Shepherd Wizard-Chapter 177

Translator: Pai_

"Did you really come alone?"

Turan looked at Rida, who had agilely jumped off Bije’s back, with a dumbfounded expression.

Of course, considering she was a proper high-ranking noble, and one of the few strong individuals in the entire world, it wasn’t something to criticize just because she traveled alone.

That is, if it weren’t a time of war when several great noble houses were clashing with each other.

"Please don't look at me like that. I'll get enough nagging from Osel when I return later."

“So you came without the family head’s permission.”

“That child worries too much. He still thinks of his old sister as a naive girl!”

She laughed heartily and patted Bije’s head in gratitude, and she gave a brief nod before shrinking and climbing onto Turan’s shoulder.

A somewhat guilty voice echoed in his mind.

-Turan, Rida asked me for a ride, so I gave her one. Is it okay? I wanted to ask, but couldn’t.

-No, you did well.

Surely Osel wouldn't think Rida had been kidnapped over.

As Turan silently retrieved Bije into his body, Rida cautiously asked.

“So, the story I heard from that child... is it true? I couldn’t endure it after hearing that and rushed over.”

“Yes. Would you like to see?”

When Rida nodded, Turan immediately led her to the underground prison.

The guard at the entrance addressed Turan.

“Badger.”

“Powder.”

Only after hearing the answer did the guard respectfully bow and step aside. Rida remarked in amazement.

“They ask for passwords even from their own family head.”

“It could be someone disguised as me. Not just here, but we’ve set it up like this at several key facilities.”

Mimic had been evaluated as a somewhat mediocre profession in terms of performance during the era when the Preah God Tribe played games, making it unpopular, but there was no guarantee that Turan was the only one who could use that ability.

If one used good magic artifacts well, there were ways to imitate it to a similar degree, if not perfectly.

After a moment, passing through a corridor lit by magic lamps, Rida entered the deep underground prison and her eyes sparkled upon seeing the White Elf locked up in one of the cells.

“Indeed... it really is a White Elf! It’s real!”

“W-Who is this human?”

Ignoring Nia’s flustered reaction, Rida gripped the bars tightly and brought her face close.

Her flushed face and wide-open eyes clearly showed her intense excitement, and the White Elf princess screamed and turned to Turan.

“You! Do something about this human! She’s scary!”

“What’s there to be scared of.”

Turan let out a dry laugh, and then, surprisingly, Rida seemed to focus for a moment and pulled out her spirit form from her head.

Her spirit form, naturally, differed in shape from that of Turan, Solif, and Meisa.

A pure white snake with two heads and no tail was wrapped around both arms from one shoulder to the other, radiating a soft iridescent glow from its entire body.

And, naturally, metal needles were embedded in its head.

“To think you’ve already mastered Soul Magic...”

[Actually, I was only able to do this recently. No one else besides me has mastered it yet.]

Even during the time when the nobles of Lavitas didn’t properly understand Soul Magic, they conducted various independent studies on souls, which apparently helped a lot in their training.

Even considering that, it was a truly astonishing achievement.

It had only been a few years since he passed on a clue about Soul Magic to Lavitas, and already she had reached such a level.

[Now then, Miss White Elf. Since you can probably use the Soul Manipulation Technique, you should be able to hear my voice, right? Just try using your power on me! I’m going mad with curiosity. I want to know how the Soul Manipulation Technique actually works....]

“Rida, she probably can’t exert any more power today. I already conducted some experiments with her a short while ago.”

“Y-Yes. I’ve already used up all my strength today. I can’t do it now.”

When Nia hastily nodded in agreement, Rida looked back and forth between Turan and Nia with a dejected expression that didn’t suit her age, then soon withdrew her spirit form back into her body.

“Such a shame, truly...”

“Today isn’t the only day. For now, take a rest and come again tomorrow.”

“I suppose you’re right. Ah, by the way, Miss White Elf, what is your name?”

