Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 177

Chapter 177

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“You didn’t come alone, did you?”

Turan looked at Rida with an incredulous expression as she nimbly leaped down from Bije’s back.

Of course, considering that she was a proper upper-tier noble and one of the few powerful individuals in the entire world, there was nothing to criticize about her traveling alone.

If this weren’t the middle of a wartime era where various great families were fighting each other.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ll get enough nagging from Osel when I return, so that’s sufficient.”

“So you came without the family head’s permission.”

“That child worries too much. He still treats his old sister like a naive girl who knows nothing of the world!”

She laughed heartily and patted Bije’s head, thanking her. The creature nodded once, then shrank back to her small size and perched on Turan’s shoulder.

A somewhat guilty voice echoed in his mind.

-Turan, Rida asked me to give her a ride, so I did. Is that okay? I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t.

-No, you did well.

Surely Osel wouldn’t think Rida had been kidnapped over this.

As Turan absorbed Bije back into his body, Rida, who had been watching quietly, asked cautiously.

“So, what I heard from that child… is it true? I couldn’t stand it when I heard and came rushing over.”

“Yes. Would you like to see?”

When Rida nodded, Turan immediately led her to the underground prison.

The guard at the prison entrance spoke to Turan.

“Badger.”

“Powder.”

Only after hearing the response did the guard bow respectfully and step aside. Seeing this, Rida remarked with interest.

“They demand a password even when their own family head comes and goes.”

“Someone might be disguised as me. It’s not just here—I’ve set it up this way for several important facilities.”

The Mimic had been considered a somewhat mediocre profession during the Freya gods’ gaming days and wasn’t popular, but there was no guarantee that Turan was the only one who could use such abilities.

With good use of magical devices, there were ways to imitate it to some degree, if not perfectly.

A short while later, passing through the corridor lit by magical lamps and entering the deep underground prison, Rida’s eyes lit up when she saw the white elf confined in one cell.

“Indeed… it really is a white elf! It was real!”

“Wh-what is this human?”

Ignoring Nia’s flustered attitude, Rida gripped the bars tightly and pressed her face close.

Her flushed face and wide-open eyes clearly belonged to someone extremely excited, causing the white elf princess to look back at Turan with a terrified expression and shout.

“You! Do something about this human! She’s scary!”

“Scary, my foot.”

Just as Turan was letting out a hollow laugh, surprisingly, Rida concentrated for a moment and then extracted her spirit form from her head.

Her spirit form was naturally different from those of Turan, Solif, and Meisa.

A pure white snake with heads on both ends instead of a tail wrapped around one arm, across her shoulder, and around the opposite arm, with a gentle rainbow light flowing from her entire body.

And naturally, metal needles were embedded in her head.

“I never expected you to have mastered soul magic already…”

[Actually, being able to do this is quite recent. No one else has mastered it yet.]

Originally, even when Ravitas nobles didn’t properly understand soul magic, they had conducted various independent research on souls, which had been quite helpful in training.

Even considering that, it was truly an amazing achievement.

It had only been a few years since he had given Ravitas clues about soul magic, yet she had already reached such a level.

[Now, white elf miss. Since you can use spirit magic, you should be able to hear my voice, right? Try using any power on me! I’m so curious I could go crazy. How spirit magic works…]

“Rida, it will be difficult for her to use more power today. I was doing some research with her until just before.”

“R-right. I’ve already exhausted my power today. It’s difficult right now.”

When Nia hurriedly nodded in agreement, Rida looked back and forth between Turan and Nia with an expression like a dejected girl despite her age, then soon returned her spirit form to her body.

“Really disappointing…”

“Today isn’t the only day. Let’s rest for now and try again tomorrow.”

“I suppose we must. Ah, what is the white elf miss’s name?”

She then bombarded Nia with all sorts of questions: how old she was, what she liked, whether she had a husband or lover.

Throughout this, she didn’t ask where or how she had been captured, probably out of consideration for Turan behind her.

There might be a risk of accidentally touching on something sensitive about the Parsha family while explaining that process.

When Nia began to openly show signs of fatigue not long after, Rida also reluctantly got up from her seat.

“Well then, let’s stop here for today and meet again to talk more.”

“Hmph.”

Rida smiled brightly and greeted her despite the other’s arrogant attitude, then closed the prison door.

As they went up to the surface together, she cautiously asked Turan.

“Could you tell me where and how you found her? We searched for all those long years but couldn’t even catch a trace. Where on earth was she hiding…”

“The Ruban family was hiding them.”

“Ruban? Did they hand her over willingly?”

“I completely finished them off this time.”

“Finished off…?”

At this truly unimaginable statement, Rida gaped with her mouth wide open, unable to maintain her composure.

Turan briefly explained the Ruban family raid operation that had been carried out.

After hearing everything, Rida muttered in a somewhat deflated tone.

“I never imagined that such an ancient great family could be conquered in that manner.”

