Chapter 112
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112
After concluding their meeting with Osel, Turan and his companions didn't depart immediately. Instead, they stayed at Lida’s mansion to recover from the exhaustion of their long journey and recent labors.
To be more precise, it was a time for Solif to lift his spirits, which had grown gloomy after being stuck in the middle of nowhere for so long.
Early one morning, Turan was sitting in a corner of the guest house living room, engrossed in a book. He looked up as Meisa stepped out of her room, crossing paths with him. She was drying her reddish-brown hair, which was still damp from a fresh wash.
"Heading to the gambling den again today?" Turan asked.
"Yeah."
"You never seem to get tired of it."
Almost every day, Solif would leave the mansion to make the rounds of the various gambling dens scattered throughout Merem. At first, he had enjoyed common pastimes like dogfighting or cockfighting, but lately, he seemed to have developed a taste for a southern-style game played with tiles carved from animal bone.
"Well, since he hasn't complained about being out of money, I guess he hasn't lost much," Turan remarked. "This is a new book I bought; do you want to read it?"
"Yes."
Meisa took the book Turan offered and sat across from him.
Turan, who had no interest in gambling, often spent his time like this—reading in a sun-drenched spot with Meisa. He mainly sought out travelogues or history books, while Meisa preferred romance novels and fairy tales. Sometimes they would spend hours without exchanging a single word, but he enjoyed the quiet comfort of her presence, punctuated only by the occasional sound of a turning page.
Of course, there were times when such stillness became tedious. On those days, they would leave the mansion together to explore the streets. Wandering through the bustling markets or browsing the shops was pleasant enough, but their favorite activity was watching plays.
"That play was wonderful," Meisa said as they walked back one evening.
"It was. The song Ele sang at the end was so tragic. And the dancing was spectacular."
Because of her status as the successor of Arabion, Meisa had rarely been able to frequent theaters like commoners. Seeing her so animated reminded Turan of the time he had visited a theater with Asiz. She looked so happy that he felt a pang of regret, wishing he had made more time for things like this when he had the chance.
On days they saw a play with particularly impressive choreography, they would try to recreate the movements in the guest house garden.
"Was it like this?"
"I think the hand was held a bit higher."
Under the moonlit sky, with only the chirping of insects for music, the two held hands and spun across the grass, striking various poses. They practiced complex movements—passing under arms, hopping, and leaning their weight into one another. When the dance finally ended, Meisa was leaning back as if she might fall, supported only by Turan’s arm wrapped firmly around her waist.
Standing still and sharing their warmth, the two looked into each other's eyes in silence—
Whoosh!
A sudden, powerful gust of wind blew, tangling their hair together. Bije, who had been watching from the sidelines, fluttered her wings and stomped her feet, having swept them up with wind magic.
"Ahaha! Bije, stop it!"
"You want to dance too, don't you? Come here."
In the end, the midnight ball concluded with Bije hopping all over them and flapping her wings in a chaotic, whimsical dance that left them all bursting with laughter.
*
After three weeks of rest and recreation, the trio went to Lida to say their goodbyes.
"Will you be back soon this time as well?" Lida asked.
"It might be difficult. We've taken on a rather large commission," Turan replied.
"Don't feel too pressured. The Family Head only mentioned it in the sense that you should take the opportunity if it arises."
The commission they had received directly from Osel Lavitas, the Family Head, was a heavy one: execute a traitor of the family and recover a Holy Relic. Lida mentioned that, currently, almost no one within the Lavitas family knew of this. If it became common knowledge, the family's prestige would plummet.
Turan had heard that three or four high-ranking nobles had set out in all directions to give chase, but unless they possessed tracking abilities as exceptional as the Zahar, the chances of finding the target were slim.
"I can't guarantee we'll find them, but if we do, we'll make sure to recover it," Turan promised.
In truth, the right to unlimited medical treatment promised by the Family Head wasn't of great value to Turan's group. If they executed the traitor and absorbed their mana into the Mimic Relic, Turan himself could become a healer of immense skill.
Even so, it was better to return the Holy Relic than for one of them to use it.
