Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61 Solif was born into a prestigious noble house, the son of a powerful couple.
Having awakened a formidable amount of mana at an age younger than most, his life had been, quite literally, a path paved with gold. While there were occasional conflicts and frustrations, for the most part, things went exactly as he wished—a life perfectly suited to forge a young nobleman armed with a healthy amount of self-esteem and arrogance.
However, ten years ago, when he turned forty-eight, Solif realized for the first time that there was something strange about his life.
The catalyst was a family gathering where he met a distant relative and discovered a scar on the back of the man's hand—the exact same scar as a friend who had died during his childhood.
"A friend?" Turan asked.
"Yeah. A fellow who died because of me."
In his mid-teens, Solif, brimming with the same adventurous spirit he possessed now, had secretly fled the family estate with a friend he had grown up with like a brother. Their goal was to seize mana for themselves, gain combat experience, and see the world.
However, while hunting a magical beast that was threatening a certain village, the young Solif realized the opponent was far too strong. In a moment of crisis, the friend who had run away with him sacrificed his life to save Solif. The incident left a deep wound in his heart.
Somehow making his way back to the family, Solif vowed never to leave the estate recklessly again and buried his adventurous spirit deep within his chest.
But...
"Just in case, I dug up the grave of the friend my family said they had recovered and buried. There was nothing there. And that relative? He had been away from the family from the time I was eight until I was fifteen, supposedly on a 'special mission' no one knew about."
The evidence was damning. The relative had disguised himself as a child and played the role of the sacrificial friend, likely using a clever magic device suited for disguises. Solif was profoundly shocked to learn that the major event that had reshaped his personality during his youth was a complete fabrication.
"I looked up the records later, and the beast that threatened me had the exact same characteristics as one the family had raised and then released. The release date matched perfectly with when I experienced that incident."
As he dug deeper into his past, he realized such occurrences were not isolated incidents.
There was a relative of similar age whose magic skills were superior to Solif's, whom Solif had envied and admired, eventually surpassing through desperate training. That relative was eventually dispatched to the countryside, where he vanished and was forgotten.
The maid he had loved passionately, who left because the status difference was too burdensome? Everything about her, starting from her recorded place of birth, was fake. Even a few friends who shared his hobby of history turned out to have never shown an interest in the subject before they began interacting with him.
"You get the gist, right? What it means that the entire family was 'crafting' me. That's why I escaped. Because out here, no matter what I encounter or what I choose, it won't be a manipulation."
Since escaping the family, he had been searching for his true self, changing everything from the personality he was trained to have to his very manner of speech. Finishing his explanation, Solif tilted back a bottle of liquor he had produced at some point.
"Drinking like this... I couldn't even dream of it inside the family."
"Have you ever thought about who did it, and why?" Turan asked.
"I don't know. Given the scale of the operation, the Family Head was definitely involved."
The lack of honorifics made Solif's resentment toward his Family Head palpable.
As Turan listened, he recalled the stories of the Frea Divine Clan, who survived by jumping from body to body. If they had survived until now and were still jumping bodies, they would naturally desire the vessels of talented and powerful mages. The heir of a great house would certainly meet those criteria more than adequately.
One of the laws of magic: the more plausible an event is, the less mana it consumes...
If they were using Spirit-Calling, that law wouldn't necessarily apply, but from a magical principle standpoint, it was certainly more efficient to swap into the soul of someone with the same personality and hobbies. A sudden, drastic change in personality was, by definition, unnatural.
Turan wondered if Meisa might be in a similar situation. She was a talent whose innate gifts and status made her a perfect candidate for a god's vessel. Unlike Solif, she hadn't mentioned any suspicious meddling around her, but perhaps she simply hadn't noticed yet. It might even be related to her refusal to eat or the reason she came to loathe her family...
While Turan was lost in thought, Solif suddenly tossed the bottle he was drinking from toward him.
"What's this?"
"Hey, the mood's getting too heavy because we're talking about such boring stuff. Have a drink. You can hold your liquor, can't you?"
Turan looked down at the dark brown liquid for a moment before taking a gulp. A searing heat flowed down his throat.
"It's strong."
"It's distilled from fermented sugarcane juice. A specialty of the Southern Sea."
After saying that, Solif, claiming he wanted to liven things up, shifted the conversation back to his own adventures. Turan played along, sharing drinks, before casually broaching a topic.