While the number of great families that had existed and then perished wasn’t just one or two, cases where properly established great families were destroyed weren’t very common.

For one great family to conquer another, they had to deploy even the forces guarding their home base, making the risk burden excessively large. Moreover, the distance between those occupying each region was usually too great.

Therefore, wars between great families were typically like the old war between Arabion and Zahar—large armies divided into small units plundering each other’s territories or fighting small local battles.

However, Turan’s ability to bind multiple great families into one force, plus shortening physical distances with the Jade Mirror, brought wars between great families into a new phase.

Multiple great families could now concentrate their power at one point, and if they let their guard down, even historically deep great families could be destroyed in an instant.

“It’s hard for an old person like me to keep up with the times.”

“I’m also struggling to keep up, so I’d like to prevent this kind of era from lasting too long.”

With Baraha and Ruban settled, there were four remaining great families, perhaps three.

When you thought about it, it wasn’t as many as expected.

Of course, they would have to consider a few more variables like the Giant Sea Serpent merfolk.

As they talked, Rida looked at the young man beside her with renewed feelings.

A young man younger than her great-grandchildren, still at an age where the term “youngster” would be appropriate.

This young man had already come to effectively rule half the world and was trying to get the other half in his hands.

Since the gods fell in ancient times, had there been anyone with such ambition who had risen to this position?

‘Thinking about it that way… we chose the right side.’

It was truly fortunate that Ravitas was the only great family not ruled by gods.

If that had been the case, Rida too would have had her soul stolen by the gods long ago.

According to Turan, they valued physical beauty next to excellent magical talent and compatibility.

While she was briefly lost in thought, Turan slightly changed the topic to explain why the Ruban family had been secretly hiding and raising white elves.

The gods had tried to reincarnate using white elves but became entangled with them, and they had actually lost control and become puppets due to the surviving spirit mages.

After hearing the entire story, she clicked her tongue.

“Ruban’s founder was a noble prince of pure blood… To think that the powerful war god’s retainers met such an end. It’s bitter in many ways.”

“They were crushed by a disaster they brought upon themselves.”

In the end, wasn’t this the price for using expedients because they were reluctant to receive help from Monarch, the master of soul magic lurking in the west?

Of course, from what Lesion and others had said, he could roughly guess why they found Monarch distasteful.

Even if his direct combat ability was lacking, he was skilled at all sorts of behind-the-scenes manipulation through his unique talents, and due to his profession’s characteristics, he had special talents in handling souls.

Now that physical bodies were merely clothes to be changed and only the ability to handle souls was the true measure of being a god, everyone had no choice but to be wary of Monarch when thinking about his potential.

“Oh, today’s work is done… Hmm, Family Head. Could you introduce the person beside you?”

While they were walking and talking, Asiz, who had spotted Turan and approached him in a friendly manner, saw Rida beside him and hurriedly showed proper courtesy.

Rida, who had read the expression typical of a young man meeting an attractive member of the opposite sex, laughed warmly and smiled with her eyes.

“I’m Rida of Ravitas. I came to the Parsha family temporarily for special business.”

A tone that gave off the feeling of a well-educated young lady, unlike her usual elderly manner.

However, despite such acting, Asiz nodded as if he understood upon hearing the name.

“Ah, if you’re Lady Rida, then you’re the cousin sister of the Ravitas family head… I’ve heard much about you!”

“Oh my.”

Rida, who had been trying to act like an ordinary noble lady, clicked her tongue in disappointment at having her identity discovered.

Watching this, Turan chuckled softly and said to Rida.

“Since you’ve come as a guest, I should provide hospitality. Would you prefer something grand or simple?”

“I’d like to request something simple. Given the times.”

“Then let’s dine together at my residence.”

Making such a proposal to a young person of the opposite sex in their prime would be utterly rude, but if the target was an elder hundreds of years older, it could be seen as quite hospitable.

Rida nodded at Turan’s proposal and said.

“Let’s do that. But where is Miss Meisa? I thought I’d see her right away…”

“Meisa has been staying at my residence recently. She’s in a weakened state due to magical device creation.”

This was the excuse for Meisa not appearing in public.

It was already publicly known that she was a triple bloodline owner who had awakened even the Enchanter bloodline.

It wasn’t strange for such a skilled person to make powerful magical devices using her abilities to the fullest, or to stay at the family head’s residence to recover from the resulting weakness.

“I see.”

But upon hearing those words, Rida showed a strange expression as if she had realized something.

As expected, when Rida entered the residence with Turan shortly after, she showed no surprise at all upon seeing Meisa’s slightly swollen belly as she greeted them.

“It’s been so long! But what brings you here…”

“I heard about the white elf that the Parsha family head brought this time and couldn’t stand it. More than that, how many months? I think it’s been a little over four months.”

“That’s right!”

Seeing Meisa’s amazement at how accurately she knew, Rida said with a proud expression.

