Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Discord
“I owe you a debt that’s difficult to repay, thank you.”
After opening his eyes and hearing the detailed circumstances from Rida, Osel’s first action was to bow his head to Turan as he spoke these words.
Unlike his previous attitude of treating Turan as a mere wandering noble, he now showed respect as if addressing an equal.
In response, rather than boasting about his accomplishments, Turan accepted this with a dignified smile.
“As I mentioned earlier to Lady Rida, I would appreciate if my ability to use healing magic was not disclosed publicly.”
“If that’s what you wish, certainly. But how exactly did you…”
Osel was about to ask how Turan had acquired healing magic but trailed off.
He reasoned that if Turan had wanted to reveal this information, he would have done so already.
Normally, he would have demanded an answer regardless, but having just had his life saved, he couldn’t afford to be so arrogant.
In truth, he had some suspicions.
There must have been a reason why Turan had specifically requested permission to dispose of Moroz’s magical power as he saw fit when accepting the mission.
“Putting that aside, the reward I initially offered for the task has become useless. You’ve become such a powerful healer yourself that you’d find it difficult to find an equal, though perhaps not quite at my level.”
“That does seem to be the case.”
This was precisely why Turan had revealed his ability to these two individuals.
Not only had he accelerated the healing that would have otherwise taken much longer, but he also needed to inform them that the healing magic promised as a reward for returning the Holy Relic would no longer be beneficial.
Naturally, he would need to offer an alternative reward that would satisfy them.
“How about this?”
What Osel held up was the very Holy Relic that had just saved his life.
The necklace “Modest Wish,” which granted its wearer eternal youth.
Taken aback by this unexpected offer, Turan displayed a politely surprised demeanor.
“While I may not need it personally, there is someone I’d like to give it to… but would that really be acceptable? It must have been what you were saving as a reward for finding the white elf spirit mage.”
In truth, the Modest Wish wasn’t a top-tier Holy Relic like Turan’s Mimic Holy Relic, which belonged in myths.
If one were to rank Holy Relics, it would probably be somewhere in the middle.
However, considering that its function was to guarantee agelessness, it was difficult to judge merely by rank.
As one ages, the back bends, eyes grow dim, and the body weakens—these are things that even powerful mages cannot escape.
In fact, the stronger ones often live longer, meaning they have to spend more time trapped in aging bodies.
Yet with this necklace, one could maintain youth until death, avoiding such inconveniences.
If an elderly noble who had lived for centuries could return to their youth by obtaining this item, they would likely willingly exchange even a top-tier Holy Relic for it.
“It wouldn’t be right to measure rewards based on our circumstances. Besides… this item isn’t particularly suitable for combat.”
From Osel’s meaningful words, Turan understood why he had offered this as compensation.
If they were to hand over a powerful treasure as payment, regardless of what it was, the family would have to accept some damage to their combat capabilities.
Therefore, he had chosen to give an item of great value but not particularly suited for battle.
“Are you going to war?”
“Of course.”
Ravitas had hosted the Baraha family head as a guest, but what they received in return was a cowardly sneak attack.
While they had no choice but to endure when Osel was in critical condition, now that he had fully recovered, it was time to raise the banner of revenge.
This wasn’t merely a matter of pride.
If they didn’t retaliate after such a one-sided attack, how would the world judge Ravitas?
People would consider them an extremely weak family of healers, incapable of even speaking up after being beaten.
If this became widely known, the name of Ravitas would be dragged through the mud.
“Of course, we’ll have to wait for those exhausted from healing me to rest sufficiently, and we need to prepare properly for war, so it will probably take a few months.”
Osel’s youthful face bore deep fatigue as he muttered these words.
An expression filled with the burdens of leading a massive organization, ill-fitting for a young boy’s face.
Observing this quietly, Turan asked a question he had prepared in advance.
“If I may ask, could you share what you discussed privately with the Baraha family head?”
“Hmm? It wasn’t particularly secretive enough to keep confidential. He demanded to know if his heir had stayed here, and I simply replied that I didn’t know much. But then the subject veered in a strange direction.”
According to Osel, the Baraha family head had brought up rather metaphysical topics during their private conversation.
He spoke about how this world was more than what meets the eye, and asked if Osel understood the value of souls.
Osel himself had some knowledge about souls from Ravitas’s past investigations into immortality, so the conversation was somewhat productive, but it didn’t last long.
“Suddenly he said, ‘It seems this isn’t the right place after all,’ and launched a surprise attack on me. After that… well, I fought with all my might and barely managed to drive him away, but ended up in this state.”
When Osel pulled up his clothing, an ugly burn mark was visible on his smooth, boyish abdomen that lacked muscular definition.