"Do you have any intention of returning to your family later?"
"Hmm? Well, I doubt it. Unless I become strong enough to match the Family Head—then I might go back to tear the whole place down."
"Don't ever go back," Turan said firmly. "In fact, if possible, go somewhere even further away where the family can't find you. Somewhere far to the west."
Solif blinked as if asking what he meant, but it was difficult for Turan to provide any more clues. To provide the basis for his hypothesis, he would have to reveal far too many secrets. Furthermore, what if Solif were captured later and the conversation he had with Turan was revealed through torture, Spirit-Calling, or any other method? If those behind the scenes realized someone was aware of their existence, they certainly wouldn't let it slide.
*
After talking through the night, Solif departed for the south, saying they should meet again if the opportunity arose.
Turan hoped that Solif could stay out of his family's sight for as long as possible. They had only met for a day to test their skills and share some drinks, but it would still be unpleasant if someone he knew suffered a fate as good as death, like having their body stolen.
At sunrise, Turan caught a few fish for a light breakfast and then flew northeast with Bije. Initially, he had planned to take a leisurely boat ride, but he changed his plans because of the new information he had learned.
I need to secure the Soul of Fire quickly and then visit Arabion. Even if it's hard to confirm the existence of a god, I can at least find out if there's a force manipulating Meisa's life...
Judging by Lida's request, there was a high probability that the Lavitas family had not been touched by the shadow of the Frea Divine Clan. If a god were still alive, they would have either already obtained a White Elf or wouldn't need one.
While the Zahar and other great houses were difficult to approach without connections, Arabion would be relatively easy to investigate through the link of the Berk family or Meisa. Since he had already posed as someone of the Barrier Master bloodline using the Mimic Relic, they would likely be less wary of him...
If things went south during the process, he could use the Soul of Fire to project massive firepower and escape the crisis. To do that, however, he needed to obtain a large amount of saltpeter this time.
While refining his plan, a thought suddenly occurred to Turan, and he touched his face.
It would be convenient to have a magic device that changes one's appearance. I wonder if there's a way to get one.
Since the existence of someone who could disguise multiple bloodline abilities was almost unheard of, combining the two would allow him to play dozens of roles by himself. He thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to look for such a treasure before heading to Arabion. Of course, such things weren't exactly easy to find just because one wanted them.
Lost in these thoughts, he flew through the sky for three or four hours. After landing on several islands he passed to ask for directions, Turan finally arrived at Parayan Island.
Known as a source of saltpeter, the island was of moderate size, a few kilometers long. Looking down from above, there appeared to be a village. After descending to a suitable height, he focused his sense of smell and detected the peculiar, pungent scent of saltpeter coming from somewhere in the center of the island.
Asking Bije to land in a suitable spot, Turan walked toward the source of the smell. After a few minutes of trekking through dense trees, he saw a cave at the base of a massive cliff, its walls and ceiling reinforced with wooden beams. From inside came the rhythmic clanging of something being struck.
Is this the place?
Since there was no one guarding the entrance to the mine, Turan walked straight inside. Before long, using flickering torches as a light source, he saw miners excavating white ore from the walls. Their complexions and clothing did not look good.
I know being a miner is a dirty job, but this is a bit much...
The miners had haggard faces, their clothes reeked, and bruises covered their bodies. Every single one of them even had shackles on their legs. Looking like slaves to anyone's eyes, they gasped and bowed their heads in terror when Turan suddenly appeared among them.
"We were working hard, Overseer!"
"...Overseer?"
When Turan questioned them with a look of confusion, the miners' expressions changed. Now that they looked closely, the young man before them was entirely different in dress and demeanor from the overseers they were used to.
"Are... are you perhaps not here to supervise the work...?"
"I just heard there was saltpeter on this island and came to get some. Is there someone in charge of sales here?"
"D-did you come with anyone else?"
"No. I came alone."
At Turan's answer, the miners cried out in horror.
"Run away, quickly! No, I don't know how you got here, but please take me out of here too. Please!"
"Were you all brought here against your will?"
"We were all kidnapped! Those bastards..."
Just as one miner was shouting in a fit of rage, the sharp crack of a whip echoed from behind. Upon hearing it, every single miner prostrated themselves in terror.
