Chapter 105
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105
In this world, it was an unwritten rule that powerful nobles seldom left their family’s domain.
First, the moment a family head or someone in a vital position left their territory, it became difficult for them to look after their kin and subordinates. Second, a powerful mage was, in a sense, an easier target than a powerful magical beast.
While mana plundering was considered a crime more heinous than cannibalism, laws only existed because there were people who committed such acts in the first place.
In that sense, the appearance of Talis—the younger brother of the Zahar family head, the second-in-command of a Great Family, and a high noble with mana levels among the absolute elite—here in the capital of Carmine was nothing short of an anomaly.
Turan gritted his teeth and dug his nails into his knees, struggling to keep his agitation from showing on his face.
Talis Zahar…
The man he suspected was his own grandfather.
The moment he realized the man's identity, the source of the déjà vu he’d felt earlier became clear. The deep-set eyes that looked fierce when devoid of emotion, the sharp nose, and the eyes as dark and gray as iron. Every feature Turan had seen in his own reflection—the parts he felt were different from his mother—resembled this man.
There was a reason the Lord of Komad and Reto had taken one look at Turan and assumed he was of Talis’s bloodline. If the two of them had been commoners, anyone would have mistaken them for father and son with a twenty-year age gap.
“…Zahar?”
“The Zahar of the Enril Desert?”
“I heard he’s the family head’s younger brother.”
“Why would such a titan come all this way?”
Talis’s appearance seemed sudden even to the Carmine nobles, and the meeting room instantly dissolved into a clamor.
Then, Turan realized Talis was staring intently at him.
To Talis, the version of Onil that Turan was disguised as should have been just one of a dozen Carmine nobles. As Turan wondered why the man was staring, he saw Talis’s nose twitch slightly. It was as if he were trying to catch a scent.
…No way. Is he sensing my emotions?
It was clear that for a split second, Talis had detected that Turan’s feelings were different from the others. It was a technique Turan often used naturally on others, but being the target of it made his skin crawl. It felt as if his very heart were being read.
Turan tried to calm his mind and subtly lowered his gaze. When he looked up a moment later, Talis’s eyes had fortunately moved on.
“As the Carmine family head mentioned just now, I have come to mediate this war. In such a chaotic world, we cannot have Great Families fighting amongst themselves, can we?”
“And how exactly do you intend to mediate? We would be most grateful if you promised to join the war on our side,” said Zemel, the father of Onil, the man Turan was currently impersonating.
The other Carmine nobles seemed to agree with his sentiment.
“Exactly.”
“If Zahar supports us from behind, we might actually be able to cut Arabion down to size this time.”
Based on public knowledge, it wasn't a difficult logic to follow. Zahar and Arabion had fought a war twenty years ago. It was only natural for Zahar to interfere if Arabion tried to crush Carmine, a neighboring Great Family. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
However, while the majority of the Carmine nobles were rejoicing with optimistic views, a few did not look pleased at all. It was as if they knew Zahar would never truly cooperate with them.
The ones who are happy don’t know the back story… and the ones who aren’t know everything.
Considering that the gods of Arabion and Zahar weren't on bad terms—and were, in fact, both hostile toward the god of Carmine—this alliance was impossible from the start. In other words, those who weren't rejoicing were likely the ones who knew the secrets behind the scenes.
The Carmine family head, three mid-ranking nobles, and two young nobles… Is Zemel one of them?
As he’d noticed in Arabion, the gods had a paranoid tendency to hide the fact that they were possessing human bodies to rule the families. Turan could guess why. If Turan were an ordinary high-ranking noble and discovered there were gods above him who achieved immortality by swapping bodies…
Naturally, I’d want a seat at that table. Who would want to die when the secret to eternal life is right in front of them?
Furthermore, according to Ymir, this reincarnation wasn't something that could be done easily or without cost. This meant the number of available "seats" was limited. In such a situation, the more the secret spread, the more competitors there would be. There was even the possibility that the many who couldn't enjoy the right to reincarnate would revolt to seize it from the few who could.
While Turan was lost in thought, Talis continued.
“Of course, it is difficult for us to provide overt support, but we plan to help by actively utilizing Zahar’s specialties. We can tell you how Arabion’s forces are composed, where they are moving… everything.”
“Stealth and tracking. Vital elements in war.”
“If the Zahar nobles help us secretly, this might be doable.”
“But is it right to call this mediation?”
While many looked pleased, their confidence growing, one noble raised his hand and asked, “Is it impossible for you to participate directly in the battle?”
