Yuric and Gerbus took care of the boy’s house instead of Lucius. The boy’s father, who died of a heart attack, was buried in a communal graveyard outside the castle. The six gold coins of debt that the boy’s father had in his lifetime were resolved by Yuric and Gerbus. This was because they thought it might affect Lucius.
With all the household affairs settled, Gerbus brought an old wardrobe from the house to be used as a laboratory. Given that the laboratory already contained various dismembered body parts preserved in bottles or eerie patterns on the walls, adding another old wardrobe seemed perfectly normal.
“How are you doing, Lucius?”
“Yes, I’m loving it!”
Anton and Gerbus, having heard Lucius’ story, kindly allowed him to live in the laboratory, despite it not being a suitable space for a child. For someone who had always struggled with hunger and pain, this place felt like heaven. He was content just knowing he wouldn’t go hungry every day.
Lucius quickly adapted to life in the laboratory. Unlike other mages who would find the eerie objects repulsive, he remained unfazed, even finding them fascinating. To him, mages were objects of admiration… and perhaps he was suited for the field of curse studies.
Yuric cared for Lucius whenever he could. The boy was very intelligent and learned quickly. His passion for learning and his ability to sense mana were remarkable. Yuric believed that this boy would grow up to be an excellent mage.
“Ifir meets him, the two will surely become good friends.”
Ifir, who had been loved unconditionally by the guardian tree, Yuric believed they would surely become good friends if they met.
Yuric often saw spirits lying beside Lucius at night, hugging the boy tightly. It reminded him of how a sister might love her younger brother. Of course, Anton and Gerbus were unaware that there were spirits in the wardrobe.
Yuric painted a picture of the siblings sleeping peacefully and beautifully together.
“Thank you, Universe, for your mercy.”
Lucius adored that painting and spent hours each day looking at and touching it. His longing and love for his sister flowed through his fingertips and into the painting.
Soon, Anton and Gerbus also began treating Lucius as their own child. The bright and kind boy brought life and laughter to the cursed studies laboratory. Yuric believed that Lucius, as well as Anton and Gerbus, needed each other.
Lucius attended the cursed studies lectures with Yuric, where he learned how to study and approach learning by watching Anton and Yuric. Slowly but surely, he was transforming into a proper mage.
While taking care of Lucius, Yuric continued to search for the third symbol on the treasure map of the Magician of Eulmas, observing every nook and cranny. He suspected that the location of the third symbol was Eulmas, but he needed solid evidence to be sure. Otherwise, he might waste time needlessly.
Despite his keen observational skills, which were renowned as the Magician of Eulmas, Yuric found no clues after more than two months of searching Eulmas.
“Perhaps I was mistaken. The first two symbols might be related to the Magic City, but we can’t assume the same for the remaining symbol.”
It might have been mere coincidence. The third symbol could be pointing to a different city altogether.
On the treasure map, the triangle formed by the three symbols was clearly equilateral. However, when connecting the three magic cities on the actual map, an obtuse triangle was formed. No matter how one looked at it, an equilateral triangle could never be formed.
“Yet, if I draw an equilateral triangle with Bemberg and Ronadium as two vertices, there’s no city that fits the third vertex.”
Yuric often pondered this problem while sitting in a teahouse, but he found no answer for a long time.
Spring passed and summer approached as another month went by.
Yuric took Lucius out for a walk around the city for the first time in a while. He bought the boy some delicious snacks and drew pictures with him in the square. While studying magic in the laboratory was good, it was also necessary to take breaks like this.
Lucius had recently developed a liking for drawing, so Yuric gave him a canvas, quill, and brush. Lucius couldn’t hide his joy at receiving such a gift for the first time.
They drew the sunset over the square. Yuric often painted this scene, but it was Lucius’ first attempt. Though his technique was still clumsy, Yuric felt freshness and purity in his unfamiliarity.
As the sun set, Yuric used a purple magical sphere for lighting while Lucius continued to draw. Yuric glanced around the dim square.
It was the first time he had been there after dark. The numerous statues surrounding the Glory Square cast shadows on the buildings under the light of Yuric’s magical sphere. Suddenly, a realization struck him.
“Could it be?”
Yuric recalled the symbols on the treasure map. Upon reflection, both the previous symbols were related to light and shadow.
He moved his magical sphere around as if enchanted. Then, his gaze fell on the statue of the angel atop the fountain. The angel held its hands high, as if holding something.
Without hesitation, Yuric waded into the fountain. Lucius watched in surprise as his brother suddenly jumped into the fountain.
“Yuric, Brother?”
But Yuric’s attention was entirely focused elsewhere. He walked through the water towards the angel statue, using magic to place the magical sphere on the angel’s hands.
The bright light illuminated the statues in the Glory Square, from ancient heroes erected centuries ago to more recent modern ones.
The scene was dreamy yet majestic. Yuric recalled the pillar of light he received from the universe when he was young.
“Let there be light.”
Then, Yuric gazed at the shadows cast by the statues on the buildings.
“!”
One of the many shadows matched the symbol exactly. With a surge of emotion, Yuric approached the owner of that shadow.
“Jadrut Seberus.”
The name of the warrior holding a spear, who roared valiantly with flowing hair, was revealed. The spear appeared worn, and the statue had stains and rough edges, suggesting it was hundreds of years old.
“Could this hero be acquainted with the Magician of Treasures?”
Yuric remembered the name Jadrut Seberus and retrieved the magical sphere from the angel’s hands. Lucius cautiously asked why he did this.
“Have you heard of the Magician of Treasures, Dural?”
“The Magician of Treasures?”
The name alone sparked interest. Yuric smiled faintly and ruffled Lucius’ hair.
“I’ll tell you about it later tonight.”
After returning to the dormitory with Lucius, Yuric told him the story of the Magician of Treasures, Dural. Once Lucius fell asleep, Yuric slipped out and sat at his desk.
“Dear Sir Governor Niruin,”
Yuric wrote a letter to the Golden Hand Niruin after a long time. Starting with greetings, he mentioned finally finding a clue to the third symbol, and expressed his anticipation for meeting in the future.
However, he had only found the clues and locations of the three symbols, not the location of the treasure itself.
Even after sealing the envelope, Yuric sat at his desk, deep in thought.
“At first, my guess was correct—the three magic cities are right…”
Three symbols. An equilateral triangle. Half-closed eyes.
Yuric spread the continent map on his desk and marked the three points where the symbols were found. Connecting these three points with string, it was clear that the equilateral triangle depicted on the treasure map did not appear.
He tried using mathematical knowledge to mark various points such as the incenter, circumcenter, and centroid of the triangle, but somehow, it didn’t seem right.
Even after sending the letter to Governor Niruin, Yuric continued to ponder the meanings of the three points, the triangle, and the half-closed eyes whenever he had a moment.
Unable to sleep, Yuric wandered the night garden after leaving the laboratory to clear his mind. Standing before an old tree, he looked up at the branch where the spirit sat. The graceful blue bird spirit also looked down at him.
As Yuric’s gaze naturally shifted to the night sky behind the spirit, countless stars shimmered beautifully against the dark backdrop.
“…and suddenly, lightning flashed in his mind.”
“Could it be…?”
Yuric recalled the three points marked on the map and the stars in the night sky.
Constellations.
The three points marking the magic cities might not represent shapes, but constellations.
