Shepherd Wizard

Chapter 119

Translator: Pai_

There is no one among scholars or those who consider themselves educated to some extent who does not know that the world is round.

The existence of the horizon or the sea horizon alone is enough to infer this, and some astronomy-related educational books passed down since the time of the old empire also contain theories related to it.

Nevertheless, no one has ever claimed to have traveled to one side of the world, continued moving forward, and circled back, as the world is blocked by four major natural barriers.

The Snowcloud Zone that appears when continuing north through the North Sea or other northern regions.

Since it is composed entirely of bottomless snow, passing through it on foot or by boat is impossible.

Several wizards of House Aravion once attempted to fly across it, but even though they paired up and took turns lifting each other for days, they failed to see the end and had to turn back.

Naturally, those who recklessly pushed beyond the limits of their magic power or physical endurance never returned alive.

The Fog Plains that appear when traveling continuously eastward from the eastern regions.

As the name suggests, it is covered in thick fog so dense that one cannot even see ahead, stretching from the ground to the sky, causing anyone who enters to instantly lose their sense of direction.

One might think that using ropes and stakes to mark directions could allow for some kind of breakthrough, but this too has its limitations.

Approximately 24 hours.

After that time passes, all stakes driven into the ground, ropes, and even markings carved into the earth vanish completely.

After that, all one can do is wander in circles endlessly, desperately trying to escape the fog.

The endless sea that naturally appears when heading continuously south from the South Sea.

No matter how far one goes, there is nothing but an expanse of sea without a single island in sight, and if a ship sails southward for dozens of days and then turns north, it miraculously returns to its original location.

Long ago, a noble house set sail on a ship enchanted with magic, carrying enough supplies to circumnavigate the world twice. After four years, only eight people returned alive.

They testified that they had survived for four years by fishing and collecting rainwater while traveling south, but after most of the crew starved to death, they killed the captain and turned the ship northward, only to return to the island they had departed from in just two days.

And the last is the Sky Mountain Range in the west.

A mountain range towering so high that it can be clearly seen even from over a thousand kilometers away, blocking one entire side like a wall.

It is so high that even flying creatures give up crossing it due to the cold and difficulty in breathing.

From this explanation alone, it is evident that many adventurers who attempted to explore beyond these barriers met gruesome ends.

Naturally, opposition arose to Turan's suggestion of crossing one of these barriers.

"Wait, didn't you say before that it's too dangerous and we should give up?"

"That was because I was much weaker back then. In fact, you're the one who changed your mind, aren't you?"

"That’s true, but… Meisa, what about you?"

"I don't care either way."

At Meisa’s firm response, Solif looked back and forth between the two before shaking his head.

In truth, when the three of them had been exploring the North Sea in search of magical beasts in the past, it was actually Solif who had proposed going beyond the Sky Mountain Range.

On the other hand, it was Turan who had suggested postponing it to another time since it was an unexplored region.

The reason their opinions had now completely reversed was simple.

"Back then, it was just the three of us, so I thought it was worth trying… But how could we take my parents to such a dangerous place?"

"Of course, we wouldn't bring them with us."

"Then?"

"We let them stay in a village near the Sky Mountain Range for now, and we go beyond it ourselves first. Once we confirm that it's safe, we can bring them over."

"Hmm."

Perhaps convinced that it was worth a try, Solif, who had been vehemently opposed, let out a groan and nodded.

Godis, Solif's father, who had been quietly listening, stepped forward.

“I appreciate your words, but no matter how you put it, how could I ask my son and his friends to explore such a place?”

“There is no need to assume it will be dangerous.”

Turan calmly explained to them.

The adventurers who had previously attempted to explore these ‘barriers’ had only been, at best, mid- to high-ranking nobles.

This was, of course, because the family heads of great noble houses and the few top-tier wizards had no reason to risk such dangers.

“Moreover, looking at examples from other regions, the risks are not necessarily high as long as we do not overextend ourselves.”

In the Snowcloud Zone, one could simply turn back while they still had the strength to fly.

In the endless sea, as long as they changed direction when their supplies ran low, they could quickly return to safety.

Even the Fog Plains were safe as long as they returned within a day.

If one analyzed the stories carefully, it became clear that there were no malicious traps designed to indiscriminately kill intruders.

It was only those who refused to give up and kept ramming their heads against the wall until they collapsed that ended up dying.

