.
“What’s the point of arguing when I know you won’t listen? And do you even know how to pick clothes? If you don’t just blindly trust whatever the clerk says, I’ll count that as a win.”
“……”
‘I want to argue, but she’s not wrong.’
She knew him better than anyone.
“Oh, before you returned, a messenger arrived. The extermination squad is heading back to Ansen.”
“Right, I was going to order their withdrawal. Forgot.”
With the undead threat gone, he’d planned to recall them—but bathing and resting had driven it from his mind.
“Why the sudden return?”
“They were attacked by a troll.”
“What?! Casualties?”
Ian was genuinely shocked.
Trolls weren’t ordinary monsters.
Their insane regeneration made them harder to hunt than undead, and their raw strength was monstrous—enough to uproot trees.
‘The quest summary mentioned no deaths, only injuries, so I didn’t think much of it.’
But a troll attack wouldn’t be tied to the quest. The damage could’ve been far worse than reported.
“No deaths, just injuries. Thankfully.”
“Whew!”
Ian exhaled in relief.
Surviving a troll attack with no fatalities was nothing short of a miracle.
Even with Oswell and Schrantz’s knights, casualties should’ve been inevitable.
That’s how dangerous trolls were.
“But there’s… strange news.”
“Strange?”
“They say Sir Dwayne killed the troll with a single arrow.”
“…Huh?”
Ian stared at her like she’d just sprouted a second head.
“Don’t look at me like that! I’m just repeating what I heard!”
The more he heard, the less sense it made.
‘…Did he land the final hit or something?’
That was the only explanation Ian could think of.
Still, he stretched, relieved it ended without disaster.
“Anyway, I’m going to sleep. Don’t wait up.”
With that, he went to his bedroom, leaving Nea to sigh.
‘He makes everyone worry, yet stays oblivious to their concern.’
Watching him, her chest ached with frustration.
He understood others’ worries but remained blind to his own recklessness.
Two Days Later
The extermination squad returned to Ansen, and Ian immediately summoned Sera.
“Welcome back. I heard you performed brilliantly.”
She fidgeted, unused to praise.
“I just provided support from the rear. The soldiers did the real work.”
But a mage’s presence changed everything.
Oswell’s report had credited her buffs and offensive spells for their overwhelming victory.
Ian checked her stats.
Name: Sera (Lv. 21)
Race: Human
Rank: Commoner
Class: Mage
Title: Skilled Alchemist
Loyalty: 91
Ambition: 0
Strength: 7
Agility: 18
Magic: 99
Leadership: 5
A single campaign had skyrocketed her level from 15 to 21.
‘Combat really is the fastest way to level up.’
While skills and training provided steady experience, nothing matched battle.
Her explosive growth spoke volumes about her contributions.
“No need to be modest. Everyone knows how hard you worked. You’ll be rewarded.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
As she bowed, Ian waved her off.
She had nothing to thank him for—her achievements were her own.
“You’re not just an alchemist now. You’ve made your name as a mage.”
“I suppose so.”
The soldiers had witnessed her magic first hand.
Her debut as a mage was undeniable.
‘Father will be stunned.’
Who would’ve guessed the alchemist was also a powerful spellcaster?
But instead of joy, her expression darkened slightly.
“Why the long face?”
“Will I… have to give up alchemy now?”
“Ah, worried about that? Don’t be. ‘Ansen’s Mage’ is just a temporary title. You’ll always be our alchemist first.”
It simply meant she now had an additional role as a mage when needed.
Her usual duties remained unchanged.
Hearing his answer, her face instantly brightened.
“Really?”
“Even if Father tries to make you quit alchemy, I’ll stop him. Don’t worry.”
Forcing her to abandon alchemy when she had talent in both?
Ian would never allow it.
Why let go of one rabbit when you can catch two?
“Thank you, my lord.”
[Sera’s Loyalty has increased by 1.]
To defy his father’s opposition for the sake of his subordinate—
Where else in the world would she find a lord like this?
She felt truly blessed, overwhelmed with gratitude.
“Oh, I have something for you.”
Ian pulled a vial from his pocket and handed it to her.
“What’s this… black thing?”
Though she couldn’t identify it, the ominous-looking liquid in the glass bottle gave her a bad feeling.
“Loot from raiding the dark mages’ hideout.”
“…Dark mages?”
“They exist.”
Ian only smiled, offering no further explanation.
‘So this is what Sir Dwayne was talking about.’
Dwayne had mentioned that Ian tended to act recklessly or solve things alone, much to Oswell’s frustration.
This must be what he meant.
“When I ran into Sir Oswell on the way here, he kept sighing deeply. Now I understand why.”
Oswell’s wrinkles seemed to multiply by the day—apparently not just her imagination.
“So… why are you giving this to me?”
There had to be a reason.
“One vial induces fever, coma within two hours, and two vials guarantee death. It’s called ‘A Short Pain and a Quiet, Peaceful Death.’ Ever heard of it?”
She shook her head.
“First time. It must be newly made or something from the underworld. Do you have its recipe?”
“Here.”
Ian handed her the note he assumed was the recipe.
Sera slowly read through the ingredients.
“These are all extremely rare.”
“That hard to get?”
“Yes. Some can be obtained with effort, but a few are materials nearly impossible to find in this kingdom.”
Whoever made this poison had gone to great lengths.
“But… who were these dark mages planning to assassinate?”
Ian reacted to her question.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, this seems deliberately designed to kill without drawing suspicion.”
He hadn’t thought deeply about it, but now that she mentioned it, it made sense.
‘Now that you say it, there are a lot of oddities.’
Even when he first found it, he’d wondered.
Weren’t dark mages supposed to thrive on negative emotions?
Their signature was inflicting the most painful, terrifying deaths possible.
Yet this poison was almost… merciful.
‘They must’ve had a specific purpose.’
“Were they planning to sell it?”
Even villains needed money for their schemes.
Dark mages were no exception.
Dark mages dealing in poison?
Not impossible.
Given the empire’s current state, it was even likely.
With brothers killing brothers and families turning on each other for ambition, who’s to say this poison wasn’t already circulating somewhere?
‘Could even come for me one day.’
Though he’d made it clear he had no interest in the lordship, eliminating threats pre-emptively wasn’t unheard of.
‘The Grand Schrantz Alliance lords, for one.’
Who knew what plots they might hatch?
‘Not that Nea would let it happen.’
But it never hurt to be prepared.
“Well, since we’re at it, try developing an antidote while you’re researching it.”
“The ingredients alone are rare enough. An antidote might be impossible.”
“Should we just discard it, then?”
“No, I’ll try. I’m curious about what kind of poison dark mages create.”
Her eyes sparkled with pure curiosity and scholarly interest.
Seeing her so excited, Ian was glad he’d brought it back.
“Just to be clear—don’t drink it out of curiosity.”
“I’m not a teething baby. I don’t put random things in my mouth.”
“Good.”
Ian grinned playfully.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“You were right there when Dwayne killed the troll, right?”
“Yes. I was directly behind him.”
The smile vanished from Ian’s face as he interlaced his fingers.
“Then tell me—how exactly did Dwayne kill that troll?”
He listened intently as she began her account.
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