Yuric woke up abruptly at the sound of a rooster’s crow. Due to tossing and turning all night on an unfamiliar bed after finally falling asleep, his eyes felt as stiff as hinges that hadn’t been oiled.
He pressed his face into the musty-smelling pillow for a moment before pulling away. When his feet touched the cold wooden floor, the numbness that had clung to them quickly retreated.
After washing his face with water he had prepared the day before in a basin and cleaning his hands and feet, he gathered his clothes, slung a bag over his shoulder, and left the narrow inn room.
It was still early morning, and the corridor echoed with snores. As Yuric walked down to the first-floor hall, creaking on the wooden floorboards, he saw mercenaries preparing for an early expedition having breakfast. He joined them and ate a tasteless meal. …Still, it was better than a failed potion.
Thus, Yuric finished his meal and left the inn early in the morning. Although spring had arrived, the morning air was still chilly. He tightened his scarf and continued walking.
While he could have stayed here for another day or two, Yuric did not feel the need to. Unless he was short on travel money, which he wasn’t, there was nothing else he needed to see here.
‘I want to meet my brother as soon as possible.’
He missed his older brother, Luke, dearly, and it had been eight years since they lost contact. From the moment he left Arphenheim, he had no time to waste.
Though he occasionally sent letters, he didn’t know if they reached Luke, and Luke never received any letters from him either.
The place was merely a remote village where caravans occasionally passed through to buy lumber. It was unlikely that a courier would willingly go out of their way just to deliver a single letter.
Yuric arrived at the carriage station located at the southern gate of the Baron’s Estate of Mountbaud.
The station was bustling with people ready to depart, having been busy since dawn. The old coachmen wore placards with crookedly written destinations around their necks, shouting the destination at every passing guest.
– Cors!
– Einbreader!
– Pontu!
– Gailstun!
Yuric, who had been chewing on a dried pumpkin while holding a baby, approached the coachman calling “Gailstun” and paid his fare, then boarded the carriage. There were already five passengers. Judging by the deadly weapons they carried, four of them seemed to be mercenaries.
As the sun began to rise on the horizon, the coachman stopped hawking and raised the step. Almost simultaneously, the carriages set off in unison.
Being as curious as a mage, the mercenary with a large scar on his face asked Yuric, who looked like a young master, a question.
“Looks like someone who can make women cry. Where are you going?”
“To my hometown.”
Then, the mercenary with the scar slapped his knee, closed his eyes, and savored the word “hometown.”
“Hometown…! Yes, having a hometown to return to is a blessing. Looking at your direction, it seems to be somewhere in the south, right?”
“A very remote village in the south.”
“Oh, you’ve made it big. Your family must be happy. …But don’t give everything away. In this world, there are more people asking for more than saying thank you.”
“Yes, I’ll be careful.”
Yuric smiled thinly and nodded.
“But it’s really chaotic at this time.”
“…Chaotic?”
“Didn’t you hear the rumors? It seems the Demons are causing quite a stir on the southern front. Now, everyone with a whiff of money is heading south. Me included, and so are they.”
The man pointed at a few more mercenaries with his fingers.
Having been isolated from the world for nearly eight years, Yuric naturally knew little about the outside world.
The short-nosed female mercenary grinned, showing her yellow teeth, and fiddled with the large axe blade with her thumb.
“This is a great chance to earn a lot of money.”
“What do you mean by a lot of money? We small fry should just survive and pick up whatever scraps fall our way, girl.”
“So you’re destined to be small fry forever, kid.”
“Trying to act like you’re not small fry?”
“So this time, we’re going to shed our small fry skins, right?”
“Live within your means. If you’re small fry, you’re meant to be small fry. Don’t throw a fit and get your head chopped off for no reason.”
“Damn, save your sermons for the temple.”
Although their words were fierce as if they were about to fight, this was normal conversation for mercenaries who always lived with their necks on the line.
Yuric turned his gaze outside the carriage.
‘Southern front… Demons… A lot of money…’
He briefly gazed at the wide expanse of land where the sun was rising. Unripe barley swayed gently in the wind.
The noisy carriage interior was now filled only with the sound of sleeping breaths. He took out paper and charcoal from his bag and sketched the fields where the barley was ripening.
There was still a long way to go until he reached his hometown.
It took him exactly one month, but Yuric finally arrived at the Baron’s Estate of Grozia, a town with a population of 50,000. By the time he departed, the unripe barley had already turned yellow and was in full harvest season. The farmers, having enjoyed a bountiful year, were smiling as they reflected on the hardships of the past year.
