Shepherd Wizard Chapter 48

Translator: Pai_

The first thing Turan thought of when he saw the Dwarves in person was a mole.

Their half-crushed eyes, which seemed to prove their blindness, their sharply protruding noses and front teeth, their solid muscular build, and the thick hair covering their entire bodies resembled those of moles.

Those hideous creatures, who appeared from all directions, pointed threatening Magic Artifacts, similar to the ones seen earlier as illusions, at the Arabion army and shouted.

From the absence of Magic Power sensed by the Sacred Relic, they didn’t seem to be real Magic Artifacts.

“Devils! Get them-!"

["Get theeeem!"]

With the Dwarves’ unique slurred pronunciation, there was a sharp hissing sound as countless pieces of metal were launched toward the Arabion army.

However, unlike the previous complete surprise attack, this time they had already experienced what this meant.

Each soldier either used defensive Magic Artifacts to shield their bodies or crouched down to take cover.

"Argh!"

“You okay?”

“It’s not enough to kill me!”

There were at most three or four casualties, with the number of injured being about twice that.

At the forefront, Turan activated the Guardian Magic Artifact, deflecting six or seven pieces of metal and assessing their power.

‘If it's like this... taking a direct hit would hurt quite a bit.’

And if you get hit once, it’s only fair to pay it back in kind.

This time, the Arabion army launched a magical counterattack.

First, a white flash of light erupted from both of Meisa’s hands, striking the Dwarves at the front.

["Kyaaaargh!"]

"Devils! Devils!"

The screams came only from those at the fringes of the magical range.

The Dwarves at the center didn’t even let out a sound before being burned to death.

Considering how their bodies usually weren't affected by regular knights' magic, one could guess how powerful the lightning just now had been.

If she had weakened it and spread it out, it might have wiped out thousands of ordinary humans in a single blow.

Following Meisa, the nobles of Arabion, as well as nobles from other Bloodlines, each utilized their respective strengths to attack the Dwarves.

“Kill them all-!”

"Like filthy mole bastards!"

Fire, lightning, light, ice spears, and rocks poured out in all directions, crossing paths with the continuous rain of metal shards.

At this, the Dark Elves, who were responsible for leading the Arabion army here, also joined the battle.

A tall Dark Elf male, taller than his kin, stood out.

Judging by the silver crown on his forehead, he appeared to proclaim himself as the Necromancer King.

“It’s the Necromancer King!”

"Lady Meisa!"

Responding to someone’s shout, Meisa immediately struck the Necromancer King with lightning, but it was intercepted by dozens of Undead Spirits that appeared in front of him, sacrificing their bodies to block it.

He then summoned beast- and human-shaped Undead Spirits one after another, surrounding Meisa. Their numbers and strength were on an entirely different level compared to the Necromancer Turan had fought in the past.

Other Necromancers also summoned their own Undead Spirits, directing them to charge at the human army.

Most of the human-shaped Undead Spirits, seemingly created from Arabion Wizards, were cloaked in lightning and wind.

[Kill-them-aaaaaaall!]

“Block them!”

With their eerie, peculiar voices, dozens of Undead Spirits simultaneously charged at the nobles. The Knights stepped forward to intercept them, buying time.

Amidst the chaos as the two sides clashed, Turan used the senses of the Sacred Relic to pinpoint the Necromancers accurately.

‘The first target is… that guy.’

A stone, sufficiently charged with Magic Power after several rotations, cut through the battlefield and struck one Necromancer squarely in the head.

Though the Necromancer was surrounded with Undead Spirits, just like the one Turan had fought before, this time Turan’s stone easily pierced through and shattered his head in an instant.

It was due to the difference in the amount of magic power invested.

Under the protection of the Knights, Turan took down the second and third Necromancers just as smoothly, smashing their heads with precision. Then he retrieved more stones from a large pouch.

Thanks to the extensive supply of egg-shaped stones crafted using Earth Transformation Magic, he wouldn’t have to worry about running out of ammunition anytime soon.

