Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Asking several more questions afterward, she had asked Igon how to go west, he said.
But when he mentioned names of several nearby places, she seemed completely unfamiliar with them.
Meaning she likely wasn’t someone who had lived in Kalamaf City for long.
“Ah, come to think of it, even the horse that woman rode didn’t seem to be from around here. Its whole body gleamed with golden hair, clearly a fine horse at first glance so I had to lock the stable securely.”
Turan suddenly recalled a story heard long ago from Elder Labus in the village below Hisaril Hill.
Before his mother’s death, when he still got along with the villagers.
Labus had once stroked young Turan’s head while saying there was an amazing golden horse in the village.
It was such a magnificent beast that a nearby city bought it for a high price, hadn’t he said?
His mother had probably ridden that horse to Hisaril Hill, then sold it to buy the sheep farm on the hill.
The villagers surely would have lowballed the price too.
‘This much confirms it.’
There was no room for doubt now that the woman the vagrant Igon spoke of was Turan’s mother.
“What about her husband?”
“Well, actually we didn’t talk much about that. My late wife would scold me for flirting whenever I talked to pretty women…”
Plus she avoided mingling with others to begin with, so they couldn’t even make small talk, he said.
If she was really on the run, naturally she would have wanted to minimize contact with others.
After repeating earlier questions once to check if anything changed, Turan gave him several gold coins and sent him away.
“Oh my, receiving such large money makes me feel guilty…”
“It was worth it.”
Though several gold coins were pocket change to Turan, for that vagrant it was enough money to survive winter with plenty left over.
Of course if he lost it gambling that wouldn’t be possible, but worrying that far would be excessive meddling.
Since giving large rewards meant fake reports would likely increase, Turan instructed officials to collect the portraits and stop taking related reports.
Anyway, now knowing his mother wasn’t from this city, it would be better to look in other cities.
After organizing everything, he lay down on the bed in his city hall quarters.
“Whew…”
If she went west, his mother must have come from either north, east, or south.
Among these, east or south seemed most likely.
Either his mother or father must be from Zahar’s side for him to inherit that bloodline.
More concerning was her words about not becoming like his father.
Words that could be interpreted both positively or negatively depending on perspective.
In childhood, when he asked what kind of person his father was, she said he was a good person, suggesting positive meaning.
But then why say don’t become like father, and why did she have to flee alone?
Lost in thought with face covered by hands while lying down, he heard scratching sounds of the black eagle writing something beside him.
Looking up, it held out an iron plate filled with sand.
[Hurt?]
This iron plate was something Turan had made after coming to Kalamaf – unlike writing on the ground it couldn’t handle long text, but had the advantage of being usable indoors… Though being big and heavy meant it was only practical when resting in rooms like now.
“Not hurt, just complicated thoughts.”
[Turan sad when talk about Bije.]
“Hm?”
Though startled by the sudden words, thinking about it, he had mentioned his mother often in front of this one.
From first asking Komad’s family head, it had been beside him due to soul binding.
Moreover being soul bound meant even sharing some emotions, so he couldn’t hide his feelings.
[Who Bije? Mate?]
“No, my mother. The person who gave birth to me. Do you remember your mother?”
At Turan’s question, the black eagle tilted its head then shook it side to side.
[Don’t know. I no mother.]
“I’m the same now.”
Surely it wasn’t actually born without a mother, just meant it couldn’t remember.
The black eagle stared at Turan stroking its head then suddenly wrote.
[My name Bije.]
“Hm?”
[I am Bije.]
The black eagle quickly erased this and wrote a new sentence.
[Turan sad without Bije.]
So, seeing him sad about lacking a mother, it would take her name to be her replacement.
Turan burst out laughing unconsciously at such innocent childlike sentiment.
“I appreciate the thought but that’s not necessary. The time of being sad without mother passed long ago. Since it’s your name, think more carefully…”
[Thought lots. I am Bije.]
Even suggesting to consider other names, the black eagle stubbornly clacked its beak.
After several more failed attempts at persuasion, Turan shook his head.
“Alright… if that’s what you want. I’ll call you Bije from now on.”
Actually sharing names wasn’t particularly significant.
Except for some names used commonly only in specific regions, people’s names tend to be similar everywhere.
Even Turan had met three or four people sharing his name while traveling, and had heard the name Bije several times too.
“Looking forward to our future together, Bije.”
[I am Bije!]
The black eagle that inherited his mother’s name peeped while fluttering its wings.
* * *
Separate from finding clues about his mother’s existence, Turan faithfully performed his role as Kalamaf’s protector.
Actually in terms of directly feeding and raising them, calling him father wouldn’t be strange.
“No way, logs flying by themselves…”
“Come on, no time to rest, quickly organize and take them to the lumber yard!”
“How are these stones so perfectly rectangular? The dimensions are perfect, no need to cut more!”
After somewhat resolving food supply, Turan directly used magic to solve other lacking resources too.
He enhanced his dagger with cutting magic to fly around felling dozens of trees, lifting them with levitation spells, or using earth manipulation magic to transform rock shapes to secure massive amounts of building stone.
