Chapter 179.2

Translator: Pai_

Since it was crucial to keep his absence a complete secret, Turan disclosed his plan to only a very limited number of people.

First, to Rida, who was currently visiting as a guest and deeply immersed in researching Soul Manipulation Technique, he simply said he would be away for a while.

“Then what about that needle in my head…?”

“I’ll come back and remove it as soon as possible. Absolutely do not ask the White Elf to take it out.”

At Turan's threat that he didn't know what tricks they might pull, Rida spoke with a disappointed expression.

“Hmm, understood.”

Next were Haram, the head of the main house’s guard, and Armania, who managed the Jade Mirror.

Haram, like Ashiz, could be persuaded through logic and authority, but with Armania, Turan actually had a hard time just getting him not to tag along, since he thought it sounded fun.

Fortunately, explaining just how horrible a place the desert was for a mermaid was enough to get him to back down quietly.

Lastly, the biggest hurdle was persuading Meisa.

Surprisingly, when Turan cautiously brought up the subject, she nodded calmly in agreement.

“Okay. I just need to take care of work while you’re gone, right?”

“That’s right. Um, will you be alright with that?”

“With what?”

When Meisa asked back and looked at Turan’s face, she burst into a small laugh.

“You’ve got that guilty puppy look on your face… I’m not going to say anything. It wouldn’t make sense if I got saved through a reckless act like that and now tell you not to do something dangerous.”

“Is that so.”

“Besides, I just had a quick talk with Berit earlier, and while listening to her, I pretty much guessed this is the kind of decision you’d come to.”

As Turan subtly relaxed his shoulders, Meisa smiled, though deep inside, she felt a bitter emotion welling up.

One reason she hadn’t strongly opposed the decision was because of her own feelings of inadequacy.

She thought that if she weren’t pregnant, if she could function at full power, then this wouldn’t be necessary at all.

In other words, she didn’t want to become any more of a burden than she already was, as someone who might be holding back the person she loved.

Of course, if Turan could have known what she was thinking, he would have lightly flicked her forehead.

Wouldn’t people think he had made the child on his own?

Unfortunately, not even Zahar’s sharp senses could detect such subtle thoughts.

“That said, it’s not like I’m completely helpless. You don’t need to worry too much.”

“Well, that’s true.”

While she was staying in the head’s residence, Meisa wasn’t just lounging around doing nothing.

She had made full use of her other value, her ability as an Enchanter, to mass-produce magic artifacts.

Apart from making a few necessary items for the house, she devoted all her time to one thing.

That was creating single-use defensive magic artifacts that didn’t leave lingering side effects yet had considerable power.

If she mobilized all of them, she could fight even someone like Badal for a short time without worrying about the baby inside her.

“So just go. Just don’t die.”

Above all, what she trusted was Turan himself.

She believed he wouldn’t make a reckless decision.

Under the weight of that trust, Turan let out a faint groan and embraced Meisa.

“Mmm.”

“What is it?”

“My belly’s sticking out so much now, it feels weird.”

At Meisa’s grumble, describing a sensation she had never experienced before, like having gained a ton of weight, Turan smiled and kissed her forehead.

***

After swiftly handling internal arrangements, Turan immediately traveled to Helio City through the Jade Mirror.

It was slightly faster to move from Helio City, and he also predicted that approaching from the east rather than the west would make it harder to be noticed.

He created a face that resembled several Varaha nobles, a face similar to them but not easily identifiable as any particular individual, and wore the outfit of a Varaha knight. With that, he had no trouble exiting the Temple of the Sun.

He figured he’d need to tell Berit later to tighten internal security more thoroughly.

From there, everything was simple.

He cloaked himself in Concealment, mounted the similarly hidden Bije, and flew west.

‘This much shouldn’t cause any rumors.’

Of course, if he disappeared for too long from the main house in Kalamaf, people might start suspecting he was off somewhere stirring up trouble again, but they wouldn’t easily imagine that he had gone straight to Zahar’s capital.

Turan had, from time to time, intentionally gone missing for no real reason just to prepare for situations like this.

Sustaining himself with some emergency rations he had prepared before departure, Turan crossed the Land of Lakes and entered the Enril Desert.

He saw familiar golden seas, sandy hills, occasional oases and grass patches, cacti, and sheep and camels feeding on them.

And of course, the nomads herding those animals.

-Now that I think about it, this is my first time on the eastern side of the desert. Don’t you think so, Bije?

-Yeah! But it looks just like the west!

-Well, that can’t be helped.

In fact, places like the Gray Zone or the Land of Lakes weren’t all that different between the east and the west.

If anything, since this region bordered the fertile Land of Lakes, it gave off a bit more of a lived-in atmosphere.

Also, following the roads of the Old Empire led him through several fairly large cities.

As he traveled incognito through several of these cities, he spotted the largest city in the distance. Before entering it, he landed in a nearby smaller city and deactivated his Concealment.

‘This place should be perfect.’

This city, Rafik, was a typical satellite city town near the capital. With only a small oasis, it had a low population and little of interest.

It served as a relay stop for travelers heading to Axum, just one of many intermediary desert cities.

Turan calculated that instead of barging directly into Axum and standing out as a foreigner, it would be better to first acquire local attire and gather some intel here before making his move.

While changing from his Varaha-style traveler clothes into desert windbreaker gear, Turan casually struck up conversation with the clothing shop owner.

“The weather’s hot these days.”

“Well, the rainy season will be here soon, won’t it? Not that the rainy season is much, just a few days of downpour, really.”

The Enril Desert’s rainy season was among the most extreme climates. It would pour down in just a few days with enough force to completely fill and flood the parched oases.

It only happened a few times a year, and the next cycle was apparently just around the corner.

“Heh, in that case, I guess I’ll be spending this rainy season in Axum. Just thinking of enjoying a drink in the most expensive tavern, watching raindrops splash against the window, makes me forget all about the heat.”

At Turan’s banter, the shopkeeper burst out laughing, then paused with a puzzled look and asked,

“Are you headed to Axum, by any chance?”

“Yes. I heard there’s a lot to see there. Isn’t that the go-to destination for folks in this town?”

The capital of Zahar, Axum, was known as the land of desert dancers, famous for its distinctive troupes unlike any found elsewhere.

Aside from that, being practically the center of the world, its blend of regional cultures had led to the development of unique artifacts.

Of course, that wasn’t what Turan was going there for.

“You must’ve come from far away not to have heard. You picked the wrong time. Axum is currently under lockdown.”

The shopkeeper clicked his tongue and pointed out that all the camels lined up in front of the inn window belonged to merchants stranded because of it.

*****

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