Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Discord
“Ugh.”
The librarian, stepping out of the jewel box, stretched and twisted his body side to side as if he had been confined in a cramped space for a long time.
Do spirits also experience muscle stiffness?
Turan gave him a moment to relax before speaking.
“Is your body feeling alright?”
“Perhaps… Hmm, somehow I feel a lack of strength. Could it be because we are far from the library?”
As he said this, looking down at his hands and body, the librarian suddenly stared at Turan and asked.
“More importantly, why is it that the moment I come out of there, I see you? Do not tell me you ordered my abduction?”
“No way. I am actually the one who rescued you, elder.”
After saying this, Turan glanced at Meisa and Solif.
Their blank expressions alone were enough to confirm his answer.
“You both cannot see him, can you?”
“Yes.”
“It just looks like you are talking to yourself.”
Back when Turan had only manifested two bloodlines, he could see the librarian, so the condition must be the number of latent bloodlines.
Had his assumption that his two companions also had unmanifested bloodlines been wrong?
Sorting his thoughts, Turan turned his gaze back to the librarian.
“Do you remember how you were captured?”
“I was going about my usual routine when some foolish-looking fellow showed up. I thought about playing a prank on him, but suddenly he started talking to me. He seemed to know who I was.”
“Can you tell me exactly how the conversation went?”
“Well, roughly…”
Befitting someone with perfect recall, the librarian recited the exchange from that time verbatim.
[Oh… There really is a spirit left here? Honestly, if you are going to erase traces, why not wipe it out completely instead of leaving it half-done like this?]
[A spirit, you say? Are you talking about me?]
[You do not know that and yet you ask? Look here, artificial intelligence. Have you recently talked to or heard anything strange from someone? About a biologist, perhaps, or reincarnation techniques?]
[…I have no idea what you are talking about. If you are not going to read books, get out. Disturbances are forbidden in the library.]
[Tch, you really are impossible to talk to. Well, we will discuss the details when we get back. There is someone there who will make you talk.]
“He said that, and when I asked what nonsense he was spouting, he pulled out that jewel box and opened it. My consciousness got sucked in, and when I came to, here we are.”
“…Is this foolish-looking guy the one who looks like this?”
When Turan used earth manipulation magic to sketch Renod’s face on the ground, the librarian nodded upon seeing it.
“That is him.”
Hearing this, Turan felt a chill run down his spine.
That meant Renod had directly recognized and spoken to the librarian.
Yet, just moments ago, Turan had confirmed that Renod was merely an ordinary great family noble with only two bloodlines.
Moreover, the content of the conversation was deeply intriguing.
Turan did not know what “artificial intelligence” meant, but he could guess about the biologist.
Had not the god he encountered in the library, who manipulated dwarves at will, possessed the power to control life?
The biologist must undoubtedly be a bloodline stemming from that being.
As for reincarnation techniques, the name alone suggested it was a skill for possessing another’s body.
In other words, Renod or the forces behind him had realized Turan had held some suspicious conversation with the librarian in the library and came to investigate.
Perhaps the god who was the progenitor of the biologist bloodline was directly residing within Renod.
The only silver lining was that they seemed unaware of the specific details or the other party in the conversation.
The librarian had refused to speak about Turan and was subsequently sealed until just now.
“Thank you. For keeping my secrets.”
Turan had not actually expected the librarian to go out of his way to protect his identity.
Sure, he regarded him as a teacher for teaching him various things personally, but to the librarian, Turan was just one of many who happened to converse with him.
Hearing the thanks, the librarian smirked and replied.
“You do not need to thank me; it was not for your sake. That guy was just too much of a rude jerk.”
“Oh…”
It seemed he had only done it because he was offended by the condescending attitude.
Indeed, maintaining courtesy was always more beneficial than neglecting it.
While they conversed, someone tapped Turan’s shoulder from behind.
Meisa, with a somewhat uneasy expression, looked at him and said.
“Hey, could you maybe tell us what he is saying too?”
“Oh.”
To Solif and Meisa, it must have looked like Turan was babbling to himself and drawing Renod’s face on the ground.
Explaining everything he had just heard step by step, the faces of both companions turned grave.
“Hmm…”
“It is definitely suspicious. Is not it certain that something is inside that Renod guy?”
“We have to assume so.”
Most likely, as with Badal in the past, it was a case where a new bloodline would manifest the moment he exerted his power.
Whether Renod’s personality was still intact remained unclear.
While the two exchanged opinions, Turan quietly asked the librarian.
“So what will you do from now on, elder?”
“Hm?”
“If you return to the library as is, Renod or the forces behind him will come to abduct you again. And it seems difficult for you to fend them off.”
Hearing this, the librarian looked at him with an incredulous expression and said.
“Do not beat around the bush, you brat. You are saying if I want to live, I should quietly stick with you, right?”
“That is indeed what I was getting at.”
