Shepherd Wizard (Novel) - Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Read it only at Utoon.net!
Discord
“Are you feeling any pain anywhere? This isn’t a treatment you can receive often, so we should make sure everything is thoroughly checked.”
“Not at all! In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this light in my entire life!”
Perhaps because the discomfort after injuring her waist had been so great, Meisa exclaimed excitedly like a child.
As she caressed her now smooth waist without a single scar, she suddenly realized she wasn’t alone and made an embarrassed expression.
“…Pretend you didn’t see that.”
“The freshness of young love is always a pleasure to see. Now, let’s get you changed into some new clothes. The ones you’re wearing now are soaked in blood and unsightly.”
Rida smiled warmly as she led Meisa to a small room nearby to change into new clothes.
As they exited the treatment room, Solif and Bije, who had been waiting outside, quickly turned their heads.
“How did it go? Were you treated successfully?”
Playing the role of a servant, Solif used honorifics as he asked Turan and Meisa.
When they nodded in response, he clenched his fist in a gesture of joy.
Of course, Bije beside him also expressed relief by repeatedly spreading and folding his wings.
“Well then, let’s head out. If we stay too long, the family head might get tired. He’s sent away all the family members for your sake.”
It did seem unusually empty for the family head’s quarters.
As they left with Rida, Turan quietly expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you for your help, Lady Rida.”
“What help did I provide?”
“You vouched for us to the family head, encouraging him to trust us.”
“I did that because I thought you were trustworthy friends. So don’t disappoint me. I’ve experienced many betrayals in my life, but getting stabbed doesn’t hurt any less just because it happens often.”
“We would never do such a thing.”
Rida smiled generously at Turan’s assurance, saying, “I should hope not.”
As they walked through the main house chatting, all the Ravitas nobles they encountered bowed deeply to Rida.
They had seen this when entering as well, but after the recent conversation with the family head, this sight felt newly significant.
While it was true that top-tier nobles were revered even in great families, these people seemed to treat her with even more deference, as if she were a truly formidable figure.
“You mentioned that the family head is Lady Rida’s younger cousin?”
“That’s right. Though in terms of age difference, he’s not much different from my grandchildren. Due to family issues in his childhood, he couldn’t be raised by his parents, so I nursed him myself. I had just given birth to a son of the same age. They’re milk brothers, so they get along well.”
It was understandable why the family head was so deferential to Rida and why others found her intimidating.
She was essentially his mother figure.
Perhaps she was revealing this information now to emphasize her status and warn against breaking their agreement.
At that moment, Meisa, who was walking beside them, asked a question.
“I heard that the Koloa region the family head assigned us is quite difficult to develop.”
“Well, I’ve never been there myself. It’s the southernmost frontier of the Siraf Wetlands. But I’ve heard it was abandoned because the effort required for development far outweighed the benefits, given how harsh the environment is.”
In other words, while it was difficult for the family to directly employ people for development, it was the perfect place to utilize suddenly available free labor.
‘He said it was about a hundred kilometers in both length and width, didn’t he?’
While that distance could be covered in an hour or two by running or flying, when considering the need to develop the entire wetland area, it was a different story altogether.
Moreover, Turan’s group had absolutely no prior knowledge about land reclamation, which made it even more challenging.
“But is there really a need to develop such a remote area? There seemed to be plenty of wetlands to develop near the capital…”
As Meisa pointed out, if they simply wanted farmland, there was no reason to develop that southern frontier.
Rida laughed amusedly at her question and replied.
“I hear there are several rich mines in that area.”
Indeed, more money was always better.
After discussing various aspects of the development project, they returned to Rida’s mansion. Solif let out a deep sigh.
“With an area that size, we’ll be stuck here for a few years at least. Maybe even over a decade.”
“Will it really take that long?”
In response to Meisa’s question, Solif created a few diagrams in the air using light as he explained.
“A hundred kilometers in length and width, right? It might seem laughable since it only takes 20-30 minutes to fly across on Bije, but in terms of area, it’s enormous. Well, we can’t really complain about the scale of the task when we’re borrowing power from the head of a great family.”
Moreover, the value of this favor was even greater considering they were borrowing Osel’s unique healing ability, rather than combat power that other great family heads might possess.
“But does anyone actually know how to do this land reclamation thing? This is my first time in a wetland, so I have no idea.”
When Meisa asked this, Solif also shook his head, and both of them turned to look at Turan.
“I’m not an expert either. I was actually planning to seek some advice on that.”
Saying this, Turan took out the jewel box from his pocket.
“From Elder Librarian?”
“He knows a lot, so he might be able to help with land reclamation methods too, right?”
