Chapter 82 : Chapter 82

Chapter 82 : Support (5)

---

[You have acquired the Tune ‘Trait Enhancement.’]

[It merges with ‘Flame of the Spirit Lv.2.’]

[‘Flame of the Spirit Lv.2’ transforms into ‘Black Flame Lv.2.’]

Soon, information about the Tune flooded my mind.

The Tune [Trait Enhancement] only takes effect when the possessor holds an attribute-related Tune.

Adjak wielded lightning attributes, but as a half-human, half-dragon, he manipulated lightning without a Tune, so it was useless to him.

But I was different.

The attribute Tune I possessed was [Flame of the Spirit].

I had obtained it by fulfilling a hidden condition in the atelier of the black mage Yer.

It wasn’t just a flame attribute—it was a flame imbued with ghostly energy.

I didn’t know exactly what would happen when [Flame of the Spirit] underwent [Trait Enhancement].

That made it all the more exciting.

Even I, who prided myself on being a veteran, didn’t know what changes would occur.

‘Tune World rewards massively when hidden pieces trigger in succession.’

Though the aftereffects of pushing two Tunes to their limits lingered, the joy of gaining new power was greater.

The new Tune’s name was [Black Flame].

The two forces within [Flame of the Spirit] had fully merged, becoming a black flame with even more destructive power.

It wasn’t just a change in color.

Compared to [Flame of the Spirit], the flame’s strength and the ghostly energy it held had grown immensely.

Moreover, it enabled feats previously impossible.

Through the smoke filling the courtyard, I saw a human figure.

It was Ryung, using [Assimilation].

Until now, when Ryung used [Assimilation], I couldn’t detect his erased presence.

But after the awakening of [Black Flame], a passive skill called [Ghost Eye] allowed me to pinpoint Ryung’s location.

I could now sense what was invisible to the naked eye.

It felt like the amount of information flooding my mind had increased.

I staggered toward Ryung.

“I resolved it.”

“I see… It’s clear. The fountain that wouldn’t break no matter what we tried is gone. The water’s stopped too…”

Ryung looked around, seemingly in shock.

The sea of water had vanished, but the courtyard was now filled with surging flames.

I waved my hand, extinguishing [Black Flame].

Seeing this, Ryung let out a quiet exclamation.

“By the way, Ryung, could you deactivate your trait? It’s a bit hard on my eyes to keep looking at you like that.”

“Oh? Right. Got it.”

Ryung canceled [Assimilation].

His true form became clearly visible even without [Ghost Eye].

“But how… Did you see me?”

“It seems to be an effect of the Tune hidden in the fountain. Oh, was I not supposed to take it?”

“No, you resolved it, so it’s yours. Thank you… No, this isn’t the time. I’ll report to the princess. Will you come with me?”

I had worried he might get upset about me taking the [Trait Transformation] Tune, but Ryung wasn’t that type.

I followed him to meet Turoko’s princess.

* * *

I met Turoko’s princess, Lynette, in a meeting room attached to the old imperial castle.

“Princess, this is Milton, who resolved the cursed fountain.”

Lynette nodded to Ryung and then greeted me.

“Hello, Milton. I’m Lynette Everharter, from the Turoko Kingdom’s administration. Thank you for resolving our kingdom’s issue.”

“Hello… ton.”

Since I had resolved the issue, it was probably fine to reveal my real name and that Baron Renwood sent me, but I missed the timing.

I’d have to find the right moment to reveal it while talking with the princess.

“If it’s not rude, may I ask a question?”

“What is it?”

“I was surprised that you introduced yourself as part of the kingdom’s administration rather than as its princess. I’ve heard Turoko has been undergoing many changes recently. Are you leading those changes?”

Personally, I was intrigued by Turoko’s transformation.

Though Turoko still maintained a kingdom system, it had established an administrative department and was showing signs of separating royal authority from a parliament.

Of course, Ryung had told me why Turoko was changing its political system.

