Chapter 44

Translator: Pai_

Landing in a clearing on one side of the snow-covered forest, Turan observed Meisa as she descended across from him.

The first thing that caught his eye was her body, which seemed like it couldn’t get any thinner, now appearing even smaller and more delicate than before.

And another thing...

‘This is incredible, really.’

Thanks to the function of the Sacred Relic's Mimic, which detected the flow of magic power, Turan could tell that almost every item she was wearing was a magic artifact.

Earrings, a necklace, clothes, bracelets, rings, shoes, and even several trinkets seemingly tucked into her pockets.

Even Ferga, as a candidate for the successor of House Zahar, had carried three or four magic artifacts, but this was on an entirely different level.

It was likely the difference between someone who could become a successor and someone who was already the rightful heir.

Standing about ten steps apart, Meisa looked at Turan with an expression of curiosity and spoke.

“It’s only been, what, three or four months since we last met? But you’ve changed quite a lot in that time.”

“Have I changed?”

“Yes, quite significantly, too.”

Compared to the boy she had met at the House Berg mansion, who had seemed like he was trying to act more mature than he was, the current Turan gave off a more composed and mature impression.

This change came from bearing the responsibility of the lives of dozens of people on the ship in the past, and then thousands in the city of Kalamaf.

“I don’t really notice it myself. More importantly...”

At that moment, Bije, who had been perched on the handle of his bag, poked him in the side with its beak as if demanding his attention.

The bird soon jumped down onto the ground and began writing in the snow.

[Who she?]

Normally, Bije wouldn’t interfere when he was talking to others, but perhaps it was feeling jealous of the overly familiar tone.

Turan calmly introduced the person and the bird to one another.

“This is Meisa, a close friend. Meisa, this is Bije. My family.”

Calling the intelligent golden eagle a mere pet would have been an insult, and their relationship, bound by soul bond, was far closer than mere friendship.

Upon hearing Turan’s words, Bije puffed out its chest confidently and stared at Meisa.

“Family?”

Meisa looked surprised for a moment, then laughed as if she found it amusing.

“Could it be a magical beast bound by soul bond? This is the first time I’ve seen one smart enough to write.”

“Yes, it’s much smarter than most people.”

“Where did you meet it?”

“We met during my journey. Bije chose me, and through the mediation of the Tamer Bloodline, we formed a soul bond.”

There was no lie in what Turan said.

He simply left out the part where their meeting took place in the port city of Komad in the Enril Desert, and where he had purchased Bije with money.

"How romantic. I wish I could meet such a companion too."

As the successor of House Arabion, it wouldn’t be hard for her to acquire a powerful magical beast if she wanted, but the truth was that such creatures were often cumbersome to travel with.

Even Tilly was so much larger than a normal horse that it couldn’t even enter most buildings.

A magical beast as small and useful as Bije was indeed rare.

“So, what brings you here? Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t think much of it, but this isn’t exactly the best place to travel to.”

At Meisa’s question, Turan answered honestly.

He recounted how, during a recent journey, he had come across the city of Kalamaf, and somehow ended up becoming its ruler.

Since she would find out if she traveled just a bit further east anyway, there was no reason to keep it a secret.

He also explained the threat from the west that had wiped out all the wizards of Kalamaf.

After hearing the full story, Meisa nodded as if she understood.

“I see...”

“Do you happen to know something about this?”

“Yes. In some ways, you could say this is our responsibility.”

According to her, over the past few months, the armies of House Arabion had been hunting down the Dark Elves, thoroughly excavating and destroying their underground kingdom.

In the process, some Dark Elves had survived to the end and fled eastward, among whom there was a powerful necromancer.

“You said the wizards of Kalamaf disappeared about a month ago, right? Then it’s probably that guy’s doing. It was around that time he fled eastward. He likely wanted to replenish his supply of undead spirits. Judging by the fact that only those who invaded here died while the Gray Zone remains untouched, it seems he hasn’t left this place yet.”

Only then did Turan understand why Meisa, who should have been fighting the Dark Elves in the west, was in this area.

In the end, the war had concluded with a victory for Arabion, and they had come here to exterminate even the last remnants of the defeated forces.

“Why didn’t he flee further east?”

“Probably because he allied with the Dwarves and is hiding in their territory. That’s my guess.”

“The Dwarves? You mean those Blind Dwarves?”

