Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Discord
Dark elves were one of the non-human races that enslaved humanity until ancient times, before the Frea divine tribe descended.
Among them, dark elves, characterized by dark purple skin and silver hair, specialized in necromancy – controlling death spirits that arise from dead magicians or monsters.
As expected, pale green light emerged from the two dark elves’ hands.
[■□■□■□-]
Along with an eerie growl echoing through the quiet forest, five or six death spirits appeared and surrounded the red horse and its master.
Wolf, lynx, buffalo…
Though the red horse roared fiercely and pawed the ground to threaten its enemies, it was clearly outnumbered.
Turan hid behind a tree and fell into contemplation.
‘Should I help?’
Following Keorn’s teachings, he should naturally help the human side, but he was slightly concerned about not knowing how this fight started.
If that fallen man had attacked the dark elves first, helping him might actually be wrong.
Books described dark elves and other non-human races as monsters who all enjoyed enslaving and eating humans, but at least until he confirmed clear evidence of their evil-
“Whose hand is that? Give me one too.”
“Eat your own. You must have saved some.”
The male dark elf munching on what were clearly human fingers.
Seeing this confirmed that the information about dark elves enjoying cannibalism wasn’t prejudice but fact.
Turan switched from mere concealment to complete stealth, approached about twenty paces closer, and while preparing an almond-shaped stone, chanted familiar spells.
“Harden, accelerate, pierce – target the head.”
Though such spell chanting wasn’t very helpful now that his magic proficiency had increased, it was still slightly better than not doing it.
As the stone was released from the spinning sling, Turan exerted force to split the ‘air’ blocking the front, making the stone even faster.
“All the men I killed had too much hair-”
While the female dark elf was speaking jokingly, with a sharp cracking sound, her companion’s head disappeared.
As if an invisible hand had instantly swept away everything above the neck.
Half of the death spirits targeting the red horse, those controlled by the male dark elf, collapsed where they stood.
“Huh? Kel?”
The female dark elf wore a blank expression as if not understanding the situation momentarily, but gathered the death spirits around herself much faster than Turan had anticipated.
Thanks to this, his second stone was deflected by the mountain goat death spirit surrounding her body.
“Tch.”
“Who dares! Show yourself!”
The dark elf screamed and immediately sent the buffalo death spirit to tear up the ground where the stone had come from, but naturally, Turan had already left that position.
Seemingly realizing her opponent was using stealth, she summoned another death spirit.
“Let’s see if you can hide from this!”
This time’s death spirit was a small fox about the same size as its kind.
As soon as it appeared, it began emitting bright light in all directions, instantly making the somewhat dim forest brighter than an open field at noon.
“Tsk.”
Just as it’s difficult to light a fire underwater, stealth’s effectiveness drastically decreases in bright places.
He had to either maintain stealth while enduring massive magic consumption or release it.
Or he could run away, but then the red horse and its master would be in danger again.
As Turan clicked his tongue and released his stealth, the dark elf growled at him.
“You! Devil! How dare you kill Kel!”
She immediately ordered the wolf and buffalo death spirits to attack without giving him time to respond.
In response, Turan created sparks by strongly rubbing his hands together, like striking flint.
Friction creates heat, and heat causes ignition.
Just vaguely understanding this principle and inducing it made the flame in his hands much more intense than before.
The fireball spun rapidly through the air gaining centrifugal force before precisely striking the approaching wolf’s head.
[■■■■-!]
The wolf death spirit screamed and collapsed from the fireball that struck at nearly imperceptible speed.
The problem was the giant buffalo charging from the opposite direction.
The distance was too short to attempt another flame throw, and without confidence in taking down something that size in one hit, Turan immediately rolled to avoid its charge trajectory.
Though somewhat ungraceful, he succeeded in dodging.
“This…!”
Perhaps disliking this sight, the female dark elf made another gesture to summon a deer death spirit and sent it charging at Turan.
It seemed her limit was controlling four at once.
