Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Turan was speechless at the shocking news that dark elves had raised an army and even destroyed three cities.
Considering that each city typically had dozens of surrounding villages, it was hard to even imagine how many people had been sacrificed.
Meisa seemed to share similar feelings, as she remained silent for a while before speaking with difficulty.
“…I understand. Tell them I’ll return soon.”
“You must go right now-”
“I said I’m going!”
At her sharp voice, the man flinched, bowed deeply, and left the garden.
Meisa sighed deeply and said to Turan.
“It seems I need to head back soon.”
“Be careful.”
The reason for summoning Meisa when dark elf armies appeared was clear.
It would be to have her join the subjugation force.
Turan didn’t suggest going to fight the dark elves with Meisa.
Beyond having to hide his bloodline, the great Arabion family wasn’t weak enough to need help from outsiders in dealing with non-humans.
To them, Turan would likely look like a thief trying to sneak in and steal spoils – magic power.
“Thank you. Ah, at this rate I won’t be able to repay you for the decay magic before leaving.”
Meisa hesitated for a while, seemingly thinking about something, then carefully spoke.
“Turan, did you know that electricity flows through human bodies?”
“Electricity… you say?”
Seeing Turan’s puzzled attitude, Meisa’s face brightened.
“You don’t know? Then how about considering my debt cleared if I properly teach you this? It will surely be a great help.”
“Alright.”
When Turan accepted, Meisa immediately poured out the theory.
“When people see or feel something, that part sends electricity to the brain. From eyes to brain when seeing, from nose to brain when smelling. Through that electricity, the brain understands sensations and sends electricity back throughout the body to command movement.”
Her words contained increasingly outlandish content as he listened.
Why would lightning-like power flow through human bodies, and how could it transmit things like sensations or commands?
But having often encountered such knowledge in the library, Turan knew that truths difficult to understand intuitively existed, so rather than trying to understand, he first committed the content to memory.
This was clearly part of the natural laws passed down through generations in the Arabion family.
“And what happens if you accelerate this electricity with magic power?”
“The speed of recognition and reaction would increase.”
“Correct. Would you like to try?”
Though half-doubting, Turan immediately tried the theory Meisa had explained.
First imagining very fine lightning pathways flowing through his body, then infusing magic power while willing the lightning passing through those pathways to become faster-
“How-is-it-”
The moment he used the magic, Meisa’s voice from across became grotesquely stretched.
Turan realized even his blinking speed had slowed as he slowly took a step.
It felt like being submerged in water…
After enjoying the slowed world for about ten seconds, a sharp headache stabbed his temples.
When he quickly released the magic, the world instantly returned to normal.
“Did you succeed?”
“Yes, this is…”
Even from just that brief use, he could feel this magic’s tremendous potential.
So much that he couldn’t understand why she would exchange this for mere information about decay magic.
“You probably can’t adapt yet due to the headache, but once you get used to it, you’ll be able to maintain it for quite a while.”
“This… seems far too much compared to what I gave you.”
At Turan’s words, Meisa nodded with a smile as if she had expected this.
“Maybe so. But then you can repay me later when you learn better magic, right?”
Saying this, Meisa flew out of the garden before Turan could respond.
“Ah…”
Only then did Turan realize she had used this method to promise another meeting.
From far away came the sound of the Arabion family man who had left earlier pitifully calling out to his lady.
* * *
After finishing magic practice alone, Turan met Asiz while returning to his room.
From the fatigue on his face, he could guess his friend had just participated in something uncomfortable or difficult, like a family meeting.
“Turan, not sure if you’ve heard…”
“About the dark elves?”
“What, where did you hear? I just heard from Mother.”
“Just now during training with Lady Meisa. Could those two I killed have been the problem?”
“Don’t know about that. They don’t exactly announce their reasons for massacres.”
Though saying this, Asiz’s dark expression suggested he too internally thought that conflict might have been the cause.
Of course, he was merely a victim, but human feelings aren’t so cleanly divided.
“Will the Berk family participate?”
“Hm? No, we’re not going. Too busy making magical devices. Uncle Haram will stay at the main house too.”
Meaning there would be no disruption to the creation of the magical device Turan was to receive.
“More importantly, what will you do now?”
“About what?”
“What else? The war! Traveling alone for pilgrimage in this situation is suicide. If you meet a necromancer army while traveling, you’ll ascend to the celestial palace that day.”
Asiz was suggesting that Turan remain as Berk’s guest even after receiving the magical device.
For enough time for this problem to be resolved smoothly, say a few months to a year.
“No, I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m someone who has things I need to do.”
And he also didn’t want to be more indebted to the Berk family if possible.
Since he couldn’t repay such debts as long as he didn’t belong here.
Realizing Turan wouldn’t be persuaded, Asiz heaved a deep sigh.
“Ugh, if that’s how you feel then nothing can be done…”
“It’s not like I’m leaving forever. We can meet again when time passes. I could come visit.”
“True.”
Seeming somewhat comforted by those words, Asiz smiled and patted Turan’s shoulder.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t notice since I see you every day, but hasn’t your body gotten much bigger lately?”
“Does it look that way?”
“Yeah. You’ve become a bit like Uncle.”