[Kaoooo!]

Suddenly, three beast-shaped Undead Spirits sprang up from the side, targeting him.

Had they caught on to his consecutive sniping?

Turan immediately accelerated his thought process speed and plunged his sword into the head of the beast-like Undead Spirit resembling a bear.

[Kuuurgh-!]

Even though physical attacks weren’t particularly effective against Undead Spirits, the creature writhed in apparent agony, twisting its body violently and rolling on the ground.

Turan could see the Magic Power structure of the stabbed Undead Spirit collapsing.

If he had more time, he might have satisfied his curiosity about why this was possible, but since he was in the middle of battle, he promptly ignited flames to turn the creature into ashes.

Then, once again, he hurled a stone toward the Necromancer who had summoned the creatures, shattering his head.

"Diiiiiieeee!"

Just when he thought he had killed another one and could catch his breath, this time the dwarves who had been shooting magic artifacts from afar charged at him.

There were seven of them in total.

The Dwarves, smaller than humans and grotesque in appearance, rushed in with surprising speed, wielding spears despite their bulky bodies.

To be precise, they were not actual spears, but Magic Artifacts that had blades attached to them, which had previously been used to fire metal shards.

“Kehek!”

If it had been an ordinary noble, they would have retreated in this situation, using the Knights as shields to cast magic. However, Turan had a well-trained body, strong Magic Power, and combat skills.

He lightly dodged the attack of the first one that charged in and crushed its head with a kick, cut the second one's throat with his sword, and smashed the head of the third one that came close with his elbow.

In the meantime, the other Dwarves managed to stab at Turan’s back and sides, but thanks to the Guardian Magic Artifact, he only sustained minor scratches.

"Hard hard?"

"Devil... not pierce..."

Muttering in their clumsy language, confused as to why their attacks weren’t working, the Dwarves were quickly struck by Turan’s sword and fists, leaving them battered.

The last Dwarf, however, held a different type of Magic Artifact, from which flames suddenly erupted.

“Ugh!”

Turan quickly channeled the power of his Guardian Magic Artifact, pushing through the flames to stab his sword through the Dwarf’s head.

The heat was intense enough that, without his flame-resistant ring, he might have suffered minor burns.

‘What on earth is this? Even though there’s no Magic Power imbued, it has this much force… In the past, this could have been dangerous. Is this really a Magic Artifact?’

It was only because Turan was now one of the strongest among nobles that he could dominate them so one-sidedly. Before he had met Ashiz, he might have been in serious danger.

As if to confirm this fact, there was a loud explosion, and a young noble was sent sprawling to the ground.

“Young Master! Young Master! Are you all right?”

“Haah… haah…”

Whatever hit him had left the noble’s ribs shattered, his chest deeply caved in.

Turning his gaze, Turan spotted what looked like an enlarged version of the Magic Artifacts the Dwarves had been using earlier.

He quickly conjured a few fireballs and launched them, causing the Magic Artifact to erupt with a loud boom. A massive burst of steam swept over the Dwarves.

"Kaaaaaaah!"

"Hot-t-t-t!"

Turning back to the noble who had fallen earlier, Turan was surprised to see that he was healing his injuries on his own.

A noble of the Healer Bloodline should normally be stationed deep within the formation, where they would be protected.

Thinking this, Turan looked around and realized that the formation had long since collapsed.

‘Well, with no one to command them… Even I’ve just been caught up in the chaos and moving as I please.’

The commander, Meisa, was locked in a confrontation with the Necromancer King, and the deputy commander, Cadrum, was also occupied, facing three powerful Necromancers.

Naturally, the Arabion army had no one to lead them, and they were fighting in a chaotic mêlée with the Dwarves and Dark Elves.

However, this didn’t mean the battle was going poorly.

Most of the enemy forces, composed of the Dark Elves and Dwarves, were being wiped out, and only a few Necromancers remained.

At that moment, a tremendous flash of light struck from afar, signaling the end of the battle.

“Phew...”

