Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20 Turan was left speechless by the staggering news. The Dark Elves had raised an army and razed three cities to the ground.
Considering that a single city usually supported dozens of surrounding villages, the number of lives sacrificed was almost impossible to fathom.
Meisa seemed to share his grim sentiment. After a long, heavy silence, she spoke with visible effort.
"...Understood. Tell them I will return shortly."
"You must leave immediately—"
"I said I'm going!"
The messenger flinched at her sharp tone. He bowed deeply and hurried out of the garden.
Exhaling a heavy sigh, Meisa turned back to Turan.
"It looks like I'll have to head back soon."
"Please, be careful."
The reason for summoning Meisa the moment the Dark Elf army appeared was obvious: she was being called to join the subjugation squad.
Turan didn't offer to go with her. Beyond the need to hide his bloodline, the Great House of Arabion was not so weak that they would need to borrow the strength of a stranger to deal with such a threat. To them, Turan would likely look like a scavenger trying to tag along just to steal spoils—or in this case, mana.
"Thank you. Ah, come to think of it, I won't be able to pay you back for the decay magic before I go."
Meisa hesitated for a moment, lost in thought, before speaking cautiously.
"Turan, do you happen to know that electricity flows through the human body as well?"
"Electricity... you say?"
When Turan looked puzzled, Meisa's face brightened.
"You didn't know? Then how about we call it even if I teach you this properly? It will definitely be a great help."
"I understand."
As soon as Turan accepted, Meisa began explaining the theory.
"When a person sees or feels something, that part of the body sends electricity to the brain. If you see with your eyes, the signal travels from the eyes to the brain; if you smell something, it goes from the nose. Through that electricity, the brain interprets the senses and sends electricity back throughout the body to command it to move."
The more she spoke, the more absurd it sounded. Why would a power like lightning flow through a human body? How could it possibly transmit senses or commands?
However, Turan—who had frequently encountered such esoteric knowledge in the Library—knew that truths existed that were difficult to understand intuitively. Rather than trying to fully grasp the logic, he seared the information into his mind. This was surely a part of the natural laws that the Arabion family had passed down for generations.
"And what if you accelerate this electricity with the power of magic?"
"The speed of perception and reaction would increase," Turan realized.
"Exactly. Why don't you give it a try?"
Though half-doubting, Turan immediately tested the theory.
First, he imagined a path through which minute lightning flowed within his body. Then, praying for the lightning transmitted through that path to move faster, he channeled his mana—
"H—o—w—i—s—i—t—"
The moment he activated the magic, Meisa's voice stretched out bizarrely.
Turan realized that even the speed at which he blinked had slowed down. He took a slow, deliberate step forward. It felt as if his body were submerged in deep water.
While he marveled at this world that had slowed to a crawl, a sharp headache suddenly pierced his temples. He quickly deactivated the magic, and the world snapped back to normal in an instant.
"Did you succeed?"
"Yes. What on earth was that...?"
Even after using it for just a few seconds, he could feel the immense potential of the technique. It was so powerful that he couldn't understand why she had exchanged it for mere information on decay magic.
"You probably won't be able to adapt right away because of the headache, but once you get used to it, you'll be able to maintain it for quite a long time."
"This... no matter how I think about it, this is far too much compared to what I gave you."
Meisa nodded with a smile, as if she had expected him to say that.
"Perhaps. But then, you can just pay me back later when you learn an even better magic, right?"
Before Turan could respond, Meisa took flight, soaring straight out of the garden.
"Ah...."
Only then did Turan realize that she had used the "debt" to promise their next meeting.
From a distance, the voice of the Arabion messenger could be heard piteously calling after the young lady.
*
Left alone, Turan finished his magic practice and ran into Asiz on his way back to his room.
From the look of fatigue on his friend's face, Turan guessed he had just come from a difficult family meeting.
"Turan, I don't know if you've heard the news...."
"The Dark Elves?"
"What? Where did you hear that? I only just heard it from my mother."
"Just now, while training with Lady Meisa. Was it because of those two I killed back then?"
"I don't know. Those bastards don't exactly announce their reasons for a massacre."
Even as he said that, Asiz's expression remained dark. He, too, seemed to believe that their previous clash had been the catalyst. They were the victims, of course, but human emotions weren't always so clear-cut.
"Is the Berk family participating in the war as well?"
"Huh? No, we aren't going. We're busy making magic tools. Uncle Haram will be staying at the main house, too."
This meant there would be no setbacks in the production of the magic tool Turan was waiting for.
"More importantly, what are you going to do now?"
"About what?"
"What do you mean, 'what'? It's war! Going on a pilgrimage alone in this situation is a suicide mission. If you run into a necromancer army during your travels, you'll be heading up to the Celestial Palace that very day."
Asiz suggested that Turan stay as a guest of the Berks for the time being, even after receiving his magic tool—at least for a few months or a year, until the conflict settled.
"No, I can't do that."
"Why not?"
"I have things I must do."
And if possible, he didn't want to be further indebted to the Berk family. As long as he didn't belong here, every favor became a debt he could never repay.
Realizing that Turan would not be persuaded, Asiz let out a deep sigh.
"Ugh, if that's how you feel, I guess I can't help it...."
"It's not like I'm leaving forever. We'll see each other again. I can always come to visit."
"I suppose so."
