Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Discord
On the return journey, Turan sat in the boat carefully observing the newly acquired unidentified treasure.
Just big enough to fit in his palm.
Round edges and relatively flat front and back, its overall shape was similar to the compass he had brought.
Notably, it had a small button on one side that made a clicking sound and opened a lid when pressed.
Though the inside was empty with unknown purpose, it likely had some function too.
Fortunately, he didn’t need to constantly hold this item to use it.
As long as he ‘owned’ it, like keeping it in a pocket, he could use its abilities anytime.
Turan felt countless presences passing beneath the sea with his eyes closed.
Groups of hundreds of tiny sparks, groups of over ten slightly larger lights, and even larger lights separately…
This detection range extended to about ten meters normally, and up to several dozen to over a hundred meters with concentrated focus.
Only after practicing the detection ability several times did Turan take out his compass again to check direction and head east.
After moving the boat for about an hour.
On the fifth use of detection magic targeting human scent, he finally sensed a faint trace from far away.
‘Found it.’
After silently mooring the small boat beside the Blue Marlin and jumping onto the deck, the watchman sailor screamed seeing him.
“Ack! A m-monster- oh, it’s Sir Knight? We thought you were staying on the island…”
“Had business.”
Like Armani, the sailor had a very faint spark residing in his heart, and was all gray otherwise.
Whether due to racial difference, or because that one was royalty.
Receiving a respectful salute, Turan returned to his cramped cabin and lay on the bed.
Perhaps due to having much to think about, his head felt unusually heavy.
* * *
The next day, Turan slept late until the sun was high, then woke to a strange smell.
What woke him from deep sleep was a strong smell of blood.
‘What’s this?’
What would cause blood to flow on an island where merchant ships dock, not in the middle of the sea?
Going up to the deck, he could see the reason.
“Ow…”
“It hurts like hell, put some medicine on it!”
Sailors groaning and bleeding from their backs.
Beside them, Boatswain Lenak chewed some unknown herb while swinging a bloody whip in the air several times making sounds.
“Now, everyone repeat! Tardiness!”
“We won’t do it!”
“Insubordination!”
“Is death!”
The sailors chanted responses to Lenak’s words with dead expressions.
“What’s all this about?”
“Oh, you’re awake? We’re punishing those who came back late after playing last night.”
First Mate Osban watching the whipping with a blank expression explained.
Come to think of it, the captain had said something like this when leaving yesterday, but who would have thought they’d actually whip people for returning late.
Turan shook his head after watching the blood-covered deck for a while.
Though someone might die if they weren’t careful, it wasn’t right for him to intervene and break discipline here.
They had their own rules, and moreover, he had seen the sailors agree to this yesterday.
Instead, Turan observed how different sailors appeared through the holy relic’s vision.
Though most showed no major differences, those injured by whipping showed blue flames in those areas turning red and dispersing.
“Where’s the captain?”
“He went down to the island. Said he was going to find someone to buy the ship.”
“I see.”
As the ship’s owner, and to check on progress, Turan headed to the island leaving behind the sailors being whipped.
“Hohoho, hahaha!”
“Blegh-”
“You b*st*rd! Think this is a toilet?!”
Miguel Island lived off merchant ships stopping for supplies during trade.
Naturally, many people visible on the streets were sailors from ships docked at that harbor.
Even in broad daylight there were those shouting wildly with drunken unfocused eyes, vomiting, and openly urinating in the streets…
It made him think they actually maintained minimal dignity on the continent.
Passing such sailors and heading to the center, he came upon a relatively clean, large building.
An upscale tavern that supposedly only allowed captains to enter.
As he approached, the large doorkeeper guarding the entrance extended his hand with an incredulous expression.
“Hey, this isn’t a place for youngsters like you. If you miss your mother’s milk, go find it from the whores over there.”
Instead of answering with words, Turan lightly flicked his finger creating a spark, making the doorkeeper’s face turn white.
Turan passed by as he bowed deeply and entered the tavern.
“Is that true?”
“I’m telling you! The number of people who fled from there must be at least tens of thousands. It’ll probably remain a land of death for a while.”
Captain Pires was deep in conversation with another captain who looked about his age in one corner of the tavern.
Noticing Turan’s presence as he approached, Pires bowed in surprise.
“Lord Turan.”
“Good morning.”
“Yes. Though it’s a bit late to call it morning… Ah, this is Captain Samudel of the Winter Crow. Unlike me, he’s both captain and shipowner, and has agreed to buy your ship.”
“Pleased to meet you, Lord Turan.”
Captain Samudel was a middle-aged man wearing a pointed triangular hat who, unlike Pires, had both eyes intact but wore a hook on one hand.
Perhaps having bodily defects was a qualification for becoming captain.
Or maybe working as a sailor long enough to become captain inevitably led to injury somewhere.
“Likewise. How did the price work out?”
“Including the ship and various items inside, we agreed on one thousand Zahar gold coins.”
Though he hadn’t seen Zahar gold coins before and couldn’t tell if it was a proper price, since he had promised Pires two-tenths of the profits, it wouldn’t have been sold for an absurdly low price.
Turan nodded and naturally took a seat.
“Where are you from, Samudel?”
“Coming from the Enril Desert. With Abacha as destination, exactly opposite route from this friend. I was planning to buy another ship in Abacha anyway, so I’m glad to get one cheaply.”
“Oh.”
Samudel must have heard from Pires what kind of person he was, as he answered sincerely without looking down on him for being young.
After some small talk for a few minutes while cleansing his palate with salty ham and dates on the table, Turan brought up his main business.
“Could I buy something like a magical device? Or even a small item of equivalent value would be fine.”
He explained his situation to the puzzled Samudel.