“Yes. There will be no direct participation. This is the will of our family head.”
“A pity.”
Unlike moments ago when he’d seemed like a total intruder, Talis was now leading the meeting as if he were one of the Carmine nobles. Seeing him discuss what help Zahar could provide and how Carmine should cooperate, he truly looked like a perfect ally.
In reality, they were digging for information behind our backs.
Turan, who had personally seen a Zahar spy gathering information on Carmine just a short while ago, couldn't help but be appalled.
While Talis was engrossed in the meeting with the Carmine nobles, the Carmine family head watched them silently from the seat of honor. He only spoke after about two hours had passed and everyone was starting to run out of things to say.
“Then we shall conclude this meeting for now. Naturally, this cooperation with Zahar must be kept strictly confidential. Noto, Onil, Aris.”
“Yes, yes!”
“Understood!”
“Yep!”
Because Onil’s name was among the three called, Turan answered hurriedly. Fortunately, the other two seemed just as startled, so he didn't stand out much.
“I believe you’ve made a few slips of the tongue in the past. If something similar happens this time, I won’t let it slide. Keep that in mind.”
While bowing his head at the chilling warning, Turan realized Talis was watching him with an intrigued expression.
A short while later, as he left the meeting hall, someone slapped a hand onto his shoulder.
“Onil.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do not forget the family head’s words. If family secrets are leaked because of you, you will die by my hand. Do you understand?”
“Yes…”
Turan answered in a dejected voice and bowed his head, just as the real Onil would have. His acting must have been convincing, as Zemel showed no sign of suspecting his son had been replaced.
“Good. That’s how it should be. I have more to discuss with the family head, so go on ahead. Tsk, I wish you were always as well-behaved as you are today.”
More to discuss, huh?
Smelling something suspicious, Turan bowed his head and left. He made a show of heading toward the exit of the family head’s residence, but as soon as he was out of sight, he vanished.
*
Turan had visited the residence of the Lavitas family head before, but the Carmine family head’s residence was equipped with a defense system on an entirely different level. Various walls, doors, and even hallways were enchanted with unknown magic, making them dangerous to touch.
Fortunately, most of them had been deactivated to accommodate the many outsiders entering for the meeting, making it easier to move around while hidden.
Tracking Zemel’s presence, Turan soon spotted him walking down a hallway. Beside him were a woman said to be the family head’s second cousin and her son.
“What is he thinking? Did Caesar suddenly break ties with that side?”
“No way. They were perfectly in sync during the war just a while ago.”
“Well, our Lawyer must have a plan. It looked like they’d already talked about something. Let’s go and listen.”
Given the title "Lawyer" and the way the mother and son spoke to each other like casual friends, it was clear they were all possessed by gods.
A moment later, the three entered a room that appeared to be the family head’s lounge. There, the Carmine family head and Talis were already waiting, each leaning back on a long sofa.
“You took your time.”
“I don’t need to hear that from a guest in my own house.”
“Your house? You mean your boss’s house?”
“Same thing.”
Unlike their formal demeanor from earlier, Talis and Zemel snapped at each other like bickering youths. The dissonance of young personalities inhabiting middle-aged bodies was strangely unpleasant.
Preparing for a long conversation, Turan sat in a dark corner of the room, tucked behind a pillar where the light didn't reach. By merging with the shadows, the amount of mana consumed by his stealth magic dropped significantly.
Phew…
While not as bad as the Berk family mansion, this place had ornate lighting in the hallways and rooms, making it difficult to maintain stealth for long. If he hadn't been disguised as Onil, he wouldn't have even had this opportunity.
Just as he was inwardly praising his own judgment, voices drifted over.
“So, who’s who this time?”
“You go first. Actually, I think I know. You’re Jujak, right?”
“…How did you know?”
“None of Caesar’s subordinates like to snark as much as you do. I’m Yuri. These two are Tora Tora and Rainbow.”
“Oh, I thought you were Rainbow. Your vocabulary has improved since I last saw you.”
“Well, it’s been at least five or six hundred years since we last met like this. It’s about time for a change.”
“It’s been almost a thousand years for me! I was resting last time because there wasn't a suitable body!”
“Your speech is quite energetic. Must be the young body.”
Talis and the Carmine nobles chatted amiably like old friends. Seeing as they had to identify who was in which body, it seemed they couldn't tell just by looking.
