How a wizard lives 1

Chapter 1- The Mage’s Apprentice.

Yurik, who turned nine this year, has three older brothers. Among them, the third brother, Luke, was treated as someone who belonged to the so-called ‘useless’ category by the adults.

After suffering from a severe illness as a child, his legs grew somewhat deformed, making his movements slightly inconvenient.

In this poor rural village, he couldn’t even participate in the logging work, which was one of the few ways to earn a decent living.

However, he couldn’t just stay cooped up at home, wasting food, so he mainly spent his time herding cows and goats in the fields while taking care of his younger siblings.

But even if the adults saw him as useless, to Yurik, his brother was an indispensable presence.

Luke seemed to know almost everything Yurik asked about. Even if he didn’t know something, he would find out and explain it to his younger brother later.

Though Luke was smaller than others his age, he always had a smile on his face and was wise and generous beyond his years.

Yurik didn’t feel much affection from his parents, who were always filled with anger for some reason.

Instead, the overflowing familial love was directed entirely toward his brother and his younger sister, who was three years his junior.

One thing Yurik was particularly grateful to Luke for was teaching him how to draw and carve.

Luke, who spent most of his time roaming the fields with nature as his companion, likely had to teach himself these skills.

With no friends, drawing and carving were the only things that could serve as his pastime.

So, every day, Yurik would take the leftover charcoal from the hearth and use stones and tree bark as canvases to draw.

When he got tired of drawing, he would use a stone knife to carve small wooden blocks into tiny sculptures.

While Luke was better at carving, Yurik was far more skilled at drawing.

For the first few years, it was just Yurik and Luke, but once their three-year-younger sister was able to walk, the three of them started spending time together.

Their sister was a delicate and curious child, but she listened well to her brothers without throwing tantrums.

Of course, she soon became interested in drawing, just like them.

Though they didn’t eat to their fill, it was a peaceful time.

They wished for nothing more than for this simple peace to continue.

……Then one day, an accident happened to Yurik.

While climbing a tree to pick some fruit, Yurik slipped and fell.

His head hit the ground hard, and as he heard his sister’s cries and his brother’s frantic shouts calling his name echoing in the distance, he passed out. …And then, faint memories of his past life surfaced, and he drifted in those memories for a long time.

When he opened his eyes, he was at home.

His brother, who had been diligently nursing him, said that he had been unconscious for a whole day before miraculously waking up.

Luke had been so worried that he cried the entire time, his eyes swollen.

Even though he had nearly died, Yurik’s mind was as clear as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep.

“Thank goodness, really, thank goodness, Yurik. I thought I’d lost you… The heavens must have been watching over you.”

After hugging each other and crying for a while, Yurik noticed that his brother’s left cheek was swollen and red.

Later, his sister whispered that their father had said it would be better if Yurik died rather than raising a cripple, and Luke had stood up to their father for the first time, resulting in a slap.

That was also why the healer from the lower village hadn’t come.

In any case, Yurik, who had miraculously survived, vaguely realized through this fall that he was a reincarnated being in this world. However, his memories of his past life weren’t entirely clear.

They were still faint and hazy, like a dream, but occasionally, memories and habits from his past life would surface like instincts.

“Brother… if I told you I’m from another world, would you believe me?”

When he asked this, his brother smiled strangely and gently patted Yurik’s head.

“Then am I not your brother? Is Yurik older?”

“Is big brother an angel?”

Their innocent sister asked in surprise.

Yurik corrected her, saying that the angel wasn’t him but their brother.

After the accident, Yurik didn’t receive any special treatment, but fortunately, he didn’t show any particular symptoms.

Still, his brother seemed worried, checking on him morning and evening to see if he was feeling unwell.

Life returned to normal, and Yurik went back to drawing and carving as usual.

But sometimes, he would try to draw scenes from his past life while recalling those memories.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

While his disabled brother might be an exception, Yurik, with his healthy limbs, felt that the time to end this life was approaching.

At this age, it was common to start learning logging work by joining the adults.

His father also told him to start preparing to follow him and learn the work.

“To be recognized as an adult, you must learn how to work properly.”

