Translator: Pai_

In life, there are times when one faces an awkward situation, unsure of what to say.

Right now, Turan found himself in exactly that position.

Should he apologize, saying something like, "I’m sorry for being born with the same bloodline as your enemies?"

But was that reasonable when it involved relatives he had never even met in his life?

Still, pretending to know nothing about it felt overly shameless as well.

After all, the immense magical power he was born with stemmed precisely from that bloodline.

Wouldn’t it be like claiming the good parts of his ancestors’ legacy but insisting the bad ones had nothing to do with him...?

How long had this terrible silence dragged on?

Keorn gave Turan’s shoulder a hearty pat.

“Don’t make a face like you’re dying! It’s not like you participated in the war back then, is it?”

Turan felt like pointing out that the one who looked like they were dying was actually Keorn, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it aloud. Instead, he silently nodded.

“It’s meaningless for young people like you to get entangled in the messes of the older generation. If you try to wash blood with blood, the fighting will never end. And it’s always ordinary people who bear the pain.”

Even as he spoke, the bitter expression on Keorn’s face didn’t fade entirely.

Turan quietly asked him.

"Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?"

"Telling me to go down the hill."

If Turan were to pursue power, it was inevitable that he would end up joining House Zahar.

After all, noble houses were structured so that only those who shared the same bloodline abilities could be core members.

This posed a significant risk to House Arabion, whom Keorn served.

It was only natural, having a powerful wizard suddenly join the enemy faction they had once fought a war against would deal a fatal blow.

But to Turan’s pointed question, Keorn shook his head.

“I trust your character. The kindness you showed in welcoming an unknown guest, going so far as to reveal the identity you’d been hiding, just to help me. If someone like you joins House Zahar, and even rises to a position of leadership, then perhaps you could prevent another horrific war from breaking out…”

Turan thought Keorn was overestimating him far too much.

The reason he treated Keorn so well was simply because his mother had taught him to, and because he craved conversation with someone who wasn’t hostile toward him.

The reason he helped Keorn in his time of crisis was merely because he didn’t want to see someone he’d enjoyed talking to die.

If Keorn had treated Turan coldly, Turan likely wouldn’t have cared whether he lived or died.

As Turan remained lost in thought, silently staring at the ground, Keorn shook his head and said,

“Well, no need to think so seriously about it. You haven’t even decided to join House Zahar yet, have you?”

“That’s true.”

To be honest, for now, wandering around hunting magical beasts like Keorn seemed more appealing.

He wasn’t particularly inclined to tie himself down somewhere, and this way, he could see more of the world.

Besides, hearing about House Zahar had left him with a vague sense of animosity toward them.

“In any case, I plan to stay here until your wounds are fully healed. I’ll think about it slowly.”

“Wounds? That makes it sound much worse than it is. It’s just a few scratches, really!”

Keorn burst into hearty laughter.

* * *

While Keorn was treating his injuries, Turan decided to formally learn magic knowledge from him.

Since he had only been recklessly wielding the power he possessed without ever learning anything, there was much for him to understand.

“Magical power, or magic energy, is often called the ‘Key to Omnipotence’.”

“The Key to Omnipotence...”

“But it’s not truly an omnipotent power as the name suggests. To be precise, to bring about such feats, it requires a price in proportionate magic energy. You’ve likely experienced this yourself.”

“What determines the magic energy proportionate to a task?”

This was the very question that had always puzzled Turan when using magic.

At Turan’s inquiry, Keorn lightly cleared his throat and held up three fingers.

“The difficulty of magic is determined by three major factors. First is bloodline, second is mastery, and third is causality.”

Bloodline, mastery, causality.

Turan sat still and engraved those three words into his mind.

“The first, bloodline, is simply influenced by the innate bloodline ability one is born with. Thus, it doesn’t apply to knights. For instance... wouldn’t it be difficult for you to heal my wounds?”

“That’s true.”

“Those with the Lavitas Bloodline, also known as the Healer Bloodline, who live in the southwestern part of the continent, can naturally wield healing magic without any special training. Those born with strong powers can even reattach severed limbs and cure all kinds of diseases. On the other hand, for someone of a different bloodline, no matter how much they try, achieving such abilities is nearly impossible. This is one such case.”

At those words, the first thing that came to Turan’s mind was his mother.

If he had inherited the power of that bloodline, his mother wouldn’t have died from illness...

But knowing such thoughts were meaningless now, Turan lightly bit his lip and let go of his lingering regret.

“Then, what does the second factor, mastery, mean?”

