Chapter 98
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98
‘Never come back.’
Silence fell over the room as Solif read the hidden sentence his father, Godis, had concealed within the letter.
The three of them spent some time examining the parchment in various ways to see if there were any other hidden messages, but they found nothing else.
“What do you think it means?”
“Perhaps Godis realized something was wrong. Or…” Turan paused. Or it’s a double trap designed to make Solif feel sympathy for his father and lure him into making contact.
Turan swallowed the thought before it could reach his lips.
“Sigh.”
Troubled by the unexpected revelation, Solif squeezed his eyes shut, his brow furrowed deeply as he muttered to himself.
Meisa turned to him and asked, “Are you going to meet him?”
“I don’t know. If he really left that message because he was thinking of me, it would be the polite thing to talk to him. But honestly… I’ve always thought the affection my parents showed me while I was growing up was a lie.”
It was a natural conclusion. If the Baraha family had truly raised Solif solely to be a God’s Vessel, there was no way such a dubious upbringing could have been forced upon him without his parents' consent.
“If they really did love me, and my father is only chasing me because my mother is being held hostage—damn it, would they really go that far? Actually, they probably would…”
Solif’s rambling revealed the complexity of his inner turmoil. Instead of offering hollow platitudes, Turan and Meisa sat quietly and listened to his venting.
However, it wasn't long before these worries were rendered moot. A servant arrived to inform them that Godis had already left Lida’s estate.
“He left?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Did he leave of his own accord, or did Lady Lida kick him out?”
“A mere servant like myself wouldn't know such details…”
Indeed, what would the servants know?
Turan went straight to Lida and received confirmation that Godis had departed on his own.
“He probably realized that whatever lead he thought he had wasn't going to bear fruit, so he left. It’s not like he could dare use force to intimidate anyone here,” Lida said with a smirk, though her expression quickly hardened. “However, be careful once you’re outside. If they target you beyond the borders of Lavitas territory, there is nothing I can do. Just as I rely on the power of my Great Family, I must also cherish and protect that family’s interests.”
While it was her duty as a noble to look after Turan while he was her guest, she was making it clear that she could not clash with another Great Family on behalf of a young friend without proper justification.
When Turan returned to the guest house and shared the news, Solif nodded with an expression that was a mix of hollow disappointment and relief.
“So that’s how it ends…”
“In the end, we’ll never know the true intent behind the letter,” Meisa added.
At her words, Turan pulled a few strands of long silver hair from his pouch. He had secretly collected them after Godis left the drawing room.
“Since I have these, we can track him down whenever you feel like asking him yourself.”
With Turan’s current mana, using someone’s hair as a medium for tracking magic allowed him to sense targets over a range of thousands of kilometers. If he pushed himself, he could even track Godis after he returned to the Baraha main estate.
Solif nodded with a somewhat reluctant expression.
“Umm, let’s save that for later… Let’s think about it after Meisa has recovered. I’m not really sure right now.”
*
For the next few days, Turan’s party spent a relatively comfortable time at the Lavitas estate, healing both body and mind.
Of course, Meisa and Solif found this time quite awkward. One couldn't move her legs and required constant assistance, while the other had to remain disguised as a servant.
Fortunately, exactly one week later, word arrived that the Head of the Lavitas Family wished to see them.
Turan’s party headed toward the central palace of the capital with Lida.
“Come to think of it, Turan, you always carry Misha yourself instead of leaving her to the servants, don’t you?” Lida asked with a sly smile as they moved, watching Turan holding Meisa in his arms.
“Pardon? Ah, yes. It’s just more convenient this way.”
While Meisa and Solif weren't exactly strangers, they were more like ‘friends of a friend’ centered around Turan. Because of that, Turan took it upon himself to carry Meisa whenever they had to move—a sight that Lida seemed to find quite interesting.
“A man who is too possessive isn't very charming, you know.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Accepting Lida’s joke naturally, they entered a massive room at the innermost part of the palace.
The first things that caught the eye were the taxidermy of various giant magical beasts and delicate artisanal decorations. And, visible only to Turan’s eyes, the flow of mana that enveloped the entire wall.
There’s definitely some kind of magic cast here…
Perhaps because of the magic covering the entire residence, Turan hadn't been able to sense Osel Lavitas’s mana until they stepped inside.
In the corners, a giant tiger and a lion lay curled up. Judging by the fact that both were magical beasts with mana equivalent to mid-ranking nobles, they seemed to be the Family Head’s pets.
The fact that no one else was present in the residence was likely because Turan’s request to keep the treatment a secret had been relayed through Lida.
From behind a draped veil at the far end of the room, a youthful boy’s voice rang out.
“I’ve heard the gist of it. You want my power?”
