Chapter 80

Upon hearing that the head of House Lavitas was coming, the two of them also looked down the mountain with tense expressions, just as Turan had earlier.

It was Meisa who spoke first.

“If it's the head of a great noble house, could it be...?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but…”

The only answer Turan could give to the suspicion that some god might have possessed the person was that.

Considering that Rida had been actively searching for the whereabouts of the white elves, it seemed that their house did not have the ability to manipulate souls. However, the possibility that they had used other methods had to be taken into account.

Upon hearing this, Solif muttered with a hint of dread.

“...Should we run?”

“We haven't done anything wrong, so why would we? Running away would only make us look more suspicious.”

If the wizard presumed to be the head of House Lavitas were overwhelmingly powerful like the head of House Aravion, they would have fled for safety. Fortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case.

Even if the three of them couldn’t win in a fight, they could certainly escape if they worked together.

Besides, wasn’t the bloodline ability of Lavitas more suited for survival rather than combat?

It seemed wiser to take some risks here and try to gather information.

While the three of them recovered the magic power they had expended during their practice, the two nobles climbing up the mountain met with Aikul and exchanged some words.

Judging by the way Aikul pointed in their direction, he was likely informing them that there were visitors on the mountain.

A short while later, when Rida arrived at their location, Turan was startled by the appearance of the person beside her.

The individual possessing such immense magic power was a boy who appeared to be, at most, sixteen years old, with a delicate and refined appearance.

Similarly, Rida, who had noticed their presence, waved at Turan and called out.

“Well, if it isn’t Turan!”

“It has been a while, Rida-nim.”

“What do you mean a while? It’s only been three or four months at most. For someone like me, that’s as close as last night!”

Rida still spoke like an old woman despite having a youthful face and voice, which was not easy to get used to.

At that moment, the boy beside her gave a small cough as if to remind her not to forget about him.

“Ahem.”

“Now that I think about it, this is your first meeting. This here is Turan, let’s see... where was it again...?”

“I’m from Kalamaf.”

“Ah, that’s right! My memory isn't what it used to be now that I’m old. This is Turan from the northeastern city of Kalamaf. Hmm, a wandering noble, wasn’t it? And this here is Osel Lavitas, my cousin.”

“Turan.”

“Hmm.”

As Turan greeted him nonchalantly, pretending not to know his identity, Osel, who was maintaining a dignified expression, frowned slightly and gave a small nod when Rida nudged his side.

It seemed they were also trying to hide the fact that the boy was the head of House Lavitas.

As the distance between them closed, Turan immediately heightened his sensitivity to sacred relics and confirmed the emblems residing within their bodies.

A pair of clasped silver hands and a staff entwined with two white serpents.

The symbols of the Purifier Bloodline and the Healer Bloodline, respectively.

‘The head of House Lavitas doesn’t have a third bloodline...’

Seeing this, Turan was able to relax his shoulders somewhat.

This meant that the boy in front of him was not possessed by some god but was simply an exceptionally powerful wizard.

How he had accumulated such immense magic power despite that was still a mystery, though.

At that moment, Rida glanced at the two people standing behind Turan and asked.

“Now that I look, you’ve gained more friends. Would you introduce them?”

“These two go by Sol and Misha. They’re in similar circumstances to me, and since our goals align, we’ve been traveling together.”

Sol and Misha, those were the aliases the two had decided to use from now on.

Considering the purpose of using an alias, it would have been better to choose names entirely different from their real ones. However, since that often led to delayed responses when being called, they had opted for somewhat similar yet still common names.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“You must be Rida-nim? We’ve heard a lot about you from Turan. You are truly beautiful!”

Unlike Meisa, who simply bowed her head in greeting, Solif shamelessly flattered Rida, acting as if they were already close.

Perhaps finding his smooth talk amusing, Rida laughed heartily and waved a hand dismissively.

“There’s nothing to gain from flattering this old woman! But from what I heard from Aikul, you’ve been staying here for a few weeks. Did you come to enjoy the hot springs?”

