Catherine Was a Shepherdess
Episode 80
Catherine had been a shepherdess. Born the daughter of poor farmers, she was sent off to work for a wealthy household when food ran short at home, practically sold into service. The rich man handed her over to a shepherd as an apprentice, who trained her up as the next shepherd and left her in charge of tending his flocks.
In this era, being a shepherd was an extreme job. The work itself wasn't all that hard. You let the sheep out into the fields to graze, and when the grass ran out, you moved to the next pasture. That was it. But everything else was grueling. You had to eat and sleep alone in vast open fields, with no one around but sheep and dogs. Wolves were a constant threat, and if bandits showed up, your life was on the line. If even one sheep got hurt due to a mistake, Catherine had to cover the loss herself.
People pointed fingers at her, calling her a dirty, suspicious woman. Because she worked out of sight, no one knew what she might be up to.
To Catherine, the future was a hollow dream. Even the prospect of a proper marriage was uncertain. Her life was one where not getting kidnapped by bandits and used as a plaything counted as lucky.
'I want to live well...'
A shepherdess's only companions were her sheep and the stars. Gazing up at the night sky filled with them, she made her wish.
'Let me marry a rich man and live in luxury. Let me live without getting my hands dirty, eating well and faring well!'
It was a wish that would never come true. Pure fantasy. If it did, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
But perhaps her desperation reached the heavens. One day, a miracle came to Catherine.
'Poor, pitiful child. I take pity on you and grant you an opportunity.'
'Wh-who are you?!'
'I am a nameless mage.'
A white-haired man with pale eyes, looking as if he'd descended from the heavens, handed her an unknown pill and said,
'In a few days, the Drbosi Baron will pass this way. Slip him this potion and seduce him. Then you shall become his wife.'
'R-really...?'
Dozens of thoughts swirled in Catherine's head. Who was this mage? What was the potion? Why tell her to seduce the baron?
But the mage offered no explanations. He didn't need to.
'If you refuse, so be it. If you reject it, then it's not your fate.'
'F-fate?'
'You have two fates. One is to live as the baron's wife. The other is to be dragged off by bandits and raise unwanted children.'
Catherine knew it too. Her future held nothing. This was her first and last chance.
'I'll do it! Please let me!'
The mage smiled and placed the potion in her hand.
'Go claim your fate.'
A few days later, the Drbosi Baron truly passed by. He even asked her for water from the well. Opportunity knocked.
'Fate.'
Following the mage's words, Catherine seized her new destiny. She became the baron's wife and bore him a son, raising him well. Her wretched past was buried in darkness, and a brilliant future shone radiantly.
Everything felt perfect.
...Until the mage returned.
'Long time no see, Catherine.'
'Y-you!'
'Since you chose the fate of baron's wife, our fates have intertwined.'
The mage's pure white eyes gleamed.
'Best of luck. Child.'
The moment the mage returned, Catherine became his slave.
Creatures without intelligence, like insects, can only be controlled through instinct. Conversely, if their instincts can't be hijacked, insect summons are extremely safe. No risk of enemies stealing them!
'[Summoning's Price, Demonite] Ingrían's insect summons were like that.
Ian thought as he calmed Catherine. 'Catherine was lying in wait for her chance.'
Catherine wasn't the mage's employer. She was a slave ensnared by him.
In the past, she'd followed the mage's advice and slipped the potion to the baron. As a result, the baron took her as his wife, and she lived as the baron's lady.
Until now, Catherine had believed it was the help of a kind passerby mage. A naive notion fitting for a simple shepherd girl.
But Ian immediately thought of one magic school upon hearing the tale.
'...Chronomancer.'
Chronomancers, who wielded the mysteries of time and space, knew the future. They lived in reality to choose the "better future," scheming to twist it to their liking.
Catherine thought her encounter with the white mage was chance. But to Ian, he was clearly a chronomancer. Everything was planned.
Thus, even Catherine becoming the mage's slave after a long span of time could be called the chronomancer's scheme.
'He deliberately made her the baron's wife and sickened the baron...'
It was baffling behavior at first glance. But only the chronomancer knew what he'd seen in the threads of fate.
"I-I thought that mage... pitied me and introduced me to the baron."
"...Didn't it cross your mind to wonder when you drugged the baron?"
Catherine sniffled as she spoke. "I knew it was a sin deserving heavenly punishment! But...! If I hadn't done as the mage said, I would've died miserably!"
"Calm down. What's done is done."
The mage who returned had blackmailed her into cooperation, threatening to expose her past. Terrified, she couldn't defy him. He'd even whispered that he'd make her son the lord.
"After the baron died, he said accusing Serena of witchcraft would pass the title to me."
"...? But why would the mage make your son the lord..."
Another of the chronomancer's intricate plots? Catherine hesitated before muttering,
"That woman... said she'd marry my son..."
Ian suppressed his boiling rage with deep breaths to avoid keeling over in shock.
