How a Wizard Survives (1)
How a Wizard Survives (1)
When did it start?
Birthdays stopped being something to look forward to.
In a backwater village like this, a birthday doesn't mean much anyway.
Especially for a rootless orphan like me.
It was different when I was a kid, though.
Back then, I wanted to grow up as fast as possible.
I thought that if I left the village as an adult, something might actually begin.
Not anymore.
What awaited me as an adult wasn't some new life. Just a draft notice from the military.
And not just any posting: a draft notice for the Front Lines, crawling with demons and Demonic Beasts!
"Another day done."
Hans said as he watched the sun set, lugging a bundle of firewood beside me.
Two months until my enlistment.
Now even that damn sunset grates on my nerves.
Jakob, one of the village's Three Outcasts, wouldn't stop grumbling.
"Seriously, does it even make sense to draft three guys from a village with only six young men? Who's going to farm the fields then?"
"That bastard Luther will handle it, I'm sure."
I shoved down my resentment and spat the words out.
Naturally, Luther, the village chief's son, was exempt from the draft.
Because of that, Jakob's parents glared at the chief and his wife as if they were mortal enemies.
But Jakob's situation was still a lot better than mine.
If a miracle happened and the draft numbers were cut, he might actually stay in the village.
I can't even hope for a miracle like that.
An orphan living in the village chief's shed was the obvious first choice for the draft.
"I thought the war would be over by the time I got drafted..."
"Hans. You keep saying that, but how long are you going to keep practicing with that wooden sword?"
"Huh? Green, how'd you know about that?"
Jakob and I glanced at each other and snorted.
"He actually thought we wouldn't notice."
"Quit wasting your effort. You really think swinging a stick around by yourself is going to make any difference?"
"S-Shut up. Green, you can read and do math, so you might end up a desk clerk. Me, not a chance."
"Then you should've learned with me."
As we, the Three Outcasts, neared the village and caught the smoke from cooking fires, we let out another collective sigh.
What difference does a desk job make?
I'm still getting dragged off to war.
A sudden heaviness settled in my chest, and I forced out a joke.
"Why don't we just all run away to the city? Then that brat Luther would get hauled off for sure."
"You think the city takes just anyone? And they'd probably draft guys like us first thing."
"Yeah. Besides, we've got families."
'I don't.'
I answered inwardly, pouting a little. Hans immediately shot Jakob a look.
Honestly, I don't even care that much anymore, but he's a good guy.
After our usual pointless grumbling, we returned to find something had changed.
First off, that brat Luther, who tormented us every day, was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, an unfamiliar carriage stood at the village entrance.
Not the kind of merchant wagon we usually saw.
It was sturdily built, its interior completely hidden, and even fitted with thick iron bars.
We exchanged looks, then turned back to the carriage.
"What's that? Who's visiting?"
"Never seen that carriage before."
"Hey, this is huge."
The chief's son, Luther, who'd been hovering around the carriage, came over acting unusually friendly.
He probably just wanted to flaunt his meager knowledge... but right now, that meager knowledge was more than we had.
"What is it? Spit it out."
"Heretic Inquisitors. From the city."
"H-Heretic Inquisitors? The ones who hunt mages?"
"Shh! What, you think there are other kinds? If you can't watch your mouths, you might get taken away too."
Luther was just trying to scare us... but the Heretic Inquisitors were infamous even in a backwater village like this.
Apparently, if they found a mage, they'd take their family and friends too.
No one taken away ever came back.
"No way there's a mage in our village..."
"You idiot. They said they're just passing through."
"So, is there a mage in that carriage?"
"Nah, no way."
The other kids snickered at Hans's words.
But to me, it didn't sound like a joke at all.
Now that I looked closely, that carriage was exactly like a prisoner transport.
Clank.
We were still buzzing with the rare excitement when the chief's door opened, and we scattered in a flash.
Whatever the case, everyone knew that nothing good came from approaching Heretic Inquisitors.
We fled like guilty mages, but even after that, we couldn't stop chattering.
"But why do they take them away?"
"Because mages are bad guys?"
"Yeah, but why are they bad?"
"I heard all mages are pawns of demons. The magic they use is actually demonic power."
I'm getting dragged off to war because of demons, and now demons are here too?
I already hated mages.
Still, my heart, which hadn't raced like this in a while, wouldn't settle down.
