Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

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After the subjugation party returned, the Baltas family widely announced this victory and held a banquet.

They distributed food and alcohol throughout the city and prepared a lavish feast within the castle for the knights to enjoy freely.

Turan thought this was excessively noisy and premature.

Though extremely unlikely, there might be other monsters blocking inter-city travel besides that monkey monster.

When he casually brought this up at the banquet, Izela burst out laughing, saying he worried too much.

“Really? Such creatures wouldn’t appear two or three at a time. And honestly, it wouldn’t matter even if they did.”

The logic was that announcing the reopening of the blocked trade route came first, and if monster attacks occurred again, they could simply say “Oh, we didn’t know” and send another subjugation party.

What about losing authority if a ruler makes mistakes or changes their words?

For magic lords, public support and trust were nice to have but ultimately dispensable.

Their rule over humans wasn’t based on such invisible factors, but rather on overwhelming power that could burn any rebellion to ashes.

“What are the stars of this subjugation doing in such a secluded corner?”

While they were chatting, someone interrupted with meaningful words.

The Rug family head looked at Turan and Izela alternately with half-closed eyes.

“Oh father, don’t even start. Our guest just worries too much.”

Hearing Izela’s words, Rug also laughed heartily and dismissed Turan’s concerns as excessive.

He said creatures that strong only appear once or twice a year at most.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t wrong.

Monsters typically appear more frequently in prosperous regions, but considering the continent as a whole, if creatures capable of instantly killing knights were roaming around in this relatively remote area, how could Keorn have traveled alone?

What about other ordinary travelers?

During their conversation, Izela excused herself to get some food and slipped away.

Left alone with Turan, Rug first offered his wine cup.

“Here, have a drink instead. As a host, it would be shameful not to offer a guest even one drink.”

Orem’s liquor was incomparably stronger than the beer he had drunk at the Murei inn.

The burning sensation in his throat and the intense aroma that stung his nose made Turan cough involuntarily.

“Haha! Acting like someone who’s never had alcohol before!”

“I’ve never had such strong liquor before.”

Fortunately, a noble’s robust body wouldn’t be affected by just a couple of strong drinks, so Turan could maintain his composure and be a proper drinking companion without getting drunk.

After about four drinks served by passing servants, Rug spoke with half-closed eyes.

“By the way, what do you think of Izela?”

A question similar in context to what Marvin had asked earlier that day.

Turan replied calmly without changing his expression.

“I think of her as the lady of the family I’m indebted to.”

“No romantic interest then?”

“To be honest, no.”

Rug slightly frowned at the almost rudely honest answer, but Turan didn’t apologize.

He hadn’t been particularly attracted to Izela to begin with, and after seeing her behavior during the subjugation, what little attraction he had felt had diminished further.

He judged it better to be clear-cut rather than leave room for misunderstanding out of consideration for the other’s face.

As expected, instead of getting angry about his daughter being rejected, Rug heaved a deep sigh.

“Can’t be helped, I was hoping you’d take a liking to my daughter.”

“She’ll find a better match.”

“How many matches of your caliber do you think we can find in this remote region? I heard you didn’t show any signs of strain while absorbing magic this time.”

“Well, yes. Because I’m still quite lacking.”

“I heard your magic level isn’t much different from Izela’s, so are you saying my daughter is lacking?”

Faced with this difficult question, Turan remained silent and looked at his counterpart.

Then, Rug suddenly spoke in what seemed like a lamenting tone.

“Well, you’re not wrong. Though Izela’s innate qualities weren’t bad, she reached her growth limit much earlier than expected. It’s not enough to maintain the Baltas family head position. At this rate, Gilon… that is, my nephew you haven’t met, will have to be named the next head. If Izela were to unite with you, that wouldn’t be necessary-”

Now he understood why Marvin had been happy to hear about his lack of interest in Izela.

If Turan were to marry Izela, it could become a major obstacle to his older brother becoming family head.

What he couldn’t understand was Rug’s attitude of freely sharing such intimate matters.

Surely a family head wouldn’t get drunk enough to loose his tongue?

Shortly after, seeing the cold eyes measuring him up, Turan could guess why Rug had shared such complaints.

He hoped Turan’s heart would waver after learning these circumstances.

Either guilt or responsibility for making someone lose their position as next family head by rejecting their persistent marriage proposals, or ambition to gain this city by marrying Izela.

He was calculating that either motivation might work.

“I trust the family head will make a wise decision.”

Seemingly realizing from this response that Turan had seen through his intentions and was refusing, Rug heaved an even deeper sigh than before.

“So that’s how it is. Well, I understand… Enjoy the banquet then. Just let me know before you leave the city.”

Turan couldn’t help but laugh when Rug blatantly asked when he would leave right after hearing his lack of interest in marriage.

Rather than anger at such obvious materialistic behavior, he found it amusing.

As Rug showed signs of leaving, Turan decided to ask something he’d been curious about.

Of course, not directly, but in a roundabout way.

“Ah, family head. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

Though Rug showed obvious signs of annoyance, Turan pretended not to notice and continued.

“While using the library, I wondered – don’t you check if anyone steals books? They’re all valuable items, regardless of whether people use them or not.”

“Hmm? Don’t you know? I thought you knew and that’s why you only read in the library.”

When Turan shook his head in incomprehension at these meaningful words, the family head put on a show-off expression.

