Shepherd Wizard-Chapter 184.1

Translator: Pai_

From the half-elves of Varaha to Haroon, the head of House Zahar, there were quite a few who believed Turan to be the reincarnation of the night hunter Otas.

Of course, he had always maintained the stance of "I am just myself" regardless of such talk, but that didn’t mean he could completely ignore it.

How could he not be bothered when they said he resembled him in appearance, behavior, and even personality?

However, now, Talis brought up a statement that shattered the long-standing assumption.

He claimed that Turan was not the reincarnation of the night hunter.

Contrary to expectations, instead of telling him not to talk nonsense, Haroon pressed her lips tightly shut at those words.

Perhaps interpreting that silence as denial, Talis added quietly.

“I confirmed it directly with Badal. Beyond the Sea of Spirit Forms, there’s already nothing left. Not just Otas, but also Pudding, Mike, Tool, and even Meb.”

Turan frowned at Talis’ words.

He had directly confirmed beyond the Sea of Spirit Forms?

The Sea of Spirit Forms was not some actual place.

It was just a conceptual location referred to in soul magic, where the essence of the dead soul crosses over and disappears, while the source material for a new spirit form is drawn during birth.

It was also called the Beyond, Hell, or the Celestial Palace, but its essence was the same.

‘Monarch is said to be a master of soul magic… but does he have the ability to grant even his close associate Badal the power to experience such things?'

If that were really the case, the depth of their understanding of souls and the world might far surpass Turan’s imagination.

No, more importantly, it was the content of that claim.

There were no longer any gods’ souls left beyond the Sea of Spirit Forms?

If that statement were true, then the foundation of Haroon’s reincarnation theory regarding the night hunter would be invalidated.

Her theory was that the soul of the night hunter, lost in the Sea of Spirit Forms due to the massive size of his soul vessel, must have settled within Turan.

"Just because you couldn't confirm it doesn't mean it's not there?"

“Yes. You’ll understand later when you see for yourself. The outside of this world is not a space where even our souls, or those stronger than us, can survive intact for thousands of years.”

While saying this, Turan could feel Talis glancing in his direction.

Turan realized that his opponent was gauging his reaction to these words, trying to figure out how much he knew.

It was probably for that reason that he brought up something he hadn’t even told Haroon before.

At that moment, Badal, who was standing behind him, gripped Talis’ shoulder tightly.

“That’s enough. You’re talking too much.”

Even if they were going to kill him anyway, the less he knew, the better, Badal muttered softly as he glared at Turan.

More precisely, he glared at both him and Haroon beside him.

The emotions in his eyes were all negative.

Jealousy, inferiority, hatred…

Even if no one else could see it, it was clear that he would never let the two of them go, that he would pursue them no matter what.

“Just give us a little more time. We already proved we’re willing to follow you by capturing Caesar, didn’t we? We've already made a big concession by allowing you to torture under the pretense of persuasion."

Before Badal could respond to his grumbling, as if he were truly wronged, Haroon spat out bloody saliva and spoke.

"Don't put on such a pathetic act, Phoenix. Unlike your name, you don't have much talent for that."

“What are you talking about?”

“Drop the obvious good cop, bad cop strategy. You're trying to say, ‘We didn't know you'd torture us this much so it's not our fault. That’s why we should represent you again like before and stand up against that con artist bastard.’ Isn't that your little scheme?”

Talis didn’t respond but simply closed his mouth at the rapid-fire accusations.

His once lively expression sank in an instant, looking almost chilling.

“Did you figure it out?”

“It’s not like we’ve only known each other for a few decades. Like I’ve said before, you’re more shallow than you think.”

“I usually don’t get caught this easily by anyone else, though…”

Talis gave a bitter smile and shrugged at Badal.

Judging from their attitude, it seemed there had been some prior mutual understanding.

Badal would break her spirit through torture, then Talis would say he hadn’t expected things to go that far, console her, and make her part of their forces.

In other words, even Haroon, who had lost his original body and only retained that of an ordinary person, must have held some usefulness in their plan.

Of course, the cruelty and hatred they showed Haroon wasn’t a lie, but the fact that even that could be used as a tool suggested there was someone who could control Badal perfectly.

After finishing the calculations in his head, Turan asked Talis.

