Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 97

Chapter 97

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The moment Turan heard the identity of the person sitting across from him, he quickly grabbed Meisa’s hand tightly.

Her body, which was instinctively about to turn toward Turan, stiffened.

‘It’s fortunate that the person himself isn’t here.’

Since they had introduced Solif as a porter with a wandering knight background when they arrived, he was currently resting in the servants’ quarters looking after Bije.

Considering what Turan had seen during their first meeting, Solif’s acting skills weren’t particularly bad, but the possibility of him maintaining his composure if he suddenly encountered his father was not high.

“Mr. Godis, these are the young Turan and Miss Misha I mentioned before. What a coincidence that we’re all meeting now.”

“I am Godis Baraha. May infinite glory be upon you two young people in the name of the sun.”

Godis, who greeted them with an antiquated tone, looked at Turan and Meisa with somewhat drowsy eyes.

His gaze clearly showed that he was trying to assess them.

“So, Turan. Do you happen to know which family that man Sol who was traveling with you comes from? I didn’t realize it then, but looking back now, he looks exactly like the Baraha successor I was told about.”

“I’m not really sure. Actually, we parted ways not long after leaving the hot springs.”

“Oh, I see. That’s unfortunate, Mr. Godis.”

Hearing this, Godis looked at Turan with sunken eyes and asked another question.

“You said your name was Turan, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Did you perhaps eliminate a pirate group in the Southern Sea recently?”

“That’s right. I don’t remember their name clearly, but there were people who dared to kidnap and exploit others, so I dealt with them.”

After saying that, Turan added as if he had just remembered something.

“Come to think of it, I did meet that friend then. There were three islands that the pirates used as bases, and as I was dealing with them one by one, when I visited the last island, he had already taken care of all the officers.”

This was a storyline that Turan had improvised on the spot.

The implication was that he had gone to eliminate the Covinus pirate group, met Solif who had dealt with the Baraha nobles on his own, traveled together briefly, and then parted ways.

‘Of course, this won’t completely dispel his suspicions, but…’

Still, if he could just make it ambiguous whether Turan had actually clashed with the Baraha nobles or not, that would be achievement enough.

“I see… Did that Sol mention where he was heading?”

“I heard he was going west. I think he mentioned wanting to see beyond the Sky Mountains after hearing about them.”

Since Solif had actually expressed wanting to go there before, it wasn’t a lie.

Though the other party probably wouldn’t seriously believe this either.

“Are you two traveling alone now?”

“I recently hired a servant with a background as a wandering knight. He’s a diligent porter.”

Since more than a few people had already seen Solif when they entered, Turan spoke casually with a nonchalant tone.

Hearing this, Godis widened his eyes and asked.

“Would it be possible for me to meet this servant?”

As expected, he seemed to suspect that it might be someone disguised with the Mimic God’s mask.

The fact that he didn’t think the Baraha successor would act as a porter showed that, as his father, he knew Solif’s personality well.

Just as Turan was about to refuse with visible displeasure, Rida clapped her hands lightly to redirect attention.

“Now, Mr. Godis! It’s good to be enthusiastic, but I’d like to chat with my old friends too. Would you please-”

“Madam, I still have business with these young people.”

Perhaps thinking he had found a clue in the fact that the person suspected to be Solif had changed to being a servant, Godis interrupted Rida’s words with a somewhat excited attitude.

The frown at this rudeness lasted only briefly before a stern voice calmed the atmosphere in the reception room.

“Listen here, Baraha.”

Rida, who always had a languid attitude that didn’t match her youthful face, was now glaring at Godis with a cold expression that had never been seen before.

“I welcomed you as a guest and treated you well for several weeks, yet you interrupt even when I’m meeting dear old friends. And from the looks of it, you’re about to conduct an interrogation.”

“I was just-”

“I treated you respectfully as an elder despite being younger than my grandchild, but now you find me amusing?!”

With her thundering voice, there was a snap as her broken pipe fell onto the tiger skin.

Under her fierce demeanor, Godis apologized for his rudeness and left the reception room, after which Rida finally let out a deep sigh.

“What an exhausting fellow. I’m sorry, Turan, Misha. I’ve shown you an unpleasant scene after bringing you here as guests.”

“He seemed to be suspicious of my servant. I’m worried he might try to harm him if he finds him.”

“If he attempts such a thing, I guarantee he won’t leave Merem alive. He wouldn’t dare do that to me.”

It was an unusually intense reaction from the typically gentle Rida, suggesting she was quite angry because of Solif’s father.

She lightly rang a bell beside her to summon someone, then instructed them to stop Godis if he tried to find Turan’s servant.

“When did that person arrive?”

