Chapter 109
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 109
To Turan, Kalamaf was a special city.
It was the first territory he had ever personally acquired and governed. To him, the citizens were lambs he had raised by hand, and the city walls were the fence he had painstakingly built to protect them.
And yet, in this very land, he had encountered someone impersonating him to exploit his people?
How could he not be furious?
However, instead of storming into the central manor in a fit of rage, Turan calmed his mind and re-examined the tax notice.
‘Revised Income Tax Act. So, they’re collecting additional taxes on certain luxury goods.’
Since tax laws were rarely the concern of commoners, he didn't know the specifics, but he had gained a functional understanding during his time as the leader of Kalamaf.
Based on that knowledge, he deduced that these new regulations weren't designed to squeeze the poor. The set tax rates didn't seem excessive, either.
In other words, aside from the fact that his name was attached to it, the content was quite reasonable.
After confirming that his name wasn't being used for cruel exploitation, Turan cooled his head and entered a nearby tavern to order a drink.
The elderly owner grumbled as he brought the glass. “A young fellow drinking in the middle of the day?”
“I’ve come from far away, and my legs are killing me. How else am I supposed to endure the pain without a drink?”
“A traveler, I take it.”
“Something like that. It’s been about a year since I was last in Kalamaf, and a lot has changed.”
The tavern keeper snorted. “What could have changed that much?”
“Plenty. When I left, there was a statue of Lord Turan near the city gates, but that’s gone now… I heard a new lord had arrived. Did he tear it down?”
“Lord Turan himself tore it down when he returned. Said it was embarrassing. If the man himself says so, what can you do?”
“I see. Come to think of it, I heard Lord Turan had decided to leave. Why did he come back?”
It was quite embarrassing to refer to himself with such honorifics, but Turan’s skin had grown thick enough to endure it. He had lived under a completely different identity before; what was a little self-praise?
Turan’s acting must have been excellent, as the tavern owner continued nonchalantly without a hint of suspicion.
“I wouldn’t know what goes on between those high and mighty folks, but he returned about two months ago to rule the city again. It’s a joyous thing. The city has finally welcomed its true master back.”
Judging by his tone—which was overflowing with affection—and his age, this owner was likely one of the original residents who remained from when Turan first arrived in Kalamaf. They were the ones who had watched him save the city from start to finish and had become his most fervent devotees.
Considering this, Turan chose his next words carefully.
“Two months, you say… Has he changed at all compared to before?”
“He wears a mask now. I heard he fought some magical beast in the wilderness and his face was badly scarred.”
“How tragic.”
“It truly is. If I could offer my own old skin to heal him, I would do it without hesitation. Have you ever seen his face? Not even the heavenly gods of Frea could match his beauty.”
Hearing such high praise for his own face made even Turan blush. He downed another drink and left the tavern, using the excuse that he felt a bit tipsy.
Next, Turan used stealth to slip into the City Hall from a nearby alley. Now that he had gathered information from the general public, it was time to see how things were running on the inside.
“Hey, where did the person in charge go?”
“They went to lunch…”
“Tell them to get back here! Look at this pile of documents! Are they out of their—”
The civil servants at City Hall looked as busy as ever. Passing through the familiar scenery, Turan spotted a few recognizable faces among the staff.
Then, he encountered a knight inside the building.
The woman, who looked to be in her thirties and was yawning with an expression of utter boredom, bore the symbol of Zahar within her.
Thanks to Talis mentioning recently that they were aware of his existence, Turan could guess the situation. No doubt, Zahar had done this to provoke him and lure him out.
As for the Meberne family, who had originally been granted Kalamaf, they were a pro-Zahar faction to begin with. They would have handed over the city the moment Zahar bared its teeth.
Turan stood silently in a corner of City Hall for several minutes, remaining hidden while observing the officials work. He watched them process civil complaints, reports, and all sorts of complex data.
His conclusion was that there was no particular lapse in discipline or any major issues within the city.
‘It’s running so well it’s almost disconcerting.’
The dispatched Zahar knights even went out to hunt magical beasts themselves whenever reports of sightings near the city came in. It was exactly what Turan had once demanded of Alos, the head of the Meberne family, when he first took over the city.
Having confirmed the internal affairs, Turan finally made his way toward the central manor where the fake was likely staying.
Upon arriving at the manor entrance, he burst into laughter at what he saw inside.
‘Wait, I’ve seen this exact setup somewhere before.’
Luminous Spheres—basic magic devices he had seen at the Berk estate and the Arabion main house. They were embedded all around the manor, glowing brightly.
It was a clear message: Don't even think about sneaking in here, Zahar assassins.
It was hilariously identical to the methods used by their rival family, Arabion.