Unlike the other nobles, who recklessly wielded only their Bloodline Abilities, Meisa Arabion approached the battle like the genius she was, skillfully employing a wide array of magic.

Ordinary Dark Elves that closed in from all directions were immediately dealt with by transforming the ground into rock spikes.

When the Dwarves approached, she clapped her hands, amplifying the sound to assault their sensitive hearing. If a large Undead Spirit attacked, she lightly lifted herself and avoided it using wind magic.

Amid all this, she continued to strike the Necromancers with relentless lightning bolts, gradually wearing down their defenses.

Even when an occasional attack broke through her system, it wasn’t enough to deal any critical wounds.

The clothes she wore were a top-tier defensive Magic Artifact that the head of the House Berg had spent two full months crafting.

After a prolonged battle, Meisa burned the Undead Spirits to death and struck a bolt of lightning down on the Necromancer King’s head.

No matter how powerful a Wizard might be, without Magic Power, they were just human. Similarly, a powerful Necromancer was merely a Dark Elf without their Undead Spirits.

The only thing left on the scorched corpse was the silver crown.

‘Ah…’

As she confirmed the victory that came after a long, grueling battle, a familiar dizziness swept over her.

Her body, weakened from malnutrition, was sending a signal.

At that moment, someone grabbed Meisa’s wrist, steadying her as she wobbled.

“Are you all right?”

Realizing that the one supporting her was Turan, with his gray hair and eyes, Meisa let out a sigh of relief.

A man who matched her talent, a rarity she had encountered for the first time in her life.

And whether he truly didn’t know his Bloodline, or was hiding it, she couldn’t tell. But... he had chosen not to kill her when she was defenseless and had even looked after her.

That alone made Meisa feel she could place a deep trust in him.

At the very least, he was far more trustworthy than the trash who had murdered her mother and younger brother, threatened her, and then tried to pin all the blame on House Zahar.

What Meisa desperately needed was an ally who wasn’t tied to her family’s influence.

“I’m fine, just a little dizzy... What’s the status of the battle? I couldn’t see because I was focused over here.”

“It’s almost over.”

Just as he said, the battle was winding down. The Dwarves and Dark Elves were being slaughtered one-sidedly, and some Knights had even begun collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Before long, a noble from Arabion approached Meisa with a face still brimming with the excitement of battle.

“It’s a great victory, my lady!”

"What about casualties?"

“We’re still tallying it, but it’s likely less than a quarter of last time! Two nobles and about thirty Knights have been confirmed dead!”

“What happened to the two nobles?”

“One was struck by a large Magic Artifact, and the other fell to an Undead Spirit. But, my lady…”

“What is it?”

Noticing that his gaze was directed beside her, Meisa turned her head, realizing for the first time that she was still being supported by Turan.

“Ah, my apologies. I forgot.”

“It’s fine.”

Turan considered saying that she was so light it didn’t matter but decided against it. It might sound like he was mocking her thin frame.

Once Meisa stood on her own, she began giving orders again, as if nothing had happened.

“Don’t forget to capture a few alive, especially the Dwarves. Choose ones that look intelligent.”

“Understood.”

“Find out if they figured out how to use those Magic Artifacts on their own or if someone taught them. Also, collect any functional Magic Artifacts.”

After the noble disappeared with his orders, Turan looked at Meisa who was still holding her head, presumably from lingering dizziness, and asked.

"I heard those were relics of ancient dwarves."

“Did Keorn tell you that?”

“Yes.”

“That’s right. Long ago, the Dwarves weren’t blind as they are now, and they were skilled enough to create such things. Now, they’re closer to beasts.”

“Did the gods make them that way?”

At Turan’s words, Meisa turned to him in surprise.

It was an idea that would never have come from someone who worshiped the Preah God Tribe in the usual way.

If she hadn’t read related content in her family’s secret archives, she wouldn’t have dared to imagine such a thing.

“…Why do you think that?”

"I learned about it by chance before. That the gods could create entirely new creatures if they wanted to. Naturally, they can make them blind or turn them into fools.”