He seemed to want the satisfaction of overwhelming with knowledge the Turan who had rejected his subtle proposal.

“The Sky Library was built during the old empire era, so if someone tries to take out books without permission, a tremendously loud warning sound rings out. Actually, not telling people this beforehand and watching them get embarrassed was one of my pleasures.”

“How does one get permission?”

“Who knows! Detailed records about the library were already gone before our family took this city. Well, anyway, taking books out only triggers the warning sound, and functions like automatically organizing books still work normally…”

Turan’s eyes sparkled as he listened.

What he had half-doubted until just now was confirmed by those final words.

* * *

The next day, Turan headed straight to the library after breakfast, just as he had done the day before yesterday.

“Welcome, noble one.”

The knight who had become familiar with Turan’s face let him in without even checking his entry permit.

Entering the first floor lobby, the middle-aged librarian sitting at the desk greeted Turan as always.

“Welcome, Lord Turan.”

Turan burst into a hollow laugh as he realized how unobservant he had been about the librarian’s greeting.

Thinking about it, the clues had been there from the start.

First, the title “Lord Turan.”

No knight or commoner in this city called him that.

They only addressed him as “noble one.”

Plus, there was how he had been watching from behind while Turan read.

Turan’s reading pattern was to come in early after breakfast and only leave when it was time for dinner.

During all that time, the librarian never once went to the bathroom, ate, or even drank water – just kept watching Turan.

Though not impossible for a normal person, it was a strikingly unusual element.

But Turan had been so absorbed in his books that he hadn’t noticed at all.

“How did you know my name?”

At Turan’s question, the librarian’s humble expression changed to that of a mischievous child.

“My, you noticed awfully late, you dull fellow. Didn’t you even ask people outside about me?”

“I haven’t really associated with many people in this city enough to have such conversations.”

“Quite the loner, aren’t you? Though I could tell from how you kept burying yourself in books.”

Though the hierarchy of their conversation had suddenly reversed, it didn’t feel awkward.

The librarian chuckled and casually threw the book he was reading back to where it belonged.

“I learned your name from your entry permit. My sight reaches to around this library.”

“How should I address you, sir?”

“I am the Librarian. I never had a name to begin with, so just call me that.”

“Understood, Elder Librarian.”

“Your polite manner feels awkward. After ordering me around these past few days.”

“I never ordered you around. Rather, you’re the one doing that now.”

“Young one trying not to lose even a single word!”

Though snorting, the librarian’s face clearly showed he was enjoying this kind of banter.

Sitting across from the librarian, Turan asked once again about his identity.

“Are you a magician from the old empire?”

“I was never human to begin with. You could say I’m a kind of spirit. The library’s spirit.”

“A spirit…”

None of the books Turan had read covered such beings in detail.

He had only heard about forest fairies using spirit arts to handle life spirits, nature spirits, and death spirits in “World Travel Journal,” but that was about it.

Knowing Turan’s limited knowledge, the librarian immediately explained.

“When a soul dwells in something living, it’s a life spirit; in something dead, a death spirit; in something neither living nor dead, a nature spirit. In other words, the library is my body. This form is just projected for convenience in conversing with users. Like a reflection in water, you could say.”

Hearing this, Turan unconsciously poked the librarian’s hand resting on the table.

Indeed, his finger passed through the hand and hit the desk as if nothing was there.

Seeing this, the librarian slightly frowned.

“Stop that, it’s unpleasant.”

“I apologize.”

The librarian’s expression softened again as Turan quickly withdrew his hand and apologized.

“You don’t know how frustrating it is to be unable to directly exert force on intruders. If I could, I would have punished all those thieves trying to take books from the library…”

So that’s why so many books had disappeared despite such a being existing – it seems he couldn’t use force against people.

Probably only able to move books and clean inside the library.

Turan nodded and asked what he was curious about.

“The Baltas family head seemed unaware of your existence. In fact, perhaps everyone who’s used this library.”

“That’s because there hasn’t been anyone qualified to perceive me until now. It’s been about three thousand years since I last conversed with someone, so even though you ‘magicians’ live quite long, it’s been long enough that not even records remain… magicians, hah.”

For some reason, the librarian burst into laughter as if he found the word ‘magician’ impossibly amusing.

Turan stared blankly at him at this incomprehensible response.

He had found someone to talk to after an unfathomable period of three thousand years, yet he calmly pretended to be a Baltas family servant and played tricks?

What if Turan had lost interest in books and never returned?

When asked this, the librarian snorted.

“Then that would have been the end of it. Unlike you all, three thousand years isn’t such a distant time for me. In another few thousand years, someone else would probably come along.”

Hearing this, Turan could truly feel how this spirit was a completely different being from humans.

Well, rocks and rivers don’t find thousands of years tedious, do they?

Shaking his head, Turan asked again.

“About the qualification, what is it?”

“My creator made it so only those whose type completion is above a certain level can perceive me. And you had the highest completion among all magicians I’ve seen in the past three thousand years.”

“Type…?”

“What you call bloodline.”

High bloodline completion – what does that mean?

Along with his pondering, he recalled what Keorn had told him.

Magicians are descendants of gods, bloodline abilities are one of the characteristics possessed by their ancestors, the Frea divine tribe…

So, that spirit was saying Turan was the closest to divinity among all magicians he had seen in the past three thousand years.