The Mimic Holy Relic was the most powerful magic tool Turan possessed. Its primary functions were to observe the flow of mana around him and to absorb and store the mana of the dead, allowing him to temporarily use their powers by drinking it.

For that reason, its hollow interior had previously contained liquid mana of various colors, separated into layers. Now its form had changed completely. Most of the space that should have been empty was filled with something resembling intricately crafted gears, with five overlapping circles at the center. Within those circles sloshed liquids of gold, brown, purple, gray, and teal.

"This is..."

If he remembered correctly, gold was the Sun bloodline, brown the Earthkeeper bloodline, and purple the Berserker bloodline. Gray was the Dominator–Tamer bloodline he had absorbed from Renod and the other Nagin nobles, while the final, teal liquid was Karmine's Rapids–Frost bloodline, taken from Bisen. The others, including the half-remaining portion of Barrier-user mana, Pyromaniac, and Illusion, had vanished without a trace.

Solif looked at it in puzzlement.

"What? Weren't there more than five before? Are the rest all gone?"

"Looks like it."

Who would have thought that after gulping down all that mana, its functions would actually get worse rather than improve? He had barely clicked his tongue at the absurdity when Maysa abruptly reached toward the relic.

"Let me appraise it."

"Can you manage that?"

"Unlike making things, appraisal is a basic technique. Asiz might not manage it, but someone at my level should be able to."

Taking the relic, Maysa sat down on the sand and furrowed her brow, perhaps to help herself concentrate. Was appraising a top-ranking Holy Relic difficult even for an Enchanter as powerful as her? A few minutes later, she wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and spoke.

"Its functions have certainly changed completely. But I don't think we've lost out. Actually, it more than justifies sharing the great sea serpent's mana with it..."

"Could you explain?"

"First, it can now store only five kinds of mana. To put in another, you have to release one already stored inside."

"That's a loss."

At Solif's grumbling, Maysa clicked her tongue lightly, as though telling him to have some patience.

"In exchange, the mana inside is no longer consumable."

Turan and Solif stared at each other, momentarily speechless. If she meant what she said—

"You can use other bloodlines permanently?"

"Yes. To be precise, the ability of whichever bloodline occupies this circle, the topmost of the five, will always apply to the owner. You can turn the winding mechanism at the side to change their positions."

"That's... something even the gods would covet. Unbelievable."

"It was made from the combined mana of a god and a great sea serpent, after all."

Maysa certainly had a point. What other Holy Relic in the world had been made so extravagantly, from the mingled mana of a god and a monster its equal? Even allowing for that, however, this was outrageously powerful and useful. Treasures from myth themselves seemed lacking in comparison. If this function became widely known, the Mimic Holy Relic would surely become the most coveted prize of treasure hunters everywhere.

After taking the relic back from Maysa and learning how to operate it, Turan selected the Sun bloodline and hung it around his neck. He felt the change immediately.

"It's true."

He felt the Sun bloodline's exceptional eyesight and its ability to perceive various forms of light take effect naturally. Drawing on his mana, he created light and fire and blended them together. The Light of Judgment readily formed a halo behind his back.

"And nothing's being used up?"

"Technically, it does use my mana."

"Well, obviously. You said there are five in there now? Let's try them all."

Shortly afterward, Turan switched to the Berserker bloodline and tested his strength against Solif, as he had earlier. Before, the difference had been like a child being tossed about by an adult. Now Turan held a slight advantage instead. Presumably, the Berserker bloodline provided greater muscular enhancement per unit of mana than the guardian bloodline.

"Gah—this is insane!"

"Exerting myself seems to get me worked up. It could be dangerous to use this carelessly in battle."

"That's why they call it the Berserker bloodline."

After testing the other three bloodlines as well, the party agreed that none of the great sea serpent's mana the relic had consumed had gone to waste. A magic tool that granted unconditional access to one bloodline, or even two if they came from a great house? It was absurd, considering that the guardian magic tool qualified as a top-ranking tool merely by consuming vast quantities of mana to grant the guardian bloodline's defensive ability alone.

Having confirmed all its functions, Turan bowed his head respectfully to the other two.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"We killed it together, but I've unfairly gained more than you. I'll make up for your losses later."

The Mimic Holy Relic was bound to Turan, so neither of them could even use it. Hadn't they made a considerable sacrifice by giving part of that mythical creature's power to it? And since Vije was soul-bound to him as well, he had effectively claimed three of the five shares. That was hardly fair. Maysa had been torn in two, and Solif could easily have suffered injuries just as bad or worse.

Solif burst into laughter and abruptly slapped Turan on the back. Since the relic was still set to the Karmine bloodline, the last one he had tested, Turan toppled forward helplessly and landed face-first in the sand.

"Gack."

"Whoops, that was a bit hard. I'm not used to being this strong yet... Anyway, cut that nonsense out. You're making me cringe."

"Good hit. If it weren't for my back, I'd have smacked him too."