"Don't mention this anywhere else."

Turan nodded and gazed quietly at Meisa.

Thanks to her words just now, he could be certain that the great houses held many secrets about the gods.

***

Shortly after, once the Arabion army had finished cleaning up the battlefield and tending to the wounded, the first thing they did was conduct a merit distribution.

The corpses of the Dark Elves and Dwarves, being no better than garbage, were all burned. However, the Magic Power of the Undead Spirits and deceased Wizards had to be absorbed immediately on the spot.

In particular, the bodies of the Wizards who had been sacrificed in the previous battle and hidden deep within the canyon had to be dealt with quickly, as they would soon turn into Undead Spirits if left unattended.

“For now, Meisa, since you defeated the Necromancer King, you’re ranked first...”

“It’s fine, Uncle. These small fry are meaningless to me.”

“That’s true.”

The stronger a Wizard became, the harder it was for them to grow using low-quality Magic Power.

Even though the Undead Spirits commanded by the Necromancer King were relatively strong, they were of little significance to a Wizard of Meisa’s caliber.

For her to grow further at this stage, she would need to absorb the power of Wizards or Magical Beasts of her level or higher.

She would have to either slay multiple mythical-grade Magical Beasts, or absorb the Magic Power during the funeral of her father, the current head of her house, after his death.

Either way, it would easily take at least a hundred years.

“In that case, since the remaining merits are hard to categorize, they should be distributed based on the amount of Magic Power one possesses and the extent of their injuries. As for me, I’ve already hit my growth limit, so it won’t make much difference. Next in line is…”

“In that case, I’ll yield my share of Undead Spirits to Turan.”

At Meisa’s words, the Arabion nobles erupted into murmurs.

While those Undead Spirits were trivial to a powerful Wizard like Meisa, for ordinary nobles, they were an incredible source of nourishment that could rapidly enhance their Magic Power.

And yet, she was granting the right to absorb such valuable resources to Turan, a mercenary who wasn’t even part of the family, even if he was personally brought by her.

Since nothing had been mentioned about him during the pre-battle discussions, most nobles had naturally assumed that he wouldn’t participate in the Magic Power distribution. Now, they felt as if they had been struck from behind.

Had they known Turan would be included in the distribution, at least half of the nobles would have opposed his involvement.

“Did you not set a condition to exclude him from the Magic Power absorption when you brought him here? No, surely you didn’t promise Magic Power as payment, did you?”

“How else do you think I managed to bring someone of his skill level? Besides, I’m only sharing what would have been my share, so it’s not a problem.”

“Even so, that’s a different matter… At the very least, you should have informed us beforehand.”

Cadrum sighed deeply, then approached Meisa and whispered quietly.

“Think carefully, Meisa. It hasn’t even been a few hours, and there are already rumors spreading that you’ve fallen for that man and lost your judgment.”

“Thank you for your concern, but that’s not the case.”

The two locked eyes for several seconds, but eventually, Cadrum shook his head and backed away.

Six of the Necromancer King’s Undead Spirits, those with the strongest Magic Power, were allocated to Turan.

Though they were nothing more than creatures that had been easily destroyed by a single one of Meisa’s attacks, at Turan’s level, simply being able to absorb Magic Power of this quality was a significant reward.

“Then let’s begin the Magic Power absorption.”

As Turan absorbed the Magic Power of the Undead Spirits, he could feel the intense hostility directed at him from behind, as well as the sharp gazes of the three nobles who were also absorbing Magic Power nearby.

With a wry smile, Turan continued to draw in the Magic Power of the ashes left behind by the Undead Spirits.

Since one of the Undead Spirits had been a noble of Arabion in life, he had secretly buried his Mimic Sacred Relic underground to avoid detection.

If they noticed some of the Magic Power being diverted, it would undoubtedly raise suspicions.

One, two, three, four, five…

As Turan began absorbing the Magic Power of the sixth and final Undead Spirit, his eyes narrowed slightly.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but he felt as though something inside his body had made a metallic clanking sound.