I cautiously glanced around, whipping my head back and forth under the haze of thick dust.
The hastily erected temporal barrier had, as expected, halted all incoming attacks.
Since the power that distorts causality has no difficulty countering mere magical constructs—nothing more than condensed mana—it was a predictable outcome.
—
Rudine seemed accustomed to the situation now, but Adina, not yet fully adjusted, stared wide-eyed with a stupefied expression.
Arkhan tapped the dozens of suspended streaks of lightning with her fingertips and let out a hollow laugh. Although she muttered something inaudible under her breath, her voice was too low to be comprehended.
What mattered most at the moment wasn’t her words.
‘I managed to halt the attacks for now…’
But the real problem was just beginning.
Though it wasn’t impossible to overwhelm their entire group with the power of runes, there was an unfortunate issue: my remaining spiritual essence was insufficient. From the moment I clashed against the Rune Lord onward, my reserves had been severely drained—ranging from obliterating hordes of demon beasts on the road to stopping the all-out assault waged by the White-Haired Tribe.
My spiritual essence reserves were nearing depletion.
Although Rudine was gradually recharging me, it would take close to a day for a complete replenishment.
‘What do I do now?’
Ideally, the enemy would recognize the disparity in strength and retreat, but if they decided to press their attack with desperation, it would ultimately lead to our defeat. Fighting one-on-one, I could perhaps scrape by and rely on the power of the runes to eke out a win, but their troop count was overwhelming at twenty members.
This fight had no real chance of success. I had managed to put on a strong front initially, but time was a luxury we could no longer afford.
“…How did you manage that?”
A voice, rigid with tension, reached my ears.
It was Arkaban, the chief of the White-Haired Tribe, who gaped at me in disbelief. Her eyes wavered as she witnessed the bizarre spectacle unfurling before her.
I slowly turned my gaze towards her.
“And this is exactly what your people call ‘soiling your own family’s face.'”
My response was a deliberate provocation, a ploy to cover up the lack of a legitimate plan. With my spiritual essence almost exhausted, even if I squeezed out every last bit of energy, I wouldn’t escape unscathed.
Though internally I was racked with anxiety, my typically stoic demeanor managed to deceive Arkaban, whose heightened tension was evident as she stared at me.
“As I already mentioned, the object you seek has already been used by me. Even if I wanted to return it, it’s impossible.”
“…”
“You claim it as your possession, but has it truly belonged to your people all this time? Aren’t you aware that your duty was to safeguard it until it returned to its rightful owner? Fate always intended for it to leave your hands. Just as it is now.”
“Humans, how could you possibly know…?”
“How do I know? Because you said it yourself in the original narrative.”
“You attacked with the intent to kill.”
“…”
“You blindly attacked without assessing the situation, targeting an enemy who harbored no ill will toward you. You even attacked a group of your own kin, including young ones. You’re destroying the honor your ancestors have built since the forgotten era with your very own hands. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”
As I intentionally needled her, Arkaban clenched her teeth, her rising agitation evident by her raised tail.
“So… does this imply that you are the true owner of the revered artifact?”
“Yes.”
“How could this mere human be expected to believe such words? Talk is cheap, and there’s no way to confirm it. Thus, it could all just be a falsehood.”
True, my boasting would ultimately only amount to words. They wouldn’t hand over the artifact based on hollow assurances, and rightly so—if they were that reckless, they wouldn’t have been able to protect it for so long.
Thus, similar to the protagonist of the original story, there was a key mantra that could gain their cooperation:
“Of the eyes that follow and await, in the streams of time, the true master shall settle.”
The moment the words left my lips, Arkaban’s confusion deepened, and she eventually looked at me, her face stark white.
“If you are truly the leader of this White-Haired Tribe, surely the records of our ancestors have been embedded within your knowledge. Are you still dissatisfied that I now possess the artifact meant for your clan?”
“How could you, a mere human, possibly know…”
“Better late than never, isn’t it? Despite your initial intent to kill, you’re asking a lot now.”
Slowly, I approached her. Her once fierce expression had been replaced with immense turmoil. I had activated the right triggers and knew she wouldn’t retaliate. Now, approaching her to negotiate some compensation for her prior attack.
“Isn’t this a fascinating situation?”
Amidst the exchange, a chuckling voice rang out from behind.
Everyone instinctively glanced back, and there stood Arkhan, her right cheek gently scratched as if she were feeling uneasy.
“Ah, excuse me… is that the 6th Lord?”
I briefly halted my approach to look at her.
Upon hearing the title ‘6th Lord,’ Arkaban’s expression morphed into one of shock as she refocused her gaze on me.
