Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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In the brief silence that followed, Turan looked down at the people laughing and chatting in the banquet hall below.
While the recent attack by Badal or the battle in the forest could technically be considered wars, what Rida was proposing now was on an entirely different scale.
A great bloodshed where at least hundreds, perhaps thousands of mages would kill one another.
He suddenly thought of the Berk couple who had lost their lives not long ago.
They weren’t the only casualties from that time.
People like Knight Bin, who had first welcomed Turan in Jabilin City.
To those of high status, they may have been mere insects, but they were all humans capable of thought and love, and dozens had lost their lives.
In the coming war between Ravitas and Baraha, many more would likely perish.
“It seems your preparations are complete,” Turan said.
“If we must act now, there are still many shortcomings, but you know. No matter how much we prepare, perfect readiness never exists.”
Besides, the longer they delayed, the more time their opponent would have to prepare as well.
“What do you estimate your chances of victory to be?”
“About four in ten. But if Parsha provides sufficient support, I’d say six in ten or better.”
“Support, you say.”
“As I understand it, Lord Solif, who serves your family, has some unfinished business with Baraha.”
Both turned their gazes to Solif below, who was thoroughly enjoying his wine.
He was happily chatting with Berit, who had been somewhat pushed away earlier.
To anyone looking, he appeared to be just an ordinary noble youth.
It was difficult to imagine that he was actually a powerful Guardian and Sun bloodline mage capable of withstanding the attacks of hundreds of mages for hours.
“He seems to be getting quite friendly with the young lady from Zahar. Is it wise to leave them be?”
“Yes, well. It doesn’t seem particularly harmful for now.”
Recently, after seeing that Turan showed little interest in her, Berit had begun gravitating toward Solif.
It was likely a strategy to either provoke jealousy or sow internal division within the Parsha family.
Ironically, however, it seemed that Berit was the one developing deeper feelings with each meeting.
Turan honestly couldn’t understand what she found so attractive about Solif, but then again, men and women often have different perspectives on these matters.
“I think we should probably consult the interested party about this,” Turan said.
“Indeed. Before you are lord and vassal, you are friends. I understand.”
Rida smiled warmly at Turan’s words.
After the banquet ended, Turan, who was among the last to leave, immediately summoned Solif to the lounge.
Solif still reeked of alcohol, clearly having enjoyed the festivities fully.
“What’s the sudden matter?”
“Ravitas is planning to go to war with Baraha. Are you interested in lending a hand?”
Solif’s face froze in bewilderment at Turan’s question.
This was understandable.
Who would casually ask if someone wanted to participate as a mercenary in a war between great families?
Had Solif only caught a glimpse of Turan’s words, he might have thought he was being asked to run a simple errand.
“…Am I going alone?”
“It would be difficult for Meisa and me to both leave our base, so yes. It’s entirely up to you—if you’re not inclined, we could focus on providing material support instead.”
Of course, they could also form a proper army with Solif at its head, assigning other nobles and knights to him.
Although the Parsha family was still new and lacked internal strength, they could easily mobilize hundreds of mages by recruiting from vassal families.
However, increasing the army’s size had nothing but disadvantages beyond enhancing combat capability.
Larger numbers required more supplies, and every relatively weak mage who joined would slow down the marching speed.
Traveling from Kalamaf to Ravitas, and then to Baraha, would take an agonizingly long time for a large force.
There was also the possibility that Zahar might interfere if they moved through the Northern Sea.
“If you travel alone, I’ll lend you Bije, so the journey should only take a few days.”
Ravitas’s forces would naturally travel by ship, sailing for nearly a month before landing in the grasslands and then moving northeast.
If Solif departed from Kalamaf on Bije at the right time, he could join them in just three or four days.
This would allow them to support the long-distance expedition while minimizing the time away from their base.
“But I’m not sure if my support alone will be enough to secure victory.”
“While there are variables, the balance of power should be sufficient.”
During the confrontation that triggered this war, the Baraha family head had inflicted a critical curse on Osel but had also sustained serious injuries in return.
