Chapter 165
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 165
Not long after the Zahar family departed, Osel also took his leave, leading his army toward the south.
Unless something extraordinary occurred, it was unlikely their paths would cross like this again. Perhaps they would never see each other for the rest of their lives.
On the way back, as Turan rode his magical beast in silent contemplation, someone poked him sharply in the ribs.
“Why the gloomy face?”
The finger belonged to Solif, who was following him disguised as a servant.
The escorting knights had widened their formation to give them space, ensuring their voices wouldn't carry and allowing Solif to speak in his usual, irreverent manner.
“Just... a lot on my mind.”
The conversation with Harun had left Turan with a mountain of worries. They ranged from practical concerns to metaphysical questions about the nature of existence—the kind of things he usually wouldn't spare a second glance for.
Solif looked at him with an expression of sheer exasperation.
“Don’t overthink it. If they stay obedient, leave them be. If they start acting up, we crush them. Simple, right?”
“It’s nice that you find it so easy.”
Of course, unlike what Solif suggested, how Zahar would act was no simple matter. While it was clear that Harun, the family head, was suppressing the family with his authority, he wouldn't be able to treat the other gods the same way he treated ordinary nobles.
If Harun were to lose his body in some incident, Talis would rule Zahar until Harun could secure a proper new vessel. Although the chances of Harun—who was only about sixty by human standards—dying suddenly were slim...
You never know. There’s no telling what schemes they might pull.
Turan didn't know how many possessed vessels of gods currently existed within Zahar, but if they all joined forces, there was no guarantee that even Harun would remain safe. Once a person was killed and turned into a soul, the task of placing that soul into a new vessel fell to the living. If the person in charge of that procedure refused, even the most powerful being would be helpless.
While a Zahar without its head might not be a direct threat, it would be disastrous if they stabbed him in the back while he was busy fighting Arabion-Nagin, Carmine, or the Great Sea Serpent. Their specialized stealth and tracking abilities alone would make them a nightmare to deal with if they decided to spy on his every move.
It was a gruesome thought, but if someone were to steal a single strand of hair from Turan’s future child and send it to Zahar, Turan would be rendered powerless from that day forward. He would never be able to leave the child’s side, never knowing who might be lurking in the shadows.
“More importantly, congratulations. You’re now officially a world-renowned philanderer, recognized by three Great Families.”
“Damn it.”
Solif scowled as Turan threw out the joke to dispel his dark thoughts.
During the meeting, the most frequent topic of gossip had been Solif. The rogue who snatched away the lady sent to be the lover of the Parsha family head; the scoundrel who coveted his friend’s woman.
Given the number of people who had witnessed the meeting and how quickly word would spread, it wouldn't be long before Solif Baraha’s infamy reached every corner of the world. A romantic scandal involving the heads of the Great Families—what could possibly be more entertaining than that?
Solif let out a deep sigh and shook his head.
“Well, I don’t care what those bastards blabber about. The truth is what matters most.”
In the past, when Resion was forming Solif's personality to make it easier to take over his body, Solif had been forced to act like a stuffy traditionalist, obsessed with etiquette and the opinions of others. Perhaps as a reaction to that, ever since his liberation, he intentionally maintained an attitude of 'who cares what others think, as long as I'm happy.'
“Forget that. I just hope that if I have a kid, they don't inherit the Zahar bloodline. Just imagining them being raised over there is terrifying.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, there was such a tradition. When a child was born between two families, regardless of whether the man or the woman joined the other's household, the child’s family was determined by their bloodline. As Turan had recently learned, it was a corrupt custom created by the gods to make it easier to utilize soul magic, but it was also a belief that firmly dominated the minds of all mages.
No matter how much Solif might dote on his child, if he tried to raise a child with Zahar blood within the Baraha family, it would inevitably cause an uproar.
“Can’t you just insist on raising them anyway?”
“Not a chance. Zahar would be screaming for us to hand them over, and my own subordinates wouldn't stay quiet either.”
While clicking his tongue in sympathy, Turan felt a secret sense of relief that his own child would be much freer from such controversies. Even if the child inherited the Storm bloodline, he was already at war with Arabion anyway. If the two families ever spoke of peace, it would be after Badal was dead and Meisa had become the master of Arabion, so there was no need to worry about that either.
“Speaking of which, you and Meisa might have a child someday. I get to be the godfather, right?”
“I suppose.”
“Given the situation, it might be hard right now, but I’d like to see one within the next thirty years.”
Turan hesitated for a moment instead of answering immediately. It was a tiny opening that anyone else might have overlooked. But Solif, who had traveled with Turan for years and grown accustomed to his ways, did not miss it.
“...Wait, why are you reacting like that?”
“Well.”
“No way. Already?”
“It just happened.”