Even though Osel had met Turan’s party before, he posed the question calmly, pretending they were complete strangers. Since there was no need to reveal his own abilities by acting like he knew him, Turan bowed politely and played along.
“Yes, My Lord. I wish for you to heal the injuries of my companion, Misha.”
“I trust you understand what it means for the Head of a Great Family to personally exercise his power.”
Osel spoke with a heavy, dignified tone, but because his voice sounded like a boy who had only recently hit puberty, Turan almost felt like laughing. Of course, knowing that offending Osel here would be the end of everything, Turan gritted his teeth.
“I am prepared to repay your grace, My Lord. I offer gold, silver, and the right to use my strength once.”
“The right to use your strength, you say.”
Contracts where a noble sold their labor to another were surprisingly common. Wandering nobles with no assets often offered such terms to wealthy territorial nobles.
“However, there are a few conditions.”
“Conditions?”
“It must not involve harming the innocent, the objective and deadline must be clear, and it must not be a task so difficult that it is impossible for me to achieve.”
At Turan’s words, Osel let out a thoughtful hum and stroked his chin, which likely hadn't even begun to grow a beard.
“As it happens, I have a task that fits those conditions perfectly.”
“What is it?”
“Wetland reclamation.”
Reclamation meant filling in water-logged areas to create land. It was a task that was certainly necessary in the Lavitas territory, which consisted mostly of wetlands.
“Where, and how much?”
“The Coloa region in the southern Siraf Wetlands. The area to be reclaimed is roughly one hundred kilometers by one hundred kilometers.”
Given that he had the dimensions ready, it seemed Osel had heard Turan’s conditions from Lida beforehand and had prepared the price in advance.
“It sounds like a project that is difficult to mobilize the family’s strength for.”
“The area is vast and the terrain is problematic, but above all, several quite bothersome magical beasts live there. If you were to do it alone, it might take decades.”
Since the mana of strong magical beasts was something even the nobles of Great Families coveted, those ‘bothersome’ ones were likely creatures that weren't particularly strong in mana but possessed special abilities that made them difficult to hunt. The magical beasts of the Siraf Wetlands were notoriously famous for being hard to catch while offering little reward.
“Must I do it alone, without any support from the Lavitas?”
“You are free to hire people, but you must bear the employment costs yourself.”
Turan pondered for a moment before nodding. For an ordinary noble, it would take at least ten years as Osel said, but if he mobilized the strength of three nobles of near-Family Head caliber, it wouldn't take nearly that long. Even with bad luck, it should only take a few months.
“Very well.”
“I’m glad we could reach an agreement so easily.”
The conversation seemed to be over, but for some reason, Osel just stared blankly at Turan without saying anything.
“What is it? If we’re done, you may leave.”
“When will the treatment take place?”
“Naturally, after you have finished your task.”
Turan shook his head at Osel’s words.
“I need Misha’s help for the wetland reclamation. Please perform the treatment first.”
“And why should I trust a wandering noble with no family? If you run away after receiving the treatment, I will have exhausted my power for nothing.”
Osel’s cold response instantly chilled the previously smooth atmosphere.
Just then, Lida, who had been watching from the side, clicked her tongue.
“Don’t be like that, Family Head. Whether one’s physical condition is whole or not is a crucial matter when using magic. Is there any need to make things unnecessarily difficult?”
“Sister!”
“If you’re going to entrust someone with a task, it’s better to do it while everyone is in good spirits rather than leaving them resentful.”
After saying that, Lida glanced at Turan and Meisa before adding, “Besides, though I haven't seen much of them, I don't think these young people would deceive us like that. We’ve had our own separate discussions, and above all, unless they plan on never getting injured for the rest of their lives, would they dare pull such a stunt?”
The ‘separate discussions’ likely referred to the matter of the Spirit-Caller they had discussed previously.
Osel had been bristling at Lida’s habit of treating him like a child, but after listening to her words, he let out a sigh and swept aside the veil with a single gesture.
The beautiful boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old, whom Turan had seen before, was revealed. Osel Lavitas stared intently at Turan and Meisa before asking, “You aren't surprised to see me?”
“I had a general idea.”
“Hmph.”
Osel snorted and looked at Lida. “This is troublesome, Sister.”
“My apologies, I’ve said too much. I shall not say another word in front of the Family Head.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Osel, who had maintained a high-and-mighty attitude toward Turan’s party, seemed completely at a loss when dealing with Lida, looking very much like a young boy his age.
The two bickered for a moment before noticing the gazes of Turan’s party. They cleared their throats and stopped talking.
After a brief silence, Osel spoke in a dignified tone, perhaps to reset the mood.
“First, let me see your skill. To see if you are even qualified to make such a request of me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of mana surged toward Turan and Meisa. It was a torrent of immense power projected directly by the Head of a Great Family, one of the strongest beings in this world.