Even considering that Osel had received support from other high-ranking nobles and was armed with all manner of family Holy Relics, the fact that they were evenly matched suggested their powers weren’t vastly different.
The curse inflicted on Osel was likely a “skill,” suggesting the Baraha family head had also given his all.
This meant that, unlike the Arabion family head Badal, he wasn’t a monster that even the three of them together would struggle to face.
If Osel and Solif combined forces to confront the Baraha family head while Ravitas nobles pushed back Baraha’s forces…
“If you decide to join, I’ll ask Meisa to create magical devices at full power for a month, focusing on items that will help with combat and survival.”
The optimal creation time for an enchanter to make the most efficient and powerful magical device was one month.
With Meisa’s quasi-family-head-level magical power fully dedicated to this task, she could create something more powerful than an average Holy Relic.
The reason they hadn’t made such items before was that Meisa’s power would be significantly diminished for a period after such intensive creation.
With Arabion potentially attacking at any time, having their strongest mage weakened would have been catastrophic.
But if they were sending Solif alone, this was a burden worth bearing.
What if he went to battle and was defeated, killed, or captured to become the Baraha family head’s new body?
Not only would one of the three pillars of the Parsha family be broken, but their enemy Baraha would see a dramatic increase in power.
“Meisa will temporarily take the risk to create a powerful item, and while she recovers, the two of us will protect things here. Then once she’s recovered, you’ll depart—probably in about two months.”
“I think I get the general idea. But… is my going actually advantageous for us?”
“Of course. Assuming things go well, that is.”
If Solif joined the expedition and Ravitas crushed Baraha, Parsha would gain numerous benefits.
They would earn another great favor with a powerful ally, while crushing a potential enemy faction.
After explaining this, Turan cleared his throat lightly and added:
“Moreover, you could formally claim succession to Baraha.”
“Huh.”
Though he was currently an exile, Solif’s original status was that of Baraha’s heir.
If he eliminated the family head and absorbed his magical power to gain family-head-level strength, he would be fully qualified for the position.
Of course, having relied on the external power of Ravitas, Solif might not receive enthusiastic support from family members, but…
What they needed was to reduce their enemies and increase their allies, or at least neutral parties.
If Baraha, Ravitas, and Parsha joined forces, even if weakened, it would create an unprecedented power bloc in this world.
“Well, alright then.”
“Don’t you want to think about it a bit more?”
“A man’s life should have some challenges, right?”
Solif replied with a somewhat boastful expression.
* * *
Having decided to participate, they needed to maximize their chances of victory.
Therefore, Turan not only asked Meisa to create powerful magical devices for Solif but also instructed the Berk family enchanters to create magical devices for Ravitas to use.
Rida was delighted by this and immediately accepted Turan’s request.
She promised that when they crushed Baraha, Solif would definitely be one of the four who would gain the family head’s magical power, and they would fully support him in becoming Baraha’s next family head.
After the week-long banquet ended and the Ravitas nobles departed, Kalamaf returned to its usual quiet.
Or more precisely, it appeared quiet on the surface, but underneath, something hot was bubbling.
“UOOOOOH!”
“Stop shouting, you’re wasting energy!”
On a hill near Kalamaf.
At the memorable spot where Turan had once been beaten by Meisa, he was now dueling with Solif using the Light of Judgment.
Though they couldn’t know which four symbols the Baraha family head might combine, they knew he would likely use the Sun bloodline as his main power, so they trained accordingly.
Naturally, the clash of these powerful mages created tremendous effects around the hill.
Each time the Light of Judgment collided in whip form, the ground melted into lava, and rocks split even at a distance.
Sometimes, the lower part of a cliff would collapse, causing the upper portion to crumble in an avalanche. Had there been houses nearby, thousands might have died.
After an intense battle, an exhausted Solif lay sprawled out, sighing deeply.
“Whew, flexing my muscles like that after so long makes me dizzy.”