This was the trace of the curse used by the Baraha family head.
“Our magical power was roughly equal, but he used several strange magics that defied logic. If I hadn’t used all the family’s Holy Relics and received help from others, I absolutely couldn’t have won in a one-on-one situation.”
Osel’s face darkened as he recalled the Baraha family head’s power at that time.
There was also doubt visible about whether they could win if they went to war immediately.
As he listened to the story, Turan could roughly guess why the Baraha family head had launched a surprise attack.
It was clear that he had been trying to determine whether the Ravitas family head, who had helped hide Solif, might have knowledge of soul magic or perhaps was one of the fallen gods like himself.
Upon determining this wasn’t the case, he had attacked, considering Osel an easy target, but was unexpectedly met with strong resistance and couldn’t finish him off.
“Fortunately, while I was incapacitated, things weren’t entirely peaceful on the Baraha side either. I heard their heir has reappeared and thrown the family into chaos before disappearing again, so their forces must have been reduced as well.”
During the Baraha family head’s sneak attack, Ravitas had lost a couple of high-ranking nobles, but compared to Baraha, whose headquarters had been practically overturned, this was hardly a significant blow.
After laying out this narrative, Osel finally got to his main point… “I was wondering, would you consider joining us in the war against Baraha? If you bring your friends as well, I promise to treat you generously. Having powerful nobles like you participate would be more valuable than one or two decent combat Holy Relics.”
As Turan listened to the implication that he would be generously compensated with war spoils, he carefully assessed the timing.
As Osel finished speaking, Turan presented the conclusion he had organized in his mind.
“There’s something I’d like to tell both of you.”
* * *
Turan briefly summarized what he knew for Osel and Rida.
He explained about the fallen gods’ flawed immortality and the current power structure of the world.
During this explanation, he discreetly probed and discovered that Osel and Rida knew almost nothing about these matters.
It seemed the fallen gods had barely extended their influence to them, leaving them essentially in a wild, untouched state.
“How can such an absurd…”
“It’s unbelievable. Could it be that even the Earth Mother Goddess is still alive?”
“I’m not entirely certain about that part myself, but I suspect not.”
Turan believed that if the Earth Mother, the primary deity worshipped by Ravitas, still existed, she would have already infiltrated the Ravitas family by some means.
Of course, not knowing the internal social structure of the gods, he couldn’t be certain.
Addressing the two who appeared deeply shocked, Turan said:
“In any case, for these reasons, I don’t recommend attacking Baraha immediately. At the very least, Zahar, being closely connected to them, would consider it a challenge against themselves as well, and I’m currently in a delicate situation with Zahar.”
“You mentioned forming a non-aggression treaty.”
“Yes. Neither of us trusts the other, but that’s the current arrangement.”
This was especially true considering that the hostage offered as collateral hadn’t even arrived yet.
Taking the opportunity, Turan also informed them of his own situation.
Unlike his previous wandering lifestyle, he was now based in Kalamaf and was in the process of unifying the entire gray zone.
“Then, Turan, you are essentially becoming the head of a new great family. Congratulations.”
“Please continue to treat me casually as before. That would be more comfortable.”
Rida nodded contentedly with a pleased smile at Turan’s words.
Osel, who had been examining a map, stroked his beardless chin and muttered:
“So the only great families not under the gods’ protection—or rather, not controlled by them—are us. If you, Turan, establish another great family, there would be just two.”
“In that sense, I’d like to formally propose an alliance with Ravitas. Would that be acceptable?”
“Is there even a need to ask? It’s rather what we would hope for.”
Of course, Turan’s forces stationed in Kalamaf were vastly inferior in size compared to Ravitas.
The number of mages serving as his core force was merely equivalent to the Berk family, which he had separated from Arabion.
However, considering the existence of three powerful mages—Turan, Meisa, and Solif—one could argue that their actual combat power even surpassed that of Ravitas.
After all, a single powerful mage was incomparably superior in terms of mobility and concentrated combat power compared to ten lower-ranked mages who could match them.
“We’ll draft the contract later, but first we should discuss our grand strategy. We need to consider how we’ll coordinate going forward.”
Between the Siraf wetlands controlled by the Ravitas family and the gray zone where Turan was based, there lay the forest region and the Enril Desert.
While the western forest region, lacking a ruling great family, could serve as a trade route without much difficulty, if Zahar in the Enril Desert decided to intervene, the connection between them would effectively be severed.
“I’ll handle coordination with Zahar on our side. Just don’t consider them an ally.”
“Understood.”
“And there’s one more thing I’d like to share with you. This you may spread widely to others if you wish.”
What Turan imparted to them was nothing less than the basics of soul magic.
