Shepherd Wizard Chapter 63

Translator: Pai_

When Turan lived on Hisaril Hill, money was nothing more than something that he had when he had it and did not when he did not.

The range of obtainable goods was extremely limited, so no matter how much money he had, there was nothing to spend it on.

However, after coming down into the world, he realized that money was far more remarkable than he had imagined.

If magic power was the key to omnipotence, then money was the material of omnipotence.

With money, one could buy delicious food, books, magic artifacts, and even magical beasts like Bije.

Even nobles, who had magic power and other means, placed value on gold and silver, minting them into currency.

And now, the wealth spread out before Turan’s eyes was equivalent to or even surpassed all that he had accumulated so far.

There were over a hundred crudely minted gold bars and around four hundred silver bars…

Additionally, there were various looted items, including jewelry and gemstones, scattered about in a disorderly manner, and among them, there was even a magic artifact.

‘None of them had anything like this during the fight. Where did this come from? Did they find something hidden away?'’

With that question in mind, Turan tossed and caught a bead that made a sloshing sound from within, then stored it in his pouch.

Though the possibility was slim, it could be a trap-type magic artifact that harmed its user, so using it recklessly was out of the question.

For the same reason, he had yet to identify the functions of the two magic artifacts he had obtained in the battle in the Western Wasteland.

Since nobles with the Enchanter Bloodline could analyze magic artifacts, he could ask Ashiz to check them later when he reached the Takein Plains.

After scanning through the warehouse, Turan turned to the woman he had appointed as the leader and asked,

"Is there anyone demanding their share?"

"Demanding their share? What do you mean?"

"The miners. They worked hard to extract this gold and silver, so it would be unfair if I took it all. Also, some of that jewelry might belong to someone originally."

At Turan's words, the woman looked momentarily dumbfounded before quickly composing herself.

"That would never happen! We are already beyond grateful that you saved us from the pirates, and you are even giving us money to return to our hometowns! No one would make such shameless demands!"

Turan figured there would probably be a few shameless individuals, but he did not detect the anxious scent typical of a liar from her.

Since everything seemed to be under control, there was no need for him to worry further.

"Alright, that settles that. What about the ones who were unwell?"

"Thanks to your care, everyone has improved significantly! Though it will still take some time for them to recover fully."

It had only been a day, but rest taken with hope was far more effective than rest taken in despair.

Providing them with abundant meals had also contributed greatly.

And, though it was a somewhat sad reality, those who were too ill to recover quickly had already died and been cast into the sea.

"There’s no one too sick to endure the voyage, then?"

"No, probably not… unless it takes too long."

"Then start preparing to set sail immediately. Everything else is settled, so just make sure to stock up on food and water. Leave the pirates on the shore to me, I will handle them personally."

"Shall we load all of these treasures onto the ship as well?"

"You can just leave them here."

While the woman relayed his orders, Turan stuffed the massive amount of wealth into his large-capacity pouch.

Fortunately, gold and silver were heavy but not particularly bulky, so they did not take up as much space as one might think.

After organizing the items inside the pouch so he could retrieve them when needed, he left the warehouse and saw the kidnapped individuals busily preparing for departure.

"Should we load this too? It looks like it will spoil quickly."

"We can just eat it right away. More importantly, I’m worried about whether we can handle a ship of that size with our current numbers… We don’t have a single skilled sailor among us."

"Surely the wizard has a plan, doesn’t he?"

"Still, the sea is a whole different matter."

Judging from the distant voices of the people, the kidnapped individuals seemed uneasy about their future but trusted that Turan would somehow take care of everything.

Listening in silence, Turan then walked over to where the pirates had been buried, pulled them out, and asked,

"Raise your hand if you can guide me to Corvinus’s base."

At his question, the pirates glanced at each other, hesitant.

It seemed that while they feared him, they were even more terrified of betraying Corvinus.

However, since these pirates were clearly the most cowardly among their kind, persuading them would not be difficult.

"If you are useless, I will deal with you here."

"I know the way!"

"So do I!"

It was suspicious that all three of them claimed they could, but at least one of them had to be telling the truth.

Turan pulled out a rope and tightly bound their wrists so they could never free themselves before hauling them onto the sailing ship.

The former miners, who were busy loading food and water, quickly bowed their heads.

"Less bowing, more working. I want to depart as soon as possible. Lock these ones up in a secluded room and keep them barely alive."

"Ah, understood!"

Turan did not stop at just urging them on, he actively used telekinesis magic to help with cargo loading and departure preparations.

Back when he had boarded the Blue Marlin in the North Sea, he had learned a thing or two from the sailors, allowing him to handle the work of dozens by himself.

Shortly after, once the pirate ship was fully prepared and its sails were unfurled, Turan used wind magic to propel them forward.