Turan recalled the stories he had read in the travelogue about the world.

The tales described the Blind Dwarves hiding in the passageways of the mountain range, which opened only once a day, capturing and eating humans.

Now that he thought about it, the setting of that story was right here in the Gray Zone.

Though, in all his wandering around the area, Turan had never seen any Dwarves.

“Yes. According to legend, the Dwarves’ settlement deep in the mountains was so impenetrable that even the gods couldn’t completely exterminate them. In any case, it’s a relief that he didn’t go further east. We can’t easily enter the Gray Zone due to certain circumstances.”

“Is it because of House Zahar?”

“Yes, that’s part of it.”

The Gray Zone was the land where Arabion and Zahar had fought a war in the past.

Having a large army from Arabion pass through that area would in itself be considered a significant act of aggression, so it seemed the Arabion forces were unable to enter the Gray Zone and were diligently searching only its surroundings.

As they continued their conversation, Turan sensed a wizard approaching from afar and turned his gaze in that direction.

Meisa, though a step slower, seemed to notice it as well, likely using a magic artifact with a function similar to the Sacred Relic.

Soon after, a nobleman from House Arabion arrived, a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his forties.

“What brings you here, Uncle?”

“You were taking too long to return to camp, so I came to find you. This area is too close to the Gray Zone. It’s not safe for you to be here alone for long.”

Judging by the title “Uncle”, it seemed this man was Meisa’s father’s younger brother, making him the younger sibling of the head of House Arabion.

Considering that his magic power was comparable to Turan’s, he must have been one of the stronger individuals within Arabion.

However, the atmosphere between the uncle and niece didn’t seem very cordial.

Meisa openly displayed her discomfort, while the man, despite his friendly smile, gave off an unpleasant impression.

“And who is this young man? Ah, it would be polite to introduce myself first. I am Cadrum Arabion, Meisa’s uncle, and my elder brother is the head of House Arabion.”

As he spoke, Cadrum let his magic power flow out, pressing down on Turan.

When Turan countered the pressure with equal force, surprise flickered across Cadrum’s face.

“I am Turan of Kalamaf.”

“Kalamaf? Forgive my ignorance, but I don’t recognize that as a house name… Wait, isn’t that the name of a city in the east?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I’m a fallen noble of unknown bloodline, so I have no house to represent. The people of the city simply call me that.”

Hearing the term “fallen noble”, Cadrum’s expression turned puzzled as if he couldn’t comprehend the situation.

“You don’t seem to be that old, but your strength is remarkable. I could easily believe you belong to a great house.”

“I did receive some support from House Berg in the past. That’s also how I became acquainted with Meisa.”

When accused of being suspicious, Turan countered by saying that he had been a guest of their family. At this, Cadrum turned his gaze to Meisa as if to ask if what Turan said was true.

“It’s true. More importantly, Uncle, please head back first. I’ll finish up here and return soon.”

“But Meisa, leaving you alone with someone we don’t even know in a place like this is a bit…”

“Just go.”

Her tone, sharp and authoritative, bordered on rude, especially considering she was speaking to her uncle.

Cadrum reluctantly agreed and flew off into the distance.

After a brief silence, Meisa sighed and apologized.

“I’m sorry. Just like last time, I’m showing you an ugly side of myself.”

As Turan pondered her words, he remembered that the last time they parted, Meisa had also been losing her temper with a noble from House Arabion.

Though he didn’t know the reason, it seemed as if she reserved her arrogance and coldness exclusively for members of House Arabion.

In contrast, her attitude toward outsiders, like the people of House Berg or Turan, was remarkably kind and friendly, which made the disparity in her behavior stand out even more.

“Everyone has circumstances that make it impossible to smile all the time.”

“Thank you for understanding. If the opportunity arises, I’d like to hear about what happened during your journey.”

***

After parting ways with Meisa, Turan continued patrolling the area for a while longer before returning to Kalamaf.

Although he had only been gone for a few hours, the city’s influential figures, who had spent the entire time as if walking on a tightrope, wept with relief and knelt when they saw him flying in on the golden eagle.

“Oh, Lord Turan! You didn’t return, so I thought something might have happened to you, and I, I…”

"Stop being so emotional, man. Welcome back, sir. Did you perhaps find any clues?"