“Another way to describe it is proficiency. It refers to the idea that a wizard finds it easier to perform tasks they are familiar with or skilled in. For example, a wizard who often swings a sword might find it easier to create an intangible sword or strengthen an existing sword. Similarly, a wizard who enjoys swimming might find it easier to move underwater using magic.”

“Does my habit of throwing flames like throwing stones fall into this category?”

“Smart. Correct. If you had simply sent out a flame in a typical way, it likely wouldn’t have had that level of speed and power.”

Having already experienced this once, Turan found it easy to understand Keorn’s explanation.

Keorn, smiling contentedly as if looking at a wise student, suddenly furrowed his brow.

“The third and final factor, causality, is the most important, but also the most complicated. In truth, even I haven’t fully grasped it. To put it simply, it's the concept that more 'natural' events happen more easily......"

Keorn, as if struggling to figure out how to explain it, stroked his chin for a while before starting his explanation.

“What do you think would happen if you used magic energy to try and kill me?”

“Probably, your head would just light up and nothing else would happen.”

What Turan envisioned was the phenomenon he had recently experienced when attempting to use magic against the magical beast.

“Exactly. That is what happens when there is a lack of causality. It occurs when there’s no proper cause for the desired outcome or when the task itself is excessively high in difficulty. In your case, both factors apply.”

“I think I understand what you mean by cause.”

“Can you explain it?”

“Yes. For example, if I wanted to kill you, it wouldn’t be enough to simply expend magic energy and vaguely wish for your death. I would need to provide a cause for your death, like creating a fireball and shooting it at you. It’s considered more ‘natural’ to create and shoot the fireball than to just conjure fire directly.”

This was something Turan had inferred from his earlier experience fighting the undead magical beast.

Keorn clapped his hands with an expression of admiration at Turan’s explanation.

“Exactly! You could have been a scholar instead of a wizard. Your understanding is exceptional. As you said, forming a proper cause can significantly reduce the consumption of magic energy.”

"But why is it that I can freely kill and control ordinary wolves and sheep, yet only magical beasts specifically need this kind of approach?"

Since using magic on other animals had never been particularly difficult, Turan would simply cast spells on dangerous animals to deal with them quickly.

However, the resistance to magic he encountered while facing the magical beast was something he had experienced for the first time.

“That’s because creatures with magic energy develop a resistance to magic proportional to the amount of magic energy they possess. However, if you use an already completed spell and make contact with them, you can neutralize much of that resistance. Of course, if the disparity is too great, the magic might still fail, but that’s another matter.”

Keorn explained that this was also the principle behind why Turan’s flames had immediately burned the undead spirit, while Keorn’s spell had been nearly ineffective.

In short, directly casting magic on a wizard was practically impossible.

After listening to the detailed explanation for a while, Turan felt a headache creeping up and began pressing his temples with his thumbs.

“Magic really isn’t easy, is it?”

“A great wizard isn’t just someone with strong magic energy. Understanding the principles of magic, knowing what you can do, and being able to make use of your surroundings are all equally important.”

Turan closed his eyes and reviewed the contents he had learned from Keorn several times in his mind.

In doing so, he realized there was one thing he hadn’t yet asked.

“Now that I think about it, does the Zahar Bloodline also have any special magic?"

The innate characteristics of the Zahar Bloodline that Keorn had previously pointed out were their highly sensitive sense of smell, excellent night vision, and exceptional aim when shooting projectiles. However, none of these traits seemed directly related to magic abilities.

At Turan’s question, Keorn nodded.

“There is. Zahar wizards excel in Concealment and Tracking. Have you ever used those types of magic?”

“I’ve tried Tracking a few times. Never Concealment, though.”

Turan had occasionally used Tracking magic to check on his mother’s safety or to hunt wolves roaming near the hill.

In fact, the same magic had helped him locate and rescue Keorn when he was in danger.

As for magic like Concealment, Turan had never needed to use it, as there had been no situations on the hill where he needed to hide from anyone.

“Try it once. Many wizards with the right aptitude can use basic invisibility magic, but the highest level of Concealment, which completely removes oneself from perception, is an ability exclusive to the Zahar Bloodline.”

Turan immediately focused his mind.

I don’t want to be seen by others. I don’t want to be heard, and I don’t want my scent to be noticed...

As soon as he formed that thought, the magic energy within him began to rapidly deplete.

He looked down at his hands and body, but nothing appeared to have changed.

“Did it work?”

Instead of answering, Keorn stared blankly in Turan’s direction with unfocused eyes and said, “It worked. I can’t see you. Are you still there?”

Turan stood up from his chair and slowly walked around the room. Even so, Keorn continued to stare vacantly at the spot where Turan had originally been sitting.