“About that plan, could I hear more details, by any chance?”

“Hmm? Sorry, but I can’t do that. Actually, I’m fine with it, but that friend of mine doesn’t like it very much...”

“I’ve already heard a rough idea. You’re planning to return to your homeland, right? Taking your current bodies with you.”

At Turan’s words, both Talis and Badal looked surprised.

“What, you heard that much? Hey, what’s going on? You didn’t just barge in and took her out?”

“He did bathe her in the bathhouse. Probably chatted secretly during that time.”

“Oh, so it was a much steamier relationship than I thought?”

Even while they were whispering among themselves, Turan could sense that their murderous intent toward him was solidifying.

At that moment, he brought up the line he had prepared.

“That being said, if that story of yours is true, I’m starting to think maybe we don’t have to fight at all.”

“Hm?”

“What did you say?”

“If all of you cross over to that world, wouldn’t this world practically belong to me?”

If everyone from Monarch's Nagin and Aravion faction to Zahar's gods crossed over to the gods' world together, only the Lawyer's Carmine faction would remain here.

At most, a few great sea serpents and mermaids might remain, but they weren’t long-term threats.

If Turan were to seize Zahar, now vacated of its top rulers, using the authority of his bloodline, and then install a fitting proxy, he would essentially be the ruler of the world, just as they said.

Badal, listening in silence, sneered.

“But for that to happen, there’s a crucial prerequisite. You have to return my daughter’s body.”

As he said, their plan required Meisa’s body.

Naturally, they didn’t expect Turan to give up his strongest ally and lover.

This was, from the start, why their relationship had remained parallel, never crossing.

But Turan said something that caught Badal completely off guard.

“What if I had a substitute?”

“A substitute?”

“Yeah. Does it absolutely have to be Meisa? I don’t know the exact requirements, but if it’s just about needing a powerful enough body, more can be made, right?”

Talis, quietly listening, let out a sigh.

“That’s not what I expected. I thought you'd jump up and down asking how dare we do such a thing."

“Why would you think that?”

"Otherwise, why would you be raging about killing us? I figured, like Otas, you believed it was wrong to tamper with or consume human souls at will.”

In other words, because Turan shared Otas’s values, they believed he would never forgive such acts, nor commit them himself.

It was a stance directly opposed to what he had shouted earlier, that he wasn’t the reincarnation of the night hunter.

“If we fight and start killing each other, we’d also have to prepare for huge sacrifices. But if it can be resolved without that... I might be willing to accept a small sacrifice.”

“I don’t know if that lie is real, but if it is, it might be worth listening to. What do you think?”

When Talis glanced over, Badal looked at Turan and Haroon alternately with a disgruntled expression, then snorted.

They had expected him to shout again that it was out of the question.

Talis might not have been the main one in control, but as the one known among the gods as Phoenix, he still seemed to carry some degree of authority.

Perhaps Monarch had told them in advance not to push too hard since he needed their help.

Or maybe he had some means of communicating separately with Badal, allowing him to observe and listen indirectly to this very meeting...

“First, I’d like to know how you plan to make a body like Meisa’s. You do realize that’s no easy feat, right?”

"Couldn't we just take any noble's fetus and use it?"

“It’s not impossible, but the efficiency would be horrendous. To raise an ordinary noble child to that level, I’m not even joking, you’d have to grind up about a quarter of the world’s population.”

Shaking his head, Talis said it was out of the question from a labor standpoint, cruelty aside.

Indeed, to collect and handle souls required at least minimal knowledge and ability in soul magic.

Moreover, considering that the soul prison requiring the power of the Ruler bloodline wasn't easy to create, it would be difficult to accomplish by having subordinates do it.

At this, Turan brought up something he had considered earlier, but even voicing it made him feel tainted.

“In that case, I could use my own child.”

“What?”

“Meisa is unlikely to conceive, and there’s too much attention on her, so she’s not an option. But if I impregnate several capable women, peasants or knights, we should get at least one suitable body. It wouldn’t even take thirty or forty years. To you, that’s practically a blink of an eye, isn’t it?”

At Turan’s words, Badal and Talis, Phoenix, and the gods of Zahar looked at each other.

If that offer was sincere, it wasn’t a bad one for them either.