Shepherd Wizard Chapter 57

Translator: Pai_

Was this the fully completed Spirit of Fire?

Turan carefully picked up a small amount of the substance with his fingers, rubbing it gently, sniffing it, and even giving it a light lick to gather information about the material.

‘Something feels... different.’

The first noticeable difference was the texture.

Just a moment ago, he had ground the three substances into an extremely fine powder, yet now it felt coarser and rougher.

Moreover, the strong stench of ammonia and rotten eggs that had lingered earlier was completely gone, replaced only by a faint burnt smell.

It didn't seem like a simple chemical change, rather, it felt as if someone had secretly swapped the substance with something else.

Gazing down at the powder, Turan placed it in a bowl and set it aflame with magic.

At the same time, he accelerated his thoughts to observe how the fire reacted.

A flame emerged over the black powder, followed by an incredibly rapid combustion reaction, then, an explosion.

With a loud bang, the bowl shattered into pieces, and a faint cloud of smoke rose into the air.

“Oh.”

He had only used a tiny amount of the powder and applied just a small flame, yet the power was this intense.

Of course, this alone wasn’t nearly enough to harm nobles of his level, but the fact that it could produce such an effect with almost no magic power consumption made it a highly valuable material.

The first potential use that came to mind was a trap, similar to what Ovil had used in the past, disguising it as an ordinary object and detonating it when someone got close.

By distributing it strategically to create chain reactions, he could trigger a massive explosion while consuming minimal magic power.

There were several other possible applications as well.

He could scatter it around his body and detonate it to propel himself rapidly, or he could release a large quantity of powder from the sky onto the ground and set it off. He could even use the wind to blow the powder toward an enemy before igniting it.

It didn’t have to be used solely for combat, either.

In the Gray Zone, where the mountains made roads winding and difficult, he could use this powder to break rocks and create paths. It could also aid in mining by breaking through rock formations.

Clearly, this would be far more efficient than using magic directly to destroy rocks and carve out roads.

However, there was a crucial condition for any of these plans to work,

He needed a stable and abundant supply of this black powder, the Spirit of Fire.

‘Sulfur can be found at the eastern hot springs, and charcoal is easy to obtain as long as there are trees… so the problem is saltpeter.’

Right now, he had only three fist-sized chunks of saltpeter in his pouch.

That wasn’t nearly enough once ground into powder.

Hadn’t that merchant mentioned that saltpeter came from the South Sea?

Coincidentally, heading east from the Shiraf Wetlands would lead him straight to the South Sea, so it seemed worth a visit.

After using up the remaining half of his sulfur to produce more Spirit of Fire, Turan set off eastward with Bije.

Since flying risked accidentally overshooting the hot springs, they traveled on foot this time.

Of course, a high-ranking noble’s pace was far beyond that of a commoner, so by late at night, he had already covered what would normally take three or four days.

“This must be the place.”

According to the local villagers he asked, the hot spring area was located at the foot of a mountain they called the back mountain.

They warned him repeatedly, if he planned to use the hot springs, he must not be disrespectful to the Great Monkey King.

That being was known to spare humans from harm, but anyone who acted rudely or harmed his fellow monkeys would never be forgiven.

‘Great Monkey King, huh.’

That Dark Elf, the Necromancer King, had been formidable enough that even though he was ultimately defeated by Meisa, he would have been a tough opponent for Turan to face alone.

And yet, here in this rural region, a mere monkey magical beast was not just a king but a great king? That name seemed far too grandiose.

Riding on Bije, Turan ascended the mountain, circling the area in search of sulfur deposits.

At the same time, he expanded his Sacred Relic’s perception, aiming to gauge the strength of this so-called Great Monkey King before approaching.

But then,

“Huh?”

Startled by his voice, Bije who had been flying above, tilted her head as if asking what was wrong.

However, Turan was too overwhelmed to even respond.

'Both the Magical Beast and the person... they're unbelievably strong?'

Judging by its form, the magical beast appeared to be a monkey, yet its magic power was stronger than Turan’s but weaker than Meisa’s.

It might not have been a mythical magical beast, but it was still a creature capable of wiping out several small cities upon appearing, a true monster.

This must be the Great Monkey King.

And sitting opposite to that Magical Beast was a wizard around Turan's level.

Based on stature and body shape, it seemed to be a woman, but with her head hanging backward limply, she appeared to be unconscious.

The villagers at the foot of the mountain had assured him that the Monkey King did not harm humans, but leaving things as they were still felt unsettling.

It could be a situation like the one with Ashiz and Tilly in the past, where a magical beast was protecting a human but had no idea how to help them.

“Bije, sorry, but could you wait up there for a bit? I think I need to go alone.”