"Quiet! What's all this chatter? Can't even hold it in for the moment I step away to take a shit... Huh?"
The overseer holding the whip frowned in confusion upon discovering Turan. Due to the nature of the currents flowing nearby, Parayan Island was a place difficult to reach unless one targeted it directly, so only the usual visitors ever came. He had heard that no ships had come in today, so there shouldn't be any guests. Who was this stranger?
"And you are?"
"I'm here to buy saltpeter."
"I didn't get word that anyone was coming... No, more importantly, if you're going to buy saltpeter, you should talk at the village. Why are you here? Which pirate crew do you belong to?"
"I don't belong to any pirate crew. By the way, did you fill this place with people you kidnapped?"
At Turan's question, the surrounding miners looked at the overseer with startled expressions. The overseer, who had been glaring at the miners as if he wanted to kill them, seemed to have a sudden realization and forced a smile.
"First, tell me where you're from..."
"Don't make me say it twice."
When Turan's attitude turned cold and overbearing in an instant, the overseer trembled and quickly nodded.
"Y-yes, that's right."
"Which family rules this area?"
"It's... it's not a family, it's the Cobinus Pirates!"
"Pirates?"
"Yes. We serve the great pirate Cobinus as our leader..."
According to the overseer's fawning explanation, Cobinus was a pirate mage who had gained notoriety in the Southern Sea for many years as the illegitimate son of some nobleman. His skills were too great to be dismissed as a mere pirate; he had even defeated the armies of other families sent to subjugate him several times. He commanded dozens of knights and warships and ruled over several islands, Parayan Island being one of them.
Turan, listening quietly, pointed to the miners. "So, this Cobinus fellow had people kidnapped and forced them to mine saltpeter here?"
"Pardon? Yes... well, it's not just saltpeter we mine."
Looking around after hearing that, he saw several other glittering minerals in the carts placed here and there. Indeed, there would be no need to run a mine just to excavate large quantities of something that had little use other than being sold as a fake elixir of immortality. It was likely something they mined on the side while excavating other minerals.
Turan looked at the shabbily dressed miners and murmured softly. "I don't like this."
Interfering with how another shepherd treated his sheep might be an overstep, but stealing someone else's sheep was a different story. If they had at least treated the kidnapped people well, it might be one thing, but clearly, they hadn't.
The overseer's face turned pale at his words. "L-look, there's a knight under his command here too! I'll talk to him for you..."
"Thanks, but that won't be necessary."
Originally, he had planned to just gather saltpeter if it was lying around, like the sulfur before, or negotiate a fair price if there was an owner. But seeing this, he lost all desire to do so. Why on earth would he give money to kidnappers to buy goods?
Turan gave a low command to the miners. "Everyone, over here."
Even though he didn't use any animal-control magic, the miners all walked toward Turan as if possessed. There were thirty-five of them in total. Opening the shackles on their ankles with lockpicking magic was not a difficult task.
"It... it's off..."
"Thank you, thank you!"
"Please, send me home, Mage!"
Some marveled at the released shackles, some wept and expressed their gratitude, and one even grabbed his trousers and begged to be sent home. Turan gently detached the one holding his trousers and said, "I'm going to go clear out the village, so I'll leave the cleanup here to you."
"C-cleanup, you say...?"
"That guy."
Turan pointed at the overseer. The man tried to flee in surprise, but a simple telekinetic spell was enough to send the ordinary human sprawling. Turan even snatched away the whip, the man's only weapon, before tossing it aside and walking out of the mine.
A desperate scream echoed from behind him.
*
The village situated on the coast was an hour's walk from the mine, but for Turan riding Bije, it was practically right in front of him.
Since it was broad daylight, the shadows of the golden eagle and Turan were cast upon the ground. The pirates quickly noticed their presence and pointed toward the sky.
"It's a person on a bird! No, a person hanging from a bird...?"
"Is it a mage? Someone report to the Village Elder!"
While the pirates were in a state of confusion at the sudden appearance of the mysterious figure, Turan looked down at them and reached into his pouch. When he pulled his hand out, a handful of pitch-black powder was gripped in his fist.
"This is the first time I'm using this in actual combat. You remember, Bije? Don't be surprised."
After hearing a chirp in response, Turan scattered the Soul of Fire over the village. As he cast the ignition spell, an explosion erupted from the ground.
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