Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52 In the play Hero Keorn, which Turan had seen years ago, the war between the two Great Families was depicted as a series of perfectly honorable pitched battles. It showed knights clashing with weapons in hand while nobles stood by their side, vying for superiority by raining down fire and lightning.
In reality, however, the war was conducted in a far more insidious and despicable manner.
First and foremost, the Zahar nobles would approach stealthily under the cover of invisibility to contaminate food and water supplies. They would snipe and ambush anyone who strayed from the main body for scouting or communication. At night, they unleashed repeated barrages of magic before fleeing, making it impossible for the enemy to get even a moment of decent sleep.
In contrast, the day belonged to the Arabion.
They advanced slowly but surely, illuminating their surroundings with magic. They replenished their dwindling supplies by semi-forcibly demanding cooperation from the minor families ruling the regions they passed through. Naturally, those who refused were branded as Zahar lackeys and struck down by lightning.
Since it was impossible to wipe out every noble family along the Arabion's path in advance, the Zahar shifted their strategy while their opponent made their sluggish approach. They dispatched small detachments of nobles and knights to invade the enemy's homeland directly.
The targets of these attacks were primarily the small towns scattered across the Dakein Plains. The main estates, where a Family Head might be holding the line, were too risky, but those small towns were defenseless because their local nobles and knights had been conscripted for the front lines.
The detachments slaughtered the few remaining defenders and plundered valuables from the central manors. In the process, some raiders set their sights on the women who had been raised to become noble concubines.
Turan's mother, Vizella, was a girl kidnapped from Kimel, a small town in the southern Dakein Plains.
"Vizella?"
"Yes. If my memory serves me right, that was definitely her name."
Turan fell into thought, repeating his mother's real name—a name he was hearing for the first time. It certainly sounded more high-born than 'Bije.' It felt more feminine, too.
"The reason I still remember her is that she was a very peculiar person," Sarina added.
"Peculiar? In what way?"
"Well, you see…"
While caring for the kidnapped women, Sarina had categorized them into two main types.
The first was the submissive type. Realizing they could never go back, they tried their best to seduce a man and escape the role of mere livestock used for breeding. They would fawn over the Zahar nobles or knights who had killed their families, hoping for special treatment.
The second was the defiant type. They would scream that they would kill the enemies who murdered their kin, refuse to eat, or try to disfigure their own faces to decrease their value. Except for a few whose beauty was too great to waste, most of them were disposed of before long.
But Vizella was neither.
As if she were a tourist visiting a new land, she spent all day wandering every corner she was allowed to access, peppering the servants with questions.
Why do the people here wear these clothes?
What is the name of this food, and how do you make it?
What is the name of the god the people here worship?
Once, another girl who had been dragged along with her scolded her, asking what she was so excited about. Her response was quite something.
'Isn't it interesting that there are people living like this in a place we never knew? At least it's better than being locked up at home fawning for attention!'
Naturally, such words were incredibly insulting to girls who had been trained their whole lives to be noble concubines, and Vizella became an outcast among them. Because of this, Sarina, who attended to her, naturally became close to her and heard many personal stories.
She heard about how Vizella had wanted to be a traveling merchant since she was a child but was slapped by her father for such an "impossible" dream, and how she felt like she would die of boredom from the education she received at home.
"She said that while she was sad her family was dead, they never cared about what she wanted anyway. She said she'd rather see a different world like this than be stuck in that dreadful mansion for the rest of her life."
Listening to Sarina's explanation, Turan imagined his mother as she would have been twenty years ago—likely around his current age. A girl who, even after losing her entire family and being kidnapped, could shout that things weren't so bad... a strangely eccentric and positive young woman.
She didn't match the cynical, exhausted woman in his memories at all. Just what had happened to turn that eccentric girl into the woman he knew?
"And the man?" Turan asked, just as curious about his father.
Since his mother was the daughter of an Arabion knight, his father was bound to be a Zahar noble or knight. Given the circumstances, he suspected a noble. While all mages were seen as high and mighty to commoners, the nobility would never have looked kindly on a mere knight keeping a woman as a concubine. Furthermore, while mana didn't always descend perfectly from parents, Turan's potential was far too high to be the child of a knight and a commoner.
"There was only one man who came looking for that lady. He was a young man—well, I don't know his actual age, but—"
"He looked young, you mean. What about his appearance or name? Was he a knight or a noble?"