The process had the bonus effect of training telekinetic and earth manipulation magic through practice.
With one powerful magician using his strength as labor force matching thousands of strong men, Kalamaf rebuilt faster.
Plus as rumors spread of a powerful magician protecting the city, even those who had fled returned, so after several weeks Kalamaf City displayed majesty similar to its past if not quite the same level… Returning to city hall, Turan entered meetings with the city’s now more human-like influential figures.
“Winter is gradually ending.”
“Not one person froze to death this week. Ten died but eight were from old age and two from accidents during repairs.”
“All glory to the great Turan!”
They praised how everything was improving and it was all thanks to Turan’s presence.
Half-listening to such worship, Turan looked at the map spread on one side of the meeting room.
It showed the area around Kalamaf City.
‘Still no signs of anything appearing from the west.’
Following Kalamaf’s western road led to the region where the Arabion family was warring with dark elves.
The unidentified something that had massacred the family ruling this city before, likely dark elf necromancers, would be there.
With the city sufficiently stable, he needed to scout beyond the western road to confirm their identity.
He couldn’t stay tied to this city for months or years just because they weren’t attacking.
With his holy relic’s power and the black eagle’s mobility, he could identify what they were with relatively little risk.
When he voiced this opinion, everyone showed reluctance.
“W-wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”
“Perhaps waiting longer would be…”
Meeting the unknown enemy that had massacred an entire noble family ruling Kalamaf?
What would happen to this city if Turan died?
But though they thought this internally, they dared not try stopping him.
How could they dare do so to one practically a living Frea god of this city.
“I’ll return immediately if anything seems strange. Even if I encounter enemies too strong to defeat, I won’t lead them to the city, so manage the people well.”
Turan notified them of this not to seek permission, but because they needed to know he would be briefly absent.
Daruk and the city’s influential figures had to bow deeply wishing him safe return.
After returning to his quarters and resting an hour to recover magic power to peak condition, Turan climbed out the window.
“Let’s go, Bije.”
The black eagle, Bije, peeped and flew into the sky.
He was starting to get used to calling it by his mother’s name.
Actually thinking about it, he hadn’t called his mother by name much to begin with.
Rising into the city sky, some citizens who noticed through shadows called out to Turan.
“The black eagle! It’s the black eagle!”
“Turan of Kalamaf! Protect this city forever!”
Turan felt quite uncomfortable with citizens sending such praise.
After defeating the western enemy, he planned to step down as city protector to travel again.
He had already thought of how to bring in a noble to replace his position.
Namely requesting investigation of his mother’s whereabouts in exchange for the city’s governance rights.
With the western threat gone, Kalamaf would be valuable enough to tempt any family head.
He no longer needed to distribute portraits like before.
He could just ask them to find a pregnant woman in her early twenties traveling alone on horseback twenty years ago.
Rather than hoping for more people with excellent memory like Igon, finding people who remembered such special cases would be much more likely… Such thoughts made him somewhat uneasy.
It felt like selling out citizens who worshipped him as a god to get information about his mother.
If the next lord didn’t properly rule the city and people suffered, wouldn’t Turan himself bear some responsibility?
‘This is why I didn’t want to take charge of a city.’
Lost in thought, Turan suddenly realized he had reached the edge of Kalamaf’s territory.
Bije’s flight speed was truly tremendous.
“Well, let’s check…”
Along with consciousness, the holy relic’s sense began expanding.
Countless life force flames felt from below.
But nothing like death spirits or dark elves was sensed among them.
“Let’s go further, Bije.”
Bije peeped and flew west again.
Turan designated dark elves as tracking targets and even used detection magic to check for any scents but found nothing.
Had the threat that was here moved somewhere?
‘That would be troublesome in its own way.’
If he could defeat visible enemies he could rest assured, but if they had moved somewhere it meant they could return.
Above all, without results other city lords wouldn’t accept the threat was gone.
He couldn’t tell them he thoroughly searched with Zahar bloodline tracking magic…
After scanning the surroundings moving left and right for who knows how long, just when he thought he might leave the grey zone, he saw a flame burning brightly ahead.
“Stop!”
When Turan urgently called out, Bije immediately began hovering.
An advanced technique impossible for ordinary black eagles, only possible for a monster with overwhelming strength for its size.
In that state, Turan frowned looking at the huge magical flame caught by the holy relic’s sense.
‘Death spirit… no, magician?’
Changing detection magic’s target to human confirmed the scent was definitely a magician, specifically a noble.
Their magic power was even stronger than Ferga’s and over twice current Turan’s.
That level would be classified as core talent even in great families.
Just then, the unidentified being turned toward Turan’s direction and lifted into the air.
‘They detected me? At this distance?’
Just as he was about to order Bije to flee south, Turan realized the other’s flight method seemed quite familiar.
The way of floating then riding wind to fly…
Shortly after, he came face to face with the magician who had flown from far away.
“Turan?”
“It’s been a while, Meisa.”
Arabion’s heir, Meisa Arabion, looked at him with surprise showing on her characteristic skeletal face.