Chapter 81
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 81
After leafing through a few books on the first floor for another ten minutes, Turan asked the other two to step outside the library for a moment. He wondered if the Librarian’s failure to appear was because of their presence.
However, even after they left, the Librarian did not show himself.
Thinking that perhaps even he could no longer see the spirit, Turan requested that if the Librarian were there, he should move a book or two as a sign. There was no response. The Librarian had either vanished from the library entirely or had entered a state where he could no longer exert influence or communicate.
The three of them pulled up chairs on the first floor and pondered the cause.
"Why would he just disappear?"
"I’m not sure... The only major event around here lately has been the war, but I don't see why that would affect a spirit."
The Library of Orem had stood for thousands of years. It had weathered countless wars and seen its masters change time and again. If a mere war could threaten a spirit’s existence, it would have vanished long ago.
"Could it be because we let something slip about the gods? Blasphemy, perhaps?"
"Well, he is a being created by a god, so perhaps... but there was no sign of him disappearing when I left last time."
Turan couldn't be entirely certain since he had rushed out the moment he realized Bije had been kidnapped, but he remembered the Librarian simply nodding when Turan promised to return. If that was the case, they had to assume his sudden disappearance was due to an event even the Librarian hadn't anticipated.
"What if someone destroyed or captured him?"
"If that’s the case, even being here is dangerous. To interact with the Librarian, a mage would need at least three, maybe four or more bloodline abilities..."
The former would imply a mage with potential rivaling the head of a Great House; the latter would likely be a vessel possessed by a divine being. Either way, it wasn't an opponent Turan’s group could face head-on.
"But with that kind of power, we’d usually detect them first, so don't worry."
While his senses from the Mimic Relic had grown dull enough to ignore ordinary people, he remained hyper-sensitive to the movements of powerful mages. Even without focusing, he would know the moment a House Head-level mage approached within a radius of several hundred meters.
As he was reassuring Meisa, Turan heard the sound of pages turning. He looked over at Solif, who had been silent for a while. Solif was intently reading a book he had pulled from a nearby shelf.
"What are you looking at?"
"This? It seems to be a philosophy book from about a thousand years ago. It deals with the Frea faith and human dignity. Did you read this when you were here before?"
"No, I’m not really interested in philosophy."
The books Turan sought in this library were strictly practical: bestiaries of magical beasts, histories of various families, or travelogues. The information regarding natural laws that only the Librarian knew—now lost—had just been a bonus.
In contrast, Solif, who was deeply interested in ancient history and mythology, seemed to have stumbled upon this while looking for related texts.
"It says here that humans have innate rights. The right to survive, prosper, and be happy—not because the gods granted them, but simply by virtue of being human. It claims that under those rights, ordinary people and mages should be considered equal."
"That’s a completely heretical book, isn't it? I’m surprised it hasn't been burned."
It was an argument that directly contradicted the doctrines of the Frea faith, which held that mages, as descendants of the gods, were meant to rule over humans by right of blood and power. If the church scholars saw this, they would surely try to incinerate it with fire in their eyes. Perhaps what he was holding was the last copy remaining in the world.
After reading a bit more, Solif seemed to lose interest and slid the book back into its place.
"I’m not usually one for reading, but this place is quite nice. I wish there were places like this in the East."
"Is there nothing like this in the East?"
"There are a few ruins of the Old Empire, but nothing like a library. All I remember is an arena where you could fight and die once a day but still come back to life."
As they chatted, Turan realized the conversation had drifted off course. He turned back to Meisa to continue deducing the Librarian’s whereabouts, but she, like Solif moments ago, had picked up a book and was engrossed in it.
"Meisa?"
"Huh? Oh, it just caught my eye."
At Turan’s call, Meisa closed the book with a snap, looking strangely embarrassed. The title engraved on the cover was the peculiar The Night Noble and the Lady. It appeared to be some sort of romance novel. It seemed she, too, was getting tired of spinning endless hypotheses.
"...Right. Well, it’s not like talking amongst ourselves will give us the answer. Let’s head back and ask if anyone else used the library before us."
Having reached that conclusion, Turan opened a bestiary and brought over Bije, who had been dozing on the desk, to read together.
*
After immersing themselves in reading until early evening, the three people and one golden eagle returned to the Baltas family mansion. Since a banquet was being held tonight to commemorate their visit, Turan planned to use the alcohol and the atmosphere to ask the Lord if anyone else had used the library.
