3
Chapter 3- The Introduction to Magic.
In the dim light of dawn,
Yurik woke to the sound of chirping birds.
As soon as he rose from his sleeping bag, he opened the window and gazed at the forest at dawn.
His lungs, warmed overnight, cooled in the crisp morning air, and his mind, once clouded by dreams, began to shine with clarity once more.
He gently touched the sculpture by the window, then grabbed his drawing tools and stepped out of the cottage.
The beauty of nature.
The quaint cottage.
The peaceful air.
Though he couldn’t capture it all in a single drawing, he tried his best to express as much as he could.
After a short drawing session, he picked a few vegetables from the garden for breakfast and returned to the cottage.
It had already been half a month since Yurik arrived here.
Life here wasn’t so different from life in his rural village, so he didn’t need much time to adjust.
The only difference was a few additional household chores.
When he returned to the cottage, his master, Hene, was already sitting at the living room table, sipping tea while gazing at the morning scenery.
He greeted her and prepared a simple breakfast.
Breakfast wasn’t anything extravagant—just a soft loaf of bread, a few slices of cheese, some dried meat, and vegetables on the side.
After breakfast, the two washed up briefly by the nearby lake and began their daily routine.
Master Hene delved into her complex research, while Yurik studied runic language.
Surprisingly, Yurik mastered the runic language in just half a month, even though he had been given a month to do so.
Of course, he had also fully mastered the common language.
It was an undeniably extraordinary pace.
In fact, Hene had even considered giving him an extra month if he struggled with the languages.
Of course, Hene wasn’t the type to shower him with praise for something like that.
With her usual stoic expression, she simply said, ‘Well done,’ and left it at that.
“So, I assume you’re ready to begin learning magic. Shall we start the formal introduction? Or do you need more time?”
“No, I’m ready. Let’s start right away!”
The master handed Yurik an introductory book.
However, this book was on a completely different level from the language books he had studied before.
It was much thicker, and every page was densely packed with text and illustrations, suggesting that it would take an enormous amount of time to fully digest.
“Runic language is the pathway to mana. And we, as mages, communicate with the universe through this runic language. That is what magic is.”
Yurik, already full of questions, raised his hand.
The master gestured for him to ask.
“So, can’t we communicate with the universe using the common language?”
“Not exactly. But if we were to infuse the common language with mana, how would we manage everyday communication? If we expended mana every time we spoke, we wouldn’t be able to live normal lives. In short, the common language and runic language have their own uses and must be kept separate.”
“I see. Understood.”
Their lessons continued without a sense of time.
Master Hene, momentarily forgetting where to stop, was amazed by her disciple’s ability to absorb every word she said.
…It was a moment when the new master vaguely realized how rewarding it could be to teach a bright disciple.
After a while, the master paused to catch her breath and looked out the window at the sky.
The sun was already high in the sky.
“Let’s stop here for today. Read the book as far as you can.”
“Understood.”
“If there’s something you don’t understand, think deeply about it first. Asking yourself is more important than asking me. If, after much thought and effort, you still don’t understand, then ask me. Magic is about building your own tower within yourself. You must build your own tower, Yurik.”
The disciple bowed his head, determined to remember these words.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Master.”
“Good.”
Even after the lesson ended, Yurik stayed in the study, reading the introductory book.
Though it contained many difficult concepts, reading it two or three times helped him gradually understand.
Runic language is a way to communicate with the universe.
When the universe hears the plea of a mortal, it responds with magic.
The universe is an absolute existence.
It is an eternal cycle with no beginning or end.
To understand even a fraction of the universe, one must adopt a perspective beyond that of a mortal.
The universe encompasses everything.
Practitioner, do not think of the universe as distant.
Remember that you, too, are a part of it.
The ultimate goal of magic is communication with all things.
Thus, mana, resembling the universe, endlessly circulates within a mage’s circle.
Even if the practitioner dies, the mana is passed on to someone else, to something in the universe, and continues to circulate.
