Shepherd Wizard Chapter 232

Translator: Pai_

The power of essence that Turan released in the form of light was first used to reconstruct the Sea of Spirit Forms, which had collapsed the most severely.

It is the place where the spirit forms of all living beings who died in the material world are restructured in the form of essence.

That place, which could commonly be called the afterlife, was no longer a place where everything had collapsed and only clumps of essence remained, unlike before.

He structured the Sea of Spirit Forms into three major places.

For those who upheld righteous values in life, a paradise of rest where they could stay as long as they wished.

For ordinary people whose balance of faults and rits was not significantly skewed, as before, annihilation and reconstruction.

For those who committed sins, a hell of retribution where they receive back the pain they gave to others.

The afterlife created by referencing several religions from Earth in the mories of the representatives who had now beco one with him, was naturally far from perfect, but at least it was better than the previous state where the dead were crudely crushed like trash and restructured.

Of course, Turan himself could not possibly undertake the judgnt of all souls.

He did not even think that his own moral values were particularly desirable in the first place.

Turan delegated the judgnt of souls to the souls themselves.

The dead souls, having lost their mories temporarily, would examine the life records of one another beyond the veil of ignorance and act as jurors for each other.

They would judge each other without knowing whether they were male or female, good or evil, wizards or ordinary people.

Naturally, the afterlife created in this manner was, literally, still at the stage of foundational construction.

There still needed to be inspectors to operate paradise and hell or to reassess whether the judgnt of sin was just.

This was a matter that needed to be gradually designed over ti.

Naturally, an enormous amount of essence was lost in the creation of these laws of the afterlife.

Unlike when he exercised power on Earth, this was not a temporary release of power, but literally a permanent loss.

However, this could not be seen as a pure loss.

Unlike the previous Sea of Spirit Forms, in the completed afterlife, he would be able to gain gratitude from the residents of paradise for those who gave them happiness, and hatred and fear from the sinners in hell toward those who caused them pain.

At the very least, it was better than Turan holding all the essence and preventing circulation, thereby making all things one.

As the beings of the material world interacted with each other, and even when they died and enjoyed bliss or suffered, the total amount of essence would increase.

It was, so to speak, like choosing to invest money so that it kept rolling and growing, instead of just holding on to a lot of cash or depositing it in a bank and collapsing the financial market.

With the power left after that investnt, he once again reinforced the barrier that covered the boundaries of the world.

Since a breakdown had occurred once, it wouldn’t be as strong as before, but at least it would be able to withstand to so degree.

By having the maintenance and upkeep of this veil be carried out through the presence received from the dead, he completed a large cycle.

This barrier was not only installed outward but inward as well, in order to block the passage where a part of the Sea of Spirit Forms leaked into the material world.

Was it not the essence that had leaked through the hole Monarch had pierced in Axum that had once resurrected on the surface in the form of other races according to the information it contained?

Since the leaking passage was now blocked, the ancient races would no longer be resurrected to walk the surface again.

Ironically, what made it possible to design all of this so quickly was the blueprint Monarch had drawn up in advance.

That guy had spent ti staying at the boundary of the world, thinking about how to operate everything after he had fully acquired ownership of all essence, and now the results of that belonged entirely to Turan.

The only reason it was so easy to handle the cycle of life and death was because all life in their world originated from essence.

It would likely be impossible in worlds that operated under different principles, such as Earth.

"This is about all I can do for now."

-Is it finished?

"Yeah. Let’s go back now."

Turan nodded at Bije’s question.

Although he had consud a trendous amount of power forging the afterlife and the world’s barrier, the abilities Turan still possessed remained formidable.

Compared to before he crossed the boundary to fight Monarch, his strength had increased by at least several tis.

It was clear that with this power alone, there was nothing on the surface he could not do if he wished.

Moreover, if he ever desired, he could retrieve the entire afterlife and world barrier and absorb them into his own power.

Of course, that was a asure that should only be used in a true mont of last resort.

Turan blinked once and realized he was standing in the hallway of the laboratory built in the Grassy Plains.

It was the very place where he had just recently been fighting side by side with Monarch’s underlings.

A noble of House Parsha, who had been standing nearby in a daze, gasped in shock upon seeing him appear.

“L-Lord Family Head!?”

