Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Discord
It had been two weeks since Turan donned Oneil’s shell.
While living the life of a debauched noble youth, he occasionally wandered around the family’s residential area, spying on others.
His primary concern was naturally the whereabouts of Talis Zahar.
It seemed that Talis was staying in a guest room near the Carmine family head’s residence, but after the day of the meeting, he appeared to have lost interest in Turan and made no further contact.
Fearing another midnight intrusion, Turan had stayed awake almost every night preparing for Talis’s invasion, only sleeping briefly at dawn. Mocking these efforts, Talis left Avaccha during one of those brief moments when Turan was asleep.
He had considered chasing and capturing him, but ultimately decided against it.
‘Even if I caught him, it probably wouldn’t be of much use.’
Turan’s first impression of Talis was that he was a persistent, paranoid, snake-like person.
Unlike with Ymir, it didn’t seem possible to deceive or threaten him to extract any meaningful information.
It would only confirm to them that someone unknown was targeting them.
Anyway, with Talis gone, Turan had two options.
First, he could continue pretending to be Oneil, infiltrating deeper into Carmine to more actively intervene in the coming war with Arabion, whether months or years away.
Second, he could seize an appropriate opportunity to shed his disguise identity and regain his freedom.
Turan chose the latter without hesitation when the opportunity arose, primarily because maintaining Oneil’s identity had become burdensome.
“Master, please tell me if I’ve done something wrong. I’ll correct anything…”
“I don’t care. Get out. I’ll call you later.”
“Master-!”
Turan kicked away the concubine who approached him naked, driving her out of the room.
Muffled, sorrowful crying could be heard from beyond the door locked with telekinesis.
After a few days in Oneil’s body, Turan, unlike the original, had avoided intimate relations with the concubines using various excuses.
The concubines, who had initially felt relieved from the original’s voracious appetites, soon grew anxious and began seeking him out.
They assumed Oneil had grown tired of them and was planning to bring in new concubines.
Turan had no choice but to reject the women who offered themselves to him.
What if he had relations with women who neither loved him nor even knew his true face, and accidentally got one of them with child?
What if the child inherited Zahar or Arabion bloodlines in a situation where he couldn’t take responsibility?
Having recently seen the face of his grandfather, his own blood relative, this reality weighed even more heavily on him.
Of course, mages, especially nobles, didn’t conceive easily.
If their fertility had been the same as ordinary humans, noble numbers would have long surpassed commoners, given their centuries-long lives and active efforts to increase their numbers.
So one or two indiscretions probably wouldn’t cause major problems unless he was extremely unlucky…
But whenever such thoughts arose, Meisa’s face would appear in his mind, making such options impossible for Turan to choose.
* * *
“Everyone assemble!”
On the day of departure, at the coast near Avaccha.
Fifty-five knights and four nobles were lined up in perfect order, awaiting Turan’s command.
They were the army assembled to subjugate the magical beast that had reportedly appeared north of Avaccha.
“Assembly complete, Captain.”
“Mm.”
Turan acknowledged the young noble adjutant’s formal report with just a slight nod.
He noticed some faces contorting at this arrogant attitude but paid no mind.
He wouldn’t be seeing them again in a few days anyway, and he didn’t want to spread rumors that Oneil had suddenly changed just before his death.
“What magical beasts will we use for transportation?”
“They should have arrived by now, but they seem to be running late. With your permission, I’ll check—”
Even as the flustered woman was muttering, a whooshing sound came from a short distance away, and a giant killer whale appeared.
It was a magical beast with mid-rank noble level magical power, ridden by a mage of similar strength.
“Is this the subjugation team? I’m a bit late, sorry!”
“You are late.”
“This guy overslept. Being a handler doesn’t mean I can order a magical beast around. I can only be its friend.”
The man explaining himself to the adjutant was a noble from the Carmine family with the Beast Handler bloodline, a close relative of the young noble Gil who had previously accompanied Bisen.
Unlike Gil, however, he had mature magical power and a powerful magical beast companion.
Shortly after, the subjugation team attached a pre-prepared ship to the killer whale’s body.
It was merely a wooden object carved into the shape of a ship, without any sailing equipment like masts or anchors.
