Chapter 137
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 137
"Where did those two go?"
"I heard they returned to their barracks to rest, sir."
As the long, tedious meeting finally drew to a close, the Chieftain of the Golden Fleece Tribe walked away, listening to his subordinate's report.
The man who led the largest tribe on the plains wore a face that showed more savagery and exhaustion than solemnity or dignity.
"Damn it! My prestige took a hit because they just walked out like that. I specifically told them to stay put. What were you doing? Why didn't you stop them?"
"I apologize, sir."
"Tsk."
The Chieftain knew his subordinate couldn't have stopped them. Moroz’s power was nearly equal to his own; it was impossible for a mere soldier to stand in his way. The Chieftain was simply venting his frustration.
"Tsk, I never should have taken that fellow in."
When Moroz had first sought refuge, the Chieftain had been delighted.
It was a well-known fact that the more powerful a shaman—or a 'mage,' as the outsiders called them—became, the less effective general healing abilities were on them. Having Moroz was essentially like having an extra life.
Furthermore, his other power as a Purifier was vital on these plains. If a plague broke out and hundreds of livestock died, the losses would be catastrophic.
However, the price of harboring Moroz was steep.
Other tribes, coveting his abilities, constantly encroached on the Golden Fleece Tribe’s territory, picking fights and manufacturing excuses. They claimed tribe members had stolen their sheep, killed their people, or even slain some divine bird their tribe worshipped...
It was a headache because the accusations were a messy mix of genuine mistakes and blatant frame-ups.
I don't give a damn where or how that foul-tempered bird kicked the bucket, the Chieftain thought, recalling the protest from the Golden Eagle Tribe’s leader just moments ago. He finally arrived at the tent Moroz used.
No doubt the man was busy rolling around with that pretty wench of his.
Moroz would be furious if interrupted, but the Chieftain was the one who should be angry right now. It was time to pull back on the leash.
"Hey, Moroz! I told you to stay—"
The Chieftain yanked back the tent flap and shouted, but his words died in his throat. His eyes widened in shock.
On the oversized bed—built unnecessarily large at the user's request—a man and a woman lay naked and dead.
A single hole pierced both their chests, as if they had been run through simultaneously. Furthermore, as if the killer harbored a deep, personal grudge, Moroz had been decapitated.
"W-what should we do...?" the subordinate asked, his expression blank with shock.
"How the hell should I know, you idiot?"
*
"Let's rest here for a moment."
Out on the desolate plains, Turan signaled Bije to descend once they were a safe distance from the Golden Fleece Tribe's camp.
In his hand hung a simple-looking necklace. It consisted of a thin gold chain with a small horizontal bar and a long vertical bar intertwined at the center.
Turan had obtained this item—something the Lavitas family had struggled for years to recover—as easily as if he were pulling it out of his own pocket. Of course, this was only possible because the Lavitas mages had already done the legwork of tracking its traces.
After landing, Turan kept Bije within him and slowly placed the necklace around his neck. Immediately, a surge of vitality rushed through his body.
So this is what it feels like.
The function of this holy relic, 'Simple Wish,' was to continuously grant the wearer the effects of healing and purification magic.
As the effect activated, the metallic taste of blood that had lingered in his mouth since his last coughing fit vanished. However, as he had been warned, the healing power wasn't immense enough to cure his chronic lung disease instantly.
What he needed now was the second solution.
Click.
He turned the Mimic Relic, and the power of the Lavitas bloodline he had just acquired flooded his senses. Along with it, a life force similar to the holy relic’s power surged from within.
One of the traits of the Healer bloodline is exceptional vitality.
He had realized this anew when he ambushed Moroz and his lover. The woman, who was merely a knight, had died instantly from a single strike through the heart, but Moroz had stubbornly clung to life. Of course, since Moroz had been incapacitated by agonizing pain, terror, and confusion, Turan had simply ended it by taking his head.
In any case, Turan could now tap into that extraordinary vitality whenever he activated the Lavitas bloodline. Unless he switched the Mimic Relic to another bloodline, even the physical aging of his body would likely cease.
It's a shame I had to discard the Earthkeeper bloodline for this, though...