Yuric spent considerable effort looking for a carriage to take him to the countryside. Naturally, no coachman wanted to make such a long trip for just one passenger. Eventually, he paid for five passengers and got a small cargo cart pulled by an old donkey.
After moving for another full day, Yuric finally saw a familiar path. It was the entrance to the village.
Seeing the small plots of land and the dilapidated wooden fence that he thought had disappeared triggered memories of his childhood. His heart pounded unusually hard with the thought of finally arriving.
As he entered deeper into the village and turned onto a winding road, Yuric saw a familiar hill. The rock on top of the hill, bathed in the evening sunset, was desolate and empty.
Finally, the village came into view. Much had changed in the village. Eight years had passed. Even if a baby had been born when he left, he had missed eight years of their growth.
The villagers curiously watched the late arrival of this stranger, although there weren’t many of them. There were only two people, and one was a coachman.
The coachman drove the carriage to the house Yuric was guiding them to. There was a low hill in the middle, so Yuric got off the carriage and walked for a bit. Despite this, the old donkey struggled to climb the hill.
Finally, they arrived at his hometown. When the carriage stopped in front of his house, his family, who had been watching from the window, came out. His parents, whose hair had turned gray, asked who he was.
Even though they had been stern and distant, Yuric felt his chest tighten as he stood in front of them.
“Father, Mother, it’s me.”
“…Yuric?”
Yuric hugged his father and mother. He saw a small child clinging to the doorframe. Seeing a face he didn’t recognize, he guessed this was probably his younger brother, born after he left.
No one else was there. Not the eldest brother, the second brother, nor his brother Luke, and not his sister Yeri.
“Where are my brothers?”
“They all left.”
His father’s voice was troubled.
“Let’s go inside first.”
His mother led him inside. She also invited the coachman, who had been exhausted from the journey, to join them.
It seemed they were eating dinner, as there were dishes on the table. Life seemed unchanged, as the food on the plates hadn’t changed much.
His mother brought out two more dishes and served Yuric and the coachman. With a warm welcome, she even brought out a hard bread and dried meat for her son who had returned after a long time.
His father seemed to think bringing out such things was unnecessary, but he didn’t say it outright.
“How have you been?”
“I followed my magic teacher and learned magic.”
His father and mother looked surprised, their eyes widening. They had thought he had gone off to the city to become a mercenary, unaware of the story behind his journey.
“You learned magic? Are you a mage?”
“Yes, I’m a mage. I recently became independent.”
“That’s good. That’s great. Really.”
His father muttered repeatedly as he ladled soup, but the spoon remained in mid-air for a long time.
“But where are Luke and Yeri now?”
This changed the atmosphere.
“Yeri got married recently. To Dike. You know him, right? Big and strong.”
Yuric vaguely remembered Dike. He was big but innocent, he thought.
“As for Luke… I don’t know. I haven’t heard anything from him. He left five years ago.”
“He left? But Luke has a leg injury, doesn’t he?”
“In any case, he left. After that, I don’t know. He isn’t here.”
The dinner ended with an awkward pause. His mother showed Yuric and the coachman where they could sleep. His younger brother kept glancing at them curiously.
Yuric ruffled his younger brother’s hair and gave him some dried fruit from his bag. The coachman immediately lay down and fell asleep as soon as he found a place to rest.
Once Yuric confirmed the coachman was asleep, he went out alone and headed down the path towards Dike’s house. He knocked loudly on the door. A young man who looked like Dike and a grown-up woman opened it. He recognized traces of his childhood friend in the woman’s face.
“Yeri.”
“…Brother?”
But it seemed the long separation had affected her. Yeri didn’t seem to recall the old days as vividly as he did. She was too young back then. They had only played together for about two years before he left, and he had been gone for almost eight years.
Dike, who had always been kind, still was. He warmly welcomed Yuric, who had returned after a long absence.
“Come in and have some tea.”
But Yuric shook his head.
“I just wanted to say hello and leave.”
“…Alright, then…”
Dike stepped aside to give them space. Yeri came out and stood in front of him.
“You’ve grown up. You’re getting married soon.”
The mischievous Yeri simply smiled shyly.
“It’s good to know you’re doing well. I feel relieved. I can leave now with peace of mind.”
“Are you leaving already?”
“I’ll leave tomorrow. I just dropped by for a bit.”
Yuric opened his bag and handed Yeri a bundle. When she opened it, she found a pile of silver coins.