Bije let out a displeased cry but, sensing the seriousness in Turan’s voice, nodded reluctantly.

Releasing his grip from Bije’s legs, Turan immediately cast Flight Magic and Concealment Magic, stealthily approaching the location where he sensed the presence.

‘This is…’

They were in a deep valley on the mountainside, where the strong scent of sulfur filled the air.

As he drew closer, his vision, which could pierce through the darkness, revealed the figures of the magical beast and the human.

The Monkey King was a massive creature, roughly the size of three or four humans combined, with a black face and bright red fur.

Its build and features were different not only from the monkey magical beasts Turan had encountered before but also from the ones depicted in magical beast encyclopedia.

The beast was soaking in steaming water, its eyes closed as it remained still.

And sitting opposite it, partially submerged in the hot spring, was the woman.

Like the Monkey King, she had her lower body in the water, but with nothing covering her upper body, her tanned torso was fully exposed.

Her arms rested against a rock, and her head leaned backward, not so much in an unconscious state but rather as if she were reclining lazily in relaxation.

‘…Was she just taking a bath?’

Realizing he had misunderstood the situation, Turan attempted to halt his movement, adjusting his flight with the power of wind.

But at that moment,

A sharp beep suddenly echoed throughout the area.

The sound came from a small mirror placed by the water’s edge.

Sensing magic power from it, Turan deduced it was a magic artifact, most likely designed to trigger an alarm when someone meeting certain conditions approached.

Startled, Turan instinctively retreated. As soon as he did, the sound ceased, and the woman moved, tilting her head left and right.

“Hmm? What? Did someone come near?”

As the confused woman spoke, the Monkey King sprang out of the water and let out a powerful roar.

The thunderous bellow echoed across the surroundings, and the woman scolded the beast.

“Don’t get so worked up, Aikul. It’s not like we’re the only ones allowed to use this hot spring. Hey! Come on out, we won’t harm you! This old woman won't get angry just because you saw her body!"

Despite her words, her appearance and voice didn’t seem old at all, yet her tone resembled that of a seventy-year-old grandmother.

When no response came, the woman clicked her tongue and began rising from the hot spring.

“Hmm, I guess that’s it for today. I won’t be able to visit here as often anymore… Can’t even take a bath in peace with strangers lurking around…”

Hearing her complaint, the Monkey King snorted "kheung" and stomped its foot.

Was it pleading with her not to say that?

Turan knew monkeys were intelligent, but this magical beast seemed to understand human speech on the same level as Bije.

Watching from a distance with his Sacred Relic’s perception, Turan hesitated briefly before finally deactivating Concealment a short distance away and stepping forward to approach them.

“My apologies. I didn’t come here with bad intentions. I sensed human presence in a place where magical beasts roam, so I approached to check if there was any danger.”

Since the woman was still not wearing any clothes, Turan lowered his gaze.

Of course, thanks to the Mimic Relic, he could read magic power, meaning that if she attempted a surprise attack, he could react immediately.

Instead of getting angry, the woman burst into a hearty laugh upon seeing Turan.

“Well, well! Turns out you're quite the handsome young man! No need to apologize, I should be the one feeling lucky instead. Oh, come on, Aikul, relax your expression. So, you came here to help this old lady?”

“Yes.”

“You have such a kind heart. People like you are rare these days.”

To his surprise, the woman, still completely unclothed, walked right up to him and ruffled his hair.

Turan flinched at her defenseless attitude, and noticing his reaction, she glanced down at her own body before laughing again.

“Oh? You’re not just innocent-looking, you’re actually young, aren’t you? No need to avert your eyes. I’m over three hundred years old, have had twelve husbands, and you’re younger than my great-grandchildren. Do you really think I’d care about a kid seeing me like this?”

At those words, Turan lifted his head and looked directly at her.

Despite her claims, her face and body didn’t appear older than her late twenties or early thirties at most.

“The name of this old lady is Rida. Rida Lavitas. And you?”

As expected, she was a noble of the Lavitas Bloodline.

Well, of course, otherwise, there would be no reason for someone this powerful to be here.

“My name is Turan. I came from Kalamaf.”

“Kalamaf? That’s way out in the Gray Zone, isn’t it? You’ve come quite a long way!”

Even though Turan had stated his place of origin instead of his family name, Rida didn’t press the matter. Instead, she simply laughed and reached out her hand.

In response, the Monkey King casually tossed her clothes, as if they were long-time friends.

“Lady Rida… have you formed a Soul Bond with that magical beast?”

“Hm? Oh, no, nothing like that. We’re just old friends. I’ve loved bathing in these hot springs since forever. That guy’s probably been living here for a thousand years. My grandfather’s grandfather said it was already around when he was a child.”

