Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 149

Chapter 149

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In the past, when Turan had captured Kadram, Arabion’s vessel, he had confirmed that the opponent’s spirit form resembled a human.

Not much different from the spirit forms of himself, Solif, or Meisa.

Therefore, he assumed that Lesion, whom he was now capturing, would also be similar to a human.

That even these mighty Freya gods, once stripped of their shells, would be no different from them.

[You, how—on earth—!]

But the true form of Lesion that appeared was far from human by any measure.

The first thing that caught his eye was the smooth mouth without any splits.

His entire body was marble-white without a single blemish, and his eyes lacked any iris or pupil, resembling embedded golden jewels.

Moreover, his unusually elongated ears hung down like tentacles.

Amid all this, if not for the few characteristics like flaming hair, white halo, and golden scales in various places, he wouldn’t have believed this was Lesion’s spirit form.

He clearly should only have one additional bloodline, that of the Healer, so why was he so different from Solif?

[Aaaaaaagh!]

As these doubts crossed his mind, a sharp female scream erupted from right beside him.

[Meisa?]

[My, my head……]

Meisa, who had just emerged as a spirit form to join him in the spiritual battle.

The dozens of needles still embedded in her head, which they hadn’t fully removed due to recent busyness, were vibrating painfully.

[Go back now! Quickly!]

After pushing her disoriented form back into her physical body, Turan flew after Lesion, who might have escaped during this time.

Fortunately, the enemy hadn’t fled far, as he was engaged in fierce combat with Solif.

[Help me quickly! This bastard is too strong!]

Though Solif’s plea came with a face contorted in pain from the few remaining needles vibrating in his head, he seemed able to withstand it relatively well compared to Meisa.

Perhaps because he had fewer needles embedded?

Turan quickly joined forces with him to weaken what appeared to be Lesion’s spirit form through repeated strikes before pushing it into the jewel box.

As Solif had said, his spirit form was nearly twice as powerful as Kadram’s, making it difficult even for Solif to fight alone.

After the screaming Lesion’s spirit form was finally sucked into the jewel box, Turan turned to Solif, who was still grimacing while clutching his head:

[How’s your head?]

[It hurts a bit, but I can manage.]

Solif quietly muttered that the pain from the needles had disappeared once the spirit form vanished from sight, then returned to his physical body.

‘I never expected those needles would have such an effect in the spirit form state.’

This was something he hadn’t known when subduing Kadram previously, as Solif and Meisa hadn’t yet reached the stage where they could extract their spirit forms from their bodies.

Feeling his curiosity about the needles’ true nature growing, Turan returned to his body and immediately checked on Meisa beside him.

Though she was still frowning from the aftermath of the headache, she seemed much better than before.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes. Now I’m… When I thought about attacking while seeing that thing, my head suddenly started throbbing.”

Meisa described the sensation as if hundreds of needles were stirring her brain, her voice mixed with a hint of fear.

Clearly, the pain she had felt was incomparably greater than what Solif had experienced.

“So, did you capture Lesion?”

“For now, yes.”

Turan nodded after checking the jewel box again.

Inside one of the several areas, specifically in the prison section he had deliberately made larger, was Lesion’s inhuman spirit form, just as he had seen earlier.

“How’s the battle situation?”

“I’d say it’s pretty much wrapped up.”

As Meisa said, from the moment Lesion’s head had been severed, the Baraha army had already lost its will to fight.

Only a few of the most loyal supporters continued to resist until they lost their lives.

The majority either knelt in submission or fled far away.

Especially those mobilized from vassal families rather than the Baraha main house mostly surrendered readily.

For them, it didn’t really matter whether Lesion or Solif became Baraha’s master, so they simply switched allegiance once the tide turned against them.

Thanks to this, the Ravitas-Parsha coalition forces could focus more on pursuing escapees than managing prisoners.

Among these pursuers, the most notable was none other than an enormous golden eagle hawk.

Bije, who had been hiding inside Turan’s body during the battle to avoid interference, had emerged on her own initiative when Turan became a spirit form to fight Lesion, and began tracking the escapees.

“The, the eagle hawk—”

“It’s the Parsha Family Head’s bird! Scatter!”

Having gained fame through her exploits in several recent battles, the Baraha nobles chose to scatter in hopes that at least some might escape, rather than confronting this mythical magical beast.

But most attempts were futile.

Even Arabion nobles who could fly through the sky wouldn’t dare to flee from Bije, let alone those who had to walk on the ground.

While Turan was treating the wounded with the nobles from the Ravitas main house, Bije killed or subdued dozens of fleeing high-ranking nobles before returning to her master.

The eagle hawk, now transformed to a smaller size, perched on his shoulder and proudly exclaimed:

-Turan! I caught many! Did I do well?

“Truly impressive.”

As the bird seeped back into his body, dancing with pride, Turan gathered moisture from the air to create water and wash the blood from his hands.

Most of it belonged to nobles and knights of Parsha.

