Chapter 81

After flipping through a few books on the first floor and waiting for another ten minutes, Turan asked the two to step outside the library for a moment.

He wondered if the reason the librarian had not appeared was because of them.

However, even after sending them out, the librarian did not show up.

Turan began to wonder if even he had become unable to see the librarian. Just in case, he requested that if the librarian was present, they should lightly move one or two books, but there was no response.

In other words, the librarian had either disappeared from this library or was at least in a state where they could no longer exert influence or communicate.

The three of them each took a seat on the first floor of the library and pondered the reason.

“Why do you think this happened?”

“Well... if we’re talking about recent major events in the area, the only thing that comes to mind is the war, but I don’t think that would be a reason.”

The library in Orem had stood for thousands of years, and wars had occurred around it several times, with its owners changing countless times.

If such things could affect the existence of a spirit, then it should have disappeared long ago.

“Could it be because of something we said about the gods? Like blasphemy or something?”

“Well, it was created by a god, so maybe... but there was no talk of it disappearing when I last left.”

Since he had rushed out in a hurry after realizing Bije had been kidnapped, he was not entirely sure, but he recalled that when he said he would return, the librarian had simply accepted it.

If so, then the librarian’s sudden disappearance must have been due to an unforeseen event, even for them.

“What if someone made them disappear or captured them?”

“If that’s the case, just being here would already be dangerous. If someone was capable of interacting with the librarian, it would mean they had at least three, maybe even four, bloodline abilities as a wizard...”

Even the former case would mean they were a wizard with potential comparable to the head of a great noble house. If it were the latter, then there was a high chance that it was something possessed by a divine entity.

Either way, they were not an opponent Turan’s group could confront head-on.

“But if someone had that much power, we’d usually be able to sense them beforehand, so there’s no need to worry.”

By now, he had become so accustomed to the senses granted by the Mimic Relic that he ignored the presence of ordinary humans coming and going. However, when it came to powerful wizards, their movements could still be sensed with heightened sensitivity.

In other words, even without concentrating, he could detect the approach of a wizard at the level of a great noble head within a radius of several hundred meters.

As Turan reassured Meisa, he suddenly heard the sound of pages turning and turned to look at Solif, who had been silent for a while.

Solif was now seriously reading a book he had taken from a nearby shelf.

“What are you reading?”

“This? Seems like a philosophy book from about a thousand years ago. It deals with Preah’s faith and human dignity. Have you read it before?”

“No, I’m not really interested in philosophy.”

The books Turan sought out in this library were all ones with practical use.

For example, guides, history books of various noble houses, or travelogues.

Not to mention the information on natural laws that had now vanished and was only known to the librarian.

In contrast, Solif had a strong interest in ancient history and mythology, so it seemed he had come across this book while searching for related topics.

“It says here that humans have inherent rights. The right to survive, prosper, and be happy, these were not granted by the gods but were innate simply because they were human. And under that principle, ordinary people and wizards should be regarded as equals.”

“That’s completely heretical. I’m surprised it hasn’t been burned.”

The belief of Preah’s faith held that wizards, as descendants of the gods, protected and ruled over humans based on their bloodline and power.

This book directly contradicted that doctrine.

Scholars would surely burn it on sight.

It might even be the last surviving copy in the world.

After reading a bit more, Solif seemed to lose interest and returned the book to its original place on the shelf.

“I don’t usually enjoy reading, but this place is pretty nice. It would’ve been great if there were a place like this in the East.”

“There aren’t any places like this in the East?”

“There are some ruins from the old empire, but no libraries like this. The only thing I can recall is an arena where you could fight and even if you died, you’d come back to life once a day.”

As they continued their casual conversation, Turan realized that the discussion had drifted off-topic. He turned back to Meisa, intending to resume deducing the whereabouts of the librarian.

However, like Solif earlier, she had also picked up a book and was engrossed in reading.

“Meisa?”

“Huh? Oh, I just grabbed it because it caught my eye for a moment.”

At Turan’s call, Meisa hastily closed the book, looking somewhat embarrassed for some reason.

The title engraved on the cover read ‘The Noble of the Night and the Mistress’, suggesting it was likely a romance novel.

It seemed she, too, had grown tired of discussing endless hypotheses with no clear answer.

“…Well, it’s not like we’ll figure anything out just by talking amongst ourselves. Let’s ask later if anyone else has used the library before us.”

With that conclusion, Turan also opened a magical beast guide and pulled Bije, who had been curled up and dozing on the desk, closer to read together.

*

After dedicating themselves to reading until early evening, the three of them, along with a golden eagle, returned to the House Baltas’s estate.

A banquet was planned for the evening to commemorate their visit, and Turan intended to use the drinks and atmosphere to subtly ask the lord if anyone had recently used the library.

As he was being attended to in the bathhouse, Turan recalled how, in the past, the maids had burst into tears when he refused their service.

