Chapter 131

The mountain range located in the northwestern part of the Gray Zone was notorious for its rugged terrain, and for the most part, there were no roads fit for human passage.

Because of this, it took Turan’s group a full five days to descend near Kalamaf.

Even that would have been impossible had Bije not transported dozens of people at a time using a large net.

Moreover, the dwarves who occasionally targeted them during the descent were also a problem.

The ones that Turan and the Aravion army had previously subdued were only a faction of the dwarves.

Even now, several dwarf hideouts remained scattered across remote corners of this Gray Zone mountain range where humans did not reside. Creatures crawling out of those places would catch the scent of humans and charge in search of meat.

Of course, what awaited them was the powerful restraint of the wizards.

Turan, Meisa, and Solif were a given, but even the wizards from House Berk were no pushovers.

Their physical capabilities were so superior that knights found it hard to handle them one-on-one, but the knights were adept at fighting as a unit and, though individually weak, possessed many useful magic artifacts.

“This place really doesn’t seem fit for people to live in, contrary to what I heard.”

“It’ll get better once we go further down. I had cleaned up this area once before... looks like they’re starting to show up again lately.”

Haram grumbled as he wiped the blood of a dwarf from his sword, and Turan responded with a sheepish smile.

But just for a moment, his eyes, fixed on the distant southern city of Kalamaf, glinted coldly.

‘No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t feel like proper management.’

About a year ago, Turan had infiltrated House Carmine in secret and passed through Kalamaf on the way out.

There, he discovered that someone from House Zahar was impersonating his identity to govern the city and left an indirect warning.

'If I need you, I’ll come find you later. In the meantime, take good care of the city. If you neglect it, I’ll retaliate.’

He had expected such a warning to last at least a decade, but judging by how things looked now, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Even though they were now in the outskirts of Kalamaf, the fact that dwarves had come down this far meant the city was not being properly managed.

Moreover, the farms and ranches beginning to appear along the outskirts of Kalamaf looked more dilapidated and shabby than before, and the expressions of the passersby clearly showed signs of caution.

If the shepherd had properly taken care of his flock, there would be no reason for them to react so nervously.

Turan didn’t know who was currently in charge there, but it seemed a serious conversation was in order.

After exchanging a few more idle words with Haram, Turan turned his gaze toward Meisa and Solif.

The two of them were walking with their eyes closed in meditation.

When one’s mastery of mental discipline deepened, it became possible to remain calm and observe one's inner self while still reacting to external stimuli.

Of course, it was more of a reflexive level of response rather than a complete one.

Upon opening his spiritual vision, Turan could clearly see what they were training.

‘Hmm...’

They were practicing drawing out a kind of incarnation from their spiritual body, specifically from the inner part of their heads.

It was the same kind of technique Turan had used not long ago when he subdued Cadrum by drawing out his own spiritual body.

However, it seemed they were not yet able to fully achieve it; the spiritual bodies of the two merely wavered inside their heads and failed to emerge properly.

Compared to how Turan had been able to draw his out shortly after reaching that stage, their progress was slow.

From experience through prior learning, it was known that to form combinations of symbols, one first had to master this spiritual transformation.

'It seems like this is helping.'

Turan glanced down at the Mimic Relic hanging from his chest.

With the power of the Nagin Bloodline contained within it, and while having the Ruler and Tamer Bloodlines activated, his spiritual abilities had significantly improved.

The rapid progress was likely due in large part to that.

However, unlike before when he could share his magic power with others, now that it had been enhanced once through the power of the Great Sea Serpent, only he could fully enjoy that strength.

In the end, this too was a problem that time would solve.

It was just that he had no certainty there would be enough time ahead.

“Uh...”

Just then, a farmer heading toward Kalamaf rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he saw Turan's group.

He seemed to have recognized Turan, but Turan passed by quietly without acknowledging him.

When the retainers of House Berk followed behind, the farmer wore a hesitant expression but did not dare to speak.