‘More died than I expected…’

According to what he had confirmed while treating the wounded, about 20 members of the Parsha family had perished.

Considering that they had brought 136 people excluding Turan and his two companions, roughly one in six had lost their lives.

Though this couldn’t be considered a major loss compared to Baraha, which had lost nearly half its forces, for Parsha with its limited number of mages, even this was a critical blow.

Had Meisa and other enchanters not strengthened their forces by creating magical devices, the casualties would have been even worse.

While inwardly honoring the dead, Solif approached, rubbing his head.

“So it’s finally over.”

“Well, I’d say it’s just beginning from now.”… Considering everything from post-war processing to how other great families would respond to this situation, the future seemed even more complicated.

Of course, since this was an unavoidable fight, there was no point in debating whether they should have fought or not.

“But at least it’s over for now, right? I wish all wars could end this easily with just one battle.”

“Well… we were lucky.”

As the war between Arabion and Zahar in the past had shown, wars between great families typically didn’t end with just one major clash.

They usually involved tedious wars of attrition, consuming each other’s territories, or despicable attacks on each other’s main bases.

Even without bringing up examples from decades ago, Arabion and Parsha were still technically at war.

Both sides were simply resting because they judged they lacked the strength to decisively strike the other.

In contrast, this war had ended quickly because both forces were confident they could defeat the other in a single decisive battle, believing they had overwhelming superiority.

Of course, the result clearly showed whose belief had been correct.

* * *

After handling the post-war cleanup, recognition of achievements naturally followed.

This was especially important in battles between humans, as one could grow stronger by absorbing another mage’s magical power.

Following custom, the remains of allied casualties were claimed by their respective families, while for enemies, those confirmed to have killed them claimed the bodies, and when unconfirmed, they were distributed according to contributions.

Turan made sure to report the Ruban noble he had hastily absorbed during battle, deducting it from Parsha’s share. This was to avoid troublesome disputes seeking a culprit, and besides, the Ravitas side had already made plenty of concessions.

“Thank you for your concessions, Osel.”

“No need for thanks, we should do this much after you came all this way to help us. Without Parsha’s aid, we would certainly have lost.”

Osel shook his head at Turan’s gratitude.

Indeed, the hidden blade of the Ruban family’s support forces that Baraha had concealed was incredibly sharp.

Had they sent only Solif as planned, they would have been fortunate to suffer a terrible defeat, and at worst, they might have been completely annihilated.

Having escaped this and succeeded in their revenge, this much advantage was certainly worth giving.

After the magical power was distributed from knights to high-ranking nobles, the final prize—the Baraha family head’s corpse—was presented.

The value of the magical power contained within could be equated to an entire region.

In fact, the reason great family heads wielded such transcendent power was due to this power being passed from one family head to the next, making it essentially the core of a great family.

“Divided among the four of us like this?”

“That would be fine.”

To absorb Lesion’s magical power, the three people who had participated directly in battle from Parsha, and a girl related to Osel from Ravitas, took their positions.

Osel himself had already inherited the previous family head’s power and reached his limit, so they had chosen a child with promising talent from within the family.

“Begin.”

At someone’s signal, all four simultaneously began absorbing Lesion’s magical power.

The growth of magical power, which had been stagnating since devouring the Giant Sea Serpent, once again progressed steeply.

A stronger body, sharper senses, the aftereffects of power surging like waves inside him.

Turan realized that his pure magical power had advanced another level beyond before, now nearly comparable to Osel standing right beside him.

‘Finally…’

Though still somewhat weaker than Badal, he now truly possessed power worthy of the title of a great family head.

At that moment, a small exclamation of surprise came from beside him.

The magical power being absorbed by Solif’s body was dissipating after losing its master.

“Tsk, seems like this is my limit after all.”

The threshold phenomenon.

This was what eventually came to any mage who continuously absorbed magical power, and it had finally reached Solif.

However, unlike an Arabion noble Turan had seen in the past, instead of being deeply disappointed, Solif merely sighed and shook his head.

As if he had expected this.

“Don’t look at me like that. Well, I did secretly hope for more… but this is still something.”

In truth, Turan had expected that once Meisa and Solif accumulated a certain amount of magical power, they would awaken a fourth bloodline like him.

In Solif’s case, the Healer bloodline befitting a descendant of the Silver Sun, and for Meisa, the History bloodline.

Of course, even the current Solif had gained power equal to Lesion in life, so it was hardly something to complain about.

“That’s enough, just fill my spot quickly.”

“Bije, put Bije in.”

Meisa, who was absorbing power beside them, called out softly.

Since the nobles of the Parsha family were all single bloodline owners who had either reached their limit or were close to it, absorbing Lesion’s magical power would have little effect on them.

-Can you do it from there?

-Yes!

Following Turan’s instructions, Bije, who had been inside his body, began absorbing the magical power as well.

Though she received what was essentially scraps since most had already been absorbed, even this was a significant boost for the current Bije.

