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Chapter 262

"We\'ll know soon enough. Stay inside for now. We might be able to resolve this without a fight."

"Not fight...? How?"

"We\'ll use their own methods. For now, at least."

"...?"

Leaving the confused Philip and the curious Elia reaching for the grimoire behind, Ian closed the window. He then downed the rest of the liquor in one gulp, muttering as he released the reins he\'d been holding with one hand.

"Just keep going as you are doing now."

... Not that they\'ll understand, but...

Ian added inwardly as he swiftly climbed onto the roof of the carriage. Unless a chase ensued, there wouldn\'t be any problem leaving the coachman’s seat unattended for a while. The white horse, whether Nila or Selim, knew to follow the path on its own without needing much guidance.

"...."

Standing on the roof, Ian watched the approaching group of fairies. It didn’t seem like a fight would break out immediately. If they intended to fight, they would have driven their horses harder and drawn their weapons by now. But they did neither of those things yet. Even though all five of them were heavily armed with scale armor and various weapons, they hadn’t made any aggressive moves.

Soon, the attention of the fairy warriors was focused on Ian, but he didn’t feel tense.

How do these trackers always manage to find my location so accurately? It\'s not like I have a tracking device on me. Not to mention, we even split up this time...

Ian mused as he slowly drew a longsword from his waist.

Finally, he spoke. "If you come any closer, I\'ll take it as a sign that you want to fight."

His voice, enhanced with a bit of magic, rang out clearly despite not being overly loud. He didn\'t need to use magic since fairies had sharp hearing, but he wanted to ensure the message was conveyed unmistakably. The leading fairy, who had been receiving Ian\'s gaze, frowned before raising one arm to the side. She was a female warrior with almost silver-gray hair down to her nape and the typical haughty, bitter expression of a fairy.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

The other fairies, following her lead, slowed their pace in response to her gesture.

Ian took in their appearance carefully. They all had a similarly stiff demeanor and swamp-colored eyes, regardless of gender. The differences in hair color ranged from platinum blonde to silver.

Pointy ears really do all look the same...

Ian clicked his tongue inwardly. The only fairy he could easily distinguish was probably Thesaya. Not only because her features were more distinct but also because she possessed a playful charm and elegance that the others lacked.

"State your identity and purpose."

When the fairies settled at a reasonable distance behind the carriage, Ian finally spoke, keeping his gaze fixed on the leading fairy. He had no intention of showing courtesy first; Ian disliked fairies almost as much as spellcasters. There was only one exception to this—at least for now.

The leading fairy, who had furrowed her brow even more, finally spoke."We are the fairies of House Aynas. We’ve come to meet Sir Ian Hope. It seems he’s in that carriage."

As expected, Ian thought to himself, then spoke, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Perhaps."

"We haven\'t come to fight, coachman. We just have a few questions for Sir Ian Hope and need to confirm some things. So stop the carriage for a moment."

Although she seemed more cold, as if offended, the fairy still maintained a minimum level of courtesy. But knowing exactly what those questions and confirmations were, Ian simply curled his lips into a faint smile.

"Let\'s just talk like this. If you\'re really not here to fight."

"... Then at least let us see Sir Ian Hope. I\'m here to speak with him, not with you."

"You can do that right here. I\'m Ian Hope."

"...!"

The fairy\'s eyes widened in surprise, and the others behind her, who had been glaring at Ian, reacted similarly.

After blinking once in disbelief, the fairy fixed her gaze on Ian and continued. "If you are indeed Sir Ian Hope... why were you sitting in the coachman’s seat?"

"It gets stuffy staying inside all the time. Unlike fairies, humans don\'t die just from sitting in the coachman\'s seat."

Ian paused and let out a brief chuckle. "Anyway, this is entertaining. You show up out of nowhere demanding to see me, but when I appear, you doubt."

The fairy blinked again in surprise before finally bowing her head slightly. "Please forgive my rudeness, Sir Ian... I simply didn\'t expect to meet you so quickly."

"Are you the one in charge here?"

"Yes. I am Alice Aynas, a member of House Aynas and the leader of this search party."

"As I said, I’m Ian Hope. A mercenary."

"... So, the rumors of you being a former mercenary are true."

