Chapter 396
Chapter 396
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 396
>Chapter Title: The Tower Master, He is a God and Glory
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yurubuke raced across the plains without rest. The frigid air clawed at his skin, but he didn't so much as blink, as if he knew nothing of pain.
He ate his meals on horseback. Whenever his horse tired, he would stop, let it graze, and restore its stamina with the aid of spirits.
As day and night cycled across the grasslands, Yurubuke hadn't slept a wink. At some point, he eased his pace.
A hazy silhouette flickered in the distance.
"......"
Was his mind playing tricks? Yurubuke blinked. If it was an illusion, it would vanish; if real, it would remain.
After blinking a couple of times, Yurubuke realized the silhouette was no illusion—it was real.
Drawing closer, he confirmed its identity with his own eyes. It was none other than...
"......Tower Master."
"Faster than I expected."
"Wouldn't it have to be?"
Aster nodded at Yurubuke's question. Yes, that was right. For Aster, and for Yurubuke too, time was short.
Astaroth and Lerazier had said Shine's life force was rapidly weakening. He didn't know the cause, but it was like a flame on the verge of extinguishing.
Yurubuke was in the same boat.
With the Empire potentially invading at any moment, they had to wrap things up while the battle was in a lull. That way, they could save even one more warrior.
"But...... are you okay?"
"......What do you mean?"
"Your eyes look a bit off."
Yurubuke let out a snort at Aster's question. A few sleepless nights wouldn't wear him down. His mind wasn't that fragile either. But still, if his gaze was wavering...... it was probably because his soul was shaking.
"It's not something that gets better with rest. Leave it be—I'm fine. My condition isn't what's important right now, is it?"
"True enough."
"So...... how did it go?"
"How did it go......"
Aster walked alongside Yurubuke's horse, matching its pace as he recalled the past few days.
......A few days earlier.
Aster had headed to Oukan's main camp without Yurubuke.
Not to find Shine.
- If your comrade is challenging 'Amar,' he'll be treated as Oukan's honored guest. Naturally, he'll be staying closest to Oukan himself.
- Then......
- Even for you, sneaking in there to find your comrade would be impossible.
So, finding Shine could wait...... until after entering the main camp with Yurubuke.
Then why go to Oukan's main camp?
The reason was simple.
'The Pushyk tribesfolk.'
"Infiltrating wasn't hard. And......"
Aster described the scene he'd witnessed to Yurubuke.
As Oukan had promised, the Pushyk tribesfolk lived in abundance. No trace of worry marred the children's faces, and the women smiled as they went about their daily tasks.
Unlike other tribes, Oukan's direct warriors were assigned to them, but even that seemed only to protect the tribesfolk in place of the Pushyk warriors sent to the front lines.
Yurubuke wasn't particularly surprised to hear this.
No matter how much the Pushyk tribe had fallen from Oukan's favor, he had personally acknowledged their 'valor' and sent them to the vanguard. Mistreating the remaining tribesfolk would only diminish his own prestige.
"Did you meet the Great Shaman?"
"I did, and I passed on the message. That Pushyk's Driman has made his decision, so prepare. Oh, and he asked me to relay something."
"A message......?"
Aster recalled his conversation with the elderly Great Shaman. He was a mystical old man. Impossibly ancient, yet his eyes were as clear as a child's, and every word carried a profound depth even Aster couldn't dismiss lightly.
And that profundity likely wasn't just his imagination.
- Divine punishment...... or heavenly fortune. What a strange fate.
It was as if the old man had seen right through Aster.
Aster wanted to ask more, but the Great Shaman chuckled and evaded, saying only...... 'Your owl is not my owl.'
In any case, Aster remembered the message the Great Shaman wanted relayed.
What was it again?
......Right.
"'The young warrior, true shamans are rare on the plains, just as those born to ride owls are few. That's why an ignorant, arrogant fool like you became Driman.'"
"......"
Yurubuke fell silent. He pondered the Great Shaman's words. What they meant. Why relay them at this moment.
But his contemplation didn't last long.
"And...... anything else?"
"'The Tower Master, he is a god and glory. Become his servant......'"
"Guess that's it."
Yurubuke closed his eyes tightly at that point. It was confirmed now.
'What I must carry on.'
He had already steeled his resolve, so the Great Shaman's words didn't change it much. They merely confirmed it.
"What the hell is an owl, anyway?"
Aster asked in frustration, but Yurubuke's answer would make no sense to him.
"To connect, or to conclude."
"......? I asked what an owl is."
"To connect, or to conclude."
"......"
Aster grimaced. But he didn't press further. It didn't seem like he'd get an answer anyway, and more importantly...... it was Yurubuke's expression.