Pushing aside the weeping old merchant, Daruk, the city official, asked the question. Turan, while giving Bije a snack, replied.

“Fortunately, I found some clues. It seems that the culprit is a Dark Elf necromancer who crossed over from the western forest. I also learned that there’s an army from House Arabion stationed about eighty kilometers west of here.”

“Ah, the Arabion army?”

“Yes. They’ll handle the necromancer, so there’s no need for us to try anything on this side.”

Of course, it seemed that tracking the necromancer had hit a bit of a snag since he was hiding in the Dwarves’ settlement, but given that they had already dug up and destroyed the Dark Elves’ hideouts near Maderi, it was clear they had their own methods of pursuit.

After organizing the situation, Turan returned to his room, where Bije was once again scribbling something on a metal plate.

[Turan!]

“What?”

[That Mesa met today.]

“Yes, it was Meisa. What about her?”

[Meisa matches my inside, too.]

“She matches you?”

It was the exact same thing Bije had said when it first chose Turan. Did that mean that if Meisa had met Bije before Turan, the eagle would have wanted to serve her as its master?

Noticing Turan’s surprised expression, Bije quickly erased the writing and scribbled something else.

[But I chose Turan.]

[Meisa no chance.]

[Turan happy!]

As if to say, “You’re lucky to have me”, the eagle’s encouraging words made Turan chuckle as he patted Bije’s head.

In any case, this was something worth thinking about.

Why was it that Bije’s soul seemed to resonate perfectly with no one else but Turan and Meisa?

A week after meeting Meisa, Turan increasingly felt that his purpose in this city was diminishing.

This was because Kalamaf, which was slowly warming up with the changing season, was becoming a self-sustaining city that no longer needed to rely on the power of a great wizard.

Apart from patrolling for the necromancer who might come from the west, the only thing he could do was focus on his magic training, making each day feel dull and monotonous.

As if someone had read his thoughts, however, a new task arose, one that only a noble could handle.

It was to entertain noble guests.

“Protector of the city, a distinguished guest has arrived!”

“A distinguished guest?”

At Turan’s question, the city official replied respectfully.

“Yes. A joint delegation from the cities of Vigen, Arond, Rummel, Ravana, and all the other surrounding cities has come to visit.”

“Escort them in.”

A short while later, Turan greeted the nobles from the seven cities in the City Hall conference room.

“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Turan of Kalamaf. We humbly request your hospitality as guests.”

“You are most welcome. However, I must ask you to stay in the lodging facilities here at City Hall. Would that be acceptable?”

Although Kalamaf had mostly returned to normal, it wasn’t as though there was an abundance of houses for the citizens.

The people who had fled during the crisis and were now returning to the city needed homes to live in.

For this reason, the Central Mansion was still unrepaired and being used as a shelter for the homeless.

“...The lodging facilities at City Hall?”

Hearing Turan’s response, the nobles in the delegation couldn’t hide their astonishment.

City Hall was a place where commoners worked, so its accommodations couldn’t compare to the luxury of a noble mansion.

The fact that they were being received in the conference room instead of a mansion’s drawing room had already rubbed them the wrong way, but being asked to stay in City Hall’s facilities? It was practically an insult, as if they were being driven out.

“It’s not that I’m trying to treat you poorly, it’s simply that Kalamaf currently doesn’t have enough houses. The Central Mansion has been opened to provide shelter for the homeless.”

“Opening the Central Mansion to the homeless? That’s absurd…”

“Then, may I ask where you, my lord, handle your meals and lodging?”

“I also eat and sleep here.”

A noble, relinquishing his mansion to commoners and living in the humble accommodations of City Hall?

The nobles in the delegation exchanged glances and reached a shared conclusion.

There was no way that this Turan could be some secret weapon raised by a great noble house.

Even the most arrogant nobles, no matter how much they pretended, would never do something like this.

‘Could he really be a fallen noble?’

‘From the way he completely disregards dignity and propriety… it seems so.’

‘This changes things.’

As they silently exchanged glances, Turan turned to them and asked,

“So, I’d like to hear the reason you came to see me. Would someone care to explain?"

“I will.”

The one who quickly stepped forward was the son of the Lord of Vigen, a city southeast of Kalamaf.

With a sharp, intelligent face, he spoke words that took Turan by surprise.

"We would like to propose a marriage alliance between our seven houses and you, Lord of Kalamaf."