Ah, I see. They’ve done some background research on me, Ian thought with a faint smile, beginning to understand why these haughty and ruthless liars were being so cautious. Of course, his reputation alone couldn\'t be the entire reason.

"If you want to talk, answer my question first."

Ian began, and although Alice looked somewhat puzzled, she promptly responded.

"Please, go ahead."

"How did you track me down? I suppose you started following me as soon as you received the message."

Alice hesitated for a moment, glancing at the gleaming white blade still in Ian’s hand before answering.

"... We followed the tracks of the carriage."

"The wheel tracks?"

"Yes."

"From where?"

"From Drenorov, when we entered Tessen."

Ian\'s brow furrowed slightly. "You have very keen eyes. Those tracks must have been quite old."

"... Thank you."

So it wasn\'t a lie, Ian thought as a small smirk played at the corner of his mouth.

The words of Findrel Aynas, the pointy ear he had killed, echoed in his mind. He had claimed that the fairies of his house were the best trackers, never knowing how to give up. It seemed, at least in this case, that he hadn’t been exaggerating.

At the same time, Ian now understood why these pointy ears were being so courteous. They must have seen firsthand the state of Tessen and likely concluded that Ian had played a significant role in what had happened there.

Well, I stirred up quite a commotion in that city, Ian thought.

The traces of his battle must have been clear, so it wasn’t surprising. In any case, it worked out well for him, making the situation easier to handle.

"In Racliffe as well?"

"Yes. Though we had to spend a bit of money."

Ian finally nodded. If they had slipped a gold coin or two, finding his whereabouts would have been easy. After leaving the city gates, they must have simply followed the carriage tracks as usual.

Good thing I didn\'t switch carriages, Ian mused with a smile.

"That clears up the mystery. Alright, let\'s get to the conversation you wanted to have."

He sheathed the steel longsword. A faint hint of relief flickered in Alice\'s eyes, though her expression remained unchanged, indicating that her reaction wasn’t feigned.

She was genuinely afraid of him. However, this realization didn’t make Ian any more sympathetic or less cautious. After all, they were fairies, and these particular pointy ears belonged to the notoriously dangerous House Aynas.

"We’ve heard that someone among your companions has been impersonating a member of House Aynas. The elder named Tensia Aynas does not exist," Alice began, briefly glancing up at Ian before quickly averting her gaze back to the carriage.

"Impersonating a member of our house is one of the gravest crimes. Normally, we would have pursued that fairy and subjected them to the severest of punishments."

"... So?" Ian interrupted flatly.

Alice glanced at him once more, swallowing nervously before continuing. "However, during our pursuit, we concluded it would be best to hear the full story from you first. The fairy in question seems to be your companion, and it appears they were acting under your orders. Therefore, we came to hear your side before proceeding with any actions."

Her tone was surprisingly straightforward, especially for a fairy. However, Ian didn’t take his eyes off Alice, noticing that she was subtly increasing the distance between herself and the carriage. Clearly, she was preparing to make a run for it if things went south—a typical fairy choice.

If they really decided to flee, it would be difficult for Ian to catch and kill them all. Even if he did manage to kill them all, it wouldn’t change much. The fairies had likely been in contact with their house all along, and if communication suddenly ceased, House Aynas would immediately suspect Ian.

This potential conflict could escalate into a confrontation with the entire Aynas family and possibly even other fairy houses in the central region. Yet Ian didn’t feel particularly surprised or anxious about this possibility.

"You\'ve made a wise choice."

From the moment he killed Findrel and had Thesaya impersonate a member of their house, Ian knew this situation would eventually come. Naturally, he had prepared several contingency plans for such an event.

And among those plans, the best possible outcome was now becoming reality. Ian had honestly thought this scenario was unlikely—a situation where he could start with a conversation rather than a fight with these pointy ears wasn’t something he’d expected.

"If you had gone directly to my friend, you and your house would have crossed a point of no return with me."

"... So, can I take that as confirmation that you gave the orders?" Alice asked, her voice growing colder as she exchanged glances with the other fairies. Her eyes reflected both fear and hostility as she looked up at Ian.

Ian nodded, subtly moving his left arm behind his back as if clasping his hands behind his back.

"Yes. My friend was simply doing me a favor. To be precise, she used an alias, not an impersonation."