He'd turned the young Catherine into the baron's wife. And after over a decade, he shows up to arrange... what? Marriage to Catherine's son???
Fuck, is this the kind of idea a human comes up with? This ain't some crusader medieval simulator played by a reincarnated modern guy!
Ian understood the mage's plan. Manipulate Catherine to eliminate Serena and the baron, then marry her son to become the next baron's wife...
At that moment, Ian was certain. Chronomancers were all out of their minds.
And of all people, Catherine's son? Ian had met him a few times. Arrogant, hot-tempered, easily swayed. Why marry a dimwit like that...?
Then came the commotion from outside.
"Get out of my way!"
"Please calm down! Mage Ian is treating the baron right now..."
"Shut up! Sneaking off to call my mother—what kind of 'treatment' is this?!"
"What are you saying?! Mage Ian is an upright man!"
"Hmph! Half-baked hacks who can't even cure Father's illness have a lot to say! Keep blocking me, and I'll drag him out by force!"
This guy's no gentleman. Ian knew the voice. Catherine's son.
"You can't go in—!"
A scuffle broke out outside. The son trying to enter the baron's room, blocked by the priests.
No choice—Ian prepared to greet the guest. But the enemy moved faster.
"Hah...! Hic...!"
"Madam?"
"Ugh...!"
Catherine clutched her chest and collapsed. Her face was flushed, breathing ragged. This wasn't normal.
"You goddamn—"
Ian bellowed at her with iron will. "Snap out of it!"
No effect. Was his Summoning level too low? He'd befriended a drake, for god's sake—he was a decent summoner.
Perfect timing—the Status Window popped up.
Creatures without intelligence, like insects, can only be controlled through instinct. Conversely, if their instincts can't be hijacked, insect summons are extremely safe. No risk of enemies stealing them!
[Summoning's Price, Demonite]
Ingrían's insect summons were like that.
Ian liked commanding flocks of birds, so he hadn't considered it, but insect summons were too dumb to comprehend the Maronius Language. No communication meant no control. Only way was to squash the summoner directly.
Bang! The door flew open, eyes pouring in.
"What?!"
The baron's wife collapsed before Ian. Belenca standing with crossbow at the ready.
How this looked was obvious.
Eyes filled with shock and fury fixed on Ian.
"What is the meaning of—"
Ian focused intently, scrutinizing the son's eyes. Pupils contracted in genuine panic. Facial expressions and gestures could be faked, but pupil size? Tough to control. Even a pro couldn't.
Catherine's son was truly shocked. He knew nothing of this—
"Belenca!"
"Ian!"
Ian and Belenca called each other's names almost simultaneously. As if scripted, they moved in perfect sync.
Belenca tossed the crossbow, drew her sword, and swung—creating space between the son and his guards.
Ian whipped out his magic sword Anorilsil, aiming it at Catherine's son.
VIP secured in a blink.
"Everyone back off!"
"Lady Belenca! What is the meaning of this?!"
Belenca bellowed confidently. "I'm proving my innocence!"
Ian inwardly applauded her brazenness. That was the upright (physical) spirit from the tales? Dubious how this proved innocence, but yeah—this was medieval justice.
Get captured by the enemy? Expect "interrogation" aka torture. What could you expect from barbaric medieval law?
Ian was medieval now too. Time to ditch soft modern notions of justice. No lawyers, no fair courts, no impartial judges.
Someone suspects you? Settle it with force!
"Mage Ian! Do you know what you're doing?!"
"Of course. Saving the baron."
"What...?!"
"Got intel that Madam Catherine's son is colluding with the mage."
Ian glanced at his captive. The guy feigned boldness, but he was trembling.
"Squeeze him a bit, and we'll find who harmed the baron. Shall we?"
The attendants foamed at the mouth in outrage. Ian got it. Torturing nobility on a maybe?
But release him, and the mage might never show. Had to lure the enemy out.
Ian decided to leave the aftermath to Serena and bait the mage.
The mage had invested heavily in Drbosi Castle. He wouldn't abandon Catherine's son.
"Belenca. Need you to pull some weight."
Ian worried she might not cooperate. But she flashed her signature indifferent smile.
"Bit into a big one after ages. Gotta work, right?"
A knight with true freelancer spirit. Of course. Freelance meant hustling like a dog when gigs hit.
Ian and Belenca used Catherine's son as a shield to escape Drbosi Castle.
A bold provocation.
And one strong enough to draw out the mage.
"I knew obstacles to my fate would appear... but you're quite the madman."
"You? The bitch who loosed monkeys in my room?"
The white-haired mage eyed Ian with a laugh. Dressed as a maid.
"That's me. Larabell, mage who probes the world's secrets."
Black shadows materialized behind her one by one. Larabell's summons: dire wolves.
"Our fates entwined—one lives, one dies."
Larabell's will surged. Feeling that intense pressure, Ian grinned.
She was an excellent summoner.
But.
So was he. Not one to take lightly.