‘Good thing I took one out early.’
If he had to face eight or more at once, running away would have been the only option.
While dodging another buffalo charge and raising a second fireball to burn the deer, suddenly a burning pain shot through his leg.
“Ugh!?”
Looking down, the fox that had been emitting bright light earlier had somehow turned off its light and was silently biting his leg.
He thought it was only brought out for illumination to prevent stealth, but who knew it could attack too.
Though he managed to quickly kick away the fox’s neck with his other foot, it was impossible to also dodge the buffalo’s charge that took advantage of that opening.
Turan was rammed and flew dozens of meters through the air before crashing into a nearby tree.
“Kuh…”
The impact was enough to briefly lose consciousness.
Unable to breathe as if his internal organs had been pushed up, Turan couldn’t even scream and just lay there gasping.
Seeing this, the dark elf smiled with satisfaction.
“Serves you right! How dare you kill my Kel, I’ll make you beg for death-kyaa!”
[Neee-hihihing!]
The one who suddenly attacked the proud dark elf was none other than the red horse.
It had been quietly observing their fight and finally recognized Turan as an ally and joined in.
Thanks to wearing the mountain goat death spirit, she didn’t die from one hit, but the dark elf’s appearance quickly became a mess as she was trampled mercilessly by hooves while pinned down.
“Keh, ugh, help, quickly!”
Following their master’s order, the buffalo and fox that were about to finish Turan, along with the mountain goat protecting her body, all pounced on the red horse, starting a three-against-one melee.
The dark elf woman who barely escaped her position panted while fixing her disheveled appearance.
“How dare you, such humiliation, I’ll kill you…”
After this brief anger, the dark elf realized Turan, who had been sent flying by the buffalo earlier, was now nowhere to be seen.
Did he run away? Or use stealth?
‘I need to get the mountain goat back quickly… no, but then the balance of that fight would break?’
In this dilemma, her judgment clouded, and with a slightly smaller cracking sound than before, her consciousness faded.
Dark elves, like humans, couldn’t think once everything above their eyebrows disappeared.
“Whew…”
The final stone throw, using up both magic and physical strength to their limits.
After confirming it had crushed the opponent’s head, Turan collapsed where he stood.
The ground seemed to shake and sway his body so much he couldn’t even think of getting up.
‘I’m really dying here.’
Had he ever pushed his body and mind this hard in his life?
While looking up at the pale yellow sky, suddenly a red shadow heavily covered it.
[Hihihing.]
The red horse approached Turan and nuzzled its muzzle against his chest.
Though not certain, it felt like it was saying “well done” in encouragement.
Smiling slightly while stroking its nose bridge, Turan rested for about thirty minutes to recover some strength before getting up.
No matter how close to death he felt, having won the fight, he had to collect the spoils.
The three death spirits controlled by the male dark elf, and the five controlled by the female dark elf.
* * *
“Ugh…”
In the dim forest, Asiz Berk groaned with a headache as he opened his eyes.
Perhaps due to being knocked unconscious after getting hit in the head, his memories were all jumbled and confused.
The sudden dark elf attack, the fight, escape, his vassals sacrificing themselves one by one for him…
“Damik!”
Calling out the name of his butler who had served him until the end, Asiz quickly raised his upper body.
The first thing he saw was a campfire burning over neatly arranged firewood.
Across from it sat a person wearing a reddish-brown cloak.
He was a handsome man with gray hair tied in a ponytail, looking two or three years younger than himself by commoner standards.
“You’re awake.”
“Who are you?”
“I saw you being attacked by dark elves and saved you.”
Hearing this and looking around, Asiz realized this wasn’t the forest he last remembered.
While briefly confused about what had happened, a familiar presence enveloped him.
His beloved horse since childhood, Tilly, carefully rested its leg on his shoulder.
“Tilly…”
“It’s a good horse. Smart enough to understand protecting its master and needing to move locations for safety.”
Confirming Tilly was safe, Asiz finally became certain the other person had saved him.
