Chapter 155
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 155
After a brief rest to replenish the mana spent on his tracking spells, Turan mounted Bije and immediately set off in pursuit of those who had ravaged Ofen.
He hadn't intended to strike the moment he found them. He was accompanied by only a single companion, while the enemy's numbers remained a mystery. He figured it would be enough to simply close the distance, obtain a few items to serve as catalysts for further tracking, and then retreat.
However, upon arrival, he found the enemy's strength far more meager than expected.
Three members of the Merfolk royalty, one or two middling nobles, and several hundred ordinary humans... It seemed the reports of human mages attacking alongside them had been based solely on the presence of the warship. To any observer, such a force hardly seemed significant.
Turan had summoned other nobles under the assumption that a human faction allied with the Great Sea Serpents had occupied Ofen. He briefly regretted not bringing Meisa along instead.
Pushing the regret aside, Turan dropped Armani off a short distance away and approached stealthily with Bije to launch a surprise attack. If he aimed his new weapon, the railgun, carefully, he could eliminate the Merfolk without harming the civilians trapped inside the warship.
What he hadn't anticipated, however, was that the Merfolk could somehow sense the magnetic field—the precursor to the railgun's fire.
The Merfolk suddenly transformed into Great Sea Serpents, instantly crushing the warship beneath their massive forms. Though they sustained significant injuries from the transformation and the initial shock, they managed to escape into the depths of the sea.
Turan clicked his tongue in disappointment but decided to continue the pursuit. Three of them seemed manageable, and more importantly, the sights he had witnessed in Ofen were burned into his mind.
While he didn't feel the same attachment to it as he did to Kalamaf, Ofen was still a city under the name of Parsha—a city he was sworn to protect. The image of the ruined streets and the thousands of corpses was still vivid in his mind.
[Let’s go.]
He cast his voice upon the wind, sending it kilometers away. In the distance, Armani transformed into a Great Sea Serpent and surged toward his kin. Driven by the presence of the traitor they had been desperately seeking, the three Great Sea Serpents did not retreat. Instead, they charged, and soon the four massive creatures were entangled in a violent struggle deep beneath the waves.
Meanwhile, Turan activated his Carmine Bloodline. Riding the currents to close the gap, he drew a long, slender sword from his pouch. He approached the head of the most heavily wounded serpent and drove the blade home.
[Aaaaaagh—!]
In the murky depths, the Great Sea Serpent, never expecting a human to approach, shrieked as its weak point was pierced. Only then did the other serpents realize Turan was there. They writhed, their bodies illuminating the dark night sea with a brilliant, eerie glow.
"Ugh."
Becoming a Great Sea Serpent shouldn't have granted them such a trick. How were they doing it?
Though puzzled, Turan quickly deactivated his stealth and manipulated the surrounding water to pull himself away. The gaping maw of a Great Sea Serpent snapped shut exactly where he had been a moment before.
Frustrated by the missed strike, the serpent glared at Turan and roared.
[You swore not to fight us!]
[That was only as long as you didn't harm humans—specifically, those under my protection.]
As if sending his voice through the wind on land, Turan encased his words in spheres of water and sent them toward his opponent.
Upon hearing this, the Merfolk serpent spoke in a bewildered, uncomprehending tone.
[The humans of the west had nothing to do with you. And in the port we destroyed as a warning, only a few thousand died. Why would you...]
Before he could ask if Turan could handle the consequences of making them enemies, Armani clamped his jaws firmly onto the serpent's throat. The other two serpents bit into Armani's body to stop him, but since both were already in poor condition, their attacks lacked force.
While the four were entangled, Turan approached the serpent clinging to Armani and reached out. Instantly, a mass of ice grew to encase the creature's long body.
[Aaaakh!]
The Carmine Bloodline granted power over water and frost. Seawater was naturally harder to freeze than fresh water, but for a mage as powerful as Turan, that was no great obstacle.
What he created was no mere block of ice to slow the enemy down. It was a torture device—a cylinder on the outside, but lined with hundreds of razor-sharp blades on the inside. It was a feat of artistry that required the absolute pinnacle of ice-shaping technique, a level achievable by only a handful of Carmine nobles.
[Get it off me!]
The ice blades, imbued with immense mana, sliced through the serpent's tough scales and tore into its tender flesh. Being such resilient creatures, the damage wasn't life-threatening, but the sheer agony was overwhelming.
Having half-neutralized one, Turan shaped a massive ice whip—just as Onil once had—and lashed out at the other, relatively healthy serpent. He struck like a master punishing a beast that refused to obey.
At that point, the Great Sea Serpents realized they were at a disadvantage. They understood that staying to fight meant death, and they chose to flee. The group split into three directions: northwest, north, and northeast.
