Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 131

Chapter 131

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Discord         

The mountain range in the northwest of the gray zone was notorious for its treacherous terrain, to the extent that there were virtually no roads suitable for human passage.

As a result, it took Turan’s group a full five days to descend to the vicinity of Kalamaf.

This would have been impossible without Bije carrying dozens of people at a time using a large net.

Additionally, dwarves that occasionally attacked them during the descent posed another problem.

Those that Turan and the Arabion army had subjugated in the past were merely one faction among the dwarves.

Several dwarf hideouts still remained in remote corners uninhabited by humans, including the mountain ranges of this gray zone, and those who had slipped out from there, smelling humans, attacked with the intention of obtaining meat.

Naturally, what awaited them was the powerful intervention of mages.

Not only Turan, Meisa, and Solif, but even the mages belonging to the Berk family were quite formidable.

Though dwarves’ exceptional physical abilities made them difficult for knights to face one-on-one, the knights were skilled at fighting together, and even if their individual power was modest, they possessed several useful magical devices.

“This doesn’t seem like a very hospitable place to live, from what I’ve heard.”

“It should get better once we descend. I cleared out this area once before… seems they’ve started appearing again lately.”

As Haram grumbled while cleaning his sword of dwarf blood, Turan responded with an awkward smile.

Briefly afterward, his eyes gleamed coldly as he looked down at Kalamaf City visible in the distance to the south.

‘No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem to be properly managed.’

About a year ago, after infiltrating the Carmine family and leaving, Turan had stopped by Kalamaf.

There, after seeing that Zahar was managing the city while impersonating him, he had indirectly left a warning.

‘I’ll come find you when I need you, so in the meantime, take good care of the city. If you’re negligent, I’ll retaliate.’

He had expected this warning to be effective for at least ten years, but looking at the current state, that didn’t seem to be the case.

The fact that dwarves had descended as far as their current location, the outskirts of Kalamaf, meant that the city wasn’t being properly managed.

Moreover, the farms and pastures that were beginning to appear on the outskirts of Kalamaf looked more dilapidated and shabby than before, and the people passing by had eyes clearly wary of their surroundings.

If a shepherd had properly cared for his sheep, they wouldn’t need to react so nervously.

Whoever was currently residing there, it seemed necessary to have a serious conversation with them.

After chatting a bit more with Haram, Turan turned his gaze to Meisa and Solif.

The two were meditating with closed eyes even as they walked.

As one deepens their achievement in spiritual studies, it becomes possible to respond to external stimuli even in a state of calming the mind and observing the inner self.

Of course, this was closer to a reflexive response level, somewhat different from a fully conscious state.

Opening his spiritual vision, Turan could immediately see what they were practicing.

‘Hmm…’

They were practicing extracting an avatar, or more precisely, extracting an avatar from their spirit form nestled inside their heads.

This was the same type of technique Turan had used to subdue Kadram by extracting his own spirit form.

However, it wasn’t going very smoothly, as their spirit forms were merely distorting inside their heads without properly coming out.

This was slower progress compared to Turan, who had been able to emerge almost immediately after reaching this level.

According to the experience of prior learning, to combine symbols, one first needed to master this spirit form transformation.

‘It seems this is helpful, after all.’

Turan glanced down at the Mimic Holy Relic hanging on his chest.

When he activated the Nagin bloodline’s power—the Dominator and Beast Handler bloodlines—contained within it, his spiritual abilities were greatly enhanced.

His rapid achievement was likely largely due to this influence.

But unlike before when he could share magical power, now after being strengthened once by the Giant Sea Serpent’s power, he could only enjoy that power entirely for himself.

Ultimately, this too was a problem that time would solve.

If only he could be certain there would be enough time ahead.

“Oh…”

At that moment, a farmer who spotted Turan’s group heading toward Kalamaf rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

He seemed to have recognized Turan, but Turan pretended not to notice and quietly passed by him.

As the Berk family members followed behind, the farmer wore a dubious expression but didn’t dare to approach them.

This scene became increasingly frequent as Turan’s group drew closer to the city.

Naturally, by the time they reached the city gates, quite a crowd had gathered around their procession.

“I-I greet the protector of Kalamaf!”

“Hmm.”

The guard at the gate was startled by Turan’s appearance, kneeling and greeting him.

His bewildered expression seemed to say, ‘Why are you entering from outside?’

Of course, this was partly due to the mask that the impostor had been wearing for more than a year suddenly disappearing.

“I’ll be entering. That’s fine, right?”

“Yes, of course…”

His trailing voice suggested that he wanted to ask who all these people following behind were.

Judging by their appearance and attire, they were clearly no ordinary group.

But a mere guard couldn’t possibly pose such a question to the city’s ruler.

Passing by the respectfully withdrawing guard, Turan’s group proceeded toward the central building of the city.

Was it because the news had finally spread?

Several Zahar knights who had been staying at various locations like the city hall and the lord’s mansion could be seen hurrying over.

Turan projected his magical power toward them, limiting it to the top-tier noble level.

Naturally, for mere knights, even this much was like celestial gods directly exerting their might.

