Mitchell regained consciousness.
He lifted his heavy eyelids, but his vision was still blurry, so he closed his eyes and checked his body first.
His entire body throbbed, and his Aura Hole was completely empty.
Fortunately, he had absorbed every soul he could up to his limit before losing consciousness.
‘Only five.’
There were few of them, but the quality was different.
The prisoner souls in the Kellion Family’s training cave had belonged to ordinary people.
But the souls he had absorbed this time all belonged to martial artists who had learned Aura.
He had vaguely sensed it when he first absorbed a martial artist’s soul, but now he could tell for certain that souls differed in quality as well.
If he had his way, he would fill his Aura Hole immediately and check the difference, but he sensed people nearby and held back.
The enemies he had fought earlier had not seemed able to see him absorbing souls.
However, tearing souls apart to fill his Aura Hole was another matter.
Couldn’t that simply have been because they were Grade 3 Aura Users?
Mitchell forced himself to ignore the weakness that had risen all the way to the crown of his head and sat up.
Inside the carriage were the man who had cut down half the martial artists in a single stroke and the mage who had used powerful offensive magic.
The man looked at Mitchell, who had pushed himself upright, and spoke.
“You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“I’m all right, but…… you look worse than I do.”
Even though he was wearing several layers of clothes, cold sweat kept pouring off him.
His complexion was deathly pale as well, making him look like a terminally ill patient on the verge of death.
“I will be fine soon. More importantly, I should thank you first. Thanks to you, I survived.”
“It was nothing. I heard the sound of fighting, went over to see what was happening, and simply got caught up in it.”
“Ha ha, whatever the case, you were a great help in the end, were you not?”
When the man said that with a laugh, the mage beside him added a word of his own.
“He is right. The people you saved include me and all of our martial artists. The Runei Family will not forget this debt.”
“Runei……?”
When Mitchell murmured the name, the man finally remembered that he had yet to introduce himself and spoke.
“Come to think of it, we have not even exchanged names. I am Grant of the Runei Family. The Runei Family is a martial clan based in Ranga.”
“I am Loren, a guest retainer of the Runei Family. As you can see, I am an elf, so do not be too startled. Ah, judging by your clothes, you seem to be from the west. Then you must have seen many elves.”
In truth, that was not really the case.
The Kellion Family was a family of black mages.
Since elves wielded positive mana, there was little reason for them to become involved with the Kellion Family.
Besides, Mitchell had spent all his time within the family, so he had no way of knowing whether there were elves outside or not.
“I’m Mitchell Wilson. I’m traveling at the moment.”
Mitchell introduced himself with an awkward smile.
The Kellion Family was a legitimate black-mage family officially recognized by the Empire. However, since he had decided to leave the family and stand on his own, he gave his mother’s surname instead.
His mother had come from a fallen noble family and, as far as he knew, was from the west, so he thought that at least here in the north, no one would recognize the name.
Just as Mitchell had expected, neither of them showed any particular reaction.
“Welcome to the north.”
“Ahem…… but about your mana car.”
Huh? Come to think of it, my mana car!
Loren’s words made Mitchell’s face go stiff.
Its top speed was slower than a horse, and it needed mana stones, which were difficult to obtain, just to move, so opinions on whether it was good or bad were divided. Even so, people said it was better than a carriage for traveling long distances alone because of its steady speed and cargo compartment.
That was why Mitchell had gone out of his way to leave the family in a mana car.
In any case, such mana cars were tremendously expensive.
It was not something he could simply abandon.
Seeing Mitchell’s expression, Loren burst into laughter.
“Ho ho, do not worry. We tied it to a horse and are pulling it along with us.”
“Phew…… that’s a relief.”
“So, about that. It seems to be broken. How about selling it to me?”
“No. I’m traveling, so I plan to repair it and keep using it.”
At the firm answer, Loren smacked his lips.
Loren’s eyes blazed with greed.
But it was not material greed. Mitchell had seen that look many times while living in a family of black mages.
It was the lust for research.
And people with that kind of look were often not quite sane.
‘I should keep my distance…….’
Mitchell subtly lifted his rear and edged away from Loren.
Grant seemed amused by the sight and laughed out loud.
“Ha ha, Loren has taken a great interest in mana cars lately. He is in charge of the mana car development project our family is working on.”
“I see. But I’m not selling it.”
“…….”
Loren fell silent, while Grant kept laughing even as cold sweat ran down him.
Stop laughing. You look like you’re going to collapse again.
COUGH!
Sure enough, Grant coughed up blood while laughing.
“You are going to get better, right? Your complexion makes you look like you’re about to die…….”
“COUGH! I’m fine. I drank a Recovery Potion, and this has happened a few times before.”
“Is it because of that martial art you used to wipe out the enemies?”
“That is correct. It is a martial art that puts a great deal of strain on the body.”
“Even so, with that kind of power, I’d like to try learning it myself.”
At Mitchell’s words, Grant gave a bitter smile.
But as if he did not want to talk about it any further, his expression soon changed as he shifted the subject.
“More importantly, since we owe you a debt, I would like to invite you to our family. If you come with us, we will do everything we can to help you recover.”
“I’d be grateful for the invitation. As you can see, I’m not exactly in good shape either.”
“Ha ha, excellent!”
Mitchell had already been planning to settle somewhere a little outside the large city of Ranga.
Isn’t this a good opportunity to stay with a martial clan in Ranga and get a feel for the situation?
‘If possible, I’d like to learn swordsmanship properly, too.’
More than anything, he had realized many things from watching Grant and the other martial artists fight.
Because their foundations were solid, even while unleashing countless attacks against the defensive formation, they had never lost their sharpness for even a single moment.
‘More than anything, this man Grant.’
Despite looking to be only in his early twenties, he gave off energy around Grade 5.