Scenes like this became more frequent as Turan's group drew closer to the city.

Naturally, by the time they arrived at the city gates, a considerable number of people had gathered around the procession.

"I-I pay my respects to the protector of Kalamaf!"

“Mm.”

The guard at the gate, startled at the sight of Turan, dropped to his knees and greeted him.

His stunned expression seemed to say, “Why are you coming in from outside?”

Of course, this reaction was likely also due to the sudden disappearance of the mask that the impostor had worn for over a year.

“I’ll be entering. That won’t be a problem, will it?”

“N-No, of course not...”

His hesitant tone and expression clearly showed that he wanted to ask who all the people following Turan were.

Judging by their appearance and attire, it was obvious at a glance that they were not ordinary folk.

But a mere guard could not possibly dare to question the ruler of the city.

Passing by the politely stepping-aside guard, Turan's group headed straight toward the central building of the city.

Was it that the rumors began to spread?

Several knights of House Zahar, stationed at the City Hall and the lord’s manor, came rushing over in a panic.

Turan projected his magic power, restricted to a high noble level, toward them.

Naturally, to mere knights, even that level of power was akin to the gods of the heavens exerting their might directly.

“We greet Lord Turan.”

“I wish to see my representative.”

“We shall summon him immediately.”

The knights of House Zahar displayed courteous behavior as they would to one of their own nobles.

Whether or not they knew of Turan’s bloodline, a wizard who had reached this level was an object of reverence regardless.

A moment later, the fake Turan wearing the gray mask emerged from the mansion, and the people watching from behind gasped.

It was now unmistakably clear that the masked Turan who had been ruling Kalamaf was an impostor.

When Turan projected his magic power at him as well, his previously stiff shoulders visibly dropped in an instant.

“...You have returned.”

“I will reclaim my position. Step aside.”

Turan replied softly as he scanned the area with the sense of the Sacred Relic.

Unlike before, the impostor who had been impersonating him was merely a mid-level noble, and the rest were all knights.

Even their number was not very large.

From this, one could infer that the disorder around Kalamaf was more likely due to a shortage of manpower rather than negligence.

It seemed to be the result of having redirected personnel who were originally prepared to capture Turan.

“I understand that you once made a promise, but...”

“First, vacate the mansion and bring someone capable of negotiation from your side. We’ll talk properly then.”

With a tone that implied, “You are not even worth having a serious conversation with”, Turan thoroughly crushed the opponent with an overbearing attitude.

In response, the noble of House Zahar bowed deeply and replied instead of retorting.

“I will report directly to the main house. Would you like us to leave the knights behind?”

“Send them all back. We already have enough people here to assign to tasks.”

With seventy-five knights of House Berk who had relocated with him this time, there was no shortage of manpower to manage a city.

In the past, it had been enough for Turan alone to work diligently to bring order.

Therefore, it was better not to have the knights of House Zahar, who were more likely to act as spies.

“Ah, one more thing.”

“Please speak.”

“Send back all the spies in Kalamaf too. I’ll overlook it for about a month, considering the time it takes for orders to be delivered since we’ll also be making some unfortunate announcements soon. But after that, I’ll execute every one of them I catch.”

At Turan’s words, the noble of House Zahar remained silent for a long while before finally nodding and replying that he understood.

Perhaps the final warning had sounded sufficiently threatening, because the wizards of House Zahar hurriedly left the mansion without even properly packing their belongings.

Judging from their direction, they appeared to be heading southeast, toward the Enril Desert.

“That ended more anticlimactically than I expected.”

As she watched the retreating figures disappear into the distance, Meisa quietly approached Turan and spoke.

“Why, were you hoping for a fight?”

“No. I just didn’t expect them to withdraw so meekly. I guess I have some preconceptions when it comes to the Zahars.”

The Zahars of the Enril Desert were known for being tenacious, brutal, and merciless.