From his father’s perspective, or rather, from the perspective of the villagers, Luke, who couldn’t work, wasn’t an adult. He was a perpetual child.

He would likely never marry and would spend his life doing odd jobs until his death…

But Luke, regardless of his own situation, congratulated Yurik with joy.

“Yurik will do well at anything! He’ll definitely be the best in the village! And Yurik is so handsome, maybe he’ll even marry one of the baron’s daughters!”

Though it was an unlikely story, even his parents seemed to secretly hope for it.

Yurik was often told that he looked noble, unlike someone from a poor rural village.

In a poor rural village, being good-looking, whether male or female, was a blessing.

Even though it was a baron in the frontier, forming a connection with them was almost the only way out of this poor backwater.

In any case, after begging his father for a few days’ grace, Yurik asked his brother while drawing on the hill.

“Brother, do you want me to marry someone noble?”

“If that’s what you want.”

“I don’t really want that, brother. So… I don’t want to live like this.”

“……What do you mean?”

His brother’s eyes widened as he looked straight at Yurik.

Yurik glanced at his sister, who was absorbed in drawing, before looking back at his brother.

“I want to see the wide world, brother. I don’t want to spend my life cutting trees in a place like this.”

Luke looked completely surprised by Yurik’s words.

In fact, it was the first time Yurik had revealed such thoughts to him.

But soon, his brother smiled his usual smile and gently patted Yurik’s back.

“I see… Yes, you’re right… Our Yurik is destined to be a great person.

Yes, a great person should go out into the wide world! If that’s what you want, of course you should! You’re too precious to just cut trees.”

“But I don’t know how to do it. I’m not sure if Father will allow it…”

“Let’s think about it together, brother.”

And just then, their sister, who had been drawing while looking at the distant scenery, suddenly stood up and pointed somewhere, screaming.

“Brothers! People are coming to the village!”

The two brothers turned their gaze to where she was pointing.

As she said, a group of about a dozen people was entering the village through the main road.

Though merchant groups regularly visited the village to buy lumber, this group didn’t have any carts to carry wood, and their numbers were larger than usual.

When they went down the hill to listen to the villagers’ chatter, they learned that the group was a mercenary company passing by.

They wouldn’t have had any reason to stop here, but the axle of their carriage had broken, forcing them to make a detour.

Whether it was coincidence or fate, they had arrived.

Luke, Yurik, and their sister Yeri were excitedly mingling with the villagers to get a look at these strange guests.

Especially for the children, the sharp weapons of the mercenaries were objects of curiosity and admiration, unlike the logging axes they were used to.

The oiled leather armor, curved iron shoulder guards, longbows as tall as the children, and spiked maces…

“Hey! Don’t bother the gentlemen!”

The adults shooed the children away, but they scattered like flies and then regrouped.

As soon as Yurik saw them, he desperately wanted to capture their appearance in a drawing.

So, he took out a piece of tree bark from his leather bag and began sketching with charcoal.

One of the men, with a deep scar on his face, noticed him and called out.

“Hey, you. Come here. …Can you draw?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Then draw me.”

The middle-aged man, who seemed to be the leader of the mercenaries, handed Yurik a silver coin.

It was the first time Yurik had ever held such a large sum.

Yurik bowed deeply, politely accepted the coin, and quickly began sketching the man with charcoal.

In no time, a decent portrait was completed.

Fortunately, the mercenary seemed quite pleased with his skill.

“Worth the money. You’ve got talent.”

“Thank you!”

When the mercenary showed off his portrait to his comrades, the others also began asking Yurik to draw them.

“Yes, I’ll draw all of you.”

The mercenaries were planning to stay for about two days. Yurik promised to draw everyone before they left.

Of course, the money he received went straight to his father. And any future earnings would likely meet the same fate.

But Yurik didn’t care.

Money wasn’t important right now. What he needed was new people, new experiences, and new stimulation.

Luke also noticed his brother’s excitement and encouraged him.

However, he advised Yurik to secretly keep a silver coin or two instead of giving all the money to their father.

Of course, Yurik wasn’t so naive as to not understand his brother’s meaning.

“Okay, got it.”

The next day, Yurik went to the neighboring house where the mercenaries were staying at dawn to draw their portraits.

