Chapter 83

"Ugh."

The librarian, who had walked out of the jewelry box, stretched as if he had been trapped in a narrow space for a long time and twisted his body from side to side.

Could spirits also experience muscle pain?

Turan gave him a moment to relax before speaking.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"Perhaps... Hmm, for some reason, I can’t seem to muster any strength. Is this place far from the library?"

As he looked down at his hands and body while speaking, the librarian suddenly stared intently at Turan and asked,

"More importantly, why is it that the moment I step out, you are the first thing I see? Don’t tell me you were the one who ordered my abduction?"

"Of course not. In fact, I was the one who rescued you, sir."

After saying that, Turan looked at Meisa and Solif.

Just by seeing their blank expressions, it was as if he had already received his answer.

"They can't see you, can they?"

"Yeah."

"It just looks like you're talking to yourself."

Back when he had only manifested two bloodlines, he had still been able to see the librarian, so the condition must have been the number of latent bloodlines.

Could it be that his assumption, that both of his companions still had unawakened bloodlines, was incorrect?

As he sorted out his thoughts in his mind, Turan turned his gaze back to the librarian.

"Do you remember how you were captured?"

"While I was going about my usual routine, some dumb-looking guy showed up. I was going to mess with him a bit, but then he suddenly started talking to me. He seemed to recognize me."

"Could you tell me exactly how the conversation went?"

"Well, roughly like this..."

As expected of someone with a perfect memory, the librarian recited the conversation from that time word for word.

[Oh... So there really was a spirit left? Come on, if you're going to erase traces, why not get rid of it entirely instead of half-assing it?]

[A spirit? Surely you’re not talking about me?]

[Do you really not know? Hey, artificial intelligence. Have you heard or spoken to anyone recently about something strange? Like a biologist, or perhaps about reincarnation magic?]

[...I have no idea what you are talking about. If you're not here to read a book, get lost. Disturbances are forbidden in the library.]

[Tch, talking to you is useless. Well, we can discuss the details after we return. There's someone there who can loosen your tongue.]

"When he said that, I asked him what kind of nonsense he was spouting, and then he pulled out that jewelry box and opened it. The next thing I knew, my consciousness was sucked inside, and when I came to, I was here."

"...Was that dumb-looking guy by any chance someone who looked like this?"

Turan used earth manipulation magic to draw Renaud's face on the ground. Upon seeing it, the librarian nodded.

"That’s him."

Hearing this, Turan felt a chill run down his spine.

That meant Renaud had directly perceived the librarian and even spoken to him.

Yet, when he had checked earlier, Renaud had seemed like nothing more than an ordinary noble from a prestigious house with just two bloodlines.

Moreover, the content of their conversation was disturbingly significant.

Turan did not know what "artificial intelligence" referred to, but he could at least make a rough guess about the biologist.

The god he had encountered in the library, the one who manipulated dwarves at will, had wielded power over life itself.

A biologist must undoubtedly be a bloodline that originated from that god.

And reincarnation magic, as its name suggested, was likely a technique that allowed possession of another person’s body.

In other words, Renaud or the faction backing him had realized that Turan had engaged in some suspicious conversation with the librarian in the library and had come looking for him.

There was even the possibility that the god, the progenitor of the biologist bloodline, was directly inhabiting Renaud’s body.

At the very least, it seemed fortunate that they were unaware of the specific details of the conversation or Turan’s identity.

The librarian had refused to speak about Turan, had been sealed away afterward, and had only just been freed now.

"Thank you for keeping my secret."

Turan had not actually expected the librarian to go out of his way to protect his identity.

Personally, Turan regarded the librarian as a teacher because he had taught him various things. However, to the librarian, Turan was simply one of the few people he could converse with by chance.

Hearing Turan’s gratitude, the librarian chuckled and replied,

"It’s not because I like you, so there’s no need to thank me. That bastard was just incredibly rude."

"Ah..."

It seemed he had only done so because he had been offended by the dismissive way he had been questioned.

Indeed, maintaining proper etiquette was always more beneficial than disregarding it.

As they were conversing, someone tapped Turan on the shoulder from behind.