He could have lied if he wanted to, but there was no need to do so when it was just the two of them. It wasn't that he lacked trust in Solif; he just hadn't found the right moment.
Solif stared at him blankly for a moment, his mouth hanging open, before muttering under his breath.
“No, wait. With mana levels like yours, the probability of conception shouldn't be that high. Just how much did you two—”
“We got lucky.”
As Solif said, the probability of pregnancy between nobles with high mana was significantly lower than among commoners. This was why many nobles took concubines from commoner or knightly backgrounds, even though they desired strong descendants. While children born between two nobles had much higher potential, a couple could go decades without conceiving if they were unlucky.
Of course, it varied from case to case; brothers like Melo and Asiz were born to noble parents with very little age difference between them. Still, for Turan and Meisa to succeed in just a few months—especially when they had been attempting to use contraception—was a feat of miraculous probability.
“Wait, you kept this a secret from me?”
“I didn't keep it a secret; I just didn't have a chance to tell you. You were over at the Baraha estate until this trip.”
“You should have told me on the way here!”
One reason he hadn't told Solif was indeed because Solif had been at the Baraha estate. But as for why he hadn't mentioned it during the journey to the meeting...
“It felt a bit... awkward to bring up.”
“What? Why?”
“Just because...”
Since pregnancy required a certain process, Turan felt that announcing Meisa’s pregnancy was tantamount to announcing that he and Meisa had engaged in that act. Solif was momentarily speechless.
For Turan, it was a genuinely serious matter. He had felt incredibly embarrassed even when informing the few people who absolutely needed to know, such as Asiz.
A few seconds later, Solif, who had been holding it in, burst into hysterical laughter and fell right off his horse.
“Hey.”
“Pfft—hah! Oh, please... I think I’m gonna die... You’re like a little kid... Well, I guess you are a kid, but still...”
The sight of a servant following the family head suddenly falling off his horse and howling with laughter left the surrounding escort mages bewildered. They began to approach.
“Are you alright, My Lord? Did something happen...?”
“It’s nothing. Keep a lookout on the perimeter.”
“Yes, sir!”
Startled by the coldness in their master’s command, they quickly widened the distance again.
After a moment, Solif calmed down, wiped his tears, and climbed back onto his horse.
“Ah, man. I don't think I've laughed that hard in my entire life.”
“What’s so funny?”
“It’s just absurd to see the perfect superhuman, who can do anything and seems to have no emotions, suddenly acting like a shy twenty-year-old kid. I seriously almost choked to death laughing.”
Compared to commoners and knights, who were often sexually conservative, nobles were much more free-spirited. They were the ones who did the choosing, not the ones being chosen. Thus, the fact that Turan felt bashful about revealing he’d been intimate with a woman who was essentially his life partner was beyond hilarious—it was delightful.
Then, Solif, who had been snickering, suddenly spoke in a serious tone.
“Well, it’s good, though.”
“What is?”
“Seeing this human side of you. It’s not that it’s been worse lately, but sometimes you felt... distant.”
Solif’s words reminded Turan of what he had just said. The perfect superhuman who can do anything and has no emotions.
He didn't think of himself that way, but perhaps that was how others perceived him. In reality, Turan controlled his emotions better than most and rarely showed them, and he possessed exceptional talent in many fields. Over the past few months, he had intentionally projected that image even more as the head of the Parsha family.
“When people see someone who is too perfect and outstanding, they can't help but feel a sense of distance. Of course, that distance is important for someone in a high position, but it’s different for a friend or family member. Sometimes, flaws are what make a person human.”
“Flaws make a person human... I’ve heard that before.”
“From who?”
“I think Resion said it.”
“That bastard said that?”
Solif scowled at the mention of Resion’s name. Even though Resion was now a prisoner spilling all sorts of information, Solif could never like the man who had once intended to steal his body.
“Wait, didn't I tell you this before? Back when I asked why you put the leash on me?”
“Ah, now that you mention it, I think we did talk about something similar back then...”
The words Solif had just spoken were likely an unconscious echo of what he had heard then. According to Resion, the first-generation mages born from the gods were incredibly powerful beings. Each was born with mana equivalent to a knight, and by the time they reached adulthood, they possessed the mana of a mid-to-high-ranking noble without even needing to absorb any.
However, every single one of them had a fatal personality flaw: they did not view humans as human. Like Oanil had done, they would beat humans to death for fun or use them as toys for all sorts of cruel games.
“It’s hard for the strong to understand the weak. Someone who grows up never knowing heat, cold, pain, or fatigue cannot understand the hardships of ordinary humans or empathize with them...”
While modern mages were no different from commoners in their early childhood, the mages of that era, who were superhumans from birth, must have seen humans as little more than insects—creatures that would burst and die with a single flick of a finger. In Resion’s words—that humans can be infinitely cruel to creatures they cannot empathize with as their own kind—Turan could sense Resion's identity as a White Elf who had been persecuted by humanity.
