How a wizard lives 10

Chapter 10- The Mage Yurik.

The two brothers entered the inn room.

As soon as Yurik unpacked his belongings, he sat down at the table across from his older brother, Luke.

“I went back home yesterday. I heard a bit about the situation from Yeri.”

“How is Yeri doing? Has the little one grown well?”

“Yes, both are doing well. Yeri married Daik not long ago.”

Luke smiled in relief.

“That’s good. Daik is a good man.”

“He is.”

Soon, the innkeeper’s daughter brought two bowls of food.

As she set them down, she glanced at Yurik’s face and left the room, saying, ‘Enjoy your meal.’

“How have you been all this time?”

“Well, I’ve been getting by, doing this and that.”

While Luke briefly turned his attention to the food, Yurik looked at his brother’s face and body with pity.

Just by looking at his brother’s appearance, it was clear how much he had struggled to survive.

Yurik’s nose tingled with emotion.

“Yurik, how have you been? How about the mage? Did you learn magic well?”

“…Yes. I learned well. I’m a mage now. I’ve become independent.”

“Really? That’s amazing. Truly. I knew you could do it. Haha!”

Luke was genuinely happy for his brother, as if it were his own achievement.

“I also brought a lot of drawings. I haven’t seen the whole world yet, but I’ve drawn a lot of the places I’ve lived. My teacher, my friends, and more.”

Yurik quickly ran to where his bag was and pulled out a stack of drawings.

He handed them to Luke, who examined each one carefully with warm eyes.

What a good place, with good people, and how well you’ve grown—Luke’s eyes reddened.

He tried not to cry, but soon, tears like chicken droppings fell one by one.

How desperately must his kind younger brother have wanted to show this to him?

“Thank you, Yurik. Really…. Was it hard learning magic?”

“No, it was really fun. Magic was as enjoyable as drawing.”

“Then I’m truly relieved. I was worried that I might have sent you to a difficult place. I heard there are many eccentric people among mages.”

“The place I was at was nothing like that. Everyone loved and cared for me. More than I deserved.”

Then Yurik pulled out one more thing from his bag and handed it to Luke.

It was the figurine that Luke had secretly placed in Yurik’s bag long ago.

A wooden figurine of the three siblings sitting side by side, now shiny and worn from being touched so much.

“Now, I think it’s better for you to keep this.”

Those happy childhood days.

Luke took it and smiled warmly, stroking it for a long time.

“……I had forgotten. Thank you, Yurik.”

“I’m the one who’s grateful, brother. If you hadn’t pushed me forward, I wouldn’t have become who I am today. It’s because of you that I’m like this.”

Yurik hugged Luke’s shoulders.

“Let’s leave together. From now on, I’ll take care of you.”

“Yurik…….”

Luke patted Yurik’s back, just like he used to when they were young.

It was something the older brother had often done for his younger brother long ago.

In that warmth and affection, Yurik felt as if he were in the embrace of a parent.

“It’s okay. I’ll stay here.”

“What do you mean? Why…? What will you do here? Is it because of your leg? If that’s the case, it’s really okay. We can move slowly. That’s nothing. And I’ve brought medicine to reduce the pain.”

At his brother’s care and kindness, Luke smiled warmly and slowly shook his head.

“No… it’s not because of that.”

“Then why?”

Luke’s gaze drifted into the distance.

“There are children here I need to take care of. If I leave, they’ll suffer greatly. They might even die.”

At that moment, Yurik couldn’t say anything.

“I’m so grateful for your heart, Yurik. But I have to stay here.”

The younger brother bowed his head for a long time at his brother’s words.

But eventually, he lifted his head with a smile.

Yurik knew his brother’s character too well.

Luke could never leave those children behind.

“Alright… I understand. If that’s what you want.”

Luke gripped Yurik’s shoulder firmly, as if passing on his wishes and will to him.

“Instead, you can travel the world and draw more pictures for me. That’s enough for me. Meet good people, learn more magic, and become a greater person. That’s all I need. That’s enough for me.”

“……Okay, I’ll do that. I’ll definitely do that. Let’s keep eating. The food will get cold.”

But the food was already mostly cold. Still, they enjoyed it.

After finishing the meal, Yurik handed Luke a leather pouch he had prepared for him.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

Inside was a pile of coins. Not just silver coins, but nearly half were gold coins.

