Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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Early morning, Turan left Murei city and headed northeast.

According to Midan, the distance between the two cities was about a week’s walk for ordinary people.

At his pace, he could narrow it down to two or three days.

About half a day after leaving the city, the natural environment clearly became increasingly abundant.

Forests grew along both sides of the road naturally formed by people passing through, and sometimes when plains appeared, yellow wheat fields could be seen in the distance.

And naturally, where there was abundance there were more animals, and where there were more animals, there were more masu.

While walking the road, Turan periodically used search magic to check for masu nearby, hunt them, and return to the road.

Most were too weak to be worth catching anymore, but there were one or two useful ones mixed in, making it somewhat worthwhile.

Perhaps because it was a road to a large city, people could be seen passing by relatively frequently here.

Farmers going to sell wheat to nearby villages, traveling merchants, armed people who might be mercenaries or masu hunters.

Some of them would flash their eyes at the lone Turan, but seeing him take several ordinary people’s steps with each stride, they would look down in fear.

From the third afternoon, he could see a highway made of solid stone rather than earth.

Though unknown who maintained it, it was very well maintained with only slightly damaged parts and comfortable to walk on – when he curiously tried to break the edge slightly with magic, it didn’t work well, suggesting some magical power was imbued in it.

And finally, on the fourth day.

Though it took a bit longer due to frequent detours to catch masu, Turan arrived at his target, Orem city.

“Come on, come on! Line up to enter! Hey! No cutting in line!”

Orem was a metropolis that made the previous Murei look like a village.

Its population alone was said to reach tens of thousands?

The outskirts were lined with shabby huts where the poor seemed to live, while inside was a stone wall about five meters high creating a boundary.

At the city gate, people armored in metal watched those coming and going, and judging by the many portraits laid out beside them, they seemed to be checking if there were any wanted persons among those entering and leaving.

As Turan tried to enter through the gate, one of them suddenly blocked his way.

“Hey, your clothes are too dirty. At least dust off before entering inside the wall.”

He wasn’t picking an unreasonable fight – Turan’s clothes were notably dirtier compared to those around him.

To begin with, the clothes he was wearing were what he had worn since his shepherd days so they were quite worn, and he hadn’t properly washed them during the past four days of sleeping outdoors.

Moreover, having lived in the water-scarce Hisaril hills, Turan considered laundry something to be done about once a month.

Murei city was also next to wasteland so everyone was similarly dirty due to limited water.

In contrast, the people of this city were all neat and clean, making Turan’s appearance stand out more by comparison.

“Understood.”

After dusting off his clothes outside the gate, he was allowed in without being stopped this time.

Fortunately, this time he didn’t need to buy unnecessary items to ask about the library’s location.

According to Midan, the library was the tallest building in this city.

Among buildings mostly two to three stories tall, one tower stood prominently, seeming to reach over thirty stories by itself.

‘Probably built with magic?’

An imposing presence impossible to see as made by human power.

Looking at it up close, it appeared almost grotesque due to its impossibly tall height.

He thought one might be able to look down even on clouds from up there.

After losing himself in admiration for a while, Turan came to his senses and spoke to the guard at the entrance.

“I heard magicians can enter here, is that correct?”

At Turan’s question, the guard’s face hardened.

He had been thinking of roughly chasing away this beggar-like figure, but what was this sudden statement?

Though inwardly thinking this was just a crazy person talking nonsense, doubt arose in his mind.

Therefore, the guard decided to confirm the other’s identity in a way only magicians could.

‘Hm?’

Turan’s eyes widened at the flow of magic power emanating from the guard’s body.

Magic manipulated to cause no phenomenon by itself, purely to prove one’s power…

Was this what magicians created to determine hierarchy by sensing each other’s magic power without fighting?

Though he had practiced it a few times with Keorn after learning it, this was his first time receiving it from someone else.

Well, this was his first time meeting another magician.

Turan likewise drew up pure magic power and projected it toward the other.