"I... I don't remember that much. There were so many people I served back then. I'm sorry..."
Turan clicked his tongue in disappointment but soon accepted it. It was only natural. The former tavern keeper was the exception; normally, people don't remember the face of someone they saw in passing twenty years ago.
"However, I do remember her saying a few things about the man she was seeing. She said that despite his blunt exterior, he was a kind person, and that they had promised to go on a journey together one day. She didn't seem to dislike him at all."
In fact, she looked like a girl in love, Sarina added softly.
Turan felt a great sense of relief. The fact that their first meeting involved a kidnapping was a problem in itself, but if there had been feelings of love between them, he felt he could finally accept his own existence. Though his mother had told him in the past that his father was a good man, Turan had secretly suspected it was just lip service for her son's sake.
Sarina continued her description of Vizella. She spoke of the time Vizella was thrown into solitary confinement after being mistaken for trying to escape while running around the mansion to build stamina for her travels, and the time she started a fire in the garden while rubbing sticks together to learn how to make a campfire.
Turan happily etched these anecdotes into his memory, an involuntary smile playing on his lips.
"The lady probably got pregnant about three or four months before she ran away. Even then, she said the same thing—that all of this would be useful when the three of them traveled together later. I never expected her to suddenly flee..."
One night, Sarina had encountered Vizella while returning to the mansion after running a minor errand. When Sarina hurriedly blocked her path, Vizella stopped her horse—which she must have stolen from somewhere—and pleaded with her. Unlike her usual cheerful self, her face was filled with profound gloom.
"She begged me to pretend I hadn't seen her, so I asked her. I asked why she was running away now, when she said the three of them would travel together later..."
"And? What did she say?"
"She said she had been looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. She said there is no true freedom in this world, and that in the end, we are all just livestock raised by shepherds. She said she couldn't let this child suffer such a fate."
It was the same thing his mother had said when Turan first awakened his magical power.
In the end, Sarina had looked the other way and let Vizella escape. The story ended there, with twenty years having passed since that night.
Turan could guess that his father must have helped his mother escape. Otherwise, where would she have gotten a horse good enough to flee thousands of kilometers, and how would she have evaded the Zahar pursuers?
"Well, are you satisfied?" Alos, who had been quietly listening from behind, spoke in a suggestive tone.
Turan hesitated for a moment before nodding. Given the circumstances, he was certain no other family could provide a more detailed account than this. Knowing for sure that there was no point in looking for his mother's relatives was a significant gain in itself.
He still didn't know who his father was—the Zahar noble or knight—or why he hadn't gone with his mother, but he would likely find that out once he reached the Enril Desert. Above all, he had indirectly experienced what his mother was like in the past, a side of her he had never known. That fact alone was enough to satisfy him.
"From now on, Kalamaf is yours. I trust you will rule faithfully according to our contract."
Hearing Turan's answer, Alos grinned, revealing his white teeth.
*
Now that the discussions at the top were concluded, the city of Kalamaf began full-scale preparations to transfer administrative authority to the Meberne family.
Some civil servants from Bigen City arrived to take over various tasks and inspect the city's condition. Every one of them was left in awe as they reviewed the relevant documents.
"Good heavens, are these figures for real...?"
"It's as if a corpse has literally come back to life."
Based on population and financial records, Kalamaf was a city that had essentially been resurrected from the dead. And it had relied solely on the power of one man.
Turan, the person responsible for that miracle, was packing his final belongings.
"Another journey. It'll be fun, right, Bije?"
[Where are we going?]
"To the southwest, to a place called the Sky Library. Come to think of it, you won't be able to see the old Librarian. I'm planning to sneak in, so it might be hard for you to come inside with me."
This time, he intended to enter stealthily while invisible, finish his business, and leave. The first time he went, he had sought formal permission because he was worried there might be secret measures to detect even Zahar's stealth, but now he knew no such things existed. Given Turan's current mana, the Family Head wouldn't dare try anything, but it would be a hassle if he tried to pester Turan into marrying his daughter again.
"Come to think of it, I've been here a really long time."
Since he started his journey, the longest he had stayed in one city was a month with the Berk family. Having spent nearly three months here in Kalamaf, it was officially his longest stay anywhere.
