Translator: Pai_

Afterward, despite continued interrogation and torture, Ovil only muttered incoherently and failed to provide any meaningful information.

When asked which god had informed him, he repeatedly answered, “It was a god.” When questioned if there were others like him, he replied, “I’ve seen many.” He simply repeated such responses over and over again.

It was clear that he was either mentally unstable or pretending to be in order to create an opportunity to escape.

Turan suspected the latter was more likely.

If he truly wasn’t in his right mind, he would have instinctively used his magic power to break free from the vines, only to be killed by Turan in the process.

In any case, regardless of which it was, there was no longer any reason to keep him alive. Moreover, maintaining his restraints had consumed a significant amount of magic power. After exchanging a brief signal with Visen, Turan slit Ovil’s throat with a dagger and killed him.

Watching the scene, Gill, the youngest among Visen’s group, frowned.

“Ugh…”

“What’s wrong?”

“No, it’s just…”

Muttering about how killing a defenseless person tied up like that felt like slaughtering livestock, Gill looked uncomfortable. To this, Visen sighed and rebuked him.

“Don’t say something so stupid. If we’d made even the slightest mistake, we all could’ve died here. Do you feel sympathy now? And think about how many people that bastard killed. Even dragging him along alive and making him suffer more wouldn’t have been enough!”

“It’s difficult enough dealing with nobles with this kind of skill level.”

Kebak added.

As Kebak said, there weren’t many ways to subdue a wizard, especially one who was a noble and certain of their death.

Even if their eyes and hands were restrained, they could still light fires and shoot them in all directions.

To prevent this, you would need to restrain them with a magic artifact that suppresses magic power, a very rare item, or have a noble several levels stronger directly suppress them.

Alternatively, continually incapacitating them with lightning spells or physical attacks could work.

The reason for subduing Ovil in such a tedious manner instead of immediately maiming him was due to this.

If they’d recklessly harmed his body, he would’ve concluded he wouldn’t survive anyway and would’ve lashed out instead of answering their questions.

While Visen’s group was talking, Turan wiped the blood off his dagger and opened a notebook he had picked up earlier next to the bedding.

Inside, there were detailed notes about a map of the surrounding area, attack plans, and the number of people killed.

It seemed Ovil had been keeping track of how many people he had killed and how close he was to his goal. This notebook could serve as evidence to prove that he was a Pyro Executioner.

If that wasn’t enough, they could call upon the young girl they had rescued from the village as a witness.

Additionally, toward the back of the notebook were several unknown formulas.

Judging by the names of plants and minerals written there, it seemed to be recipes for the solutions placed in a corner of the clearing.

When Turan had asked Ovil about them, the answer was the same: “A god told me.”

Hoping it might serve as a clue to deduce the identity of that “god,” Turan memorized the contents of the notebook.

After reading through it, he slipped the notebook into his pocket, and Visen approached him.

"So, now......"

"Let's absorb."

Turan, Visen, Gill, and Aisha gathered around the corpse of the dead Pyro Executioner.

Only the healer, Kebak, sighed regretfully and stepped back. The four of them reached out their hands, and a pale green glow began to emanate from Ovil’s body.

Moments later, they could feel power coursing through their bodies, transforming their very forms.

A stronger body, sharper senses, and greater magic power…

Once the absorption was complete, they collected evidence from the Pyro Executioner, such as his severed head and robes, and exited the cave.

The area where the Pyro Executioner had primarily been active was the outskirts of a city called Marov. Turan, Visen, and the group headed to Marov City Hall the next morning to claim the bounty.

When the officials saw a group of nobles arriving en masse, they panicked. Before long, the lord himself came out to greet them.

“Congratulations, Lady Visen. A new star has risen in House Carmine.”

"You're too kind."

Ironically, when they actually arrived, the evidence proving Ovil’s identity turned out to be hardly necessary.

The lord of Marov had no interest in engaging in a dispute with a wizard from a powerful noble family residing not far from his territory.

Perhaps the lord calculated that, if the captured Pyro Executioner turned out to be a fake and more incidents occurred, it would serve as leverage to gain favor with the nobles.