She then bombarded Nia with all sorts of questions like how old she was, what she liked, whether she had a husband or lover, and so on.

Even in the midst of this, she refrained from asking where and how Nia had been captured, likely out of consideration for Turan standing behind her.

If she pressed for details, she might inadvertently reveal a sensitive aspect of the House Parsha that must not be touched.

When Nia began to openly show signs of fatigue not long after, Rida also reluctantly got up from her seat.

“Ahh... then let’s leave it here for today, and let’s talk again a lot next time.”

“Hmph.”

Despite the elf's haughty attitude, Rida cheerfully smiled and bid farewell, closing the cell door.

As they ascended to the surface together, she cautiously asked Turan,

“Would you be willing to tell me how and where you found her? We searched for so many years without even a clue. Just where had she been hiding all this time...?”

“The House Ruvan had been hiding them.”

“Ruvan? They handed them over that easily?”

“I just went and finished them off completely.”

“Finished off...? You mean...?”

At those utterly unimaginable words, Rida’s jaw dropped, completely losing her composure.

Turan gave her a brief explanation of the operation that had been carried out against the House Ruvan.

After hearing everything, Rida muttered in a somewhat stunned tone.

“To think an ancient great noble house could be conquered in such a way... I truly never imagined it.”

While the number of great noble houses that had existed and fallen was certainly not small, it was still rare for a firmly established house to collapse.

In order for one great house to conquer another, they would typically have to deploy even the forces guarding their own main estate, resulting in extreme risk. Not to mention, most houses controlled territories far too distant from one another.

That’s why, historically, battles between great houses were more often like the old war between House Aravion and House Zahar, divided armies raiding each other’s homelands or engaging in minor skirmishes.

However, by uniting multiple houses into a single force and narrowing physical distance through an artifact like the Jade Mirror, Turan had brought warfare between great houses into a new phase.

Now, several houses could concentrate their power in one place, and even long-established great houses could fall in an instant if they let their guard down.

“It’s hard for an old woman like me to keep up with the times.”

“I’m finding it hard to keep up as well. I hope this era doesn’t last too long, if I can help it.”

Having taken care of the Houses Varaha and Ruvan, there were now only four, perhaps even just three great houses left.

All things considered, it wasn’t as many as it seemed.

Of course, he still had to take into account a few variables, like the Great Sea Serpent Mermaids.

As they conversed, Rida glanced at the young man beside her with renewed awareness.

A young man still so youthful that the term 'rookie' suited him, someone younger than even her great-grandchildren.

Yet this youth had already come to virtually rule half the world, and was reaching out for the rest.

Since the gods fell in ancient times, had anyone else risen to such a position with this kind of ambition?

‘Thinking of it that way... we’ve backed the right person.’

It was truly fortunate that Lavitas had been the only great noble house not ruled by the gods.

If that hadn’t been the case, Rida herself would long ago have lost her soul to them.

According to Turan, they valued not only excellent magical aptitude and compatibility, but also physical beauty.

While Rida briefly sank into thought, Turan subtly shifted the topic and explained why the House Ruvan had secretly hidden and raised the White Elves.

That the gods had attempted reincarnation using the White Elves and got entangled with them, and that the surviving Soul Manipulation users ended up seizing control, turning the gods into mere puppets.

After hearing the whole story, she let out a breath and clicked her tongue.

“The founder of Ruvan was was a noble of pure blood... to think that the retainers of that powerful god of war would meet such an end, it’s bitter in many ways.”

“They were crushed by the calamity they brought upon themselves.”

In the end, wasn’t it the price they paid for resorting to tricks simply because they felt uneasy about receiving help from Monarch, the master of Soul Magic lurking in the western lands?

Of course, from what Reshion and the others had said, it was easy enough to understand why they were wary of Monarch.

Though his direct combat ability might be lacking, he was highly skilled in manipulation and all sorts of behind-the-scenes maneuvering, and due to the nature of his profession, he was said to possess exceptional skill in dealing with souls.

