Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 51 After several more tests, Turan confirmed that the Silent Sling Technique wasn't merely about noise reduction. It was a formidable skill, boasting more than twice the speed and significantly higher penetration than his standard attacks.
At this level, it was nearly impossible for even a noble's reflexes to perceive and evade the projectile. In essence, it was a sure-kill technique—once fired accurately, a hit was guaranteed.
Of course, there were drawbacks.
First, he couldn't run around and throw stones haphazardly as he did with his conventional slinging. He had to spend a second or two for relatively close targets, and over five seconds for distant ones, to manifest the "Wind Path." If he moved, the starting point shifted, forcing him to reconstruct the path from scratch.
And second—
"Another failure..."
Turan let out a sigh of disappointment as he watched a stone fly off with a thunderous crack.
In the distance, his target—a deer—bolted away in a panicked frenzy.
The principle of the Silent Sling Technique involved extending mana in advance to control the Wind Path, then accelerating the stone by clearing the air in its trajectory to eliminate resistance. Because of this, if the target moved while the stone was in flight and the trajectory shifted, he couldn't easily correct it.
If the stone moved even slightly according to homing magic, only a portion of it would catch the wind, causing the entire trajectory to collapse. While he could force a correction by infusing more mana, both efficiency and power plummeted from that point on.
He had tried various methods, but there seemed to be no way to overcome this limitation.
Since no opponent will stand still during a fight, I'll have to use this strictly for ambushes. Or against targets that can't move...
Even with those limitations, it was a terrifyingly powerful technique. If he launched such an attack from stealth—especially one infused with maximum mana to boost its power—the opponent wouldn't even have time to react.
Even a top-tier mage like Meisa would likely lose consciousness or suffer equivalent damage if struck in a vital spot without a defensive magic tool.
I should probably end today's practice here.
The sun was already setting, so Turan called Bije, who had been playing some distance away, and returned to the city of Kalamaph.
It had been three weeks since the removal of the threat from the west was announced. As winter gradually receded, the air had grown pleasantly cool, and the citizens' clothing had become noticeably thinner.
However, looking down from above, the entrance to the city's South Gate seemed unusually chaotic. Had something happened?
Activating his senses, he felt the presence of three or four nobles and over twenty knights standing near the entrance. After confirming there were no immediate threats, he landed. A police officer, who had been pacing anxiously nearby, rushed over to report.
"O Protector of the City! The Lord of Bigen has arrived in person and is requesting an audience. What should we do?"
"The Lord of Bigen?"
Turan searched his memory. It was a city located southeast of Kalamaph, geographically the closest to the Enril Desert. He also remembered that one of the nobles who had visited previously was the son of that city's lord.
"I cannot slight someone who has traveled all the way from another city. Escort them to the central manor."
The officer's face visibly relaxed at the command. His anxiety must have been immense, having to keep the lord of another city waiting at the gates despite the man bringing a host of mages with him.
"Understood!"
Since Kalamaph had passed its crisis, Turan had been implementing a policy to help the poor living in the city's central manor build their own small homes and become independent. It wasn't that he had suddenly developed a desire for the manor life; rather, he knew that whoever eventually came to rule this city would never allow commoners to continue living there.
While the manor remained sparse—he hadn't indulged in luxuries like repurchasing expensive furniture or manicuring the gardens—it was still better than the city hall.
A short while later, Turan sat across from the Lord of Bigen in the former lord's office, which contained nothing but a desk and a few chairs.
"It is our first time meeting in person, Protector of Kalamaph. I am Alos, the Lord of Bigen and head of the Meberne family."
"I am Turan of Kalamaph."
Alos, the Lord of Bigen, was a middle-aged man who looked as clever as his son—or to put it another way, he had a crafty impression. He briefly gauged Turan's mana and immediately adopted a humble posture toward the youth, who looked at least a hundred and fifty years younger than himself.
"My foolish son visited you previously. I hope he wasn't too rude."
"Not at all. Though I was a bit taken aback when he suddenly brought up marriage."
"Haha, that wasn't so much my opinion as it was a consensus among all the lords in this region..."
According to his experience, lords in the Gray Zone—where there was no sovereign to serve—were often arrogant and insolent. Yet, this man seemed accustomed to reading the room, as evidenced by how skillfully he shifted responsibility.
"At any rate, the reason I've come personally is because of that."
There was no need to specify what "that" was. It was the condition for becoming the city's ruler: investigating the traces of Turan's mother. Given that Bigen was the city closest to the Enril Desert and Zahar territory, Turan had expected this lead to have the highest chance of success.
"Did you find a clue?"
"I can confidently say I have discovered exactly who that woman was. I doubt any other lord in this region has uncovered as much. Has anyone else come to you first?"
"No. Not yet."
Turan's heart pounded at the certainty in the man's voice. Yet, for some reason, despite his bold claim, Alos scratched his eyebrow with a somewhat hesitant expression.
"However... it's difficult to guess where that woman is now based on this information. To be honest, if you're looking for her current location, this might not be of much help."
"That's fine."