Thus, after spending a day as honored guests in Marov City, they received a bounty totaling 1,500 gold coins.

Since they had agreed to divide the bounty fairly in exchange for sharing the absorbed magic power, Turan’s original share was 300 coins. However, the distribution was adjusted slightly, and Turan ended up receiving half the total bounty, 750 coins.

Although Turan had done almost all the fighting, the contribution of Aisha in the tracking phase and the importance of Visen’s reputation during the bounty claim were also considered.

‘This is too much…’

The problem was the sheer volume and weight of the 750 gold coins.

The old goatskin bag he had used when coming down the hill had long since been discarded. The one he currently carried was made from the hide of a magical beast, purchased at a shop in Zabilin.

But even the finest bag has its limits in capacity.

At this rate, he needed to either find a place to offload the coins or hire someone to carry his load.

Surely, the cost of traveling to the Enril Desert wouldn’t require this much.

“So, we’re planning to wander around and hunt some magical beasts. What about you, Turan?”

“I’m planning to head straight to Abacha.”

“Ah…”

At Turan’s refusal, Visen’s group displayed a somewhat mixed reaction, both regretful and relieved.

If Turan joined them, hunting would undoubtedly become much safer and more convenient. However, one of the four of them would have to give up absorbing magic power.

Before parting ways, Visen approached Turan and spoke in a low voice.

“As I mentioned yesterday, what that guy said…”

“Yes, I won’t go around blabbering about it.”

On their way to the city, Turan and Visen’s group had agreed to keep the Pyro Executioner’s claims a secret.

Whether it was the truth or a lie, they believed it was a story that could unnecessarily plunge society into chaos.

Turan hadn’t fully shared his suspicions with her.

They weren’t close enough for that, and he also found it hard to explain those peculiar eyes.

‘Unusually clear eyes’ was the only way he could describe them, but how many people in the world had clear eyes?

In any case, investigating the matter right away wasn’t feasible.

Even learning the truth about his own birth was already overwhelming enough.

After taking one last look at the group of runaway nobles heading west, Turan turned and began walking toward his destination in the east.

* * *

As he traveled east with his now-heavy bag, he began to feel a damp breeze blowing against his face.

He also noticed a peculiar salty, fishy smell he hadn’t encountered before.

‘It seems it’ll be difficult to use fire magic here.’

As expected, when he conjured a flame in his palm, he found that the fire’s intensity and the magic power consumption had both worsened.

On the other hand, creating and freezing water in the air became surprisingly easy.

Additionally, since he had heard that the North Sea was often cloudy, he increased his practice of lightning spells that could summon bolts from the sky. In the process, he accidentally startled a few passing groups who fled in a panic upon seeing him.

Turan’s steps finally came to a halt when an endless expanse of vivid blue water unfolded before him.

The grand ocean known as the North Sea, called the ceiling of this world, came into view.

“Oh…”

Although he had seen illustrations of the sea in books before, seeing it in person made him realize that no illustration could capture even half of its majesty.

The dazzling light of the sun, high in the sky, shimmered on the surface of the water in a breathtaking display.

Turan stood there, stunned, staring at the ocean for a long time. Eventually, he snapped out of it and began walking along the shoreline.

Not long after, a massive peninsula jutting out toward the east came into view, along with a harbor lined with dozens of sailing ships.

Turan had arrived in Abacha, the stronghold of House Carmine and the largest port city along the North Sea.

“Hurry up and unload that!”

“Yes, coming right away!”

“You dumb bastard! I said unload it quickly, not carelessly! If you drop it and it breaks, I’ll kill you!”

The harbor of Abacha was a place where the term "full of energy" felt like an understatement.

Despite the weather edging closer to early winter, the sailors worked shirtless, sweating profusely as they carried cargo. Their shouts and curses echoed everywhere, as if they were racing against time.

As Turan wandered further, he noticed an enormous fish hanging from the side of one of the sailing ships.

Judging by the harpoons embedded in its body, it seemed to have been hunted. Most likely, it was a magical beast that had evolved from a sea creature.

Books claimed that the magical beasts of the ocean were far larger than those transformed from land animals, and this certainly seemed to prove it.

