Chapter 154
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154
"Ugh..."
In the early evening, Turan returned from his training and let out a low groan as he sank into the hot bath prepared in his quarters.
Originally hailing from the Western Wastelands, where water was a precious commodity, he hadn't been accustomed to soaking his body. However, after experiencing the hot spring regions of the Siraf Wetlands, he had grown to enjoy these occasional baths.
In truth, for the head of a Great House, this level of comfort could hardly be called a luxury. It was even less so considering he didn't even bother wasting firewood, instead using his own ignition magic to heat the water.
I'm tired.
Managing the internal affairs of the house, coordinating relations with neighbors, and keeping up with his personal training—the position of the head of Great House Parsha carried a heavy burden.
As a mage of House Head caliber, Turan possessed a superior physique, and thanks to the Holy Relic set to the Lavitas bloodline, his recovery rate was exceptional. Yet, his current schedule was grueling enough to make even him feel the weight of fatigue.
Naturally, not all heads of Great Houses lived such frantic lives. It was simply because he was the master of a newly established house with far too many systems to build from scratch, surrounded by several powerful enemies.
Even this moment of rest in the hot spring wasn't a time to completely let go.
With his eyes closed, Turan awakened his Spiritual Awareness and began to weave his internal symbols together one by one.
Grand Artificer, Thunder Master, Hunter, Pursuer.
Now that he knew how to mix two of the four symbols, the next step was learning how to combine the remaining two. Ultimately, he would have to find a way to harmonize all four. That was the only way to approach the power wielded by the true gods, the ancient Frea Divine Clan.
Though I don't know if a way even exists.
Turan recalled the details of symbol combination he had heard from the half-elves.
Originally, the bloodlines of the nobility were said to have originated from the "classes" of a game the gods once played. Or, as the Librarian had put it, they were called "types."
When one first started, one type was given as a base, and other classes could be unlocked by performing specific tasks—rituals like the ones Turan had seen before, such as burning a creature and covering oneself in its ashes or riding the waves.
The total number of types, or classes, one could hold was four.
The problem was that there were established formulas for mixing them. According to the half-elves, the four bloodline abilities Turan currently possessed were a combination that didn't exist in those formulas.
In other words, he was a "failed character"—a build for which no "final class," like those of the perfected gods, existed.
[Has there ever been a case where a combination that didn't exist in the game succeeded?]
[Not as far as I know. Though, to be fair, we lost the ability to handle souls on a higher dimension after we merged with the White Elves.]
Letting Resion's voice drift to the back of his mind, Turan focused his consciousness inward once more.
Wind and lightning tangled together, black mist settled around them, and eyes—
"Ah..."
Once again, the black mist vanished as if chased away by the light of the thunderbolt.
Was it truly impossible to mix them? Or did he need to learn how to combine the two Zahar bloodlines—Hunter and Pursuer—at a more fundamental level first?
Soaking in the hot tub, Turan practiced a few more times before stopping, feeling a wave of dizziness. If he ignored his depleted spiritual power and forced the training, he would suffer all the side effects warned about in the Soul Magic Book.
Just then, a soft, melodic woman's voice tickled his ear from right behind him.
"When you're resting, it's best to focus only on resting."
Meisa, who had entered the bath beside him, spoke in a calm tone as if soothing a child. Turan, who had already sensed her presence, wasn't surprised.
"You're back early. You said it might take a few days."
"I got lucky. A dwarf coming out of a burrow happened to get caught in a tracking magic device."
A few days ago, Meisa had set out to exterminate dwarves after hearing reports of sightings in several small towns northeast of Kalamaf. She said the burrow she reached by following a few of them was crawling with over a hundred dwarves, just like the one they had seen before.
However, since they weren't carrying any special magic devices this time, she had no trouble roasting them all to death.
Turan now knew that those devices were things called "steam rifles" or "steam cannons"—legacies of the ancient dwarven scientific civilization that had flourished before the Life Scholar's interference.
Would it be better to weaponize those things, or...
While powerful nobles might be fine, lower-ranking nobles and knights would inevitably suffer heavy losses against mass-produced firearms and artillery. The fact that steam rifles and cannons had harmed them before was proof enough.
Furthermore, considering the gods had deemed such development a taboo, Zahar and Carmine—who were waiting for Parsha and Arabion to destroy each other—might intervene in earnest...
"Hmm?"
His complex thoughts were cut short as he felt wet hands cover his eyes.
"I told you. When you're resting, focus only on resting."