If we're caught using the Holy Relic as we please, even this tenuous friendship will be shattered... but if we return it, we can firmly secure one of the Great Families as an ally.
Considering they were potentially hostile toward at least four Great Families—Nagin, Arabion, Zahar, and Baraha—and the fallen gods behind them, they needed a friendly Great Family that wasn't under a god's control.
Right now, the relationship between Turan’s group and Lavitas was merely that of associates who had handled a few tasks for each other. If they performed the great favor of recovering the Holy Relic, a true strategic alliance would become possible. Perhaps, in the long run, they could even form a united front against the gods.
Compared to that, a Holy Relic that merely prevented aging but didn't guarantee immortality wasn't of such great value. In fact, they could obtain the power of agelessness just by storing the Lavitas bloodline in the Mimic Relic.
"Yes, this old man trusts you," Lida said warmly. "You are reliable and kind young people, a rarity in this world. Whenever you are in the area, don't hesitate to drop by."
"We had a great time, Lord Lida!" Solif shouted jovially. His face was full of life, likely thanks to the weeks spent roaming gambling dens and taverns.
Lida chuckled at his spirited appearance and then looked at Turan and Meisa. "I saw the other day that your dancing skills are quite excellent. I hope to see it again next time."
Meisa blushed furiously at the mention of him seeing them in the garden. Solif tilted his head, confused, while Turan—who knew through the Holy Relic's senses that Lida had been watching them—offered only an awkward smile.
*
After leaving Lida’s mansion, the group boarded the swing pulled by Bije in a secluded spot. Instead of flying straight toward the South Sea, they headed for a nearby dormant volcanic region. It was the hot spring area where Icool, the Monkey King, lived—the place where Turan had first met Lida.
"It's been a while, Icool."
"This guy's expression is always so annoying. Do you hate me that much?" Solif grumbled.
Icool snorted and narrowed his eyes at Solif, but when Meisa waved in greeting, he grinned and waved back. While Bije, who had grown nearly as strong as Icool, teased him with wind magic and got flicked on the forehead in return, the three of them gathered sulfur from a secret space inside the hot spring that Lida had told them about.
After that, they said their goodbyes to Icool and flew toward the South Sea. Moving at a relaxed pace, it took exactly two days to reach the southern coast. Looking down at the coastline, Turan opened a notebook where he had organized the hometowns of the people he had rescued from Parayan Island.
"Osti Village, north of Lunan City... it should be around here."
"Isn't it that village over there?"
Since they had obtained a map of the Lavitas territory from Lida, finding the cities and villages in the western part of the South Sea was simple. A short while later, Turan entered a fishing village and met two men and one woman he had rescued in the past.
"Ah... ah..."
"Mage-nim!"
"O Savior. It is truly an honor to see you again—"
The survivors reacted in different ways. Some were so overcome with emotion they could only sob; others threw themselves onto the ground; and some tried to express their joy using the most formal words they knew.
Turan was invited into one of their homes to hear how they had been faring.
"You saw people getting off at Gorong Village and Tospa City?"
"Yes. We were next in line, so I remember clearly..."
"Then I don't necessarily need to stop by there," Turan mused.
"No, we should go," Meisa insisted. "I want to make sure they're doing well."
It seemed the Red Whale Pirates had kept their promise and returned the survivors to various port cities and villages across the South Sea. Of course, there were a few whose villages had been completely destroyed by pirate attacks, leaving them with nowhere to return. In those cases, they had settled down with other survivors.
"My wife is exactly such a case," one man said, gesturing to the woman beside him. "Her hometown was burned down, so I told her I would take responsibility and provide for her. I brought her here to live with me."
The woman blushed deeply and looked down shyly. When they were being abused by the pirates, they had all looked so sickly that death seemed imminent, but seeing them living well now put Turan's mind at ease.
After talking a bit more, Turan’s group left the village, followed by the survivors' vows of eternal gratitude. They continued to travel through the port cities and villages of the Lavitas region. Most had resettled successfully, but occasionally, they encountered unpleasant situations.
"Is there a man named Sorrow in this village? He should have arrived about six months ago," Turan asked in one village.