“Tch, no helping it then. At this rate, I will end up less a library spirit and more a jewel box spirit… but it seems I can stay here with this as a medium well enough.”
Fortunately, the librarian agreed to join them more readily than expected.
It would have been troublesome if he had insisted on returning to the library out of duty.
Having successfully rescued the librarian and persuaded him to join, only one issue remained.
Would they let these foes return quietly to the Nagin family’s stronghold and retreat, or attack, capture Renod, and extract information?
“Let us attack.”
“How about we pull back here?”
Meisa and Solif, offering opposing opinions, stared at each other.
After a brief silence, Meisa spoke first, as if by unspoken agreement.
“Unless they are fools, they will not fail to notice the jewel box was stolen. If we retreat now, it will reveal that Zahar nobles were the thieves and that our goal was to rescue the librarian. Then they will obviously send people back to Orem City, where the library is, and conclude we are the culprits. But if we wipe them all out, we can silence them.”
Pausing to catch her breath, Meisa added in a chilling tone.
“Besides… the Nagin family is our enemy anyway, right? Reducing their forces even a little is a gain, and capturing Renod for interrogation could reveal a ton about the enemy.”
Turan could sense the malice laced in Meisa’s words.
It was undoubtedly hatred toward Renod—or more precisely, the Nagin family woman who had mocked her in the past.
Yet, apart from that, her argument was quite plausible and aligned with Turan’s own way of thinking, making it a decent suggestion.
Then Solif raised his healed hand lightly and shared his view.
“Well, first… will not our identity as the culprits get exposed even if we wipe them out? Their original mission was to retrieve the spirit—meaning the librarian—so if they get annihilated, that side will investigate starting there. To prevent that, we would have to kill everyone in Orem City who saw us, but we are not going to do that, are we?”
When Solif asked with a slightly uncertain look, Turan nodded to firmly assure him that would not happen.
Whether it was commissioning a beast hunt or receiving payment, the successive Baltas family lords had shown him kindness by permitting library use, and that remained unchanged.
“So whether we wipe them out here or not, hiding our information is already a lost cause. Plus, one more thing: based on what the librarian said, is not it half-confirmed that Renod has a god or something similar inside him? What if he unleashes hidden power when cornered? If things go wrong, we might even have to brace for annihilation. Is it worth taking that risk?”
Hearing Solif’s words, Meisa chewed her lips but did not retort.
The librarian, sitting quietly and listening, spoke to Turan.
“You used to travel completely alone before. Did you make friends in that short time? Enough to have this kind of discussion?”
“Yes.”
“Hm, cherish them. Friends you can share opinions with are worth more than a thousand gold coins. Not that I have experienced it myself—it is just a proverb from a book.”
“I will keep that in mind.”
After Turan politely replied and relayed the librarian’s words to the others, they both gave awkward smiles.
Having cooled the tense atmosphere somewhat, Turan shared his conclusion with them.
“For now, let us attack.”
“On what basis?”
“First, Renod’s magic is at best upper-tier noble level. Even if two more bloodline abilities suddenly emerge out there, the odds of him becoming dramatically strong enough to take us three down in one blow are slim. If he could, why would he hide like that instead of openly acting as a god?”
“Hm, I suppose… that makes sense.”
“Above all, this is an opportunity worth the risk. The chances of a divine vessel being this carelessly exposed again are low.”
“True enough.”
Even Solif, who had opposed attacking, nodded at that.
Turan then glanced at Meisa and said.
“However, I am not planning to wipe them out. In fact, it might be better to deliberately let some escape. Their stronghold is conveniently close, after all.”
“Why?”
“We can use this attack to make them suspect that someone other than us rescued the librarian.”
Turan activated the Imitator holy relic and extracted two clumps of magic from it, holding them out.
They were the magic of Zahar nobles who had died in the underground labyrinth long ago.
“Because the ones who attacked the Nagin nobles and stole the jewel box are Zahar nobles.”
—
“Ambush! It is Zahar! Zahar!”
“Quick, tell the demigods!”
“Save me!”
In the dark night, the barrier’s alarm blared as hidden weapons flew from all directions, striking the knights.
Having grown lax during two months of leisurely travel, they could not react swiftly.
“L-Light…!”
One quick-witted knight hurriedly conjured a sphere of light above his hand, but before it could spread, something pitch-black devoured it.
With that, the knight’s neck flew off as he tried to create light, and the Nagin knights, instead of illuminating the stealth attackers, scattered chaotically to escape an unseen foe.
“Stop, stop! Do not run, you cowards! I am here!”
At that moment, a noble with the Barrier bloodline, one of Renod’s retinue, rushed out of his tent, generating a massive light while hastily erecting a defensive barrier around himself.
He did not know why Zahar nobles had suddenly attacked, but to survive, he had to rally the forces somehow.
“Rogi! Come to me! Protect me!”
As he called his spiritually bonded dog to bolster his defenses, hidden weapons rained down, ravaging his body.