Though it was a widely held prejudice, based on the several members Turan had encountered over time, it wasn’t something to be dismissed lightly.

In fact, the reason he had crushed the noble of House Zahar earlier without any courtesy was because he had calculated that being overly polite would only make him seem laughable.

“Well, even Zahar wizards are still human in the end. They know the value of their lives.”

Had Turan displayed strength consistent with what they expected of a high-level opponent, it might have been different. But he had revealed power of the highest rank, and so they hadn’t dared resist.

To challenge him would have required someone on the level of a Zahar heir of, whom two were already dead, or an elder.

Their conversation was brief. Then, Turan suddenly burst into a harsh cough from the pain in his chest.

Meisa quickly brought out a handkerchief to cover his mouth.

“Are you okay?”

“S-Somehow... ugh...”

A red tinge stained the handkerchief.

After being struck in the chest by Ymir’s axe, even though he had been treated, a wound remained on his lung.

“We need to get you treated quickly.”

“It can’t be helped. I’ll go after I settle things with Zahar. Or maybe we could invite Lady Rida here.”

Since the wound wasn’t as severe as Meisa’s had been, it was likely unnecessary for Osel, the Head of House Lavitas, to treat him personally.

Despite the stabbing pain in his chest, Turan smiled faintly at the sight of Meisa gently wiping his mouth.

*

The first thing to be done after settling into their new home was internal reorganization.

Following Midella’s directions, the retainers of House Berk filled the somewhat bare mansion with furnishings they had brought, and added to the arrangement of light spheres.

So determined were they to prevent even the slightest infiltration by a Zahar noble that light spheres were attached to the walls and ceilings, flooding each bedroom with light.

Meanwhile, Turan sent someone to City Hall to summon the civil servants.

Several familiar faces came running and fell to their knees before Turan.

“Oh, Lord Turan!”

“You’ve returned!”

Judging by their weeping appearances, they too seemed to have known about Turan's absence.

Of course, while commoners might have been oblivious, educated people like these could hardly have missed the situation.

“Now that I think of it, what happened to Daruk?”

“He passed away last spring. He caught pneumonia and... didn’t make it...”

“I see...”

At the news of Daruk’s death, the old man who had once assisted him and eventually rose to become mayor, Turan’s expression darkened.

He could still clearly picture the old man’s face as he had seen him off when leaving Kalamaf.

Now that he thought of it, Daruk hadn’t been present during his last visit either.

He had assumed he was on leave or had retired due to age and hadn’t made an effort to find him...

“I’ll visit his grave once everything is in order. Is he in the city cemetery?”

“Yes. His family has a private mausoleum. I’m sure everyone would be delighted if the protector paid his respects.”

Truly, the sheep perished so easily.

Just like his mother had.

Tasting bitterness in his mouth, Turan consoled the familiar few by calling their names.

Realizing that their returned ruler remembered them, they were visibly overwhelmed with emotion.

“You’ve all worked hard. First, I’ll introduce the people I brought with me. Let’s coordinate efforts and get the city back in order. From what I saw outside, things don’t look so good.”

“Understood!”

Fortunately, Turan didn’t need to run around by himself like before to reorganize the city of Kalamaf.

After all, not only did he have two companions of equal power at his side, but an entire noble house had relocated here as well.

Thanks to Midella, who had managed a city herself as a family head, and the retainers who had worked under her, they were able to grasp the current state of the city quite quickly.

Upon receiving the report, Turan frowned.

“It’s worse than I expected.”

"We apologize."

“It’s fine. It’s not your fault.”

According to the report, not only had the number of threatening magical beasts around Kalamaf increased significantly compared to before, but there were also a few reported incidents believed to be caused by dwarves.

The Zahar noble whom Turan had just driven out had used the excuse of protecting the city to avoid actively subjugating these threats.

‘I should’ve sent him off with one arm cut off.’

Turan inwardly thought that perhaps the man had fled so quickly because he realized his negligence was about to be exposed, and he recalled the hidden traits of the man.