Considering how much effort he, Meisa, and Solif had invested in acquiring this knowledge, it would likely be difficult for them to master it quickly as well.
However, given the nature of healers, it might be easier for them to approach near-death experiences and return, so perhaps someone among them could awaken this ability.
“The mysterious power used by the Baraha family head is precisely this manipulation of souls. I don’t know how to combine the powers of a healer and purifier, but I hope you’ll find some success.”
Turan kindly explained to Osel and Rida the trial and error he had experienced while mastering soul magic.
While it might appear that Turan was being unilaterally generous, this was actually necessary to counter other gods and strengthen his allied forces.
Moreover, if Ravitas nobles deeply mastered soul magic, someone among them might achieve insights that Turan’s group hadn’t yet discovered.
Sharing such knowledge would potentially bring greater returns than what he had given.
“Needless to say, I never taught you this.”
“Of course.”
If it became known that Turan was openly spreading soul magic to other factions, even Zahar, with whom he had a non-aggression pact, might turn hostile.
If they were to discover this, it should happen only after many nobles in both the gray zone and the Siraf wetlands had already mastered soul magic, making it irreversible.
After their discussion concluded, they left the operating room.
The high-ranking Ravitas nobles who had been waiting outside for some time were astonished to see Osel completely recovered.
“F-Family Head!”
“Have you really recovered?”
“Everyone must have been worried. I’ve fully recovered, so there’s no need for concern. And please express your gratitude to Turan here, who has greatly assisted me.”
The Ravitas nobles didn’t miss that Osel had referred to Turan with the honorific “Mr. Turan.”
A noble whom the family head treated as an equal?
Surely this couldn’t be merely because he had saved the family head’s life.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lord Turan. I am Ablim Ravitas.”
“My name is Koloa Ravitas.”
A parade of self-introductions followed.
Though this might have been awkward, Turan skillfully memorized their names and exchanged greetings.
He now fully understood that this kind of social interaction was necessary for a noble to establish power.
“Then, to celebrate the family head’s recovery, shall we prepare a banquet…”
“There will be no banquet.”
Osel’s firm rejection immediately dampened the atmosphere around the operating room.
The Ravitas family head, with a solemnity that belied his youthful appearance, commanded his family members:
“Aren’t we busy enough preparing to take revenge on the Baraha minions who ambushed me and insulted our family?”
“…You’re right.”
“Revenge!”
Contrary to their image as healers, the Ravitas nobles displayed intense anger… Though this likely included some deliberate exaggeration to prove their loyalty.
Addressing them, Osel quietly declared:
“First, we must prepare for war at any time, and also prepare to formally establish an alliance with Turan’s forces here, so arrange all necessary procedures.”
“An alliance… you say?”
“Yes. Though they don’t yet have an established family name, there’s a possibility that the name of Ravitas might even appear inferior in comparison, so don’t treat them carelessly.”
Following Osel’s repeated elevation of Turan’s status, the Ravitas nobles’ faces showed bewilderment.
Even those who had seen him before had merely considered him a wandering noble whom Rida kept around, making it difficult for them to immediately accept the current situation.
Nevertheless, since Turan truly did command such a level of power, cooperation between the two families would likely proceed smoothly.
As he was considering this, Turan frowned at the slight vibration he felt in his chest.
‘Meisa?’
The vibration he was feeling came from the hand mirror he shared with her.
Since they had been too far apart for efficient communication since crossing the southern sea, they hadn’t conversed, but could something have happened?
Turan excused himself to Osel and moved to a secluded spot to activate the hand mirror.
“Meisa, what’s the matter…”
[We’re under attack! Arabion is invading!]
Through the mirror, Meisa, with blood stains on her face, shouted sharply.
Turan’s face hardened as he asked:
“How many?”
[I don’t know exactly! For now, we’re buying time while evacuating according to the plan… Ah, the magical power consumption is too severe! Can you come quickly?]
“I’m coming right away.”
With that response, Turan turned off the hand mirror to prevent her from expending more magical power.
Then he strode purposefully toward Osel, who was conversing with the senior members of the family.
The fierce and aggressive aura emanating from him was so intense that some of the Ravitas nobles forgot Osel’s earlier instructions to treat him as the head of an allied force and assumed defensive postures.
“Osel.”
“Speak, Turan. My friend.”
“As a friend, I need your help.”
Having implemented their evacuation plan with advance scout teams, it likely wouldn’t be decided in a day or two.
And fortunately, powerful Ravitas nobles who could sufficiently help in battle were gathered here.
If Meisa and Solif could buy enough time, and if Turan could bring reinforcements in time, their chances of victory would be substantial.