Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Journey to the Leader Clan
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[Chapter 154 – Modified Humans]
"Apart from me, are there others with the qualities of a leader?"
"Two."
Shatia answered immediately upon seeing Arsen's face, as if she already knew what he was about to say.
"One is an elderly man who can barely walk on his own, and the other is still a child playing with toys. Neither is fit for combat."
Arsen shook his head at her words and asked,
"That's not what I meant. If you can open the door, why stay here instead of leaving? With that power, you could live outside without fighting the Olmu."
While Timak and the other subterranean folk might not survive the poison, since Arsen's mother had lived through it, the leader bloodline must be able to endure it.
Shatia shook her head slowly at his question.
"For others, the Olmu threat might be something to flee from immediately, but not for us. Besides... staying here is also our duty."
According to her explanation, unlike the other subterranean folk struggling under the Olmu threat, her bloodline lived comfortably thanks to their exceptional abilities.
They held a status among the subterranean folk that was practically semi-noble.
Moreover, though she couldn't explain the reason now, there was something preventing them from abandoning the Olmu and ascending to the surface. It was tied to their duty.
"If we exterminate the Olmu, then a few of us could go up to the surface for a tour afterward."
Arsen decided to respect her opinion. It was a relief that, now that their shared bloodline was revealed, she wasn't insisting he stay here as well.
After a bit more conversation, Shatia left.
Arsen summoned Eloise again and briefly relayed what Shatia had told him.
He omitted the part about the spatial transfer relic, making the story a bit patchy, but she seemed to understand there were things he couldn't easily say and nodded along.
"Will you tell the others too?"
To Eloise's question, Arsen replied firmly.
"There's no reason to keep it secret. It could greatly influence our future plans."
According to Shatia, the two successors they had weren't in any shape for proper activity anyway. That was why she'd offered to lend him a relic usable only by a successor.
The previous successor of Byulburmi, Edan, had kept it hidden for fear his ordinary family might come to harm, but Arsen's bloodline were far from helpless.
Besides, the hardliners who might attempt something had all been purged.
"But your reaction is a bit unexpected."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Sen didn't have any family. Your old fortress fell, so I thought you'd be happier finding relatives, but you don't seem that thrilled."
At Eloise's words, Arsen silently stroked his chin.
It was a fact only he knew, but Arsen had divided himself into two existences since childhood.
This current body was that of the reincarnated Arsen, so those connected by blood to him weren't his real family—his true family was his parents and siblings from his previous life.
This was a defense mechanism he'd built as a child.
It had been too harsh for young Arsen to accept being unrecognized as a child by his own father and treated as just another threatening rival by his half-siblings.
Eloise's words made him newly realize this, and he slowly shook his head.
"Guess it's because there weren't many decent people among the family I did have."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't someone else's story, so Eloise just nodded silently in agreement.
* * *
After sending Eloise away, Arsen changed into comfortable clothes and lay down on the bed.
It was a bit early to sleep, but after hearing and thinking so much, fatigue washed over him.
But just as he was about to close his eyes, a voice came from beside him.
It was the orb, Bakran, sitting alone in the corner of the room like a mere decoration.
[I've been thinking, and I think I know what you and your relatives are.]
"Suddenly?"
He'd thought it was silent the whole time, but it often stayed quiet without cause anyway, so he hadn't minded. Apparently, it had been pondering something.
Bakran's insights were often useful, so Arsen propped himself up halfway, sitting bolt upright to listen properly.
"So, what do you think it is?"
[Modified humans.]
"Modified humans?"
[Humans whose genes have been altered, like combat puppets. Just getting caught attempting it means instant execution, and exceptionally, even implicating family. A grave crime no matter who did it...]
According to what Bakran explained, the ancients freely tinkered with genes of combat puppets and other creatures but held the belief that human genes must never be touched.
Arsen, who didn't cling to identity and preferred whatever was most efficient, couldn't quite grasp it, but the ancients seemed quite obsessed with human purity.
[It even sparked a war once. A group occupying a few cities demanded permission for modified humans and protection of their rights. They fought for over a decade, I think, but were all crushed in the end. Even the modified humans born during the occupation were culled.]
"Pretty brutal."
[If modified humans were allowed, humanity would end. You can't tamper with human genes using magic and ruin them. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know where to draw the line on what's human.]
"By your standards, then, neither I nor anyone alive in this era would qualify as human."
No response came to Arsen's words.
A long silence followed, and then Bakran spoke in an uncertain voice.
[Thing is... I don't really know anymore. Saying you're not human is tough when I'm stuck in this orb state myself, hardly qualifying.]
It wasn't hard to sense the self-loathing in its voice.
Arsen encouraged it in a calm tone.
"Think it over carefully. Your own identity isn't something decided by what others say."