“That is…”

“At the very least, it is not as dangerous as a noble from House Zahar suddenly showing up in the middle of the night, is it?”

Turan’s words brought a heavy silence to the cave.

It was already known that several nobles from House Zahar had been present at Varaha’s base this time, and one of them had even been a heir candidate.

Naturally, there was a possibility that they would send pursuers to harm Solif or his parents.

“Of course, I have removed any traces that could be used to track us, but we cannot ignore even the slightest possibility. Even if we fail to cross the barrier, that region itself would serve as a decent hiding place.”

Turan’s mother, Bije, had not chosen to settle in Hisaril Hill for no reason.

Among the places still accessible to humanity, it was the area least influenced by the great noble houses and the one farthest from House Zahar’s base.

In truth, Turan estimated that their chances of successfully scouting beyond the Sky Mountain Range were only fifty-fifty. Making the area around Hisaril Hill their hiding place was actually the main plan.

At that moment, Meisa, who had been listening, spoke up.

“If it’s the family head of House Zahar, wouldn’t he be able to track us even there?”

“If he has a tracking medium, yes. But it would not be easy for him to come in person. Especially after seeing what happened to House Varaha this time.”

The attack that had occurred just the previous night was a prime example of why a great noble house’s family head could not recklessly leave their stronghold.

Had the family head been present, such a disaster would not have occurred.

Therefore, even if House Zahar managed to pinpoint their location, Turan expected that it would not be the family head himself who will come after them, but rather a powerful noble.

Most likely, his grandfather, Talis, or a similar-level possessed god would lead the pursuit.

After another hour of discussion, they finalized their plan.

Their first destination was Hisaril Hill, Turan’s hometown.

The second objective was to explore the Sky Mountain Range beyond it and find a suitable hiding place.

*

The following evening, after resting throughout the day and fully recovering their strength, Turan’s group set out northward.

They did not head directly west because that would lead them into House Zahar’s territory, the Enril Desert.

It was best to stay as far away from that area as possible.

For their journey, they relied on Bije’s power. Since the swing had been adjusted to carry three people, Solif’s family used it while Turan and Meisa moved alongside them using flight magic.

Turan, who could use Concealment Magic, always took the lead to scout the surroundings, followed by the main group.

"Any guards?"

"Doesn't seem like it."

“Well, this area borders House Ruvan’s territory, so it would be difficult for them to move their forces recklessly.”

House Ruvan, located in the northeastern part of the world, was the only great noble house specialized in hand-to-hand combat, possessing both the Fighter and Guardian Bloodlines.

According to Ymir, the god ruling over them had the nickname ‘Addict’, or something like that?

Since they did not interact much with other gods, there was likely no need to worry about their cooperation.

“Did you plan this far ahead when choosing this as the rendezvous point?”

“Not entirely, but to some extent.”

At Turan’s words, Solif gave him a look as if he were staring at a monster.

In truth, the greater reason for coming here was Turan’s curiosity about visiting the Colosseum in this area, though he did not bother to mention it.

After all, it was much cooler to appear as a genius strategist who had foreseen everything.

“More importantly, should we have made the swing a bit bigger?”

“If it’s too big, it becomes less maneuverable and more visible from below. It also becomes harder to conceal.”

While Turan and Meisa flew closely together, Solif’s family was not merely idly riding.

As those born with the Sun Bloodline, they could manipulate light, distorting it to prevent their group from being seen from the ground.

Of course, compared to House Zahar’s concealment techniques, this method was highly inefficient and difficult to maintain for long periods.

Had they needed to fly for more than a few hours, they would not have even attempted it.

After flying continuously for about half a day, the surrounding trees gradually began to shift, becoming predominantly coniferous.

They had left the Land of Five Lakes and reached the Frostwind Forest, a region where coniferous forests and plateaus intermingled.

“We can take it a bit easier from here on.”

“Frostwind Forest… I’ve only heard about it, but this is my first time seeing it.”

“You’ve never been here before?”

At Turan’s question, Solif nodded.

“I’ve only heard about it. We don’t exactly have the best relationship with the people here. Father, Mother, you’ve never been here either, have you?”

“Hmm.”

“This is my first time leaving the Land of Five Lakes. It feels like an adventure, so I’m a little nervous.”

Solif’s mother covered her mouth with a gentle laugh.

