How a Wizard Lives 14

Chapter 14- The Circuit Diagram.

As dawn slowly broke, Yurik woke up before the designated time and took a few laps around the clearing, a thin blanket draped over his shoulders.

The watchman, poking at the nearly extinguished campfire with a kindling stick, watched his actions with interest.

After refreshing his mind, Yurik returned and sat down next to the watchman, who muttered to himself as if talking to no one in particular.

“Guess you gotta be different to be a mage, huh?”

“The start of the day is about refreshing the mind.”

“Look at you, using fancy words just because you’re a mage.”

The dim morning sky gradually turned crimson.

The clouds, scattered like smoke, floated leisurely, oblivious to the tense situation from the night before.

“Wake up, everyone—!”

The watchmen loudly roused the extermination team.

The mercenaries, still groggy from sleep, cursed and groaned.

The knights, too, looked exhausted, but a sense of accomplishment from defeating the demonic beast was evident on their faces.

The team leader quickly issued orders.

Though the demonic beast had been slain, their work wasn’t over.

They still had to assess the damage caused by the beast as they passed through the forest.

The problem was that one of the carriages had been completely destroyed.

The leader had no choice but to reduce the load as much as possible and squeeze everyone into the remaining carriages.

Fortunately, there were still a few empty seats in each carriage, so it wasn’t a major issue.

After a quick breakfast, the team set off without a moment to spare.

It would take over a day to traverse the forest path, and they still had to return the way they came, so there was no time to waste.

The mercenaries sharing the carriage with Yurik learned that he planned to head south immediately after leaving the forest.

“Right away? You’re not going back to the city?”

“No, I plan to go straight there. That’s what the contract says.”

The mercenary leader looked genuinely disappointed.

He had been scheming to recruit Yurik into their group, but now those plans were ruined.

He had even considered using the gap-toothed female mercenary’s charms as part of the plan.

…Though how effective that would’ve been was questionable.

The extermination team discovered another scene of devastation along the forest path, likely caused by the demonic beast.

The leader ordered the wreckage to be cleared again.

Now that the beast was dead, the mercenaries didn’t hesitate to pocket any money or valuables they found, ignoring their usual superstitions about cursed items.

The team leader pushed for a forced march, giving them little time to rest.

The goal was to exit the forest by the end of the day.

Finally, after the sun had completely set, the team reached the end of the forest path.

The mercenaries, whose backsides were sore from sitting in the carriage all day, jumped out and cheered.

“Finally, we’ll live!”

Without a hint of shame, they stripped off their clothes and ran to a nearby stream, splashing into the water.

They made crude jokes and laughed loudly.

Yurik, having completed the request, finally took out his sketchpad and began to draw.

As he worked, someone quietly approached him. It was the court mage, Dunmer.

“You can draw, too?”

“It’s been a hobby since I was young.”

“You must come from a refined family.”

“My family were lumberjacks.”

Dunmer was surprised.

He had assumed Yurik was from a well-to-do family, given his appearance and demeanor, but learning he came from a lumberjack family was unexpected.

“But I had good brothers and a good teacher.

Thanks to them, I learned magic.”

“I see…. Your teacher isn’t from the Magic Tower, is he?”

“No, neither my teacher nor I are from the Magic Tower. She conducted her research in a small cabin in the woods. That’s where I learned.”

Dunmer, unaware that the woods in question were the Eldrover Forest of Arpenheim, was amazed that such talent could emerge from such a humble background.

He was certain that even in the Magic Tower, where geniuses were abundant, finding someone like Yurik would be difficult.

“Honestly, I envy your talent. Would you consider working at the baron’s estate? I could pass my position to you.”

Even though it was just a baron’s estate, the court mage’s position was far above that of a wandering mage.

It came with the title of quasi-baron and placed him among the power brokers of the territory.

For a lumberjack’s family from a remote village, this was an unimaginable leap in status.

…But Yurik politely declined.

“I still have much to learn. I’m on this journey to see, hear, and learn more. I’m sorry, sir.”

“…What a shame.”

If the circumstances had been different, Dunmer would have used every trick in the book to tempt Yurik, but it seemed luck and timing weren’t on his side.

He wanted to keep Yurik close, to make him his own.

But the seasoned court mage knew when to step back.

Sometimes, knowing when to retreat was the best way to maintain a connection.

“Make sure to visit the baron’s estate next time. You’ll always be welcome.”

“I’ll make sure to do that.”

As Dunmer returned to his spot, Yurik focused on his drawing again.

The mercenaries, laughing and joking in their underwear around the campfire.

The fireflies flitting around the stream.

The vast sky is filled with countless stars.

Yurik captured the scene of his first request in a single painting.

Someday, he would look back on this and reminisce…

—

The next morning, Yurik received his payment directly from the team leader.

“It would’ve been reassuring to have you with us longer.”

Of course, it wasn’t because he was afraid of the forest monsters.

The mercenaries could handle those just fine.

It was just a shame to let go of such a talented mage.

“Where there’s a meeting, there’s also a parting. The time I spent with you was truly valuable.”

“You talk like an old man.”

Yurik chuckled lightly, shook hands with the team leader and Dunmer, and then set off alone down the road stretching south.

The mercenaries, though they had only known him for a short time, wished him well.

“Take care, Yurik! Let’s have a drink next time we meet!”

“Next time, you’re definitely spending the night with me!”

Even the gap-toothed female mercenary couldn’t let go of her attachment to the handsome mage.

