Translator: Pai_
“Guess this isn’t it after all.”
Looking at the lightning bolt that struck into the snowy field, Turan spoke in a somewhat disappointed voice.
The depletion of magic power and the precision didn’t feel any different from before, which suggested he hadn’t gained the ability to wield lightning.
In truth, it wasn’t all that surprising.
The reason even great houses typically only had two bloodlines was that cases where three or more bloodlines merged were extremely rare. Furthermore, when passed down to the next generation, one of the bloodlines was often lost.
In other words, two bloodlines were the stable upper limit for inheritance.
When it came to four bloodlines, it was such an unrealistic realm that it wasn’t even worth mentioning. Without the information he obtained in the underground labyrinth, Turan wouldn’t have even thought such a thing was possible.
Of course, there was another possibility.
It was that he hadn’t inherited a diluted bloodline, but rather, his bloodlines were still locked. If he accumulated more magic power, he might be able to wield lightning as well...
‘If it’s really four bloodlines, then that means there’s still a long way to go.’
It wasn’t exactly a secret that those born with more bloodlines generally had higher growth limits.
You only needed to look at the heads of ordinary houses, who inherited just one bloodline, there wasn’t a single one of them who could match the strength of the heads of the great houses.
On top of that, children born with the bloodlines of great houses typically possessed greater magic power on average and had a higher probability of being born as nobles, rather than knights.
When ordinary bloodlines formed houses with about a dozen nobles, great houses could secure hundreds of nobles, this was the secret to their dominance.
Turan suddenly felt the urge to visit the library and glanced toward the southwest.
Even when his bloodlines were entirely locked, the spirit of the library had been able to recognize the presence of his Arabion bloodline, so it might be able to confirm if there was more left to uncover now.
‘But… it’s a bit difficult right now.’
Even if he flew on Bije, it would take at least three or four days if he was lucky enough to find a proper route. Considering the variables that might arise during the journey and the time needed to return, he’d have to leave the city unattended for nearly ten days.
That was far too long to abandon the city, which didn’t have even a single wizard other than himself.
If a moderately powerful magical beast happened to wander in, it could destroy everything.
There was no need to rush. After all, the matter of who would govern Kalamaf would soon be decided.
Among the heads of the seven cities, at least one of them would have uncovered his mother’s whereabouts.
Having now discovered the truth about his hidden bloodlines, he wanted to dig deeper into what had really happened.
What exactly had occurred for him to be born between the people of two houses that were bent on killing each other...?
"Well, shall we head back then? Bije- wait, hold on.”
Just as Turan was about to fly on Bije, he paused at a sudden thought.
Then, using levitation magic, he slowly lifted his body several meters into the air.
‘Let’s see…’
While wizards could control their bodies and move them through the air as if manipulating a puppet, the speed and precision were far from sufficient to be called 'flying'.
However, the nobles of House Arabion could fly quickly through the sky by wrapping wind around their levitated bodies.
This was an extraordinary skill that ordinary wizards, who could only manipulate wind in a crude manner, could never hope to achieve. Even in the past, Turan had given up on it immediately after a light attempt.
But now, it might just be possible.
“Shall we try flying together?”
Seeing Bije chirp as if asking what nonsense he was talking about, Turan wrapped his body in wind and added a directional force.
With a sensation as if his whole body was being pushed from behind,
“Whoa-!”
In an instant, the sky and ground, left and right, all swirled into chaos.
All the colors that made up his surroundings lost their outlines and blended together chaotically, making it impossible to discern anything. With a loud crash, Turan realized he had slammed into something.
“Ouch…”
As the dizziness subsided a little, Bije landed on his head and pecked at him, as if to say how pathetic he looked.
Fortunately, it seemed Bije had escaped just in time.
Though, even if the bird had crashed with him at that speed, it likely wouldn’t have been seriously injured.
Turan let out a bitter laugh and dusted off his dirtied clothes.
“Yeah, I know I’m pathetic even without you telling me. Flying is harder than I thought.”
He had assumed it would be easy, given how effortlessly the Arabion nobles managed it, but trying it for himself proved to be much more difficult than he imagined.
After another fifteen or sixteen headfirst crashes into the ground, Turan finally started to get the hang of it.
What had happened earlier was that his upper body, which caught more wind compared to his relatively thin legs, had been pushed too far forward.
It seemed the trick was to adjust the wind's intensity to maintain balance across different parts of the body.