“Probably a little over two weeks ago.”

After saying that, Rida’s expression turned somewhat apologetic.

“When I returned home and saw the portrait, I noticed he looked exactly like your companion, so I shared the story with my family as an interesting anecdote. One of my grandchildren reported it to the Baraha side in exchange for a magical device.”

Come to think of it, hadn’t there been an offer of a decent magical device just for reporting Solif’s location?

While it would be meaningless to someone of Rida’s stature, it would certainly be tempting for a young noble.

“So that’s what happened…”

“I must apologize again for causing you trouble. I’ve scolded that child severely, so please forgive them.”

“There’s nothing to forgive. It’s not like I asked for it to be kept secret.”

Since he had come with a request, Turan graciously accepted Rida’s apology.

* * *

After exchanging some small talk and catching up to lighten the mood, Turan finally brought up his main purpose.

His companion Meisa, currently using the alias Misha, had been severely injured and he wanted to entrust her treatment to them.

“Hmm? Where is she injured? She looks fine from the outside… No, actually, she looks even better than before. She was too thin then, but she’s much better now. Though she could still gain a bit more weight.”

Grandmothers typically see young people as excessively skinny unless they’re seriously obese.

At Rida’s words, Meisa smiled awkwardly and slightly lifted her clothes to reveal the amputation at her waist.

Rida’s eyes widened in shock at the horrific sight.

“What is this?”

“She was injured while hunting a powerful magical beast recently. We took urgent measures, but as you can see, the condition is poor.”

“My goodness… For nobles of your caliber to be injured like this, it must have been stronger than Aikul.”

Turan briefly imagined Aikul fighting against the great sea serpent.

The Monkey King, who was in the mid-tier of the highest rank with magical power equivalent to Solif’s before absorbing the sea serpent’s magic, was certainly a formidable being, but there was a high possibility he wouldn’t be able to do much against that monster.

“Indeed.”

“Fortunately, it’s not a difficult request. Of course, normally you’d have to fill a room with gold and silver to borrow the power of a healer of my caliber, but I’ll do it for free since there was that unfortunate incident.”

In response to Rida’s playful boasting, Meisa bowed her head respectfully in gratitude.

“Thank you for your help, Lady Rida.”

“It’s nothing. Now, let me solve this right away-”

As she placed her hand on Meisa’s stomach and began to draw up magical power, Rida’s expression changed.

She stepped back in surprise and murmured softly.

“Miss Misha, no, who are you…?”

“I was going to explain this first, but Misha is quite powerful. That’s why we came to find you, Lady Rida.”

Rida looked at Meisa and Turan alternately with a suspicious expression, then groaned, “Ugh.”

She seemed to be trying to recall if there was anyone among the nobles of the great families she knew who had a similar appearance to Meisa, but couldn’t think of anyone.

“I felt it before, but you really are a friend with many secrets.”

“May I ask for your help?”

“Let me check again.”

Fortunately, instead of probing further, Rida began to examine Meisa’s wound again.

Unlike before when she was going to treat it lightly, this time she had Meisa lift her top halfway and carefully examined the wounded area from all angles, so Turan politely turned his head away.

“Oh my.”

“Is it very bad?”

“Bad isn’t the word for it. The inside is a mess because it was poorly attached with weak healing power. No wonder you were carrying her earlier—her legs don’t move.”

According to Rida’s explanation, the current state of Meisa’s body internally was literally just patched together.

While the internal organs and blood vessels were roughly aligned, the bones, nerves, and muscles were literally just stuck together haphazardly.

This was not only because the wound had been crudely attached when she was injured, but also because the recovery potion magical device used for treatment was far too inferior for Meisa’s level.

To fix such a roughly attached wound would require even more powerful healing magic than ordinary treatment.

“So…”

“It seems that our family head will need to personally help with this.”

For someone like Meisa, who had grown to a level similar to the heads of most great families, only the family head could exert overwhelming healing power.

“If we’re asking for the family head’s power, it won’t be free, will it?”

“Absolutely not. In fact, it might not be possible at any price. Even the family head would have to expend a tremendous amount of power to forcibly fix such a wound.”

The reason the heads of magical families rarely leave their main houses is to protect their family and members against possible attacks.

Of course, for a family without enemies like Ravitas, they might take simple hot spring trips as they did before, but they should still avoid situations that consume large amounts of power.

“However, there is a way.”

“Please tell us.”

“It’s easier to treat a fresh wound than to forcibly correct one that has been improperly attached.”

Turan and Meisa’s faces hardened as they realized what Rida meant.

Her words implied that Meisa’s waist would need to be cut once more and then properly reattached.

