Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

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After returning to his quarters when the gathering ended, Turan stroked the black eagle’s head while lost in thought.

Second-in-command of Zahar, and someone who Karl recognized as resembling Turan immediately upon seeing his face…

Not someone he could go meet right away.

Being second-in-command of a great family meant he was an even more powerful magician than Meisa.

If Turan was a stain that needed erasing or something similar to him, he would surely be crushed like an insect the moment his existence was discovered.

‘Still… it’s not bad that one clear lead has emerged.’

At minimum, he now had someone to seek out and question after becoming stronger than now.

No need to rush.

He was still young, not just as a magician but in age, and had plenty of time.

Afterward, Turan spent several days at the Dirmin palace.

It was proper etiquette to stay a few days when receiving hospitality.

Time passed quickly as teaching letters to the black eagle was quite fun.

“I am a black eagle.”

[I am a black eagle]

“Good, well written.”

[Gud well written]

“I didn’t tell you to copy that. And it’s wrong.”

On the third day, the black eagle finally became able to compose sentences in writing.

Though it still frequently made mistakes when sentences got even slightly longer, this was already better than most country bumpkins.

“Have you decided on a name?”

[Not yet]

“‘Not yet’ isn’t your name, right?”

Instead of writing an answer, the black eagle shook its head as if saying don’t make unfunny jokes.

After laughing at that sight briefly, Turan asked with a serious face.

“Then can you tell me now? Why you chose me.”

At Turan’s question, the black eagle tilted its head before slowly writing letters on the ground.

It felt like a person carefully choosing their words.

[I lik you your insid match me perfct]

“Did you mean to say ‘like’?”

When Turan pronounced it while writing the letters on the ground, the black eagle clacked its beak and nodded.

“And the rest has many mistakes too. Still need to learn more.”

Seeing it make a dejected expression, Turan analyzed what he had just heard.

Originally, there were certain limits to magicians spiritually binding with monsters.

There was a limit proportional to magic power, so binding stronger monsters or binding more would eventually reach a point where no more could be bound.

Probably if there were no such limits, tamers would have long ago bound hundreds or thousands of monsters and ruled the world.

But there were several problems with assuming Turan’s limit was unusually wide.

First was that a great family’s heir had come to see this one before.

Someone of that level couldn’t possibly have weaker magic power than Turan.

Plus it had been sold before though it escaped, meaning it must have been bound then too.

Meaning there was something different from limits.

Perhaps his innate bloodline mixing Zahar with another family was the cause…

Though he explained this theory, even the black eagle itself didn’t seem to know exactly what that “perfect match” feeling was.

While deeply engaged in conversation thus, a booming laugh came from behind.

“Hey, Turan! What are you doing in the yard with that bird so pathetically?”

After the first gathering, the Gashub couple showed no further interest, seemingly considering Turan just an insignificant small fry who got lucky… But unlike them, the fallen noble Dolf Meren started acting friendly and coming to his quarters to be annoying.

If he just came to hang out it would be fine to deal with him and send him away, but the problem was he kept trying to physically engage at every opportunity saying they should build friendship as fellow physical nobles.

He clearly wasn’t actually trying to become friends but rather wanted to enjoy feelings of superiority by dominating in areas where he had the advantage.

Anyway, entanglement with that annoying fellow would end today.

When he stood and turned around, Dolf tilted his head seeing his attire.

“Hm? Are you going somewhere?”

Turan was not only fully dressed but wearing the long white outer garment locals wore, with a bag at his side.

There was a long metal rod newly attached to the bag, and the black eagle perched on it with a hop, glaring at Dolf.

“I’m leaving today.”

“Where are you going?”

“Just planning to look around various parts of the desert.”

“You should have told me! How cold between us.”

Though he clearly showed he didn’t want to exchange more words, Dolf acted friendly regardless.

“I was thinking of leaving soon too, do you need a guide? I know this area well.”

“No thanks.”