Alice\'s brow furrowed instinctively. "What do you mean by that...?"

"Since this is my rightful possession," Ian said, pulling out a silver brooch from his pocket dimension and holding it up for the fairies to see.

It was an item he had reclaimed from Thesaya and stashed away in his pocket dimension long before he even met Kralen.

"...!" Alice\'s eyes widened in shock. With her sharp eyesight, she likely recognized at once that the brooch Ian held was authentic.

"That\'s the seal of our house," Alice said through clenched teeth, her face hardening noticeably. Despite her words, the distance between her and the carriage continued to widen slightly.

Ian simply shrugged. "There\'s nothing to explain. I got it from Findrel."

Alice\'s brow furrowed as if she hadn’t expected to hear that name.

"... Findrel? You know Findrel?"

"Quite well. I cleaned him out of his entire fortune in a gambling game." Ian flashed a sly smile, the kind a mercenary might wear.

Alice\'s expression turned blank with shock.

She blinked, then finally stammered out her words. "Gambling...? Are you saying you won the house\'s seal in a bet?"

"He claimed that having this seal was akin to being a member of House Aynas and that it entitled me to certain privileges. He said it was worth about... a hundred gold coins."

Alice\'s jaw dropped slightly, and the other fairies appeared equally stunned. Eventually, Alice\'s face flushed red with anger.

"That fool... he really did that?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"And... he just handed it over to you?"

"Not quite. He tried to kill me immediately afterward. But after I beat him up, he quieted down."

"And where did this happen?" Alice asked, her brow furrowed as tightly as possible, her voice tinged with exasperation.

Ian answered promptly. "In the frontier."

"Could you be more specific?"

"Even if you go there, you won\'t find him. He fled with his men at dawn. Probably went deeper into the frontier, planning to profit from the ongoing war."

"That... damn... bastard..." Alice muttered through gritted teeth.

She seemed to have forgotten her earlier urge to flee as her horse moved closer to the carriage once again. After taking a deep breath, her face returned to its usual cold expression, though her pointed ears were still flushed.

"That man is my relative, a disgrace who was expelled from our house. He\'s a stain on our name. I can imagine what kind of disrespect he showed you, but..."

She paused, her voice strained with suppressed anger as she looked up at Ian. "Everything he told you about the house\'s seal is a lie. Therefore, I would be grateful if you could return it. It\'s not something that should be traded as gambling collateral."

"I\'m afraid I can\'t do that. This is my rightful possession now," Ian responded firmly.

In truth, he could have given it away if he wanted to, but he chose not to, just in case.

Who knows if there might be a spell that could read the memories imbued in the object?

As Alice\'s expression hardened again, Ian added, looking down at her. "But I won\'t be using it for personal gain anymore. If I get the chance, I\'ll melt it down and turn it into money."

"Melt it down..." Alice stammered, biting her lower lip in frustration before continuing. "Then... could you at least swear it? In the name of the Radiant Goddess?"

"That’s not difficult. I swear."

"And that everything you’ve told me is the truth?"

"..."

So this was the main point, Ian thought as he stared down at Alice for a moment, then smirked slightly and replied.

"I swear that as well."

"... Very well. Damn it... that filthy, lying bastard..." Alice turned her gaze away, muttering under her breath, her eyes reflecting shame and anger. She felt her house had been disgraced in front of her subordinates.

"Is that all you wanted to ask?" Ian asked, watching her for a moment.

Alice nodded slightly. "Yes. Thank you for your cooperation."

Her tone had turned sharp, showing she was indeed done with this encounter.

She probably thinks she’ll never see me again, Ian thought with a low chuckle before adding. "But I still have one more thing."

"...?" Alice frowned and looked up at him.

The fear in her eyes was still there, but now it was mixed with undisguised irritation. She was likely thinking that she could just run away now that her business was done.

Ian extended his hand. "Findrel still owes me a debt."

"A debt...?"

"Around twenty cigarettes."

"Cig..."

"He said they could be made in a day, but it turns out that was just an excuse to buy time to escape."

As the conversation continued, Alice\'s expression grew more twisted.

Ian moved his finger up and down as he added, "Since I doubt I\'ll see that bastard again, you, as a fellow member of House Aynas, can pay me instead."

"...."