When Luther, who'd been tasked with helping the chief entertain the guests, strutted off looking smug, Hans spoke quietly.
"Hey, want to check out the mage tonight?"
"What? Are you crazy, Hans?"
"What's the big deal? We're getting dragged off to war soon anyway. We'll just take a look. Aren't you curious what a mage looks like?"
I was curious.
What did a pawn of demons really look like?
Jakob already looked more than half convinced.
But then he shook his head slightly, as if remembering his family's faces.
"That's a stupid and dangerous idea."
"You chickening out?"
"No. Let's do it. Right now."
"We at least have to wait until night. Midnight. Meet back here."
We nodded and scattered immediately.
After handing my bundle of firewood to the chief's wife, I got a bowl of watery gruel.
"We have guests. Eat quietly."
"When have I ever eaten noisily..."
Bang.
She slammed the door before I even finished.
It's my birthday, and I get absolutely nothing?
She used to at least give me a scrap of meat.
Maybe because I'm just a guy about to be shipped off to war, or maybe because of the guests, she completely forgot my birthday...
'If there really is a mage locked up in there, should I just let them out?'
Stepping into the shed, I stared at the Heretic Inquisitors' carriage through a rat hole in the wall.
Just staring at it gave me the creeps, since it looked like a moving prison.
After wolfing down the half-cold gruel, I closed my eyes for what felt like a moment.
Hans and Jakob came for me under the cover of night.
"Hey, Green! You asleep?"
"No. Ready to go?"
"But it's obviously locked. How do we get in?"
"We don't need to open it. Let's just peek inside."
Moving as quietly as we could, we approached the carriage and looked it over carefully.
No windows, not even a tiny crack.
The carriage panels were perfectly joined and sealed.
Besides, it looked incredibly strong, definitely not something we could ever open.
"Wow, what's this thing made of..."
"We can't open this. Was there even a mage inside to begin with?"
"This is pointless. Let's head back."
"Wait just a little..."
"Who goes there?!"
A sharp voice rang out, and the area lit up.
We froze like ice, hands shooting into the air.
Emerging under the torchlight were men clad in thick armor.
Jakob, scared out of his wits, immediately ratted us out before they could even speak.
"These guys made me do it!"
"You bastard, Jakob!"
"That's right! It was Hans's idea! We were just watching..."
"Tch, Green!"
"Quiet, all of you! Do you really want to die?!"
As the village's fattest chief scolded us, the nearby soldiers snickered.
Men and women in armor I'd never seen before calmed the chief down.
"It's alright. Happens often enough."
"Besides, it's not like a few kids could open it even if they tried."
"You kids are draft age, right? You're going to have a hard time on the Front Lines."
Thankfully, the Heretic Inquisitors seemed ready to let this slide.
We had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief.
One of the Inquisitors thrust something toward us.
"Captain, let's check just in case. They might have genuinely intended to break them out."
"You're always so thorough. If you really want to."
"Thank you."
The Inquisitor nodded curtly and held out a cross attached to a chain.
Ignoring our flinches, he continued the procedure with mechanical formality.
Looking uneasy, the village chief asked cautiously.
His tone was even more deferential than when he addressed the lord's steward.
He wasn't worried about us, of course.
"What are you doing?"
"Searching for any mages that might be hiding. When a mage is nearby, the cross..."
As the captain continued his explanation, the cross reached me.
Just like Hans and Jakob had done, I stiffened on instinct.
But then the chain-bound cross suddenly started trembling violently.
"It trembles like that."
The captain's face hardened instantly, and he drew his sword.
The villagers who'd gathered in the dead of night screamed.
I just stood there blankly, still not understanding what was happening.
"A mage! It's a mage!"
"A... mage? Me?"
"Hands up! Don't move a muscle."
"No, wait! Hold on! How can I be a mage... Hans! Jakob! Say something!"
Seeing his old friend getting misunderstood, Hans didn't hesitate to raise his voice.
"That bastard's a mage! I knew it all along!"
"Yeah. No wonder he wanted us to let the mage go..."
"A mage! A mage!"
Those sons of bitches.
I'm a fool for hoping, even for a second.
The Heretic Inquisitors, swords drawn, didn't hesitate to open the carriage's firmly shut door.
I was hurled into the dark, cramped interior.
My 17th birthday was truly the worst one yet.