Chapter 102
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 102
War was no stranger to the people of this land.
The various mage families enjoyed every luxury imaginable, yet their greed was bottomless. War was simply the most direct way to sate it.
However, a war led directly by the Great Families was a different story entirely. After all, the more one has, the more one fears losing it.
The recent conflict between Arabion and Zahar had been the first war between Great Families in three hundred years. And yet, barely twenty years later—before the scars had even faded—another war was brewing.
"Surely not with Zahar again?"
"It’s probably another staged performance."
Naturally, the first thought that crossed their minds was that Arabion was planning another fake war with Zahar. However, Turan pointed to the bottom of the letter, refuting their guess.
"No. The target is Carmine."
"...Suddenly?"
The Carmine family—rulers of the North Sea to the east of Arabion, and masters of water and frost. They were the family of Visen, whom Turan’s group had encountered on their way to the North Sea not long ago.
"It’s not exactly sudden. We, of all people, should know, right? The relationship between the two has always been strained."
"You mentioned that the god ruling the Carmine family has a history of hostility with the ones backing Arabion and Zahar," Meisa added. "Carmine was only holding their own by using the power of the merfolk..."
Suddenly, Meisa’s eyes widened as realization struck. "Ah, the merfolk! Right. We gave them the Great Sea Serpent. I thought it would take at least a generation to see any results, but this is moving faster than I expected."
Presumably, over the past few months, the merfolk had used the carcass of the Great Sea Serpent to break free from the Carmine family's control. Arabion, sensing the shift in the balance of power, was now moving against Carmine in earnest. They had likely discovered the vulnerability so quickly thanks to spies planted within the family.
Solif and Meisa’s expressions hardened at the thought that their actions might have triggered a war between two Great Families.
"According to Asiz’s letter, the conflict started when Arabion raised suspicions regarding the death of a noble who recently married into the Carmine family."
"That’s a weak justification for war."
"Well, they’ll get what they want in the end. Of course, Arabion’s control over its branch families is quite weak right now..."
Common sense dictated it was madness to provoke another hostile family while Zahar—whom they had just fought a bloody war with—was still looming. But if they had reached an understanding behind the scenes, the risk was minimal. In fact, they might even be receiving secret aid from Zahar nobles.
"Do they intend to wipe out the Carmine family entirely this time?"
"Could be. If the gods themselves are hostile toward each other, it’s highly likely this won't be a fake war like the last one."
Perhaps they would witness a true clash between gods—not a minor deity like Ymir, but a duel between the heads of the Arabion and Carmine families.
"Anyway, I can't just let this pass."
"Are you going to get involved?"
"For now, I want to find out exactly what’s going on."
Turan looked at Meisa and Solif as he spoke. Though they had changed significantly, it was still too risky to show Meisa to the people of the Arabion main house. Similarly, Solif’s face was already well-known to Arabion’s forces. If they used the transformation mask, Turan wouldn't be able to hide his own face.
"I’ll go and check things out alone this time. You two stay here and continue the reclamation project."
"It’s too dangerous!"
"He’s right. No matter how strong you’ve become, you’ll die if you’re caught by actual gods."
Turan shook his head calmly, offering a logical rebuttal.
"It can't be helped. We only have one transformation tool, and we can't abandon the work here."
Reclaiming the southern lands was the price for borrowing the healing magic of the Lavitas family head. Abandoning it now would destroy their credibility. Considering there were almost no healers capable of fully treating powerful nobles like them, stopping the work was out of the question.
After much persuasion, the two finally agreed to let Turan scout the conflict alone.
"I’m telling you again, be careful. If it looks dangerous, just run. Got it?"
"I know. I value my life too, so don't worry."
Waving off Solif’s concern, Turan stole a glance at Meisa. Unlike Solif, she was surprisingly stoic.
"It’s fine. You can be reckless if you want," she said. "But if you die, I’ll hunt down whoever did it and kill them, no matter who they are."
"Ah, so that’s how it is..."
It was a threat: if he died by being careless, she would follow him to the grave after taking her revenge. Her expression was far too sincere to be a joke, so Turan repeatedly promised he wouldn't do anything stupid.
Afterward, he went to Yoz, the Lavitas knight managing the reclamation site, to inform him of his departure. Since Turan was technically working as payment for treatment, Yoz was his overseer.
"Understood. The reclamation will be delayed a bit, then," Yoz replied bluntly.
It would be ridiculous to think Turan would flee when the work was more than half finished. Besides, his two companions were staying behind to continue the labor. What actually concerned Yoz was the stranger standing next to Turan, grinning broadly.
"Um, the person next to you... could it be...?"
"Ah, this is my friend, Sol. He’ll be taking Phil’s place in the reclamation work for a while. Say hello."
"Hey there."
Solif, having removed his mask to reveal his true form, greeted the knight with an utterly shameless expression.
"No, no matter how I look at it, that’s the heir of Baraha—"
Seeing the look in their eyes, Yoz quickly swallowed his words. As a high-ranking official of the Lavitas family, he had clearly seen Solif’s portrait before.
"Let’s just say you happened to run into him. You get the gist, right?"
"A-Ah, I understand."
In any case, even if Solif went maskless here, the rumor was unlikely to spread. This was the Coloa region, the southernmost edge of Lavitas territory. The only reason he had been wearing the mask was to prepare for unforeseen circumstances, but it was much more useful for Turan to take it now.
After a week of preparation, Turan went to see Meisa just before leaving. Since receiving the letter, she had focused entirely on crafting a magic tool.
