[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shepherd-wizard":3,"chapter-shepherd-wizard-shepherd-wizard-chapter-43":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Shepherd Wizard",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1621441,2090,"Chapter 43","shepherd-wizard-chapter-43",43,"\u003Cp>Translator: Pai_\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After asking a few more questions, it turned out that she had asked Egon how to get to the west.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, when he mentioned the names of a few nearby places, it seemed like she didn’t recognize them at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, it meant that she wasn’t someone who had lived in Kalamaf City for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, and now that I think about it, the horse that woman was riding didn’t seem to be from around here either. Its fur shimmered golden all over, making it obvious that it was a top-notch horse. I had to securely lock the stable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turan suddenly recalled a story he had heard long ago from Labus, the elder of the village beneath Hisaril Hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was before his mother passed away, back when his relationship with the villagers had not yet soured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Labus, stroking young Turan’s head, once mentioned that there had been an amazing golden horse in the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, it was such a magnificent animal that someone from a nearby city had purchased it for a hefty price.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps Turan’s mother had ridden that horse up to Hisaril Hill and then sold it to buy the sheep ranch on the hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers would have surely undercut the price as much as they could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'This much is certain now.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no longer any doubt in Turan’s mind that the woman Egon was talking about was his mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about her husband?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, actually, we didn’t get that far in our conversation. My late wife used to yell at me, saying I’d start drooling if I talked to pretty women…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On top of that, the woman herself apparently avoided mingling with others, so there wasn’t even any casual chatting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she truly had been on the run, it made sense that she would want to minimize contact with others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After repeating his earlier questions to confirm whether there were any differences in the answers, Turan gave him a few gold coins and sent him away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, my, receiving such a large sum feels… overwhelming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve earned it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Turan, a few gold coins were pocket change, but to the vagabond, it was enough to last through the winter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, if he gambled it away, that wouldn’t be the case, but worrying about that would have been unnecessary meddling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he had given out such a large sum, there was a high possibility that false reports would increase, so Turan instructed the officials to collect the portraits and stop accepting related reports.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he knew his mother wasn’t from this city, it would be more productive to investigate in other cities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wrapping everything up, he lay down on the bed in his lodging at the top of the City Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hoo…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had headed west, then the place his mother had come from would be either the north, east, or south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among these, the most likely directions were the east or south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either his mother or his father must have been from House Zahar, as it was from them that he had inherited this bloodline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what lingered in his mind was the phrase, “Don’t become like your father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a statement that could be interpreted both positively and negatively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking back to his childhood, when he had asked what kind of person his father was, she had said he was a good man, so it must have been meant positively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if that was the case, why had she told him not to become like his father? And why did she have to escape alone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, Turan lay down, covering his face with his hands. Beside him, the golden eagle made a faint scratching noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he looked up, the bird pushed forward an iron plate filled with sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Are you hurting?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This iron plate was something Turan had personally crafted after coming to Kalamaf. Unlike writing in the dirt, it allowed for writing indoors, though it couldn’t accommodate long texts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was too big and heavy to carry around, so it could only be used in situations like now, when he was resting in his room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I'm not hurting. My mind is just complicated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Turan sad when talk Bije.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After being startled by the sudden comment, Turan realized upon reflection that he had indeed talked about his mother in front of this creature quite often.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the first time he asked the head of Komad City, the golden eagle had been by his side because of the Soul Bond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, since their souls were bonded, some of their emotions were shared, meaning he couldn’t even hide his feelings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Who Bije? A mate?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, my mother. The person who gave birth to me. Do you remember your mother?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Turan’s question, the golden eagle tilted its head before shaking it side to side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Don't know. I no mother.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I suppose that’s the same for me now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It probably wasn't that it was truly born without a mother, but rather that it couldn't remember.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Turan stroked its head, the golden eagle gazed at him intently before suddenly writing something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[My name Bije.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I am Bije.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden eagle quickly erased the words and wrote a new sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Turan sad because no Bije.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, it meant that since he seemed to be suffering from not having his mother, it would take her name and become her substitute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turan couldn’t help but laugh out loud at its pure-hearted, childlike sentiment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I appreciate the thought, but you don’t have to do that. The time when I was sad about not having a mother has long passed. Since it’s your name, think carefully about it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Thought a lot. I am Bije.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when Turan suggested other names, the golden eagle clicked its beak stubbornly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few more attempts to persuade it, Turan shook his head in resignation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, if that’s what you want, then so be it. I’ll call you Bije from now on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, sharing a name wasn’t such a big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for a few names commonly used only in certain regions, names were generally similar no matter where you went in the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Turan himself had encountered three or four people with the same name during his travels, and he’d heard the name Bije a few times as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright then, I look forward to working with you, Bije.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[I am Bije!]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden eagle, now bearing the same name as his mother, chirped loudly and flapped its wings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from gathering clues about his mother’s existence, Turan faithfully carried out his role as Kalamaf’s protector.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, given that he personally fed and nurtured the city, calling him its father wouldn’t have been strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Are you saying the logs are flying on their own…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, there’s no time to rest. Let’s organize these quickly and send them to the sawmill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How are these stones so perfectly squared? The dimensions are flawless, there’s no need to carve them further!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After resolving the city’s food supply to a certain extent, Turan also addressed other material shortages using his magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By casting enhanced cutting magic on a dagger and letting it fly through the air, he felled dozens of trees, levitated them using levitation magic, and transported them. He also utilized earth-shaping magic to transform the shapes of rocks, securing a large quantity of stone suitable for construction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this process, his training in telekinesis magic to move objects and earth-shaping magic to manipulate terrain progressed as a bonus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a single, powerful wizard using his strength as labor, he accomplished more than thousands of workers could, and Kalamaf began to rebuild at an accelerated pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, rumors of a powerful wizard protecting the city spread, prompting refugees who had fled to return. As a result, after a few weeks, Kalamaf City, while not completely restored, regained much of its former grandeur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to City Hall, Turan joined a meeting with the city’s influential figures, who now resembled proper citizens once again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Winter is finally nearing its end.