Once the lands of House Varaha were completely out of sight, they landed on the ground to let Bije rest and continued on foot.

While the Varaha couple admired the tundra forest, the three younger ones delved into analyzing the contents of the Soul Magic Book.

Much of their time was spent explaining the meanings of various terms to Meisa, who had not yet read the book.

“It’s complicated…”

“If the librarian elder hadn’t interpreted it for me, I wouldn’t have understood it properly either. Honestly, even now, I can’t say for sure that I fully grasp it.”

As expected, the Soul Magic Book was half a philosophy text.

Unlike bloodline magic, which interfered with natural laws in a physical and intuitive manner, it was abstract and ambiguous.

However, this was precisely the kind of power they needed in order to stand against the mighty gods.

The three of them passionately immersed themselves in analyzing the book’s contents.

“So the foundation lies in awakening spiritual perception through meditation. The related herbs are merely supplementary…”

“The real issue is whether those herbs will even work on our bodies.”

As Solif pointed out, it was unlikely that their bodies would be affected by ordinary psychoactive substances.

And if they drained their magic power enough for the herbs to take effect, they might actually die in the process.

“Let’s at least acquire them. Even if we can’t use them ourselves, we could train subordinates among ordinary people.”

“Oh, you mean teaching commoners until they become proficient and then making them our instructors?”

“If necessary.”

For a shepherd to rely on his flock to find the way was no disgrace.

When it came to discovering secret mountain paths or fertile grazing lands, the sheep often knew better than the shepherd.

Similarly, soul magic designed for ordinary humans might be easier for them to master than for someone like Turan.

Of course, since it was a dangerous endeavor, they would need to find expendable scum to train in it.

Fortunately, the world was full of such people.

As they continued their study of soul magic while traveling northwest, Turan’s group encountered no obstacles or interference.

Even though everyone except Turan had merely covered their heads with simple hoods and had not even bothered to disguise themselves properly.

It seemed that the nobles of Varaha had either not requested assistance in their pursuit here or, even if they had, House Ruvan had chosen to ignore it.

Thanks to that, instead of wandering through uninhabited areas as if they were being chased, they were able to travel through villages and cities of moderate size, enjoying quality lodging and meals along the way.

In a small town’s tavern-restaurant, Solif’s mother, Romi, reached out with a handkerchief and wiped the corners of her son’s mouth.

“Honestly, even at your age, you’re still so careless.”

“Ah, Mom…”

Seeing Solif, the eldest of their group despite his often frivolous behavior, being treated like a child gave Turan and Meisa a strange feeling.

After exchanging glances, the two burst into laughter almost simultaneously.

“What are you laughing at?”

“It’s just nice to see.”

“Yeah.”

Having each lost their own mothers for different reasons, the two of them felt a peculiar sense of vicarious satisfaction watching Solif receive such affection from his mother.

Of course, Solif's face was contorted at the sight of his younger companions' contented smiles.

*

Their journey, too leisurely to be called an escape, was now in its sixth day.

After alternating between flying and walking, they had crossed more than half of the Frostwind Forest.

Then, midway through their journey northwest, they adjusted their course slightly westward.

This was because they had learned that a famous landmark they wanted to visit was not far away.

By the time the sun reached its zenith, Turan’s group found themselves standing before a massive structure.

“That must be it.”

“It’s huge…”

“The library was the same. I guess during the old empire’s era, they thought building everything on a grand scale made it look impressive.”

As Solif murmured, the ancient empire’s Colosseum before them was indeed enormous.

Its height was around fifty meters, and its length was about ninety meters.

Marble pillars lined both sides, supporting the structure, and the arched ceiling was riddled with dozens of openings, making it resemble a beehive.

There were two major reasons they had decided to visit this Colosseum.

The first was to gain practical combat experience.

While none of them lacked combat experience compared to other nobles, they had little firsthand experience fighting against other high-ranking nobles of their caliber.

They had sparred with each other occasionally, but that was never the same as a real fight.

Surprisingly, the one most lacking in this aspect was Turan.

He had only recently gained top-tier magic power and, due to circumstances requiring him to conceal his identity, often had to fight without fully unleashing his strength.

His goal here was to learn how to utilize his full arsenal of abilities properly.

And then there was the second reason, possibly even more important.

A near-death experience.

