Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

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At Lida’s words, Turan set down the log basket filled with sulfur.

He had a feeling that this conversation was far more important than gathering sulfur.

“I don’t mean to question you, but the scriptures say that after death, the soul ascends to the heavenly palace to enjoy eternal bliss, don’t they?”

The scriptures of the Frea gods varied in doctrine and composition depending on the region, but the teachings about the afterlife were the same.

Wasn’t that why mages performed funeral rites by scattering the souls of the deceased?

So that the souls of the dead wouldn’t linger on earth as vengeful spirits but would ascend to the heavens and reach the gods, living eternally without pain or suffering.

But according to what she said, even the souls that ascended to the heavenly palace would grow old and die, which completely contradicted the existing teachings of the afterlife.

At Turan’s remark, Lida frowned.

“This is why young people are so impatient! Don’t be hasty and listen to what I have to say. The soul grows old, causing the body to die, but I didn’t say the soul itself dies. Doesn’t the scripture also say that the body has no meaning in the heavenly palace? Do you want to live eternally, defecating and suffering even after death?”

Lida clicked her tongue lightly and sat cross-legged on the log basket Turan had made.

“In other words, the soul is the driving force that moves the body. When the soul grows old, the body’s vitality wanes as well. Eventually, you lose even the strength to breathe, and that’s how you die… As for the soul, it ascends to the heavenly palace and either continues to live in its aged state or rejuvenates. Since no one has ever returned from there, it’s all speculation.”

“Then, to truly achieve immortality, there must be a way to reverse the aging of the soul.”

“That’s exactly what our family is dedicating all its efforts to research! Though we still have a long way to go.”

As she spoke, Lida patted the thigh of the Monkey King standing beside her.

“Look at this guy. He’s been alive for nearly a thousand years, yet he’s still healthy. My ancestors probably didn’t expect him to live this long when they decided to let him live.”

Indeed, one of the reasons they had left the Monkey King here was likely to study the lifespan limits of magical beasts.

Lida stroked Aikul’s leg with a dreamy expression and said, “Why can Aikul live so much longer than us? Is it because a monkey’s soul is more resilient than a human’s? Or is it because it’s a lower, simpler life form? But this friend is wiser than most humans, even if he can’t speak. There must be some other criterion we don’t know about.”

Indeed, Aikul was the kind of beast that Bije might become if she lived to be a thousand years old.

Turan met the beast’s dull eyes for a moment before averting his gaze.

“I have a beast bound to my soul, and she’s just as intelligent as Aikul. She can even write.”

“Write? That’s impressive! I tried to teach Aikul to read, but he was too stubborn. Did you leave her somewhere?”

“I told her to wait up the mountain, just in case. Should I call her here?”

“Please do. Aikul would love to see another beast friend after so long.”

At Lida’s words, Aikul shook his head as if to say he had no need for such a thing.

After sending a signal through the soul bond and shooting a small flame into the air, Bije soon descended into the valley with her black wings spread.

Seeing the giant monkey, she panicked and hid behind Turan.

Perhaps she could sense the other beast’s strength through her instincts.

Amusingly, Aikul, who had seemed indifferent earlier, now looked somewhat dejected at Bije’s reaction.

“It’s okay, Bije. Don’t be scared. This is Lady Lida and Aikul, both friends.”

“Her name is Bije? I’m Lida. I won’t hurt you, so come out and show your face.”

Lida’s gentle and affectionate tone seemed to work, as Bije hesitated for a moment before peeking out and looking at Lida.

Aikul, perhaps thinking his massive size was intimidating, crouched down to make himself smaller.

Feeling a bit reassured, Bije cautiously stepped out and scratched the sulfur-covered ground with her talons.

[Hello.]

“Wow, her writing is so neat. A beast that can write! If this girl lives long enough to write a history book, she’ll be a treasure in her own right. How old is she?”

[I don’t know!]

“She’s probably around ten years old.”

When they had formed the soul bond, he had heard that she had been captured as a sub-adult about ten years ago, so it wasn’t a big difference.

Birds usually mature within a year or two.

“She’s so young! If we weren’t in such a place, I’d have brought her some treats.”

Lida chatted with Bije for a while, then turned to Aikul and scolded him, saying that if he learned to write, he could communicate like this too.

Aikul covered his ears with his large hands, clearly not wanting to listen.

* * *

After Lida had mediated between Bije and Aikul for a while, the giant monkey and the black eagle seemed to form a peculiar bond.

It was more like the relationship between a mischievous kitten and a laid-back large dog.

Once all the sulfur chunks were loaded into the basket, Lida suggested that since they were here, they might as well enjoy the hot springs.

She said it would be good for the skin and health.

A short while later, Turan was soaking in the hot spring with a cloth covering his lower body.

He had removed all his clothes except for the Imitator holy relic, which he had hung around his neck like a pendant.

The water was scalding hot, enough to burn an ordinary person, but it was perfect for a noble’s body.

“Ugh…”

Beside him, Bije flapped her wings, diving in and out of the water several times before Aikul’s thick finger pushed her head down, causing her to gulp some water.

The giant monkey laughed heartily, only to have his side pecked by the angry eagle, though his thick hide seemed unharmed.

Watching the two bicker amusingly, Turan turned to Lida, who was also enjoying the hot spring with a cloth draped over her.

“Is there something you want from me?”

“Huh? Why do you ask?”

“The things you said earlier seemed too important to be just casual conversation.”

After all, it was a discussion about the secret of immortality, the treasure everyone desired.

It was too weighty a topic to dismiss as mere chatter from a talkative old woman.

Especially from someone he had just met.

At Turan’s words, Lida smiled and clapped her hands.

“That’s all because of you. I’ve had many handsome husbands, but none as good-looking as you. It’s like how men spill secrets in front of pretty women.”

