Chapter 181.2

“Lord Faol.”

“Mm.”

Wearing Faol’s face, Turan responded with a solemn expression as he accepted the unknown individual’s greeting and continued walking.

It was a relief that the person he was impersonating had a relatively taciturn personality.

If the man had been talkative, mimicking his tone and fabricating conversation would have been an ordeal.

Of course, assuming such a noble's disguise had its downsides as well.

Unlike when he had moved around quietly while pretending to be a servant, now that he was disguised as a proper House Zahar noble, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him.

From servants, to a few knights patrolling the corridors, and even the nobles who seemed to be going about on business, all paid attention to him.

Turan deliberately mimicked Faol’s gait as he made his way toward the residence of the family head of House Zahar.

Toward the tallest building even among the Red Fortress.

“Lord Faol, about the task you ordered last time.......”

“Later.”

He walked on, replying to those who addressed him, for about ten minutes.

Arriving in front of the residence, Turan stroked his mustache to calm his nerves and let out a quiet sigh of relief.

‘As I thought, digging a tunnel would’ve been the wrong choice.’

He could feel a spherical magical barrier of power surrounding the area.

It didn’t seem very strong, so it was likely a type of alarm spell artifact similar to the one Rida had used in the past, rather than a defensive one.

As Turan approached the entrance, a noble standing guard looked at him with displeasure and said,

“What is it, baldy? What’s your business?”

“I’ve come on Lord Talis’s orders to retrieve something. Move aside, Kaiso.”

The reason Turan knew this man's name wasn't because of information he had received through Berit.

He had visited Kalamaf in the past with Talis and had encountered this Alma-faction noble, who had furiously yelled at him.

Naturally, in Kaiso’s eyes, Turan or rather, Faol, the subordinate of Talis whom he was impersonating, was not someone to be welcomed.

Since that time, Talis had consistently presented Turan as his grandson in public, after all.

“You lot shouldn’t think your power will last for a thousand years. Lord Rahman won't keep his head bowed under them forever."

“Thanks for the advice.”

Kaiso's face showed a hint of puzzlement at Turan’s reply, but he soon scoffed and stepped aside.

Although Turan’s response was slightly different from what Faol might have given, it didn’t seem to arouse serious suspicion.

Passing Kaiso and another noble of House Zahar, Turan stepped into the barrier and heard a soft beep.

As he suspected, breaching the barrier from anywhere but the main entrance would trigger the alarm immediately.

‘It’d be nice if I could install one of these at my place too.’

He already had help from several security magic devices made by Meisa, but frankly, if Turan himself attempted to break in, he could still manage it somehow.

Compared to the security of an ancient great noble house’s base, his was inevitably lacking.

Harboring that quiet desire, Turan focused his consciousness inside the barrier.

To his surprise, there were traces of powerful magic right beneath the floor.

‘What? Did they leave him alive?’

He had assumed the body was already killed and only the soul imprisoned, so Turan was secretly surprised and immediately moved.

Soon after, he sensed a strange discomfort in the behavior of the one he glimpsed through the perception of a sacred relic.

‘Too relaxed.’

If they had truly imprisoned a head of house with intact magic power, he should’ve been bound or restrained in some way, yet the figure underground appeared to be calmly reading a book.

Moreover, for reasons unknown, a woman who looked like a commoner was kneeling in an unnatural position across from him.

[You're up there. Come down.]

Perhaps sensing his presence, a voice transmitted via wind magic reached him despite the considerable distance.

Realizing the identity of the speaker, Turan’s expression stiffened.

He had never imagined that Badal Aravion would still be in the basement of House Zahar head's residence.

‘Should I run?’

The risk he had been willing to take extended only as far as evading pursuit by House Zahar nobles.

A joint assault by Badal and the nobles of House Zahar was a completely different matter.

Even Haroon, a powerful figure Turan himself could not easily defeat, had been caught by them without managing to escape.

Of course, if nothing else, Turan was far superior in terms of mobility.

After only a brief hesitation, Turan began walking toward Badal.

He reasoned that running away now would appear even more suspicious, and besides, he genuinely wanted to know what Badal was doing in this place.

Moreover, if he was going to flee anyway, it made little difference whether it was from right in front of them or from one floor above.

For wizxards of their caliber, ceilings might as well not exist.

Creak- he opened the door and immediately saw Badal reading a book beside a freshly poured cup of tea.

"Ah, it was the friend without hair. So, what brings you here?"

"......Lord Talis asked me to inquire when you would be returning."

An improvised and neutral reason, quickly devised in response to the unexpected situation.

If Badal and Talis had already discussed the timing of his return beforehand, it could’ve caused trouble, but judging by Badal's hearty laugh, thankfully that wasn’t the case.

“Seems people really don’t like me staying here. How amusing, when I’m the one who decided to show some grace.”

Carefully storing the phrase “showing grace” in his mind, Turan averted his gaze as if avoiding Badal’s eyes.

There, a woman of unknown identity was bound to a pillory, kneeling on the floor.

She appeared to be in her early twenties.

Her half-exposed body bore clear marks of brutal torture, and whether she had been left in that state for long, there was even a foul stench of excrement emanating from her.

‘Who is she?’

A woman being tortured by Badal, who had remained in this place. And she wasn’t even a wizard, just an ordinary person without any magic power?

One unexpected event after another had occurred, leaving Turan’s mind slow to catch up.

But only for a moment, when he met the woman’s half-vacant eyes, he instantly sensed her identity.

‘No way.......’

Haroon Zahar.

The once-mighty ruler who had dominated the Enril Desert was now imprisoned, possessing the body of a powerless young woman.

*****

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