The price was one silver coin per portrait.

For the mercenaries, who earned their living by risking their lives, a silver coin wasn’t a huge sum, but for a poor rural child like Yurik, it was a fortune.

After drawing everyone except one, Yurik approached the person sitting in the corner with a deep hood.

“Sir, may I draw you too?”

“No need.”

The voice was surprisingly smooth and enchanting, like a heavenly voice.

Yurik felt strangely desperate.

“I can draw really well. Look at this!”

Yurik opened his bag and spread out the drawings he had worked so hard on, as if showing off.

The person examined them carefully for a long time.

“……Not bad.”

“Thank you!”

“Alright, then draw me.”

The mercenaries seemed surprised that she had agreed so easily.

When the woman’s delicate hand pushed back her hood, an astonishingly beautiful face was revealed.

Yurik was momentarily stunned.

His gaze instinctively clung to her face like a butterfly drawn to a flower.

Fortunately, he quickly regained his composure and sat down across from her.

“Then, I’ll start drawing!”

Yurik took out the best piece of tree bark from his bag.

As she sat gracefully in the chair, he began sketching her with charcoal.

The house, which had been turned into a makeshift tavern, was very noisy, but Yurik felt as if he had gone deaf. It was as if only he and she existed in the world.

……!

Yurik concentrated on drawing, and the woman’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched him.

Yurik poured all his effort into drawing her, and after a long time, he finally completed the portrait and handed it to her.

“Thank you for letting me draw you.”

The woman stared at her portrait on the tree bark for a long time without moving. Then, she slowly raised her head and asked in a calm voice.

“Will you come with me?”

The noisy room fell silent as if struck by a thunderbolt.

Of course, Yurik had no idea what was happening and just stared in silence.

Then, the woman revealed her identity.

“I am a mage. I will teach you magic.”

Ah.

Yurik froze like a statue.

“…If you don’t want to, that’s fine. Here’s your payment.”

She handed him a gold coin.

Yurik trembled.

It wasn’t because he had never seen a gold coin before—though that was surprising too—but because he had never imagined that a mage would suddenly reveal herself and ask him to follow her.

And at that moment, he imagined leaving the village with her.

Yurik couldn’t even respond properly and quickly left the place. He ran straight to the hill where his brother was.

Luke, as always, was carving while waiting for Yurik with their sister

“Yurik, you’re here.”

“Brother, brother! I met a mage!”

Yurik spoke in a trembling voice, as if confessing.

“And the mage said she would teach me magic!”

The stone knife in Luke’s hand stopped abruptly.

“Brother, what’s a mage?”

Their sister, Yeri, who didn’t know what a mage was, asked, but Luke didn’t seem to hear her.

“…What did you say?”

“I was so surprised, I just left. I didn’t even get paid. The mage even tried to give me a gold coin.”

“Brother, brother.”

Their sister whined, feeling left out of the conversation.

“Yes, just wait a moment, Yeri. Let your brothers finish talking…. So, what are you going to do?

“I don’t know. It’s all so sudden. My head is a mess.”

“Did you tell Father?”

“No, I came straight here.”

“……Alright, let’s go back. It’s getting late.”

The sky was already tinged with the colors of sunset.

If they stayed any longer, their father would be furious.

Luke untied the rope from the tree and slowly led the cows and goats down the hill.

Their sister kept asking what a mage was.

Yurik vaguely explained that it was a type of mercenary.

Luke walked silently, lost in deep thought.

At dinner, their father told Yurik to hand over the money he had earned that day. Yurik secretly kept two silver coins and gave the rest to his father.

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll follow me and learn the work. A person must work to earn money, get married, and have children.”

“Yes, Father….”

Yurik and Luke’s eyes met briefly.

After dinner, the family went to bed.

The house soon fell into silence, but Yurik couldn’t sleep and kept staring at the ceiling.

Then, his brother, lying next to him, gently tapped him.

“Yurik, are you awake?”

“Yes.”

“Want to come with me for a moment?”

The two quietly left the house and entered the barn, bathed in the silver moonlight.

The cow, awakened by their presence, let out a soft moo.

