I Became a Dark Fantasy Villain

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“What’s with all these merchants…?”

Miguel muttered in wonder.

There were over thirty of them.

The escorts on horses guarding the group numbered over ten.

“They’re high-ranking imperial merchants.”

Ian said.

Imperial merchants also did business with the outlying kingdoms.

It was the same in the game. They would randomly appear and sell imperial items with superior performance.

Of course the prices were also exceptionally high, but they were the top contributors lowering the difficulty of the early game.

Back then I was so grateful to them.

As Ian clicked his tongue, Miguel who had narrowed his eyes nodded.

“You’re right. They do look like merchants from the empire. They’re the type that only comes once a year… Wait a minute. Is that the imperial flag? Damn it.”

His face also twisted belatedly.

Hanging the imperial flag above the merchants’ flag meant there was an imperial dignitary among them.

It was common for influential aristocrats and nobles to travel together under the protection of a merchant group heading the same destination.

For the merchant group there were benefits like additional income from protection fees and the right to carry the imperial flag, so it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Anyway, the timing was uncanny.

“Don’t make a fuss. We just need to pass by naturally.”

Ian said as the merchant troupe drew near.

Everyone from the horses to the carriages were draped in black.

Even the coachmen and servants wore black clothes displaying their affiliation.

The same yellow scales depicted on the merchant flag were engraved here and there.

‘What was that merchant group’s symbol again?’

As I was thinking, they had come within reach.

Miguel steered the baggage carriage to the very edge of the road and pulled his hood deeper.

Ian pulled Luci’s head, which was lying down, closer to his thigh and observed the escorts.

Black horses shod with obsidian horseshoes.

And the ones riding atop them were all dressed in black armor.

On closer inspection, the components differed slightly from one another.

But the fact that their armaments were too splendid for escorts of a merchant group remained unchanged.

Not even Agellan’s royal knights were more heavily armed than them.

But this sense of disparity itself was proof that they came from the empire.

The level of civilization in the empire was ahead of the outlying kingdoms by at least several centuries.

Otherwise it wouldn’t make sense.

If it hadn’t been for the ancient demon invasion and the black walls shooting up, the continent would have been unified under their hands.

Actually, it still wasn’t too late.

But the empire chose to have the kingdoms guard their own territories while paying tributes, rather than waste troops in the borderlands.

The bigger the country, the more there needed to be those who envied and admired it in order to maintain internal unity and national pride.

The baggage carriage and merchant troops passed each other.

Escorts. Baggage carriages draped in black cloth at the front, obscuring the interior. Luxurious and sturdy-looking carriages guarding the inner area.

Ian’s steady gaze soon stopped on the escort guarding that carriage.

‘A beastman…?’

The he, or she, sitting upright on the black horse resembled a mix between a human and beast.

Feline or puma-like features.

Fur, the color of charcoal brown.

Fur that looked like scales also grew from the skin visible between the armor.

Beastmen were a race not frequently seen even in the game.

They were regarded almost like magician madmen or potential fallen ones.

This dark age contained discrimination beyond nations and races, even between species.

But that beastman escort looked absolutely nonchalant and dignified.

The unique composure possessed only by the mighty exuded from his entire being.

“….”

At that moment, the beastman suddenly looked back at Ian.

Orange irises.

Ian met his gaze directly, not avoiding the vertically elongated pupils.

At the same time, he lightly placed his hand on the sword hidden beneath his robe, ready to draw it any time.

It was right after that the beastman threateningly growled low.

“….”

Ian didn’t react at all, rather looking amused. Stroking his fangs with his tongue, the corners of that grin widened as the beastman passed the carriage just like that.

The intricately interlocking scale-like tail guard leisurely swayed atop the saddle.

The merchant troupe moved further away.

There was no need to ponder on their destination.

“Phew… damn…”

Miguel, who had been frozen solid, finally sighed.

Having flung off the hood, he took deep breaths.

“I thought my heart was going to burst. Sir, was it okay to just let them go like that? They won’t turn around and come back?”