Yurik waved lightly to everyone and walked down the road as the dawn slowly broke.

The sun rose on the eastern horizon.

He paused for a moment to watch the fiery, powerful sunrise.

A silent scream. Yet its birth was more intense than anything else.

Yurik turned forward again and took step after step.

Toward the south, where many things awaited.

—

The Southern City of Eldesroza.

After more than ten days of travel from the forest path, Yurik arrived at the southern city of Eldesroza.

The city, set against the backdrop of a white-haired mountain, was vast and beautiful, and Yurik was captivated by it.

Having struggled to get here, he first looked for a place to stay.

However, due to the influx of mercenaries drawn by the scent of money, most inns were either full or too expensive.

After much searching, he finally found a relatively cheap room.

He dropped his bag and lay down on the bed.

It smelled musty, but this wasn’t the time to be picky.

After resting for a while, Yurik went out to explore the city.

In the center of Eldesroza stood a pristine and elegant count’s castle, its beauty harmonizing with the clock tower in the square.

It was no wonder Eldesroza was known as a wealthy city in the south.

Yurik sat on a stone bench in a corner of the square and captured the beautiful cityscape in a drawing.

The wide square, the towering clock tower, the elegant castle, and the countless passersby.

His brother would surely be amazed if he saw this.

After finishing the drawing, Yurik explored the market stalls nearby.

Fascinated by the mystery, he lost himself in examining all sorts of items brought from various regions.

The stall vendors, skilled at sweet-talking, sold strange trinkets to superstitious mercenaries.

Yurik almost bought a charm said to bring good luck but decided against it.

Not far from the square was the southern branch of the Magic Tower. Yurik decided to visit it.

The branch’s grounds were vast, with several large buildings.

Only areas 3 and 4 were accessible to non-members, and these areas were filled with shops selling magical items, materials, and books.

The shops were crowded with wandering mages like Yurik, their eyes filled with admiration for the Magic Tower.

The handsome mage spent a long time in the bookstore, searching for something worth reading.

A good magic book would be a welcome companion on his long journey.

After spending enough time in the bookstore, Yurik walked down a long corridor to explore areas 3 and 4 further.

The two large buildings were connected by a single corridor, making it impossible to get lost even for a first-time visitor.

Truly a rational design befitting mages.

As he browsed the mages’ shops, observed the young Magic Tower mages in their colorful cloaks, and admired the well-kept gardens, Yurik stopped in front of a bulletin board covered in notices.

There were guides to the Magic Tower, recruitment notices for mages, and announcements about gatherings.

But what caught Yurik’s eye was a single circuit diagram.

The diagram, taking up half the board, was incredibly large and complex.

‘…A barrier spell.’

The notice explained that the diagram had been posted to gather ideas for improving its efficiency.

It seemed they were open to suggestions even from wandering mages.

At first glance, it was a challenging task.

Even Yurik, who had studied under the barrier magic expert, the Grand Witch Hene, for eight years, would need three or four days to figure it out.

Still, he had a vague idea.

Of course, it would take trial and error to confirm it.

So Yurik copied the diagram onto a sheet of paper.

Filled with academic fervor, he locked himself in his inn room, spreading the diagram under a magic orb and spending three days and nights pondering, researching, and testing.

He went through over thirty sheets of paper, drawing and erasing new circuit diagrams.

Finally, on the third night, Yurik achieved a satisfactory result.

The improved barrier spell was slightly more effective and saved a whopping 10% of the mana required.

To the uninitiated, 10% might not sound like much, but to a mage, it was a staggering figure.

Especially in such a complex circuit, achieving that level of efficiency was nearly impossible without significant improvements.

In fact, even before the improvements, the spell was already quite functional.

It had clearly been refined over a long time.

Of course, that didn’t mean it was flawless.

But the circuits were so intricately interconnected that tweaking one part would throw another out of alignment, and fixing that would disrupt yet another.

Deciphering and correcting all of it was mind-numbingly difficult.

‘But that’s the fun of improving circuits…!’

It might have been a somewhat perverse pleasure, but Yurik enjoyed it.

Improving a spell and making it more efficient felt like leaving a mark on history.

The next morning, Yurik returned to the corridor where the diagram was posted and drew his improved version in the empty space below the original.

He hoped it would help fellow researchers walking the same path.

“Senior—!”

A young mage from the southern branch rushed into the research building, looking for a middle-aged mage.

The senior was, as usual, poring over circuit diagrams.

“What’s all the fuss about?”

“You need to see this, sir.”

“Now? Is it urgent? What’s going on?”

“Just come and see. Hurry!”

The middle-aged mage, annoyed, got up and slowly followed the junior.

He vowed to give the kid a good scolding if it turned out to be nothing.

They left the research building and headed to area 4.

The corridor was already bustling with mages.

“Excuse me! Coming through!”

The junior pushed through the crowd.

At the bulletin board, several renowned mages from the southern branch were gathered.

They made room for the middle-aged mage without even greeting him, urging him to take a look.

“What’s going on? What’s this about?”

The middle-aged mage stroked his bushy beard and studied the newly drawn circuit diagram.

As time passed, his expression changed dramatically, his eyes and mouth widening in shock.

He pulled the junior closer and asked, ‘Who drew this?!’

“I don’t know. It was already here when I found it.”

The middle-aged mage shouted at the top of his lungs.

“We need to find this person! Right now—!”