The Shepherd Alone on the Hill is a Genius Wizard

When Turan encountered a storm while aboard the Blue Marlin in the past, he had to exhaust himself to save the ship in crisis.

This was because he had to look after sailors being tossed around by wind and waves, warm bodies with heat, and control the balance of the huge sailing ship.

Compared to that, the conditions now were much better.

First, the size and weight of the ship that needed protection was reduced to a hundredth or even a thousandth of the previous one, and his own magical power had increased several times compared to before.

Above all, with two mages of equal or higher level who weren't just crew members needing protection, storms like the previous one were hardly something to fear.

The problem was that this storm was much more intense than that time.

"Wow, I thought we were going to die..."

"You're exaggerating."

After the storm had passed, all three of them lay sprawled on the deck, groaning.

They had to hold the boat steady with telekinesis every time waves several meters high surged, split the bow to pass through when faced with massive waves over ten meters high, and constantly use wind magic to counteract the wind when it became too strong and the boat tilted...

After doing this all day without rest, not only their magical power but even their heads throbbed from excessive concentration.

It's safe to say that if the Blue Marlin had encountered a storm like this one, it would have sunk long ago.

Turan would have had to float on the sea waiting for someone to rescue him or swim to the nearest coast himself.

[Are you tired?]

"Quite... Are you okay? You've been flying all day."

[Yes! I'm fine!]

Bize, who had been hovering in the sky to avoid the storm, looked as vigorous as the writing it used.

While it would be tiring to fly long distances without rest carrying several people, for this black eagle magical beast, spending time gliding in high places seemed to be nothing.

Bize tapped the deck with its talons and wrote.

[Should I carry this wood?]

"That would be difficult, even for you. Thanks for the thought though."

No matter how powerful Bize was, it would be difficult to even fly while carrying a boat that weighed thousands of times its own body weight.

After regaining some energy while playing with Bize, Turan got up and burst into laughter at the sight of the two.

"What?"

"You both look terrible... I probably look similar."

Since they all had to adjust the boat with magic on deck throughout the storm, they all looked like drowned rats.

Moreover, with both of them sprawled out on the deck with their energy completely drained, the sight was inevitable comical.

While Solif laid his head back on the deck as if saying 'so what', Meisa hurriedly got up and fixed her hair when she heard those words.

Shortly after, once they had regained their energy, they took turns washing their bodies in the cabin below deck, took care of meals and bodily functions, and then searched for any nearby islands.

It was hard to know how far they had drifted from their intended destination during the storm.

Bize, after circling around, informed them there was a fairly large island a little to the east, so they immediately steered the boat there, but Turan burst into hollow laughter when the island came into view shortly after.

"Why?"

"I can't believe we arrived exactly where we wanted."

Of course, since they had been heading in this direction and encountered the storm on the way, it wasn't completely coincidental, but their luck was certainly good.

The place Turan's group arrived at was Miguel Island, which they had set as their first destination.

==

The scenery of Miguel Island, visited after several months, remained the same.

Trading ships packed into the spaciously built harbor, drunken sailors fighting, and prostitutes making advances toward them...

If there was any difference, it was that people's clothing was much more casual now that it was summer, unlike the winter season during their previous visit.

While docking the ship and conversing with the harbor administrator, he exclaimed in admiration when he saw the fishing boat Turan's group had arrived in.

"You came from the continent on this? Huh, even with ten lives, ordinary people like us wouldn't dare attempt such a thing... Indeed, you're remarkable."

With their clearly high-class appearance, plus coming to an island in the middle of the North Sea on a small boat, the administrator consistently maintained an extremely obsequious attitude, guessing Turan's group's status.

Turan nodded and asked what he was curious about.

"By the way, this storm was really no joke. Isn't it usually not this bad?"

"Indeed, there's been a lot of talk about the weather being worse lately. Plus with merfolk being more aggressive than before, the number of ships taking routes near here has decreased significantly."

Looking at the harbor again after hearing those words, it did feel somewhat less vibrant than before.

Though still crowded, it had a slightly empty feeling.

After completing the formalities, Turan's group decided to rest for a while at an accommodation facility inside the island.

While walking on the street, a sailor with a flushed face approached Meisa after looking at her.

"Hey, pretty lady. How much for a day? Up to five silver coins- ugh!"

His hand, naturally reaching for her chest, made a cracking sound as it formed a right angle with his arm.

Meisa, who had just reflexively struck out, momentarily showed a flustered expression but then hardened her face and coldly snapped.

"Get lost!"

"This, this crazy bitch hit me-ahhh!"

Seeing the sailor's companions running over with angry expressions, Turan sighed lightly and then, as before, snapped his fingers to create a spark.

Naturally, the sailors who saw this stopped in their tracks as if turned to stone.

"We, we're sorry!"

Looking at the sailors running away, he snorted softly, and looking around, there were more than a few eyes watching them.

Thanks to this, the rumor that mages had come to this island would definitely spread.

Turan spoke to Meisa, who was looking at the hand that had just struck the sailor.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Being looked at like that... it feels much worse than I imagined."

Of course, Meisa had never received such vulgar advances.

Not only because of her status as Arabion's heir but also because her appearance was objectively not particularly attractive.

Even when she received marriage proposals at House Baltas, they had been much more respectful than this.

After lightly comforting her, who felt discomfort and confusion at this first-time experience, Turan's group first secured good accommodations and spent about a day and a half idling to relieve the fatigue built up from the intense voyage.

The next day, Turan guided his companions to Miguel Island's best tavern, which he had visited in the past.

Though the restaurant attached to their lodgings wasn't bad, from experience, the food and alcohol there tasted better.

Especially for Meisa, who could still only eat a handful of food at each meal, he wanted to feed her something as delicious as possible.

"Welcome, guest. Is there something you're looking for?"

Since the doorkeeper from before didn't remember him, he had once again taught him a lesson, so the servant's attitude was extremely respectful.

Turan ordered drinks distilled from wheat, along with ham and dates as snacks, just as he had ordered in the past.

While relieving the fatigue of the voyage with delicious meals and drinks, they lightly discussed future plans.

"By the way, the magical beast hunting is more lackluster than expected."

"Honestly, I thought we'd find one right away."

To the words of the two, Turan shook his head.

"Well, we just have to search with patience. It seems we might need to stay here for a few years. Or explore other areas."

"Actually, I would have been fine with that too. That Sky Mountain range? The west side of it."

One of the suggestions Solif had made when leaving Nagin house territory was to go beyond the Sky Mountains, which could be called the western boundary of the world.

After all, with Bize, a high mountain range wouldn't be an obstacle.

Though it was quite an enticing opinion, there were two main reasons why Turan rejected it and flew east.

First, even the librarian didn't know what was beyond there, to the extent that no one who explored that place had returned.

Though they were a remarkably powerful mage group, it wasn't hard to guess that there might be unexpected threats in a place that had become such an unknown space.

And second-

"You were the one who wanted to see the god's remains here."

"Ah, right."

"Half the reason we came here was for that, but the person in question forgets?"

At Turan's scolding, Solif nodded with a frivolous smile.

At that moment, someone stood beside their table, bowed politely, and spoke.

"Excuse me, honorable guests. The owner of this island wishes to meet you briefly. Could you spare the opportunity?"

Surprisingly, it was a middle-aged man who appeared to be the manager of this tavern who addressed them politely.