Into his open mouth as he shouted, his throat, his chest.
Though far from a master’s precision, each weapon carried the power of a top-tier noble, easily tearing through a mediocre barrier.
“Guh…”
“T-The demigod has fallen.”
“Everyone, flee! Get help from the stronghold or elsewhere!”
Someone’s cry sparked a reaction, and nearly half the surviving knights scattered around the campsite in a rush.
The three trained beasts tried to resist, but without the ability to create light, they had no way to counter the stealth.
Unable to mount a proper defense, the three beasts had their vitals torn and pierced, dying one by one. Meanwhile, Renod and the noble accompanying him emerged from the tent a step late, conjuring bright light.
The remaining knights surrounded the two nobles, using their bodies to shield them from the assault.
Moments later, the stealth dissipated, and human figures appeared in the midst of the ravaged campsite.
A terrified knight pointed at them.
“There, it is them…”
Under the bright light, three Zahar nobles revealed themselves.
Clad in large cloaks covering their bodies and wearing masks, they were distinguishable only by their differing builds.
Naturally, these three Zahar nobles were Turan, Solif, and Meisa.
Turan had only recently discovered he could transfer magic stored in the Imitator holy relic to others.
The realization came during magic training with the two at the hot spring area, sparked by an offhand comment from Solif.
“If only I could pull out my Sun bloodline magic and give it to you, it would be convenient.”
Though the relic currently held a fair amount of Baraha bloodline magic, it was consumable and would eventually run out.
Plus, Meisa’s Storm bloodline included lightning power Turan lacked, which could be useful if transferred.
Hearing this, Turan flipped the idea: what if he could give magic from the relic to others instead?
To be precise, he had considered it before but lacked the chance to test it due to hiding the relic’s nature.
Gaining companions he could share the relic’s existence with was a relatively recent development.
As evident from the two now using Zahar stealth abilities, the experiment had succeeded.
Seeing Turan’s group emerge, Renod’s aide shouted urgently.
“Why in the world are you attacking us!? Even if Nagin has a marriage alliance with Arabion, we are not at war with you! This is unjustified murder! Do you want Zahar’s infamy to spread across the world again!?”
“Do as you please.”
Turan replied in a modulated voice, conjuring a fireball above his hand and launching it at the Nagin camp.
The other two joined in, firing light arrows or striking with lightning from the surroundings. The Nagin mages, facing this onslaught, realized the vast power gap after a single clash, their faces turning pale.
“W-What is this…!”
Turan’s group’s attack crushed the Nagin resistance with startling ease.
Though their attack style was not particularly polished, the fundamental disparity in strength was overwhelming.
The knights managed to block one or two strikes before being swept away in droves, and while the two nobles put up a decent fight, they too were outmatched.
Soon, the aide’s throat was pierced by a hidden weapon, leaving Renod as the only one still able to fight properly.
A knight, barely surviving and sprawled on the ground, muttered faintly.
“M-Monsters…”
To face them, the elite from the stronghold—two days away—or perhaps even the family head himself would need to come.
But no matter how powerful a mage, detecting a fight and arriving from that distance was impossible.
Yet amid this despair, Renod Nagin, rather than showing fear, narrowed his eyes and glared at the Zahar nobles surrounding him.
Like someone harboring a suspicion.
Moments later, he clicked his tongue and raised both hands to the sky.
“Damn it, no choice then.”
As Renod muttered this, Turan, watching from across with his mask on, finally sensed a change in the symbols within him.
Whether they fled or subdued him would depend on how much power he revealed here.
If he proved too strong to handle, the plan was to immediately stealth away, split in three directions, and have Turan retrieve the others with Bije.
As with Badal before, the shift in symbols was instantaneous.
From the original two—Ruler and Tamer—two more emerged within him.
They were crossed axes and a raging blizzard.
Turan recognized the blizzard as the symbol of the Frost bloodline, once a vassal family of Arabion.
‘Axes, Frost, Ruler, Tamer? What kind of combination is this?’
As if answering Turan’s question, the symbols within Renod began to intertwine.
Unlike Badal, however, only two of them merged.
While the blizzard enveloped the crossed axes, the Ruler and Tamer bloodlines stood aloof, as if asserting they had no part in it.
In reality, Renod gathered a mass of moisture in his hands, froze it, and crafted an axe.
“Master R-Renod?”
“Before we fight, let me ask one thing: is there anyone among you who understands what a ‘pact’ means? Or rather, are you even really from the Zahar family?”
Ignoring a knight’s bewildered question, Renod gazed at Turan’s group encircling him.
Not a trace of fear showed on his face.
Of course, judging by the power now emanating from him, his confidence was not entirely baseless.
Until moments ago, his magic had been upper-tier noble level, but now it reached the top tier—matching Meisa and Solif’s strength.
Had he not been surrounded by three top-tier nobles of equal or greater power, he might have overcome this crisis with ease.