Meisa, looking somewhat displeased, gazed at him and said,

"Hey, could you maybe tell us what’s going on?"

"Oh."

From Solif and Meisa’s perspective, it must have seemed like Turan was talking to himself while drawing Renaud’s face on the ground.

After carefully explaining everything he had just heard, their expressions also turned serious.

"Hmm..."

"That definitely sounds suspicious. Isn’t it certain that something is inside that Renaud guy?"

"That’s what it looks like."

It was likely a case similar to Badal in the past, where a new bloodline settled in the moment power was exerted.

Whether Renaud’s original personality was still intact was unknown.

While the two exchanged opinions on the matter, Turan quietly asked the librarian,

"So, what will you do now, sir?"

"Hmm?"

"If you return to the library as things are, Renaud or whoever is behind him will come to abduct you again. But it doesn’t seem like you can do much to resist them."

Hearing this, the librarian looked at him with an exasperated expression and said,

"Stop beating around the bush, you rascal. You’re telling me that if I want to stay alive, I should stick with you, aren’t you?"

"That was indeed what I was getting at."

"Tch, I guess there’s no choice. At this rate, I’m not a spirit of the library but a spirit of a jewelry box instead… But, well, this should be enough as a medium for me to stay."

Fortunately, the librarian was more straightforward than expected in agreeing to accompany them.

If he had insisted on fulfilling his duty and demanded to be taken back to the library, it would have been quite troublesome.

Now that they had successfully rescued the librarian and persuaded him to join them, only one issue remained.

Should they retreat after safely sending the others back to the house Nagin’s stronghold, or should they attack and capture Renaud to extract information?

"Let’s attack."

"How about retreating for now?"

Meisa and Solif, presenting opposite opinions, stared at each other.

After a brief silence, by implicit agreement, Meisa spoke first.

"Unless they’re complete fools, they’ll realize that the jewelry box was stolen. If we retreat now, it’ll become clear that the thief was a Zahar noble and that their goal was to rescue the librarian. Naturally, they’ll send people back to Orem City, where the library was, and they’ll eventually conclude that we’re the culprits. But if we wipe them all out, we can silence them."

After saying that, Meisa paused for a moment before adding in a slightly colder tone,

"Besides... the House Nagin is our enemy anyway, right? Reducing their forces even a little is a gain for us, and if we capture Renaud and interrogate him, we could uncover a great deal about our enemies."

Turan could sense the malice in Meisa’s words.

It was clear that her hatred for Renaud, or rather, for the Nagin noblewoman who had mocked her in the past, was embedded in her reasoning.

However, aside from that, her argument was quite reasonable and aligned with Turan’s way of thinking, making it a valid suggestion.

At that moment, Solif raised his newly regenerated hand and shared his thoughts.

"Well, first of all... even if we wipe them out, they’ll still figure out we were the culprits. Their mission was to retrieve the spirit, meaning the librarian, so if their group is annihilated, that will be the first thing they investigate. And to prevent that, we’d have to kill everyone in Orem City who saw us. But we’re not going to do that, are we?"

Solif asked with a slightly uncertain expression, and Turan nodded firmly, making it clear that such a thing would never happen.

Whether it was because he had taken on beast-hunting requests or received payment, the fact remained that the lords of House Baltas had always shown him favor by allowing him access to the library.

"So, whether we wipe them out here or not, it’s impossible to completely conceal our involvement. And one more thing, if what the librarian says is true, then it's practically confirmed that some god or similar being is inside that Renaud guy, right? What if he ends up using some hidden power when he's in danger? If things go wrong, we might have to prepare for total annihilation. Do we really need to take that risk?"

Hearing Solif’s words, Meisa simply bit her lip hard, unable to refute him.

The librarian, who had been silently listening to the conversation, turned to Turan and said,

"You used to wander around completely alone, yet in such a short time, you’ve made friends? Enough to discuss things like this?"

"Yes."

"Hmm, treasure them. Friends with whom you can share your thoughts are more valuable than a thousand gold coins. Well, not that I know from personal experience, it's just something I read in a book."

"I will keep that in mind."

When Turan relayed the librarian’s words to the other two, they both gave awkward smiles.

