Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Discord
The territory of Baraha, known as the Land of Five Lakes, had long been renowned for its diverse and abundant natural environment.
Forests and mountains scattered between fertile plains.
Five massive lakes and the rivers flowing from them, maintaining a humid climate in a region otherwise prone to dryness due to high sunlight exposure.
While the Dakein Plains produced vast quantities of grain from lightning-struck black soil, this land’s pride was its orchards filled with fruits so sweet they seemed infused with sugar.
As Turan’s group passed through, grapevines grew abundantly on both sides of the road.
“Those look quite delicious.”
“It’s not quite the season for them to be fully ripe yet. Should I pick some if you want?”
“That would be stealing, my son.”
“Son my foot.”
Turan laughed heartily at Solif’s grumbling as he walked ahead, leaning on his walking stick.
Two days after disguising themselves with magical devices.
Unlike the initial awkwardness, Turan now appeared completely like an elderly man of his apparent age to anyone who saw him.
In truth, a young person disguising themselves as elderly required more than just changing their speech pattern.
Unlike younger people, one had to deliberately act out subtle movements like creaking joints and fatigue from diminished physical abilities—aspects difficult to control intentionally.
But having perfected his acting skills while impersonating Oneil Carmine, Turan now embodied an elderly man in his twilight years so convincingly that even his two companions might have trouble recognizing him if they met elsewhere.
“We seem to be almost there.”
Under the sunset’s twilight, the city that would normally appear pure white welcomed them bathed in orange light.
The White City, Helio.
Looking around the city where the Baraha family head would normally reside, Turan clicked his tongue lightly.
“Something feels off.”
“What is it?”
“I noticed it on our way here too—there are too few mages wandering around. Normally in a great family’s capital, knights should be commonly seen even in the outskirts…”
This was precisely why they had landed some distance away and approached on foot in disguise rather than flying directly to the capital.
Flying too high might catch the eye of a Baraha noble with exceptional vision.
Solif made a small groan and said:
“Perhaps it’s because of what happened on that island back then.”
“Island?”
“You know, when I was captured.”
“Ah.”
Though cryptically brief, the essence of his statement wasn’t difficult to understand.
When Turan had rescued Solif in the past, hadn’t he killed more than a dozen high-ranking nobles who were essentially Baraha’s elite forces?
The security void created by their deaths would have been filled by slightly weaker nobles, and the resulting gaps further filled by even weaker nobles or knights straining themselves…
Such a chain reaction could certainly explain the reduced number of mages guarding the capital.
Moreover, the Baraha family head was likely away, having traveled far from here.
Naturally, nobles escorting the family head would have accompanied them in large numbers, so it wasn’t particularly strange that Helio was essentially in an unarmed state now.
“I hope that’s really the case. It would make things easier for us.”
With those final words from Turan, the three fell silent as they entered Helio City.
Since the sun was already setting, they found a suitable inn to spend the night, then headed toward where Solif’s parents had originally resided.
The two weren’t particularly high-ranking nobles, so they had lived in a mansion on the outskirts of the city.
Upon arriving at the mansion, Turan looked at Solif and shook his head slightly.
Indicating that he sensed no presence of people inside.
Despite their hopes, it seemed Solif’s mother had also moved elsewhere with his father.
Solif’s face contorted at this realization.
“Damn…”
“They’ll be safe.”
“Stay strong.”
While comforting him with a pat on the shoulder, Turan used tracking magic to locate Solif’s father, Godis.
Immediately, he felt a vivid sensation as if the target were right in front of him.
From experience, this meant they were within a few kilometers, likely somewhere within the city.
“Let’s head this way for now.”
Shortly after, the three followed the tracking magic’s guidance and arrived in front of a building.
Solif groaned softly and muttered:
“As I suspected… inside the Temple of the Sun.”
An ancient imperial building constructed long ago for priests who worshipped the Silver Sun.
Now serving as a residence for Baraha’s highest-ranking nobles, it was just as majestic as other ancient imperial structures.
The first thing that caught the eye was the exterior wall made of pure white marble.
Unlike other buildings that quickly became ash-gray from dust and dirt, this one shone with a pristine whiteness that felt almost sacred, as if nothing could tarnish it.
The roof above was made of a material resembling fired ceramics, with a bright golden color that reflected the sunlight from the sky, illuminating the surroundings.
Unlike Arabion’s “Fortress of Light” which was forcibly covered with magical devices, this truly seemed like a small sun residing on earth.
‘At this rate, I won’t even be able to attempt invisibility magic.’
Turan had thought they might not be particularly vigilant since they were allies with Zahar, but the building itself seemed designed to prevent infiltration using invisibility magic.
Perhaps in ancient times, the Silver Sun had constructed such buildings to guard against the Night Hunter.
To avoid looking suspicious by simply staring, Turan’s group blended with the crowd as ordinary pilgrims, praying in front of the Temple of the Sun.
A passing knight approached and asked:
“Are you pilgrims?”