After a bit of small talk, the Carmine family head—presumably the "Lawyer"—raised his hand, and everyone fell silent.
“It’s good to catch up, but let’s talk business first.”
“Yeah, explain yourself. Why is Caesar suddenly helping us? Honestly, it’s not like we’ve been friends all this time.”
“Exactly. It’s suspicious. You already know we’re having trouble controlling the merfolk. Are you two trying to team up and finish us off for good…?”
Along with Zemel’s question, the three Carmine nobles glared at Talis as if their friendly conversation from moments ago had been a lie.
Talis gave a light snort and replied, “I’ll have to repeat what I already explained to your boss. Fine. To be blunt, our partnership with that side… with Arabion, has been provisionally terminated.”
“Why?”
“They stabbed us in the back. And those guys believe we stabbed them in the back, too.”
“Didn't you actually stab them in the back? I don’t think that guy would talk nonsense. I hate to admit it, but he’s the smartest among us.”
Perhaps knowing that the leader of Arabion, the Life Scholar, could sense his name being mentioned, they referred to him as "that guy" or "that side." Turan, who wanted to know the man's name, found it disappointing.
However, the business at hand was enough to bury such feelings. The partnership between Arabion and Zahar had been broken. This was top-tier information he never would have learned if he hadn't infiltrated this place.
“What on earth happened?”
“As for what happened to us… their boss secretly built an artificial dungeon in our territory. It was designed to replicate the Night Hunter class change quest. But unfortunately, the kid we were grooming got caught up in it and died.”
He was likely talking about the underground labyrinth and Perga Zahar. Based on his tone, did they not realize Turan had been involved? It made the effort of thoroughly concealing his tracks and leaving the scattered magic devices behind more than worth it.
“Well, we demanded an apology and got one at the time… but shortly after that, they tried to blame us for Gabi’s intended body escaping. They claimed a spy we sent must have helped.”
“Ah, that skeleton?”
“Well, she was a masterpiece, enough to warrant suspicion. She was the highest quality body we’ve ever produced.”
“The whole reason you guys went to war last time was to make that, wasn't it? No wonder they’re suspicious.”
The "body" they were talking about was undoubtedly Meisa. Based on their conversation, it seemed the cooperation between the two factions had shattered because Turan had taken her away. The god of Arabion had jumped to the conclusion that Zahar had played a trick.
But they went to war just to create a body? What did that mean?
Turan listened intently, hoping they would explain further. Then, the Carmine family head, who had been silent, spoke up.
“I’ve personally looked into what Jujak just said. It’s true that Meisa Arabion escaped. Additionally, it seems Mario’s body also ran away recently. I don’t know the details, but it’s supposedly wandering somewhere in the Southern Sea.”
“We’ve had a string of bad luck these past few years. We had our own disaster not too long ago.”
“What happened?”
At Talis’s question, the Carmine noble glanced at the family head, who nodded as if giving permission to speak.
“One of the children secretly spread our secret. We’ve been busy with internal crackdowns because of that.”
It seemed one of the Carmine nobles had discovered the gods' secret and tried to spread it internally before being stopped. They had been so busy cleaning that up that they hadn't had the leeway to interfere in the suppression of the Great Sea Serpent’s spirit.
Just as Turan was pleased to have his questions answered, Talis made an odd gesture, flicking his index and middle fingers, and complained.
“You guys have a lot of headaches, too. Being a god certainly isn't easy.”
“If we still had our original bodies, we wouldn't have to deal with all this annoyance.”
“Well, back then, we could just crush everything and be done with it.”
The way they spoke didn't make them sound like gods who had lived for thousands of years; they sounded more like managers exhausted by their work or old men reminiscing about the past. To think this was the reality of the Frea Divine Clan that humanity worshipped… Turan had guessed as much through Ymir, but it felt disappointing all over again.
Then, Talis tapped the floor with his finger to get their attention.
“Ah, there’s one more thing you should know.”
“What is it?”
“There is one Zahar noble who is outside of our control.”
“Then just catch him. Is there anyone you can’t catch if you set your minds to it?”
Talis shook his head at the Carmine noble’s incredulous tone.
“The mechanism of tracking magic makes it difficult to hunt someone without a medium. And as I said, we’ve been busy dealing with the sudden death of the one we were going to use as a body. We’re going to start searching in earnest now.”
Just from the description, Turan knew exactly who Talis was talking about.
“So, who is it?”
“Turan. Since he’s likely this body’s grandson, I suppose I should call him Turan Zahar.”