“I’ve given birth several times myself and helped my children give birth several times. How could I not know? Well, there’s no need to mention who the father is…”

“That’s how it happened.”

Even though Solif had criticized him for being too childish before, it was still embarrassing to confess to others that he had made a child.

Especially to Rida.

It felt like bragging to a grandmother about spending a hot night with a lover.

Seeing Turan’s embarrassed expression, Rida burst into hearty laughter.

“One of my grandchildren had exactly that expression when telling me they made a child before marriage! So, when are you having the bonding ceremony? Your belly is already quite swollen, so the clothes won’t look good. Or have you already done it and I just don’t know?”

“We haven’t done it yet and have no plans to for the time being.”

“What?”

At Turan’s words, Rida showed a devastated expression as if asking how that could be.

Meisa defended them from the side.

“The situation isn’t good for revealing this.”

First, they had to hide that Meisa couldn’t function as proper military strength due to her pregnancy. Second, for Meisa to later become the ruler of Arabion and exercise full governing power, being Turan’s partner might be disadvantageous.

And finally, advanced soul magic techniques could enable mass slaughter of fetuses of specific bloodlines.

After hearing all the reasons, Rida let out a contemplative sound.

“Hmm, if those are the reasons, it can’t be helped… But a bonding ceremony is such a precious thing. Won’t you regret it?”

“It’s not like we can’t do it later.”

Turan planned to hold a grand bonding ceremony after dealing with all enemies, after the child was born, and after Meisa was firmly established as Arabion’s ruler.

Splendid and magnificent enough for everyone in the world to clearly know of their union.

“Well… the scale you always think of is tremendous. If that’s the case, I have nothing to say.”

Though she acted like a nagging grandmother, she wasn’t their blood relative, so there was nothing more to interfere with.

In fact, even this was somewhat excessive interference considering the gap in their power and status.

It was only because of their previous friendship that they didn’t say anything.

As they were concluding the matter of the bonding ceremony, maids carrying banquet food prepared at Asiz’s instruction entered the living room.

“Let’s eat and talk first. Lady Rida should eat as much as we did before.”

At this joke about getting revenge for being treated to a bursting meal at Rida’s mansion before, Rida laughed and shook her head.

“This old person would die of indigestion if I ate that much! Anyway, I gratefully accept the hospitality.”

Actually, compared to Turan’s boast, the food that came out wasn’t such a grand feast.

Originally, the Gray Zone had barren land with not very abundant agricultural products, and even the trade that had made up for this had been almost completely destroyed recently.

Both the northern sea ports and the northwestern land route with Arabion that should have supplied abundant food materials were paralyzed.

If they hadn’t imported spices from Zahar and imported meat from animals that had increased due to the depopulation of the forest region, people would have died of starvation in droves.

But Rida enjoyed the meal with a smile as if such somewhat poor treatment for a guest of a great family didn’t matter at all.

“Mm, delicious. Can I have meals like this every day if I stay in Kalamaf?”

“Are you planning to stay long?”

“If there are results, it might be short, but if not, I’d like to stay quite long. Of course, that’s only possible if the Parsha family head doesn’t chase me away as an unwelcome guest.”

“Of course, you can stay as long as you like.”

It had been bothersome to send Nia to Ravitas and return, so having a researcher come up directly was really perfect for Turan.

Anyway, other Ravitas mages hadn’t properly mastered soul magic yet, so they wouldn’t have much value as researchers.

And if Rida succeeded in finding the secret to extending soul chain lifespan here, naturally Turan and Meisa could also enjoy those benefits.

Hearing this story, Meisa’s eyes lit up as she asked.

“Could you show us your spirit form? I’ve been curious about what a Ravitas bloodline spirit form would look like!”

“Of course. Miss Meisa too… Ah, come to think of it, that might be problematic.”

Since it wasn’t written in soul magic what happened when a pregnant woman extracted her spirit form, it was inevitably reluctant to try unknown territory.

After Meisa exclaimed in admiration at Rida’s spirit form, when Turan also showed his spirit form, Rida spared no praise for the sight showing four different traits.

After showing off and praising spirit forms like a fashion show for a while, Rida suddenly showed a solemn expression.

“Actually, coming up directly like this isn’t just to research spirit magic.”

“Something must have happened.”

Turan looked at Rida with a serious expression, having completely erased his previous laughter.

The beautiful old woman who had lived three hundred years nodded despite having not a single wrinkle.

“That’s right. I could have conveyed it through Bije, but… important content might get distorted when passed along like that. It’s not that I don’t trust that child, but there might be some vocabulary issues.”

-I can convey things well!

When Bije popped out of Turan’s hand and got angry upon hearing Rida’s words, she waved her hands and said.

“Sorry, sorry. I’m not insulting you. Really. This old person was just being too cautious.”

After calming the angry Bije by putting a piece of meat dish in her mouth, Rida soon looked at the two and said.

“About a week before Bije came to find me, someone claiming to be an envoy from Arabion came to Merem.”