“The Family Head has returned!”

Seeing their reactions, Turan suddenly realized that it had only been a few hours since he had left this place, and let out a hollow laugh.

Was it because he had briefly wielded godlike power unintentionally, or perhaps because he had absorbed too many mories?

Everything that had happened on the surface felt like sothing from a distant past.

“Turan!”

“You ca way too late, man!”

“Sorry.”

Turan greeted isa and Solif with a smile as they ca running over, having been resting nearby.

After a brief mont of reunion, the first thing they asked was naturally about the result of the battle.

“What about that guy?”

“Monarch is gone. Completely. There’s no need to worry anymore.”

Hearing the na "Monarch" ntioned directly, isa and Solif widened their eyes in surprise.

Indeed, the intimidation of that enemy was so great that even rely saying his na carried a heavy pressure.

“Damn, finally.”

“Is there any chance he might resurrect again or sothing?”

“There’s absolutely no chance, so don’t worry.”

“Haah...”

At Turan’s assurance, isa collapsed to the floor as if her legs had given out and let out a deep sigh.

Her next words were filled with profound relief.

“Then Luska doesn’t have to stay locked up anymore.”

“That’s right.”

“Thank goodness, truly.”

Had it been about two or three months now?

No matter how ideal the environnt, living hidden in a basent could never be good for an infant.

Not to ntion how the mother must have felt, having to hide her newborn without even being able to hold him much.

Turan comforted her by gently patting her on the shoulder.

Of course, he was aware that an even greater threat, possibly more dangerous than Monarch, existed out there, but there was no need to burden those who had just overco a major crisis with that weight.

Afterwards, they held a morial for several nobles who had died at the hands of the false gods and flesh monsters Monarch had unleashed here.

Unfortunately, their souls had already crossed into the Sea of Spirit Forms, so there was no way to bring them back.

Once a person’s information was scattered and mixed into the Sea of Spirit Forms, separating that information and reconstructing their personality to revive them was an unimaginably difficult task.

In fact, even when Monarch had roughly categorized beings under the label of "other races" and poured them out onto the surface, all sorts of problems had occurred, such as two identical versions of the sa person being duplicated, or a particular individual appearing in both an old and young state simultaneously.

‘Even if it were possible... it’s not sothing to be done carelessly...’

How many people in the world would want to revive a family mber who had died of old age or due to external causes?

Moreover, if all of them were revived, the circulation structure of spirit forms would also collapse.

Thus, Turan completed his mourning by recovering their bodies and rembering their nas.

“Alright, let’s go ho.”

It was truly ti to return ho now.

***

On the way back, the one who greeted Turan as he stepped out of the laboratory was none other than Kim Woong.

He had been hiding near the entrance, concealed by an invisibility barrier, and the mont he saw Turan and his group erge, he deactivated the barrier and appeared.

“Is it all over?”

“Yeah. Monarch is dead. You’re free now, so live as you like.”

What truly surprised him was the fact that this Earthling had sincerely changed sides out of pure guilt.

He had thought more than once that Kim Woong might have been a spy planted by Monarch.

Sensing that Turan's attitude had suddenly softened, Kim Woong looked at him with a slightly puzzled expression, then gave a nod.

“Well, if that’s the case.”

Afterward, Turan devoured all the remaining essence in the laboratory through a ritual that Monarch had prepared in advance.

Then, by altering the spatial information, he instantly transported the entire group to the nomadic tribe where Keorn and Monarch’s other puppets were.

“Whoa!?”

“...What is this? How did you do that?”

“You suddenly used spatial transfer?”

“This is going to be a long story, so I’ll explain it later, around dinner. When we get back.”

Naturally, isa, Solif, and the other nobles were shocked by what they had seen.

Every wizard knew that spatial magic had beco a lost art exclusive to the old gods, so they all wore expressions demanding an explanation, but Turan deferred the conversation, saying they should take care of urgent matters first.

In the anti, Mago, having heard of their visit, ca over with a puzzled expression.

“You’ve returned quicker than expected...?”

Well, from their perspective, the group had charged out with grim determination saying they were going to save the world, only to return in just a few days.

In truth, far more had happened than they could imagine.

Giving a vague explanation that things had been resolved well, Turan first went to find those who had their ankles severed and were receiving care deep inside.