Normally, Maysa would have been the first to glare at Solif for hitting Turan. This time, she actually took his side.

"We were the ones who decided to share the mana. It's making a friend we'd risk our lives for stronger. If the situation were reversed, would you stop my relic from getting stronger because your own mana came first?"

"Well... no."

Turan gave a small laugh and brushed the sand off his face. Maysa carefully rose and added her support.

"Besides, you were the one who landed the decisive blow, Turan. Going by contributions, you deserve an extra person's share."

"That's not right. We all risked our lives. Getting more just because I seized an opportunity—"

"Oh, stop being so stubborn!"

* * *

After a lengthy conversation on the beach, their first task was to heal Vije's wing with the restorative-potion magic tool. For half a day, they fed her potion after potion—enough that, had it been actual liquid, her stomach might have burst and killed her. When the finally recovered Vije soared into the sky with a loud chirp, Solif looked up and asked,

"Come to think of it, you said Vije borrows your power to use magic, didn't you? Don't tell me she can use lightning now too?"

"Probably."

Vije must have heard him even at that distance. She sent a lightning bolt crashing down right in front of Solif, then struck a triumphant pose. Solif heaved a deep sigh.

"That devil of a bird has finally gained offensive powers. Oh, what has the world come to!"

Turan stopped Vije from dropping a lightning bolt on Solif's head, then took the metal swing from his High-Capacity Pouch and attached it to her legs. Soon, she rose into the air with all three aboard. Although she was stronger than before, her speed while towing the swing had not improved much. It was not a lack of strength or speed; the swing simply could not withstand flying too fast. The passengers could reinforce it with mana, of course, but there was no need when they were in no hurry.

"The boat was pretty fast, but nothing beats flying. It's more familiar too."

Maysa sounded a little excited as she looked down over the vast sea. The way her legs dangled limply troubled Turan so much that he deliberately looked away.

"So, where's our destination?"

"We should be close. We've flown for about ten minutes past Miguel Island... Ah, I think it's over there. Vije, a little to the left of our current course."

They were heading for the small island where the Mimic Holy Relic's original owner lay. Solif had wanted to see him in the first place, but they also hoped that returning with the strengthened relic and its matching mask might trigger some response.

Landing on the island shortly afterward, they headed straight for the pond inland and entered the water. This time, of course, there was no need to dive.

"Well, traveling with a Karmine noble certainly makes things easy."

"You're too kind."

With the relic set to the Karmine bloodline, Turan's fluid manipulation had become incomparably more powerful and precise. He could part the pond's water to make a passage, then freeze the ground underfoot into steps leading down. Thanks to that, they descended easily without getting a drop of water on themselves. All except Vije, who had been so fascinated by the view through the water that she stuck out a wing and got drenched.

"Hmm..."

"This is the place, right?"

"Yes."

The deep impressions in the sand and rock made it easy to recognize where the great sea serpent had lain, but the god's corpse that should have remained there had disappeared without a trace. Even when Turan cast tracking magic to search for a human corpse, he sensed nothing for dozens of kilometers in any direction.

"Armani definitely said the god's corpse was still here."

"Was he lying?"

"No, I don't think so."

Passing his puzzled companions, Turan walked toward the tiny soul fragment revealed by the relic's senses. The relic hanging at his chest hummed, as if recognizing a reunion with its owner.

"Elder."

He took out the jewelry box and opened its lid to summon the librarian. Opening his eyes to slits, the librarian looked at the soul fragment and spoke.

"Oh, you've found another?"

"Yes. I believe so."

"Found what... Huh?"

"I can see him!"

Turning at the voices behind him, Turan found Solif and Maysa staring at the librarian in astonishment.

"You two can see me?"

"Yes..."

"So this is what you look like. It's a pleasure to meet you, Elder."

"It's not our first meeting from my perspective, so enough with the greetings. You must have hunted that great sea serpent?"

"Yes, we did. Could that be why?"

"Probably."

Perhaps awakening their third bloodlines had allowed Solif and Maysa to interact with the librarian as well. After a brief moment of surprise at this unexpected discovery, Turan decided to address his original reason for summoning him.

"Could you store this gentleman's soul fragment and analyze it?"

"Gentleman? Who is he?"

"The god I told you about, who perished together with the great sea serpent."

"Hmm... Well, put it in. I'll take a look."

After feeding mana into the jewelry box and drawing the fragment inside, Turan told his companions that only a soul fragment of the drowned god remained.

"I think the god's wraith was what had been preserving his corpse. Once we absorbed it, only this remnant was left."

As he explained what he had just seen, the two nodded in understanding.

"I feel uneasy about carrying around the soul fragment of someone who did all that, without his permission."

"But we can't just leave it here. It could create another victim like Bisen. I doubt he'd want that to happen either."

Maysa's counterargument mirrored Turan's thoughts exactly, and Solif said no more.

"Perhaps we'll find a way to lay him to rest someday."

After Turan's words, each of the three paid their respects in their own way to the spot where the soul fragment had lain. It was a tribute to a hero who had fought and died without anyone knowing.