“Yes. If our presence here is causing any inconvenience, we’ll leave immediately.”

“That’s not it! Since it’s a gift from nature, whoever uses it owns it. However…”

For some reason, Rida looked at them with a slightly worried expression.

“Do you have a purification magic artifact?”

“No, we don’t…”

“If you plan to keep using the hot springs, you should each get one. As you know, the hot springs here are often used by monkeys, and those creatures have a nasty habit of relieving themselves while soaking in the water. We don’t get sick from it, but still, it’s unsettling, isn’t it?”

Turan and his group froze like ice when Rida casually added that she always used purification magic before entering the hot springs.

After shocking them all with this unsettling truth, Rida glanced at Meisa’s face and suddenly seemed to realize something.

“Come to think of it, you were looking for sulfur because you needed an antidote, weren’t you? That young lady certainly doesn’t look very healthy. But didn’t you say she was a noble?”

Over the past few days, Meisa had been steadily fed meals, and her weight had increased by nearly half. However, by normal standards, she was still terrifyingly underweight.

Of course, the fact that she had progressed from looking like a walking corpse to merely appearing as a sickly young lady was already a significant improvement.

Since it would be troublesome if they insisted on treating her, Turan cleared his throat lightly and changed the subject.

“The sulfur isn’t for Me-Misha. She’s just a bit thin. More importantly, did you and your younger brother come here to enjoy the hot springs?”

“That’s right! I’ve been ridiculously busy these past few months, so I was in desperate need of a break. Besides, my brother grew up practically confined to the main house since childhood and rarely had a chance to go out. I thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce him to Aikul as well.”

“Speaking of which, how old is your brother? He looks quite young on the outside…”

At Turan’s words, the boy presumed to be the head of the house, Osel, briefly showed a look of displeasure.

It seemed he didn’t like being told he looked young.

At that moment, Rida grabbed both of Osel’s cheeks and stretched them.

“Oh, don’t frown like that. If you keep scowling, you’ll get wrinkles.”

“I wish I would, sister. My face already lacks any dignity as it is.”

Osel mumbled with his cheeks still being pulled.

The scene was so much like that of an older sister teasing her much younger brother that it was hard to imagine he was possessed by some god.

After a moment, Osel rubbed his cheeks where they had been pinched and then spoke to Turan’s group in an arrogant tone.

“I turned one hundred and thirty-two this year. I may look like this, but to everyone here, I’m old enough to be your father, so speak to me comfortably.”

One hundred and thirty-two years old. That was thrice the age of Solif, the eldest among them.

Yet, compared to Rida, he was still incredibly young.

Perhaps the claim of being cousins was a lie, or maybe there had been a significant age gap in their parents’ generation.

After revealing his age, Osel seemed to lose interest and began conversing with Aikul.

Thanks to that, Turan was finally able to ask Rida the question he had been contemplating.

“By the way, has anything unusual happened near Siraf Wetland recently? I heard the South Sea was quite noisy not long ago.”

What Turan wanted to know was how House Varaha was searching for Solif.

Considering that Solif had last been seen in the South Sea, it was reasonable to suspect that House Lavitas might also be on their list of potential hiding places.

“Well? Was there anything unusual? Ah, come to think of it, someone from House Varaha in the east did visit recently.”

To Turan’s surprise, Rida mentioned exactly the information he had been hoping for, as if she had been waiting for him to ask.

Seeing Solif visibly flinch, Meisa discreetly nudged his side to calm him down.

“What business did they have coming from such a distant place?”

“It seems that the heir of the great noble house betrayed their family and fled. Since there’s a high chance they’re hiding somewhere in the South Sea archipelago, a bounty has been issued to all noble houses bordering those waters. However, they must not be killed, capturing them alive is essential so their magic power can be absorbed.”

“Not just killing, but capturing alive? That’s an impossible task for most noble houses.”

Even the nobles from House Varaha who had come after Solif possessed enough power to easily wipe out several lesser noble houses.

At the very least, it would take more than a dozen houses working together just to kill him.