According to the Soul Magic Book, one of the primary methods to awaken spiritual perception was to come close to death and then survive. There was no better place to attempt this than in a Colosseum where one could ‘die’ without truly dying.

Of course, whether this unconventional method would actually work remained to be seen.

If they had needed to make a significant detour to come here, they would have waited for another opportunity, but fortunately, the Colosseum was right on their route toward the North Sea, so it didn't waste much time.

“But doesn’t the area around here look shabbier than expected?”

Standing atop a low hill and surveying the Colosseum’s surroundings, Solif commented bluntly.

Indeed, unlike the library in Orem or the Tomb of the Gods, the area around this Colosseum seemed visibly underdeveloped.

At most, there was only a single small village nearby.

“It’s probably because there’s no water source.”

“Ah, I see.”

For a city to thrive, it required a large supply of fresh water.

Unlike the other structures mentioned earlier, there appeared to be no sufficient water source nearby to supply this area.

To make matters worse, it was situated in relatively high terrain, making it difficult to transport water from elsewhere.

Of course, if they truly wanted to establish a city here, they could construct a massive aqueduct or extract vast amounts of groundwater. However, it seemed that no one had considered the effort worthwhile.

As they chatted and made their way into the village next to the Colosseum, Turan suddenly sensed something and let out an exclamation.

“Oh.”

“What is it?”

“There are an incredible number of wizards here. At least a hundred knights and about twenty nobles.”

“That’s insane. That’s practically an army.”

Considering that the nearby village had barely over a hundred buildings, such numbers were almost unnatural.

Naturally, most of these individuals were visitors from far-off places who had come to use the Colosseum.

“Next match!”

“Let’s go.”

"Wait, shouldn't it be my turn?"

“Check the number ticket. I’m ahead of you!”

“This person is next. Please wait for your turn in the back!”

“Tch…”

In front of the bustling Colosseum, packed with over a hundred knights and nobles, a knight was shouting at the top of his lungs, gesturing to control even the high-ranking nobles.

Judging by the clenched fist and shield emblem on his uniform, it seemed that House Ruvan was directly managing this place. Because of that, even the nobles did not dare to treat him disrespectfully.

As Turan scanned the symbols displayed by the gathered knights and nobles, he involuntarily let out a chuckle.

Pyromaniac, Earthmover, Rapids, Berserker…

Among them were not only those with common bloodlines but even members of great noble houses who had undergone bloodline fusion. Incredibly, there were even nobles from both House Zahar and House Aravion.

Judging by their relatively young age and unimpressive magic power, they were likely on some kind of pilgrimage.

Since they seemed unaware of each other’s identities, they showed little interest in one another.

After observing how people were using the Colosseum for a few minutes, Turan approached the administrator and spoke.

“Two participants.”

“That will be one hundred gold coins.”

As expected of such a valuable facility, the entry fee was exorbitantly high.

Using this place about ten times would cost as much as buying a decent sailing ship.

Of course, Turan’s wealth was nowhere near being affected by such an expense, so he handed over the money without hesitation.

Taking the identification plaques, Turan and his companions sat in the waiting area, gazing at one of the walls.

There, several holographic images displayed ongoing duels.

Meisa pointed at one of the screens.

“Look at that. A Pyromaniac and… probably a Fighter.”

“It’s completely one-sided.”

The Pyromaniac was constantly on the move, flinging fireballs, while the Fighter tried to close the distance, weaving back and forth, but was repeatedly struck and forced to retreat.

It was a clear demonstration of why bloodlines focused on melee combat had struggled to dominate territories and had gradually been weeded out.

As they remained engrossed in watching the intense battles for a few more minutes, a call announced that a match slot had opened.

As they approached, a staff member at the entrance politely explained,

“Infuse magic power into these two orbs, and you will be transported to the duel space. One of you must either die or concede defeat to return. If you press this button in the center and turn the light red, your duel will be hidden from spectators.”

“There’s a one-time restriction per day, right?”

“Yes. To be precise, anyone who ‘dies’ in the Colosseum will be restricted from using it again for the rest of the day. This is not a rule enforced by us but a function of the Colosseum itself, so please understand…”

Perhaps because every customer here was at least a knight, the staff member maintained an almost excessively deferential posture as he spoke.

Once all the explanations were given, Turan placed his hand on one of the orbs and looked across at his opponent.

As Meisa grasped the orb on the opposite side, both of their bodies instantly vanished.

***

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