If he were suspicious, his beloved horse wouldn’t have allowed such close approach.
“Thank you for saving me. I am Asiz of the Berk family.”
“I’m Turan.”
Though he didn’t reveal his family name, Asiz had no doubt the other was nobility.
The dark elf necromancers pursuing him weren’t beings that mere knights could handle.
That terrifying sight of them controlling numerous death spirits…
“Was there a particular reason for your conflict with the dark elves?”
“Reason… no, there wasn’t. I was just on pilgrimage with my vassals when we were suddenly ambushed. I’d heard non-humans were fierce, but never imagined to this extent.”
After answering thus, Asiz suddenly remembered something that made his chest tight and he clenched his teeth.
The six knights and ten servants who had followed him, especially butler Damik who had practically raised him – the fact that they were all dead suddenly hit him again.
Though he tried to hold back in front of a stranger, he couldn’t stop his vision from blurring.
While Asiz sobbed, forgetting noble dignity, Turan considerately closed his eyes and looked at the campfire.
Actually, he was too exhausted to offer comfort.
His body, rammed by the buffalo death spirit, was aching and creaking all over.
The only consolation was the massive amount of magic power he felt inside.
Power gained from consuming eight death spirits, at least double what he had before the fight…
Considering he hadn’t grown much since catching the monkey monster, only catching small fry along the road, this was truly great luck.
Though he nearly died for real in the process.
After a while, Asiz seemed to have gathered his emotions somewhat and apologized while rubbing his reddened eyes.
“I apologize for my rudeness. The people I lost this time were very precious to me…”
“Were they family?”
“They were knights and servants who came on pilgrimage with me. They practically raised me since I was young.”
Hearing this, Turan internally gave Asiz high marks.
How noble his attitude compared to the Baltas family nobles who treated knights like doormats.
But that aside, there was information he needed to collect first.
“How many dark elves attacked you? I killed two.”
“That should be all of them.”
Even after getting this confirmation, Turan cast another detection spell around the area just in case.
Fortunately, there were no dark elves within several kilometers, so he could breathe easy for now.
Then, Asiz deeply bowed his head to Turan and asked.
“Lord Turan, do you have any urgent business?”
“I too am on pilgrimage.”
Hearing Turan’s words, Asiz’s eyes widened in surprise.
“On pilgrimage alone with such power… are you perhaps from a great family? But why alone?”
“I’d rather not say.”
It seemed Asiz was greatly exaggerating Turan’s strength.
In reality, he had only managed to ambush and deal with one, then struggled against the other before winning with the red horse’s help, but Asiz seemed to think he had overwhelmed both alone.
Turan released his aura toward the other to correct this misunderstanding.
Asiz flinched but responded by releasing his own aura, and his power was actually stronger than Turan’s before fighting the necromancers.
About two-thirds of his current strength.
‘…surprisingly strong?’
Thinking he might have been able to fight with that red horse’s help, Turan then remembered that magic power doesn’t determine everything in battle.
Especially since he seemed clearly weak-hearted and unsuited for combat.
While Turan was making these assessments, Asiz was internally shocked while guessing at the other’s identity.
Though his magic power was quite strong, it was definitely not enough to face those two necromancers.
This meant either exceptionally superior magic skill and combat sense, or being born with a powerful bloodline.
Moreover, saying he was still on pilgrimage meant he hadn’t reached his growth limit, which would make him a welcome talent in any great family.
Though unclear why such a person would wander around without even one subordinate…
“If you don’t have a set destination, would it be alright to invite you to our Berk family? We’ll repay you for saving my life and accompanying me safely back to the family.”
“Repay how?”
He didn’t know of any Berk family among the families he knew of.
They seemed quite wealthy, keeping such a monster and even bringing it on travels…
“Our Berk family are vassals of the great Arabion family in the north, with an enchanter bloodline that has created magical devices for generations.”
Thus Asiz proudly declared they could more than repay the life debt owed to Turan.