Yuric and Azaskun arrived at the eastern city of 【Acrocadena】 after passing through the city of Paphos and crossing two more villages. It took them roughly a month to meet up and reach there.
Since the lost magic city 【Verzig】 in the east disappeared, Acrocadena had risen as the new magic city of the east.
The cities in the east were all large and thick-walled due to the influence of demons and monsters, but Acrocadena boasted an even grander wall than elsewhere. Moreover, the barrier magic seemed to be directly borrowed from the southern frontlines, as Yuric could feel the familiar mana flow within the walls.
“Thank you for everything. Because of you, I’ve seen magic with new eyes.”
Though it was quite painful for a month, Yuric’s training method did help. Now, Azaskun had moved beyond the one-dimensional combat style of standing still and casting spells.
“One must think of defensive magic as a last resort and keep moving constantly.”
Of course, casting spells while moving was not easy, but it was a basic necessity in battles against skilled opponents.
There was no better prey for mages than a stationary target.
Constant movement and efficient attacks—this was essentially the core of combat magic.
“I’m glad it helped.”
“Honestly, it was tough. No… physically, it was the hardest time of my life. But isn’t it true that great things can only be gained through pain and hardship?”
Azaskun had holes poked in his body during every practice match. If he hadn’t inherited demon blood, he would have been bedridden long ago. Even with potions, enduring daily injuries was beyond the endurance of a pure human.
Still, he managed to learn genuine combat through experience, which was a huge gain. Perhaps this was a great stroke of luck for Azaskun.
“I hope we can meet again.”
“If that’s your wish, the universe will surely lead us together. It was a pleasure meeting you, Azaskun.”
“I enjoyed it too.”
Azaskun wanted to stay longer with Yuric, but he had to leave to work for his livelihood. Similarly, Yuric also needed to work to earn money.
The two shared a warm embrace before parting ways. Yuric gave Azaskun a painting—a portrait of Azaskun.
“I don’t have anything to give…”
“It’s fine. I didn’t expect anything in return.”
Seeing Yuric’s kind smile, Azaskun was deeply moved. He had never felt such pure and deep goodwill from anyone until now.
Azaskun held Yuric’s hand tightly and looked at him with a passionate gaze.
“I’ll never forget you. Thank you.”
“I won’t forget you either, Azaskun.”
Even as Azaskun left, he kept turning back to look at Yuric, who waved back each time.
Their accidental meeting had become a profound bond that remained in their hearts.
Yuric walked slowly down the street as the sunset approached, then entered a nearby inn.
The hall on the first floor was bustling with mercenaries. Tables were being pounded everywhere as they demanded drinks. The innkeeper’s daughter, who had seen her share of work, darted through the crowd with full glasses in both hands.
Yuric sat at a secluded table with a stranger. Across from him was a female mercenary with ample bosom, who winked at him when she saw him.
Yuric ordered dinner. He didn’t realize how fixed the innkeeper’s daughter’s gaze was on his face, which caused the drinkers to shout about spilled drinks.
After finishing his meal, Yuric rented a room upstairs. Seeing the coffin-like room, he understood why it was cheap. Still, it was better than sleeping where cold winds blew from above and chills from below.
Opening a small window barely big enough for two faces, the sun had already set and the moon was rising. Yuric lay on the crude bed, gazing out through the narrow window and sketching the scene. Suddenly, old memories flooded back—drawing the scenery outside the window bathed in moonlight while lying on a sleeping bag in Master Hene’s hut.
Having completed a beautiful painting, Yuric put it in his bag and sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate. Meditation was always the beginning and end of his day, and he had repeatedly emphasized its importance to Azaskun.
Honesty, Yuric didn’t notice any significant changes when he first started meditating. However, at some point, he began to feel the spirit or consciousness intertwined with his physical body.
From then on, he realized that not only his body but also this consciousness needed training. And meditation was the first step.
Meditation to elevate the mind, observe oneself, the world, and ultimately the universe. In particular, a cool and objective perspective was crucial in the study of magic. Thus, meditation was an essential part of magical studies.
After meditation ended, Yuric fell asleep like a corpse in the coffin-like room.
The next morning, he got up early, went downstairs, and had a simple breakfast in the hall where drunk mercenaries were sprawled out.
Coincidentally, one of the specialties of the east was hot springs. Due to the massive active volcano in the middle of the Demon Mine, hot springs were found all over the eastern region. This was also why travelers visited the “monster hell” of the east.
In Acrocadena, there was a famous hot spring. Yuric paid an entrance fee of one silver coin and entered the building. Inside, there were more than ten large baths, some of which were already filled with mercenaries.