“I suppose so.”
“Once we know the proper techniques, it shouldn’t take too long. I can use the abilities of both the Rapids and Earth Guardian bloodlines.”
“Oh right, I had forgotten about that.”
While they hadn’t decided exactly how to approach the land reclamation yet, bloodline abilities that could manipulate water and earth were sure to be helpful.
Moreover, Meisa and Solif were also quite adept at such types of magic due to their superior magical talents compared to other nobles.
When Turan opened the jewel box, the librarian opened his drowsy eyes as usual and spoke.
“I haven’t finished analyzing the fragment you gave me yet. The traces were too faint, so the information itself is damaged.”
“I’m always grateful, Elder. Today I came to ask about something else.”
“Something else?”
“Elder! Do you happen to know any secrets about wetland reclamation?”
In response to Solif’s question, the librarian snorted.
“I don’t know.”
“Ack.”
“There were no books detailing such methods, so it can’t be helped. However, I might be able to come up with some ideas based on the knowledge I have.”
The librarian’s knowledge of natural laws was still so deep and broad that it was overwhelming for Turan’s group to keep up with.
That evening, the three of them skipped their meal and had to return to being students, listening to a lecture for the first time in a while.
Bije, who had been sitting quietly listening, soon closed his eyes and fell asleep, apparently bored.
* * *
Three days later, Turan’s group left Rida’s mansion and headed south from Merem City.
Rida saw them off to the city gates.
“If it gets too difficult, feel free to come back and rest occasionally. The family head didn’t set a strict deadline.”
“We’re grateful for your words alone, Elder. We’ll visit again if we have the chance.”
Staying at Rida’s mansion had been a fairly pleasant experience.
It would have been almost as comfortable as staying at the Berk mansion if Solif hadn’t had to act as a servant.
After saying their final goodbyes to Rida, they walked towards a person and a magical beast waiting nearby.
A middle-aged knight who appeared to be in his forties bowed respectfully.
“Greetings to your greatnesses, my name is Yoz.”
“Are you our guide?”
“Yes.”
Yoz was sent by the family head to guide Turan’s group to their destination and to monitor whether they were working diligently without running away.
Personally, he was also Rida’s great-grandson.
“We’ve heard a lot about you from Lady Rida. We look forward to working with you.”
“It’s an honor. Then, please follow me this way.”
Next to Yoz was a giant lizard magical beast over six meters long, coiled up with a saddle on its back large enough to sit or lie down on.
This magical beast was lent by the family head, as it would take too long to walk to their destination, the Koloa region.
“Now then, Sir Kiki, I humbly request your assistance.”
Perhaps because it was owned by the family head, Yoz used honorifics even when addressing the lizard magical beast he controlled.
Meanwhile, the lizard itself was trembling in fear as Bije, annoyed at having his riding spot taken, climbed onto its head and pecked at it with his beak.
A moment later, after confirming that Turan’s group had all boarded, Yoz tapped something in front a few times, and the giant lizard stood up and began to move.
Though it seemed to walk leisurely, its speed was comparable to nobles running at a light pace.
“Come over here, Phil. In case I die or something, you’ll need to drive Sir Kiki. I’ll teach you the basic techniques.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll learn whatever you teach me.”
Amusingly, Solif, playing the role of the servant ‘Phil’ with a background as a wandering knight, had become Yoz’s subordinate.
They were both knights, but Yoz appeared to be twice his age and was the family head’s underling.
Of course, Solif, who had laughed even when pirates had hit him from behind in the past, calmly treated Yoz as a superior and learned how to serve noble masters.
He even got scolded for not knowing basic things despite being a servant.
Watching this from the side, Meisa whispered quietly to Turan.
“Looking at him, I feel a bit sorry. How long does he have to keep acting like this?”
“Until we reach our destination, I suppose? It’s said to be quite remote, so rumors shouldn’t spread. Well, he seems to be enjoying it, so it should be fine.”
As he said this, Turan used tracking magic with Solif’s father Godis’s hair.
He could sense his presence far away in the northwest.
“It seems the Baraha nobles have moved west. Looks like they accepted the clue I gave them at face value.”
It would take an incredibly long time for them to wander around the west, find traces of Turan’s group, and then come looking for them again.
At any rate, there seemed to be no need to worry for now.
And so, the group consisting of two nobles, one noble pretending to be a knight, and one actual knight, boarded the giant lizard and steadily headed south.
The lizard magical beast, Kiki, seemed well-adapted to the local environment. Despite its enormous size, it smoothly traversed areas covered in forests and wetlands with no paths.