Once a powerful nation, the cursed fountain had thrown the kingdom into chaos and the imperial family had proposed reforms to renew it.

In a world still divided into royalty, nobility, commoners, and slaves, Turoko’s attempt to change like a modern nation had quietly spread, drawing attention from many.

“Yes, I’m leading the changes. The reasons are lengthy, but to explain step by step…”

Lynette began to share her circumstances.

Though Turoko’s princess, she was keenly aware that her kingdom was far weaker than the Empire.

She knew Turoko needed change to avoid being dragged around by the Empire, even if it couldn’t oppose it outright.

And with the cursed fountain making the kingdom’s situation dire, Lynette saw the crisis as an opportunity for change.

“I’d been thinking we needed to change for a while. After my father’s death, the kingdom was losing its center.”

“So you stepped up to reduce the imperial family’s authority and lead the kingdom alongside the people?”

“Yes. It’s still a transitional period. People are gradually understanding my intentions. Right now, Turoko is seeing an influx of both needed talent and riffraff, but it’ll stabilize soon.”

Lynette explained Turoko’s changes at length.

She must have repeated this explanation dozens, if not hundreds, of times.

Yet, far from seeming bored, her strong resolve to lead the kingdom well shone through.

“Was that a satisfactory answer?”

Lynette looked up at me and asked.

Though small in stature, her voice carried conviction.

Turoko was still facing many trials and errors while transforming its political system.

With the fountain issue added to the chaos, Lynette must have been exhausted, but she didn’t show it.

“I’ve been wanting to ask something too…”

Lynette trailed off, hesitating. She seemed livelier than before.

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Milt…on? Is your name really Milton?”

I flinched.

I had planned to reveal it, but I didn’t expect her to ask first.

I hadn’t even shown her the crude forged identity.

“I’m sorry. I entered the kingdom under a false identity due to circumstances.”

“Oh, really? Is your name Polarin, Polarin Adjak, perhaps?”

“What? How did you know?”

Lynette grabbed my hand.

The calm princess from before was nowhere to be seen.

Her sudden change and how she guessed my name left me utterly bewildered.

“I knew it! I had my suspicions when you arrived. Talking with you confirmed it! Nice to meet you, Polarin!”

“Nice to meet you too. But really, how did you figure it out?”

“Oh, I’m a huge fan of Adjak. He never visited Turoko, but he traveled the world, uniting people’s strength!”

I want to be like that too.

As if she were never small and calm, Lynette’s eyes sparkled as she showered praise on Adjak.

She still supported the Adjak family and knew I was the winner of this year’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

“So I knew what you looked like. I heard you resemble Adjak greatly. The image quality isn’t great, but I collected photos of Adjak, so I recognized you right away! Want to see?”

Lynette pulled out a photo.

In it, a blond, golden-eyed man—Adjak—was smiling.

It was my first time seeing Adjak’s face.

I’d only seen him as a pixelated character design.

My alter ego, whom I’d never seen, was smiling broadly at the camera.

The quality wasn’t great, but did we look alike?

Now that she mentioned it, maybe we did.

“You look just like Adjak, don’t you?”

“…Yes. I suppose so.”

And soon, I acknowledged it.

We didn’t look identical, but Adjak and I resembled each other.

I touched my face with my hand.

I realized once again that I was born as the descendant of the character I loved so dearly.

I had been moving to fulfill his aspirations.

And now, they have become my goals too.

I would achieve the dream Adjak couldn’t.

Snapping out of my brief reverie, I told Lynette why I came here.

“Do you know Baron Renwood of Manoa? I came here on his request.”

“Renwood? Oh my…”

What connection did Lynette have with Renwood?

Not many could casually refer to an Imperial baron like that, even if she was once a kingdom’s princess.

I faithfully relayed the message Renwood asked me to deliver.

“The Baron believes Turoko could become a force to check the Empire. That’s why he sent me to ensure the kingdom doesn’t fall due to the phenomenon.”

