Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Landing in a clearing of a snow-covered forest, Turan observed Meisa descending opposite him.
Most noticeable first was that her body, which seemed impossibly thin before, had become even smaller and more frail.
And another thing…
‘This is incredible, truly.’
Thanks to the holy relic’s ability to detect magic power flow, Turan could tell almost everything she wore was a magical device.
Earrings, necklace, clothes, bracelets, rings, shoes, and several miscellaneous items seemingly in her pockets.
Though Ferga as a Zahar heir candidate had three or four magical devices, this was on a completely different level.
Probably the difference between a potential heir candidate and a confirmed heir.
Standing about ten paces apart, Meisa looked at Turan and spoke with seemingly interested expression.
“Though it seems only two or three months since I last saw you, you’ve changed a lot in that time.”
“Have I changed?”
“Yes. Quite significantly.”
Compared to when they met at the Berk mansion where Turan appeared like a boy trying to act mature, now he gave off a more mature impression.
Changes from bearing responsibility for dozens of lives on the ship and thousands in Kalamaf City.
“I can’t tell. More importantly…”
Just then, Bije perched on the bag rod pecked his side as if wanting attention.
It immediately descended to the ground and wrote in the snow.
[Who is she?]
Usually not interrupting when talking with others, was it jealous of their seemingly close familiarity?
Turan calmly introduced the person and bird to each other.
“This is my close friend Meisa. Meisa, this is Bije. My family.”
Calling it a pet would be insulting to this intelligent black eagle, and friend wasn’t enough to describe their soul-bound relationship.
Hearing Turan’s words, Bije proudly puffed out its chest while looking at Meisa.
“Family?”
Meisa showed surprise before smiling as if amused.
“Could it be a soul-bound monster? First time seeing one smart enough to write…”
“Yes. Probably much smarter than most people.”
“How did you meet?”
“While traveling. Bije chose me, and we bound souls through a beast tamer bloodline’s mediation.”
None of Turan’s words were lies.
He just didn’t mention that “while traveling” meant Komad port in the Enril Desert, and that he had bought it with money.
“How romantic. I wish I could meet such a companion.”
Though as Arabion’s heir she could easily obtain a powerful monster if desired, monsters were usually quite troublesome to take everywhere.
Even Tilly was too large to enter buildings, being much bigger than normal horses.
Monsters both small and useful like Bije were rare.
“But what brings you here? Any other time would be fine, but this isn’t a good place for travel now.”
To Meisa’s question, Turan answered honestly.
He told how he recently visited a city called Kalamaf while traveling, and somehow ended up becoming its ruler… Since she would learn this anyway going slightly east, there was no point keeping it secret.
When he finished explaining everything including the western threat that had massacred Kalamaf’s magicians, she nodded in understanding.
“I see…”
“Do you know something?”
“Yes. This could be considered our responsibility.”
According to her, over the past months Arabion’s army had thoroughly excavated and destroyed dark elf underground kingdoms while subjugating them.
During that process some dark elves survived and fled east, including one powerful necromancer.
“You said Kalamaf’s magicians disappeared about a month ago? Then it must be that one’s doing. That’s when they fled east too. They probably wanted to replenish death spirits. Seeing only those who invaded here died while the grey zone is safe, seems they haven’t left this area.”
Now he understood why Meisa, who should be beating dark elves in the west, was here.
The war had ended in Arabion’s victory, and they had come here to exterminate the final remnants.
“Why haven’t they fled further east?”
“They’ve probably allied with dwarves and are hiding in their territory, I suspect.”
“Dwarves? You mean the blind dwarves?”
Turan recalled the world travel journal he had read before.
Stories of blind dwarves hiding in mountain passages that only opened once daily to catch and eat people.
Come to think of it, this grey zone was the setting for those stories.
Though Turan himself had never seen dwarves while traveling nearby.
“Yes. According to legend, the dwarves’ mountain dwellings are so deep even gods couldn’t fully exterminate them. Anyway, fortunate they haven’t gone further east. Given circumstances, entering the grey zone is difficult.”
“Because of Zahar?”
“Yes, naturally.”
The grey zone, land where Arabion and Zahar once warred.
Arabion’s large forces passing through there would itself be considered a major threat, so their army couldn’t enter the grey zone and seemed busy searching just around it.
While conversing thus for a while, Turan sensed a magician flying from far away and turned his gaze.
Meisa noticed slightly slower, suggesting she had a magical device with somewhat similar function to the imitator holy relic.
Shortly after, the arriving Arabion noble appeared to be a middle-aged man around forty.
“Why are you here, Uncle?”
“You were late returning to camp so I came looking. This is too close to the grey zone. Being alone long isn’t good.”
The title uncle suggested he was the Arabion family head’s brother.
Given magic power similar to Turan’s level, he must be among Arabion’s top powers.
But somehow the atmosphere between uncle and niece didn’t seem particularly good.
Meisa showed clear discomfort, and though that uncle wore a friendly smile, the feeling he gave off wasn’t good at all.
“So, who is this young man? Ah, I should introduce myself first. I am Kadram Arabion. This Meisa’s uncle, and my brother is Arabion’s family head.”
As he spoke thus, magic power flowed from Kadram’s body pressuring Turan.
When he met it with equal force, surprise flickered across Kadram’s face.
“I am Turan of Kalamaf.”