“We’re departing!”
With the handler’s shout, the killer whale began swimming, pulling the large ship.
True to its nature as a magical beast, it showed no sign of strain despite dragging a ship carrying sixty people.
Then again, hadn’t Bije been able to carry several people when she had similar magical power levels?
For magical beasts with the same amount of magical power, smaller ones were faster while larger ones were stronger.
It wasn’t surprising that this killer whale, thousands of times heavier, could exert such tremendous power.
After briefly watching the whale pulling the ship from the front, Turan turned his attention to voices coming from behind.
The noblewoman assigned as his adjutant was passionately lecturing her colleagues and subordinate knights.
“The magical beast that’s appeared this time is octopus-shaped. Typically, octopus magical beasts spray toxic ink, which doesn’t greatly affect nobles but can impact knights, so try to avoid it…”
Turan stood behind the adjutant, listening attentively to her explanation.
‘An octopus… that merman king’s eldest son could also transform into an octopus. Though he died during the Giant Sea Serpent hunt.’
Perhaps because the original Oneil wouldn’t have cared about information regarding his prey?
No one had given him any detailed explanation, so he knew nothing about it.
Yet asking anyone for a detailed explanation now would seem too out of character.
Feeling his gaze from behind, the adjutant who had been explaining suddenly turned around.
“Captain, is there a problem…?”
“Just continue your explanation.”
“I apologize.”
At his brusque tone, the adjutant resumed her explanation with a stiffened face. Listening while pretending to sip strong liquor, Turan realized she wasn’t explaining the cause of the magical beast’s attacks.
‘Does she not know, or is it a secret?’
Magical beasts were just ordinary animals infused with magical power.
Therefore, they didn’t blindly antagonize humans without special reasons.
Of course, there were some exceptions, the most representative being feline predators.
The leopard magical beast that Turan first hunted was a prime example. Such creatures had instincts to hunt weaker beings for sport, and as magical beasts, they would hunt dozens or hundreds of humans for amusement.
Next were animals with higher intelligence like monkeys, whales, or crows, which were more likely to enjoy cruel acts as entertainment and thus more dangerous.
The monkey magical beast that had appeared north of Orem City in the past was likely this type.
Finally, there were harmless herbivores like rabbits or squirrels that became magical beasts while holding memories of harm from humans and seeking revenge.
‘This case might be something else entirely…’
Given the recent reports of marine magical beasts attacking coastal areas, it was quite likely related to that, so the cause needed to be considered.
As he was recalling knowledge from past magical beast guides, the ship that had been steadily advancing northward began to slow down.
“We’ve arrived!”
Traveling along the open coast was certainly simpler and faster than moving overland.
Of course, it couldn’t compare to flying through the sky on Bije.
Having arrived at Savis, a city 150km north of Avaccha, in just two hours, the subjugation team disembarked and passed through the half-ruined port.
Judging by the broken facilities and wailing voices of those recovering bodies, the attack had occurred quite recently. The locals stared wide-eyed at the subjugation team, who clearly appeared to be of high status.
“Lords of the sea!”
“Please avenge us!”
When someone mentioned that these were mages from the Carmine main house, blood-curdling cries erupted from all directions.
Had these sounds reached the lord’s mansion?
Soon, the lord of Savis rushed out without even properly putting on his shoes to greet Turan.
“Ah, Lord Oneil! It’s been decades since I last saw you. It seems like just yesterday you were toddling around, and now you’ve grown so magnificent. I, Ahiba, am simply grateful for your active intervention.”
“Ah, well… it’s been a while, Ahiba sir.”
As the elderly noble, who appeared to be at least 250 years old, openly fawned over him, Turan showed an annoyed expression but used an honorific.
That seemed to be the right response, as the lord didn’t detect anything unusual about him.
“So, the magical beast?”
“Just this morning it swept through once. It usually attacks about twice a day, and we’ve been struggling terribly…”
This wasn’t just empty words—the elderly lord’s body bore numerous injury marks.
Judging by his magical power, he was in the upper-middle range for a noble.
Turan inwardly gave him high marks for being a shepherd who had personally fought to protect his flock.