After using that brief exchange to ease the tension, Turan informed them of his decision.

"For now, let’s attack."

"On what basis?"

"First of all, the magic power inside Renaud’s body is at most at the level of a high-ranking noble. Even if he suddenly gains two bloodline abilities, the likelihood of him becoming strong enough to instantly defeat all three of us is low. If he could do that, why wouldn’t he just openly act as a god instead of sneaking around like this?"

"Hmm… I suppose that makes sense."

"More importantly, this is an opportunity worth taking the risk for. The chances of a god’s possessed body being this defenselessly exposed twice are slim."

"That’s true."

Even Solif, who had initially opposed the attack, nodded in agreement.

Turan then glanced at Meisa and added,

"However, I don’t intend to wipe them all out. In fact, it’s better to let some escape. Their main house is nearby, after all."

"Why?"

"Because we can use this attack to make it look like someone else rescued the librarian instead of us."

Turan activated the Mimic Relic and took out two masses of magic power from within.

These were the magic remnants of the Zahar nobles who had died in the underground labyrinth.

"Because the ones who attacked the House Nagin’s nobles and stole the jewelry box… were the nobles of Zahar."

*

"A raid! It’s Zahar, Zahar!"

"Quick, report to the others!"

"Spare me!"

On the dark night, the moment the barrier rang out in warning, throwing weapons flew from all directions, striking down the knights.

Having grown complacent over the past two months of relaxed travel, they failed to react swiftly.

"L-Light…!"

One knight, who was at least quick-witted, urgently conjured a sphere of light above his hand, only for something pitch-black to consume it before it could illuminate the surroundings.

The next instant, his head was severed.

With their comrade’s light snuffed out and the unseen enemy striking from the shadows, the knights of House Nagin abandoned their attempts to reveal their foes and instead fled in disarray.

"Stop, stop! Don’t run, you cowardly bastards! I’m here!"

At that moment, a noble of the Barrier Master Bloodline, who had accompanied Renaud as a retainer, burst out of his tent. While generating a massive sphere of light, he hastily erected a defensive barrier around himself.

He had no idea why Zahar’s nobles were attacking, but if he wanted to survive, he needed to regroup the troops as quickly as possible.

"Logi! Come to me! Protect me!"

Just as he summoned his soul-bound hound to strengthen his defenses, a storm of throwing weapons rained down on him, piercing his entire body.

His open mouth, his throat, his chest, each strike landed with deadly precision.

Though the attackers lacked the finesse of true assassins, each projectile carried the magic power of a top-ranking noble, more than enough to tear through a mediocre barrier.

"Urgh…"

"T-The Barrier Master has fallen!"

"Everyone, run! Call for reinforcements from the main house or elsewhere!"

A single cry became the catalyst, and nearly half of the surviving knights scattered around the campsite, fleeing in all directions.

The three trained Magical Beasts attempted to resist, but without the ability to create light, they had no way to counter their enemies’ Concealment abilities.

As the beasts were slaughtered, vital points torn and impaled before they could even put up a proper fight, Renaud and the noble accompanying him emerged from their tent a moment too late, illuminating the area with bright light.

The remaining knights quickly surrounded the two nobles, using their own bodies as shields to protect them from the assailants.

Moments later, as the Concealment magic dissipated, human figures materialized in the midst of the chaotic campsite.

One of the knights, face pale with fear, pointed at them.

"There... it's them..."

Under the bright light, the attackers, three Zahar nobles, were revealed.

Each of them was completely cloaked in large mantles and wore masks, making them indistinguishable except for their differing physiques.

Naturally, these so-called Zahar nobles were none other than Turan, Solif, and Meisa.

It was only recently that Turan discovered that he could transfer the Magic Power stored in the Mimic Relic to another person.

The realization had come during their time training in the Hot Spring Region, when Solif had casually remarked,

‘It would be convenient if I could extract my Sun Bloodline magic power and transfer it to you.’

Although the relic currently contained a significant amount of Varaha Bloodline magic, it was a consumable resource that would eventually run out.