After a brief exchange of glances with Armani, Turan decided they would each pursue one.
*
"Where is the Family Head?"
"Surely we aren't too late..."
In front of the ruined harbor of Ofen, the Parsha army, led by Meisa, looked around with anxious expressions. They had rushed there upon hearing news of a massive raid, only to find the city in ruins and no sign of their lord, who had departed alone a day earlier.
Unlike them, however, Meisa stood calmly, simply gazing up at the sky.
"Does anyone know what kind of enemy attacked?"
"I don't know. I just heard it was 'the enemy.'"
"Perhaps we should have asked Lord Solif for help after all."
"What can we do when Lady Meisa says it's fine?"
The truth about the Jade Mirror connecting Parsha and Baraha, as well as its location, was known only to a select few at the very top of both families. The dozen or so mid-to-high-ranking nobles gathered here only knew there was a way to travel through space to Baraha.
A moment later, they understood why Meisa hadn't been worried.
"Oh."
"Is... is that...?"
With the thunderous sound of rushing water, something began to emerge from the sea onto the land. Seeing the massive forms of Great Sea Serpents, every single Parsha noble instinctively prepared attack magic, but they soon realized the creatures were already dead.
The sight of the seawater rising of its own accord to carry the two massive serpent corpses onto the shore was nothing short of epic. Riding atop them were two figures: their great lord, Turan, and a mysterious guest, Armani.
"You're back."
"There are only two? Didn't you say there were three?"
"One got away. It was fast," Turan replied casually as he lowered the serpent corpses onto the shore.
The reason Meisa could remain so composed was that Turan had already given her a brief update via the hand mirror. He hadn't shared the details, as he was busy with the pursuit and didn't want to waste mana.
As the two dismounted, Meisa approached and brushed the water from Armani's hair. "Are you hurt?"
"A little, but Turan... he fixed me," Armani said.
The Parsha mages behind them widened their eyes in shock. Did that mean the boy had fought the Great Sea Serpents alongside Turan? It was hard to gauge how strong the creatures had been now that they were dead, but their sheer size suggested they were monsters on par with legendary magical beasts. Every mage gathered here was a person of influence within Parsha, yet none of them would have found it easy to land a significant blow on such a monster alone.
"Could he be the Carmine heir? Seeing as he was taken instead of Lady Meisa because the fight was in the water..."
"He looks so young, but it might be true."
"I wonder if the heirs of all the Great Families are going to gather here in Parsha."
Ignoring the whispering behind him, Turan informed Meisa of what had happened. His voice carried a deep weariness from spending nearly the entire day in pursuit. It was one thing to stand and fight, but chasing down and killing a Great Sea Serpent that was hell-bent on escaping was no easy task.
"They aren't on the same level as the one we fought before, and they're a bit weaker than Armani, but they're still a nuisance. In the water, they're about as tough as a Family Head-rank mage."
"I see..."
"Especially for you, since your affinity is bad with the ocean."
In the previous battle against the Great Sea Serpent spirit, the creature had been half-insane and rampaging like a natural disaster, allowing them to fight it on the coast. But against a serpent intentionally hiding in the depths, there was little Meisa could do. Electricity would dissipate uselessly in the water, and there was no wind to speak of.
After sharing the information, Turan turned his gaze toward the nobles Meisa had brought.
"Everyone, thank you for coming so quickly despite the short notice."
"Not at all, my Lord!"
"Glory to Parsha!"
They had always held their Family Head in high esteem, but the two Great Sea Serpent corpses sprawled behind him elevated that respect to new heights. Turan pointed at the serpents and explained the situation.
"These were originally Merfolk. Recently, they gained the ability to transform into giant sea serpents and have been harming humans. I'm sure you've all heard that the Carmine family is suffering greatly because of them."
"Ah, that..."
"I only heard it was because of marine magical beasts."
While everyone was shocked to hear that the giant serpents were originally Merfolk, they paid close attention to Turan's next words. Their lord wouldn't reveal such secrets without a reason.
"I pursued them this time and killed a few, but there are likely many more with this power remaining in the North Sea. Therefore, I am declaring a Maritime Prohibition Order around Ofen for the time being."
A maritime ban. Although Kalamaf was a major hub for land trade, blocking the sea routes would likely deal a significant economic blow. However, none of the nobles present dared to object. With the threat of those giant monsters swarming at any moment, who would be bold enough to ask to rebuild the harbor?
Seeing that everyone had signaled their obedience, Turan nodded.
"Then let us begin by cleaning up this place. Clear away the ruined buildings and recover the bodies."
"Um, my Lord. I have a question."
A noble from the Pallen family in the north raised his hand and asked somewhat timidly.
"What should we do with the bodies of those magical beasts... the sea serpents? Should we harvest them for processing into magic tools...?"