Now, with physical bodies reduced to mere garments to be swapped, and one’s ability to control souls having become the true measure of divinity, it was only natural that everyone would be on guard against the potential Monarch held.

“Ah, today’s matters are all settled... hmm, Family Head. Might you introduce the person beside you?”

As they were talking and walking, Ashiz, who had approached Turan in a friendly manner, noticed Rida and quickly straightened up with proper manners.

Seeing the typical expression of a young man encountering an attractive woman, Rida chuckled with a playful glint in her eyes.

“I’m Rida of House Lavitas. I’ve come to House Parsha for a special matter.”

Unlike her usual elderly demeanor, her speech was full of the tone of a well-mannered young lady.

However, the act was soon rendered pointless as Ashiz, upon hearing her name, nodded in realization.

“Ah, Rida nim! You’re the cousin of the House Lavitas family head, right? I’ve heard much about you!”

“Oh dear.”

Rida, who had been trying to feign the role of an ordinary noblewoman, clicked her tongue in regret upon realizing her identity had been exposed.

Watching this from the side, Turan let out a quiet laugh and said to Rida,

“You’re a guest, so we ought to treat you. Do you prefer something grand or something simple?”

“I’d prefer something simple, given the current times.”

“Then please dine with me at my residence.”

It would be an incredibly rude suggestion if made to a young woman in her prime, but if the subject was a senior by hundreds of years, it could well be seen as a kind gesture.

Rida nodded at Turan’s offer and replied,

“Let’s do that. By the way, where is Miss Meisa? I thought I’d see her right away...”

“Meisa has been staying at my residence for some time now. She’s in a weakened state from making magic artifacts.”

That was the public excuse for Meisa’s absence.

It was already widely known that she possessed a rare triple bloodline, including the Enchanter Bloodline.

For such a capable individual to devote her power to crafting powerful magic artifacts, and to retreat afterward due to the side effects, was not at all unusual.

“I see.”

But the moment she heard that, Rida showed a subtle expression, as if she had realized something.

Sure enough, not long after entering Turan’s residence with him, Rida did not react at all upon seeing Meisa’s slightly swollen belly.

“It’s been so long! But what brings you here...?”

“I couldn’t hold back after hearing about the White Elf the Hosue Parsha family head brought in. More importantly, how long has it been? I think it's been a little over four months."

“That’s right!”

When Meisa looked at her in amazement, wondering how she could know so precisely, Rida answered with a proud expression.

“How could I not know? I’ve birthed children myself more than once, and I’ve helped my children give birth countless times. And as for the father of the child, well, that goes without saying...”

“That’s how it turned out.”

Though he had been scolded by Solif before for acting too childish, confessing to someone else that they had made a baby was still an embarrassing thing.

Especially to Rida.

It felt like bragging to your grandmother about spending a passionate night with your lover.

Seeing Turan’s embarrassed expression, Rida burst into laughter.

“One of my grandchildren made the exact same face when confessing to having a child before marriage! So then, when will you hold the partner ceremony? Her belly’s already quite round, her clothes won’t fit right anymore. Or did you already have it and I just didn’t know?”

“We haven’t had it yet, and we’re not planning to for a while.”

“What?”

At Turan’s words, Rida wore a devastated expression, as if to say, “How could you?”

Meisa, standing beside them, spoke up in his defense.

“It’s just... the circumstances aren’t favorable for us to make it public.”

First, because Meisa was pregnant, they needed to hide the fact that she could not function at full strength.

Second, if she was to later be installed as ruler of Aravion and exercise full authority, her status as Turan’s partner could become a disadvantage.

And finally, with advanced techniques of Soul Magic, it was possible to commit mass extermination of unborn children with specific bloodlines.

Hearing all these reasons, Rida let out a low hum.

“Hmm, if that’s the case, it can’t be helped... Still, the partner ceremony is such a precious thing. You won’t regret it?”