Even then, they would most likely be picked off one by one.

“In exchange, anyone who simply reports the location will be rewarded with an advanced magic artifact. And if they successfully capture and deliver him, they will receive nothing less than a sacred relic as a reward. It seems they’re even targeting the great noble houses. Are you not interested?”

“Not particularly… Do they have a portrait or anything like that?”

“I did receive one, but I haven’t looked at it. If you need it, I can get it for you.”

“No, I was just curious.”

As Turan responded, he glanced at Solif.

He had assumed that House Varaha would pursue him discreetly, contacting only a few select great noble houses in secret. However, it seemed they had issued an outright public bounty.

With things like this, it would be difficult for Solif to show his real face in any region near the South Sea.

‘Should I let him use the mask for the time being?’

This would prevent people from reading his bloodline, but that was a problem that could be managed by briefly removing the mask when necessary.

As he was considering this, a thought suddenly crossed Turan’s mind, prompting him to ask another question.

“By any chance, is there any mention of me?”

“You? Did you do something?”

“Well, I did wipe out a pirate crew in the South Sea.”

Considering that the pirate crew had actually been a disguised faction of House Varaha, there was a significant chance that they had figured out Turan was the one who had rescued Solif.

However, upon hearing this, Rida chuckled in disbelief and shook her head.

“There are so many pirates in the South Sea! That kind of rumor wouldn’t even reach us. That’s something for the lower ranks to deal with.”

“I see.”

In other words, House Varaha had only put a bounty on Solif, not Turan.

‘Did they just dismiss me as an insignificant bystander unrelated to Solif? If so, that works in my favor…’

After all, the only person who truly knew how powerful Turan was would be Tasan of the Red Whale Pirates.

As long as he kept quiet, House Varaha would likely assume that Turan was just another wandering noble, and that the capture squad’s failure to apprehend Solif was merely an unfortunate coincidence.

Of course, the full details could only be uncovered by investigating House Varaha’s main estate. However, just knowing that he wasn’t on their wanted list was already a significant gain.

‘Speaking of which, I should visit the Red Whale Pirates later. I need to check whether the people on that island have been properly sent back.’

The route would be a bit inconvenient, but it might be a good idea to visit after stopping by the library.

*

After conversing a little longer, Turan informed Rida and Osel that they would be taking their leave.

Since the two of them planned to stay near the hot springs for the time being, it would be troublesome if they happened to come across a wanted poster with Solif’s face on it.

Rida seemed somewhat displeased, as if she felt they were chasing Turan’s group away, but Osel looked quite pleased to see the uninvited guests leaving.

Regardless, this meeting had led to an important realization.

It was highly likely that House Lavitas was not under the influence of a divine being.

Instead of immediately flying on Bije, Turan’s group moved northwest on foot through the Siraf Wetland, dedicating themselves once again to magic training and health recovery.

Once Turan judged that Meisa had gained enough weight, he moved on to the second phase of her recovery plan.

“Come on, push harder!”

“Aaahhh-!”

At Turan’s command, Meisa let out a scream, her face flushing red as she struggled to push with her legs.

What she was doing was none other than the physical training method that Turan himself had once endured under Haram.

It was a regimen that incorporated elements of the techniques Solif had learned from House Varaha, and for this training, Turan and Solif played the role of training equipment.

One of them supported her back while the other firmly pressed down on her legs to provide resistance.

As the exhausted Meisa gasped for breath, Turan gave a stern order, just as Haram had once done to him.

“It’s not time to rest yet. One more time!”

“I’m really exhausted…”

“It’s when you’re truly exhausted that one more rep makes a difference. Now, hurry!”

“Aaaaaaah-!”

Just as it had been for Turan in the past, this kind of physical training was absolutely grueling, but its effectiveness was undeniable.

Due to the natural tendency of noble physiques to strive for an ideal form under the influence of magic power, the moment flesh began to build on her previously skeletal frame, it quickly converted into muscle, strengthening her body.