Normally, this kind of mana projection wouldn't cause any physical phenomena since it contained no specific intent, but the density was so high that it felt as if the very air around them was distorting.
In response, Turan and Meisa met the pressure by releasing all of their mana without any deception. Meisa’s true strength would be revealed during the treatment anyway, and if Turan’s strength was perceived as too low, it would only raise suspicions. Above all, they needed to show their true power here to ensure their labor was highly valued.
After confirming their strength, Osel remained silent for a long time, seemingly shocked and flustered. It was nearly a minute before he finally spoke.
“…Not bad. Fine. I agree to the conditions.”
Lida’s earlier words likely played a large role in Osel’s agreement. Powerful nobles like them couldn't heal major injuries with ordinary magic devices, so they had no choice but to stay on the good side of Osel, the greatest healer in the world. Furthermore, given the duo’s level of skill, even Osel felt the need to show them a degree of respect.
Seeing this, Lida clapped her hands and laughed.
“Wonderful! Then why don't we take care of it right now? I believe the Family Head hasn't used his mana for anything else today.”
“Let’s do that, Sister. Everyone, follow me.”
*
As if he had prepared in advance, Osel stood up and led them to a room located next to his residence.
Like the residence, the room was filled with the flow of mana across the walls and floor, and there were several beds in the center.
“This is the treatment room. It is imbued with power to repel the foul energies that bring disease. First, the servant must leave. And don't bring the beast inside; it might cause the wound to fester.”
“Ah, yes sir.”
Solif, who had been naturally following them in, gave an awkward laugh and retreated outside with Bije.
Immediately, Osel cast a purification spell over the entire room, seemingly to clear out any harmful germs.
Turan wondered if they actually knew about the existence of microbes or if they had simply learned through experience that this was necessary.
While Turan’s curiosity grew, Osel pointed to one of the beds.
“Lie down.”
As Meisa lay on the bed with a somewhat frightened look, Osel brought over a large saw that had been sitting in the corner. This, too, was a magic tool imbued with quite powerful energy.
“I will use this to cut. If you don't want to feel the pain, I can knock you out. Which do you prefer: a blow to the head or having your breath cut off?”
“I can help with that. Is that okay, Misha?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll do it yourself? It saves me the trouble, but it won't be as easy as you think.”
Ignoring Osel’s unsolicited advice, Turan skillfully rendered Meisa unconscious and laid her back on the bed.
The two Lavitas nobles stared at Turan as if he were a strange person.
“You both seem quite used to that, don’t you?”
Instead of responding to Lida’s comment, Turan gave a light bow. Osel clicked his tongue and said, “Whatever. Let’s start quickly. My time is expensive.”
The surgery began shortly after.
With Osel leading and Lida assisting, Turan stood back a bit and observed the process in case of an emergency.
“First, from here… Hmm, it cuts easily. Certainly.”
As Osel cut through Meisa’s waist, Turan watched with every nerve on edge. If Osel were to betray them here, Turan would have to immediately call Solif inside to block him while he treated Meisa himself.
Fortunately, after completely severing the lower half, Osel immediately began using healing magic to repair it. The way he delicately adjusted the positions of the internal organs and bones with his hands showed that he possessed profound knowledge of human anatomy.
I suppose for the Head of the Lavitas Family, an injury of this level is nothing.
Lida helped with the healing as well, but her contribution paled in comparison to Osel’s direct intervention. The sight of the severed parts reattaching as smoothly as clay was truly miraculous, and Turan couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to fight the Lavitas Head.
It would be hard to decrease his combat power with ordinary injuries. Since healing himself would be even easier than healing others, he’d be even more formidable…
Turan had thought that the Lavitas Head, possessing the Healer and Purifier bloodlines, wouldn't be very threatening compared to his raw power. But if he could infinitely heal himself while attacking, he could be a much more troublesome opponent than expected, provided his head wasn't taken off. Furthermore, he could likely fix mages of a lower level than himself even more easily. In a group battle, he could be a more difficult enemy than mages with typical combat-oriented bloodlines.
After a while, Osel finished the treatment and let out a small sigh.
“I didn't think I’d have to heal a mage of a similar level to myself after inheriting the position of Family Head. Who exactly are you people?”
“We are Turan and Misha. For now.”
When Turan left an implication that he might reveal more once their relationship improved, Osel snorted but didn't pry further.
Osel left first, telling them to see themselves out. About ten minutes later, Meisa opened her eyes with a groan.
“Is it over?”
“Yeah. It was simpler than I thought. Do you want to try standing up?”
At Turan’s words, Meisa carefully moved her legs, slid off the bed, and stood on the floor with both feet. A bright smile bloomed on her face as she gave a few light hops on the spot.