It was a voice that sounded like a gentle scolding for a child, yet it was soft and supple. At the voice tickling his ear and the tender embrace enveloping his body, Turan smiled and closed his eyes.
*
In the early dawn, Turan, who had been fast asleep, opened his eyes at a sudden summons.
Since the House Head's bedroom was thoroughly sealed during sleep, it was a signal from the magic device servants used to call him from the outside. It was something they wouldn't dare press unless it was a truly grave matter.
As expected, when he opened the door, a knight with a pale face offered a formal salute and delivered the urgent news.
"Ofen City is under attack?"
"Yes! According to the beacons, it's an attack by large creatures and mages!"
"Large creatures..."
The first thing that came to mind was Armani's relatives—the Great Sea Serpent pack.
It was common knowledge among those who mattered that the Parsha family possessed magic devices capable of traversing space. Linking that to the existence of the Jade Mirror wasn't particularly surprising.
However...
Even if people know, it's unexpected for them to figure this out so quickly.
The "common knowledge" was only common among the upper class—the mage caste. The only way those creatures could gather information on human society was through a few pirate lackeys in ports or on islands; they shouldn't have been able to access such high-level information. Moreover, hadn't they been busy waging war with House Carmine until recently?
Someone who knew about the Jade Mirror informed the merfolk. The candidates? Carmine, Arabion, Zahar, Ruban...
Since virtually every Great House except for his two allies was a candidate, speculating was pointless. Regardless, the important fact was that the only port city belonging to the Parsha family was under attack.
Considering the distance between the two cities and the speed of the beacons, the attack must have started roughly a day or two ago.
Turan immediately reached out, wrote an order with the parchment and quill nearby, and handed it to the knight.
"Deliver this to Meisa."
"Yes, sir!"
His instructions were simple. He would go ahead to handle the situation, so she was to mobilize the army properly and provide backup. He added that since weak mages would be useless against a Great Sea Serpent, she should gather only mid-rank nobles or higher—specifically, a force small enough to fit on the family's mounted magical beasts—and come quickly.
After confirming the knight had left for Meisa's quarters, Turan went straight to Armani's room and woke the sleeping boy.
"Ugh, what... what's going on... the sun isn't even up..."
"It seems your relatives are smashing my city. You're coming with me."
At Turan's words, Armani's face went rigid.
"Do they know I'm here?"
"Probably. I won't force you to come if you're scared."
If they were fighting by the sea, Armani's presence would be a massive help. However, since the boy had sought refuge with Turan specifically to be protected from them, Turan couldn't force him to fight. Besides, Armani had already provided immense help with the Jade Mirror.
At Turan's words, Armani hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, no. I'll go! If you die, I'll have nowhere left to run anyway."
It wasn't easy for the mermaid boy to give up the protection of House Parsha. Even if he fled further inland, he wouldn't be able to blend into human society without being caught, which meant he'd have to live hiding in lakes or rivers.
Naturally, his current luxurious treatment would end. Having been raised with the utmost care in the Mermaid Kingdom, Armani couldn't bear the thought of such a life.
"Then let's leave immediately. Bije!"
Responding to the call, Bije surged from his body. She gave Armani a dissatisfied look for a moment before growing to a massive size.
As Turan climbed onto her back, he heard a grumble that only he could hear: I don't want to carry a stinky fish.
A few hours into their journey.
As the faint sunlight announced the dawn through the damp morning mist, Turan arrived at the completely ruined city of Ofen.
"Is it already over?"
He had expected as much, but seeing the sight with his own eyes left a bitter taste in his mouth. The harbor and buildings were completely demolished, with corpses scattered here and there...
To begin with, there were only a few dozen mages in Ofen, and only three or four of them were nobles. It was only natural that the city would be scorched even if a single Great Sea Serpent attacked, let alone a whole pack.
"Armani, give me your hand."
"Why? Ack!"
Armani, who had obediently reached out even while questioning him, let out a scream as Turan sliced his finger with a knife.
Rubbing a handful of the resulting blood between his palms, Turan immediately activated tracking magic.
Target: Merfolk. Those with the same type of transformation ability as the owner of this blood. Or close kin.
Setting conditions this way was absurdly inefficient compared to using a part of the target's own body as a medium, but with Turan's immense mana, he could pull it off.
As his senses blurred and the range of the tracking magic expanded, he felt his mana being rapidly consumed.
A moment later, Turan opened his eyes and pointed northeast.
"Found them."
*
"Are you sure the master of that land has the Jade Mirror?"