“You know they’re leaving tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.”

“You should go with them.”

“……What?”

Luke grabbed Yurik’s shoulder. Despite his small frame, there was an inexplicable strength in his grip.

“The mage recognized your talent.

What a great opportunity, don’t you think? It might be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

So you have to go. No matter what. She said she’d teach you magic, right?

Then of course you should learn it. Go out into the wider world, Yurik.

That’s what you wanted, wasn’t it?”

“……What about you, brother……?”

Yurik couldn’t help but ask.

His brother smiled sadly and patted Yurik’s head, as if to say, “You’re such a good kid.”

“I have to take care of Yeri. And my legs are inconvenient. So, I’ll wait here at home. Whenever you come back, I’ll welcome you. Okay?”

Yurik’s chest tightened.

Having faintly regained memories of his past life, he wasn’t so naive as to not understand that his brother didn’t want to be a burden.

“I won’t go. I’ll stay with you.”

“No, go! You have to go now! Yurik, this is your last chance.

The last chance to leave this place! You must go.

Do you want to spend your life cutting trees? Until you die?”

“But you’ll be left alone.”

“Yurik-!”

Luke raised his voice. He glared at his brother with a cold expression.

“Do you want to make me angry? You know how scary I get when I’m angry, right?”

“Brother….”

“Go. Leave this place. Leave this small, rural village.

Go out into the wide world, Yurik. That’s what you’re meant to do.

That’s how you’ll become a great person! You can do it. I promise.”

Of course, he wanted to. He still wanted to.

But Yurik… it hurt his heart to leave his beloved brother behind. Tears kept flowing.

“It’s time to go, Yurik. Becoming an adult means making tough decisions sometimes.”

“Brother….”

“Now, both you and I have to become adults.

We’ve been preparing for this moment. Yurik… leave for my sake. Make me an adult.”

Yurik slowly nodded.

The two hugged each other tightly, fiercely, and affectionately.

“Yurik, I love you.

No matter what you do, I’ll pray for you. You can do it. I believe in you without a doubt. You’re smart and kind. And you’ll become a great adult.”

“Yes… brother. I’ll see the world and come back.

I’ll see everything and come back. And I’ll draw so many pictures to show you!”

“Yes, show me. After you’ve seen everything, show me. What the world is like.”

Luke wiped Yurik’s tears. But he was also crying while smiling.

“Wait here for a moment.”

Luke went back into the house alone. He returned to the barn carrying Yurik’s leather bag and their sleeping sister on his back.

“We have to say goodbye to our pretty youngest.”

Yurik kissed Yeri’s forehead and cheeks.

She whimpered softly in her sleep.

Yurik couldn’t stop crying.

“Now, go. And when you leave, don’t have any regrets. You must be resolute, Yurik! Only return when you’ve accomplished what you need to do. Don’t come back until then!”

“Yes, I’ll remember. Brother, take care of yourself. Stay healthy. I’ll definitely come back! You have to stay healthy, okay?”

Luke waved to his departing brother. Yurik also turned back several times, waving.

And so, Yurik left home and spent the night near the building where the mercenaries were staying, filled with anticipation and worry.

Exhausted, he dozed off for a while but was awakened by the noise. The dark sky was now tinged with the dim light of dawn.

The mercenaries were preparing to leave.

He quickly packed his bag and joined the mercenaries. He found the woman who had offered to teach him magic.

“I’ll come with you, Ma! Please take me!”

The woman, who had been staring at Yurik, nodded.

The mercenaries laughed as if they had expected the boy to come and roughly patted his back.

“Now, call me Master.”

“Yes, Ma…, no, Master.”

And Yurik climbed onto the carriage with the repaired axle.

It creaked as it slowly left the village.

Dawn was breaking.

The faint light illuminated the familiar hometown and the hill he had always climbed.

Yurik saw his brother standing on a high rock on the hill.

Luke stood there until the hill completely disappeared from view.

Later, Yurik found a small sculpture in his bag.

It was a carving of Yurik, Luke, and Yeri sitting side by side.

Yurik held it tightly to his chest and cried silently.

In the autumn of his ninth year.

Yurik left the village as the mage’s apprentice.