Even when Turan stomped on the floor or snapped his fingers lightly, Keorn didn’t seem to hear a thing.

After confirming this, Turan stopped the magic energy drain, and Keorn’s eyes immediately sharpened as he glared at him.

A moment later, Keorn let out a deep sigh, as if his tension had eased.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen that ability, but it’s as terrifying as ever. Back during the war, Arabion’s knights prayed that night would never come. By the time morning arrived, the soldiers sleeping in their barracks would often all be found with their throats slit.”

“This… seems like an overly unfair ability.”

It was a terrifying magic, incomparable to the healing ability Turan had wished for earlier.

How could anyone possibly fight an opponent they couldn’t even perceive?

At Turan’s words, Keorn shook his head in denial.

“It’s not an invincible ability, by any means. Among the highest-level magic artifacts, there are some that can even detect Zahar’s Concealment ability. There are also ways to increase their magic energy consumption by illuminating the surroundings or bombarding the area indiscriminately. Of course, even considering those countermeasures, it’s still a powerful ability, which is why Zahar became one of the great houses.”

The only real drawback was its high magic energy consumption. However, this could be resolved by hunting enough magical beasts to increase one’s magic capacity.

Additionally, as one became more accustomed to Concealment, the amount of magic energy it consumed would gradually decrease.

“Well, that’s enough theory for now. From here on, I’ll teach you a few simple training methods...”

* * *

During the three days it took for Keorn’s wounds to fully heal, Turan learned much more than just magic.

He gained a general understanding of the world’s structure, though it wasn’t entirely accurate since there were many areas Keorn wasn’t familiar with, along with the names and locations of powerful wizarding houses, basic common sense for traveling, and so on.

Finally, on the morning of the day they were to part ways, Turan packed his leather backpack with preserved food, a few changes of clothes, simple cooking tools, and his mother’s keepsakes before leaving the house.

Keorn, who had already come out to bask in the sunlight, said to him.

"You look quite troubled."

“Well, I’m leaving the place I’ve lived my whole life, after all.”

“Don’t take it too hard. If you don’t like the world out there, you can always come back.”

At Keorn’s words, Turan gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

No matter how much he disliked the world down below, he wouldn’t return to this wretched place.

If anything, he’d find another place instead.

After coming down the hill together, Turan first went to see the village chief and told him that he wanted to sell all the sheep left in the pasture on the hill.

Hearing this, the village chief exclaimed in surprise.

"Sell the sheep and leave this place? Then who will do the shepherding from now on?"

“That’s for you all to figure out. Anyway, I’d appreciate it if you bought them at a reasonable price. If not, I’ll just head back and set them all free. You can catch them again if you like, but I imagine it’ll be quite the hassle.”

Fortunately, the village chief didn’t try to haggle with Turan and offered him a price that wasn’t too bad.

It was likely thanks to the consistency Turan had shown to the villagers over the years.

After all, if Turan said he’d break someone’s arm, he’d really break it. And if he said he’d smash someone’s head, he’d actually do it.

As they left the village, Turan jingled the pouch of silver coins a few times and said to Keorn.

“By the way, the villagers didn’t give you the reward you were promised. Want me to go collect it?”

“I wasn’t planning to take it anyway. The magical beast turned into an undead spirit, so there’s no evidence to bring back as proof. Besides, if you think about it, you’re the one who took it down.”

Despite the village chief withholding the promised reward, Keorn simply laughed it off.

Well, it wasn’t as if Keorn was short on money, he still had a hefty severance payment from his house.

After all, he had come to hunt magical beasts as a sort of volunteer work in the first place.

As they chatted and left the village, heading farther and farther downhill, they came to a fork in the road.

Turan spoke in a slightly subdued voice.

“It seems this is where we part ways.”

“That’s right. Since you’re heading south, you should take the path on the right.”

Turan had wanted to travel with Keorn, but Keorn had refused the idea of accompanying him.

He said he found traveling alone more comfortable.

Turan felt a tinge of disappointment at this but didn’t express it.

“Well then, take care, Turan. I hope we can meet again with smiles on our faces.”

“Thank you, sir. I’ve learned a great deal from you.”

After exchanging farewells, Keorn walked down the left path without looking back even once.

Watching him go, Turan finally realized why he had never wanted to hear polite words or formalities from the old knight.

Although he had never lacked the affection he received from his mother, Turan, deep down, had always longed for the presence of a father.

Someone warm and gentle, someone who could serve as an example of the kind of man he should grow up to be...

After staring northward until Keorn’s figure disappeared from sight, Turan slowly began walking south.

An unknown world awaited him.