Turan’s Mimic Relic held a total of five powers. Three of them originated from the Great Families: Baraha, Carmine, and Nagin.
The power of Baraha was an essential aid in combat. The power of Carmine became terrifyingly potent whenever water was nearby. And finally, the power of Nagin was deeply tied to soul magic.
Since the powers of the three Great Families were too valuable to discard, he had to choose between the relatively ordinary Berserker and Earthkeeper bloodlines. After agonizing over the choice, Turan eventually discarded Earthkeeper. While it had been useful for tasks like creating the reclamation site, he felt he could manage such things with his own skills, unlike the Berserker bloodline, which served as a vital physical boost in emergencies.
Now, let's see if it lives up to expectations.
Activating the Lavitas bloodline, Turan immediately applied healing magic to his own body. If the injury had been severe, he would have had to open the wound and treat the affected area directly, but his condition hadn't reached that point.
Before long, the constant, stabbing pain in his chest began to fade. The shortness of breath he experienced when moving quickly vanished. He soon realized that the lung disease that had plagued him since his last battle had been cured in an instant. It was so simple it was almost absurd.
Something so easy...
He couldn't help but wonder why he had suffered for so long.
After spending a moment ensuring the illness was perfectly purged, Turan summoned Bije and took to the skies. He looked back one last time.
He didn't know if killing Moroz would plunge the plains into further chaos or return them to their original tranquility. However, he hoped that, at the very least, it would become a place where Mago could live safely with his tribesmen.
He was too busy to intervene further now, but perhaps in the distant future, he could return and set things right.
*
During the journey back, Turan set himself a new task and devoted himself to it. He sought to forge his soul to be as immortal as his ageless body.
It won't be easy. It might take a lifetime.
Lida and the nobles of the Lavitas family described dying despite an ageless body as the 'aging of the soul.' They believed that because the soul grew old and died, the body could no longer be maintained.
Her words were half-right and half-wrong.
Strictly speaking, what withered with the passage of time was not the soul itself, but the connection point between the body and the soul. In soul magic, this was called the 'Spirit Chain'—the chain that binds the physical and the spiritual.
The fact that the Frea Divine Clan could enjoy a full lifespan in a new body was related to this. The Spirit Chain is a mysterious organ that is half-material and half-spiritual; even if the soul side is "rusted," the connection can be maintained as long as the physical side remains intact.
Surprisingly, within the studies of soul magic, there existed a method to train this Spirit Chain. It wasn't a technique to reverse or stop the aging of the chain, but rather a skill to loosen or bind the connection at will.
Still, if he researched thoroughly from this starting point, an answer might emerge. He decided to set aside the thought that this was something even the gods, who lived for thousands of years, had failed to achieve.
While he was immersed in soul magic, Bije faithfully flew west across the Southern Sea. It took about two days to return the way they had come, thanks to a timely easterly wind.
After traversing the Siraf Wetlands for another day, Turan arrived at Merem, the capital of Lavitas. Instead of visiting the mansion where Lida would be absent, he went straight to the Family Head's stronghold.
The gatekeeper, who had been notified in advance, immediately called for Lida upon Turan's arrival.
Looking more fatigued than before, she looked at Turan’s face with an expression mixed with disappointment and suspicion.
"You... returning so soon? Could it be...?"
"It is here."
Had she thought he was giving up because he returned so quickly?
When Turan held out the holy relic, her eyes widened. To confirm its authenticity, Lida put it on once and then took it off. She then replied in a voice thick with emotion, "Thank you."
Turan realized once again that just as Osel, the critically ill Head of the Lavitas family, cherished Lida, she also deeply cherished her powerful cousin.
"I've said it several times, but I didn't truly expect you to bring it back... You are a savior to me and our family. If there is anything you want in the future, just say the word."
Unlike her usual composed and dignified manner, her tone now was reminiscent of a shy young lady making a confession.
As Lida turned to deliver the necklace to the Family Head, Turan caught her attention.
"May I ask you one thing?"
"What is it? If it's not urgent, perhaps later..."
"Pardon me, but I used it briefly out of curiosity, and it seemed that the relic's recovery power alone would be insufficient to help the Family Head's recovery. Is there perhaps another way to use it?"