“But training like this is definitely improving your skills rapidly, isn’t it? I’ve been feeling my edge dulling from lack of real combat lately.”
“Well, I’m not a monster like you.”
While individuals like Turan and Meisa might not lose much of their skill even after ceasing magic training for months, ordinary mages quickly deteriorated without daily practice.
More precisely, their sense for handling magic would diminish.
Although Solif trained daily, nothing sharpened one’s senses like confronting an opponent of equal caliber.
Of course, fighting with one’s life on the line, as they had in the dueling arena to the northeast, would be even more effective, but with only one life, that wasn’t an option.
As Solif lay catching his breath, he suddenly asked:
“By the way, are you sure that’s really okay?”
“What?”
“Leaking war information to Berit.”
After deciding to participate in Ravitas’s war against Baraha, Turan had given Solif a somewhat puzzling instruction.
Namely, to casually inform Berit that they would be participating in the war.
Since Berit had been meeting frequently with Solif while avoiding communication with Turan, this wasn’t difficult.
What was difficult to understand was why Turan wanted to do this.
“Shouldn’t we keep this hidden from Zahar? What if they send reinforcements?”
It was common knowledge that Zahar and Baraha were closely connected.
Turan and Solif even knew that they had once sent one of their heir candidates as supporting forces.
After all, Turan had killed all of them at that time.
In response to Solif’s question, Turan scratched his chin and said:
“Well, they’ll find out anyway, even without Berit telling them.”
“Really?”
“Zahar has already planted some spy among our servants or maids. They’ve covered their tracks too well for me to identify who it is. Since it will be discovered anyway, let’s make Berit believe we’re being less cautious around her. Giving her a sense of usefulness, you might say.”
The fact that Solif alone would be participating as support wasn’t disclosed to anyone.
If there was no movement from Parsha until just before Ravitas’s army reached Baraha, Zahar would be confused.
‘They said they would provide support, but why isn’t their army moving?’ they would wonder.
Turan planned to use this confusion to dispatch Solif, quickly crush Baraha, and seize the initiative.
In other words, knowing something incompletely can be worse than not knowing at all.
“I’m not sure if it will work out as you say.”
“I’m not completely confident either, but we’re doing our best with what we have. We can’t just sit around forever.”
For this plan, Turan was also doing what he could.
He had selected trustworthy sailors from a port city east of Kalamaf, sent them to the Frostwind Forest, and exchanged letters via Bije to monitor the atmosphere there. He had also written to Mago, the Ravitas noble he had met in the southeastern grasslands, asking about the situation in that region.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t send anyone to the Land of Five Lakes where Baraha was located, but he trusted that Ravitas would handle reconnaissance there.
As the two were discussing the situation while catching their breath, Turan felt a vibration from inside his clothes.
It was a call through the hand mirror.
“What is it, Asiz?”
Originally, the mirror’s counterpart belonged to Meisa, but as she was currently in seclusion creating Solif’s magical device, she had entrusted it to Asiz.
Looking somewhat rough, as if he had been working late into the previous night, Asiz urgently called out:
[Turan! You need to come back quickly!]
“Is it another attack?”
Turan had thought that Arabion, whose forces were depleted, would need more time to reorganize.
His face hardened, but Asiz shook his head.
[No… it’s from the sea. Ofen City has requested aid. A giant sea serpent is occupying the coast.]
* * *
Upon hearing about the Giant Sea Serpent, Turan and Solif hurried back to the mansion.
Naturally, they couldn’t depart immediately.
They had just been fighting with all their might, nearly depleting their magical power.
After resting for a few hours to replenish their strength, Turan and Solif mounted Bije and headed for Ofen City.
Ordinarily, a great family head traveling officially would be accompanied by dozens of guards, but since their opponent was a Giant Sea Serpent, not humans, weaker nobles or knights would be meaningless as combat forces.
Moreover, bringing them would take too much time.
The lord of Ofen, a port city at the northeastern edge of the gray zone, bowed deeply at Turan’s arrival, his face lighting up.