“Why would they turn around when they don’t even know who we are?”

At Ian’s sarcasm, Miguel wiped the cold sweat on his forehead.

“Well, you’re right, but… didn’t you see that goddamn imperial flag? I guarantee one of those nobles from distinguished families or something was there to meet the king.”

“It looked that way to me as well.”

Ian slowly nodded his head.

“I didn’t hear they would get here this quickly. It seems the king didn’t know the exact schedule either.”

It was fortunate at least to have run into them after crossing the Agellan border.

If they hadn’t even left Agellan yet, it would have been quite the headache.

“Does this make our journey much more dangerous now?”

Luci suddenly asked.

Ian looked down at her still lying with her cheek on his thigh.

“It’s been constantly dangerous ever since I took you and ran away. Just a little more dangerous now.”

“In times like these… shouldn’t you say to not worry?”

What. Brat should know what she needs to know.

As Ian snorted, Luci suddenly added.

“When it really, really gets dangerous, just abandon me and run at that point.”

“….?”

“They won’t kill me anyway. It’s better than you two dying.”

What’s this nonsense you damned kid.

Ian swept Luci’s face with his palm.

“….?!?!”

Luci blinked blankly, not understanding.

“That won’t happen, so stop saying stupid things not befitting your age.”

“I agree. No, Ian. Leaving you behind? What kind of bullshit is that.”

With a face that seemed to have regained reason, Miguel looked at Ian.

“The way I see it, it’ll take them a week at most to reach Agellan.”

“How long does it take to get to the Temple of Furnace?”

“A month…? Well, I can’t say for sure. Since it’s been so long and I’ve never made the trip with a carriage.”

“Hmm.”

Ian snapped his fingers for a moment.

The best case scenario was if the bastard from House Larmuth hurried back empty-handed.

“…If not, we may have to deal with a pursuer at least once. Or twice, if the kingdom also sent someone after us.”

“Their equipment was no joke. It was almost like seeing the Royal Guard.”

Of course, since the pursuers’ armaments were all imperial.

Thinking to himself, Ian continued speaking.

“It changes nothing. You just focus on finding the way, and making sure the horses don’t get hurt. Getting lost or having the horses die would be a bigger problem.”

Their pace of march was already fast enough.

Increasing it further was next to impossible.

It wouldn’t be entirely impossible if they changed horses at every town they passed, but one failure would leave them abandoning all their luggage and traveling on foot.

“I understand. Don’t worry. I’ll do my best. But… will that really be enough?”

“What else can I do if not? If we’re being tailed, I’ll just have to cut off that tail.”

It wasn’t like he didn’t have a contingency plan.

After calmly declaring so, Ian looked back again.

The imperial guard from before flashed through his mind.

“…We might end up with a lot more imperial equipment.”

He soon averted his gaze after muttering so.

In truth, he didn’t ponder the pursuers for long.

There were always new tensions – passing wanderers in the day, prowling beasts at night.

It only took Miguel five days before he stopped mentioning the imperial merchants.

***

Ippotranslation

***

“What do you mean, a kidnapping?”

Javier of the Celestial Merchants, who had come to formally greet King Irwin II and then secretly rob the royal coffers blind, changed his mind the moment he heard the angry shouting from the Larmuth retinue.

It smelled of serious trouble.

And he knew well their crisis represented an opportunity for him.

The bigger the problem, the more gold he would gain by resolving it.

“This is an unexpected situation for us as well. We never imagined the great hero who resolved a prior tragedy would stir up another.”

Seated upon his throne, King Irwin II made no effort to hide his discomfort and irritation.

Of course, not as openly as the Larmuth emissary boring holes into him with her eyes.

“This is a tragedy for the Empire as well! Have you forgotten who that child is? Personally chosen by the Emperor himself! How do you think His Majesty will take the news that such a precious child has been kidnapped by a mere mercenary, now missing?”

“That is…”

“His Majesty may try to hide it from you, but he will surely feel insulted.”

Translator; ippo

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