Not knowing how to respond to her saying she had spilled secrets because of his looks, Turan remained silent. Lida chuckled and shook her head.

“Just kidding, don’t take it so seriously! Everyone knows we don’t age, and even if it’s known that we aim for immortality, what would change? The conclusion is that we know nothing.”

As she spoke, a strange sense of fatigue and frustration was evident on her face.

Given her age and strength, she was likely not far removed from the recently deceased head of the Ravitas family.

Perhaps they were even sisters.

Then, Lida suddenly dropped her playful expression and spoke seriously.

“Actually, I brought this up because I have a proposal for you. Have you ever seen a white elf?”

“A white elf…”

“To be precise, a white elf royal with the talent of a life spirit mage.”

If the dark elves Turan had met and fought before dealt with the spirits of the dead, white elves dealt with the spirits of the living.

There was little information about them, as unlike the dark elves, who had thrived underground, the white elves had nearly gone extinct thousands of years ago.

Even in the world chronicles Turan had read, white elves were mentioned only in passing, as if they were a thing of the past.

“No, I haven’t. Aren’t white elves already extinct? I’ve read quite a few history books, but there’s been no mention of them for thousands of years…”

“That might be true. But perhaps there are still white elves hiding in some remote corner of the world, barely surviving away from humans. What I want is simple. If you ever find a white elf life spirit mage, capture or persuade them and bring them to us.”

Indeed, a being capable of manipulating the souls of the living would be a great asset to Ravitas’ research.

If they could control the soul to halt or reverse aging, it would literally open the path to immortality.

Lida looked at Turan with a somewhat enigmatic expression and continued.

“Given your power and skills, you’re clearly not from an ordinary family. Yet you don’t reveal your family name and wander around, which suggests you don’t fit in with your family for some reason. That means you can see things others can’t in places others can’t go. Those with heavy burdens can’t roam freely.”

Despite never having tested his magic, Lida spoke as if she knew Turan’s strength.

It seemed she had a magical artifact similar to the imitator holy relic among her few possessions.

Turan listened quietly and then asked in return.

“What would I receive if I bring you a life spirit mage?”

The knowledge she had shared was quite rare, but the reward for bringing back a life spirit mage who had disappeared thousands of years ago seemed disproportionately small.

Frankly, it would be harder than stealing a major family’s representative holy relic.

At least those were confirmed to exist.

At Turan’s question, Lida smiled and winked.

“As for the reward, what about me? I may be a bit old, but I’m confident in my looks. It’s a bit embarrassing to boast, but all my husbands have been satisfied with me.”

The beautiful woman with flowing black hair and smooth, healthy brown skin lifted the cloth covering her body slightly, tempting him.

But Turan felt no particular emotion.

The image of her acting like an old woman just moments ago was still strongly imprinted in his mind.

Moreover, he was beginning to understand that this was her way of teasing him.

“I’d like a serious answer.”

“You’re no fun! Fine, if you bring us a life spirit mage, we’ll give you an ageless holy relic.”

An ageless holy relic…

Turan unconsciously glanced at the guardian magical artifact he had removed with his clothes.

Having a similar item, he understood what she meant.

“Is it an artifact imbued with the Ravitas family’s bloodline abilities?”

“Precisely, it’s an item that continuously grants the wearer the powers of healing and purification. We’ve already tested it on an ordinary human, and they didn’t age until death. Of course, it’s a treasure we only have one of.”

“How long did the wearer live?”

“Between 120 and 130 years. There are individual differences, but that’s the average.”

The enormity of the statement left Turan momentarily breathless as he looked up at the sky.

If what she said was true, it was on par with the highest-tier holy relics left by the gods.

Looking at the stars scattered across the dark sky, his thoughts began to expand again.

A sudden thought struck him, and he asked Lida, “Are there others besides me who have received this offer?”

“I’ve made the offer to a few influential figures from major families I’m acquainted with. There are also some strong wandering nobles like you. Of course, the reward goes to the first one to bring a life spirit mage.”

In other words, he was just one of many hooks the Ravitas family had cast.

It was more advantageous to cast a hundred hooks than just one or two.

Indeed, a powerful noble not tied to any family was the most likely to find a white elf.

If a race that had disappeared thousands of years ago was hiding somewhere, it would be a place difficult for ordinary people to reach, and powerful mages usually stayed within their family’s territories.

After some thought, it didn’t seem like a bad offer.

It wasn’t a demand to search relentlessly, but if he happened to find one while wandering, he would gain a holy relic.

“I’ll contact you if I find one.”

“That answer alone is worth all the chatter from this old lady today.”

Lida laughed heartily, like an old woman.

* * *

After enjoying the hot springs, Lida left first, saying they would meet again later.

After spending the night in a suitable spot, Turan stored all the sulfur chunks in a large-capacity pouch.

Given the strong smell, he carefully arranged the space inside the pouch to prevent contact with other items.

As expected of a holy relic, the pouch had such functions.

After perfectly storing everything, he marveled at the quantity.

‘I probably won’t run out anytime soon.’

It must have been around two to three hundred kilograms.

Even this was just a fraction of what was in the valley, so if he needed more, he could always come back.

With Bije perched on his side, Turan headed east, recalling the conversation from the previous night.

The promise of immortality if he brought back a life spirit mage…

During the conversation, Turan had thought not only of the temptation of immortality but also of the ancient records of the Frea gods he had seen in the library.

The being who, in his later years, openly displayed contempt and a desire to control humanity.

If he had transferred his body or used the power of a life spirit mage to extend his lifespan, and then discovered that his descendants could achieve immortality…

Wouldn’t he have been driven by paranoia to eventually covet even the realm of the gods?

Perhaps he would have wanted to exterminate all but a controllable few white elves to prevent that.