“Huk…!”

The guard who received it made a sound like air escaping.

His magic power was about half of Keorn’s by feel, less than one-twentieth compared to current Turan, so he had no way to withstand it.

Well, wouldn’t it be laughable to station someone particularly skilled in such a place?

Realizing the gap, the guard bowed his head and said.

“I-I am Kesha, knight of House Baltas. Noble one, might I know which house you are from?”

“Do I need to say to enter?”

“No, I apologize!”

Understanding it as how dare someone like you ask such a thing, the knight bowed his head even deeper than before.

Turan was already starting to feel tired of conversing with him.

“No, I’m really just asking.”

After a moment of silence, the knight raised his head and, seeming to finally realize Turan was serious, spoke timidly.

He said library use was only allowed for those permitted by this place’s lord, that is, the head of House Baltas.

This was quite different from what he had heard from Midan.

“I heard magicians could use it.”

“Well… as far as I know, commoners have never been permitted to use the library.”

Perhaps the story had been distorted to mean magicians could enter because everyone who entered and left was a magician?

Turan scratched his chin for a moment before sighing.

“How does one get permission from Baltas’s master to use the library?”

“Such matters of high persons are beyond the likes of me to dare know. If the noble one permits, I will contact the house to inquire.”

“Please do.”

After saying this, Turan leaned against the wall opposite the library’s main gate.

Having revealed his identity like this, he would soon have to receive Baltas house’s ‘hospitality’.

Since when a noble enters another noble’s territory, it was proper to treat and be treated as a guest…

‘Should I have just snuck in secretly?’

Though he could have infiltrated using the Jahar bloodline’s concealment ability, he hadn’t dared try carelessly thinking there might be security systems to neutralize it inside.

If he did that, he would have no defense against being suspected as an assassin.

Especially since the Jahar bloodline ability was one of the most specialized for assassination.

Shortly after, a huge carriage pulled by four horses galloped down the main road and stopped in front of the library.

The middle-aged man acting as coachman saw Turan and immediately bowed deeply.

“Welcome to Orem, city of wisdom, noble one. I am Reden, butler of House Baltas. Our master wishes to receive you as a guest, might you spare some time?”

“That would be good.”

“Please do not elevate me, noble one.”

At Turan’s honorific speech, the butler named Reden – though he didn’t really understand what a butler was – spoke with a servile attitude as if about to crawl on the ground.

Inwardly sighing at this awkward response, Turan nodded.

“Fine.”

“I shall guide you.”

Though he had seen carriages a few times in Murei, this was his first time riding in one.

During the journey, Turan collected himself while preparing for any situation.

Though unlikely, if this house suddenly attacked, he would need to immediately conceal himself and escape.

After about ten minutes, the carriage stopped and voices were heard from outside.

[We have arrived.]

Opening the door and stepping out, a castle built of pure white stone greeted Turan.

About five or six stories tall, its overall appearance seemed to prioritize aesthetics over defense.

The butler who had dismounted from the coachman’s seat said to him.

“Would you allow us to help you prepare your appearance before meeting the head of house?”

Though he didn’t understand exactly what preparing appearance meant, he nodded since it was presumably necessary for the meeting.

Following the butler’s guidance through the main entrance, three maids approached him.

“We will guide you to the bath, noble one.”

It was a welcome offer since he had been feeling dirty himself since coming here.

The problem was that the maids followed him into the bathroom.

“We will attend to your bath.”

Bath attendance – did they mean to wash him like a child?

Though he had lived with just his mother, he knew enough etiquette to observe between men and women, so Turan frowned and shook his head.

“I’ll wash mys- I’ll wash alone. Everyone out.”

But hearing this, the maids’ faces turned pale before prostrating themselves and begging “We’re sorry, please forgive us.”

The youngest maid even started crying loudly.

At this reaction that was bewildering enough to be absurd, Turan pointed to the oldest maid and asked.