From this, he could guess that they, too, lacked a definitive secret technique to block the stealth of their own kin. Then again, unless it was a secret unique to the Zahar bloodline, it would immediately spread and become a blade pointed back at them, so it made sense to keep such things hidden even if they existed.
Turan circled the perimeter and confirmed that they were thoroughly guarded, making it difficult to enter secretly while hidden.
Of course, if he knew the internal layout perfectly, he could have slipped in quickly as he did at the Berk estate, but the central manor of Kalamaf he remembered was merely a shelter for vagrants.
However, Turan had another means of checking the interior without actually stepping inside: the unique detection ability of the Mimic Relic.
Using this, he identified the presence of one high-ranking noble and two mid-ranking nobles inside.
‘Based on the numbers and strength, they’ve stationed enough people to capture a high-ranking noble.’
They were all armed with several powerful magic devices, and the area was layered with mysterious barriers and spells. If a high-ranking noble Turan had come seeking revenge for the impersonation, he surely would have been hunted down with ease.
While he was gathering information, he felt the nobles inside begin to move.
‘What? Did they notice my scouting from this distance?’
Contrary to Turan’s alarm, the nobles had only come out for a routine patrol.
The fake Turan rode a horse, parading through the streets of Kalamaf accompanied by attendants who appeared to be knights.
“Oh, Lord Turan…”
“He looked this way!”
“No, he looked at me!”
Judging by the chatter of the crowd, these patrols weren't rare.
The fake Turan was a man with a build quite similar to the original. He even had the same gray ponytail, but his face was covered by a mask intricately carved with the image of an eagle.
A golden eagle sat on one side of his saddle. It wasn't a magical beast, just a well-trained ordinary eagle—unlike Bije.
Turan approached just close enough to blend in with the crowd and checked the symbols within the fake party.
The high-ranking noble impersonating him was a Zahar, and the two mid-ranking followers acting as knights were from the Barrier Master and Illusion bloodlines, respectively.
‘Barrier Master and Illusion… both are vassal families of Zahar.’
Turan watched from behind as the fake version of himself waved to the cheering citizens.
*
That night, on a hill near Kalamaf, Turan reunited with Bije for the first time in a long while.
Unlike the bird he had seen earlier, this golden eagle had intelligent, sharp eyes. The moment she saw Turan, she lunged at him like a battering ram and rubbed her head against his chest.
After he had spent a good while stroking her back, Bije quickly scratched words into the dirt.
[I was sad we couldn't meet! Solif is an idiot! Meisa is nice, but I like Turan better!]
“Right, right. I wanted to see you too. Here, have some food.”
[Don't try to win me over with food every time!]
Despite her grumbling, Bije greedily snapped up the high-quality mutton jerky Turan had prepared as a secret weapon.
After soothing the bird, who was acting spoiled after their long separation, Turan took to the sky with Bije.
His destination was Bigen, a city located southeast of Kalamaf. His next goal was to meet Alos Meberne, the lord of that city and the one who had originally been granted the rights to rule Kalamaf.
Arriving in Bigen in less than an hour, Turan sharpened his relic-enhanced senses to confirm there were no significant defense systems around the central manor before jumping down.
No one noticed him landing in the garden or entering the building under his stealth magic.
Compared to the strongholds of the Great Families, the security here was practically non-existent. For an ordinary mage family, this was the best they could manage. Creating magic devices was the exclusive privilege of Enchanters, and most nobles of the Enchanter bloodline belonged only to the Great Families.
The next safest places would be the strongholds of the Barrier Master bloodlines.
Turan wandered through the manor nonchalantly while hidden, eventually finding Alos drinking tea alone after finishing dinner. He deactivated his stealth behind him and spoke.
“It’s been a long time, Alos.”
With a loud crash, Alos knocked over his table as he scrambled to his feet, staring at Turan as if he were seeing a ghost. It was only natural, given that an intruder had suddenly appeared in the tea room in the heart of the lord’s manor.
Predictably, the noise drew a maid’s voice from outside.
“M-my Lord? Is something wrong—”
“Nothing is wrong! Do not come in!”
There was a bit more commotion outside following Alos’s shout, but silence soon returned.
He let out a deep sigh and answered softly. “I see… It has been a year, hasn't it, Lord Turan Zahar?”
Turan Zahar.
Even hearing it spoken aloud, the name didn't sit well with him.
Thinking this privately, Turan used a practiced telekinetic spell to right the fallen table, gathered the spilled tea from the floor to whisk it away, and then sat down across from him.
Alos gulped at the sight.
“Please, sit.”
“I…”
“I didn't come to fight. I apologize for the rude late-night visit, but given the circumstances, I hope you understand.”
Despite Turan’s polite tone, the fear in Alos’s face did not easily fade. It was understandable. No one would be less afraid just because an intruder in their bedroom spoke politely while holding a knife.