“You seem injured, you should rest. We’ll handle the hunt ourselves.”
“Ah, while I appreciate the sentiment, as the lord I should—”
“Rest. Its magical power is mine.”
When Turan commanded with an overtly greedy demeanor, the elderly noble reluctantly withdrew.
In any case, judging from how this lord, who was perfectly capable as the head of an ordinary family, had been reduced to this state, the magical beast likely possessed at least upper noble-rank magical power.
Since it hadn’t killed the lord, it probably wasn’t at the highest tier.
Indeed, it seemed Jemel had prepared just the right prey for his son.
Turan contemplated how to fake his own death.
* * *
After brief greetings, rather than resting at the lord’s mansion, the subjugation team immediately established a camp near the coast to prepare for the magical beast’s attack.
The adjutant looked at him nervously, expecting resistance, but she let out a sigh of relief when instructed to “handle all command yourself because it’s too bothersome.”
Surprisingly, the handler and his killer whale magical beast declared they would not participate in the battle.
The reason given was that the creature had low aggression and hadn’t received proper combat training, making it unable to fight.
“But even just moving alongside the magical beast to assist would be useful…”
“Absolutely, absolutely not! This was arranged with Lord Jemel. This one isn’t just my partner but an important transportation asset for Carmine.”
“Do whatever you want.”
The adjutant was clearly dissatisfied with this capable force’s withdrawal, but since Turan, the captain, dismissed it casually, she had no choice but to accept it.
This decision naturally earned the disapproval of other subjugation team members.
“He’s infamous as a brute, and seeing him in person makes it clear why.”
“Does he really have any skill?”
“With a personality like that, he’d have been cast out long ago if he didn’t have ability. Let’s trust him.”
His testy attitude and problematic leadership aside, Oneil’s reputation had completely collapsed after he kicked over a table because the quality of food at the temporary campsite was poor.
Unlike the main house servants accustomed to the original’s misdeeds, most of the knights dispatched here had only heard rumors about him and were unfamiliar with such behavior, which further fueled their discontent.
After spending several hours watching the ruins being rebuilt, around sunset, Turan narrowed his eyes at a signal detected by his Holy Relic’s senses.
‘It’s here.’
The level of magical power felt was mid-to-upper rank, exactly similar to the original Oneil.
A giant octopus, with each leg about ten meters long, was crawling onto land.
Seeing this, the subjugation team members swallowed nervously as they picked up their weapons and rose from their seats.
“Everyone maintain formation as trained! Strictly perform your support duties! We’ll handle the main battle!”
With the adjutant’s shout, the Carmine mages prepared to attack the octopus.
The knights’ first action was to draw and control large amounts of water from the nearby shore.
Though unable to manifest the Stream bloodline power, their high skill level allowed them to handle water more smoothly than other mages, gathering large amounts of seawater.
The nobles, including the adjutant, appropriately distributed this to create their ice weapons. Naturally, Turan also controlled the largest portion of seawater left for him, creating a massive ice whip.
After setting the Holy Relic to the Carmine bloodline and using exactly upper noble-level magical power, he could wield strength as the real Oneil would have.
“It’s coming!”
Had it sensed the mages’ momentum?
The octopus initiated the first attack.
A large tube protruded from around its eyes, and a massive amount of ink poured forth.
“Aaaaargh!”
“Gah, my eyes, my eyes!”
A few unfortunate knights at the front were covered in ink and screamed, but fortunately, most avoided it or used fluid manipulation magic to control the ink and prevent being attacked.
As for Turan, being positioned safely at the rear of the formation, he didn’t even need to move.
“Kill it!”
“This damned octopus!”
Enraged by the magical beast’s preemptive strike, the Carmine mages immediately counterattacked.
A long ice spear pierced one leg, then, much like Bisen had done in the past, some created bows and shot arrows that narrowly grazed the area around the eyes.
The ice blades from the adjutant, the strongest among the nobles, dug into the large head, causing it to writhe in pain.
And the massive whip Turan created, about thirty meters long, instantly severed one of the creature’s legs.
“Ohhh!”
“That’s our captain!”
The cheers from knights who had been criticizing him just moments ago were amusing, but Turan maintained a serious expression as he faced the magical beast.
