Chapter 109

For Turan, Kalamaf was a special city.

It was the first territory he had personally acquired and ruled since birth.

The citizens here were the sheep he had personally nurtured and raised, and the city walls were the fences he had painstakingly built.

And yet, in such a land, he encountered someone attempting to exploit the people by impersonating his name?

How could he not be furious?

However, instead of storming into the central mansion in anger, Turan calmed himself and rechecked the tax notice.

"A revision of the income tax. Are they imposing additional taxes on certain luxury goods transactions?"

Since tax laws and such were matters for commoners, he was not well-versed in them. However, during his time working as the leader of Kalamaf, he had acquired a superficial understanding.

Based on that knowledge, he inferred that at the very least, the new regulation written here was not about squeezing the poor dry.

The set tax rate did not seem excessive either.

In other words, aside from the fact that his name was being used, the contents were fairly reasonable.

Having confirmed that his name was not being used for harsh exploitation, Turan cooled his head, entered a nearby tavern, and ordered a drink.

An old tavern owner brought the drink and spoke curtly.

"Drinking in broad daylight, young man?"

"After coming from far away, my legs are aching terribly. How else could I endure the pain without a drink like this?"

"You must be a traveler."

"Something like that. It feels like it has been about a year since I last visited Kalamaf, but a lot has changed."

At Turan's words, the tavern owner snorted.

"What’s changed so much?"

"A lot. When I left, there was a statue of Lord Turan near the city gate, but now it's gone… I heard a new lord had arrived. Did he destroy it?"

"Lord Turan himself removed it when he returned. Said he was embarrassed. What could we do when he insisted?"

"I see. Come to think of it, I heard Lord Turan had decided to leave. How did he end up coming back?"

Referring to himself with an honorific was quite embarrassing, but by now, his face had grown thick enough to handle it naturally.

He had even lived disguised as a completely different person, what was this in comparison?

Perhaps his acting was quite convincing, as the tavern owner spoke naturally without any sign of suspicion.

"I’m just an ignorant old man, so I don't know what happened among the high-ranking folks, but about two months ago, he returned to govern the city again. It's a joyous thing. This city has finally welcomed its true master."

Judging by the overwhelming fondness in his tone and his age, this tavern owner was likely one of the original residents who had remained when Turan first arrived in Kalamaf.

One of those who had watched him save the city from beginning to end and had become the most fervent of zealots.

Taking that into account, Turan carefully chose his words.

"Two months, huh… Has he changed in any way from before?"

"He wears a mask now. I heard he fought some magical beast in the wilderness and was badly wounded on the face."

"Oh dear."

"A truly tragic thing. If I could offer my old skin to heal him, I would do so without hesitation. Have you ever seen his face? Even the celestial Preah Gods wouldn't be as handsome as him."

Hearing such praise for his own face, even Turan felt his face heat up. He took another drink and then excused himself, saying he felt a bit drunk, before leaving the tavern.

The next thing Turan did was to enter an alley nearby and sneak into City Hall while using Concealment.

He had gathered information from ordinary citizens; now, it was time to see what was happening inside.

"Hey, where's the person in charge?"

"They went out for lunch…"

"Tell them to hurry back! There’s a pile of documents this high, do they even have a sense-"

The officials at City Hall seemed just as busy as before.

As he passed by the familiar scene, Turan began spotting a few familiar faces among those moving about.

And deeper inside the City Hall building, he encountered a knight.

A woman, who appeared to be around thirty and was yawning with a thoroughly bored expression, the symbol of House Zahar could be seen via mimic relic.

He could roughly guess the situation thanks to Talis recently mentioning that he had recognized Turan's existence.

It was obvious that Zahar had orchestrated this scheme to provoke and lure him in.

The House Mebern, which had originally been granted Kalamaf, was a pro-Zahar faction from the start, so they must have handed over the city after a mere growl from them.

After that, Turan remained concealed and stood quietly in a corner of City Hall, observing the government officials at work for several dozen minutes.

He watched as they processed civil complaints, reports, and all sorts of complex documents.

As a result, he concluded that there was no particular sign of disorder or major issues within the city.

‘It’s actually running so smoothly that it’s almost unsettling.’

Even the Zahar knights dispatched here would personally go out to hunt magical beasts if they received news of sightings around the city.

Just as Turan had once demanded from Alos, the head of House Mebern, when he had to take over the city.

Having confirmed the internal state of affairs, Turan finally made his way toward the central mansion where the imposter resided.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the mansion, he burst into laughter at what he saw inside.

'Wait, this is something I've seen a lot before, isn't it?'

Basic magic artifacts, light spheres, were densely embedded around the mansion, glowing brightly.

A clear message that Zahar’s assassins should not even dream of stepping inside.

Was this not the exact same method used by their rival house, Aravion?

From this, it was evident that they, too, had no distinct method to counter their own kind’s Concealment.