Though having a noble guide would be quite luxurious, traveling with that fellow would probably give him stress ulcers.

At Turan’s refusal, Dolf unexpectedly nodded readily.

“That’s a shame. Let me know if you change your mind!”

Though his unexpectedly smooth farewell and disappearance felt suspicious, at least he was shaken off.

After informing Family Head Karl of his departure and leaving the palace, two knights followed to see him off.

Instead of immediately leaving Komad, Turan asked one of the knights who came to escort and monitor him.

“Could you guide me to where they sell books?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Komad’s largest bookstore was near the harbor, and since books were expensive items, there were guards at the entrance.

He froze seeing Turan with a large black eagle at his side and two knights following behind.

“Uh, uh…”

“Going in.”

Passing him and entering the bookstore, Turan briefly conversed with a middle-aged woman who appeared to be the owner and bought two books.

One travel journal doubling as a guide that would be helpful traveling the desert, and one religious text of the Enril region.

He exchanged the two books he had bought in Abacha for the price.

Coming out with the two newly purchased books, Turan slightly furrowed his brow looking to one side.

He saw a burning flame alone among people recognized only as weak sparks.

* * *

Feeling the cool winter desert wind, Turan opened the book he had just purchased after leaving Komad City.

A guidebook for desert travelers, author Britso Zahar.

Reading the dedication to sponsors, most important part of any book, it was written by a Zahar knight himself with support from the main family.

‘Proper maps would have been nice… but this isn’t bad either.’

Unless wanting to be suspected as a spy, a mere fallen noble couldn’t request internal maps of a great family.

Even the map Keorn had drawn was just roughly sketched showing which great families were in which regions, not properly depicting terrain…

After reading the travel journal’s contents for a while, Turan decided to first visit a city called Banipel southwest of Komad.

This was because he saw information that there were ruins of the old empire there.

It would be best to have the luck of meeting someone like the librarian, but even if not it seemed it would make decent sightseeing.

“Well then, shall we go?”

After muttering to himself and looking down at the black eagle briefly, instead of riding it Turan lightly patted its head and walked on two feet as before.

Though the black eagle tilted its head as if asking why he wouldn’t ride it, it seemed riding attached to the bag wasn’t too bad as it tucked in its neck and closed its eyes.

Walking the desert, he realized it wasn’t a world full of only sand like in travel journals he had read before.

While walking he quite frequently encountered areas strewn with rocks and gravel, looking similar to the wasteland below Hisaril Hill where he grew up.

Focusing consciousness on surroundings with the holy relic’s power, he could sense sparks of life even in such desolate scenery.

Well, great families couldn’t be established in regions truly so barren nothing could live.

Animals must flourish for many monsters to be born, and powerful magicians could be raised by consuming those monsters.

Turan used the holy relic’s power to distinguish monsters among passing beasts then immediately sent the black eagle to hunt.

It flew at arrow-like speed and snatched up a large grey-furred rabbit.

‘Of all things, a rabbit monster.’

Fortunately unlike the one that had massacred the monster hunters before, this rabbit wasn’t particularly strong so there was no chance of counterattack.

Though its magic power was also weak accordingly and not much help for growth, the black eagle seemed happy hunting as it tore apart and devoured the rabbit’s flesh while peeping.

Turan opened his water flask, poured water in and manipulated it to wash the blood-covered creature’s feet.

After walking for several hours thus.

Near sunset, Turan discovered a place of abundance ill-fitting the desert’s desolation.

A large oasis, and small forest and grassland made of trees and wild grass grown drinking that water.

According to the travel journal, the Enril Desert had over thousands of such oases, and nomadic tribes also existed using them as bases.

Even now, dozens of tents were spread surrounding the oasis, with tethered sheep lying around resting.

Though in different regions, they were shepherds like him.

“I’m a passing traveler, could I rest here?”

At Turan’s visit, the nomadic tribe’s people were wary at first, but seeing he was alone with just a large black eagle and not even proper weapons, they lowered their guard.