“Kalamaf? My knowledge must be lacking as I haven’t heard that family name… No, isn’t that a city name to the east?”
“Correct. Being a fallen noble not even knowing my parents’ bloodlines properly, I have no family name to claim, so city people call me that.”
Hearing fallen noble, Kadram spoke with incomprehending expression.
“You seem quite young but have impressive power. I’d believe if told you belonged to any great family.”
“I was once indebted to the Berk family. That’s when I met Lady Meisa too.”
When he countered suspicious questioning by saying he had been their guest, Kadram turned to Meisa as if asking if this was true.
“He speaks truth. More importantly, Uncle should return first. I’ll finish here and come soon.”
“But Meisa, leaving you alone here with someone unknown…”
“Go.”
A sharp, authoritative tone almost rudely inappropriate for addressing an uncle.
Kadram answered understanding and flew far away again.
After brief silence, Meisa sighed and apologized.
“I’m sorry. Like last time, I keep showing unsightly behavior.”
Thinking about her words, Turan recalled Meisa had also been angry at an Arabion noble when they parted before.
For unknown reasons, she seemed to act proud and cold only toward Arabion family members.
This stood out more as she was amazingly kind and friendly to outsiders like Berk family members or Turan.
“Everyone has circumstances preventing them from smiling at everyone.”
“Thank you for understanding. Next time we meet, I’d like to hear what happened during your travels too.”
* * *
After parting with Meisa, Turan patrolled around more before returning to Kalamaf.
Though he had been gone just a few hours, the city’s influential figures who had spent all day feeling their lifelines burning shed tears and knelt seeing him return riding the black eagle.
“Oh my, Lord Turan. When you didn’t return I feared something had happened, I, I…”
“Stop being dramatic. Welcome back. Did you find any clues?”
As the civil servant Daruk pushed aside the crying old merchant and asked thus, Turan answered while giving Bije a snack.
“Fortunately I found some clues. Seems the culprit is a dark elf necromancer who came from the western forest. Also learned Arabion’s army is stationed about eighty kilometers west.”
“Ah, you mean Arabion’s army?”
“Yes. They’ll handle the necromancer so we don’t need to do anything here.”
Though they seemed to have trouble tracking due to hiding in dwarf territory, given how they had completely excavated dark elf lairs that rose near Maderi City, they must have their own tracking methods… After finishing situation report and returning to his quarters, Bije held out the iron plate and wrote something.
[Turan!]
“What?”
[Meisa we met today.]
“Right. That was Meisa. But why?”
[Meisa’s inside matches me too.]
“Matches you?”
It was the same words Bije had used when first wanting Turan.
Did it mean if Meisa had met Bije first, it would have wanted to serve her as master?
Seeing his surprised expression, Bije quickly wrote and erased several times.
[But I chose Turan.]
[Meisa has no chance.]
[Turan be happy!]
Turan chuckled then stroked its head at words seeming to encourage that he was lucky to have it.
Anyway, this needed some thought.
Why did Bije say its soul perfectly matched only Turan and Meisa of all people.
* * *
A week after meeting Meisa, Turan increasingly felt his work in this city disappearing.
As weather warmed, Kalamaf was becoming a city that could sustain itself without relying on a powerful magician’s strength.
Days grew boring with nothing to do but magic training except patrolling for the necromancer that might come from the west.
And as if reading such thoughts, new work that only nobles could do arose.
Namely hosting noble guests.
“City Protector, noble guests have arrived!”
“Noble guests?”
To Turan’s question, the civil servant respectfully answered.
“Yes. A joint delegation from all surrounding cities – Bigen, Arond, Rummel, Rabana…”
“Show them in.”
Shortly after, Turan received nobles from seven cities in the city hall meeting room.
“First time meeting you, Lord Turan of Kalamaf. We request hospitality as guests.”
“You’re most welcome. However, is it acceptable to stay in city hall lodgings?”
Though Kalamaf had somewhat normalized, that didn’t mean citizens had excess housing.
People returning from evacuation needed homes.
So the central mansion remained unrestored and used as lodging for vagrants.
“…City hall lodgings?”
At Turan’s answer, the delegation nobles couldn’t hide their shock.
City hall being where commoners mainly worked couldn’t compare in luxury to mansions.
Meeting them here instead of a mansion reception room was already offensive, but telling them to stay in these lodgings was practically telling them to leave.
“I’m not deliberately being inhospitable, Kalamaf currently lacks housing. The central mansion is open for those without homes.”
“Opening the central mansion, that’s absurd…”
“Th-then family head, no, where does the lord handle meals and lodging?”
“I eat and sleep here too.”
A noble lord giving his mansion to commoners and staying in mere city hall lodgings?
Hearing this, the delegation nobles looked at each other confirming one fact.
This Turan definitely couldn’t be some great family’s secret weapon.
Those proud ones would never do such things even as an act.
‘Could he really be a fallen noble?’… ‘Seeing how he knows nothing of dignity and propriety…’
‘This changes things.’
To those exchanging such glances, Turan asked.
“I’d like to hear why you sought me out, would someone explain?”
“I shall explain.”
Quickly stepping forward as representative was the son of Bigen City’s lord, located southeast of Kalamaf.
With a clearly clever face, he brought up unexpected words to Turan.
“We would like to propose a marriage alliance between our seven families and the lord of Kalamaf.”