How could it be so......
'......Fierce.'
His stone-cold face was utterly menacing. Anyone would seal their lips at the sight of it.
Meanwhile, Yurubuke opened his eyes and looked at Aster.
- Young warrior, everyone meets a devil at least once in life.
- Devil? What kind of devil? Old man, cut the nonsense and sleep......
- Hey now! It's a metaphor! People become devils, and devils become people! How can you not know that after all these years? Remember this! Anyone offering you a reward beyond your capacity is your devil!
- Ugh, what...... that again? You bring up devils every time I forget......
- Because you're an idiot! Listen up, you fool! Devils offer you sweet fruit because......!
'......Think if it's fortune you can bear.'
A few days ago, at their first meeting, Yurubuke had wondered if he could bear the price matching the reward from that Tower Master he saw as a devil.
But strangely, the Tower Master he deemed a devil hadn't demanded such a price.
He had only asked for help entering Oukan's main camp to find his comrade.
That was...... far too cheap a price, considering the future of the Pushyk tribe.
But...... would that truly be the end?
He didn't know.
Even if it wasn't......
'Great Shaman, no price in this world is beyond my bearing.'
He had inherited the warrior's soul, so he was alone yet not alone.
Alone, yet not alone.
* * *
Yurubuke pressed on with his horse. Now there were two of them, but riding day and night without pause remained unchanged.
'Truly...... a mysterious one.'
Yurubuke marveled at Aster, who showed no signs of fatigue after days of keeping pace with the horse.
Even great warriors could run alongside a horse, but that didn't make it easy.
The plains tribes had special techniques to prevent horses from tiring, and even the strongest great warriors often faltered midway when using them.
Yet this outsider who called himself the Tower Master showed no weariness.
'......At least Kaliman level.'
Warriors who passed 'Amar' were honored with the glorious title of 'Kaliman,' a symbol and the pinnacle of martial prowess the great plains warriors aspired to.
One couldn't be officially called 'Kaliman' without passing Amar, but the great plains weren't without Kaliman-level warriors.
Oukan was the prime example, and......
'......His great warrior Jorte as well.'
Rumors also spoke of a wandering warrior from no tribe who was Kaliman-level.
In any case.
'A Kaliman-level mage......'
On the continent, they called that a 'Great Mage,' didn't they?
It seemed 'owls' were real after all. Otherwise, such a convenient Great Mage wouldn't appear before him.
But regardless, Yurubuke wasn't optimistic.
His 'owl' had two meanings from the start.
'To connect, or to conclude.'
If things went well, he'd be the connector; if not, he'd be forced to be the concluder, whether he wanted it or not.
Of course, Yurubuke didn't want to be the concluder.
He had decided to abandon his ancestral lands and rest. Though not yet reality, he had already turned his back on land and wind alike.
And now......
'......Without even rest.'
To become the concluder.
Was there anything more futile?
But.
'What must I do?'
That was Yurubuke's new dilemma.
The battlefield ahead would be the stage for Kaliman-level powerhouses. Oukan, Jorte, the Tower Master...... and perhaps even the Tower Master's comrade.
What could he do amid such titans?
'He said just guide him to Oukan's main camp......'
Could that truly make him the connector?
Among era-shaking heroes, Yurubuke was mere background. And he sensed it instinctively.
Look right there.
......The Tower Master.
Yurubuke knew the Tower Master walking beside him lived in another world. He seemed oblivious to it himself, but to Yurubuke, he felt like a figure from legend.
And in the midst of such beings, what could he......
"......Hey, Driman."
"......Speak."
Yurubuke snapped from his thoughts at Aster's call. Aster tapped his cheek with a finger and asked.
"That tattoo on your face—does it have special meaning?"
"Meaning...... yes. It marks me as a Pushyk tribe warrior."
"Ah, then I need to prepare a bit."
"......?"
No sooner had he spoken than Aster's hair turned black. At the same time, his skin shifted to the bronzed hue of the great plains tribesfolk. Finally......
Tszzk, tsztz—
The Pushyk tattoo emerged on his face.
"How......"
Aster shrugged nonchalantly at Yurubuke's stunned expression.
"It's just magic, nothing impressive. Plus, maintaining it means I can't use any other spells......"
Changing hair color alone would have been simple, but altering and sustaining skin tone required no small mental effort, even for Aster.
In any case, once preparations were complete.
Yurubuke understood why this mage had suddenly changed his appearance.
Piiiiieeeek—!
A flute's shrill cry echoed from afar. Yurubuke focused his gaze to identify the source.
A warrior playing the flute.
His identity was......
"......Jorte."
Oukan's great warrior, Jorte.