It was something he had attempted before on the Blue Marlin, but back then, the efficiency had been too poor for sustained use.

However, now he had more than twice the magic power he had then, as well as the partial ability of the Arabion Bloodline to control the wind.

"Whoa, the wind?"

"It's a tailwind! No, at this rate, it’s almost like a typhoon. Is the ship going to take off?"

Despite some concerns, the ship smoothly cut through the sea.

Their destination was none other than Anik Island, the stronghold of the 'Red Whale Pirates'.

As one of the miners had predicted, operating a pirate ship meant that Turan had to handle nearly everything himself.

The women were, of course, unfamiliar with sailing, and even the former miners had only experience with small fishing boats or low-level deckhand work, meaning none of them knew how to handle a full-rigged ship.

The most critical issue was that no one knew exactly where Anik Island was.

Even the pirates only knew its name, not its precise location or the direction they needed to sail.

So, Turan resolved this predicament in the simplest and most effective way possible.

Just as he had done when searching for Parayan Island, he stopped passing ships and asked for directions.

This time, however, he used a much quicker and more forceful approach.

"A golden eagle magical beast! A magical beast is coming! Someone’s hanging from it…!"

"E-Everyone, drop your weapons! Immediately!"

Turan sent Bije soaring into the sky to locate passing ships. Once he spotted one, he flew straight over and projected his magic power.

This was enough to make the knights stationed on those large ships hurriedly shout for their crew to stand down.

They could feel the overwhelming presence of a grand wizard, an existence they might not encounter even once in their lifetime, one who could crush even their lords with ease.

Facing a being who could sink their ship with a mere gesture, they did not dare to resist.

"Oh, great and mighty descendant of the gods, I am a knight of House Razbet, and by my lord’s orders, I protect this ship-"

"Which direction do I need to go to reach Anik Island?"

"Eh? Ah, Anik Island… Navigator!"

"Uh- South! I think…!"

"Thanks."

After confirming the direction, Turan casually tossed a silver coin onto the deck before flying back to the pirate ship on Bije.

The knights and sailors, half-dazed, watched him disappear into the sky, mentally filing away this experience as one of the most ridiculous tales they would share with others in the future.

Repeating this process several times over the next three days…

Turan confirmed that they were nearing their target island, then stopped the ship to recover his magic power. At the same time, he checked on the people’s condition, which he had been too busy to assess earlier.

“There are a few people complaining of seasickness, but aside from that, everyone is fine.”

“If that’s all, then we’re lucky.”

Since he had continuously pushed the ship forward by forcefully generating wind, the ride had inevitably been rough.

Skillfully steering to ride the currents would have helped, but Turan’s knowledge of sailing was nothing more than a crash course, so that was beyond his ability.

After conducting a final check on the passengers, Turan steered the ship toward the distant island of Anik.

As they got closer, two similarly sized sailing ships came out to intercept them, seemingly preparing to respond.

“Hey, where are you from? Stop the ship!”

“If you keep coming, we’ll sink you!”

Unfortunately for them, none of the pirates who emerged were wizards. Turan stretched out his hand and made a large amount of seawater surge up before drenching both ships with it.

The pirates, now looking like wet rats, trembled in fear.

“I have business with your leader. Go and inform him.”

At Turan’s words, the two ships turned and fled toward the island as if their tails were on fire.

A short while later, as the message had been delivered that a pirate-hunting wizard had arrived, another ship returned, this time carrying someone with the magic power of a noble.

Standing at the bow was a massive man with red hair and a beard, holding a long harpoon in one hand.

Turan immediately recognized him as Red Whale and projected his magic power.

The man let out a brief groan before shouting in a loud, carefree voice, befitting a pirate.

“Who the hell are you, strutting into a place like this with that much power? No, wait- your face looks young… You’re not actually a brat, are you?”

Even after confirming Turan’s strength, he still acted this way. It was unclear whether he was just ignorant or had an unusual amount of nerve.

“You’re Red Whale?”

“That’s right!”

“I came here with a request. But first, according to custom, I demand to be treated as a guest. Even pirates who are nobles should be aware of proper etiquette.”

“Uh…”

Red Whale momentarily wore a blank expression, as if his face was asking, What the hell is that?

He might have been a noble by name, but at his core, he was still a pirate, ignorance was inevitable.

Clicking his tongue lightly, Turan quickly explained the customs of hospitality that were standard among the continent’s nobility.

Hearing this, Red Whale swiftly nodded and shouted,

“Ah, of course! Of course! I already knew that! I, Tasan, have inherited the blood of the gods, how could I refuse to properly entertain someone of noble lineage?”

His words were so forced that they bordered on theatrical, yet the subordinates behind him let out gasps of admiration, praising his dignity.