Of course, since her skeletal structure wasn’t particularly thick to begin with, she wouldn’t be able to develop a robust build like Haram or Solif. However, even reaching the physique of an average adult woman would allow her to utilize her considerable magic power to achieve a respectable level of physical ability.

For about three to four weeks, they continued northward, focusing on Meisa’s rehabilitation. Eventually, they emerged from the wetland and entered the vast wilderness.

As they took in the sight of the Western Wilderness, which he hadn’t seen in quite some time, Turan narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke.

“Let’s cross this area in one go. I don’t feel too comfortable here.”

“Right, you did mention fighting an army here once.”

“I did. I left no traces behind… but just in case.”

By now, House Baltas’s side had likely won the war, but the only way to be certain was to check Orem.

Turan’s group boarded the swing harness pulled by Bije and soared over the area, looking down at the ground below.

“The whole area looks pretty empty.”

“But considering the number of people traveling around, the war must be over.”

Since Bije still remembered the way from their last visit to the library, they were able to reach Orem without getting lost.

“Hey, you there! Clean yourself up before coming in!”

“Oh, come on, it’s not that bad…”

“If you don’t want a beating, get lost!”

Watching a merchant bickering with a city guard, Turan let out a small sigh of relief.

The atmosphere in Orem City remained unchanged.

“This place is the same as ever.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Looks like they won the war. It’s always better when the ruler doesn’t change.”

After passing through the city gates without any issues, the three of them headed straight for the palace where the lord resided.

Previously, when it was just Turan alone, he had sneaked in, but that wasn’t an option this time.

Unless they planned on breaking in by force, they needed permission to enter.

“That’s the library?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s incredibly tall…”

It seemed this was Meisa’s first time seeing Orem’s library, and she let out a breath of admiration.

Before long, they arrived at the lord’s estate, and upon spotting the knight guarding the entrance, Turan waved his hand.

“Hey, it’s been a while. Your name was-”

“Oh, my lord! Welcome back!”

Since the knight guarding the entrance was the same one Turan had first encountered at the library, there was no need to reveal any magic power.

Following his guidance, Turan’s group was led inside the lord’s manor, where they soon met the new lord of Orem.

“A pleasure to meet you. Let’s see… Turan, was it? I’ve heard about you from Marvin.”

The new ruler of Orem, Gillon Baltas, was the nephew of the previous lord, Lug, and the older brother of Marvin, with whom Turan had once gone hunting.

He explained that Lug had lost his life near the end of the recent war, leading to his succession.

“My condolences on the passing of the previous lord.”

“Thank you. Your words bring me some comfort.”

Of course, despite his words, there was not even a hint of sorrow on his face.

Turan didn’t bother asking about what had become of Izela, the former lord’s daughter.

Whether she was dead or alive, even showing interest in her could risk displeasing the man before him.

Unlike the former lord, who had granted Turan access to the library with little hesitation under the excuse of hunting monkey-type magical beasts, this one demanded payment in exchange for its use.

It was likely due to the fief’s impoverished state following the war.

Since Turan had more than enough gold and silver, he readily handed over a bundle of gold coins to secure access before heading to the library with the others.

“Welcome, honored guests.”

“Here’s the permit.”

“Confirmed. Please enter.”

Receiving the knight’s polite greeting, Turan stepped inside. The moment the doors closed behind him, he raised his voice and called out to the librarian.

From experience, he knew that sound did not carry outside from within, so there was no need to hold back.

“I’m here, Elder!”

“It seems I can’t see it.”

“Same here. Damn, what a shame. To meet an ancient spirit and not be able to see or hear it…”

As expected, Solif, with his deep interest in ancient stories, seemed particularly disappointed.

Turan shook his head in response to their expectant looks, urging him to make introductions.

“No, I can’t see him either right now. He must have gone upstairs for a moment.”

The librarian was always on the first floor, so perhaps he had found something to research.

Turan’s group waited on the first floor of the library for a few minutes, but the librarian did not appear.

“…Elder?”

Turan’s voice echoed emptily through the vast library.