Shepherd Wizard-Chapter 172.1

Translator: Pai_

After completing the treatment and returning to Kalamaf, Turan decided to once again devote his efforts to internal reorganization.

It did not mean he intended to uncover spies from other houses as he had last time.

Since such a sweep had already been done not long ago, there would be few to catch even if done again. Moreover, frequently conducting such crackdowns was akin to showing that he did not trust his vassals.

This time, the core of the internal reorganization was to strengthen the unity of the members, relieve mental fatigue, and boost morale.

One of the methods he came up with for that was theater, a medium he had enjoyed in the past.

"Here you go. These are the theater troupes currently staying in Kalamaf. There are three of considerable scale and about five that are more like mere acrobatic troupes."

Turan nodded as he skimmed through the list Ashiz had compiled.

Originally, Kalamaf was too underdeveloped a city to enjoy sophisticated culture like theater, so having a resident troupe was unthinkable. But things were different now that it had become a base for the House Parsha.

When a powerful wizard lives in a city, followers naturally gather, and as the region becomes safer due to their presence, people and resources concentrate, and culture develops as well.

In fact, considering that even cities ruled by vassal houses like House Berk in the land of Aravion had several theater troupes, one could say that Kalamaf was still lacking.

"But what are you planning to have the troupes do?"

"Obviously, a play. Here, read the script first."

Ashiz, who began reading the parchment Turan handed him with a somewhat uninterested expression, gradually opened his eyes wide. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Even he, a theater fanatic who had immersed himself in countless plays for decades since becoming an adult, was amazed by how original and intriguing the plot structure was.

"What the... you didn’t write this yourself, did you? The play is about the recent wars... was there a playwright of this level in our area?"

"I did write it. Though if you ask whether I created it, that’s a different matter. So, what do you think? Worth watching?"

“More than just worth watching! I’m itching to see it staged myself. I mean, how can someone be this good at playwriting...”

“Like I said earlier, I didn’t create it.”

Turan was a man of many talents, but to speak frankly, his abilities as a creator were third-rate.

He wasn’t particularly gifted at writing, nor had he practiced storytelling much, so it was only natural.

The true identity of the script was a patchwork based on several famous modern plays and ancient classics found in the library of Orem, especially those that, due to various issues, had not been passed down to the modern day.

Of course, culture tends to evolve into something more stimulating and interesting over time, but among those lost ancient classics, many were actually superior to their modern counterparts.

Not just in terms of plot, but in theatrical techniques as well.

This was because the foundation of current human literature was based on the old stories the ancient Preah God Tribe had passed on to their kin, and those were grounded in an era when their culture had reached its peak.

In any case, using true events as the main plot and cramming in all the fun parts copied from other works, how could it not be interesting?

Additionally, the literary talent of the librarian, who wove this together tirelessly without rest or sleep due to being a spirit, was a huge help.

‘I honestly didn’t expect it to be this good.’

Thousands of years spent in the library.

It had been one of the librarian’s amusements to mix existing stories and create new works, and remembering that offhand remark now paid off.

Even ordinary people are called masters after repeating the same task for decades, how exceptional would the skills be of someone who had done the same for thousands of years?

Of course, they couldn't be compared to genius playwrights who came up with stories no one else could imagine, but just being able to skillfully blend existing tales into an enjoyable piece was enough to call them a master chef.

“Anyway, it’d be great if we could stage this quickly. Is that possible?”

“Of course. Even if it were said to be from an unknown playwright, they wouldn’t be able to resist staging it right away. But with the head of House Parsha giving the order directly...”

Ashiz’s beaming face showed a rare glimpse of liveliness.

Though he had suppressed much of his identity working as the butler of House Parsha after losing his parents, his love for theater had not disappeared.

*

When theater company directors heard that a script had come down directly from a great noble house, and that it was based on their own war, all the troupe leaders thought the same thing.

‘Here we go again...’

It was hardly a novel tactic for wizard houses to use theater to flaunt their superiority.

Even the once-popular “Hero Keorn” from Aravion had been created to boast, “Look, our knights were strong enough to kill nobles!” despite the war it depicted having ended with no clear victor or loser.

But in Kalamaf, where they lived off bread and crumbs, no one dared defy the command of House Parsha, a great noble family.

They bowed deeply and said they would rehearse and stage it as quickly as possible. Then, their eyes widened to the point of popping out as they read through the script.

“What in the world, where did this come from?”

After handing over the script that had shocked everyone, the knight briefly conveyed the intent of the main house.

In three weeks, the troupe that performed the play most excellently would be granted the opportunity to perform it for the main house of Kalamaf.

And there would be an enormous reward.

“Three weeks is too short...”

“Then that opportunity will go to another troupe.”

“No, not at all! We can do it!”

They didn’t dare dream of becoming the official troupe of a great noble house.

Even just being selected by the main house of Parsha and being able to claim they performed before mighty wizards would dramatically elevate their troupe’s prestige.

And though it was practically delusional, if by any chance the family head of House Parsha came to see the play and said it was good...

‘This troupe’s play is quite fine.’

Even ordinary knights would no longer be able to treat them lightly.

If the head of a great noble house said he enjoyed their play, how could a mere knight dare to put on airs?

For the next three weeks, all the major troupes in Kalamaf stopped their current performances and plunged into a bloody competition of rehearsals.

Naturally, the actors were just as passionate.

The content of the play alone was enough to ignite the souls of anyone with artistic spirit, and they had been promised immense rewards if they succeeded.

When the time came, a young man introducing himself as the butler of House Parsha went around to the three troupes, watched their performances, and selected one.

“Very well, I’ll go with you.”

“Ooh...!”

“Yes-!”

“We are the greatest troupe not just in Kalamaf, but in the entire Gray Zone!”

“Needless to say, there must be no mistakes. The head of Parsha will be watching in person.”

With the butler’s calm admonition, the jubilant mood of the troupe members was doused like cold water.

It finally sank in.

They were going to perform in front of one of the most powerful wizards in the world, a ruler of a land where hundreds of thousands lived.

“Well, don’t get too nervous. The family head isn’t that picky. If you just perform as you did today, he’ll be quite satisfied.”

***