“O, great one.”

The puppets, once Monarch’s possessions, bowed their heads at Turan’s visit, but fear and resentnt lingered in their eyes.

To them, Turan was a tyrant who had suddenly stord in and chopped off their ankles, it was only natural.

Though it had been to save their lives, the fact remained that he had hard them. Turan respectfully lowered his head, then approached Keorn to speak with him.

“Thanks to your concern, everything turned out well.”

“That is joyful news, truly fortunate indeed.”

Seeing Keorn nod with a satisfied smile, Turan felt that taking the risk of absorbing Monarch had been worth it.

Keorn and the other prominent figures had all lived lives worthy of respect, so it was ti to return what he had taken from them.

“First, I should restore these.”

As Turan spoke and made a light gesture with his hand, the ankles of Keorn and the other puppets instantly reappeared.

Rather than regrowing, it was as if they had never been severed in the first place.

Everyone’s eyes widened at the sight.

Of course, powerful healing magic easily restored the bodies of commoners and knights, so that in itself was not surprising, but what they saw now was clearly based on a different principle than healing magic.

“What on earth is this...?”

“How could such a thing be possible?”

In truth, Turan had not used healing magic to repair them, but instead ford ankles using part of the essence he possessed, overlaying them with complete informational structure.

Though it sounded grand in theory, this thod consud far less power than healing magic, making it a more efficient option.

Turan then offered to send the restored individuals back to their holands, if they wished.

“If you would send us, we would be grateful...”

The question one of the puppets had, how he would do it, was soon answered.

Each ti they ntioned the region they had co from, Turan sent them back to their proper place without even a single gesture.

Of course, since so had co from places Turan had never visited, he couldn’t transport them to the exact location, but at the very least, it was better than traveling all the way from the Grassy Plains.

Since they had already been shocked once by the display of spatial transfer, isa and Solif were no longer surprised.

“You’re going to explain all of this later, right?”

“Of course.”

Keorn decided to accompany them, also wishing to catch up on conversation built up over ti, so Turan sent off all the other puppets and lastly bid farewell to Mago.

“Thank you for everything.”

“Please, there’s no need. Rather, we are the ones who should thank you for protecting us.”

Mago, upon hearing the story that their group had annihilated the centaurs as they descended, felt that this alone was a great favor received.

Before long, the remaining ones would need to be dealt with as well.

But first, he needed to put his house in order.

Before they parted, he asked Turan a question.

“What do you plan to do from now on?”

It was a question that felt more encompassing than simply asking about a destination.

Turan pondered for a mont, then answered honestly.

“For now, I plan to make this world into a place more worth living in.”

That was the rightful duty of one who had earned the authority to own all essence in this land.

***

On the way back, Turan folded space once again, just as he had when leaving the laboratory, and instantly moved to Helio City.

The nobles of House Varaha and House Parsha, having returned without the need for a grueling march after a fierce battle, were overjoyed.

Berit, who had been managing the city in Solif’s place, also reacted similarly to Mago.

“It’s already over?”

“Berit, I really had a hard ti......”

The sight of Solif clinging to the small-frad Berit looked so ridiculous that Turan and isa burst into laughter at the sa ti without knowing who started first.

While Berit, flustered, pried Solif off her, Turan and isa made their way to the hideout where Luska was.

Along the way, Turan began to tell Keorn, walking beside him, about all that had happened, and the truths of the world, one by one.

“I truly never imagined such things were going on behind the scenes of the world.”

The old knight kept exclaiming in astonishnt as he listened to the story, which was no different from a myth.

It wasn't so much that he was a good listener, but rather that the story itself was one so extraordinary that no one could help but be amazed.

Among the revelations, the fact that he had been rely a puppet of the being who sought to rule the world was what shocked Keorn the most, and he muttered softly.

“I did think sothing was off. The battle back then felt like the entire world was helping . Never thought the whole thing was just one giant play.”

“But the courage and effort you showed to fight for your comrades and your House was real.”

“Well, that much is true.”

Though Keorn seed a bit deflated, he fortunately did not appear too deeply shaken.

Perhaps it was just that the story was on such a grand scale, it didn’t feel real yet.

Looking back, he murmured quietly.