"Just leave them be. It would be difficult to harvest them using normal methods anyway, and they'll be useless."
The Parsha mages looked confused. It was common knowledge that the corpses of powerful magical beasts retained a certain amount of power. While they weren't as potent as when they were alive, they still far surpassed ordinary materials.
Instead of explaining in detail, Turan decided to show them. He used his longsword to slice off one of the teeth from the serpent beside him.
"Here, take this."
"Huh? Oh..."
The noble who caught the tossed tooth let out a groan as he watched it dissolve and vanish in his hand moments later.
"As you can see, their bodies aren't real. Once severed from the main form, they dissipate. I only brought these back to show everyone what attacked this city."
He didn't bother to add that even killing them didn't allow him to absorb their power in the form of mana. It was just like how killing a powerful Dark Elf Necromancer yielded no significant power from the corpse. Like the Dwarves, most non-human races were the type that provided little benefit even after death.
"Now, move quickly."
A short while later, the Parsha nobles, who had arrived expecting a great battle, began the cleanup work usually reserved for knights or commoners. They demolished half-collapsed buildings and recovered the bodies trapped beneath the rubble.
"I didn't come here to do this kind of work..."
"Shh. The Family Head is working too. Keep quiet."
As they said, despite being exhausted from a day of hunting serpents, Turan did not stand idly by. Several people gasped in admiration as he used telekinetic magic to pull dozens of bodies from the wreckage and lay them out in a row in the clearing. Such a feat required more than just raw mana; it required superior control over magic itself.
Meisa focused on demolishing and clearing the buildings Turan had emptied. When her wind blades passed through the twisted pillars of the half-ruined structures, they collapsed instantly. Thanks to her perfect control over the surrounding air, not a single speck of dust rose as they fell.
Inspired by their leaders, the other nobles exerted their own magical abilities to the fullest. Within half a day, the mess that was Ofen had been somewhat organized.
"The Jaroyen family ruled this place, correct?"
"Yes, my Lord."
"Identify any close relatives with succession rights and ask if they intend to inherit the city. It's impossible now, but once the Great Sea Serpents are subjugated, we will need someone to rebuild and rule."
No one objected to his decision. The position of leader for a city that might not be rebuilt for a long time—and would essentially have to start from zero—was a prospect too far in the distance to worry about.
Once the cleanup was largely finished, Turan spoke to his subordinates in a solemn tone before departing.
"Everyone, remember this sight. This is where the enemies of the sea slaughtered our families."
Using earth manipulation magic to create a mass grave, Turan sensed that the number of bodies buried was exactly 6,217. Considering the original size of the city, the number of those completely crushed or dragged into the sea to become fish food was likely several times that. That was the blood price Parsha had to remember from this fight.
*
The news of the sudden Great Sea Serpent raid and the story of the Family Head who repelled them brought two conflicting emotions to the vassals of the Parsha family: anxiety that a massive enemy could trample their cities at any time, and relief that they had a powerful protector to drive them back.
Because of this, a comical situation arose where those who had previously sent only distant, weaker relatives to Parsha began sending heirs with stronger bloodlines. They judged that staying in Kalamaf as Turan's subordinate offered a higher chance of survival than staying within their own family lands.
Travelers passing near Ofen, which had become a giant tomb, would marvel at the corpses of the Great Sea Serpents laid out like a wall outside the city and spread word of their terrifying majesty far and wide. A few desperate mages ignored the rumors that the corpses were useless and came looking for something to scavenge, only to face the bitter reality that their meager strength couldn't even pry loose a single scale.
As Parsha began to forge a stronger sense of community following the harsh blow, an unexpected guest arrived from the north. It was the Carmine family, who had recently retreated inland after their defeat by the Great Sea Serpents.
"I greet the Head of the Parsha Family."
"Welcome."
Turan felt a complex swirl of emotions as he looked at the envoy representing Carmine.
Zemel Carmine.
The man who was once the father of Onil—the man Turan had killed and impersonated—and one of the possessed vessels of the god who ruled Carmine, spoke with a gentle smile.
"I know that your fame and majesty have spread throughout the world. Especially regarding those powerful and wicked Great Sea Serpents... I must shamefully admit they forced us to abandon Abacha and retreat."
Turan could still vividly remember this man scolding Onil with a stern expression. Seeing him now, bowing and flattering like a sycophant, made Turan wonder if it was even the same person. Did he have no qualms about bowing to someone so much younger—a mere human who wasn't even a god?
Perhaps, like Renod before him, he had simply handed control of the shell over to the original persona for a moment.
Unaware of Turan's thoughts, Zemel continued to rub his hands together and flatter him before getting to the point.
"The Master of Carmine wishes to request a joint struggle with the Parsha Family Head. Against those wicked sea serpents."