Lida looked puzzled, then shook her head.
"Right now, Osel's condition is only being prevented from worsening. If a continuous healing effect is applied in that state, we can gradually move toward alleviating the curse itself. Though it will take quite a long time."
He had wondered if there was a special trick, but it seemed there was no secret method for using the holy relic even within the Lavitas family. According to Lida, it would take a significant amount of time before Osel could fully recover and stand again.
And right now, Turan had the ability to provide immense help.
"Then I may be able to offer a bit of additional help."
"Help? Do you have a way...?"
Lida started to ask but fell silent as she saw Turan draw a long knife from his pocket. If he hadn't just returned the family's holy relic, she would have called for the guards immediately.
Turan, having no intention of harming her, lightly cut his own right hand. Dark red blood dripped onto the luxurious carpet.
"Wait, why suddenly—?"
Lida cried out in surprise, but then stared with wide eyes at what happened next. As Turan stroked the wound on his right hand with his left, the flesh began to knit back together naturally.
To heal a powerful noble like him to that extent using a magic tool, it would have to be at least a holy relic-grade item. No—as a healer herself, Lida knew this was not the work of an artifact.
"How on earth do you have the Healer bloodline...?"
"It is one of the simple talents I possess. I wonder if this talent might be of use in helping Lord Osel."
Seeing Lida nodding frantically, he didn't need to hear an answer.
*
With Lida's permission, Turan finally entered the deepest sanctum of the Family Head's residence.
It was a heavily guarded space saturated with the power of defensive magic tools and various holy relics. In the center, Osel lay on the same surgical table where Meisa had once been operated on. The sight of the beautiful boy, pale and with a flickering white flame burning on his chest, was pitiful.
High-ranking Lavitas nobles surrounded him, pouring healing magic into him with exhausted expressions. Every time they did, the white flame would falter.
They breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Lida but were aghast when they saw Turan following her.
"Wait... how did an outsider get in here?"
"What is the meaning of this, Grand Lady!"
Since an outsider had suddenly burst in while they were treating the critically injured Family Head, their reactions were expected.
Lida held up the Lavitas holy relic Turan had recovered, 'Simple Wish,' and spoke firmly.
"Our friend Turan here has brought the holy relic that will save the Family Head. Lower your voices."
"Ahem, I was just..."
The nobles were momentarily embarrassed, but they soon raised another objection.
"We are truly grateful for the return of our treasure, but that is a separate matter. The Family Head's condition is critical; bringing an outsider to such a place is..."
"She is right. Especially after what happened, this is not appropriate conduct."
They opposed him without even asking why he was there. It seemed that, unlike Lida or Osel, many of the high-ranking Lavitas nobles were incredibly stubborn.
In truth, it was the same in any Great Family. People tend to become more obstinate as they age, and even being a powerful mage doesn't change that—even for the Lavitas, whose physical aging is halted.
Lida declared in a low, commanding voice.
"Turan has brought a secret method to recover the Family Head. Everyone, please step back for a moment."
"A secret method? What kind of method?"
"I am asking you to leave because I cannot disclose it."
Lida ordered them to leave in a high-handed tone, much like how she used to treat Solif’s father, Godis. Naturally, the nobles resisted, but in the end, they had no choice but to comply. She was not only one of the oldest among the elders but the cousin who had personally raised the current Family Head.
"If something goes wrong with the Family Head, you will have to take responsibility, Grand Lady."
"Of course."
After the last of the dissenters left, Turan sat beside Lida and looked down at Osel. He could see the white flame, which had been suppressed by healing magic until moments ago, beginning to flare up again.
"Oh dear, we must resolve this quickly. First, this."
Lida carefully placed the holy relic around Osel's neck, and the flame's momentum slowed noticeably. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Turan.
"Now, try to channel your magic as I guide you. You won't be used to this yet..."
Like a mother teaching an infant how to walk, Lida gently took Turan's hand. As he channeled healing and purification magic according to her instructions, the flames enveloping Osel's body finally subsided.
It was the result of the holy relic halting the progression of the curse, combined with the power of a healer who, while not as strong as Osel, was close to him in raw strength.
About an hour later.
Finally, the Head of the Lavitas family opened his eyes.