They had left a magical beast of that caliber alone for a thousand years without hunting it?

Turan was momentarily shocked but quickly realized that, considering the beast’s docile nature and immense strength, it wasn’t such a bad approach.

After all, absorbing a magical creature’s power was highly inefficient, even if four nobles absorbed it, they would likely only acquire twenty to thirty percent of its original strength.

In contrast, maintaining a friendly relationship meant they could rely on a high-ranking noble-level ally in times of need.

Of course, since there was no Soul Bond, the extent of the Monkey King’s aid would be limited, but still,

“So, kind Turan, what brings you here? If you’re here for the hot springs, I’ve had my fill, so I’ll gladly yield the space to you. Not that I’d mind sharing, of course!”

She laughed heartily, clearly teasing him.

Seeing her act like a grandmother doting on her naive grandson, Turan shook his head and explained his purpose.

“I heard sulfur can be found here, so I came to collect some.”

“Sulfur? What do you need that for?”

“I heard it can be used as an antidote…”

“Ah, so someone around you has been poisoned?”

“No, nothing like that. I was thinking of selling it in distant places as a trade item.”

Since he couldn’t openly admit that it was for making Spirit of Fire, his excuse ended up being a bit long-winded.

Rida tilted her head, seeming unconvinced, but soon smiled and said.

“If that’s the case, I know a place where you can find a lot of it! There are some spots where people pick up exposed sulfur now and then, but if you’re looking to sell it, you’ll need to mine a proper amount. Follow me.”

Gesturing for Turan to come along, Rida started walking deeper into the valley.

The Monkey King, giving Turan a suspicious glance, let out a huff before following behind her.

The place Rida led him to was quite deep and complex, finding the path alone would not have been easy.

Even with an excellent sense of smell, that wouldn’t necessarily help in navigating the terrain.

After a short while, Turan let out a small gasp as he looked at the deep valley, where the ground was spread out in a vast yellow expanse.

“…Ah.”

Approaching closer, he picked up a yellow rock and realized that it was a solid chunk of sulfur.

Suddenly, he recalled how he had once paid a gold coin for just a small amount of it in Slop City, and a wave of frustration hit him.

To think that here, sulfur was just lying around on the ground like common debris.

‘No, well… at least I’ve learned about this place, so I’ll just consider that the cost of acquiring information…’

As Turan tried to rationalize his loss, Rida, who had been silently watching from behind, spoke up.

“By the way, did you bring a basket or something to carry it in?”

“I suppose I’ll have to make one now.”

Originally, he had planned to store the sulfur in his Large-Capacity Pouch, but revealing a Sacred Relic in front of a high-ranking noble of Lavitas felt a bit uncomfortable.

Instead, Turan felled the largest tree nearby and hollowed out one side to create a canoe-shaped basket.

"Oh, will you be able to carry that?"

“This much is no problem.”

Turan used Telekinesis Magic to gather the sulfur chunks scattered around.

As hundreds of kilograms of sulfur smoothly piled up inside the basket, Rida clapped her hands together and said.

“You’ve got quite the talent for magic. Especially for someone so young.”

“You flatter me.”

“Flatter you? Ha! When I was your age, all I knew was how to heal people, nothing else!”

Rida then chattered away, lamenting how she wished the children of her family were as polite and humble as Turan.

Turan listened quietly before slipping in a question.

“By the way… are all nobles of Lavitas like you, Lady Rida?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, looking much younger than their actual age. Despite what you say, you don’t look a day over a hundred…”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Rida burst into laughter and playfully smacked his shoulder.

The force of it sent some of the sulfur tumbling out of the basket.

"Oh my, I'm sorry. But you’re one to talk, aren’t you? I can only imagine how many ladies you’ve bewitched with that face of yours.”

“I merely spoke the truth as I saw it.”

“Oh, so now you’re trying to charm an old lady too?”

With a teasing tone that made it hard to tell if she was joking or serious, Rida ran a hand over her own face.

“Nobles with the Healer Bloodline and Purifier Bloodline stop aging entirely once they reach a certain level of strength. By using healing and purification powers together, they can freeze the passage of time in their bodies.”

“Then….”

Turan was about to ask if that meant they could live forever, but remembered the memorial stone he'd seen during the day.

Hadn't he just seen today that even the head of House Lavitas, not just an ordinary member, had died?

As if she already knew what he was about to ask, Rida grinned and answered.

“The reason we don’t live forever… is because nobles don’t die of old age due to their bodies. We die because our souls grow old.”

She said this with a mischievous smile, like a grandmother sharing a secret story with her grandchild.