“Yes, we’ve come from Moro Village in the south, seeking the brightest blessing of the sun…”
“Save it, just pay and pray.”
“Here you are.”
Turan smiled and paid the fee, ignoring the knight’s irritable tone.
Meanwhile, he used tracking magic with the hair hidden in his sleeve.
‘Inside… something feels strange, is it underground? I can’t locate it precisely without entering.’
The fact that no magical power could be sensed from inside the temple, coupled with other observations, suggested it likely had functions that interfered with detection, similar to Arabion’s headquarters.
Though it apparently couldn’t block Zahar’s tracking magic.
After finishing their prayers and leaving, Turan informed his companions:
“We’ll need to go inside to learn more details.”
“Infiltration at night?”
“Naturally.”… Both nodded, swallowing nervously.
* * *
Late at night, the three cautiously left the inn and walked through the nighttime streets.
The streets that had been bustling with people during the day were now completely silent, as if dead.
At this hour, even gambling halls and taverns were closed.
Only thieves, criminals, or police hunting them would be wandering around at such a time.
“Police coming ahead.”
With Turan’s whisper, the three instantly vanished.
Invisibility magic.
Though considered a privilege of Zahar, ordinary mages could use it with sufficient practice.
Most simply didn’t bother learning it since, like all living beings, they naturally produced sounds and scents that made it ineffective against nobles.
Naturally, ordinary human police couldn’t detect nobles using standard invisibility magic.
As someone carrying a torch passed by, Solif exclaimed in amazement:
“Wow, this is amazing…”
“Don’t make noise.”
Perhaps his elevated mood was an attempt to overcome tension.
Turan sharply reprimanded him while looking ahead.
Though much darker than during the day, the Temple of the Sun still shone brightly.
“We’ve come this far smoothly.”
“So… shall we enter? Where’s the place you mentioned?”
“This way.”
The Temple of the Sun had a fairly thorough defense system, though not quite as extensive as Arabion’s main house.
The temple’s only main entrance was constantly guarded by two nobles, and someone using light magic watched the sky.
Meanwhile, the underground, which could have been the only viable infiltration route, was blocked by ancient imperial ramparts that couldn’t be breached by conventional methods.
But who was Solif if not resourceful?
Befitting the heir of Baraha, he had spent his youth in that temple and thoroughly understood the building’s structure.
He even knew several secret passages known only to those of high status.
A sewer located about two hundred meters from the temple.
Turan’s group picked the lock smoothly and entered the foul, dark underground passage.
Shortly after, Solif pointed to one wall:
“Here it is.”
Pressing a brick between two unusually closely spaced torch brackets caused the wall to rotate with a creaking sound.
Judging by the absence of magical energy, it seemed to use some mechanical device, but due to lack of use, it made rusty, poorly aligned noises.
“Let’s go in.”
“Wait.”
Just as they were about to enter, creating lights, Turan raised his hand to stop the group.
“There’s a barrier.”
“A barrier?”
“They probably prepared for your return. Someone who knew you were aware of this secret passage must have set it up.”
Turan, who could see the flow of magical power, detected an invisible magical net woven across the middle of the narrow passage.
If Solif had entered alone, he would have been caught without noticing it.
It was a method that could achieve excellent results without much effort.
At least, if Turan hadn’t been present.
Turan activated the Earth Guardian bloodline, manipulated the stone walls to create a passage bypassing the barrier, and overcame it.
As they continued walking down the narrow path, he suddenly sensed the presence of several mages from above.
“We must have entered the temple interior. About sixty nobles… around seven hundred knights. The family head doesn’t seem to be here.”
It was certainly a weaker force compared to Arabion’s main house.
Likely influenced by Turan killing elite nobles while rescuing Solif in the past, and the family head’s escort having departed separately.
What was somewhat surprising was the relatively high number of capable nobles present despite this.
Had they selected lower-ranking nobles to accompany the family head?
“What about my father?”
“Just a moment… he’s close. We should go straight from here. There doesn’t seem to be anyone outside right now.”
Using tracking magic again, Turan sensed Godis’s presence not far away.
He emerged from the passage’s exit and looked around.
“Where are we?”
“The underground wine cellar.”
Indeed, the scent of wine permeated the air, confirming Solif’s words.
Having confirmed that Godis’s location was underground, Turan explained an improvised plan to his companions.
Instead of going up to the surface, they would dig a tunnel directly toward Godis.
“…Will that be alright?”
“It should be fine. As far as I know, there’s no separate defense system monitoring the underground from the inside.”
With Solif’s support, Turan’s impromptu tunnel plan was immediately executed.
After breaching the stone wall in the direction of the presence, Turan created a tunnel using the Earth Guardian bloodline’s power.
Solif and Meisa followed, reinforcing the tunnel to prevent collapse.
“I never thought my mining experience would be so useful.”
“Haha!”
Perhaps to lighten the tense atmosphere, Meisa made a light joke, causing Solif to laugh exaggeratedly.