"Ah, I remember him," the village elder said, his expression shifting. "He was a fellow who suffered much after being captured by pirates. But not long after he returned, he fell gravely ill and passed away..."
"Is there a grave?"
"A—A grave, you say? That's—"
"There is. Lead the way," Turan commanded.
The elder was visibly flustered. Catching the scent of fear emanating from him, Turan coerced him into taking them to the survivor's grave. A moment later, Turan used earth manipulation magic to open the crude grave. He pulled out the rotting corpse and confirmed a large wound on the back of the head. The marks were clearly from a shovel or an axe.
"Anyone can see he didn't die of illness."
"I... I don't really know..."
"If you tell the truth, I'll kill you painlessly," Turan said coldly.
Already certain the elder was involved, Turan unhesitatingly applied his torture techniques. He extracted a confession that the elder and a few village bigwigs had conspired to kill the survivor. The motive was the settlement funds Turan had generously given to each survivor. Those who had relatives left in their villages were safe, but those who returned to settle alone often encountered this kind of greed.
In response, Turan sought out every person involved in the crime. He subjected them to horrific torture before tearing them limb from limb and hanging their remains at the village entrance.
"W-We must report this to the city..." a villager stammered.
"Shh, be quiet."
The villagers were terrified of the mage who had suddenly appeared to execute their leaders, but Turan didn't care. Lavitas would likely overlook such minor incidents anyway.
"Whoa," Solif muttered, looking at the carnage.
"Let's go now," Turan said.
Solif and Meisa were repulsed by the brutality, but they didn't stop him. They knew how the influential men of Hisaril Hill had once tried to steal Turan's sheep ranch. It wasn't hard to guess that Turan was projecting his past persecutors onto these people.
After visiting about ten such locations, they took a boat and traveled across the South Sea, eventually revisiting Parayan Island. Solif hopped off the boat and whistled as he looked at the shoreline.
"So this is the land of gold?"
"Didn't you say you were the one who told me about it?" Turan asked.
"I did, but I'd never been here myself. I was just passing on stories I'd heard from a pirate."
They spent the night in the abandoned, half-ruined pirate quarters after making basic repairs. When day broke, they entered the mine in the center of the island.
"Alright, time to get to work for the first time in a while."
"Dammit. I can't believe I have to do this again," Solif groaned.
"Don't complain, just dig."
The three of them picked up pickaxes and began excavating, just as Turan had done in the past. Maintaining the ceiling with earth manipulation and telekinesis—skills they had mastered during their land reclamation project—was second nature now.
Since all three were far more powerful than Turan had been during his first visit, their efficiency was staggering. The mine, which had already been hollowed out by a mage-miner once before, soon had more holes than an anthill. By the time they emerged after a full day, they had secured hundreds of kilograms of unrefined gold and silver, and over a ton of saltpeter.
"With this much, we won't have to worry for a long time."
"Indeed. We've secured far more than what we used before."
Their supply of Soul of Fire had been dwindling. They had consumed a large amount during the fight with the Great Sea Serpent and had been using it steadily for practice. This visit to Parayan Island was specifically to replenish their saltpeter stores.
While Turan combined the sulfur and charcoal to create Soul of Fire, Meisa and Solif shaped the gold and silver into ingots using molds they had requested from Lida. It was a simple, repetitive process of melting and cooling. Before long, a mountain of black powder and precious metal ingots sat before the mine.
"All done."
"Hah, we're rich. Well, maybe not 'Great Family' rich, but still."
"This is more than enough wealth for wandering nobles to carry," Turan agreed.
They each took a share of the Soul of Fire and buried the majority of the gold and silver ingots deep within the mine, taking only a portion with them. Even with their High-Capacity Pouches and Solif’s backpack, carrying that much weight would prevent them from carrying other essentials.
"I wonder if someone will dig it up," Solif mused.
"It should be fine. No one seems interested in this island anymore. Even if someone finds the mine, it'll be nearly impossible to reach where we buried it."
The mine was a labyrinthine mess; even a slight disturbance could trigger a total collapse. Unless someone knew exactly where the hoard was buried, they wouldn't risk entering.