Of course, since they had also oppressed and preyed upon humans as a different species, they weren't exactly in a position to blame others.
“That’s why, if the child is born, I don’t plan on removing the leash immediately. I’ll focus on their upbringing as much as possible... but it would be a disaster if I removed it before their personality is fully formed and it caused side effects.”
“Is that better? I felt uneasy about it, so I wanted to remove it as soon as the kid was born. I was going to ask my parents for advice on how to raise them...”
Solif’s parents, the Baraha couple, had returned to the Baraha main estate from their hideout in the western wasteland shortly after Solif became the family head. As the parents of the head, they were given a residence inside the Sun Temple rather than their previous mansion in Helio City.
Just as the two were shifting their conversation toward the methods of raising their future children, someone riding ahead shouted.
“We’ve arrived! I can see the walls!”
Sure enough, the walls of Kalamaph were visible over the distant horizon. Everyone let out a cheer, celebrating the end of their long journey.
*
“Nothing unusual happened, I assume?”
“Nothing at all. However, the workload that piled up while you were away is significant. I’ve organized most of it, but there are quite a few things that require your personal approval.”
“Let’s... check those later. I’m a bit tired right now.”
Upon his return, the first thing Turan did was receive a report from Asiz, the family butler, regarding what had happened in his absence. Turan shook his head at the sight of the mountain of parchment in the middle of the office.
“There are a few things that must be done by tomorrow.”
“I got it. Definitely. By tomorrow.”
After giving a firm promise to Asiz, who was slowly becoming a nag in his role as butler, Turan asked in a low voice.
“Word hasn't leaked out about that matter, has it?”
“I’m keeping it under complete control for now. I’m certain it hasn't reached the public.”
Before leaving, Turan had informed Asiz of Meisa’s pregnancy and instructed him to keep it strictly hidden.
“I’ve even barred the maids attending to Meisa from leaving the premises. In exchange, I’ve tripled their wages for the duration.”
“Good work. Then...”
“Yeah, go see her. Hurry up.”
Even though Turan hadn't shown a hint of impatience in his expression or voice, Asiz noticed it anyway and waved him off with a smirk.
Leaving Asiz, Turan headed straight for his residence—which he now shared entirely with Meisa. He passed through the main gate, which was magically sealed so that only a few people could enter, and walked down a corridor where only a handful of maids were permitted. Soon, he found Meisa resting in the bedroom.
“You’re back?”
“Yeah. How are you feeling?”
“The same as always. It hasn't been that long, and it’s not like I’m a commoner.”
Ordinary women often suffered from all sorts of physical ailments during pregnancy, but for someone at the level of a knight, it was much easier to manage. Mana naturally worked to keep the body in a more perfect state according to the owner’s preference, and thanks to her superior physical strength, the weight of the child didn't feel like a burden. It was a bit extreme, but as long as they didn't worry about the child’s health, a noble pregnant woman could run around and even fight right up until the moment of birth.
“More importantly, how did the meeting with Zahar go?”
“Well...”
Turan told the curious Meisa everything that had happened at the meeting without reservation. He spoke of the Zahar family head, who was convinced he was the reincarnation of the Night Hunter and confessed her affection for him, and how he had learned what kind of man his father was through the aunt he met for the first time.
Meisa listened, briefly imagining a dreamlike romance when hearing about Turan’s parents, but her face turned pale when she heard that hundreds of thousands of lives and every Zahar bloodline fetus had been sacrificed for his birth.
“...Is that really true?”
“Yes.”
Turan couldn't quite understand why she was reacting this way. Not long ago, when she heard that the souls of a thousand mages had been used to awaken her own talent, she hadn't reacted like this. It couldn't just be because the number of souls used was higher.
To the puzzled Turan, Meisa voiced a concern he hadn't considered.
“If... if they can use soul magic on children who aren't under their direct control like that... then there’s no reason our child couldn't become a target.”
Since the child’s body hadn't even fully formed yet, there was no way to know which bloodline they would inherit, but they would likely have the power of one side or the other. As she said, if someone used a method like the one Harun employed, any powerful soul mage could essentially take the life of a fetus the moment its existence was discovered.
Turan gazed at Meisa’s face, which was white with fear, and gently pulled her into an embrace.
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
The child was only in danger because of the existence of powerful soul mages. If so, the solution was simply to ensure that no soul mage that powerful existed in this world.
Turan thought of the gift Harun had given him recently: the method of manifesting skills by combining the Zahar bloodline. Having studied it whenever he had a spare moment during the return journey, Turan had gained even more abilities than he had expected. He also felt a firm conviction that he could hold his own even against Badal, the head of Arabion.
In a low voice, Turan declared his intent for world conquest.