“The… 6th Lord? A Lord-level entity?”
She murmured the title under her breath, but I refrained from answering and instead turned back to Arkhan with an unreadable look.
“What?”
“Are you planning to kill this woman?”
“…?”
For a moment, I didn’t understand her question. Kill? Who by whom?
I followed Arkhan’s gaze, realizing she was referring to Arkaban, the leader of the White-Haired Tribe. It seemed she interpreted my swagger and bold approach toward the leader as a prelude to a retaliatory strike. As I hesitated to dismiss the idea outright, I began to find it curious.
So, I lowered my voice, my tone deliberate.
“If that’s the case?”
Upon hearing my response, the Grand Lord, Arkhan, hesitantly scratched the back of her head and made a proposal.
“Hmm…”
She hesitated, exuding a sense of awkwardness.
“Perhaps we could let this go, just this once?”
“…What?”
“Given the historical ties between the White-Haired Tribe and myself. Actually, more accurately, ties with the previous chief of the tribe…”
Ah, that explained it.
Initially, I had found her watching amusingly from the sidelines interesting, but now her interjection was becoming clear—she was stepping in to prevent an unnecessary death. It made sense that they had known each other from the start, and if so, why didn’t she intervene sooner?
‘Annoying.’
It was genuinely irritating.
Her sudden and late appearance, after pushing me into this Lord position, bothered me—especially the timing where she seemed content to sit back and watch until now.
As a result, my tone grew pointed.
“What does this have to do with me?”
“Could you just let it go for my sake?”
“I’m asking again… What does this have to do with me?”
“Hmm… What would you do if I decided to intervene?”
At her pointed question, I smirked.
“Let’s go over this again. What does this have to do with me?”
“…”
Of course, she wouldn’t act. I had no intention of killing Arkaban anyway, and there was no need for her to intervene in the first place.
Nevertheless, now that I held the title of Lord, it was opportune to draw a clear line. Even better, I had been planning to extract some concessions from the White-Haired Tribe due to their prior attack, but now, I realized I could do the same from the Grand Lord.
Arkaban, observing the situation, gulped audibly.
My attitude, when facing arguably one of the strongest figures on the continent, the Grand Lord, left her visibly surprised. If Arkaban, as the leader of the White-Haired Tribe, represented a Lord-level powerhouse, Arkhan symbolized a true monster—an entity capable of overwhelming even three Lords combined.
Witnessing me unaffected by Arkhan’s oppressive presence likely left Arkaban with a complex internal conflict. No beastman, regardless of their aggressive nature, would dare challenge a Grand Lord-level strength so brazenly.
“Haa… This has become troublesome.”
Arkhan scratched her head before flashing her usual amused grin.
“Alright, then let’s do this.”
“What?”
“Tell me what you want, and I’ll do my best to fulfill it, within reason of course. Oh! Retirement from your Lord title is absolutely out of the question.”
“…”
Damn.
Her instincts were razor-sharp.
“Anything?”
“Yeah, anything, within a reasonable and commonsense limit. You know what I mean, right?”
I clicked my tongue.
Clearly, she wouldn’t entertain any extravagant requests. I carefully processed the situation: among the favors I could ask of her—given her position—what would be of highest priority right now?
And that turned out to be:
“The Scripture.”
“Huh?”
“The Scripture. If you find it, you’ll hand it over to me, correct?”
—
The Scripture.
It was the Rune of Space.
—
—
—
—
I stayed in the office until dawn.
Despite the Grand Lord’s insistence that we depart immediately, I used the need for rest as an excuse to remain close to Rudine for an entire day. The real purpose? To replenish my depleted spiritual essence.
Arkan, who initially argued fiercely for the return of the clan’s artifact, left the office along with her group, offering a brief apology and a promise of compensation in the near future. Honestly, her compliance surprised me. She had evidently been deeply affected by the same phrases from the original protagonist, recognizing that a human who not only knew the ancient records but also claimed to be the rightful owner of their artifact left little room for resistance.
Adina, for her part, showed a curious change in attitude. The once argumentative girl began blushing noticeably any time she met my gaze, becoming markedly more respectful and obedient—clearly thankful for having her life saved.
With everything somewhat under control—
This was the current situation—
We arrived at the headquarters, the gateway to Kalmas.
“…What is this?”
“Huh? What do you mean? Riding a carriage like last time would be impractical given the great distance.”
“So, what exactly is this?”
“Don’t you recognize it? It’s a griffin.”
—
…And we were actually supposed to ride this thing?
I stood there dumbfounded, watching the massive birdlike creature flap its wings, sending gusts of wind rushing through the air.