A short while later, Turan was flying through the sky at a speed similar to what he could achieve by running on foot.
“So this is what flying feels like…”
The tiny world spread out below.
He had often seen such views while flying with Bije, but the feeling now was entirely different.
Perhaps it was because he was flying by his own power, without anyone’s help.
Just then, Bije, who was flying beside him, pecked at his head again.
Thanks to the soul bond, Turan could sense the unease that the bird was feeling.
Was Bije worried that now that Turan could fly on his own, the bird would no longer be of use?
“Don’t worry, you’re still way faster than I am. And even if you slow down someday, I won’t abandon you.”
Reassuring Bije, Turan grabbed onto the bird’s legs and stopped flying, allowing Bije to take over and carry him.
Indeed, when it came to speed and magic power efficiency, relying on Bije was far superior.
Feeling better, Turan watched the bird flap its wings energetically, and on a whim, he used his magic to create a wind current beneath Bije’s wings.
In an instant, he felt his body surge forward with a sudden acceleration.
“Whoa!”
Bije also let out a startled chirp, but as a natural flyer, the bird quickly read the wind currents Turan had created and adjusted itself to ride them.
Even though Turan hadn’t used much magic power, he could feel that their flying speed had increased significantly.
Suddenly, he remembered the time when he had sailed on the ship and used wind magic to fill the sails and increase the vessel’s speed.
If he ever found himself on a ship again, it might be fun to man a small sailboat alone, sending it flying across the waters with his magic.
***
Because he had spent so much time practicing flying, by the time he arrived, the sun had already set. No one noticed Turan flying over the city of Kalamaf.
As he opened a window above City Hall and entered, he heard someone calling out to him urgently.
“Protector!”
He had sensed someone’s presence even before entering and had wondered who could still be here at such a late hour. It turned out to be Daruk, the head of the city officials.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting for me for hours since I left?”
"Yes, that's correct."
Even though Turan had told him it might take several days before he returned, what was this foolish act of persistence?
Before Turan could scold him, Daruk took one look at his disheveled appearance and cried out in shock.
The clothes Ashiz had made for him were still torn in various places, and blood, both his own and that of the dwarves, was smeared all over, leaving him in a state of utter disarray.
“Wait, are you injured? We must call a doctor right away-"
"I'm not badly hurt, so don't worry about it."
Since the healers had already used most of their strength treating the seriously injured, some of Turan’s minor injuries hadn’t been tended to. But with a single night’s rest, he would recover just fine.
After all, he wasn’t like commoners, who might succumb to infection or die from untreated wounds.
However, unlike his usual obedience in following orders without complaint, Daruk shook his head firmly and shouted resolutely.
“You are this city’s protector deity and father, how dare we take even small injuries lightly! If you refuse treatment, then you might as well take this worthless old man’s head!”
Even when Turan had discussed handing over the city’s governance, Daruk hadn’t been this adamant.
In the end, Turan had no choice but to be examined for his injuries without even having had the chance to wash up.
"Ah, ah-it's an honor to meet you, Protector..."
The doctor, summoned in the middle of the night, was trembling so much that his hands visibly shook.
Was it the pressure of treating a noble, or the thought of what might have injured such a noble, that left him in such a nervous state?
After inspecting Turan’s body, his shirt removed, the doctor said that stitching up two wounds on his back and side would suffice.
Both were injuries inflicted by the spears of the dwarves.
But as he retrieved a needle and thread from his bag to suture the wounds, a surprising fact was revealed.
The needle couldn’t penetrate the skin of a noble’s body.
Come to think of it, it was absurd to expect a needle to work on a body that didn’t even suffer scratches from the swords and spears of strong pirates.
"Ngh, ugh... why won't this go in..."
“It’s fine. These wounds will heal completely by tomorrow anyway. Look, the bleeding has already stopped.”
In the end, the doctor simply applied some herbal paste said to be good for wounds and completed the treatment. As he packed up to leave, Daruk approached him stealthily and issued a veiled threat.
“This should go without saying, but no one must hear about the fact that the city’s Protector was injured and treated. If rumors spread, not only you but your entire family will not remain safe.”
, yes... I'll keep that in mind..."
Turan had never noticed, as Daruk always acted subserviently in front of him, but seeing him intimidate the doctor like this, Turan realized Daruk was beginning to emit the aura of a man in power.
Of course, among the commoners, there wasn’t anyone of a higher rank than Daruk, so it was only natural for him to exude authority.
