Chapter 99

"Are you feeling any pain anywhere? This isn’t a treatment you can receive often, so you should make sure everything is fine now."

"Not at all! In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this light in my life!"

Perhaps because the discomfort from her back injury had been so severe, Meisa shouted excitedly like a child.

As she ran her hands over her now smooth back, free of scars, she suddenly realized she was not alone and blushed in embarrassment.

"…Pretend you didn’t see that."

"The youthful energy of the young is always a pleasant sight. But first, you should change your clothes. The ones you’re wearing now are soaked in blood and look unsightly."

Rida smiled warmly and led Meisa into a small room nearby to change her into fresh clothes.

As they stepped out of the treatment room, Solif and Bije, who had been waiting outside, quickly turned their heads.

"How is it? Were you treated well?"

Because he was playing the role of an attendant, Solif spoke respectfully as he addressed Turan and Meisa.

When they nodded in response, he clenched his fists tightly, showing his joy.

Bije, standing next to him, also expressed relief by repeatedly spreading and folding her two wings.

"Now then, let’s go. If we stay too long, the family head will grow tired. He even sent away all his house members for your sake."

Indeed, for the residence of a family head, the place felt strangely empty.

As they left the family head’s residence with Rida, Turan quietly expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you for your help, Lady Rida."

"Did I help with anything?"

"You encouraged the family head to trust us, didn’t you?"

"I simply thought you all seemed like trustworthy people. So, don’t disappoint me. I’ve been betrayed many times in my life, but just because I’ve been stabbed often doesn’t mean it stops hurting."

"That will never happen."

At Turan’s firm assurance, Rida chuckled generously and nodded.

As they conversed while walking through the main estate, every noble of House Lavitas they passed showed Rida the utmost respect.

It was the same sight they had witnessed upon entering, but after their recent conversation with the family head, it felt different.

It was true that high-ranking nobles held positions of reverence even within great noble families, but the way they treated Rida seemed beyond that, as if she were someone truly difficult to approach.

"The family head said that Lady Rida is his cousin, right?"

"That’s correct. Though, in terms of age, he’s not much older than my grandchildren. He couldn’t be raised by his parents due to family issues during his childhood, so I personally nursed him. I happened to have a son of the same age at the time. Because they were milk siblings, they are also quite close."

That explained why the family head was so deferential to Rida, and why others found her so intimidating.

In essence, she was practically his mother.

She was likely revealing this now to make it clear, she held a position of this magnitude, so it would be wise not to break their promise and create unnecessary conflicts.

At that moment, Meisa, who had been walking beside them, spoke up.

"I heard that the Koloa region entrusted by the family head is particularly difficult to develop."

"Hmm, I’ve never been there myself, to be honest. It’s the southernmost frontier of the Siraf Wetland. However, I have heard that due to the harsh environment, the effort required for development is not worth the output, so it was abandoned."

It meant that while it was too difficult for the family to develop with their own manpower, it was the perfect place to deploy newly acquired free labor.

'He said it was about a hundred kilometers across and lengthwise, right?'

If it were simply a matter of travel distance, it would take just an hour or two whether running or flying. However, if they had to develop the entire swamp, it was a different story.

Most importantly, Turan and his group had no prior knowledge of land reclamation whatsoever, making the situation even more challenging.

"But is there a particular reason to develop such a remote border region? There are plenty of wetlands near the capital that could be cultivated instead…."

Just as Meisa pointed out, if they were merely looking for farmland, there was no need to go all the way to the southern frontier.

Rida chuckled as if finding her question amusing and answered,

"There are several prosperous mines near that area."

Indeed, having more money was always a good thing.

After discussing various aspects of the land development, they returned to Rida’s estate, where Solif let out a deep sigh.

"With an area that large, we’ll be stuck there for a few years at least. Maybe even over a decade."

"Would it really take that long?"

At Meisa’s question, Solif conjured a few diagrams in the air with light and explained,

"A hundred kilometers across both ways, right? It might seem small when you think about flying over it on Bije, it would take less than thirty minutes round trip, but in terms of total area, it's enormous. Well, we can’t exactly complain when we’re borrowing the strength of a great noble house’s family head, can we?"

And they weren’t just borrowing any strength; they were receiving the healing abilities that only Osel possessed, something no other great noble family head had. That made it an even greater favor.

"But do any of us even know how to reclaim land? This is my first time seeing a swamp, so I have no idea where to even begin."

At Meisa’s question, Solif also shook his head. Then, both of them turned to look at Turan.

"It’s not like I know either. That’s why I was planning to seek some advice."