As he said, Turan’s previously slim body had undergone quite significant changes over the past three weeks.
Not quite as thick as Haram as Asiz said, but if his previous body was like a deer’s, now it was more like a leopard’s.
This achievement would have been impossible without the physical training equipment prepared in the Berk mansion and Haram’s thorough instruction.
To begin with, it wasn’t easy to give enough stimulus for muscles to develop on a noble’s body in normal spaces.
“True, lately I feel about twice as strong. My stamina is much better too.”
“…Only that much?”
“Yeah. You should try asking for training sometime too when you get the chance.”
“Hmm.”
After contemplating for a while, Asiz shook his head saying he’d pass.
Not because he was particularly lazy, but because Haram’s physical training was truly that harsh.
If anything, Turan was the unusual one for accepting his teaching despite not having a bloodline specialized for close combat.
“Well, anyway, good thing I had them make it a bit bigger in case you grew more. Should fit well enough.”
“What?”
To Turan’s question, Asiz grinned and shook his head.
“You don’t need to know. Just look forward to it.”
Even when asked again what it was about, Asiz wouldn’t answer till the end.
* * *
A few days after Meisa left for the main house, Turan visited Morgen City, the center of the Dakein Plains, with members of the Berk family.
It was to see off the subjugation force departing to defeat the dark elf army.
Twenty-seven nobles from the Arabion main house alone, four hundred knights…
Adding nobles and knights with combat-suitable bloodlines from vassal families, the scale became dizzying.
Moreover, hadn’t they said several times this number of nobles and knights had fought each other in the past war with Zahar?
“Glory to Arabion!”
People raised clenched fists and shouted this whenever the subjugation force marched.
Before long, Turan could see Meisa’s face at the front of the formation.
Unlike when she was recuperating at the Berk mansion recently, her skeletal face now was full of only fatigue like when he first saw her.
As if life at the main house these past few days hadn’t been very pleasant.
“Oh, it’s Meisa. Meisa! Over here!”
As Asiz excitedly waved his hand, Family Head Midela watching beside him quickly lowered it.
While he was getting a long lecture about maintaining noble dignity, one Arabion noble flew into the air and shouted loudly.
[“The Family Head enters!”]
Whether using wind magic, his voice carried clearly to the tens of thousands gathered to see off the subjugation force.
As everyone suddenly fell silent, Turan saw an old man walking toward the front of the subjugation force.
‘So that’s…’
The current Arabion family head, Badal Arabion.
Meisa’s father appeared to be well over sixty in appearance.
How many years must a powerful noble have lived to age that much, and how much magic power had he accumulated during that time?
“Asiz.”
“What?”
“The Arabion family head’s complexion looks poor. Is his health not good?”
His face was unusually pale even for an old man, looking like he might collapse at any moment.
Asiz scratched his head at Turan’s question.
“Well, I heard he was injured dueling Zahar’s head in the past… and given his age, who knows.”
“Hmm.”
Shortly after, the family head’s aged voice rang out.
[“Warriors of Arabion, you now depart to protect humanity. I command you, do not return alive before slaughtering all those evil non-humans. For humanity.”]
“For humanity!”
Everyone followed the family head’s words and waited for the speech to continue, but contrary to expectations, the head just silently watched the subjugation force without continuing.
Surely it wouldn’t end with just these few words? After gathering such forces?
Murmurs arose among the gathered crowd, suggesting Turan wasn’t alone in thinking this.
But briefly, when the family head raised his hand, everyone fell silent.
It was because everyone instinctively felt it.
That something tremendous was about to happen.
“Ah…”
At some point, the clear sky began clouding over, casting shadows on people’s faces.
Turan realized the family head was controlling the winds high in the sky to gather clouds.
Just how skilled at wind magic and how much magic power must be invested to make this possible?
Shortly after, he lowered his hand while muttering softly.
[“Go forth believing I stand behind you. This is the power of Arabion.”]
Rumbling thunder sounds coming from far away.
Soon the clouds in the sky turned pitch black, then began pouring down lightning one strand at a time.
Once, twice, thrice-
The lightning that had been falling like water drops began pouring down like rain.
Would the celestial gods’ anger look like this?
People half-crazed by this unprecedented sight shouted randomly.
“Uwaaaaah!”
“Long live Arabion!”
“For humanity-!”
“Thunder Lord, protect your descendants!”
While some shouted in fear and others in emotion, Turan too watched the display of power before him without even breathing.
Hadn’t Keorn once said he saw Arabion’s head crush a small hill with a single gesture?
This display of magic was no less impressive than that.
The destructive power loaded in each bolt of lightning could be felt even from here.
It wasn’t hard to guess why he would display such power despite his poor physical condition.
It was likely a show of force to potential threats to Arabion, mainly those related to Zahar.
Saying he was still this powerful, so don’t dare think of targeting Arabion just because some forces were away.
After the sky cleared, Asiz muttered with a half-dazed expression.
“Wow, even the Frea divine tribe descending probably wouldn’t be this impressive.”
Though Turan agreed with those words, another thought arose in his mind.
The library spirit’s words that he had the bloodline closest to divinity among magicians.
‘Someday, I too…’
Turan yearned to become such a powerful being.