Her magical power, which had been around the lower end of the highest tier, instantly rose to the middle ranks of the highest tier, equivalent to Solif from a few years ago.

Had she absorbed it all, she might have surpassed even that.

After completing the absorption, Turan organized the magical power within his body while checking the achievements of the others.

Meisa had now become slightly stronger than normal family heads like Osel or Lesion, Turan was next, and Solif, who had reached his limit midway, was in last place, roughly equivalent to Osel or Lesion.

“Is it over?”

“Yes, thanks to your consideration.”

Osel nodded at Turan’s words of gratitude, then turned to the Ravitas girl.

“Alu, how about you?”

“Thank you, Family Head! I’ll never forget this favor!”

The Ravitas girl who had absorbed magical power with them had also instantly gained highest-tier magical power, having been only in the middle ranks before.

She had been born with lower-noble-level magical power from a young age, considered one of the most promising talents in Ravitas history.

Since Osel was still young, perhaps someday Ravitas might have two family-head-level powerhouses.

After distributing the magical devices as well, the coalition forces officially marched toward Helio, the capital of Baraha, escorting their prisoners.

As they passed through small villages and cities near the capital, even ordinary people could see the outcome of the war.

“Look at that.”

“My goodness, could it be…?”

“Should we run?”… “Stay put. Whether those high-ranking lords change or not, it makes no difference to mere workers like us.”

The news that mages wearing clothes emblazoned with the Baraha family crest were following in a defeated state would soon spread throughout the Land of Five Lakes.

After marching for about three hours, the coalition forces arrived at Helio.

The Ravitas mages exclaimed in admiration at the sight of Helio’s tall walls and well-constructed buildings.

“Is this the capital of Baraha?”

“It’s magnificent.”

“The buildings are certainly taller, probably because the ground is firm rather than soft.”

“So that’s the Temple of the Sun!”

It took a sharp rebuke from one of the high-ranking nobles, telling them to shut up for behaving like country bumpkins, for the commotion to subside.

Upon reaching the capital, the coalition forces divided into three main groups.

One group occupied key institutions affecting ordinary people, starting with the city hall and police stations.

Another group monitored the prisoners being held outside the capital walls.

And the last group occupied the Baraha headquarters, the Temple of the Sun, and eliminated the few remaining defeated soldiers.

“We lost? Don’t talk nonsense!”

“It’s a lie! Those people are just a detachment, the main force is still fighting! Don’t waver and hold your positions!”

The few remaining nobles in the main house shouted loudly at the coalition forces’ arrival, but no one supported them.

Even if they had, what could they have done?

Since Baraha had also deployed all their forces for the plain battle, the nobles remaining in the Temple of the Sun were either on the verge of death from old age or children who had just awakened their magical power.

“Surrender peacefully and your lives will be spared.”

“Solif, you traitor…”

The old Baraha noble who had been growling fell silent upon seeing the size and heat of the halo that rose from Solif’s back.

It was truly like a small sun rising, reminiscent of the majesty of the living Baraha family head.

“Did you… devour the Family Head?”

“Yes. I am now the head of Baraha. Accept it or die. The choice is yours.”

There was not the slightest hint of boasting or pressure in Solif’s voice.

Just a matter-of-fact attitude, stating what was obvious.

Perhaps that struck deeper into their hearts, as the remaining survivors looked at each other, then sighed deeply and lowered the flag flying atop the Temple of the Sun.

It was the first time this had happened in the 1,800 years since the Baraha family had been established.

* * *

“Ugh, I’m exhausted.”

“You can say that again.”

That evening, Turan’s group gathered in the family head’s quarters where Lesion had resided.

This was the place in the Temple of the Sun where they could meet most smoothly without interference from others.

Normally, it would be improper for Solif, a guest of the Parsha family, to take the highest seat, but since he was certain to be the next Baraha family head, it was acceptable.

Additionally, Solif, as the Baraha family head, had agreed to transfer considerable property and rights to take responsibility for the previous sneak attack.

With everyone gathered, Turan carefully placed the jewel box on the table.

“Should we check tomorrow if everyone’s tired?”

“No, let’s do it now. I’m dying of curiosity. Besides, we’ll be busy with other matters from tomorrow.”

“That’s right. Turan, you need to return to Parsha too, don’t you?”

“That won’t take long.”

“True!”

After finishing the battle and entering the Temple of the Sun, Turan had instructed Armani to reinstall the mirror leading to Kalamaf in the tunnel beyond the prison where Solif’s parents had once been confined.

The plan was to maintain this for the time being, allowing them to respond actively if either Parsha or Baraha was attacked.

“I really hope he’ll answer our questions properly this time.”

“Surely it won’t be like Kadram before?”

“If it is, I’ll just eliminate both of them and investigate the traces. Better than letting them stay silent.”

There were so many things they wanted to ask Lesion.

What were the needles embedded in Solif and Meisa’s spirit forms, why did his own spirit form look like that, why had he suddenly attacked Ravitas, and more.

Opening the jewel box, it was time to discover those truths.