Saying this, Turan pulled out the jewel box from his belongings.

"From the librarian?"

"He’s incredibly knowledgeable. I’m sure he can help us figure out a way to reclaim the land."

"That’s true."

"As long as we figure out the right method, it shouldn’t take as long as you’re worried about. After all, I can use the abilities of the Rapids Bloodline and the Earthmover Bloodline."

"Oh, that’s right. I totally forgot about that."

They hadn’t yet decided exactly how they would go about the reclamation, but it was clear that having bloodline abilities related to water and earth would be a huge advantage.

On top of that, Meisa and Solif were quite skilled in magic compared to other nobles, which meant they were already adept at handling that kind of magic.

As Turan opened the jewel box, the librarian, as always, slowly opened his drowsy eyes and spoke.

"I haven’t finished analyzing the fragment you gave me yet. The traces were too faint, so the information is badly damaged."

"I’m always grateful for your efforts, elder. But today, I actually came to ask about something else."

"Something else?"

"Elder! Do you happen to know any secret techniques for swamp reclamation?"

At Solif’s question, the librarian snorted.

"I don’t."

"Ugh."

"There were no books detailing such methods, so there’s nothing I can do about it. However, based on my knowledge, I can at least come up with a reasonable approach."

The librarian’s understanding of natural laws was still far beyond what Turan and his group could fully grasp.

That evening, the three of them had to return to the role of students, skipping their meal to immerse themselves in a lesson for the first time in a while.

Bije, who had been sitting quietly listening, soon became bored and fell asleep with her eyes closed.

*

Three days later, Turan’s group departed from Rida’s estate and headed south of Merem City.

Rida saw them off at the city gate.

"If it becomes too exhausting, you can come back and rest from time to time. The family head didn’t set a strict deadline, after all."

"Just hearing that is reassuring. Thank you. If the opportunity arises, we’ll visit again."

Staying at Rida’s estate had been quite a pleasant experience.

If it weren’t for the fact that Solif had to keep up his act as an attendant, it might have been almost as comfortable as staying at the Berk estate.

After bidding their final farewell to Rida, they walked toward a waiting individual and a magical beast nearby.

A middle-aged knight, appearing to be around forty years old, respectfully bowed his head.

"Greetings to the esteemed ones. My name is Yoz."

"Are you our guide?"

"Yes."

Yoz was both the guide responsible for leading Turan’s group to their destination and the overseer sent by the family head to ensure they worked diligently without attempting to escape.

He was also, personally, Rida’s great-grandson.

"I’ve heard a lot about you from Lady Rida. I look forward to working with you."

"It’s an honor. Then, please follow me this way."

Beside Yoz was a massive lizard magical beast, over six meters long, coiled up on the ground. A large saddle was secured to its back, spacious enough for a person to sit or lie down.

Since walking all the way to Koloa would take too long, the family head had lent them this beast for transportation.

"Now, Master Kiki, please assist us."

Perhaps because it belonged to the family head, Yoz even spoke formally to the lizard magical beast under his command.

The lizard, however, was trembling with fear as Bije, who had been displaced from her usual riding spot, perched on its head and pecked at it angrily with her beak.

After confirming that everyone had boarded, Yoz tapped something at the front a few times, and the giant lizard rose and began moving.

Thud, thud. It seemed to walk leisurely, yet its pace was as fast as that of nobles jogging lightly.

"Come over here, Phil. If I were to die, you’d have to handle Master Kiki, so I’ll teach you the basics."

"Yes, sir. I’ll learn whatever you teach me."

Amusingly, while playing the role of ‘Phil’, a wandering knight-turned-attendant, Solif had ended up as Yoz’s subordinate.

Since they were both knights, and Yoz appeared to be more than twice his age while also being a direct retainer of the family head, it made sense.

Of course, Solif, who had laughed even when pirates had ambushed him in the past, took it in stride. He obediently treated Yoz as a superior, diligently learning the ways of serving nobles.

Even if it meant being scolded for knowing so little as a supposed attendant.

Watching this unfold, Meisa whispered quietly to Turan.

"He’s starting to look a little pitiful. How long does he have to keep up this act?"

"Until we reach our destination? That place is so remote that there won’t be any rumors spreading, so it should be fine. Besides, he seems to be enjoying himself, so I doubt it’s a problem."

Saying that, Turan used a strand of hair from Solif’s father, Godis, to activate Tracking Magic.

He sensed his presence far to the northwest.

"It looks like the Varaha nobles have moved westward. Seems they followed the lead I gave them exactly as intended."