Shortly after, they completed an underground tunnel connecting two large buildings, spanning about four hundred meters.
Emerging at the exit, Turan read the presences from the other side.
[“Two mid-rank nobles and one knight. The knight is aboveground, and the two mid-rank nobles are below.”]
As they were getting close enough for others to potentially hear them, he used wind paths to control his voice and prevent it from leaking out.
[“They’re probably my parents, with the knight as a guard.”]
[“Guard?”]
[“This is a prison.”]
At Solif’s words, Turan looked around with renewed interest.
Unlike the bleak space with iron bars where Solif had been imprisoned in the past, this corridor with various decorations seemed far too luxurious to be called a prison.
Perhaps this level of opulence was standard for nobles’ prisons.
After all, he had never seen a prison designed for nobles before.
[“Let’s go in.”]
As Turan’s group moved directly toward Solif’s parents, they soon encountered a large iron door.
Not just the door, but even the surrounding walls were infused with magical power, suggesting they were made of materials enchanted to be indestructible.
Much like the residences of family heads.
The door was secured with three thick locks, also enchanted to resist conventional breaking methods.
Forcing them open would require making considerable noise.
However, these defense systems crumbled pathetically before Turan’s simple magic.
‘They apparently didn’t prepare for unlocking magic. Well, they probably don’t even know such a thing exists.’
The metal locks opened helplessly with clicking sounds as he pointed at them… a technique impossible for anyone but a mage with the Storm bloodline who could skillfully manipulate wind.
Of course, expecting them to prepare for such a method all the way out here, far from Arabion, would be excessively harsh.
Opening the door and entering, Turan discovered Godis, whom he had met recently, and a middle-aged woman asleep together on a bed.
‘That must be Solif’s mother.’
Solif’s mother, Romi.
Though he was seeing her for the first time, he could immediately recognize her face from portraits he had seen through divination magic.
The room’s facilities weren’t bad, but both appeared haggard, suggesting their confinement hadn’t been particularly pleasant.
“Father, Mother…”
A soft whisper that sleeping people shouldn’t have heard.
Yet the middle-aged couple immediately opened their eyes, not missing their child’s faint murmur.
Perhaps it was hearing their child’s voice, which they hadn’t expected to hear.
They gasped as they saw the three people who had entered the room, particularly Solif, who had deactivated his mask.
“You…?”
“How…?”
At that moment, Solif’s gaze turned not to his parents but to Turan beside him.
Turan took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the middle-aged couple before him, the smell of emotions residing within them.
Confusion, worry, fear, and… the kind of affection typically emanating from those who care for others.
As he nodded, Solif’s face brightened.
“Why are you imprisoned here?”
Perhaps due to excessive worry?
Even while realizing his parents truly thought of him as their child, Solif unconsciously spoke in a somewhat accusatory tone.
Godis responded bluntly:
“Why do you think? Because my foolish son suddenly went mad and ran away from the family.”
Unlike his formal speech when Turan had met him previously, his manner toward Solif resembled that of ordinary fathers.
At that moment, Solif’s mother Romi interrupted, poking Godis’s side:
“More importantly, are you hurt? How did you get here?”
“I’m not hurt, so don’t worry. Let’s talk after we leave…”
Though they had infiltrated without leaving traces, this was still a Baraha prison.
There was no benefit in lingering.
Then, Godis quietly said to Turan and Meisa:
“Did you not deliver my letter?”
“I did. Coming here was his choice.”
Strictly speaking, Solif had been considering whether to visit his parents right up until they arrived here.
If even that letter had been a trap, it would have meant there was truly no hope left.
But judging by how his parents were essentially imprisoned, it seemed he had made the right choice in coming.
While Solif was discussing something with his mother, Turan questioned Godis:
“How long have you been imprisoned?”
“About two months for me. Over a year and a half for Romi.”
According to his explanation, Godis had returned after traveling to the western wasteland in search of Solif.
Since his wife Romi was being held hostage, he had searched diligently, but his lack of results was interpreted as deliberate underperformance.
He sighed quietly and said:
“They said they would forgive him if I persuaded him to return, but I never believed it from the start. Knowing how this family operates, they would have killed him and used his magical power for other promising children.”
“It might have been even worse than that.”
“Pardon?”
“We’ll discuss that later. It’s quite a complex story.”
From his manner of speaking, Godis seemed completely unaware of the gods’ secret.
Explaining it would take far more than a few minutes.
In truth, it might be better not to explain for the sake of his safety.
“More importantly, I wanted to ask you something—when you were raising him…”
Turan was about to ask if solidifying his personality and habits had been the will of the upper echelons, and if so, what reasons they had given for raising him that way, but he stopped.
Instead, he stared intently at the stone ceiling.
“What’s wrong?”
Turan didn’t even hear Godis’s question as he expanded his Holy Relic’s perception to sense the movement above ground.
Dozens of nobles and hundreds of knights who had been sleeping.
All seemed to be moving frantically, as if they had detected an intruder.