* * *

With their last task in the North Sea complete, the party set out to address their highest priority: treating Maysa. The problem was that her power was now approaching that of a great-house head, and an ordinary Healer would be nowhere near enough. They needed help from at least the head of an ordinary Healer house—a Healer of upper-tier noble caliber or above.

"It would've been convenient if the Healer Bloodline had stayed in the relic. What a shame."

"I'll have to get it if the chance comes up. But which one should I remove?"

"If we had to choose, the Nagin bloodline seems the least useful."

Dominator and Tamer were both bloodline abilities they would rarely need. Talking as they went, the three continued flying southwest on Vije. Near sunset, the vast continental coastline greeted them.

"So here we are in the Enril Desert again."

"Mother used to tell me everyone here had horns on their heads and red faces."

Solif, who had already spent months wandering the desert, looked weary of it. Maysa, by contrast, gazed at the sweeping sands with equal parts curiosity and wariness. A leisurely journey through the desert to satisfy her curiosity might have been quite enjoyable, but treating her came first, in case anything went wrong.

The party landed on a desert hill and made a meal of a scrawny desert fox and dry rations, then continued south, avoiding towns and villages. For two days they occasionally watched peddlers and bandits passing below. After crossing from the northwestern Enril Desert to its southwest, familiar wetlands appeared: Shiraf Marsh, House Ravista's territory.

"It feels like we keep running back here whenever anything happens."

"It's the safest place, being a great house with no ties to the gods. And it's home to the finest Healers in the world."

Instead of visiting the hot springs where Aicul lived as they had before, they immediately asked for directions to Ravista's capital. Last time, they had only met Lida by chance after lingering at the hot springs for months. With time pressing, they needed to go straight to her home.

"I hope we can see her soon..."

Maysa rubbed the scar at her waist, her face anxious. When first injured, she had confidently declared that she would be fine since she could use flight magic to walk. As time passed, however, she found it increasingly uncomfortable. Day by day, she was experiencing all the inconveniences of being unable to use her lower body, starting with relieving herself.

Fortunately, Vije sympathized with her difficulties and flew swiftly, soon bringing them to Merem, Ravista's capital.

"Wow, it's huge."

"Don't take off your mask, Sol. Under any circumstances."

"Don't you worry."

Merem was a much smaller, more compact city than Arabion's capital, Morgen. Shiraf Marsh could not sustain a large population, making it difficult to build a major city there. Even so, with over a hundred and fifty thousand residents, it was a metropolis that easily dwarfed most ordinary cities.

Before entering the city, Turan had removed his mask and passed it to Solif, knowing that wanted notices for him were circulating within House Ravista. Fortunately, neither of the two Ravista nobles had seen his portrait at the time and had failed to recognize him. If they visited the main house itself, however, someone was bound to notice.

Without being paired with the Mimic Holy Relic, the mask could not freely change its wearer's appearance, but its ability to copy a corpse's face remained intact. It currently bore the face of a young hunter whose body they had come across along the way. Wearing it, Solif stood behind the others like a porter, carrying several pieces of dummy luggage. Perched atop them, Vije kept stepping on his head as though mocking him.

"Hey, will you quit that?"

Accompanied by the sound of Vije and Solif squabbling, the party entered Merem.

Rather than moving with flight magic, Maysa was being carried in Turan's arms. Her technique was not yet polished enough to look like natural walking. That was fine with nobody around, but doing it in the middle of a city would be as good as announcing that she was an Arabion noble.

Soon, Turan stopped a passing police officer and asked him to fetch a knight. Once he projected a measured amount of mana, equivalent to a top-ranking noble's, and explained that he knew Lida, a meeting was arranged with remarkable speed.

"You may go in."

Fortunately, unlike Arabion's, the Ravista family's residences were not strictly secluded, making them easy to visit. The soft ground precluded tall buildings, so the mansion was neither large nor imposing, but its distinctive architecture possessed an old-fashioned elegance.

They went straight to the reception room, where Ravista's elderly lady, Lida, greeted Turan. She sat with her legs crossed, smoking what appeared to be a hookah.

"Welcome, young Turan. And Miss Misha too... Oh my, you said you were only friends last time. Has your relationship progressed since then? Ah, to be young. You can't bear to be apart for even a moment, I see."

Seeing Turan carrying Maysa, Lida teased them with an intrigued look. Turan smiled wryly, set Maysa in a nearby chair, and took a seat himself before asking quietly,

"It's not what you're thinking... More importantly, could you introduce the gentleman beside you?"

The man sitting opposite Lida looked to be in his mid-forties, with a notably haggard face and strikingly long silver hair. Judging by his appearance, he at least did not seem to be one of the handsome husbands she had boasted about. Lida glanced sideways at him, looking somewhat put out.

"Ah, didn't I tell you last time? That Baraha's heir had run away. This is his father, Mr. Godis Baraha. He came after hearing that I'd seen someone resembling his son."