“To be honest, it was more shocking to learn that you, young lady, no, Family Head now, I suppose, are married and have a child.”

The Turan he rembered was a noble of the House Zahar, so being connected to the daughter of the Aravion family head was sothing he could not have imagined.

In the worldview of this upright knight, that was likely a more shocking event than secrets of the gods.

Turan, seeing isa turn her head toward them at those words, approached her and gave her a gentle hug.

isa turned her head slightly and mumbled softly.

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“No reason.”

Then, thanks to Keorn stepping back with the consideration that they should fully enjoy their ti with their child, only Turan and isa opened the door and entered the hideout.

At that mont, Rida, playing while rocking Luska in her arms near the living room at the entrance, opened her eyes wide when she saw the two of them together.

“Oh, I didn’t expect both of you to co... did sothing happen?”

“No, actually, everything ended well.”

Upon hearing Turan’s words that Monarch had been completely destroyed, she too rejoiced as if it were her own matter.

“What a relief! It always saddened that this adorable child was growing up in a place like this without even knowing his parents’ faces.”

“That won’t happen anymore.”

Turan replied as he received Luska in his arms, and both he and isa took turns holding the child.

As if he rembered the faces of the parents he hadn’t seen in months, the baby giggled brightly.

“Luska......”

While isa held the child in her arms and pressed her cheek to his, Turan quietly looked at Rida, who was standing across from him.

“Is sothing the matter?”

“I’ve found a way to extend lifespan.”

“Huh.”

At his sudden words, Rida showed a startled expression.

To her, Turan spoke softly.

“Rida-nim, how long do you wish to live?”

“Well, that’s a difficult question. If I’m happy, I’d want to live forever, but living forever might not guarantee happiness.”

“I see.”

Turan looked into her interior with his sense of insight into essence.

Inside the spiritual organ they called the Soul Chain, which determined lifespan, he saw that it was nearly empty.

The lifespans of humans and all spiritual beings were also connected to essence.

More precisely, it served as a catalyst that bound the physical body, which is matter, to the soul, which is information.

When Turan placed a finger on the area between Rida’s collarbones, she looked slightly surprised and spoke.

“Please don’t do this, Lord of House Parsha. Your wife is right behind you.”

“If you can joke like that, you’ll probably live at least another three hundred years.”

“I hope so.”

And barring any unusual events, she likely would.

Because Turan had just filled her Soul Chain with three hundred years’ worth of essence.

The amount he used for this wasn’t even one-hundredth of the power he currently possessed.

Moreover, as ti passed, the essence consud would eventually return to the Sea of Spirit Forms, so in a way, it was like simply transferring an item from one pocket to another.

‘But even so, I can’t take responsibility for the lifespan of dozens or hundreds of people.’

In the end, a world where people are born and die in cycles was healthier for the flow and supply of essence.

In order to protect this world from external threats, increasing the total amount of essence was essential, and so immortality would have to remain a benefit granted to only a select few.

***

Turan first held a small banquet for the warriors who had joined him on the recent expedition.

Considering the magnitude of what they had accomplished, even a grand feast wouldn’t have seed excessive, but resources were still scarce, and the situation wasn’t exactly abundant.

For a ti, they ate, drank, and enjoyed themselves, releasing the fatigue of their hard-fought battles.

By late evening, thinking the festivities had gone on long enough, Turan gathered the key figures of their faction, isa, Solif, Ashiz, and others.

“There are probably many who think that now that Monarch has finally been dealt with, we’ve gained permanent peace.”

“Isn’t that... true?”

Solif responded with a tone that suggested it should be obvious.

All the fallen gods had been consud under Monarch’s command and perished. Was there even anything left on this land that could be considered an enemy?

And now that it was confird the other races would no longer be revived, subjugating the remaining ones was only a matter of ti.

But Turan shook his head at him.

“I’d like to believe that too, but unfortunately, I don’t think it’s the case.”

“And there’s also the power you showed earlier today. I don’t know exactly what it is, but isn’t it sothing... big again?”

“That’s true. And since I needed to talk about that as well, I thought it’d be better to bring everyone together and explain everything at once.”

Turan took a light breath and looked at his lover, his friends, and his subordinates.

“So then... I guess I should start with how this world ca to be structured the way it is.”

*****

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