The key here was balancing attack and defense.
Attacking too powerfully and killing it outright would defeat his original purpose, yet appearing too weak would raise suspicions. Additionally, he didn’t want the subjugation team under his command to die, so the defensive aspect gradually increased as time passed.
“Get out of the way!”
“Th-thank you, Captain!”
He quickly grabbed and flung away a knight who was about to be swept up by an octopus tentacle.
Ignoring the words of gratitude, Turan watched as the Carmine nobles fiercely attacked the octopus.
None of them could face the octopus one-on-one, but with Turan blocking most attacks, the beast had no choice but to take a beating.
Soon after, the octopus, bleeding blue blood from all over its body, began spinning and moving toward the sea.
“Ah, it’s running away!”
“Catch it!”
Perhaps it realized it couldn’t win?
The octopus charged toward the sea, crushing frost spike traps that appeared in its path.
The Carmine nobles frantically tried to stop it, but with their mid to mid-low level magical power, they were unable to halt an octopus with upper noble-rank magical power.
The problem was that the strongest among them, the upper noble Oneil, was doing nothing to prevent its escape.
“Captain! We can’t let it get away!”
“Don’t order me around! I’m the captain!”
The adjutant, who had been shouting urgently, was shocked speechless by this childishly petulant response.
Unlike the lower-ranked knights, she knew well just how base a human Oneil was.
She also knew he would let the magical beast escape over something as trivial as wounded pride.
“I apologize! It was my fault! Please use your power to stop that creature—!”
But before the adjutant could apologize and persuade him, Turan immediately ran toward the sea, chasing the fleeing octopus magical beast.
“None of you interfere! I’ll finish this! Anyone who follows me will be killed!”
“W-what…?”
The subjugation team members were shocked but didn’t dare follow him.
After all, this was an order from Oneil, their captain, a powerful noble closely related to the family head.
Defying him would only earn them scorn even after risking danger.
Thanks to this, Turan was able to dive into the sea alone, pursuing the octopus and leaving the team members behind.
As seawater filled his mouth, he felt refreshed, as if taking a deep breath.
This was the additional ability that came with being born with the Stream bloodline: underwater breathing.
Able to breathe underwater, he pursued the octopus, and before long, sensing his presence, the octopus spun around.
Having realized that only one enemy was following, did it think it had a chance?
Its remaining five legs spread wide, surrounding him.
While a genuine Carmine upper noble like Oneil might have panicked or feared in this situation…
‘Farewell.’
The moment Turan extended his hand and projected his magical power at full force, dozens of ice whips like the ones Oneil used appeared, tearing through the octopus’s body and crushing its brain, ending its life.
The legs continued to wriggle a bit due to separate nerves, but it was just meaningless struggle.
It was embarrassingly easy compared to the desperate battle the subjugation team members had fought earlier.
After effortlessly dispatching the magical beast, Turan immediately took Oneil’s corpse out of his large-capacity pouch.
Having kept it frozen since killing him, the corpse remained in relatively fresh condition.
Of course, it wasn’t quite as good as when freshly killed, but—
‘That won’t even be noticeable once it’s soaked in water.’
* * *
“Where is the captain?”
“Still not back…”
“Damn, should we have followed him?”
“That bastard! Just wanting to hog all the credit…”
“What a crazy son of a bitch.”
Several hours after the battle, the Carmine subjugation team members were pacing anxiously along the shore, unable to even sit down despite their exhaustion.
This was because their leader, Oneil, had dived in alone to catch the octopus magical beast.
Though the nobles belatedly jumped in to search for Oneil, it was impossible to find traces of someone who had disappeared in the night sea.
In the end, all they could do was light a bonfire outside and search the surroundings, hoping for Oneil’s return.
At that moment, a knight came running from the distance with a pale face.
“W-we found them! Both the octopus and the captain!”
“Where?”
The Carmine nobles rushed to the location the knight urgently pointed out, only to freeze at the sight before them.
The carcass of the octopus magical beast, torn apart by something sharp, evidence of a tremendous battle.
Wrapped in one of its tentacles, washed up on shore as if by the waves, was Oneil’s headless body.