“It’s not as if we can’t hold it later.”

Turan planned to hold the ceremony grandly after dealing with all his enemies, once the child was born and Meisa had firmly secured her position as ruler of Aravion.

A ceremony so extravagant and splendid that everyone in the world would know of their union.

“Good grief... your scale of thinking is always overwhelming. In that case, I have nothing to say.”

Though she acted like a nagging grandmother, in the end, Rida was not a blood relative of either Turan or Meisa, so she had no further right to interfere.

In fact, even what she had said thus far was already rather excessive, considering the difference in their power and status.

She only refrained from saying more because of the rapport they had built.

Just as the conversation about the partner ceremony wrapped up, maids entered the parlor carrying banquet dishes prepared under Ashiz’s direction.

“Let’s have a meal and talk. Rida nim, you’ll need to eat at least as much as we did when we visited you.”

Joking about avenging the time they had been served to the point of bursting at Rida’s estate, Rida waved her hand with a laugh.

“This old woman will die if I eat that much! In any case, thank you for the hospitality.”

In truth, despite Turan’s boast, the food served wasn’t particularly extravagant.

The Gray Zone had barren land and was poor in agriculture, and even the trade that had supplemented this had recently collapsed almost entirely.

The northern ports that were supposed to supply rich ingredients, as well as the overland routes to northwestern Aravion, were all effectively paralyzed.

If not for the imports of spices from Zahar and the increase in wild game due to the depopulated forest regions, many would have starved to death.

But Rida smiled and enjoyed the meal as if an underwhelming reception for a guest of a great house meant nothing to her.

“Mm, it’s delicious. If I stayed in Kalamaf, could I eat like this every day?”

“Will you be staying long?”

“If we achieve some results, it may be brief. Otherwise, I’d like to stay longer, of course, only if the head of House Parsha doesn’t kick me out as an unwelcome guest.”

“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Turan, who already found it bothersome to send Nia back to Lavitas, had nothing to lose with the researcher coming up herself.

Besides, the other Lavitas wizards had not yet properly mastered Soul Magic, so they were of little use as researchers.

And if Rida succeeded here in discovering a way to extend the lifespan of the Soul Chain, then Turan and Meisa would naturally benefit as well.

Hearing this, Meisa’s eyes sparkled as she asked,

“Would you be able to show your spirit form? I’ve always been curious what a Lavitas bloodline’s spirit form looks like!”

“Of course. Miss Meisa, you too... oh, now that I think about it, maybe not.”

Since even Soul Magic did not specify what would happen when a pregnant woman summoned her spirit form, it was naturally unsettling to experiment with something so unknown.

After Meisa expressed her amazement at the form Rida displayed, Turan also summoned his spirit form, and Rida did not hold back her praise at the sight of his displaying four distinct traits.

Like a fashion show, they proudly showed off their spirit forms and exchanged compliments, chatting for a good while. Then, Rida suddenly wore a solemn expression.

“In truth, I didn’t come all the way here just to study the Soul Manipulation Technique.”

“So something happened, I take it.”

Turan wiped away the smile he’d worn just moments before and looked at Rida with a serious face.

The beautiful old woman, who had lived for over three hundred years without a single wrinkle, nodded her head.

“Yes. I could have delivered the message through Bije... but for something this important, indirect communication risks distortion. It’s not that I don’t trust the child, but there could be an issue with vocabulary.”

-I can deliver messages just fine!

Bije suddenly popped out from Turan’s hand and flared up in protest at Rida’s words. Rida quickly waved her hands and said,

“Sorry, dear, I’m sorry. I wasn’t insulting you, truly. This old woman was simply being overly cautious.”

Rida calmed the fuming Bije by feeding her a piece of meat, then turned to face the two and continued.

“About a week before Bije came to find me, someone claiming to be an envoy from House Aravion appeared in Merem.”

*****

For more chapters, you can check out my Patreon here –>https://patreon.com/Pai_

If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