Solif chuckled. "Maybe treasure maps from the old days were made like this. If we die, this will become a legend about a massive treasure sleeping on a forgotten island."
"I suppose so."
The three shared a laugh at the thought.
*
After finishing their business on Parayan Island, Turan’s group stopped by the Red Whale Pirates to find their leader, Tasan.
When he met Turan—whom he had sworn to serve as an older brother—and Solif, his former drinking buddy, Tasan greeted them warmly. He bumped shoulders with them, only to let out a yelp of pain.
"What have you been doing to make your body this hard!"
"Hehe, it's a secret," Solif grinned.
Solif had always been stronger, but as a member of the Sun bloodline, his physical durability had been inferior to Tasan, who possessed the Strength-bearer bloodline. Now, having awakened the Guardian bloodline, Solif’s physical strength was equal to Tasan's, and his durability was far higher.
Tasan shook hands with Turan and realized that he, too, had become stronger—Turan had activated the Berserker bloodline in advance just in case. Tasan looked somewhat dejected.
"It seems you've all been on quite an adventure. More importantly... that beautiful lady over there... is she your partner, Brother?"
"Not yet," Turan answered quietly.
Solif, who was close enough to catch it, snickered.
A short while later, the three shared drinks in Tasan’s quarters. When Turan told the story of returning the survivors to their homes, Tasan laughed heartily.
"Of course it ended well! I, Tasan, am a man who has never failed at something I put my name on!"
"Impressive!" Solif cheered.
"Of course!"
The way Tasan and Solif bumped fists in perfect sync made them look like true brothers. Turan laughed and then poured a heap of gold ingots onto the table. Only then did Tasan notice the High-Capacity Pouch. His eyes widened as he looked between the gold and Turan.
"Hmm? What is this?"
"To help with the family management. It's better to have plenty of resources."
"No, I—"
Turan reached out and covered Tasan’s mouth before he could refuse. "Don't think of it as a reward; think of it as an investment. A gesture of goodwill toward the Red Whale family that rules this portion of the South Sea."
"The Red Whale family..."
"If it's a group of mages protecting humanity, it's a family," Turan said firmly.
Tasan’s lips quivered, and he abruptly turned his head away. It wasn't clearly visible, but his eyes seemed to be welling with tears. After the emotion passed, Tasan, his face flushed from the alcohol, brought up an unexpected story.
"Come to think of it, I saw something terrifying recently."
"Something terrifying?"
"A warship with a family crest I'd never seen before passed near this island. The moment it encountered a pirate ship, a golden flash poured out and cut the vessel in two. I was going to help, but after seeing that, I turned tail and ran. If they had chased me, I might be dead."
The moment they heard "golden flash," the faces of all three stiffened. It was clearly the secret technique of the Baraha: the Judgment Light. Furthermore, if it could cleave a ship in half in a single strike, the user was undoubtedly a high-ranking expert or higher.
"Remember it, just in case you run into them. There was a crest in the middle of the sail—a yellow circle covered by white triangles, and below it were four crests of this shape."
Tasan spilled a bit of alcohol and drew the symbol on the table with his finger. A crest symbolizing the sun was in the center, with four star-shaped crests below it.
Upon seeing this, Solif’s face hardened into a mask. He stood up abruptly.
"One moment. Can I talk to Turan for a second, Tasan?"
"Hmm?" Tasan looked disappointed at being excluded, but he nodded, not wanting to seem unmanly.
Solif pulled Turan aside and let out a deep, heavy sigh. "What he just described... that's the Baraha crest."
"I thought as much," Turan replied.
A yellow circle with triangles was a common way to symbolize the sun. Combined with the mention of the Judgment Light, it was easy to guess a Baraha warship had passed by. However, Solif’s expression suggested something far more serious.
"The stars attached below signify the status of the person using the crest," Solif explained. "One star is for family attendants or vassal families. Two stars are for general members and the heads of vassal families. Three stars are for elders or high-ranking officials. And... four stars can only be used by the Family Head."
In other words, the ship Tasan had seen was carrying none other than the Family Head of Baraha himself.