Moreover, Meisa’s Storm Bloodline possessed Lightning, a power that Turan lacked, making it potentially useful if he could receive it.

However, instead of focusing on absorbing magic, Turan had a different thought, what if he could transfer the relic’s stored magic to others?

In truth, he had considered this possibility before but never had the opportunity to test it while keeping the relic’s existence a secret.

It was only recently that he had gained allies he could trust enough to share the relic’s existence with.

And judging by the fact that Solif and Meisa were now successfully using Zahar’s Concealment, the experiment had been a success.

As Turan and his companions revealed themselves, Renaud’s secretary shouted in desperation,

"Why are you attacking us!? House Nagin may have formed a marriage alliance with Aravion, but we are not at war with you! This is a senseless act of murder! Are you trying to let Zahar’s infamy spread across the world once again!?"

"Suit yourself."

Turan responded in a distorted voice, conjuring a Fireball in his palm before hurling it toward the Nagin forces.

The other two joined in, one unleashing Arrows of Light, while the other called down Lightning upon their enemies.

House Nagin’s wizards, upon experiencing the first clash, immediately realized the overwhelming difference in power, their faces turning pale.

"W-What the hell…?!"

Turan’s group crushed their resistance with terrifying ease.

Though they were not yet fully accustomed to this style of attack, the fundamental gap in combat ability was simply too vast.

Even as some knights managed to endure an attack or two, many were swiftly cut down.

The two noble escorts fought bravely, holding their ground longer than the rest, but even they were struggling against the overwhelming force.

It was not long before the secretary, too, was struck down, his throat pierced by a throwing weapon.

With that, the only one left standing was Renaud Nagin.

A knight, barely clinging to life as he lay sprawled on the ground, murmured weakly,

"M-Monsters..."

If they were to deal with these enemies, they would need reinforcements from the Nagin main house, which was about two days away.

Or perhaps even the head of the House himself would have to come.

However, no matter how powerful a wizard might be, it was impossible for them to detect a battle from such a distance and rush to intervene in time.

Yet, amid the despair gripping his allies, Renaud Nagin did not show fear.

Instead, he narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the Zahar nobles who had surrounded him, as if he suspected something.

Then, after a brief silence, he clicked his tongue and raised both hands toward the sky.

"Damn it… I guess I have no choice."

The moment Renaud muttered those words, Turan, who had been observing from behind his mask, finally sensed the transformation of the symbol residing within his opponent.

Depending on the level of strength Renaud displayed here, they would decide whether to flee or attempt to subdue him.

If he turned out to be an opponent beyond their capability, their plan was to immediately Conceal themselves, split into three directions, and escape, after which Turan would retrieve the other two while riding Bije.

Just like it had been with Badal in the past, the change in symbols happened in an instant.

Originally, Renaud had possessed only two symbols, Ruler and Tamer. But now, two additional ones surfaced.

They were a crossed axe and a raging snowstorm.

Turan immediately recognized that the snowstorm was the symbol of the Frost Bloodline, which had once belonged to one of House Aravion’s vassal families.

‘An axe, frost, ruler, and tamer? What kind of combination is that?’

As if to answer his doubts, the symbols inside Renaud began to intertwine.

However, unlike with Badal, only two of them merged into one.

The snowstorm wrapped around the crossed axe, while the Ruler and Tamer Bloodlines remained proudly in place, as if declaring their irrelevance to the fusion.

At the same time, in reality, Renaud was gathering an immense amount of moisture in his hands, freezing it to form a battle axe.

"R-Renaud-nim?"

"Before we fight, let me ask just one thing. Do any of you even understand what ‘The Pact’ means? No, are you even really from House Zahar in the first place?"

Ignoring the knight who was staring at him in disbelief, Renaud turned his gaze toward Turan and his group, questioning them directly.

There wasn’t a hint of fear on his face.

And given the power now radiating from him, his confidence wasn’t entirely baseless.

Just moments ago, Renaud’s magic power had been at the level of a high-ranking noble, but now it had skyrocketed to the absolute upper tier, placing him on par with Meisa and Solif.

Had his opponents been anyone less than three top-tier nobles of equal or greater strength, he might have been able to overcome this crisis.