Forever.
Yurik became increasingly captivated and enchanted by these profound truths, theories, and systems, just as he had been when he first learned to draw and sculpt.
He became so immersed in magic that he even forgot to breathe.
Hene didn’t disturb her disciple, lost in his own thoughts.
She didn’t tell him to eat or go to bed.
She simply left him alone, waiting for him to emerge from his contemplation on his own.
As the days passed, Yurik’s understanding began to grow at an astonishing rate.
And then, another month passed.
Yurik began to sense mana on his own.
Of course, Master Hene had no doubt that Yurik would learn magic quickly, but his progress far exceeded her expectations.
To grasp mana simply by reading the explanations in the introductory book was nothing short of genius.
For most talented individuals, it takes at least a year to reach the first milestone.
Even Hene had taken three months.
But Yurik did it in just one month.
A mere month after beginning his study of magic, he had already surpassed the first milestone.
As Yurik’s magical understanding deepened, so did his artistic skills.
The small sculptures that adorned the cottage garden began to subtly contain mana.
And so, Yurik’s presence became more and more ingrained in the cottage of Hene, the disciple of the Grand Matron.
* * *
As usual, Yurik woke early in the morning and left the cottage.
His destination was the shore of a large lake not far from the cottage.
The serene surface of the water, shimmering with the crimson light of dawn, was one of the most beautiful scenes Yurik had ever seen in both his past and present lives.
He wanted to show it to his brother and sister back home.
He opened his bag and took out paper and charcoal.
Master Hene had recently started providing him with paper instead of tree bark, telling him to ask for more whenever he needed it.
Thanks to this, he could now draw to his heart’s content on high-quality paper.
In the quiet of dawn, he immersed himself in his own world.
The charcoal moved, sketching the scenery.
The lush forest, the beautiful flowers, the lake shimmering with sunlight.
With each stroke, mana infused the drawing.
After realizing mana, Yurik had wondered why his drawings contained it, but if this was also a form of communication with the universe, it wasn’t so strange.
Of course, he didn’t spend too much time on this hobby.
His primary focus was magic, not drawing.
And he didn’t forget his duties as his master’s disciple.
He soon packed up his things and returned to the cottage.
…And in the garden, he saw a familiar figure.
It was the young mage who had spoken with Master Hene on his first day here and who visited the cottage every week to deliver supplies.
Hene had told him that she was the third disciple of Ingris, a senior mage and disciple of the Grand Matron.
The young mage was bent over a rock in the garden, examining a sculpture placed on it.
Sensing his presence, she turned her gaze toward Yurik.
Having never exchanged greetings before, Yurik saw this as a good opportunity and approached her.
Living in the cottage had made him miss human interaction.
“Hello. We’ve met before, right? I’m Yurik.”
The young mage stared intently at his face.
She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to respond.
Her master, Ingris, had warned her not to cause trouble here… But ignoring a greeting would be too harsh.
“…Hello. I’m Monika.”
Monika, who looked two or three years older than Yurik, was remarkably mature for her age.
Of course, Yurik was no less mature himself.
“Nice to meet you, Monika.”
Finally getting a closer look at Yurik, Monika immediately noticed how handsome and friendly he was, despite having rarely interacted with boys her age, having grown up in Arpenheim.
“Do you have some time, by any chance?”
Time? Monika’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…Time? I’m busy.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Why?”
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to draw your portrait.”
“My portrait? …Of me?”
“Yes, would you like to see some examples?”
Yurik pulled out a stack of paper from his bag and showed it to her.
To her surprise, his drawing skills were exceptional.
Some of the pieces were so good that she wanted to frame them and display them on her desk.
Mages lived and died by their curiosity. And Monika was no exception.
“…Alright. Then draw me next time.”
“Sure, I will.”
Yurik watched Monika leave for a while before turning back to the cottage.
And from the living room window, Master Hene had been watching the entire scene from beginning to end.