“Is there a problem if I wash alone?”

“Yes. We are punished if we fail to properly serve noble ones. Please have mercy…”

Though he knew the class difference between magicians and commoners was large, he hadn’t expected it to be this extreme.

Feeling the oncoming fatigue, Turan sighed deeply and nodded.

“Do as you will.”

Shortly after, the maids undressed Turan and washed his body with warm water and soap.

He didn’t need to do anything himself during this.

As if skilled at this work, they thoroughly cleaned his entire body without even asking him to move his arms or legs.

While it was extremely awkward to show his naked body to women, leave washing to others, and show running dirt – aside from that, bath attendance was certainly worth receiving.

After finishing the bath, combing out his tangled long hair, changing clothes and completing grooming, the maids’ eyes went round.

The youngest maid around Turan’s age who had been crying earlier even exclaimed while blushing.

“Wow…”

“What?”

When he turned his head to ask, she startled and quickly covered her mouth with a “hap.”

The older maid explained instead.

“She seems to have been momentarily stunned by your beauty, noble one. Please forgive her.”

Saying this, she brought over a large mirror to show him, and seeing it he could understand their reaction.

The first thing that caught his eye was his gray hair that he usually just tied in a ponytail because cutting was bothersome.

The maids had combed it well then applied some unknown oil and let it down, making it shine like well-polished steel and perfectly matching his ash-colored eyes.

With his skin that had been tanned from poor washing now clean, his strong features stood out, and the white clothes embroidered with gold thread made his tall, sleek build look even more elegant.

If before washing he had looked like a fairly handsome beggar, now he truly looked like a noble youth who had lived his whole life being served.

Shortly after, having completed all grooming, Turan was guided by the butler toward the banquet hall where the head of house was waiting.

Since everyone they met on the way bowed deeply as if they knew him, Turan asked the butler walking ahead.

“Do they all know my status?”

“It’s because of the clothes you’re wearing. In this castle, clothes with gold mixed in are colors permitted only to noble ones.”

Just as he heard those words, a young lady wearing a blue-gray dress embroidered with gold thread appeared from a corridor.

Seeing Turan, she tilted her head and asked.

“Is this the guest who came looking like a beggar? What’s this, after washing and dressing him he looks like a prince!”

“Ah, young lady. Calling him beggar-like…”

“What does it matter? I’m Izella. Izella Baltas. And you are?”

Judging by the butler’s titles and attitude, she was probably a noble of House Baltas.

The arrogance evident in every action and word made him think so this is what a real noble was like.

Not wanting to be instinctively pushed back, Turan declared proudly without bowing his head.

“I am Turan.”

“Just Turan? What about your house?”

“I cannot reveal it due to circumstances. There are hostile houses.”

This was an excuse Turan had prepared in advance after discussing with Keorn.

Pretending to be a noble hiding his identity due to hostile houses while on pilgrimage to grow magic power.

Since House Jahar, which could be called his home house, didn’t even know of Turan’s existence, it was awkward to claim it, but simply hiding everything would raise suspicion of being a criminal on the run.

As soon as those words ended, just like the library guard earlier, magic power surged from Izella’s body.

As if to determine whether he was a fraud or not.

When Turan likewise released his power in response, their magic powers collided and sparks flew.

“Eek!”

While the maids screamed and backed away, Turan analyzed the recent collision and felt newly shocked.

Because Izella’s magic power was almost equal to his level.

Actually it wasn’t so surprising.

Separate from Turan’s excellent potential, he was still a beginner who had only started gathering magic power less than a month ago.

But since all the magicians he had met so far were much weaker than him, encountering an opponent of similar level like this felt particularly shocking.

It was like the feeling of suddenly meeting a giant of the same height after living with dwarves all your life.

But looking carefully, Izella opposite him also seemed shocked feeling his power.

“Wow…”

After startling with an exclamation, Izella suddenly blurted out something shocking.

“Hey guest, want to get married?”