Turan took one last look at his room in the City Hall lodgings and opened the door. Daruk, who had now stepped down from his position as mayor, bowed to him.
"You have come, Great Turan."
The title used to address him, now that he had officially stepped down as guardian, had become 'Great Turan.' The one who saved the city of Kalamaf from death; the one who performed a great deed that other nobles wouldn't dare attempt.
"You must be disappointed that you can't continue your work as mayor."
"It was a position far above my station anyway. Besides, I've grown too old."
Indeed, Daruk was around sixty-five, an age where a non-mage should be resting at home.
"First, please accept this."
"What is this?"
Daruk opened a chest that had been placed next to Turan's room and revealed a large quantity of gold and silver coins. Where had such wealth come from in this impoverished city?
"The citizens gathered it. It is the money from selling the furs of the animals you brought in and the surplus stone. It is money that rightfully belongs to its owner."
"Tell them to use it for the city."
"If it stays here, it will become the property of the Meberne family, not the citizens. Please, do not refuse."
Turan looked at Daruk and realized, just like last time, that the man would not back down. There were probably about eight hundred gold coins and two thousand silver coins. It was an absurd amount to carry in a backpack, but he had the high-capacity pouch he had received from Meisa.
After confirming the money had been stowed away, Daruk spoke with a smile.
"May I escort you outside one last time?"
"By all means."
As he followed, Turan sensed the presence outside through his relic. Thousands of people were lined up in the square just outside the City Hall...
His superior detection ability was quite a disadvantage at times like this. Ideally, he should have seen this without knowing beforehand to be truly surprised and pleased.
"Waaaaaaaah----!"
As expected, Turan was greeted by a massive crowd that seemed to include every citizen of Kalamaf. Most were the elderly and children—survivors of the old Kalamaf that had once been a ruin. They were waving flags made of sticks and cloth, upon which a golden eagle and a man were crudely drawn like a coat of arms.
Besides that, there were embarrassing slogans like 'Long Live the Great Turan' and 'Our Savior.'
"This is embarrassing."
"Please, do not feel that way. Today, everyone has gathered solely to praise your greatness."
Turan scanned the faces of those looking at him. Infinite gratitude, sadness at his departure, worship, and praise... These reactions, sometimes positive and sometimes negative, were things he had seen over the past few months, but thinking that he wouldn't see them anymore made him feel a sudden pang of regret.
Wait, do I actually like being praised like this?
Feeling embarrassed at discovering a childish side of himself, Turan quickened his pace. As he passed through the dense crowd and reached the city gate, he saw something standing there.
The citizens who had been waiting ahead whipped off a white cloth the moment they saw Turan, revealing a three-meter-tall statue. It was a young man with a golden eagle tucked under his arm—a statue carved exactly in Turan's likeness.
"...When did you even start this?"
"It's a bit disappointing since it was made in a hurry, but we plan to replace it with a better one later. They've been installed at all four city gates," Daruk answered nonchalantly.
If Turan had passed through the gates even once, he would have noticed, but since he always flew on Bije, he hadn't known. Even if he had caught a glimpse, he probably wouldn't have imagined it was a statue of himself. At most, he would have thought they were just constructing a new building.
"Won't the Meberne family dislike this?"
"We received permission in advance. They actually liked it, saying that if this statue remains, it will clearly mark how the city's rule was transferred."
"You all must still be struggling to make ends meet..."
"Sometimes, there are things more important than survival. For the citizens here, commemorating their savior is one of those things."
"That's right!" several citizens behind them shouted in agreement.
Turan, feeling awkward, chided them a few times before falling silent and passing the statue to exit the gate. In the distance, he could see the stone mountains of the Gray Zone, now a familiar sight.
He looked back one last time, intending to give a grand speech, but perhaps because the statue's impact was too great, nothing came to mind.
"Well... um, I thought of a lot of impressive things to say, but I can't remember them."
"What need is there for words? Everything you have done until now is more precious than any speech."
When did this old man become so silver-tongued?
Turan opened and closed his mouth a few times to say something, then finally signaled Bije to take flight. The ground receded instantly with the familiar sensation of floating.
Looking back, he saw several citizens finally letting out the tears they had been holding back.
And so, the Savior of Kalamaf departed the city.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Read 220 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/the-shepherd-wizard
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━