In any case, now that the problems were identified, they had to be dealt with.

Knights who were free of duties were immediately dispatched to subjugate the nearby magical beasts.

Naturally, Solif and Meisa also stepped up, but they firmly insisted that Turan remain behind at the mansion.

“I still think it would be more efficient if I worked too-”

“Efficient? Says the guy with bad lung. Just sit quietly and rest.”

“It won’t take long. Besides, we have Bije, don’t we?”

At Meisa’s remark, Bije gracefully spread her wings.

Just as she said, this powerful golden eagle could now handle the majority of tasks Turan would have taken on himself.

While the knights of House Berk joined forces to subjugate the lesser magical beasts around the city, Bije flew at incredible speed across the skies, using Tracking Magic to detect and hunt down beasts one after another.

[Kyaaak-!]

A tiger whose hide was ablaze with fire roared toward the sky, only to be reduced to ash in a single strike of lightning that thundered down.

Elsewhere, a bear attempting to flee was clawed across the back, spilling blood.

Meisa and Solif also used the magical beast hunt as an opportunity to train.

While they weren’t on Zahar’s level, they were capable of using weak forms of Tracking Magic, and used this skill to help clear the surrounding area.

While everyone worked diligently, Turan, who had been semi-forcibly ordered to rest at the mansion, couldn’t sit idle and focused on what he could do.

That was interrogating Cadrum, who had been sealed within the Jewel Box.

“Good day, Elder.”

“You must be here for that one again, aren’t you?”

As the Librarian popped out upon opening the Jewel Box, it snorted and spoke.

Since Turan had made a few attempts during their mountain-crossing days, the Librarian already knew what he was planning.

“I know it’s not a pretty sight, but you might notice something I’ve missed. Please help me.”

“Just because you speak politely doesn’t mean a command becomes a request. Well, fine. Let’s begin.”

Though the Librarian was clearly displeased, it didn’t go against Turan’s request.

A moment later, Turan exited his body in spiritual form and entered the Jewel Box.

‘Now then...’

The inside of the Jewel Box was divided into various spaces that Turan had constructed himself.

After briefly glancing at the “Library” where the Librarian typically resided, Turan passed through two storage rooms and moved into the “Prison” sector.

This prison was the most desolate one Turan had ever seen in his life, it resembled the underground dungeon of the pirate fortress where Solif had once been confined.

Inside one of the iron-barred cells, Cadrum’s spiritual body was lying completely still.

“Cadrum.”

To be honest, calling that thing Cadrum was a bit ambiguous.

In its spiritual form, that unidentified god’s face looked nothing like Cadrum had in life.

If he had been an ordinary human, he would probably look just under thirty, a face that gave off a similar impression to those from the Varaha region or the Grassy Plains.

Like Turan, he had antlers on his head, wings on his back, ears that resembled fish fins, and swirling patterns engraved on the backs of his hands.

“Still not willing to speak?”

Cadrum didn’t respond to Turan’s question.

Ever since being imprisoned here, no matter what means had been used, he had simply remained in that dazed state with vacant eyes.

Even after Turan employed various torture methods he had learned through Reto, Cadrum showed no reaction whatsoever.

It seemed he had used some kind of spiritual technique Turan didn’t understand to block out his senses entirely.

‘It’s a shame to just get rid of him. Not that I’m even certain I could.’

In truth, destroying a spiritual body wasn’t as simple as it sounded.

Was it not written in the basics of the Soul Magic Book that the soul is immortal and one's true self?

If he were to crudely tear it apart, it would likely become a fragmented soul like those stored in the warehouse now. If some force then drew that soul back to Aravion’s base, it might even be restored.

Therefore, the only thing Turan could do was to take this opportunity to train in Soul Magic, learn how to control Cadrum’s soul and extract what he desired from it.

To begin today’s training, Turan gently lifted one of Cadrum’s claws as he lay motionless.