Well, if it were not some exclusive secret technique usable only by the Zahar bloodline, it would have quickly spread and become a weapon against them, so it made sense to keep it hidden if they did possess such a method.

After circling the perimeter once, Turan confirmed that the mansion was thoroughly fortified, making it difficult to sneak in while remaining concealed.

Of course, if he were intimately familiar with the interior layout, he could slip inside swiftly, just as he had done when infiltrating the Berk mansion. However, the central mansion in Kalamaf that Turan remembered had only been a shelter for vagrants.

But Turan had one more means of checking the interior without entering directly.

The unique detection ability of the Mimic Relic.

Using it to scan inside, he detected the presence of one high-ranking noble and two mid-ranking nobles.

‘Judging by their numbers and strength, they’re positioned here specifically to capture a single high-ranking noble.’

All of them were armed with several powerful magic artifacts, and there were unknown barriers and magical formations set up around them. Judging by this, if the real high-ranking noble Turan had come seeking revenge for the impersonation, he would have been easily hunted down.

As he was gathering information, he sensed movement from the nobles inside.

‘What’s this? Don’t tell me they noticed my scouting from this distance?’

But Turan’s alarm turned out to be unnecessary, the nobles had merely stepped out for a routine inspection.

The fake Turan rode atop a horse, parading through the streets of Kalamaf with what appeared to be his knightly attendants.

"Ohhh, Lord Turan…!"

"Look this way!"

"No, at me!"

Judging from the excited voices of the people, such patrols were not an uncommon occurrence.

The imposter, a man with a physique quite similar to Turan’s, even had the same gray ponytail. However, he wore a mask intricately engraved with a metallic eagle.

Perched on one side of his saddle was a golden eagle, much like Bije, though it was not a magical beast, just a well-trained golden eagle.

Pretending to be a regular citizen, Turan casually approached and examined the emblem within the imposter’s entourage.

The high-ranking noble impersonating him was from Zahar, while the two mid-ranking nobles following behind in the guise of knights were a Barrier Master and an Illusionist.

‘A Barrier Master and an Illusionist… Both are from Zahar’s vassal houses.’

Turan stood in the background, watching as his impersonator waved at the cheering citizens.

*

That night, on a hill near Kalamaf, Turan reunited with Bije after a long time.

Unlike the one he had seen during the day, this golden eagle had sharp, intelligent eyes. The moment it saw Turan, it rushed toward him as if body-slamming him, rubbing its head against his chest.

After Turan stroked its back for a while, Bije quickly scribbled words on the ground.

[I was sad not seeing you! Solif is stupid! Meisa is nice but I like Turan more!]

"Yes, yes, I wanted to see you too. Here, I brought you something to eat."

[Don't try to distract me with food!]

Even as she grumbled, Bije eagerly took the special lamb jerky that Turan had prepared in advance.

After soothing the eagle, which was acting more spoiled than usual due to their long separation, Turan took to the skies with Bije.

His destination was the city of Bigen, located southeast of Kalamaf.

His next goal was to meet Alos Mebern, the lord of that city and the one who had originally been granted its governing rights.

In less than an hour, Turan arrived in Bigen. He heightened his senses using the Mimic Relic and confirmed that there were no significant defense mechanisms around the central mansion before jumping down.

No one noticed him as he landed in the garden and entered while using Concealment Magic.

Compared to the main estates of great noble houses, the security here was practically nonexistent…

But that was to be expected for an ordinary wizarding family.

The ability to create magic artifacts was an exclusive privilege of the Enchanters, and most nobles of the Enchanter Bloodline belonged to great noble houses.

If there was any place that could be considered remotely secure, it would be the headquarters of a Barrier Master Bloodline family.

Moving through the mansion undetected, Turan soon found Alos drinking tea alone after finishing his dinner.

Releasing his Concealment behind him, Turan spoke.

"It’s been a while, Alos."

With a loud crash, Alos stood up, knocking over the table. He stared at Turan with the expression of someone seeing a ghost.

It was only natural, an intruder had suddenly appeared in the middle of the tea room at the heart of the lord’s mansion.

Predictably, a maid’s voice called out from outside upon hearing the commotion.

[My lord? Is something wrong-?]

"Nothing at all! Do not come in!"

There was some murmuring outside, but soon, silence returned.

With a deep sigh, Alos finally responded in a hushed voice.

"Right, right… It’s been a year, hasn’t it, Lord Turan Zahar?"

Turan Zahar.

Even speaking it aloud, it was a name that did not sit well with him.

Thinking that to himself, Turan skillfully used Telekinesis Magic to set the overturned table upright and lifted the spilled tea from the floor before dispersing it, then took a seat across from Alos.

Watching this, Alos gulped.

"Please, have a seat."

"I already have."

"I…"

"I didn’t come here to fight. I apologize for the rudeness of visiting at this hour, but given the circumstances, I hope you can understand."

Despite Turan’s polite tone, the fear in Alos’s expression did not easily fade.

Which was to be expected.