[Hearing you talk like that, you seem at least ten years older than me. You really eighteen? Not thirty-eight?]
Bakran chuckled to itself after the pointed joke, then returned to the main topic.
[Anyway, seeing that trait persist for dozens or hundreds of generations means they must have applied trait preservation too.]
"Trait preservation?"
He could guess from the term, but Arsen asked deliberately to avoid seeming too knowledgeable.
Bakran spoke with the smugness unique to those explaining obscure knowledge.
[So, even if someone is incredibly tall or smart, by the time it reaches grandchildren or great-grandchildren, it basically means nothing, right? At that point, the original bloodline is diluted to a fraction or less.]
"Yeah."
[It's a technique to prevent genes from diluting like that. Making specific traits dominant, you could say. Normally used in biological experiments, but applying it to humans? Didn't expect that. It's cutting-edge even in that field.]
"You know a lot about a field unrelated to history."
At Arsen's remark, Bakran fell silent as if struck at the core.
After a moment, the response came laced with deep melancholy.
[I bought stock in the company developing that tech. With money from my tutoring gigs. Lost it all in the end... but seeing someone use it means the tech worked. Why the hell did it fail? Damn.]
Arsen nodded lightly without showing he understood, pretending ignorance.
After a moment of swallowing sobs, Bakran continued.
[So, planning to visit where your relatives live?]
[Of course. I want to see that item, and it seems there are more secrets to hear.]
* * *
The next day, Arsen gathered Latis and the Byulburmi elders, along with the knights, and informed them of the facts.
The knights just thought, "Huh, interesting," and moved on, but the mages' reactions were more intense than expected.
Byulburmi's mages wanted to recruit at least one, ideally both, of the two successors from the leader bloodline.
It wasn't hard to understand their concern for preparing against Arsen's death. They'd once lost a successor, causing the ritual itself to fail.
But with the knights they had, they couldn't seize a successor by force, and neither was at an age to endure a rough, perilous journey.
Upon hearing this, the elders expressed regret but accepted it.
"Then, during my absence, command of the group goes to Sir Anun. Sir Anun, consult with Elder Latis for any issues and decide accordingly."
"I won't disappoint you, Sir Arsen."
Anun thumped his breastplate confidently.
Bazkal didn't inspire full trust as a person, and while Rino handled tasks capably, his skills as a knight were lacking, making his leadership somewhat insufficient.
In terms of age, skill, and command ability, Anun was the ideal leader in Arsen's absence.
After the meeting, Latis bowed politely and said,
"Then, I wish you the best results."
"Likewise."
Once the handover was complete, Arsen went to Timak and informed him he'd be visiting the leader bloodline's residence briefly.
When he explained it was to retrieve an item that would greatly aid the war against the Olmu, Timak nodded readily.
Seeing no hint of suspicion, the subterranean folk's trust in this bloodline seemed rock-solid.
"Going alone?"
"That might be too risky. I'm taking two companions."
"Two, huh."
Not everyone could leave because the leader bloodline was small and couldn't accommodate many guests.
Rosha had originally wanted only Arsen, but it was impractical for their leader to travel alone.
Maroon and Eloise would accompany him. As a magic knight, Maroon could handle various situations, and Eloise wielded magic on par with ten ordinary mages—formidable power in this underground world.
Especially against Olmu, Eloise could exert even greater strength than Arsen.
Truth be told, Arsen also wanted her close to avoid any mishaps if left behind.
"Please look after the others in my absence."
"Of course. On my name, they'll be treated just as before."
Timak grinned and nodded.
* * *
"You've come."
Shatia nodded at Arsen and the two behind him. She and the three knights behind her all carried bags made of magic beast hide, ready to depart.
"Just the three of you?"
"Yes."
"Alright... Oh, introductions. These are Later, Wigen, and Basha. All your sixth cousins, more or less. Though technically a bit more complicated."
As he'd heard, the leader bloodline was so small and insular that their blood ties were intricately intertwined.
Of course, they had rules against marrying those closer than cousins, but for such a closed bloodline to avoid inbreeding issues was truly remarkable.
Likely due to some modification in their lineage.
"Pleased to meet you, Sir Arsen. I'm Later."
"I'm Wigen."
"Call me Basha."
The three knights bowed in greeting, and Arsen returned the bow.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Arsen."
Unlike Shatia, Arsen's sixth cousins treated him somewhat awkwardly.
Not hostility, but uncertainty on how to handle this sudden relative, making them ill at ease.
Arsen felt similarly inside, so he ended his introduction with an ambiguous nod and greeting.
Watching this, Eloise teased him in a tone that seemed oddly amused.
[Everyone's acting so awkward. You'd think they were about to marry or something.]
At that moment, Shatia declared,
"Introductions are done. Let's head out. Our home is quite far from here—the road ahead is long."