With the Book of the Mourner in his possession, Muria finally felt at ease. Through this cursed tome, he could monitor the movements of his banished dragons at any moment. Initially intended for malevolent uses, Muria repurposed the cursed book as a tool to ensure the safety and oversee the actions of the multicolored dragons, much to the chagrin of the curse spirit bound within it.
Yet, without Muria's direct command, the spirit dared not unleash its curses recklessly, as these were Muria's subordinates. The actual purpose of the Book of the Mourner—to use curses to torture its master through a physical medium—was its true sinister use. However, monitoring through a medium was merely a secondary function, dismissed as trivial by both the legendary mage who crafted the book and the curse spirit itself.
Muria, unbothered by the spirit's discontent, freely monitored the well-being of his dragons, liberating himself to truly begin his journey across the vast lands of the Osniro subcontinent as Bronya had suggested.
He spent more time walking the land than flying above it, adopting the habit of visiting every city he encountered, hoping to meet another planar merchant like Stallone. Unfortunately, over the next two years, Muria did not encounter any such merchants. However, he was not disheartened; his primary goal was to explore the continent, to witness its diverse cultures and creatures firsthand.
In Osniro, human strength was not dominant; survival was a daily struggle. The true rulers of this land were its myriad monsters.
Muria frequently encountered powerful monsters leading hordes against human cities. Each time, he would halt the conflicts with his own power, mediating between humans and monsters to uncover the reasons behind their assaults.
Some monsters, like a couple from the Phoenix lineage, attacked human cities because their offspring had been stolen. Others sought revenge for past human wrongs. These cases presented real dilemmas for Muria because these grievances were genuine, and he had no right to prevent their vengeance. He could only attempt mediation.
For instance, he helped monsters whose children had been stolen to track down and deal with the thieves. For those who had been wronged by humans in their youth and sought revenge upon maturing, Muria would also try to find those responsible.
Muria protected only the innocent bystanders, leaving those with debts to settle to their own devices. He never interfered with justified revenge.
The easiest to deal with were those monsters with no particular grievances against humans, who attacked merely out of boredom or a desire to dominate the weak. Such bloodthirsty creatures were met with no mercy from Muria, who sided decisively with humanity in these cases.
Because Muria repeatedly acted as a powerful and impartial judge in disputes between monsters and humans, minstrels began to craft tales of his deeds, spreading his reputation across the continent.
This is the regard in which gold dragons were held among humans—Muria was seen as a just hero. His stories began to circulate widely, making him known to an increasing number of sentient beings.
His frequent interventions in the affairs of others—perhaps a trait amplified from his past life or inspired by his gold dragon lineage—showed that he enjoyed meddling more than ever, backed by his superior combat abilities.
Muria feared no one below the level of legends, and even among legends, he would confront those whose power was artificially enhanced.
Thus, wherever he went, Muria acted against any injustice that caught his eye, aligning with his own moral standards.
However, Muria mostly intervened in human territories. He seldom involved himself with monsters, whose appearances he found less appealing, so he rarely joined their fray.
Among humans, his interventions were often directed at the ruling class. The human nobility, controlling vast resources, constituted a privileged class capable of significant achievements. Yet, many nobles who rose to positions like lords or city governors often abused their power egregiously.
For instance, upon encountering lords who enforced the right of the first night, Muria would lead a group of formidable dragons to storm their estates or castles and provide a memorable lesson in humility.
Indeed, such nobles were not isolated cases; Muria frequently encountered them enforcing their heinous rights over their territories. However, after his intervention, these nobles were forced to renounce the right of the first night and swear oaths never to reinstate such laws, thereby abolishing them completely.
What frustrated Muria was not the nobles themselves but the common people who accepted, and even honored, such vile practices as natural or prestigious. After he abolished the right of the first night, he often faced misunderstanding and even resentment from the civilians. Fortunately, Muria was unconcerned with the opinions of the ignorant; his satisfaction came from doing what he felt was right.
His actions forcing nobles to abolish the right of the first night were just one of many deeds recounted by minstrels, though in the grand scheme
of his adventures across Osniro, they were relatively minor. Yet, compared to the fame his battles brought him, these acts painted a fuller picture of his character and the impact of his journey.
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