—!

It wasn’t just a few coins, so Luke felt a chill run down his spine as soon as he saw it.

The amount was too large.

He knew that too much money could bring misfortune.

“I can’t accept this, Yurik. This isn’t money I deserve.”

“This is your share. Please take it.”

“No, Yurik. I’m sorry, but I don’t have the power to keep this money. Look at my appearance.”

“Then what do you want me to do? I really want to help you. That way, even if I leave, I’ll feel less burdened.”

Luke bowed his head and fell into thought.

After organizing his thoughts for a while, he spoke.

“Then……, can you help me find work?”

“Of course. What kind of work?”

“If possible, I’d like to open a shop. So I can earn a living and help the kids.”

It was a good idea.

Yurik thought it was better to help his brother build a foundation to live on his own rather than giving him a large sum of money.

As Luke said, too much money could bring trouble.

“That’s a great idea. Let’s do that. I’ll help you.”

Luke said that a small stable that could hold a few horses would be enough.

He wanted to use the knowledge he had gained from managing horses to make a living.

“There are more caravans traveling between the central and southern regions than I thought. The stables at the inn are a bit too small to accommodate all the livestock.”

Having managed caravans’ horses at the inn for years, Luke quickly understood what was needed in the market.

“Alright. I’ll look into it.”

So from the next day, Yurik scoured the city. The central area was too expensive, but there were quite a few empty spots on the outskirts.

Of course, Luke wasn’t the only one thinking of building a stable, as there were a few such places on the outskirts.

But when Yurik talked to the owners, he found that the income wasn’t great compared to the effort, so most gave up the business quickly.

“You need an inn to make money from food and lodging. Just this alone is barely enough to get by.”

But Luke seemed satisfied with even that.

“I don’t expect to make a lot of money. Yurik, I have no capital or connections. So even if I did something else, it would be similar. As long as I can sleep comfortably without going hungry, that’s enough for me.”

Yurik accepted Luke’s idea and eventually took over a stable that was about to close.

It was a fairly large stable that could hold eight horses, with a small bedroom attached, so it was suitable for living.

Luke seemed deeply moved to have his own place.

“Thank you, Yurik. Thank you. Really.”

“Thank you? I’m the one who’s grateful, brother.”

The two brothers hugged warmly in front of their first shop.

But contrary to their expectations, the shop became surprisingly successful.

– Mister, that place is great!

– They take the best care of horses here!

The children Luke had helped brought caravans to his stable.

If there was no space, they went to the neighboring shops.

The kindness Luke had shown returned to him.

– Kids, let’s eat!

And Luke repaid the kindness by sharing with everyone.

Yurik smiled contentedly as he watched his brother laughing and mingling with the children.

And he drew that scene. The most beautiful in the world.

* * *

Now that Luke seemed to have settled in well, Yurik began preparing to leave.

“It seems you’ll be leaving soon.”

“Yes, it’s time to go.”

“The kids and I really liked your magic…. We’ll miss you a lot.”

Of course, it was heartbreaking for Yurik to part with Luke… but it was time to go.

“I’ll come back with more stories and drawings, brother.”

“Alright, I’ll look forward to it.”

Yurik had a lot on his mind, so he sent Luke ahead and walked quietly through the square alone.

The stone path, reddened by the sunset, was busy with the footsteps of people heading somewhere.

Where should I go now?

He thought.

Not as Yurik the younger brother, but as Yurik the mage.

The mage approached the statue of a hero erected in the middle of the square.

As he stood there quietly looking up at it, someone quietly approached him.

Two men.

Their attire was ordinary, but their eyes and stature were unusual.

“Are you the mage Yurik?”

Since he had already shown his magic here and there, it wasn’t a secret that he was a mage.

“…Who are you?”

The mage’s face grew serious.

“We are the Iron Cross Knights.”

The Iron Cross Knights.

Yurik remembered that they were the knights of the baron’s castle.

“What business do you have with me, knights?”

“There is someone who wishes to meet you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Will you come with us?”

“Before that, can I know who it is?”

The man pointed to the baron’s castle in the center of the city.

“The most noble person in this city.”

‘The most noble person in Grozia….’

The lord of the city of Grozia and the baron’s castle.

Baron Rebek.

He had sought out the mage Yurik.