While being attended to in the bath, Turan remembered how the maids had burst into tears when he had refused their service in the past. Back then, being served felt foreign and awkward, but he wondered when he had become so natural at acting like a noble.
After combing his hair and putting on clothes woven with gold thread, Turan left Bije to rest in their quarters and headed to the banquet hall. Before long, he met Solif, who was just as dressed up as he was. With his short silver hair slicked back with oil, Solif looked at Turan with a look of mock approval.
"See? If you dress up, you’re quite the handsome man—though not as much as me! Have more confidence, friend."
"If you say so."
Turan always felt that Solif’s narcissism bordered on the bizarre. Was that also a product of the Baraha family’s personality sculpting, or was he just born that way?
While they sat in a corner of the banquet hall chatting, the Mimic Relic’s senses alerted Turan that Meisa was approaching from behind. Turan turned his head and his eyes widened at the sight of her. Solif, who turned a moment later, also wore a look of surprise. Meisa flinched under their gaze and brushed her hair back awkwardly.
"...What? Is it that strange?"
"No, it’s not strange. You look beautiful."
During the weeks it took to travel from the hot springs to this place, Meisa had been constantly nourished, filling out her frame with muscle and healthy weight through training. It was only natural that her gaunt, skull-like face would change. Her appearance, which had been hidden under the grime of travel, finally shone through thanks to the maids' meticulous grooming.
Lustrous, long reddish-brown hair, large blue eyes, an oval face, and delicate features. Instead of the defensive coat she always wore, a silver-gray dress embroidered with gold thread revealed her slender and elegant figure. Truly, looking at her now, it was impossible to recall the "Skeletal Witch" of the past.
If they were to disguise her, it would be better if they could change her hair color; Turan thought it might be worth looking into magic tools that could help with that later.
While Meisa stood stiffly at Turan’s compliment, a young man approached Turan from behind.
"Are you Mr. Turan? You really did come back! It’s been a long time. You remember me, right?"
Turan thought for a moment before realizing it was Marvin, the man he had hunted the monkey beast with—the nephew of the former House Head and the younger brother of the current one.
"It’s been a long time, Marvin."
"Yes. And who are these people?"
"Friends I’m traveling with. This is Sol and Misha."
"Ah, I see..."
Marvin glanced at Solif and Meisa, staring at Meisa for a long moment before immediately projecting his mana. Naturally, his mana, which had reached its limit long ago, was still at the level of a lower noble, just as Turan’s had been in the past. In response, the two looked at each other, exchanged a nod, and projected their mana in return.
"Ugh!"
Startled by the overwhelming pressure, Marvin let out a gasp and stumbled back. Looking embarrassed by his own display of weakness, his face flushed red as he prepared to leave.
"Uh, um... excuse me. I think my brother is calling for me."
Watching Marvin retreat with a flimsy excuse, Turan turned to the two and asked, "How much did you show?"
"A bit above intermediate? Upper-intermediate?"
"I went with high-rank."
"That’s too strong. No wonder he was so shocked. That’ll draw too much attention, so tone it down next time."
As Solif said, the two were disguising their true strength by projecting only a fraction of their mana. This was one of the Baraha secrets Solif had taught them. The principle involved imagining several mirrors inside the body that reflected mana, causing the power projected outward to be diminished through multiple reflections. Naturally, it couldn't make them appear stronger than they actually were.
Without this technique, it would have been awkward to prove their status by projecting mana anywhere. While it would be difficult for these frontier nobles to realize they were mages on the level of Great House heirs, rumors would still spread that several powerful nobles had suddenly appeared.
A short while later, Gillon, the head of the Baltas family, took his seat at the head of the table, and the banquet began.
"Now, everyone, eat your fill!"
"Thank you for your hospitality."
After greeting him on behalf of the group, Turan enjoyed the unique culinary culture of the Western Forest Zone, which he considered his hometown. While not as much as in the Gray Zone, this area raised many sheep, so there was plenty of lamb rib and sheep’s milk cheese. Meisa, being mindful of her surroundings, mostly just sipped water, and Solif, who didn't seem to care for lamb, turned his attention to seasoned pork ribs after a few bites.
"So, was your visit to the library after all this time satisfactory?"
"Yes. It was as good as ever. Plenty to see..."