That he was traveling alone and couldn’t conveniently carry around such a large sum.
After hearing the details, Samudel immediately gave an answer.
“This is just a transit area so no one here would have such things, you’d probably need to go to Komad.”
Though Miguel Island was a strategic point for North Sea trade, it was just a place to stop for food and drink, and the island itself was too small for its economy to be active enough to have such items.
In fact, the island’s natives weren’t very wealthy, living off selling alcohol and bodies to sailors.
In contrast, Komad, the port city north of the Enril Desert and the Blue Marlin’s destination, was the second largest city in Zahar territory, so there was a high chance of finding what Turan wanted.
“If you’d like, shall I write you a letter of recommendation? I have some connection with the Dirmin family ruling Komad. They have beast tamer bloodline so you could buy trained monsters.”
Hearing this, Turan recalled Asiz’s horse, Tilly.
That horse too had been purchased from a noble with beast tamer bloodline by the Berk family as a gift for Asiz.
It might be good to raise one like that powerful and intelligent red horse.
“I appreciate it, but…”
Understanding the question of why he would write such a thing, Samudel grinned.
“Since I’m giving you money, I know you have the means to buy trained monsters. I’m just mediating between seller and buyer, so don’t feel burdened.”
* * *
Two days later, the Blue Marlin resumed sailing after perfectly recovering physical and mental health, except for food, water, and some who had been whipped.
With about 2/3 of the voyage passed, the sailors’ morale wasn’t bad.
“This voyage isn’t bad at all? Pirates became our money bags, and the weather’s great…”
“Must be because we’re serving a divine descendant.”
As if annoyed by the sailors giggling while saying such things, on the third day of sailing dark clouds heavily covered the sky ahead.
The second mate on watch immediately spread word upon seeing this.
“Dark clouds ahead! Everyone prepare!”
The sailors, all experienced with the North Sea’s fickle weather, were quick to prepare for the storm.
Boatswain Lenak had sailors loosen ropes to lower the sails, and the helmsman gripped the wheel while swallowing hard.
Others like the cook hurriedly moved items placed on deck inside due to the full hold.
But weather always strikes more unpredictably than expected, and lightning, rain and wind began pouring before preparations could finish.
Wind and rain in a season when snow wouldn’t be strange instantly steal body heat.
The sailors tried their best to complete their tasks while shivering with blue lips.
Just then, a huge wave struck the ship’s side hard.
“Aaaaah!”
A sailor loosening ropes atop the main mast screamed as he was thrown off by the rebound.
Whether falling onto the deck or into the sea from dozens of meters high, death was certain.
As everyone’s faces froze, the falling sailor’s body suddenly stopped mid-air.
“…Huh?”
“This way.”
Following Turan’s command and gesture, the sailor’s body slowly descended back to the deck.
From a magician’s perspective, ordinary people without magic power were like animals or inanimate natural objects.
In other words, using the same force as moving a person-sized rock could move ordinary people too.
“Get below!”
“Yes!”
After rescuing one person, Turan’s activities continued.
He furled the sail that couldn’t be tied due to the earlier fall by controlling ropes and cloth, and pushed back cargo rolling on deck.
Plus saving two more sailors who nearly bounced overboard from slipping.
After confirming all sailors except the helmsman had gone below deck, Turan closed the door while going down last.
Though brief, he sighed involuntarily from the extreme tension.
“Whew…”
“Th-thank you, oh god! Thank you so much!”
The one kneeling and sobbing as if in worship was the sailor who had been thrown earlier.
“You’re not hurt?”
“No!”
“Good. That’s fine then.”
After appropriately comforting the sailor by patting his shoulder as he repeatedly expressed thanks, Turan sought Captain Pires.
He was discussing something with other senior sailors with serious expressions, but stopped talking and bowed deeply in thanks when Turan approached.
“Thank you, Lord Turan. Thanks to you, not just the sailors but all of us kept our lives. If we hadn’t lowered the sails, we’d probably have sunk by now.”
“I’m also one of the ship’s crew now, so it’s natural. How is it, can we weather the storm?”
“We can only trust the ship and helmsman’s skill. The officers and I will need to keep going out to take turns. More worrying is how wet everyone is…”
With all deck cargo moved below, the cabin was packed without room to step.
The sailors, losing body heat to wet clothes, shivered trying to warm themselves with each other’s body heat.
Turan watched this quietly before shouting loudly.
[“Everyone in a circle!”]
Though thunder still boomed in the sky, his voice carried clearly to everyone in the cabin.
This was a crude imitation of the sound amplification magic used during the Arabion family head’s procession.
Though much cruder than theirs, it was enough to reach dozens of people in a cabin this size.
[“I’m going to make fire! Gather in a circle around me!”]
“Lord Turan, making fire now could be disastrous.”
Captain Pires tried to stop him with a troubled expression.
If fire spread to the walls by mistake as the ship rocked, there would be no greater catastrophe.
“It’s alright, I have a way to make fire that won’t spread.”
“Is that possible…”
Pires stopped himself from asking if that was possible.
He at least knew the magician before him was actually an upper-class powerhouse.
Shortly after, Turan confirmed all sailors had gathered in a circle before creating flame above his hand.
Having firmly fixed his position, the flame’s location didn’t change even as the ship rocked.
Simultaneously manipulating air flow to spread heat in all directions, warming temperature seeped throughout the cabin melting their bodies.
“Oh god…”
The sailors watched entranced as Turan held fire and shared warmth.
This was a completely different emotion from their exhilaration seeing him massacre pirates with overwhelming power days ago.
‘Humans shall worship magicians, and magicians shall rule over and care for humans.’
For the first time in their lives, they felt cared for by a magician.