In every village and city they passed through, people bowed deeply upon seeing the Ravitas flag on the magical beast’s saddle and provided the best accommodations. This extended their travel time somewhat, but made the journey itself comfortable.
“When do you think we’ll arrive, sir?”
“At this speed, probably in about a week. Oh great ones, if we descend directly down that cliff ahead, we could save a significant amount of time.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Yoz made such requests to Turan quite boldly for an attendant.
Strictly speaking, he wasn’t Turan’s group’s subordinate, but a direct subordinate of the Ravitas family head.
Turan activated the Earth Guardian bloodline in the Holy Relic and manipulated the cliff’s slope to create a path down.
While he could have done this normally, using the bloodline ability consumed far less magical power.
“Wow, that’s amazing, Lord Turan! Truly a descendant of the gods!”
Both Turan and Meisa burst into laughter at Solif’s exaggerated praise.
After about ten days of southward travel, Turan’s group finally arrived at the Koloa region, the southernmost part of Ravitas territory.
“We’ve arrived.”
“Wow…”
“We heard about it, but this really is a hellscape.”
While the Siraf Wetlands generally had a harsher natural environment and lower population density compared to other great families’ territories, the Koloa region stood out even among them.
The area Turan’s group needed to develop started about fifty kilometers south of the nearest Koloa City, and the boundary between the reclaimed area and the wetlands filled with water under dense forests was clearly visible.
“If you go straight south from here, there’s another large river, mountains to the east, and hills to the west. The area inside is what the family head instructed to be developed.”
“Let’s take a look around first.”
“As you command.”
Following Turan’s request, Yoz drove the lizard to circle the area they needed to develop.
While magical beasts usually appeared when traversing wetlands, the ones here seemed particularly hostile to humans and frequently attacked them.
“Here comes another one.”
Riding atop the lizard, Turan casually flicked his finger to incinerate a giant insect magical beast that was flying towards them.
They had to repeatedly stop to absorb and disperse the magical power of the creatures they killed, which meant it took nearly ten hours to survey the entire reclamation area.
After completing the circuit, they used tracking magic on branches they had planted for measurement to roughly gauge the distances.
“How is it?”
“I’m not sure if it’s exactly right, but it doesn’t seem too different from what we were told.”
Well, surely the Ravitas family head wouldn’t try to cheat them on something like this.
After confirming the entire area to be developed, Yoz bowed deeply to Turan’s group.
“Then, I shall return Sir Kiki to the family head and come back.”
“So we’re supposed to proceed with the reclamation work on our own in the meantime?”
“That’s not something I can presume to comment on.”
His words were polite, but it essentially meant they should figure it out themselves.
“Alright, take him back then. It’ll take a month or two for you to return?”
“Probably about that long. Until I return, please take care of yourselves.”
After Yoz departed with the lizard, Turan’s group was left alone in front of the development area.
Solif removed his mask, revealing his true appearance.
“Phew, to think this handsome face hasn’t been seen by the world for so long. It’s terrible.”
When neither of the other two reacted to his rare joke, Solif awkwardly handed over the mask and rolled up his sleeves.
“Well then, shall we get started? But how exactly do we do this?”
“Remember what Elder Librarian said? We need to start by draining the water and compacting the soil.”
“Ah, right.”
“Let’s first create a boundary to contain the drained water. It might be easiest to start from the river side.”
Following Turan’s suggestion, they first moved to the riverbank at the southern end, riding on Bije.
The water overflowing from there and flowing north was one of the main causes of this wetland’s formation.
“We should block this first.”
Turan manipulated the Holy Relic to activate the Earth Guardian bloodline and then used earth manipulation magic.
Unlike when he created a path down the cliff earlier, he felt an enormous amount of magical power being consumed, so much that it momentarily left him feeling drained.
This was because the scale of the phenomenon Turan was implementing now was truly immense.
The technique he had practiced and become familiar with, the bloodline ability, and near-family-head-level magical power.
As a result of these three factors combined, a massive wall of earth rose from where they stood, extending for hundreds of meters.
The Beginning of a Monumental Task
The sheer scale of what Turan had just accomplished left everyone in awe. The earthen wall stretched far into the distance, creating a formidable barrier against the encroaching waters of the wetland.
Meisa’s eyes widened as she took in the sight. “Turan, this is… incredible. I knew you were powerful, but this is beyond what I imagined.”
Solif whistled, clearly impressed. “Now that’s what I call land reclamation! At this rate, we might finish sooner than I thought.”
However, Turan’s expression remained serious. “This is just the beginning. We’ve created a barrier, but now we need to drain the water from inside this area and make