Turan savored a glass of the strong distilled liquor he had had before while chatting with the House Head. The topic turned to the recent war involving the Hadit and Corel families.
"Actually, I heard from afar that the Hadit side was in danger, but I was surprised to find they had won when I arrived. The Baltas family supported the Hadit, didn't they?"
"We did. Thanks to that, we gained another city, but I’m worried because we don't have enough blood relatives to govern it."
"If it’s a secret, you don't have to tell me, but was there some kind of secret weapon? It’s not easy to overturn a losing battle like that."
What Turan wanted to know was whether his act of annihilating the Corel army had become known. He had perfectly concealed the evidence at the time, but there was always a chance. Gillon answered with a somewhat grim expression.
"There was an incident where the elite forces of the Corel family suddenly vanished while on the move. There were opinions that a magical beast so powerful that even nobles couldn't handle it had appeared, so we even declared a truce."
"I see."
"In the end, it was recorded as a disappearance of unknown cause... but be careful when you travel. You never know where you might encounter such a monster. By the way, there’s a reward if you find any trace of them. Though, of course, any magic tools found must be returned."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Did they think there was a beast so stealthy and dangerous that it could devour people without leaving a trace? Well, since magical beasts were such a diverse lot, it wasn't impossible. In fact, he had recently seen an entry in the bestiary about a creature with similar abilities—a bat that could turn into mist to surround a wide area and devour all living things, or a snake with a mouth so massive it could swallow an entire village.
As they continued to chat about the war over more drinks, Gillon’s face grew slightly flushed. Being a noble, he wouldn't get dead drunk from strong liquor, but it did have a certain uplifting effect.
"Ah, the war... it was truly terrible! I almost died several times myself, and there were many sacrifices in our family, starting with my uncle. Izella lost her life then as well. Come to think of it, my uncle wanted to pair you with Izella, didn't he?"
"Cough!"
As soon as Gillon finished speaking, Solif, who had been gnawing on a pork rib, suddenly coughed loudly. Turan felt Meisa, who was sitting next to him, staring at him intently for some reason.
"He did. But I already declined."
"If you had accepted that proposal, you might be sitting in this seat instead of me. That’s why I’m asking... would you consider taking my daughter? Unfortunately, she only inherited mana at the level of a knight, but even as a concubine, it wouldn't be bad to strengthen the bond between our families. After all, for us nobles, a life of settled prosperity suits us better than wandering."
At the proposal, which was similar to the one the Lug House Head had made before, Turan gave a bitter smile and shook his head.
"I appreciate the offer, but I prefer my freedom for now."
"That’s a shame. And the other two guests—Sol and Misha, was it? The offer stands for you as well, so please give it some thought."
When Solif and Meisa each declined Gillon’s proposal in their own way, the atmosphere of the banquet hall dampened slightly. As he had felt before, the people of this family had a knack for bothering others with troublesome proposals. Marvin had likely told him about the strength of the two, and it seemed the family was so short on nobles that they were willing to risk losing control of the house just to bring them in. After all, he remembered the Baltas family having seven or eight nobles, and at least two of them were dead.
Turan continued the conversation with a few more casual topics before bringing up what he really wanted to know.
"By the way, was there anyone who used the library before us? It seemed a bit different from before."
"Hmm? As far as I know, minor damage to the facilities or books being shelved haphazardly should tidy themselves up. Were many of the books damaged?"
"It’s not that, but... how should I put it? The atmosphere felt a bit different."
It was frustrating having to talk in circles since he couldn't mention the Librarian’s existence. Gillon, hesitating as he twisted his beard with one hand, slowly opened his mouth.
"Well... I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you now that it’s in the past. Another guest did come by about a month ago. We weren't going to let anyone in because of the war, but he was quite a big name, so we couldn't refuse."
"A big name? Did someone from a Great House come?"
At Turan’s question, Gillon’s eyes widened as if wondering how he knew.
"Exactly. He was a noble from the Nagin family to the north. I believe his name was Renod?"
At Gillon’s words, Turan quickly turned his gaze toward Meisa.
Renod Nagin. He was the son of the Arabion House Head and Meisa’s half-brother, who had been adopted into the Nagin family. The very person to whom Meisa, unable to contain her rage as a child, had sent a letter calling him a "murderer."
As if to prove Turan’s memory was correct, Meisa’s blue eyes gleamed with cold, murderous intent the moment she heard that name.