After the doctor left, Turan donned his still-tattered shirt, which would likely return to its original state by dawn, and spoke to Daruk.
“Come to think of it, I should tell you in advance. The threat from the west has been eliminated.”
The way he said it, as casually as if announcing the inevitability of the sun rising tomorrow, left Daruk momentarily unable to comprehend the meaning of his words.
He rudely asked "What?" before his eyes suddenly widened much larger than before.
“W-what do you mean…?”
“The Arabion army will soon withdraw, and the west will become completely unclaimed territory. There will likely be those who wish to expand into the area.”
Just as the House Baltas had ruled both Orem and Murei City in the past, when the land was vast and cities plentiful but nobles scarce, it was only natural for houses to extend their influence here and there.
Of course, expanding to such a distant region like now would essentially mean becoming a separate house.
“Did you personally join the Arabion army to eliminate the western threat, Protector?”
Given that Turan had vanished for some time and then returned covered in wounds, it was the natural conclusion to draw.
“Yes.”
“Ah… this city owes you yet another great debt…”
“Make sure not to tell anyone. It wouldn’t be good if word spread that I’m too deeply involved with the Arabion side.”
Last time, the rumors had only been about receiving a communication. But fighting together? That was a different matter entirely.
Of course, the Zahar side would be busy investigating Ferga's death right now, but wouldn’t it be best for both sides if there were no misunderstandings about Arabion extending its influence into the Gray Zone?
“In any case, make sure to inform the others soon. Let them know that the city is now completely safe and that it will soon be managed by another house.”
“I understand.”
Unlike before, Daruk nodded solemnly, his expression heavy.
***
As expected, by the next day, the wounds Turan had sustained had already healed, leaving behind only faint scars.
If he used the power of the Healer Bloodline contained in the Sacred Relic, even those scars could be erased entirely, but he chose not to.
It wasn’t worth wasting it on small wounds on his side and back, especially when they weren’t on his face.
When the news spread that the threat in the west had been completely eliminated and that the governance of Kalamaf would soon be handed over, the citizens of the city reacted in varying ways.
Those who had moved in after the city stabilized welcomed the news, believing it would be better to be governed by a proper house rather than a single noble. However, the citizens who had been saved during the city’s decline cried and begged in front of City Hall, pleading for Turan to continue ruling over them.
Uncomfortable watching their display, Turan flew daily to a rocky mountain overlooking the city to develop the powers of his newly acquired Storm Bloodline.
The first thing he experimented with was improving his ability to fly more skillfully and applying the wind to increase his running speed in short bursts by wrapping it around his body.
He also attempted to create barriers like the sound-blocking one Meisa had demonstrated. Some experiments didn’t work as he had envisioned, but many turned out to be quite useful.
Next, he studied how to use the power of wind offensively.
The simplest method was what he had done in the past when killing bandits, using a forceful shockwave to crush bodies.
Other methods included mixing coarse sand into a whirlwind to create a slicing effect or firing compressed air and detonating it to generate an explosive shockwave.
However, after practicing these techniques a few times, Turan came to a conclusion: there was a reason the Arabion nobles favored lightning magic so exclusively.
‘Wind attacks aren’t as effective as I thought.’
Perhaps because he was trying to forcefully use a non-offensive power for offensive purposes, the efficiency relative to the magic power consumed, and the destructive power itself, was lacking.
At best, these techniques would be useful for subduing opponents much weaker than himself.
It would almost be better to rely on his tried-and-true method of using his slingshot to throw a single stone. That was far more effective.
While pondering if there was any way to increase attack power, Turan threw stones with his slingshot as a warmup exercise.
Practicing like this regularly would make his magic usage more efficient over time as well.
The stone he threw with all his strength, as always, cut through the wind with a loud bang,
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Turan recalled the natural laws he had learned from the librarian.
First, wind is a flow created by the movement of air, which fills this world.
Second, the loud noise produced by a fast-moving object is caused by it tearing through the air…
As he loaded another stone and spun it around in the slingshot, Turan remembered the time he steered his boat with Armania in the North Sea.
The trick to moving a boat easily wasn’t to push the boat directly but to part the water blocking its path?
‘What if I create a path in front of the stone, making it feel like the air ahead is stepping aside as the stone moves…?’
As soon as he threw the stone with all his strength, Turan realized his hypothesis was correct.
The stone flew much faster and more quietly than usual and instead of making the usual loud noise that came from cutting through the air. It pierced through the massive cliff ahead with ease.