If someone broke into your room with a sword, speaking politely would not make them any less frightening.

"I… I had no choice. I couldn’t possibly go against your… relatives."

"I understand that. And when I came back, I saw that the governance wasn’t too bad. That was fortunate."

Perhaps due to Turan’s consistently calm voice, Alos finally seemed to regain some composure and let out a deep sigh.

But just as he began to relax, Turan tightened his grip around his leash once more with a pointed question.

"How much did you tell them about me?"

"What?"

"You must have provided Zahar with information about me."

"That’s…"

"That’s…"

Faced with an unfavorable question, Alos’s face turned pale.

From past experience, Turan knew that this lord was rather clever. That was why it was easier to deal with him by not giving him room to maneuver and keeping control of the conversation.

"You can tell me. It’s all just family business, after all. It’s not as if I would harm you over it. By any chance, did Lord Talis visit as well?"

Turan's casual mention of Talis, a powerful figure within Zahar, left a trace of confusion on Alos’s face.

After a brief moment, he spoke in a resigned tone.

“…Yes.”

Alos admitted that he had succumbed to the pressure of the House Zahar and had revealed everything he knew.

From the investigation into Turan’s parents to his participation in the Dark Elf subjugation alongside the Aravion nobles, and even his demands to maintain stable governance during negotiations.

‘I see. So that’s why they’re ruling the city properly.’

If Turan had an attachment to Kalamaf, Zahar ruining it would only turn him into their enemy.

Thus, their plan was likely to maintain the city in a reasonable state while stealing his reputation, provoking him into an outburst, and then subduing him once he came charging in.

"Do the other noble houses know that Zahar is in control of Kalamaf?"

"They do not. Zahar ordered strict security measures to keep it hidden. They said it would be troublesome if Aravion found out..."

"And the noble impersonating me, who is he?"

"I don’t know that either. I only heard that someone was pretending to be you."

Well, it was clear that they did not care much about Alos. That much was evident from the mansion’s lack of security.

Even though they knew there was a good chance Turan would come seeking revenge on him, they left him completely vulnerable.

After listening to Alos’s full account, Turan spoke in a low voice.

"That’s enough. Now, deliver this message to Zahar. If they continue governing properly as they are now, I will forgive the impersonation."

"...Pardon?"

Alos’s eyes widened in shock.

Turan, who had just realized he was being pursued, was now asking him to inform Zahar of his visit, and on top of that, the message was that he would ‘forgive’ them?

Was this not an outright provocation?

Before Alos could react further, Turan continued.

"Pass on another message as well. Judging by this little stunt, it seems they want to recruit me into the family. But if I hear that they neglect Kalamaf’s governance or intentionally cause harm after receiving my words, I’ll do the same thing to Zahar’s vassal houses in the Enril Desert."

"No, that’s practically-"

"Yes. It’s a threat."

At Turan’s utterly confident declaration, Alos was at a loss for words.

Threatening the great House Zahar, the most insidious, ruthless, and relentless of all the great noble houses?

Even the nobles of Aravion, who were already at complete odds with them, would never say such a thing so lightly.

No, even Aravion’s nobles avoided provoking Zahar unnecessarily.

"Zahar, of all people, should understand best. What happens when an enemy noble of Zahar wanders the desert, making trouble while avoiding direct confrontation?"

"Well… that is true."

Just the fact that Turan was meeting Alos alone now made it clear how terrifying that could be.

Nowadays, Aravion nobles roamed freely since the war had ended, but during the war, they could not even leave their own estates, let alone go on a pilgrimage.

"In return, if they rule Kalamaf properly, I’ll pay them a visit in due time. Perhaps in ten, maybe fifty years. That’s what you should tell them."

"Do you think they will accept that?"

"If they don't accept it, sad things will happen to both sides."

Watching Turan’s calm expression as he spoke, Alos instinctively realized.

Turan truly meant what he said, if they failed to govern Kalamaf properly, he would have no hesitation in raiding Zahar’s lands, just as he had threatened.

From experience, Alos knew that the expression and tone Turan used were not those of someone bluffing.

After making his declaration, Turan finally took out an earring from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"What is this?"

"It grants the wearer a minor resistance to fire. I happened to come across it during my travels."

"Why are you giving this to me…?"

"Because you tried to uphold your contract, but my family’s pressure forced things to go wrong."

Hearing Turan refer to it as a token of compensation for the lost city, Alos looked at him, seemingly unsure how to respond. After a brief hesitation, he took the earring and put it on.

For the head of an ordinary noble house like him, even possessing a single magic artifact was valuable.

"I will accept it with gratitude."

"No, if anything, I should apologize for not being able to offer more. I’ll see you again sometime."

The moment Turan finished speaking, his seated figure vanished without a trace, as if erased from existence.

Alos stared blankly at the empty seat before him, then let out a quiet chuckle.

Though he was the head of a noble house, in the face of a great house, he could not help but feel just how small he truly was.