It was, indeed, a very pirate-like display.

Red Whale, Tasan’s residence, was quite large and grand, but compared to the noble estates on the continent, it lacked both refinement and luxury.

Leaving the kidnapped people aboard the pirate ship, Turan formally met with Tasan in the grandest hall of the place as a guest.

Behind Tasan stood the officers of the 'Red Whale Pirates', while Turan sat alone. Yet, in terms of presence, it was the pirates who were being overwhelmed.

Tasan, the strongest among them, had less than half of Turan’s magic power, while the rest were merely at the level of knights. It was an obvious outcome.

“So, you have a request? I don’t know which noble house you come from, but someone of your skill must be well-known on the continent. What could you possibly need from us?”

“My strength aside, I am just one person. That’s why nobles bother establishing houses and raising knights. Unfortunately, I don’t belong to any house.”

Judging by the doubt in Tasan’s eyes, he was not fully convinced.

Turan shook his head slightly and got straight to the point.

He explained about the island located four days’ sail to the north or northwest, where people had been kidnapped and forced to work as miners and sex slaves.

Upon hearing this, Tasan exploded in fury.

“Corvinus, that bastard!”

With a thunderous roar, the massive harpoon slammed into the floor, piercing straight through it.

Turan had known that Tasan did not order kidnappings, but he had not expected him to react so violently to abductions carried out by other pirates.

After huffing and fuming for a while, Tasan turned to Turan and asked,

“So, what? You want to team up with me and hunt down Corvinus?”

“You’ve been operating relatively close to him, so you should have some idea of his magic power. How does he compare to me?”

At Turan’s question, Tasan tilted his head, humming in thought, before replying.

“Hmm… I’m not great at measuring strength, and it’s been a long time since I last saw Corvinus, but I think you’re stronger. Can’t say for sure, though.”

“Really?”

Given that Turan’s current magic power made him unmatched among wizards with a single bloodline, this was surprising.

Could Corvinus be an illegitimate child of a great noble house?

Still, even if it was unexpected, it was not enough to disrupt his plans.

With his exceptional magical skill and the 'Spirit of Fire', Turan was confident that he could defeat even a wizard of equal rank without much difficulty.

“He’s one of the strongest among the pirates of the South Sea. I consider myself pretty capable too, but…”

The way Tasan suddenly shrank back, in stark contrast to his fiery temperament earlier, made it seem like he had switched masks entirely.

Had he suffered a serious defeat at Corvinus’s hands before?

“In any case, what I’m asking isn’t about taking him down. I want you to send the kidnapped people back to their hometowns. I’ll pay the fare for their passage.”

And yet, for some reason…

Not only Tasan but also the officers of the 'Red Whale Pirates' stared at Turan as if he were some bizarre creature.

Tasan spoke for all of them.

“Why?”

“Why am I paying? Well, if I force you, you probably won’t do it properly-”

“No, I mean why are you even doing this? What do you gain from it?”

“At the very least, it makes me feel good.”

The joy on the faces of the kidnapped people when he told them they would be sent home had been truly gratifying.

He did not mention that he did not want to see them fall into despair and disappointment.

That would be revealing too much of himself.

Hearing Turan’s answer, Tasan’s expression stiffened as if he were angry. Then, with a swift gesture, he signaled to one of his subordinates.

A moment later, a pirate brought out a bottle of sugarcane rum, the same kind Solif had given him.

“Turan, was it? Did you look into me before coming here?”

“I only checked that you're a relatively moderate pirate who only plunders merchant ships without kidnapping or killing civilians. If it were others, they'd sell them again instead of sending them home."

Tasan scrutinized Turan for a long moment, as if doubting his words. But since Turan was telling the truth, there was nothing for him to hide.

After a while, Tasan extended a cup of rum and spoke.

“My parents were fishermen. My father drowned at sea when I was eight, and my mother was kidnapped by pirates when I was ten.”

So Tasan was a commoner-born man who possessed noble-level magic power.

It was an extremely rare occurrence, but not unheard of.

Though the chances of nobility being born among commoners with diluted blood were slim, the sheer number of children born meant that such cases inevitably occurred from time to time.

If one were to trace back Tasan’s lineage a few generations, there was likely a knight or an illegitimate noble somewhere in his ancestry.

“Because of my lowly birth, I ended up becoming a pirate, but for that very reason, I have never abducted people. I’d rather raid merchant ships for a living.

But you? You say you’re doing this just because you want to? That makes me feel ashamed of myself.

If that’s the case, from now on, you’re my hyung! Take this drink!”

Faced with this middle-aged man with a thick beard declaring him as his hyung, Turan had absolutely no idea what kind of expression he was supposed to make.