After the banquet, Yuric returned to his usual days.
In the mornings, he taught Young Lady Ior as a private tutor, and in the afternoons, he treated Cecilia or explored the city or gardens if he wasn’t treating her.
Cecilia’s treatment was progressing well.
The constricted mana pathways were gradually returning to their original form, and with that, the mana reflux symptoms were decreasing. Although there were occasional relapses, overall, the symptoms were clearly improving.
As they spent more time together living in the same quarters, Yuric found himself spending more time with Cecilia. They would sometimes explore the city together, and at other times, they would visit the general stores with Ior.
Especially since there were many places to see around the city, before he knew it, the evening twilight would arrive.
Early in the morning or late in the evening, Yuric would sometimes watch Cecilia train. She was a mage but also a martial adept, so she had considerable skill in physical techniques. Though Yuric had learned some martial arts from Great Witch Yelni while studying reinforcement spells, he hadn’t reached Cecilia’s level of systematic training.
She mainly used her fists, occasionally wielding a mace. She regularly sparred with her disciples, and during these sessions, the mercenaries would take quite a beating, falling down and groaning.
Yuric began calling Cecilia “sister” instead of “captain.” This was largely due to encouragement from the mercenaries, who all called her “sister” in private too.
When he first called her “sister,” her eyes widened. If it felt burdensome, he offered to call her “captain,” but she waved her hand, saying it didn’t feel that way at all. Instead, she felt deeply grateful for his closeness.
Interestingly, just changing one title made Yuric and Cecilia feel much closer. She started calling him “you” or “Mr. Yuric” before, but now she called him by name in a friendly manner.
A week later, Yuric received a summons from Golden Hand Niruin. The purpose was to draw a picture.
Following an attendant, Yuric went to the main building. There, he could finally feel the powerful barrier magic installed throughout the building.
“The flow of mana is consistent and unbroken. Truly, this is a perfect example of proper construction.”
The mana flow along the barrier was so seamless that it was almost impossible to find any gaps. The mage who set up the barrier must have been a seasoned expert with decades of experience in this field.
The interior of the mansion was opulently decorated. Everywhere he looked, white marble and gold adorned the walls. The corridors, lit by lantern light, were lined with elegant vases and sculptures.
Yuric was captivated by a beautiful marble statue and stood in front of it, momentarily entranced. His artistic spirit seemed to explode within him. Fortunately, the attendant patiently waited until he finished his inspection.
Finally, after a while, they arrived at Niruin’s study.
Surprisingly, unlike the lavish mansion, his study was modest, like something you might see in any ordinary house.
There were two others in the study besides Niruin: a knight in armor and a mage radiating dense mana. The mage was notably high-level.
Yuric approached Niruin, bowing respectfully as he stepped on the red carpet.
“Your Grace, Shliffen. You summoned me?”
“Oh, yes, you’re here. Didn’t you say you wanted to draw me?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then we have the perfect opportunity now.”
Golden Hand Niruin placed his hands lightly on the desk, leaning his chin on them as he looked at Yuric.
“How do I look?”
“Very good.”
“Then go ahead and draw me.”
Yuric took out a high-quality piece of paper and drawing tools from his bag. He carefully observed Niruin’s golden hand, then began to draw delicate lines with a thin charcoal. The knight and the mage stepped aside to observe intently.
After a long while, Yuric completed Niruin’s portrait and presented it respectfully. When Niruin received the drawing, his eyes filled with nostalgia.
“…I guess I’ve grown old too.”
Though he saw himself in the mirror every day, today he felt the passage of time keenly.
Niruin handed the drawing back to Yuric, but he declined.
“I drew the picture, so that’s enough. I’d like to give this to you, Your Grace.”
“If you insist on refusing, then how about I give you a gift in return…? Is there anything you want? Something other than drawing.”
Golden Hand laughed heartily.
After some thought, Yuric cautiously spoke.
“Could you show me the treasure map of Dural?”
“Treasure map?”
Of course, showing the map was no trouble. Golden Hand Niruin asked his personal mage, Nero, to fetch the treasure map.
Soon, the treasure map, under strict protection, was brought into Niruin’s study.
“Feel free to examine it.”