Turan already knew that his mother had arrived at Hisaril Hill, given birth to him, raised him, and then passed away. What he wanted to know was who she was and what she had been doing here. If what the man said was true, the Lord of Bigen had brought exactly the information he sought.
"Before we speak in earnest, may I ask one thing?"
"Go ahead."
"Protector of Kalamaph, do you happen to have a deep connection with the Arabion family?"
Turan narrowed his eyes at the question. He could guess why the man was asking. The story of how he had contacted the Arabion army and predicted the end of the western calamity had spread far and wide. The issue was why this was being brought up now.
"It's just that... well, our Meberne family served as a garrison for the Zahar family during the war. That was strictly due to geographical reasons. I wanted to make it clear that I personally maintain neutrality."
Turan was somewhat aware of this through what the city's influential figures had told him. Originally, the Lord of Bigen had been this man's older brother, who was part of the pro-Arabion faction. One day, he was found dead, and the younger brother inherited the family. Though there was no evidence, rumors openly circulated that he had been assassinated by the Zahar.
In other words, Alos was worried that Turan might view him with prejudice because of a perceived closeness to Arabion.
"I do not belong to either family, so you needn't worry. I have no intention of questioning the Meberne family's past actions."
Turan replied firmly and stared at Alos. After a few seconds, the man nodded, wiping away a bit of cold sweat.
"I... I shall believe you. After all, this deal wouldn't even be possible without trust. That aside, do you have anything to prove your promise? The right to rule a city isn't something that can just be exchanged through words. I'm also a bit concerned about the descendants of the family that originally ruled this city."
The only survivors of the family that had ruled Kalamaph were two nobles on the verge of death and five young knights. Even if they were given the city back, they lacked the power to protect it. Furthermore, since they were the first to flee with all the wealth of the central manor during the city's fall, neither Turan nor anyone else cared about their supposed rights.
In short, Alos's final comment was just something he threw in to give his own words more weight.
Instead of pointing this out, Turan called for Daruk to bring a scroll. It was made of the finest parchment, written with great care by a skilled scribe, and it detailed the transfer of the city's ruling rights. Naturally, the name of the recipient and their family were left blank.
"The moment I write your name and family here and sign it, this contract will be protected in the name of the great Frea Divine Clan. Anyone who breaks it will become my enemy."
Since all the nobles from the seven cities who had gathered recently had personally experienced the extent of Turan's mana, this was sure to be a powerful deterrent. A city wasn't worth seizing if it meant earning the enmity of a powerhouse who surpassed the heads of ordinary noble families—someone who could rival the upper echelons of the Great Families.
The terms of the contract were exactly as previously mentioned: the ruling rights of the city would be granted to the one who provided the most specific information Turan desired. However, the recipient had to faithfully protect the citizens as their ruler.
"This condition of 'faithfully protecting' feels a bit vague..."
"It means doing your utmost as long as you aren't severely injured or killed. At the very least, if there are rumors of someone being attacked by a magical beast, you should patrol or go on a hunt."
"Hmm, that's not an impossible request. I already manage my own territory in such a manner."
"Naturally, neglecting this would also be a breach of contract."
There was no need to add that he would become the man's enemy in that case. Judging by Alos's flinch, he understood perfectly.
After discussing a few more details, the two reached a suitable agreement. Once all the conditions were settled, Alos asked for a moment, stepped out of the room, and returned with a woman.
"I... I am called Sarina, O descendant of the Great God."
She looked to be about forty years old. Her face, which must have been quite beautiful in her youth, and her refined speech and posture suggested she had received specialized training to serve nobles.
Alos placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke.
"Tell this gentleman exactly what you told me before. If this goes well, I will ensure that not only your old age but also your children are well taken care of."
Hearing Alos's words, Sarina looked back and forth between him and Turan in surprise. She seemed shocked that a noble who looked so young was being treated as an equal, if not a superior, to the lord of her city. When she hesitated, Alos urged her on with a somewhat irritated tone.
"Quickly!"
"Ye—yes! I will speak. I am a servant who has served the Meberne family of Bigen for generations. During the war, I was tasked with attending to the Zahar nobles... If a pregnant woman fled on a golden horse, then she is undoubtedly the person I am thinking of."
"How do you know her?"
At Turan's question, Sarina glanced at Alos before beginning her explanation.
"That... is because I was tasked with managing her."
"Managing her?"
"Yes. She was one of the spoils of war brought back when the Zahar raided the Arabion mainland..."
Sarina stopped speaking because Turan's face had hardened into a terrifying mask. His aura was so fierce that even Alos, standing silently behind her, flinched.
"Continue."
"U-understood."
Twenty years ago, during the war, she had worked under the Zahar nobles who used Bigen as their base. One of her most important duties was managing the commoners among the women who had been abducted during the raids on the Arabion mainland.
"Were there many such people?"
"Not many. Perhaps twenty at most..."
Usually, the most valuable prisoners were enemy mages who had been crippled in battle. However, there were valuable spoils among ordinary humans as well.
Like those who had been offered to Turan before—"Flowers" who had cultivated their beauty and refinement for the sole purpose of becoming a noble's concubine.
Sarina said that Turan's mother had been one of them.
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