They would be wandering the western lands aimlessly, searching for traces of Turan’s group. It would take them an incredibly long time to track them down again.

For now, there was nothing to worry about.

And so, the group, composed of two nobles, one noble pretending to be a knight, and one actual knight, continued heading south atop the giant lizard.

The lizard magical beast, Kiki, was well-adapted to this environment, effortlessly maneuvering through dense forests and swampy terrain where there were no proper roads, despite its massive size.

In every village and city they passed through, people would bow deeply upon seeing the Lavitas banner attached to the beast’s saddle and offer them the best accommodations.

This slightly extended their travel time, but overall, the journey was quite comfortable.

"When do you think we’ll arrive, sir?"

"At this pace, probably in a week. Great ones, if we descend the cliff ahead directly, we can save a significant amount of time."

"I’ll handle it."

Despite being a mere retainer, Yoz confidently made such requests of Turan.

Technically speaking, he was not a subordinate of Turan’s group but directly under the Lavitas family head.

Turan activated the sacred relic’s Earthmover Bloodline ability and adjusted the cliff’s slope, creating a path downward.

He could have done this normally, but using a bloodline ability significantly reduced the magic power consumption.

"Wow, amazing, Lord Turan! Truly a descendant of the gods!"

At Solif’s exaggerated flattery, both Turan and Meisa chuckled.

After about ten days of traveling south, Turan’s group finally arrived at Koloa, the southernmost region of Lavitas territory.

"This is the place."

"Wow…"

"I heard about it, but this truly is a harsh environment."

The Siraf Wetland had always been less fertile and more sparsely populated compared to the territories of other great noble families, but the Koloa region was particularly extreme in this regard.

The area Turan’s group needed to develop started about fifty kilometers further south of Koloa City. At first glance, the boundary between the reclaimed land and the swampy terrain, where water had pooled beneath dense jungles, was clearly visible.

"If you continue straight south from here, you’ll reach a large river. To the east, there are mountains, and to the west, hills. The area within that boundary is the land the family head has assigned for development."

"Let’s take a look around first."

"As you command."

At Turan’s request, Yoz steered the lizard, beginning a wide circuit around the designated development zone.

Normally, when traveling through a wetland, encountering magical beasts was not unusual. However, the beasts here were particularly hostile toward humans and frequently attacked them.

"Here comes another one."

Still seated on the lizard’s back, Turan casually snapped his fingers, incinerating a giant insect magical beast that had flown toward them.

Since he had to pause repeatedly to absorb and disperse the creature’s magic power after each kill, it took nearly ten hours to complete their survey of the entire reclamation zone.

Once the circuit was complete, he used Tracking Magic on wooden stakes that had been placed for surveying, roughly measuring the distance.

"What do you think?"

"I can’t say it’s perfectly precise, but it doesn’t seem significantly different from what we were told."

Well, it wasn’t as if the Lavitas family head would try to deceive them over something like this.

After confirming the entire area they needed to develop, Yoz bowed deeply to Turan’s group.

"Then, I will return Master Kiki to the family head and come back afterward."

"In the meantime, we’re supposed to manage the reclamation work on our own?"

"I wouldn’t dare presume to give you instructions on that matter."

Though phrased politely, he was essentially telling them to handle it themselves.

"Then go ahead and take care of it. Will it take about a month or two for you to return?"

"That sounds about right. Until I return, please take care."

After exchanging farewells, Yoz departed with the lizard, leaving Turan’s group standing alone in front of the reclamation site.

Solif removed his mask, revealing his true face.

"Whew, can you believe this handsome face has been hidden from the world for so long? A truly tragic injustice."

When neither of the other two reacted to his nonsense, he awkwardly handed over the mask and rolled up his sleeves.

"Alright! Let’s get started. But… how exactly do we do this?"

"Elder librarian said it before, remember? We need to drain the water and compact the ground first."

"Ah, right."

"First, let’s establish a boundary to store the drained water. Starting near the river would probably be easiest."

Following Turan’s suggestion, they mounted Bije and flew south toward the riverbank.

One of the main causes of this wetland was the overflowing water from the river flowing northward.

"We need to block this off first."

Turan activated the sacred relic and channeled the power of the Earthmover Bloodline, casting Earth Manipulation Magic.

Unlike when he had created a path down the cliff earlier, this time, the magic consumption was immense, enough to momentarily make him feel drained.

That was proof of the sheer scale of the phenomenon he had just manifested.

A technique he was already familiar with through multiple practices, bloodline ability, and the magic power of a quasi-family head.

With all three elements combined, a massive wall of earth rose, stretching hundreds of meters from where they stood.