“T-that…”

The trembling in Meisa’s voice as she responded made it clear that the pain and fear she had experienced at that time were not insignificant.

However, she soon gritted her teeth and nodded.

“I’m, I’m fine with that. If that’s what it takes to fix it properly.”

“What a brave young lady! Good. Then I’ll speak to the family head separately.”

“Would it be difficult for you to do it this way as well, Lady Rida?”

“It would be. For other parts, I could attach them slowly, but I can’t pause and resume when attaching a severed waist, can I?”

Since that wasn’t wrong, Turan groaned softly and nodded.

After discussing the method, they needed to talk about the treatment cost.

If it were just using Rida’s magic, she could do it for free out of goodwill, but since the family head would be directly involved, that wouldn’t be possible.

“Do you have anything prepared as payment?”

“Yes. I have quite a bit of wealth.”

He had not only the vast amount of gold and silver mined from the island in the past, but if that wasn’t enough, he was also thinking of compensating by handling some troublesome tasks for them.

Hearing this, Rida nodded.

“Alright. I’ll speak to the family head today, and when that child has time, you can meet and discuss it together.”

Ignoring Rida’s casual reference to the family head as “that child,” Turan carried Meisa out of the reception room.

The owner of the presence he had been sensing from outside spoke to him.

“Mr. Turan.”

The voice belonged to Solif’s father, Godis Baraha.

He had been waiting for Turan outside since leaving the reception room earlier.

“If you’re asking to meet my servant, I must refuse. I suspect you’ll just find some strange fault with him.”

“Ah… then, would you at least accept this?”

Perhaps due to being severely scolded earlier, Godis, who seemed somewhat deflated, offered a letter instead of insisting.

Since Turan’s arms were occupied carrying Meisa, she looked at his face and accepted the letter on his behalf.

“If you happen to meet that Sol… the Baraha successor again, please show him this letter.”

Having said that, Godis withdrew with slumped shoulders.

It seemed he really just wanted to deliver the letter.

“This letter, there’s nothing strange about it, is there?”

“I don’t sense anything.”

True to her words, to the senses of the Holy Relic, it was just an ordinary letter without a trace of magical power.

Shortly after, when they returned to their assigned quarters, Turan first called for Solif and Bije, who were resting in the servants’ quarters.

“How did it go? Was the recovery successful? Hmm, from the looks of it, I guess not.”

“It seems we’ll need the help of the family head here.”

“Keck.”

Solif, who let out a groan probably at the thought of the cost, immediately swallowed what he was about to say.

This was because he detected that Meisa’s expression, sitting on the bed, had become heavy.

Turan used wind magic to block the air around their quarters and then brought up his business.

“More importantly, there’s something related to you that I need to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Your father is here.”

At Turan’s words, Solif’s face contorted bizarrely.

It was closer to bewilderment than fear, anger, or aversion.

“Him? Why on earth!?”

“He seems to have been mobilized as part of some kind of expedition tracking your whereabouts. He was already suspicious when I mentioned having a servant, thinking it might be you, so be careful if you meet him. It would be better not to meet at all if possible.”

“Geez… I’m not confident I won’t be exposed if we meet.”

Since Solif didn’t talk much about his parents usually, Turan didn’t know exactly what kind of relationship he had with his father.

However, from the nuance, it didn’t seem like he harbored much resentment.

“And your father sent a letter.”

“A letter?”

“He asked me to give it to you if we meet.”

When Turan handed over the letter he had received earlier, Solif’s face became serious as he unfolded it.

After a moment, his face gradually contorted.

“Damn, I shouldn’t have looked at it.”

“Why?”

“Just the usual stuff. Contents blaming me…”

Since Solif held out the letter as if suggesting they read it, Turan took it and read it together with Meisa.

From their first meeting, Godis’s letter was filled with all sorts of antiquated expressions, making it difficult to read.

After reading it for a while, Meisa summarized it briefly.

“To summarize… your mother is sad because you ran away, did you fight and kill the family elites who were sent to bring you back, if so, come back and repent, the family head said he would forgive all your sins, something like that.”

“Forgiveness my ass. After even putting out wanted posters.”

While listening to Solif’s grumbling, Turan narrowed his eyes with a strange feeling as he read the letter.

There were a few parts where the sentences or spacing seemed subtly awkward.

“Hmm…”

“What?”

“No, this part seems a bit strange.”

“Where… Ah!”

Meisa exclaimed as she looked at the part Turan pointed out.

“From this part, if you read diagonally every two characters, it forms a sentence. I used to do this with my mother in the past.”

“What does it say?”

At Solif’s question, Meisa traced the letters with her finger and read.

“Never… come… back.”