After steadily feeding good food and letting Bize rest for about two days, when it had fully recovered, Turan imdiately took out the carriage but instead of boarding it, tied a letter to Bize's ankle and sent it flying.
An hour later, when it returned, there was a new letter tied to its ankle.
[I'm just living as usual, watching plays and such. Are you all doing well? It's lonely being alone...]
A letter that listed everything that had happened and ended with saying he missed them.
After reading and folding it, Turan summarized the contents in one sentence for those waiting.
"Looks like Asiz is doing well."
Before leaving, they had exchanged codes with Asiz in preparation for exchanging letters.
The ntion of 'play' in the first paragraph ant this letter wasn't written under soone's surveillance.
"Bize, did you move as I told you?"
[Yes! I made a big circle before eting Asiz! When leaving too!]
Though they had sent it at dusk to avoid being noticed, in case soone saw Bize and guessed their whereabouts, Turan had instructed Bize to make a large detour and approach from the south instead of flying directly to House Berk.
Similarly, when returning, he had it fly south before making a large circle to co back north.
Given how fast Bize could fly without carrying anything, no one would dare try to follow it.
"That's a relief..."
"I'm glad they're doing well. I want to go drink there again. I liked the food too."
Not only isa who was a close relative, but Solif also showed signs of relief at confirming this.
He too had stayed there being treated well for quite a while, so he must have developed so attachnt.
After flying on Bize for another half day, they finally left Arabion's domain.
"Whew..."
isa let out a sigh of relief while looking at the Dakein Plains getting farther behind them.
Though she hadn't shown it for days, it seed she had felt quite pressured staying within Arabion's domain.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. I feel relieved now. It felt like sothing was weighing on my chest the whole ti we were there."
That pressure was probably from the existence of the Arabion main house that had weighed on her for many years, and her father Badal who was Thunder Lord's vessel.
To isa's words, Solif raised an objection.
"But is it right to feel relieved? Kamain has a god who's tead up with other races, right?"
"They don't have any particular conflicts with us yet. Though I'm not certain, we might even be able to make them allies."
Judging from the case of the rman prince Arma they t before, rfolk were more likely to be reasonable compared to Black Spirits or dwarves.
Above all, since Kamain's god was unlikely to even guess their existence, there wasn't much need to be wary.
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At Turan's words, Solif responded by making a small "hmm" sound and nodding his head.
After traveling while conversing like this for about an hour.
As the sun was setting, Turan looked around at the surroundings and, recognizing the familiar terrain, said to the two.
"Let's rest in that village over there tonight."
"Already? Feels like we could move a bit more."
"I agree. It hasn't been long since that one pushed too hard, and I'm starting to want to eat sothing delicious and sleep in a bed."
Though isa seed to want to get further from the Dakein Plains faster, she nodded in agreent at Solif's following words.
As soone who relied on Turan for food, it was difficult for her to ignore a companion's request for delicious food.
It might seem like she didn't care since she wouldn't eat anyway.
Shortly after, they entered a hill village situated on elevated ground.
A man walking wearily with a hoe, seemingly returning from farming work, saw Turan's group and approached.
"Haven't seen these faces before, where did you co fr... oh!"
The man, who had been showing a cautious attitude toward strangers, saw Turan's face and dropped his hoe in surprise, falling to his knees.
Solif and isa looked at Turan and said.
"What did you do here to make him act like that?"
"Did you kill soone?"
"Kill? Rather, I saved soone. I ca to see how the child I entrusted is doing."
"Ah... O-Of course! She's doing very well, very!"
"Lead the way."
This village was where he had entrusted the sole survivor from the village destroyed by the Burner Obil.
Shortly after, Turan was able to et that girl again after a year.
"Th-Thank you for saving ..."
"Are the villagers giving you any trouble?"
"Not at all. Everyone treats well!"
Fortunately, there were no signs of threats or coercion in the girl's attitude or scent.
There were no visible signs of abuse either.
Though her hands were sowhat rough, that was unavoidable when living as a commoner who had to learn work.
After finishing his confirmation, Turan called the nervous village head and personally placed several gold coins in his hand.
"Oh my, this is too much..."
"This is paynt for staying here tonight."
Of course, the village head wasn't stupid enough not to understand this was a reward for faithfully following his words.
While staying in the village's best house, Turan explained to the two about what had happened in this area before.
Since he had already told them about Obil before, both showed amazent saying this was that place.
"After saying such things, you're probably the only one who would actually visit. If it were , I would have forgotten long ago and just passed by."
"If you give your word, you should keep it."
"You can be quite gentle at tis like this."
Hearing isa speak with a slight smile, Turan felt uncomfortable and turned his head away.
It was similar to how he felt when Keorn had called him a good person before.
"Just, it was sothing I had to do."
The reason he wanted to look after the girl left here was purely out of responsibility.
Though it was very brief, once she ca under his protection, she was a lamb Turan had to take responsibility for.
Turan felt similar responsibility toward the citizens of Kalamaf and the people he had rescued from the southern islands.
He intended to check how they were living and take revenge if any problems arose.
Hearing this, Solif shook his head as if disgusted and said.
"Even after spending quite a while together, you're really incomprehensible. On one hand completely ruthless, on the other hand too soft..."
"Well, we both benefited from that, didn't we?"
"Well, that's true."
When isa spoke with a wistful expression, Solif raised both hands as if having nothing more to say.
==
After spending a night in the village, instead of moving straight to the North Sea, Turan's group moved in a zigzag pattern, sweeping through the hilly area between the Arabion and Kamain houses.
This was because the librarian had told him there were records of a mythical-grade magical beast that had disappeared in this area about 500 years ago.
However, contrary to expectations, the magical beasts they encountered while searching were all too weak to even be worth catching.
After traveling for days while only eliminating excessively aggressive ones, Solif suggested giving up.
"Well, thinking about it, it's natural. If sothing that strong had lived here continuously, it would have been hunted long ago. Or it would be sothing they're raising here, like that monkey..."
"Wait."
Cutting off Solif's words, Turan closed his eyes and concentrated on his sense of sll.
isa, who was beside him, saw this and asked.
"What's wrong?"
"There's a strange sll. Sothing's burning..."
The acrid burning sll reaching his nose evoked a strange sense of déjà vu.
A sll so strong it seed like there might be a forest fire.
What ca to mind after a mont was when he had encountered the traces left after the Burner Obil had done his work.
"Bize, that way!"
Though it was generally principle not to show Bize being ridden in front of people, Turan broke this rule and imdiately headed toward the source of the sll.
Shortly after they arrived, screams and the sound of sothing burning were echoing through the air.
"Help us, please help us-!"
"Please! Please stop!"
A small slash-and-burn farming village in the forest.
These people, who had probably lived in isolation, were tied to posts and burning one by one while waiting for their turn.
And in the middle of the square stood a woman with both arms spread, catching falling ashes.
Though her face couldn't be seen as she was turned away, he had an idea who she was.
Jumping down from the carriage, Turan imdiately called out her na.
"Bisen."
"Who's... ah, Lord Turan?"
Bisen Kamain, the leader of the young noble group who had hunted Obil with him in the past, turned her head.
Her eyes shone with an unnaturally clear light.
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