The Shepherd Alone on the Hill is a Genius Wizard

Chapter 12 Nothing But a Fairy Tale

Turan was born into the bloodline of House Zahar, also known as the Tracker or Hunter bloodline.

Their notable characteristics included superior sense of smell and reflexes, as well as the ability to use tracking and concealment magic more easily than others.

Among these, their concealment ability was particularly powerful, allowing them not just to become invisible but to completely escape detection by all living beings' perception abilities.

However, while Zahar was one of the most powerful houses, it was far from being an absolute ruler.

Even in their war with House Arabion, to which Keorn belonged, they couldn't claim victory despite having a slight advantage.

So how could Turan, who wasn't even of pure lineage but born between a knight and a commoner, be so special?

"Could you tell me more about my bloodline in detail?"

"Couldn't you ask your parents about such things?"

"I'm an orphan."

"Is that so?"

If he were human, he might have added meaningless words like "oh, that's unfortunate," but being a spirit, he simply moved on.

Turan wasn't particularly looking for sympathy anyway, so it didn't matter.

"Hmm, shall I check for you then? I just need your consent to examine your body."

"Yes."

Having received consent, the librarian immediately plunged his finger into Turan's chest.

Naturally, being an illusion, there was no pain.

After a while of changing expressions as if seeing something with his eyes closed, the librarian exclaimed.

"There are some minor ones, but the main bulk is Tracker, Hunter. This must be the trait of House Zahar? The ones who live in that desert?"@@@@

"Yes."

Since the other party had no ability to leak information anywhere, Turan readily revealed the truth.

However, even after discovering this, the librarian seemed to see something more and exclaimed.

"Oh? Oho... there's another one! It was mixed!"

"Mixed?"

"The power you possess is the result of two bloodlines combining. You know what that means, right? There was related content in the book I recommended."

At those words, Turan recalled the book about wizard houses he had read on the second day.

There was indeed such content written there.

Bloodline combination.

Noble bloodline abilities are usually passed down to children either completely or in weakened form, but rarely, they can become stronger.

This happens when abilities possessed by parents of different bloodlines combine to bloom into more diverse and powerful forces.

Like how a bloodline that controls water and a bloodline that controls ice might produce a bloodline that can handle both water and ice, or how a bloodline that heals wounds and a bloodline that cures diseases might produce a bloodline that can heal both wounds and diseases.

Houses that became founding families after gaining strong powers through such bloodline combinations were called great houses.

"Then what's the other one?"

"That, I don't know. It's still locked away. Perhaps it will unlock as you grow stronger."

The librarian said this kind of 'locked bloodline' was one of the symptoms that occurred in the first generation of a newly combined bloodline.

In other words, it was certain that half of Turan's power came from his mother's side.

'Mother...'

In Turan's memories, his mother was always gentle and elegant, but at the same time, she always showed clear signs of exhaustion.

It couldn't be helped, as she had to work as a shepherd without a husband, a job difficult even for strong men, while also caring for a young child.

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn't seem likely that she had been a wizard.

But thinking again, she had been unusually well-mannered and educated for a commoner.

Not just around Hisaril Hill where Turan lived, but even in cities like this, the class of people who could freely read fairy tales was limited.

Perhaps she had been a descendant of some noble family.

One whose bloodline had become so diluted that she couldn't even possess knight-level magical power herself.

After a long while, having finally sorted out all his thoughts, Turan rubbed his face with both hands and said.

"Alright, I roughly understand. Thank you."

One of Turan's objectives when starting his journey was to trace his parents' footsteps.

To find out why his father, who was said to be a 'good person,' didn't live with his family, who he was and where he was, and why his mother had to flee with Turan to the western end of the world.

Turan bid farewell to the librarian.

"You're leaving?"

"Yes. The owner of this place has been openly giving me hints to leave."

In truth, any loss from Turan staying here would amount to just some minor food expenses, but Head Lug seemed annoyed by having his lost prey constantly lingering before his eyes.

Turan briefly regretted not leaving some room for possibility instead of outright rejection, but soon dismissed such thoughts.

Going that far would have been improper as a guest.

"I see."

In the librarian's impassive face as he answered, there wasn't the slightest trace of disappointment or frustration at parting with a conversation partner met after long years.

Turan could newly feel that when the librarian had said he could wait another few thousand years, it hadn't been empty words.

"Then, I'll see you again next time."

"Come if you want to, or don't."

"There are still many books I haven't read."

In truth, there wasn't much reason to visit the library anymore.

He had acquired most of the common knowledge he would need in life, and he had learned pretty much all the 'natural laws' the librarian knew that would help with magic.

But Turan intended to return here someday.

He wanted to tell more stories about the outside world he had experienced to this old teacher who could wait for a very long time, perhaps even longer than he remembered.

==

After briefly greeting Head Lug, Turan immediately left the city of Orem.

The clothes he wore were neither the rags he had worn when he first arrived nor what he had worn as a guest of House Baltas.

White shirt and stiff but sturdy pants, and durable leather shoes with a hooded cloak that could cover his head.

Far from looking like a noble aristocrat, wearing all new clothes made him look more like a wealthy traveler.

Though the old sheepskin backpack at his waist looked somewhat out of place.

According to the continental map he obtained from the library, House Zahar's base, the Enril Desert, was about a month or two's journey east from Orem.

There was no need to hurry anyway.

If any clues about his parents were going to disappear, they would have already vanished during the past eighteen years, and if they remained, they wouldn't disappear just because he arrived a bit late.

Turan repeated walking the road and hunting Masu detected by magic to gain power, just as he had done before coming to Orem.

He deliberately twisted his route and avoided large cities, having experienced how troublesome it was to visit other houses as a guest.

If he had done this without a map, he would have completely lost his way.

The difference from before was that this time he paid some attention to hygiene management even while traveling.

After living cleanly once, he wanted to maintain some level of care, and above all, after recognizing the existence of microorganisms, living dirty felt uncomfortable.

Since there was plenty of water in nearby streams and he had brought a bar of soap, he could maintain reasonable cleanliness, though not as much as when the maids had taken care of him.

After walking like this for about nine days.

Once again, traces of a Masu caught in Turan's detection magic.

Judging from the hoof prints larger than a palm stamped in the ground, it was probably a Masu that had mutated from a horse.

However, when he approached while hiding his body at a proper distance, he saw a strange sight.

[Neigh-!]

The red-haired horse roaring in front of a large tree was, befitting a Masu, about one and a half times the shoulder height of an ordinary person.

Behind it, a person leaning against the tree sat unconscious, eyes closed with blood flowing from their head.

At first, he thought they had been attacked by the Masu, but looking closely, the beast was actually protecting the fallen person.

With a saddle attached to its back, it was probably a Masu raised by that man.

And right next to the two, a man and woman in unfamiliar attire were having a conversation with ominous intent.

"Damn this devil beast, how can a mere pet Masu be so strong?"

"Try to create an opening somehow."

"Easier said than done!"

It seemed they wanted to break through the horse's defense and finish off the fallen man.

Drawing closer, Turan was shocked to realize they weren't human.

Purple-black skin, silver hair, ears split lengthwise up and down...

They were dark elves, beings he had only encountered in fairy tales his mother told him and in books.