The forearm-length dagger on his back was considered more a daily tool than weapon.

“Welcome, traveler. May the kindness I bestow return fully. But is that black eagle perhaps a monster?”

“How could it be? It’s just a somewhat large one.”

Turan calmly lied while being invited to the old chief’s tent for a meal.

Since the nomads also considered poor hospitality dishonorable, he could enjoy quite a luxurious feast.

Though of course it couldn’t compare to noble family meals in either quantity or quality…

“Where does brother come from?”

“I came from Komad.”

“The big city by the sea? You look young but came far alone.”

Of course Turan had only lightly run for two or three hours at most, but for commoners it was a distance requiring several days of walking without rest.

Afterward, the chief thoroughly questioned where he was going and what he did, then even proposed whether he would consider staying and marrying one of the tribe’s girls.

Wondering why, it seemed this tribe had unusually few young men for its size.

The reasons could be imagined.

Monster or beast attacks, bandits, or perhaps some natural disaster…

While hard to imagine in the Dakein Plains, it was difficult to compare Arabion with high population density thanks to high productivity and Zahar based in the vast Enril Desert on equal terms.

The difference in area one noble or knight could protect must be several times greater.

After finishing the meal while appropriately deflecting the chief’s meddling, Turan announced he would depart southwest again.

“Walking the desert after sunset in this winter? You’ll freeze to death! Madness. Stay here tonight.”

Though the old man said this, Turan refused and set out.

It wasn’t particularly because he thought the chief might secretly send in a girl in the middle of the night.

Rather…

“Come out, Mr. Dolf.”

Upon leaving the oasis area, Turan muttered quietly looking behind.

Shortly after, Dolf Meren emerged from behind rocks with an awkward expression.

“Oh my, you knew?”

Thanks to the holy relic, Turan could precisely detect the location of nobles or knights within ten-some meters, or dozens to hundreds of meters when expanding his senses.

And according to that sense, Dolf had been tailing him continuously since he left the Dirmin family.

This was why he had walked until now without riding the black eagle.

Though flying would shake him off immediately, he wouldn’t know what purpose the fellow was following for.

He had planned to just flee if there were signs of bringing companions, but even expanding his senses to hundreds of meters he felt no presence of others.

“Just thought a young friend traveling alone might be dangerous. This desert is quite dangerous…”

“Are you after my magic power?”

Hating drawn-out conversation, Turan immediately got to the point.

Indeed, hearing this, Dolf immediately removed his mask and grinned.

“You knew and still came out here? Don’t know if you’re brave or just brainless.”

Murder for magic power.

This was considered an even worse taboo than cannibalism or infanticide in noble society.

Because it reminded that the most tempting prey for nobles was not monsters but other nobles.

Just rumors of committing such acts would make not just the perpetrator but their entire family be antagonized by all nearby nobles until their bloodline was cut off before long.

Noble families emphasizing guest hospitality could also be considered an extension of this sentiment.

“Now I see why nobles hate fallen nobles so much.”

“Heh, looking down on someone in the same situation. No, you’re even worse than me…”

Dolf spoke mockingly while looking down on such a Turan.

“Given your weak strength despite strong magic power, you must be primitive guardian bloodline? Lost even the power to strengthen the body, leaving only defense. Don’t know how you built such power, but it’s wasted on a weed like you so quietly hand it over.”

Being guardian bloodline yet having poor physical abilities made him easy to defeat in combat, yet having slightly stronger magic power than himself meant sufficient reward when victorious.

Moreover, being a fallen noble meant no relatives to investigate the death and seek revenge or publicize it.

Where could there be such tempting prey?

Turan looked at Dolf approaching with leisurely steps before turning his gaze to the sky.

On a moonless night, only faint starlight illuminated the desert.

“Stay up there.”

The black eagle quickly flew up with a peep.

When Dolf flinched thinking he might escape riding the bird, Turan’s body vanished into the pitch darkness.

Considering the other tempting prey was the same for this side too.