Back then, being waited on by others had felt strange and awkward. But at some point, he had grown comfortable with acting like a noble.

After combing his hair for the first time in a while and donning clothes embroidered with golden thread, Turan left Bije to rest in their quarters and headed for the banquet hall.

Before long, he encountered Solif, who had also dressed up.

His short silver hair was slicked back with oil, and as he looked at Turan, he smirked with a pleased expression.

“See? When you put in the effort, you’re quite handsome, not as much as me, of course, but still! Have some confidence, my friend.”

“…If you say so.”

As always, Turan found Solif’s self-adoration bizarre.

Was this also a result of the personality shaping of the House Varaha, or was he simply born that way?

While they were seated in a corner of the banquet hall, engaged in light conversation, Turan’s relic-sensing ability informed him that Meisa was approaching from behind.

Turning his head, Turan widened his eyes at the sight of her.

A moment later, Solif also turned and, seeing her, displayed a similarly surprised expression. Noticing their stares, Meisa flinched slightly, awkwardly running a hand through her hair as she asked,

“…Why? Do I look strange?”

“No, not at all. You look beautiful.”

Over the past few weeks since leaving the hot spring region, Meisa had been steadily nourished and trained, filling out her once skeletal frame with muscle and healthy flesh.

It was only natural that her once-gaunt face had also changed.

During their travels, she had mostly washed herself with water in a hasty manner, leaving her appearance disheveled and unkempt. But now, thanks to the careful grooming by the maids, her beauty was finally shining through.

Her sleek, reddish-brown long hair and large blue eyes framed an oval-shaped face with delicate, well-proportioned features.

On top of that, instead of her usual protective outerwear, she now wore an elegant silver-gray dress embroidered with gold, which accentuated her slender and graceful figure.

Looking at her now, it was almost impossible to recall the "Skeleton Witch" of the past.

If she wanted to fully disguise herself, changing her hair color would help, but Turan figured they could look into whether there was a suitable magic artifact for that later.

As Meisa stiffened at Turan’s words, a young man approached from behind and spoke to him.

“Excuse me, but are you Turan? You really came back! It’s been a while. Do you remember me?”

Turan hesitated for a moment, trying to recall who the man was.

Then, he quickly realized, it was Marvin, the young man he had hunted the monkey-type magical beast with.

A nephew of the former head of the family and the younger brother of the current head.

“It has been a while, Marvin.”

“Yes. But more importantly, who are these people with you?”

“They’re my traveling companions. You can call them Sol and Misha.”

“Ah, I see…”

Marvin casually scanned Solif and Meisa, but his gaze lingered on Meisa for a long moment before he suddenly projected his magic power.

Of course, his magic power had already reached its limit long ago and remained at the level of a lower noble, much like Turan in the past.

The two exchanged a quick glance before responding in kind, projecting their own magic power.

“Ugh!”

Startled by the overwhelming pressure, Marvin let out a gasp and instinctively stepped back. Then, seemingly embarrassed by his own reaction, he flushed red and hurriedly excused himself.

“Ahem… Uh… My apologies. I think my brother is calling for me, so I’ll take my leave.”

Watching Marvin retreat with a flimsy excuse, Turan turned to the two and asked,

“How much did you show?”

“A little above mid-level, mid-high, maybe?”

“I went all the way to high-level.”

“That’s too much. No wonder he was so freaked out. That level of power stands out, so tone it down next time.”

As Solif pointed out, they had only revealed a fraction of their actual magic power rather than displaying their full strength.

This was one of the secret techniques of House Varaha that Solif had taught them.

The principle was simple, imagine multiple mirrors inside the body reflecting magic power, so that by the time it was projected outward, it had been reflected multiple times, reducing its apparent strength.

Naturally, this technique could not make one appear stronger than they truly were.

Without it, projecting their magic to verify their status would have been quite troublesome in many places.

While the local nobles of this remote region might not recognize that they were heir-level wizards of great noble houses, rumors would undoubtedly spread about the sudden appearance of several immensely powerful nobles.

Soon after, the head of House Baltas, Gillon, took his seat at the main table, signaling the start of the banquet.

“Come now, eat and drink to your heart’s content!”

“We appreciate your hospitality.”

Speaking on behalf of the group, Turan expressed his gratitude before indulging in the unique cuisine of the Western Wastelands, which he could consider his homeland.

Though not as extreme as the Gray Zone, this region also had a strong tradition of raising sheep, so there were plenty of lamb chops and sheep’s milk cheese.

Naturally, Meisa, sensing the situation, stuck to drinking water, while Solif, seemingly not fond of lamb, took only a few bites before shifting his focus to marinated pork ribs.

“So, how was your visit to the library after so long?”

“It was great. Still full of interesting things to see…”

Turan sipped a strong distilled liquor he had tasted before and engaged in casual conversation with the family head.