Yuric, intrigued by the map of Dural, turned to Niruin again.
“May I comment on the map?”
“Go ahead.”
“Among the three symbols in the center of the map, I believe I’ve seen the one at the bottom before.”
At this, Niruin’s eyes slightly widened. He got up and walked toward the display stand where the map was placed. The knight and the mage followed closely.
“Explain in detail.”
Yuric pointed to the symbol at the bottom.
“In the center of the three symbols, there’s a half-closed eye. In magic, an eye often represents wisdom, insight, and sometimes the sun. Ancient people regarded the sun as the eye of the universe.”
Listening intently, the three were quickly engrossed in Yuric’s explanation.
“When seen as the sun, the half-closed eye represents the moment when the sun is just rising or setting.”
“What then?”
“I often draw pictures whenever I visit a city, usually in the evening. And this looks very similar to what I saw that evening.”
“Shadow!”
“But it’s not just a simple shadow… Your Grace, have you ever seen a shadow play?”
“I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t seen one.”
“Your Grace, may I close the curtains briefly to block the light?”
“Go ahead!”
Yuric took out a magical artifact from his bag, illuminating it and closing the curtains. Inside, only the light from the artifact remained.
He walked to the wall and overlapped his hands to create a shape. The shadow cast on the wall looked like a bird flying.
“It looks like a bird. That’s a dog.”
Yuric created several animal shadows with his hands, feeling he had conveyed his point sufficiently, and returned to the display stand.
“These are exactly what I’m talking about. They are shadows that appear only in the evening, formed by overlapping objects.”
“You saw this?”
He nodded and recounted where he saw it.
“On the bridge of Magic City Bemberg.”
Then he took out a drawing from his bag. It depicted a beautiful moment as the sunset. On the bridge, there was a black shadow like the treasure map. Clearly, with a slight adjustment in angle, it would match perfectly.
“It’s the shadow of the magic castle and the bridge reflected in the setting sun.”
“How incredible!”
Golden Hand Niruin clapped in amazement, exclaiming like a child who discovered something amazing.
“Does that mean the other two symbols are similar?”
“I have a preliminary sketch based on my speculation, but…”
“Show it to me quickly!”
Niruin’s body trembled with excitement. The knight and the mage were already caught up in the atmosphere.
Yuric took out two sheets of paper from his bag. These were sketches he made based on his observations of the shadows, speculating about their shapes. Niruin held the papers in both hands, nodding thoughtfully.
“Of course, this is just one possibility among many. There are still countless cities I haven’t visited yet…”
“It certainly seems plausible.”
Niruin returned the papers to Yuric.
“So why do you think Bemberg’s shadow pattern was drawn?”
“To guide the direction, I believe. Based on the shadow cast by the magic castle, indicating the direction. If we find the other two, we can determine the location of the treasure.”
“What about the remaining symbols?”
“I haven’t investigated them thoroughly yet. I apologize.”
“No, this is already a significant breakthrough.”
After the explanation, the knight opened the curtains, letting bright sunlight flood the study once more.
They felt as if they had briefly explored an unknown realm. Sitting back in his chair, Niruin tapped the table with his fingers and spoke to Yuric.
“You must have your own tasks to attend to?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Then I won’t keep you here. But I might need your help occasionally. I’ll compensate you generously. Of course, including this time.”
Yuric had no reason to refuse. If it meant finding humanity’s great treasures hidden somewhere, he was willing to help.
“Of course. Compensation is fine. How could I dare ask for compensation when it comes to humanity’s noble history.”
Feeling Yuric’s sincerity, Golden Hand smiled oddly.
“…I’m not usually this generous, but I feel like I want to give you everything.”
“Your appreciation is enough for me.”
Golden Hand pulled something from his drawer. It was a golden badge. The knight and the mage looked surprised.
“This is a token of my people. If you face any difficult situations, show this. …It’s okay, take it.”
Unable to refuse any longer, Yuric accepted the golden badge from Golden Hand politely.
“Thank you.”
“While you stay here, come see me often. I’d like to see more of your drawings.”
“I will.”
After Yuric left, Golden Hand muttered to the knight and the mage as if speaking to himself.
“If only I had a son like him. Wouldn’t that be reassuring?”