"I’m about to head out. How’s the work?"
"I just finished. Here."
Turan let out a small exclamation as he took the object. It was a small hand mirror with a silver-plated handle. The craftsmanship wasn't grand, but it hummed with a surprising amount of mana—comparable even to the Guardian magic tools Turan possessed.
"It’s a pair with the one I have. We can only communicate if both of us pour mana into them at the same time."
"What’s the range?"
"The further apart we are, the more mana it consumes. If you’re in Arabion or Carmine territory, it’ll be impossible to maintain for long, even with our strength."
"I see. Communication tools really are inefficient."
Considering Meisa was likely the most powerful Enchanter in history, the fact that even her work had such limitations was telling. Ordinary nobles wouldn't be able to communicate over more than a few hundred kilometers. There was a reason most mage families didn't bother with them.
"It might be because I’m not used to enchantment magic yet. I’ll send a better one through Bije later."
"Don't push yourself too hard."
As the time to leave arrived, Meisa suddenly pulled Turan into a hug. Unlike before, when he could only feel her bones, he now felt a warmth that reminded him of his mother’s embrace from long ago.
"Meisa."
"Don't die."
Instead of answering, Turan gently patted her back.
*
With his preparations complete, Turan grabbed Bije’s legs and soared into the sky. While a swing was more comfortable, it prevented the Golden Eagle from reaching her full speed.
Delighted to be flying alone with Turan again, Bije unleashed a massive gale and shot northward. Turan marveled at the scenery blurring beneath them.
"I’m realizing it all over again... you’ve really gotten fast."
He had been impressed before, but now she was on a completely different level. Back then, she had been a lower-to-middle rank noble beast, and Turan’s weight had been a burden. Now, possessing mana equivalent to a high-ranking noble, every flap of her wings parted the clouds and sent ripples down to the earth.
Bije flapped even harder, clearly pleased by the praise.
After two days of flight and resting in uninhabited wilds, Turan covered nearly seven thousand kilometers and arrived at the Dakein Plains.
"You worked hard, Bije."
[This is nothing! I’m even faster when I’m alone. Not that you’re heavy or anything...]
Bije, realizing her boast implied her friend was baggage, hurriedly scratched at the dirt with her talons to clarify. Turan laughed and stroked her feathered head.
"If I had flown here myself, it would have taken ten days without rest. You saved me a lot of time. Thanks."
[I want to keep going with Turan!]
"I appreciate it, but for now, go help Meisa and Solif. I have to do this part alone."
A person traveling with a Golden Eagle would stand out too much. If he needed her, he would contact Meisa.
"Head back safely. You know the way, right?"
[I know it better than you do!]
Bije wrote in a prickly tone, seemingly annoyed by the separation, and took flight.
After seeing her off, Turan headed toward the city of Zabilin, disguised as an ordinary young man.
"Hard at work, I see."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Hello there, young man."
Turan entered the city, greeting the passing guards affably while expanding his senses.
Those over there are Berk knights... It seems they haven't mobilized a separate force to monitor this area.
He had expected spies after he took Meisa, but they hadn't put in much effort. Or perhaps they had given up after months of silence.
Even if they intercepted the letter I sent to Asiz... I didn't write anything meaningful.
Turan had intentionally omitted Meisa, making it seem as if he were traveling only with Solif. Without clues to their location, the letter was useless to enemies.
After scouting, Turan used stealth magic and boldly entered the Berk family mansion. Despite the broad daylight and active magic devices, his stealth held firm.
I can't hold this forever, though.
Feeling his mana deplete, Turan hurried through the mansion. He reached Asiz’s room, closed the door, and deactivated his stealth with a sigh of relief.
"Whew."
This infiltration was only possible because of his vast mana reserves and his familiarity with the layout. An ordinary noble would have run dry long ago.
Turan lay on the bed and pushed his holy relic’s senses to the limit. He felt the presence of the Berk family head, his wife, Asiz’s brother Melo, and his teacher, Haram. Asiz himself was in the garden, practicing magic.
No suspicious people in the mansion... Good. I’ll rest for a bit.
Two hours later, Asiz returned.
"Y-You...!? Wait, Turan?"
"Long time no see, Asiz. You look healthy."
After a moment of shock, Asiz recognized Turan by his clothes—outfits Asiz had tailored himself.
"Did you come because of my letter?"
"Yeah. And to check if there was any foul play here."
Asiz sighed in relief. "I was on guard. I was worried someone might use a familiar face to approach me."
"Isn't that a rare ability?"
"It is, but if you can do it, maybe someone else can too."
It was unlikely, given Turan’s mask was a relic of the extinct Mimic bloodline, but the caution was good.
"Tell me more," Turan said. "The letter was brief. When does the war start?"
"I don't know. Even my mother probably doesn't. But it won't be long. The main house has commissioned a massive number of cold-resistance magic tools."
That confirmed it: the target was Carmine.
Through their conversation, Turan learned how Arabion was demonizing Carmine through propaganda to justify the invasion.
"So that’s the situation..."
"Surely you’re not going to infiltrate the main house again?"
"No. It’s too dangerous now that they’re on high alert."
Turan had only succeeded before because of the element of surprise. Now, they were looking for him.
"Instead, I’ll infiltrate the other side. Can you get me some materials? Since they’re neighbors, the library should have something on them."
"The other side? You don't mean...?"
Turan smirked. "That’s right. This time, I’m going to take a look at Carmine."