High-ranking individuals had private rooms, but Yuric couldn’t afford that much money.
After paying separately for storage of his clothes and belongings, he immersed himself in a steaming bath. The fatigue in his body instantly dissipated.
Feeling refreshed after his morning soak, Yuric began to explore the magic city of Acrocadena in the east.
One might think that since the magic city Verzig disappeared overnight and this place became the new magic city, its history would be short. But that wasn’t the case.
Historically, Verzig vanished around four hundred years ago. In fact, the history of this place was even older than that of the Sacred Magic Guild.
However, the east focused more on cultivating mage-warriors to fight demons and monsters rather than deeply researching magic. Hence, the eastern magic academy was established.
Unlike other magic groups that required difficult exams for entry, anyone with a natural ability to sense mana could enroll here. However, although enrollment was easy, competition was fierce. After enrollment, strict standards were used to educate students, leading to vastly different futures based on their graduation grades.
Those who graduated with high marks were immediately hired as court mages or personal mages, whereas those with low grades were sent to various parts of the eastern cities to repay the education and living expenses they incurred at the academy over several years. Of course, there were rare cases where things worked out well, but usually, they faced intense labor for many years.
Fortunately, if one could get assigned to manage the hot springs or the city walls, it would be considered fortunate, but this was possible only if they had strong connections. Typically, they ended up in the police force, reconnaissance team, or as magic soldiers.
Despite this, the academy was always popular among commoners, as it was almost their only path to advancement.
While touring the area near the magic academy, Yuric asked the entrance guard if he could enter the building of the magic tower. Although obtaining a gold badge was difficult, he was allowed to enter with a silver badge.
First, Yuric delivered a letter to a desk clerk on the first floor. It was a letter to Nerzil, a demon and the headmaster of the academy, who was also Azaskun’s grandmother. The letter expressed hope for a future meeting.
Next, he headed to the library on the second floor.
The library of the magic academy, though not as extensive as the mage tower, housed an enormous number of books. Its size was so vast that it would take quite some time to explore thoroughly.
Near the reading desks at the entrance, many students were present, but as one moved deeper inside, the area became deserted. Bookshelves towering several times Yuric’s height stood close together, showcasing their grandeur.
The magical constructs installed sporadically throughout the ceiling did not fully illuminate the entire library. So, Yuric created a light sphere and floated it to move around.
The walking cane, Fertika, also emerged from its cane holder to enjoy freedom. It would often fly off to explore the corners of the library and then return, resembling a hyper puppy.
The library resembled a maze. Occasionally, couples could be seen enjoying secret meetings in secluded corners. The cane, Fertika, would secretly watch them from above before returning to Yuric.
Further inside, the air had a musty smell as if it stored old books. The magical constructs in the ceiling were nearing the end of their lifespan, making the lighting dimmer. Few people ventured this far.
Yuric felt like he had entered an old storage room in a dungeon. Instead of feeling eerie, it felt cozy.
At that moment, Yuric noticed something in the dimly lit boundary between light and darkness.
‘… A winged worm?’
A worm spirit glaring at Yuric from the bookshelf suddenly flew away, and the cane followed it swiftly.
He quickly moved toward where the spirit flew, which passed through several bookshelves and disappeared into a high shelf. The cane circled around the area, as if indicating that something was there.
‘Might there be something there?’
Yuric looked around and found a makeshift platform to climb up. Standing on the platform, he reached the spot where the cane hovered.
As his head rose, the spirit peeked out from the book. He pulled the book out and read the title. It was an unremarkable old history book.
After flipping through the stiff leather cover and turning the pages, he discovered a crumpled piece of paper inside. He hadn’t expected to find a folded paper in the book.
‘What could this be?’
Yuric put the book back and unfolded the paper. However, it was blank.
At that moment, he recalled item number 57 from Dural’s storage—another blank piece of paper.
The very object that his predecessors, Gin and Tornel, had treated lightly!
‘There must be a reason the spirit led me here.’
Yuric didn’t believe the blank paper was meaningless. Similarly, Dural wouldn’t have casually placed it in storage without a reason.
Perhaps there were more of these blank papers scattered across the continent.
‘I doubt it,’
Yuric vaguely remembered seeing something related to this in Adrian’s alchemy notes.
‘In the war against the demons long ago, special drugs were used to exchange encrypted messages without being detected by outsiders.’
He believed it was worth investigating further.
Before descending from the platform, Yuric gently stroked the worm spirit’s head.
“Thank you. Whether it’s someone’s intention or not, I will definitely fulfill it.”
The worm spirit fluttered its wings as if saying thanks.