"It's a story already known among our kind. Why would I lie when my life is on the line?"
On a battleship in the North Sea, about two hundred kilometers from Ofen.
A young human man answered a grim-faced mermaid's question in a somewhat terrified tone. It wasn't hard to see who held the upper hand in their relationship.
"Fine. If he truly has the traitor of our race, as you say... I will spare your life as promised. And your family's."
Not long ago, House Carmine had been defeated in battle against the Great Sea Serpents, forced to abandon their capital, Abacha, and retreat inland. The man was one of the few Carmine nobles captured alive by the merfolk during that battle.
The merfolk's demand was simple: they would spare his life if he knew the whereabouts of Armani, the traitor who had vanished with the Jade Mirror.
Naturally, the Carmine noble had feared for his life as he knew nothing, but unexpectedly, a solid clue had surfaced. It was the rumor that the traitor had gone into hiding with the merfolk's ancient treasure that connects space.
Coincidentally, rumors had been circulating that House Parsha possessed a Holy Relic for spatial movement. The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence, and the merfolk who heard the story seemed convinced.
Most of all, after hearing the name of the Parsha House Head, they were certain he was harboring the traitor.
"Turan. That was definitely the name."
"He must be one of those immortal types. Won't this just add another enemy?"
"We've already destroyed one of his cities, so he'll come looking for us. We can negotiate in earnest then."
The mermaid royalty sat on the deck of the battleship they had seized from Carmine, conversing casually. Looking at them, it was hard to imagine they were the kind of creatures who kept hundreds of humans below deck to use as snacks.
With his head bowed low, the Carmine noble only hoped that this nightmare would end, whether these creatures negotiated with the Parsha House Head to get the traitor back or fought him.
"Well, they were fairly strong, but if we threaten them now, they'll have no choice but to listen. We've already brought down one of the Great Houses they're so proud of."
As the mermaid royal boasted, the power of their clan, having awakened as High Priests of the Great Sea Serpent, was on a different level than before. Even the fallen god who led those demons—the one who commanded them with the Blue Coral Crown—had been unable to withstand their constant raids on Abacha and had been forced to retreat.
Of course, they knew they would likely be subjugated if they ventured too far inland, so they were forced to maintain a stalemate without advancing further.
If the human's words were true, the port they had just decimated was the only one in the land ruled by Turan Parsha, the demon who had been Armani's friend. Considering the importance of ports and water transport to human cities, Turan would have no choice but to negotiate with them.
In the middle of their conversation, the mermaid royalty suddenly frowned and looked around.
"What is this?"
"Something feels strang—"
"Transform!"
At someone's urgent cry, the three mermaids immediately shifted into their Great Sea Serpent forms.
Naturally, the battleship they were on was instantly pulverized. The humans on board were all crushed within the massive bodies of the three serpents, dyeing the sea red. The Carmine noble who had served as their informant until a moment ago, the family he had brought as hostages, and those brought as prey—all were gone.
Of course, the merfolk had no room to care about such things.
Simultaneously with their transformation, flashes of light and heat erupted from the empty air and flew toward them.
The beams of light surging from the void pierced the waist of one of the three serpents and caved in half the face of another, producing a startling result.
[KRAAAAGH—!]
[WHO IS IT—!]
These creatures were slightly smaller than the spirit of the Great Sea Serpent that had once descended upon this sea, but they were still massive enough to be seen as natural disasters rather than living beings by human eyes.
Their roars sent waves crashing and stirred up a storm, but still, no one answered.
[What on earth...]
The serpent that had been pierced through its midsection muttered in a slightly thin voice, then jerked its head up in shock. It had felt that same subtle sensation again.
The moment the three of them dove underwater simultaneously, a flash of light like the one before sliced through the surface, evaporating the seawater and sending up a massive plume of steam.
Had they remained above, they would have been struck just like before.
[An attack... if we can't see it at all, is it them?]
[Zahar.]
They were well aware of the demons who possessed the power of stealth. They had also heard that Turan, whom they had provoked this time, was a possessor of such abilities.
What shocked them was the sheer power of the attack. To think it could shatter their scales so easily even after they had taken their Great Sea Serpent forms. Even the massive rock attacks used during their previous battle hadn't possessed this much destructive power.
Had he grown stronger in that short time? Or was it a hidden technique?
[Ah.]
That thought lasted only a moment. The merfolk widened their massive eyes at a familiar presence approaching from the distance.
Armani.
The one they had once held the highest expectations for, but who had now betrayed his race and fled, was approaching.