“We greet Lord Turan.”

“I’d like to meet my representative.”

“We will summon them immediately.”

The Zahar knights showed a respectful attitude, as if addressing one of their own nobles.

Regardless of whether they knew about Turan’s bloodline, a mage who had reached such a level was worthy of reverence by that alone.

Shortly after, as the fake Turan wearing a gray mask emerged from the mansion, the people watching from behind drew a sharp breath.

It had become clearly evident that the masked Turan who had been ruling Kalamaf was an impostor.

Projecting his magical power toward him as well, Turan could see his previously stiff shoulders instantly deflate.

“…You have come.”

“I need to reclaim my position. Step aside.”

Turan responded quietly while scanning the surroundings with his Holy Relic’s senses… The impostor who had been impersonating him was now a mid-rank noble, unlike before, and everyone else was just knights.

Even their numbers weren’t very great.

This suggested that the unsettled state around Kalamaf was more likely due to manpower shortage than negligence.

It seemed like the chaos had been created by withdrawing personnel who had been prepared to capture Turan.

“I understand there was a promise you made previously…”

“First, vacate the mansion and bring someone from your side who can negotiate. We’ll have a proper discussion then.”

With a tone suggesting that someone like him wasn’t worthy of serious conversation, Turan thoroughly crushed the other party with an oppressive attitude.

In response, the Zahar noble bowed his head deeply instead of retorting.

“I will inform the main house immediately. Would you like us to leave some knights behind?”

“Send them all back. We have sufficient personnel to assign to duties here as well.”

With seventy-five knights from the Berk family migrating together, there was no shortage of numbers for organizing one city.

Originally, Turan alone moving diligently had been enough to manage things.

Therefore, it was better not to have Zahar knights who would likely serve as spies.

“Ah, one more thing.”

“Please speak.”

“Send back all the spies in Kalamaf as well. I plan to deliver some disappointing news soon, so considering the time it takes for orders to be transmitted, I’ll give you about a month, but after that, I’ll execute anyone I see.”

At Turan’s words, the Zahar noble remained silent for a while before nodding and saying he understood.

The final warning must have sounded quite threatening, as the Zahar mages left the mansion so quickly they didn’t even properly organize their belongings.

Judging by their direction of movement, they were heading southeast, toward the Enril Desert.

“That ended more anticlimactically than I expected.”

As she watched them disappearing in the distance, Meisa quietly approached Turan’s side and spoke.

“Why, did you want to fight?”

“No. I just didn’t think they would withdraw so obediently. I suppose I have some preconceptions about Zahar.”

Zahar of the Enril Desert is persistent, cruel, and merciless.

While this was a widespread prejudice, based on Turan’s encounters with several of them, it wasn’t entirely dismissible as mere prejudice.

In fact, his crushing attitude toward the Zahar noble just now was also calculated from the belief that showing excessive courtesy would only invite contempt.

“Well, even Zahar mages are still people. They value their lives.”

If Turan had demonstrated power at the upper rank as they had expected, it might have been different, but he had displayed top-tier magical power, making them unable to dare to resist.

It meant that to subjugate him, they would need to send someone at the level of a Zahar heir or elder, of whom two had already died.

As they were conversing, Turan suddenly burst into a fit of coarse coughing due to chest pain.

Meisa quickly covered his mouth with her handkerchief.

“Are you alright?”

“Some-*cough*-what.”

The handkerchief was stained with bright blood.

This was the result of a wound remaining in his lungs even after receiving treatment for his chest being struck by Ymir’s axe.

“We need to get you treated quickly.”

“It can’t be helped. First, we need to negotiate with Zahar, then go for treatment. Or perhaps invite Lady Rida here.”

Since his wounds weren’t as severe as Meisa’s had been, it was likely unnecessary to be directly treated by the Ravitas family head, Osel.

Despite feeling a stabbing pain in his chest, Turan smiled slightly at the sight of Meisa wiping his mouth.

* * *

The first task after settling into their new home was internal organization.

Following Midela’s instructions, the Berk family members filled the somewhat empty mansion with decorations they had brought, and enhanced the arrangement of light orbs that had been installed.

With such determination that not even any Zahar noble could secretly infiltrate, they attached light orbs to the walls and ceilings of the mansion, to the point where light streamed even into the bedrooms.

Meanwhile, Turan sent people to the city hall to summon the officials.

Several familiar-faced individuals rushed over and knelt before Turan, exclaiming:

“Oh my, Lord Turan!”

“You have returned!”

Judging by their sobbing appearance, they too seemed to have been aware of Turan’s absence.

After all, while ordinary commoners might not know, these educated individuals with their level of literacy would certainly have been aware of such circumstances.

“By the way, what about Daruk?”

“He passed away in the spring of last year. Pneumonia…”

“I see.”

Turan’s face darkened at the news of the elderly man Daruk’s death, who had assisted him and later even rose to the position of mayor.

The elderly face that had bid him farewell when he left Kalamaf remained vivid in his mind.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen him when he visited last time either.