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This week, there wasn’t a single death from freezing. Ten people did die, but eight of them were due to old age, and the other two died from accidents during repair work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We owe all this glory to the great Turan!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They praised how everything was improving and attributed it all to Turan’s presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half-listening to their reverence, Turan gazed at the map spread out on one side of the meeting room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a map depicting the area around Kalamaf City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There’s still no sign of anything emerging from the west.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one followed the western road from Kalamaf far enough, they would reach the region where the House Arabion was waging war against the Dark Elves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mysterious entity that had annihilated the noble family which once ruled this city, most likely a Dark Elf Necromancer, was probably in that direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the city had stabilized sufficiently, it was time to scout beyond the western road and confirm the identity of the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t stay tied to this city for months or years, just because the enemy wasn’t advancing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the power of the Sacred Relic he possessed and the mobility of the golden eagle, it would be possible to identify the entity with relatively low risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Turan expressed this opinion, everyone reacted with visible unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps it would be better to wait and observe a little longer…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To think of venturing to confront the unknown enemy that had wiped out an entire noble family that once ruled Kalamaf?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would happen to the city if Turan were to die?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though such thoughts crossed their minds, they didn’t dare to openly ask him not to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could they possibly stop someone who was practically a living god of the Preah God Tribe in this city?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I sense anything unusual, I’ll return immediately, so there’s no need to worry. Even if I encounter an enemy I can’t defeat, I won’t lead it toward the city. Make sure to keep the people under control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason Turan informed them of this plan wasn’t to seek their approval but simply to notify them that he would be absent for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daruk and the other influential figures of the city bowed deeply, wishing him a safe journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After returning to his lodging, Turan rested for about an hour, recovering his magic power to its peak condition, and then slipped out through the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go, Bije.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden eagle, Bije, chirped and soared into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was gradually getting used to calling the bird by his mother’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, thinking back, he had rarely called his mother by her name in the first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they flew above the city, a few citizens who noticed their shadow called out to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the golden eagle! The golden eagle is here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"O Turan of Kalamaf! Protect this city eternally!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turan felt uncomfortable with the citizens’ praises directed at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the enemy in the west was dealt with, he planned to relinquish his role as Kalamaf’s protector and resume his travels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already thought of a way to appoint a noble to replace him in his position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The condition? They would need to investigate his mother’s whereabouts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the western threat was eliminated, Kalamaf would be a city valuable enough to tempt any noble house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wouldn’t even need to distribute portraits anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could simply ask them to look for a young, pregnant woman in her early twenties who had traveled alone on horseback about twenty years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead of hoping for someone with exceptional memory like Egon to appear again, it would be more practical to find someone who remembered such a distinctive case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking along these lines made him feel a little uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if he were selling out the citizens who worshipped him like a god, all for the sake of obtaining information about his mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the next lord failed to govern the city properly, causing the people to suffer? Turan couldn’t shake the thought that he would bear some responsibility for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is why I never wanted to take charge of a city in the first place.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lost in thought, Turan suddenly realized that he had reached the far edge of Kalamaf’s territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Bije’s flying speed was extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s see… time to check…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a focus of his consciousness, the Sacred Relic’s sensory abilities began to expand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames of countless living beings could be felt below him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, among them, there was no sign of any Undead Spirits or Dark Elves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go a little further, Bije.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bije chirped softly and resumed flying westward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turan designated Dark Elves as the target of his tracking spell and used it to see if he could catch any trace of them, but nothing appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had the threat that was here moved elsewhere?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That would be troublesome in its own way.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could confront a visible enemy and repel it, he could rest assured. But if it had moved somewhere else, it could always come back later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly, without any tangible results, the heads of other cities would never accept the idea that the threat was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it wasn’t as if he could just tell them he’d scoured the area using the Detection Magic of his Zahar bloodline…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How far had he scouted while weaving back and forth through the surroundings?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was beginning to think he might stray out of the Gray Zone, a single flame flared brightly in the distance ahead of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turan shouted urgently, and Bije immediately came to a hover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This high-level maneuver, impossible for an ordinary Golden Eagle, was achievable only because Bije was a Magical Beast with overwhelming strength relative to its size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that state, Turan furrowed his brows as he observed the massive magic flame detected by the Sacred Relic’s senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘An Undead Spirit… no, a Wizard?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he adjusted the target of the Detection Magic to human, the aura coming from it was unmistakably that of a wizard, and, specifically, a noble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magic power they possessed was stronger than Ferga’s and more than twice as powerful as Turan’s current level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that level, they could be considered a core member even among the most prominent noble houses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the unidentified individual turned toward Turan’s direction and lifted themselves into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They noticed me? From this distance?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Turan was about to order Bije to flee south, he realized that the way the other person was flying seemed oddly familiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They lifted themselves into the air and seemed to ride the wind as they flew…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before long, the wizard, who had been flying from far away, reached Turan, and they came face-to-face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Turan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a while, Meisa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meisa Arabion, the heir of House Arabion, looked at him with a startled expression on her characteristic skull-like face.\u003C\u002Fp>",2522,"2026-06-06T10:43:54.172Z",1,"novelbin.me","9617524ee5f946d4a99aec63aeebec3345aea68d1776b666af07724e09177abc","shepherd-wizard-chapter-44","shepherd-wizard-chapter-42",280,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshepherd-wizard-cover.jpg"]