“These are too much, brother. Can I take this much?”
“Take it. It’s fine. Really. Use it for your family.”
Then, he handed her a piece of paper and a fragment. It was a portrait of her and a sculpture of the three siblings sitting side by side.
“Would you keep this for me?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty. I’ll treasure it.”
“Thank you… But Yeri, do you know anything about Luke?”
“Big brother Luke?”
“Yes.”
Yeri glanced at Yuric.
“It’s okay, you can tell me. When you suddenly disappeared, there was chaos. You know Dad’s temper. Eventually, he couldn’t take it anymore and left on his own.”
Ah.
Hearing this, Yuric felt his heart warm and his eyes well up. Thinking about his brother limping alone on that long journey.
“After that, I haven’t heard anything. It’s been quite a while… I’m sorry, brother.”
Yeri cried. She understood how precious Yuric was to Luke. Like Yuric, Luke was like a father figure to her.
“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s okay. Don’t cry. I’ll look for him. I’ll find him. So don’t worry and live well, okay?”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t help…”
Yuric hugged Yeri tightly. She sobbed in his arms for a while.
“It’s too late. Let’s go in. Pull yourself together. Okay? I’ll definitely find Luke, so don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
“Alright… Take care.”
“You too, take care.”
Yuric left Dike’s house. Instead of going back to his family home, he climbed the hill where he and Luke used to spend time.
On the hill overlooking the village, bathed in moonlight, the rock where they used to draw pictures and carve sculptures was empty.
Yuric slowly walked over and sat on the rock. He stared endlessly into the distance, spending the night in that spot.
Early in the morning, he returned home and met his parents, who were boiling fodder for the livestock. He placed a money pouch on the table. His father, who had been waiting for it, snatched it up instantly and checked its contents.
“Use this for daily life.”
Yuric ate a simple meal with the coachman and prepared to leave. He kissed his younger brother’s forehead before he woke up.
“Listen to Auntie Yeri and grow up well.”
When his mother asked when he would come back, Yuric replied,
“I’m going far away, so I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Soon, the coachman tapped the donkey’s hindquarters lightly with his whip.
The carriage moved briskly down the road. Yuric saw Yeri standing by the roadside. He waved at her with a smile, bidding her farewell.
Goodbye, take care.
My home, my sister,
My childhood.
Yuric didn’t look back.
He left his hometown once again.
A young man woke up early. Rising from a corner of the stable, he limped busily to feed the horses their hay.
After cleaning the horse droppings, refilling the water, the sun had risen. Soon, the innkeeper came out with a food bowl and handed it to the young man, who bowed in gratitude.
But instead of eating, he took the bowl and headed to a back alley where pitiful children were waiting for food.
“Kids, let’s eat.”
Despite the portion being barely enough for one person, he mostly gave it to the children.
The young man spent the whole day going around the stables of the inn, limping. He cleaned the horse droppings, fed the horses, and tidied up the surroundings. The innkeeper rewarded him with food. This was the best he could do given his physical condition.
To some, this might seem like an unfortunate life. But he didn’t think so.
Being able to earn his own living and feed parentless children—it was a great blessing!
Looking at the children, the young man often thought of his departed younger brother. My dear younger brother. He must have grown into a great person.
He taught the children how to draw and sculpt, and he often talked about his younger brother. About the boy who left his hometown with a mage.
The young man had seen harsh treatment from horse guests, yet he never lost his smile.
Life is like that sometimes. He always told the children to never lose hope.
“Then someday, a mage will appear.”
And so, the young man continued his routine in the stable.
Cleaning the horse droppings, feeding the horses, refilling the water, tidying up, and…
“Brother.”
At the sound of his name, the young man trembled as if struck by lightning.
“Luke brother…”
Luke slowly turned his head. It was so familiar, yet so longed for.
How could he not recognize his beloved younger brother?
“Yuric…”
“Luke brother.”
Luke didn’t move. He couldn’t.
Tears streamed down his face.
He hadn’t shed a tear since leaving his hometown.
Beloved younger brother.
“Yuric…”
“Brother.”
For a long time, they stood still, then, as if they had promised each other, they ran toward each other and embraced.
“Thank you. Thank you. God.”
They had become each other’s hometown.
Such is life.
But never lose hope.
“Then someday, a mage will appear.”
A mage appeared for Luke.
His beloved younger brother had returned.
Luke cried in Yuric’s embrace.
Now, his younger brother could comfort him.
They had grown up.
*