He had assumed Daruk was on vacation or had retired due to age, so he hadn’t bothered to check…

“I should visit his grave once things settle. Is it in the city cemetery?”

“Yes. There’s a family-owned columbarium. Everyone there would be delighted if the protector visited.”

Truly, sheep perish all too easily.

Just as his mother had.

Feeling a bitter taste in his mouth, Turan comforted several familiar faces by calling their names.

They were overjoyed to learn that their returned ruler remembered them.

“Everyone has worked hard. First, I’ll introduce the people I’ve brought, so please work together with them to organize the city. The situation doesn’t look very good from what I saw outside.”

“Understood!”

Fortunately, Turan wouldn’t need to run around alone like before to organize Kalamaf City.

After all, he now had two companions equal to himself plus an entire family that had migrated here.

Thanks to the assistance of Midela, who had experience managing a city as a family head, and the family members who had worked as her hands and feet, they were able to quickly assess the current situation of the city.

Turan frowned at the results he received.

“It’s worse than I thought.”

“We apologize.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not your fault.”

According to the reports, not only had threatening magical beasts increased significantly around Kalamaf compared to before, but there had also been several reported attacks by what appeared to be dwarves.

The Zahar noble that Turan had just expelled had used the excuse of defending the city to avoid actively subjugating these threats.

‘I should have cut off one of his arms before sending him away.’

Perhaps he had cleverly fled, anticipating that his negligence would be discovered, Turan thought as he recalled the unseen characteristics of his opponent.

In any case, having identified the problem, it was time to address it… Knights with free time were immediately mobilized to subjugate nearby magical beasts.

Naturally, Solif and Meisa joined the effort, but they insisted that Turan remain at the mansion.

“I think it would be more efficient if I worked too—”

“What are you talking about, with those consumption symptoms? Just rest quietly.”

“It won’t take long. I have Bije anyway.”

At Meisa’s words, Bije spread her wings majestically.

Indeed, this powerful golden eagle could now substitute for most tasks that Turan could perform.

While the Berk knights combined their strength to subjugate minor magical beasts around the city, Bije flew around the city perimeter at tremendous speed, using tracking magic to precisely locate and hunt magical beasts.

[Screech-!]

A tiger with flames burning on its hide roared toward the sky before being reduced to ashes by a single lightning strike, while a fleeing bear had its back slashed by talons, causing it to bleed profusely.

Meisa and Solif also used these magical beast hunts as training grounds.

Though not as adept as Zahar, they could use tracking magic at a modest level, and on this basis, they systematically cleared the surroundings.

While everyone was working diligently, Turan, semi-forcibly confined to the mansion for recovery, couldn’t stand the idleness and immersed himself in work he could do.

That was interrogating Kadram, whom he had imprisoned in the jewel box.

“Hello, Elder.”

“I suppose you have business with that fellow again?”

The librarian who popped out when the jewel box was opened snorted and spoke.

Having attempted this several times in the past few days while crossing the mountain range, he too knew what Turan was planning to do.

“I know it’s not a pleasant sight, but you might be able to catch things I miss. Please help me.”

“Just speaking politely doesn’t turn an order into a request. Well, fine. Let’s begin.”

Though the librarian clearly showed displeasure on his face, disliking Turan’s ‘interrogation,’ he didn’t try to resist his words.

Shortly after, Turan left his body as a spirit form and entered the jewel box.

‘Where…’

The interior of the jewel box was divided into several spaces that Turan, as its owner, had directly created.

After glancing at the ‘library’ where the librarian primarily resided, Turan passed through two storage areas before moving to the ‘prison’ zone.

That place resembled the most desolate prison Turan had ever seen, similar to the underground prison of the pirate fortress where Solif had once been confined.

In one cell behind iron bars, Kadram’s spirit form could be seen lying motionless.

“Kadram.”

In truth, it was somewhat ambiguous to call that being Kadram.

In spirit form, the face of this mysterious god was completely different from the living Kadram.

A face that, had he been an ordinary human, would have been just under thirty years old, resembling people from the Baraha region or grassland areas.

Like Turan, he had deer antlers on his head, wings on his back, ears like fish fins, and swirling patterns engraved on the backs of his hands.

“Still not willing to speak?”

Kadram did not respond to Turan’s words.

Since being imprisoned here, he had somehow remained in this dazed state with vacant eyes.

Even when subjected to all sorts of torture techniques learned from Leto, he showed no reaction whatsoever.

It seemed he had blocked his senses entirely using some spiritual means unknown to Turan.

‘It’s a shame to just eliminate him. Actually, I’m not even sure if I can eliminate him.’

In truth, the crushing of a spirit form was not as easy as it sounded.

Hadn’t the introduction to soul magic stated that the soul is immortal and is one’s true self?

Clumsily tearing it apart would likely result in something like the soul fragments currently in storage, and if force acted to return the soul to Arabion’s base from that state, it might be restored.

Therefore, all Turan could do was practice soul magic while learning how to control Kadram’s soul to extract what he wanted.

To begin today’s training, Turan lightly lifted one of Kadram’s claws.