“I… I had no choice. I couldn't possibly defy your… kinsmen.”
“I know that. And when I went there, I saw they were governing quite well. Fortunately.”
Perhaps due to his consistently calm voice, Alos finally seemed to settle down somewhat and let out a long breath.
Toward him, Turan threw a question that tightened the leash once more.
“How much did you tell them about me?”
“Pardon?”
“You must have passed my information to the Zahar side.”
“That is…”
Alos’s face turned pale at the disadvantageous question. Based on past experience, Turan knew this lord was quite clever, so it was easier to converse by keeping him off-balance and maintaining control of the situation.
“It’s alright to tell me. It’s family business anyway; why would I harm you over that? Did Lord Talis stop by as well?”
At Turan’s casual mention of Talis, a powerhouse of the Zahar family, a look of confusion crossed Alos’s face.
After a moment, he spoke in a tone of resignation. “Yes…”
Alos confessed that he had yielded to the pressure of the Zahar family and told them everything he knew. From the investigation into Turan’s parents to his participation in the Dark Elf subjugation with Arabion nobles, and even his demand for stable city management during their deal.
‘I see. So that’s why they’re governing properly.’
If Turan had an attachment to Kalamaf, Zahar ruining it would only create hostility. Therefore, their intention was likely to run it decently, wait for Turan to realize his reputation was being stolen and storm in, then subdue and persuade him.
“Do the other families know that Zahar is ruling Kalamaf?”
“They don't. Zahar ordered me to maintain secrecy so no one would find out. They said it would be troublesome if Arabion caught wind of it…”
“Do you know who the noble impersonating me is?”
“I don't know that either. I was only told that someone would be impersonating you.”
Then again, the fact that they didn't care much for Alos was evident just by looking at the manor’s security. They likely knew Turan might come to him for revenge, yet they left it like this.
After hearing the full statement, Turan spoke softly to Alos.
“That’s enough. For now, pass a message to the Zahar side. Tell them that if they continue to govern well as they are now, I will forgive them for impersonating me.”
“…What?”
Alos couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock. In a situation where Turan was effectively being hunted, telling him to report his visit to Zahar was nonsensical enough, but to say he would ‘forgive’ them?
To anyone’s eyes, this was an act of pure provocation.
Turan continued.
“And tell them this as well. Judging by these tricks, it seems they want to recruit me into the family. But if they neglect the governance of Kalamaf or intentionally cause harm because of what I’ve said, I will do the exact same thing to the Zahar vassal families in the Enril Desert.”
“No, that’s practically—”
“Yes. It is a threat.”
Faced with Turan’s utter confidence, Alos didn't know how to respond. To dare threaten House Zahar—the most sinister, cruel, and persistent of all the Great Families?
No one in the world would treat them that way unless they were an Arabion noble with nowhere left to retreat. No, even Arabion nobles wouldn't say such things unless absolutely necessary, simply to avoid provoking them.
“Zahar likely knows better than anyone. They know exactly what kind of nightmare would unfold if a Zahar noble, hostile to them, began tearing through the desert while avoiding direct confrontation.”
“Well… that is true.”
Just seeing Turan standing before him now made it easy to imagine how terrifying that influence could be. Nowadays, nobles belonging to Arabion could move around somewhat since the war was over, but during the war, they couldn't even leave their family estates, let alone go on pilgrimages.
“Instead, if they govern Kalamaf obediently, I will go to meet them in person eventually. Sometime within the next ten to fifty years. Tell them that.”
“Will they… accept that?”
“If they don't, sad things will happen to both of us.”
Watching Turan answer in such a flat tone, Alos had an intuition. If they truly didn't manage Kalamaf well, Turan was more than capable of raiding Zahar lands exactly as he said.
From his experience, this was not the expression or tone of someone bluffing.
After making his declaration, Turan finally pulled an earring from his robe and placed it on the table.
“What is this?”
“I’m told it grants the wearer a minor fire resistance effect. It’s something I picked up by chance during my travels.”
“Why give me this…?”
“You intended to honor our contract, but things went wrong due to pressure from my family.”
Turan said it was compensation for the lost city. Alos looked at him with an expression that said he didn't know what to say, then eventually took the earring and put it on. Regardless of the situation, for the head of an ordinary family, even a single magic device was a valuable asset.
“I will accept it with gratitude.”
“No, I’m only sorry I have nothing more to give. I’ll see you later, then.”
The moment he finished speaking, Turan, who had been sitting there, vanished without a trace, as if he had been erased from existence.
Alos stared blankly at the empty seat for a moment before letting out a series of dry chuckles.
Though he was the master of a house, he couldn't help but feel how small he truly was in the presence of the Great Families.