The main topic was the recent war involving the Hosue Hadit and Hosue Corel in this land.

“I actually heard from afar that House Hadit was in danger, but when I arrived, I was surprised to hear they had won instead. House Baltas supported Hadit, correct?”

“That’s right. Thanks to that, we gained control of another city, but now we’re troubled by the lack of ruling bloodlines to govern it.”

“If it’s a secret, you don’t have to answer, but… did you have some kind of secret weapon? Turning the tide after being pushed back isn’t easy.”

What Turan truly wanted to know was whether anyone had discovered that he was responsible for the annihilation of House Corel’s army.

At the time, he had erased all evidence perfectly, but there was always the possibility of an unexpected loose end.

Gillon responded with a somewhat sour expression.

“There was an incident where the elite forces of House Corel suddenly disappeared while on the move. Some believe that a magical beast, so powerful that even nobles could not handle it, might have appeared, which led to a ceasefire.”

“That’s quite an incident.”

“In the end, it remains an unexplained disappearance… But be cautious when traveling. You never know where such a monster might appear. On the bright side, there’s a bounty if you can find any trace of them. Of course, any magic artifacts must be retrieved.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

It seemed that whatever had happened was being attributed to the existence of a stealthy and highly dangerous magical beast that left no traces behind.

Well, considering how diverse magical beasts were, it was not impossible for such a creature to exist.

In fact, Turan had recently come across records of similar entities in the magical beast guide.

For example, a bat-like creature that transformed into mist, spreading over a vast area and devouring all living beings within it.

Or a serpent so massive that it could swallow entire villages whole with its gaping maw.

As the conversation about the war continued and more drinks were passed around, Gillon, his face slightly flushed, muttered under his breath.

Being a noble, he did not get completely drunk even from strong liquor, but it did have the effect of elevating his mood.

“Ah, war… it was truly horrific! I myself nearly died several times, and starting with my uncle, our family suffered many casualties. Izela also lost her life back then. Come to think of it, my uncle wanted to pair you and Izela together, didn’t he?”

“Cough!”

The moment Gillon finished speaking, Solif, who had been biting into a pork rib, suddenly let out a loud cough.

For some reason, Turan could feel Meisa, sitting beside him, staring intently at Solif.

“Yes, that did happen. But I already refused.”

“If you had accepted, you might be sitting here in my place instead. Since we’re on the topic, would you consider taking my daughter? Unfortunately, she only inherited a knight-level amount of magic power, but even as a concubine, strengthening the ties between our houses wouldn’t be a bad idea. After all, for us nobles, settling down and enjoying prosperity suits us far better than wandering aimlessly.”

Hearing a proposal similar to the one Lord Lug had made before, Turan let out a wry smile and shook his head.

“I appreciate the offer, but I still prefer my freedom for now.”

“That’s unfortunate. And you, the other two guests, Sol and Misha, was it? The offer applies to you as well, so I hope you give it some thought.”

As both Solif and Meisa each refused in their own way, the atmosphere in the banquet hall dampened slightly.

As Turan had noticed before, this family had a knack for making troublesome proposals that put people in awkward situations.

Marvin had likely already reported on Solif and Meisa’s power, and judging by Gillon’s offer, it seemed the family was in such desperate need of nobles that they were even willing to risk losing control over their own house.

After all, if Turan recalled correctly, House Baltas had around seven or eight nobles, and at least two of them had died in the war.

After some more conversation on casual topics, Turan finally brought up the question he had been meaning to ask.

“By the way, has anyone used the library before us? It felt a bit different from before.”

“Hm? As far as I know, the facility usually takes care of minor damages, and any misplaced books get sorted out on their own. Were there damaged books?”

“No, nothing like that. It’s just… a feeling, like the atmosphere has changed a little.”

Since he could not openly mention the librarian’s disappearance, he had no choice but to speak in a roundabout way, which frustrated him.

Gillon hesitated, stroking his beard thoughtfully before slowly speaking.

“Well… I suppose there’s no harm in telling you now since it’s in the past. There was another guest about a month ago. Back then, since we were in the middle of a war, we were not allowing anyone in, but this person was quite an important figure, so we had no choice.”

“An important figure? Do you mean they were from a great noble house?”

At Turan’s question, Gillon widened his eyes slightly, as if surprised by his accuracy.

“Exactly. It was a noble from the northern House Nagin. If I recall correctly, his name was Renaud.”

At Gillon’s words, Turan immediately turned to Meisa.

Renaud Nagin, he was none other than the son of the Lord of House Aravion and Meisa’s half-brother, who had been adopted into House Nagin.

The very same Renaud whom Meisa, in her younger years, had once been so furious with that she wrote him a letter calling him a murderer.

As if to confirm that Turan’s memory was correct, Meisa’s blue eyes grew cold, filled with a chilling intent to kill at the mention of that name.