“I see.”

Lynette seemed to ponder for a moment, furrowing her brow in thought, then smiled brightly.

“Renwood probably did it more for the Empire than for Turoko.”

Lynette saw through Renwood’s intentions in an instant. But she didn’t take it badly.

“That’s fine. Renwood must genuinely want Turoko to prosper. With his support, I want to make Turoko a better nation.”

Lynette continued calmly, but her small voice was filled with resolve.

“Ryung told me you obtained a Tune after resolving the cursed fountain.”

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“No, it’s yours. We called many solvers, but none succeeded. We suspected it was a Tune-related phenomenon, and we agreed that whoever resolved it could take the Tune.”

I had already heard from Ryung it was fine, but Lynette’s permission put me even more at ease.

“Anyway, thank you so much for resolving our kingdom’s issue. And… if you’re okay with it, I’d like to support your endeavors, Polarin.”

“What do you mean by support?”

“May I ask a question first? What do you want to do in the future, Polarin?”

“I want to form an expedition and conquer Myeolji, like Adjak.”

Most people in this world likely didn’t know that the previous Demon King had died and a new one had been born.

The new Demon King was growing stronger, baring its fangs toward the continent.

I would stop their ambitions.

I would root out those who sought to eliminate humans and other races to create a world for demons.

If Myeolji was a massive erosion zone, I would purify it.

That was Adjak’s will and now I had inherited it.

“Like Adjak.”

Lynette repeated my last words with a gentle smile.

“Turoko’s progress is still modest, but it’s just the beginning. If your resolve doesn’t waver, Turoko will never stop supporting you.”

Promising support with a serious gaze, Lynette seemed to think the mood had grown too heavy and added with a smile,

“Of course, we’ll need to go through the parliament’s agreement.”

‘Support…’

No specific promises of support were made, so it could be seen as an empty conversation.

But through my talk with Lynette, I felt a sense of elation.

There were so many allies in this world who believed in me.

Their intangible support.

I wanted to see what results their combined support could bring.

“Someday, forces outside the Empire will need to unite. I hope Turoko lays a strong foundation and lends its strength for that time.”

“Absolutely.”

* * *

Before leaving Turoko entirely, I had a brief conversation with Ryung.

“You’re now a noble of the desert and of Turoko.”

“Thanks to your trust in me, Ryung.”

I bowed to Ryung in gratitude.

Indeed, without Ryung’s help, resolving this matter might have taken much longer.

“No, I didn’t exactly trust you…”

“No, giving a chance to someone you just met is trust enough.”

I reassured the embarrassed Ryung.

Then he handed me something.

“This is a map of the pilgrims outside the desert. They’re spread across the world, so you can call on them for help.”

“Isn’t this confidential?”

“It is. But my other title is Hamudalun's map pilgrim. I’ll add another mark to the ornament on your sword.”

Ryung wrapped a black thread around the lizard-patterned ornament made of red and yellow threads at the tip of my sword.

I thought he was just adding a simple black thread, but the lizard’s colors mixed with black, changing its form.

“That’s amazing.”

“The pilgrims will recognize that I’ve acknowledged you. It’ll come in handy.”

If I hadn’t hung the Hamudalun ornament on my sword, my encounter with Ryung would have been very different.

Looking at the pilgrims’ map, I asked,“Thank you. By the way, this person is in Kipaso. I think Narima mentioned them. Are they Narima’s sibling?”

“Yes. Axon is Narima’s older brother. His exceptional skills earned him a mission to infiltrate there.”

“I see. I’d like to meet him sometime.”

Another reason to visit Kipaso.

I might meet him on my way to see Arandir, who’s recovering at the World Tree.

I should tell him Narima misses him a lot.

“Then I look forward to seeing you again, noble of Turoko.”

“Thank you. Take care, Ryung.”

With a brief farewell to Ryung, I set off for Manoa.

Tip: Tap/click the left or right side of the screen to go to previous/next chapter.