After leaving the bustling harbor filled with hard-working sailors, Turan spotted a relatively quiet fruit stand.

Because Abacha traded with distant regions, the stand displayed a variety of fruits Turan had never seen before.

“Welcome, what can I get you?”

“Give me a handful of those.”

Recalling memories of Murei City, Turan chose small brown fruits. As the fruit vendor scooped them into a bag, he quoted a price of one silver coin for them.

“That’s too expensive.”

“This here’s a date. They only grow in the far-off Enril Desert. Of course, they’re expensive, they were shipped here by boat!”

The fruit vendor, who seemed to recognize Turan as an outsider immediately, spoke with a sly tone as he packaged the goods.

Having no room to haggle over one or two silver coins, Turan handed over one silver coin he’d earned from hunting magical beasts in Murei City, along with two bronze coins, since the coin sizes were smaller compared to the local currency, and purchased the dates. He then asked:

“I’ve been wanting to visit Enril. Do you know where I can find a ship headed there?”

“A ship to Enril? Most of the ships going there are trading vessels… You’d have to ask the captains of those directly. But it won’t be easy.”

Whether the vendor was a naturally kind person or simply in a good mood after selling the dates, he provided a detailed explanation.

He explained that trading vessels typically filled their holds to capacity with goods, leaving no room for passengers. Allowing passengers aboard would mean less space for cargo, so captains would charge a steep price for the inconvenience.

“Where can I find these captains?”

“Hmm, I’m not sure. But they’re probably busy during the day. Try looking for them in the evening at taverns. You might be able to get in touch with them through their crew.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

Leaving the fruit stand, Turan wandered around Abacha City, sightseeing for a while.

He even found a decent theater and watched a play, only to realize that the day had grown dark by the time he emerged.

‘Time to head over.’

As the sun set and most shops closed, the taverns near the harbor lit their lamps and announced their presence with lively noise, drawing sailors in as patrons.

Turan chose one of the relatively clean and upscale-looking taverns.

Though it wasn’t as luxurious as the noble estates he’d visited in the past, it was a fairly high-class establishment. The well-maintained interior, polished staff, and neatly dressed patrons made it clear that the tavern catered to elite sailors.

"Welcome, customer."

Turan sat at an empty table, ordered a glass of wine and a light snack, and quietly listened to the voices around him.

The server, who had been looking at Turan with a questioning expression, as if unsure whether he belonged in such a place, immediately bowed deeply when Turan handed over the payment, accepting him as a customer.

After savoring a rather upscale set of cheese and wine by the tavern's standards, about thirty minutes passed before the topic he was waiting for came up.

“You’re setting sail tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah. I’ve got to head back to that damned desert again... Mermaids show up along the route, and those damn pirates are as aggressive as ever.”

“Is it really that bad?”

“Last time we came back, the ship had a hole in it! Our captain’s a crazy bastard. I keep telling him we need at least one knight onboard, but he just brushes it off…”

Two men, seemingly in their thirties, were engaged in a drunken conversation. One of them was lamenting that their ship’s owner was an unbelievably stingy man who refused to hire even a single knight. Because of that, several crew members had died on their last journey.

Listening quietly, Turan stood up from his seat and walked over to their table.

“Excuse me for interrupting.”

“Hm?”

“We’re not buying anything. Damn it, is this place crawling with peddlers now-”

Turan raised a hand and stopped the man who was about to call over a server.

“I’m not a peddler. Perhaps a passenger, if anything.”

“Passenger?”

“I’m looking for a ship heading to the Enril Desert. I heard your companion here is boarding one that’s heading there.”

At Turan’s words, the two men widened their eyes in surprise.

“As I mentioned, our ship is leaving tomorrow, but we don’t take regular passengers. If we take on a person, we’d have to remove an equivalent amount of cargo. We’re already short on crew as it is.”

The explanation matched almost perfectly with what the fruit vendor had told him earlier.

Turan nodded and then reached out to touch one of the wine glasses they had been drinking from.

“I heard your ship might need a wizard.”

As the deep crimson liquid in the glass froze solid before their eyes, the two sailors stared at him, their mouths agape.