According to what Mitchell had read in books, someone who reached Grade 5 at that age would be called a genius by the world at large.
Although the powerful martial art Grant had used seemed to be a secret technique and was probably not something Mitchell could learn, he wanted to absorb the experience of a man called a genius.
‘There’s definitely a lot I can learn from him.’
Until now, Mitchell had trained only by reading books.
He had lacked both the time and the experience needed to build proper foundations. Once again, Mitchell felt his hunger to learn rise within him.
Wasn’t that the reason he had come north in the first place—to learn proper martial arts?
Before he knew it, Mitchell’s eyes had become just like Loren’s a moment earlier.
***
The carriage carrying Mitchell traveled for several hours before arriving in Ranga, where the Runei Family was based.
As befitted a large city, Ranga had well-paved roads and enormous buildings lined its streets.
But in contrast, it was not overflowing with vitality.
The faces of the people in the streets were shadowed.
Seeing Mitchell’s expression, Grant gave a bitter smile.
“It used to be a truly lively city. But it became like this after the Rapel Family rose to power.”
Mitchell had heard about the Rapel Family on the way.
They were the family that had tried to kill him. He had been told that they mainly dealt in businesses from the shadows.
As they grew, drugs, brothels, and gambling dens naturally flourished, and the city was gradually being dyed gray.
“Still, things will be a little better once we get near our family. Loren’s influence does not reach that area.”
“Even with things like this, the officials do nothing? If they were sent here by order of the Emperor, they should be maintaining public order in the city.”
“They must have made some under-the-table deal with those Rapel bastards. Even if that is not the case, the Empire only interferes in the affairs of martial clans near its center. Out here on the fringes, unless there is an invasion by another country, they do not act.”
Mitchell had heard that much before.
He simply had not realized they regarded one another with all the interest a cow showed a chicken.
“From their point of view, they see both us and Rapel as people who carry weapons while running businesses. They probably do not want sparks flying their way after meddling for no reason. But is the west not the same?”
“…….”
“Then again, not everywhere is the same, so you may simply not know. In any case, our family is safe, so you should have no trouble staying there.”
Grant’s words did not seem to be empty boasting, because the scenery changed the farther the carriage went.
People bustled around the open stalls, loudly talking as they bought and sold food, while children ran about laughing brightly.
It looked like a completely different place from the Ranga Mitchell had seen on the way there.
As he watched the scenery, the carriage came to a stop before he knew it.
Mitchell turned his head toward the building and exclaimed in admiration.
It was smaller in scale than the Kellion Family’s estate, but the atmosphere given off by its outer walls and main gate was completely different.
The Kellion Family had prospered only relatively recently, so it had many new buildings. The building before him, however, felt stately rather than rustic despite its age.
“It’s nice.”
“This building is more than two hundred years old. That makes it difficult to maintain, but it is good for remembering our past glory.”
At Mitchell’s words, Grant’s face filled with pride.
Though it darkened at his last words.
Mitchell had wondered why, but once the main gate opened, he understood the reason for Grant’s expression.
Compared to the exterior, the inside was utterly shabby.
The trees across the broad grounds had gone untended and were nearly in their natural state, while the ground itself had been torn up.
‘Are they short on money?’
Having grown up in the wealthy Kellion Family, Mitchell almost wondered whether it was all right for him to impose on a place like this.
Still, he did not voice the thought.
Soon, the carriage stopped again. Judging by the grand building, every bit as imposing as the exterior of the estate, it seemed to be the Runei Family’s main hall.
“I will greet my father first, then show you where you can rest.”
It was only natural to greet the owner when visiting someone’s home, so Mitchell nodded.
Grant, Loren, and Mitchell then got out of the carriage and entered the main hall.
“He might have fallen into some kind of pit and passed out.”
“I’m telling you, that’s not it! He was definitely kidnapped!”
But the atmosphere was strange. In the hall of the main building, people were gathered in small groups, each talking among themselves.
And at the center of them was Grant’s father, Kayden Runei.
Grant saw his father and greeted him.
“Grant, what happened to you? Did you use the Heaven-Breaking Sword?”
“Yes, circumstances forced me to…….”
“Did I not tell you never to use that cursed martial art again?!”
“It was a dangerous situation, and I had no choice. When we were surrounded and nearly killed, this gentleman here helped us, and we barely survived. Thanks to him, Loren and the martial artists are all safe as well.”
“What? You nearly died?!”
Grant introduced Mitchell beside him. Only then did Kayden notice the outsider and abruptly seize Mitchell’s hands.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
From the warmth of Kayden’s hands clasping his own, Mitchell felt a deep paternal love. For a moment, he thought of his own father, who had been the complete opposite, then erased him from his mind.
“Our Runei Family will never forget this debt. Once again, you have my thanks.”
“I hardly did anything, so this is making me uncomfortable.”
“Ho ho, and you are humble as well!”
Only after Kayden finally stopped repeating his thanks for a long while did Grant step in.
“Father, I will tell you the details later. More importantly, where is Chief Steward Hail?”
“It seems you heard on your way here.”
“What? What do you mean……?”
“Is everyone not gathered here to search for Chief Steward Hail, who has gone missing?”
Anger spread across Grant’s face.
Chief Steward Hail was suspected of being an enemy spy. His disappearance meant the chances that he was a traitor had risen even higher.
“If you are about to go search for him, please put it off for a moment. There is something I need to tell you together with Mitchell here.”
Me? Why me?
Mitchell’s eyes widened when his name was suddenly called.
Then Grant, standing beside him, quietly turned his head and moved his lips.
[Please help me with this matter. Did you not say you wanted to learn the martial art I used? It is a secret martial art of the family, but I will find some way to teach it to you.]
Then it’s a deal!
Only then did Mitchell’s face brighten.