As if his heart had eased a bit, Asiz smiled and patted Turan on the shoulder.
"Come to think of it, I didn't really notice because I see you every day, but your body has gotten quite big lately, hasn't it?"
"Does it look that way?"
"Yeah. You're starting to look a bit like my uncle."
Just as he said, over the past three weeks, Turan's once slender frame had undergone a significant transformation. It wasn't quite the massive build of Haram, but if his previous body had been like a deer, it had now changed into something more like a leopard.
It was an achievement that would have been impossible without the training equipment at the Berk mansion and Haram's rigorous instruction. In a typical environment, it was no easy task to build muscle on a noble's body.
"Actually, I feel like I've gotten twice as strong lately. My stamina is much better, too."
"...That much?"
"Yeah. You should try to find an opportunity to have him train you later, too."
"Mmm."
After pondering for a long while, Asiz shook his head. "I think I'll pass."
It wasn't that he was lazy, but Haram's physical training was truly grueling. Turan, who had endured it despite not having a bloodline specialized for combat, was the outlier.
"Well, anyway, I'm glad I made it a bit large in case you grew more. It should fit reasonably well."
"What will?"
At Turan's question, Asiz gave a wide grin.
"You don't need to know yet. Just look forward to it."
Even when pressed, Asiz refused to answer.
*
A few days after Meisa left, Turan visited Morgen City, the heart of the Dakein Plains, with the Berk family. They were there to see off the subjugation squad departing to crush the Dark Elf army.
Twenty-seven nobles from the Arabion main house alone, and four hundred knights....
When the nobles and knights of the vassal families joined in, the scale was dizzying. And to think, in the past war with Zahar, several times this number had taken the field?
"Glory to Arabion!"
The crowd shouted as the subjugation squad marched, raising their clenched fists.
Before long, Turan spotted Meisa at the very front of the column. Unlike her time recuperating at the Berk mansion, her face was gaunt and filled with the same exhaustion he had seen when they first met. It seemed her time at the main house had been anything but pleasant.
"Oh, it's Meisa. Meisa! Over here!"
As Asiz excitedly waved his hand, the head of the Midella family quickly pulled his arm down. Just as Asiz was receiving a lecture about maintaining his dignity as a noble, an Arabion noble soared into the sky and shouted at the top of his lungs.
["The Family Head is entering!"]
Through the application of wind magic, the voice was delivered clearly to the tens of thousands who had gathered.
In the sudden silence that followed, Turan saw an old man walking to the front of the subjugation squad.
'So that person is....'
The current head of Arabion, Badal Arabion.
Meisa's father appeared to be well over sixty years old. For a powerful noble to age to that extent, how many years must he have lived, and how much mana must he have accumulated?
"Asiz."
"Yeah?"
"The Head of Arabion... his complexion looks poor. Is he in ill health?"
It wasn't just that he was old; his face was exceptionally pale, making it seem as though he might collapse at any moment.
At Turan's question, Asiz scratched his head.
"Well, I heard he was injured while dueling the Head of Zahar a long time ago... but given his age, who knows."
"Mmm."
A moment later, the aged voice of the Family Head rang out.
["Heroes of Arabion, you depart now to protect humanity. I command you: do not return until you have slaughtered every last one of those wicked subhuman hordes. For humanity!"]
"For humanity!"
The crowd roared in unison. They waited for the speech to continue, but the Family Head merely stared silently at the squad.
Could it be that he was finished after just those few words? After gathering such a massive force?
Turan wasn't the only one confused; a murmur rose among the crowd. But the moment the Family Head raised his hand, everyone fell silent.
They felt it instinctively. Something incredible was about to happen.
"Ah...."
The clear, sunny sky began to darken, casting long shadows over the people's faces. Turan realized that the Family Head was manipulating the winds high above to gather the clouds.
Just how proficient must one be in wind magic, and how much mana must be invested to achieve such a feat?
A moment later, the old man muttered softly and lowered his hand.
["Go forth, knowing that I stand behind you. For this is the power of Arabion."]
Rumble—!
The sound of thunder echoed from the horizon.
The clouds turned pitch black, and then they began to pour down bolts of lightning, one by one.
Once, twice, three times—
The lightning, which had started like leaking drops of water, began to pour down like rain. It was as if the wrath of the gods had descended.
Faced with a sight they had never seen before, the people fell into a frenzy.
"Aaaaaah!"
"Eternal glory to Arabion!"
"For humanity—!"
"Thunder Lord, protect your descendants!"
While some shouted in fear and others in awe, Turan watched the display of power, unable to even breathe.
Keorn had once said he saw the Head of Arabion crush a hill with a single gesture. This display was no less terrifying. The raw destructive power in each falling bolt could be felt even from here.
The reason for such a display, despite his poor health, was obvious. It was a show of force directed at any faction that might target Arabion—primarily the house of Zahar. It was a message: I am still this powerful. Do not think of attacking just because our forces have left.
As the sky finally cleared, Asiz muttered with a dazed expression.
"Wow... I don't think it would be this much even if the Frea Divine Clan themselves descended."
Turan agreed, but another thought surfaced in his mind. He remembered what the Spirit of the Library had told him—that he was the mage with the bloodline closest to the gods.
'Me, too,' Turan thought, his heart racing. 'Someday, I will reach that height.'
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