However, he seemed somewhat taken aback that only Turan and Solif had come.
“Oh, Family Head! I didn’t expect you to come so quickly…”
“This is an emergency, so let’s skip unnecessary formalities. What’s the damage?”
“Some facilities were damaged, but there were no casualties.”
“That’s fortunate.”
The Giant Sea Serpent that had appeared was undoubtedly one of Armani’s clan.
They knew that Turan was sensitive to human casualties and had likely been considerate of this.
Turan ignored the lord’s suggestion to rest at the mansion first and headed directly to the harbor where the Giant Sea Serpent had been spotted.
“Wow…”
“It’s enormously big.”
“That would be terrifying if it charged.”
People had gathered around the harbor, murmuring as they watched the Giant Sea Serpent standing upright by the shore.
They were either extremely brave or extremely foolish.
Amusingly, the Giant Sea Serpent, approximately sixty meters in length, was also observing the residents and buildings around the harbor with curiosity.
“Everyone, stand back! The great ruler of the gray zone, the head of the Parsha family, has arrived!”
At the thunderous proclamation from Ofen City’s knights, the residents panicked, creating a path and prostrating themselves.
Over the past few months, they had not yet fully grasped the fact that they were now under the great Parsha family, but they certainly knew that the head of a great family was a godlike powerful figure.
“Have the people retreat. They might get hurt if a fight breaks out.”
“Yes, sir.”
After instructing Ofen’s lord, Turan passed through the crowd of people who worshipped him like a god, heading toward the Giant Sea Serpent.
Solif, staying close beside him, muttered quietly:
“That creature seems quite injured, though I don’t know why. Who could it have fought?”
“I’m not certain, but those don’t look like wounds inflicted by humans.”
As Turan approached the harbor, the Giant Sea Serpent finally noticed the commotion among the small humans and turned its gaze toward him.
“Turan!”
When the Giant Sea Serpent called out, the citizens around the harbor screamed and fled.
The voice was so loud and resonant that it sounded like a roar before battle.
However, Turan, who was listening, could tell there was no hostility in that voice.
“Is that you again, Armani?”
“You recognized me!”
“What? That merman kid from before?”
Unlike Armani, who shouted joyfully, Solif looked at the Giant Sea Serpent with an incredulous expression.
Understandably so, since the last time he had seen Armani, he had been merely the size of a baby shark.
In fact, he had grown even larger than when Turan had last seen him.
“What brings you here? No, first change back to your merman form. Stop frightening the people.”
At Turan’s words, the massive Giant Sea Serpent’s body immediately shrank, taking the form of a merman boy.
By now, the ordinary people had fled in panic when the Giant Sea Serpent called Turan’s name, so only Ofen’s mages witnessed this transformation.
“I wanted to do that anyway! But there were too many people, and I was afraid I’d be attacked in that form.”
“Well, I suppose that was unavoidable.”
The fact that he took on his merman form when Turan appeared suggested he was confident Turan wouldn’t attack him.
Feeling somewhat embarrassed by this firm trust, Turan noticed that Armani’s merman form was also covered in wounds.
He placed his hand on the merman’s shoulder, and after a moment, the wounds began to heal.
“Oh, it’s warm…”
“Healing an merman isn’t particularly difficult, it seems.”
Due to his power as a Giant Sea Serpent clan member, it required more energy than healing an ordinary noble, but it was still manageable.
Soon after, Armani, fully restored, exclaimed joyfully:
“You’ve gained healing abilities too! Amazing! How did you do that?”
“It just happened. So, why were you causing a disturbance here? You’ve made quite a mess.”
Though no one had died, looking around, Turan could see a couple of piers half-crushed, which would take some time to repair.
As Turan pointed to the damaged areas, Armani’s face fell.
“Ah, that wasn’t intentional… I just couldn’t control my speed well. But more importantly, there’s a big problem!”
“What kind of problem?”
“My family has recently recovered, and they’ve decided to go to war with humans! When I tried to convince them not to, they tried to kill me, so I fled!”