Chapter 151.2

[This world is fake?]

[Yes. Well, to be precise, it is not exactly fake... perhaps a created world? A world that was overlaid onto something else? Maybe that would be a better way to describe it.]

At Reshion's words, Turan frowned.

A fake world? What kind of incomprehensible nonsense was that?

[Head of House Parsha. Have you ever thought about this? How can grasslands and wastelands, deserts and swamps coexist side by side within barely ten meters of boundary, or how is it that even at the same latitude one area is a bountiful plain while another is a frozen tundra? Does it not seem strange?]

[Not at all.]

Isn't it natural that as you walk, a desert suddenly becomes a swamp? Isn't that just how the world is shaped?

And what does a region's latitude have to do with its climate?

At Turan's words, though Reshion's expression could not be seen, he seemed to speak with a tone that hinted at a bitter smile.

[Of course, you would think that way. Having been born and raised in this world, you have never seen a normal world. It is hard to explain, but the normal world is not like this. Maybe the reason scientific achievements are hard to come by here is that the world itself does not operate by scientific principles.]

While explaining such hard-to-understand things, Reshion eventually shared more with Turan.

About worlds built upon scientific civilizations, about a special entertainment called 'games', and about the worldviews that existed within them.

[To add, this world itself is not the exact game world we used to enjoy. The terrain seems to have been transplanted, but there were no different races, magical beasts, or beings like your wizards.]

Strictly speaking, while the world was overlaid, the living creatures might still be true, but by that point, the conversation had drifted into an excessively academic domain.

Questions like whether what is seen is truth, and what standards can discern true existence.

Turan was not someone who particularly enjoyed pondering such scholarly discussions.

For him, truth was simply what he could feel through his five senses and spiritual perception combined with his intuition.

[Honestly, what I am most curious about right now, Head of House Parsha, is you. There have been times when the natives of this world raised the banner of rebellion against us, but there was never anyone like you, with such certain and powerful strength. And on top of that, you naturally lack the leash.]

[Are you suggesting I am not human?]

At Turan's question, Reshion’s jewel-like eyes curved round.

Although it was hard to tell, it seemed like he was smiling slyly.

[It is not for us to decide that. Anyway, it would not be bad for you to figure that out yourself. In our world, there are sayings like 'Know yourself' and 'If you know yourself and know your enemy, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles'.......]

"My lord, are you sleeping?"

A woman's voice called him, awakening him from his deep thoughts.

Turan blinked several times, only then realizing he was in the middle of a meal.

As his consciousness, which had momentarily sunk, returned, he remembered he had returned to Kalamaf the night before and had hosted a banquet to announce his well-being to the people of the estate.

Perhaps because he had been zoning out, the people who had been paying attention to him resumed eating and chatting cheerfully.

"I was just lost in thought."

"I see. About what I asked earlier, do you happen to know where Mr. Solif went? We were supposed to finish a puzzle together......."

Turan subtly frowned at the chatter of Berit Zahar, his sixth cousin and the hostage-cum-spy from House Zahar.

At that, her babbling mouth shut tight in an instant.

"He had some work to do and was dispatched temporarily. Where he went is confidential within the house, so I cannot tell you."

"Ah, I see......."

Normally, seeing someone cling so desperately might stir a bit of sympathy in most people, but Turan felt not even a shred of it for her sullen expression.

Because behind that tearful face, there was overflowing hostility toward Turan for not yielding easily, along with a fierce determination to dig into the secrets no matter what.

Before long, Berit switched her target to Meisa and started acting coy again.

"Big sis, could you please tell me? Pretty please!"

"No. And why am I your big sis?"

"The stronger one is the big sis, right? Is age that important?"

It was quite the spectacle to see Berit, who was already over thirty years old, calling the younger Meisa "big sis" with such affected sweetness, prompting a few onlookers to click their tongues in disbelief at her lack of pride.

Of course, since both were high nobles, there was not much visible age difference between them.

While Meisa looked a little troubled by Berit clinging to her, Bije, who had been eating next to Turan, suddenly flew over, snapped her beak with a sharp click, and threatened Berit.

-Do not bother Meisa!

Of course, only Turan could hear Bije’s voice, but even just from her attitude, the meaning was clear enough that Berit screamed and quickly backed away.

Those around burst into laughter at the scene.

After the banquet ended, Turan took a walk in the garden around the mansion with Meisa, chatting quietly.

"How’s your head? You have not had any pain since that day, right?"

"I am fine. I did not expect that to be the first thing you asked."

"Then what?"

"I thought you would ask first about the family situation or the surrounding circumstances."

"I already asked Ashiz about that yesterday. More importantly, your condition matters more."

At the sudden and straightforward words, Meisa blinked her eyes wide for a moment, then smiled softly and shook her head.

"How about Solif?"

"He seems to be managing fairly well. Since he was originally the heir, he had already learned some methods of governance, and with the backing of two great houses, he has enough control over the vassals too."

More importantly, many of the loyalists who had actively supported the former family head were wiped out during the last battle.

On top of that, Turan mentioned that in the past, Reshion had once tried to forcibly detain and execute the runaway Solif.

Even if the family head was absolute and the heir was supposed to obey, executing him just for running away was an excessive act.

Naturally, the remnants of Varaha's forces furiously cried slander and conspiracy, but it had spread that a few of the high nobles, who had been part of the pursuit squad in the past, had secretly leaked such stories to those around them.

It seemed that, being human after all, they could not completely keep their mouths shut about the shocking fact that Solif had all his rights stripped away and was to be returned as a prisoner.

Thanks to this, a subtle atmosphere was forming where Solif’s ascension was seen not as a "terrible act of betrayal" but as "an unavoidable act of self-defense".

Of course, since there was no definitive proof, it remained a rather ambiguous justification, but even a flimsy excuse like this was necessary to legitimize governance.

"I hope things get back to normal quickly. That way, the dispatched troops can also return."

"It will probably take about half a year."

After chatting while walking around the garden, the two entered a bedroom located deep within the main house.

It was to carry out a secret task that must not be seen by others.

"Ah, I really hate this......."

"But we still have to do it. If you do not want to go through something like what happened again. No, it might even be worse."

As could be seen from Reshion alone, a few among the former Preah gods possessed spiritual bodies even stronger than Turan’s current one.

To restrain and handle such beings, the help of Meisa and Solif was absolutely necessary.

"I know, I was just saying."

After letting out a deep sigh, Meisa lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

Before long, her spiritual body, revealing the symbols of the three bloodlines, appeared.

[To give you some consolation, with the method I learned this time, I should be able to pull them out faster. If we do it every day, it probably won't even take three days.]

[Does it hurt less that way?]

At Meisa’s somewhat fearful question, Turan shook his head with a sympathetic expression.

[Solif said he would prefer we use the old method even if it is a bit slower.]

Moments later, a spiritual scream, inaudible to human ears, spread beyond the room.