Wizard Of Cosmos

13 - Master Merlin

“This is a nice place.”

Logan looked around in an elated mood.  

“Do you know where to deliver the message?”

“I have to find Wizard Merlin.”

“Yeah, I heard. Like in legends?”

“I doubt that.”

The legendary Merlin was a powerful wizard in the stories on Earth. However, on Yuriel, the title Wizard referred to the 3rd ranking among the wizard rankings. Still, a Wizard wasn’t something he would confront even if he reached the level he was in his previous life. 

“What are you guys going to do?”

He looked back at his two companions.

“I like to walk around until you are done. Are you going to return to the town?”

Dawn asked him with interest. She saw how he fought, and she was impressed. There was a lot she could learn from Jason, at least that was her current plan.

“Yes, I have to go back and report after delivering the message.”

He already had twenty-three silvers, but he had to confirm that his work was complete. Besides, money was never too much.

“Can I add you as a friend?”

“Sure.”

He simply told her his ID. Privacy was the top priority of the World Builders, as they said. According to them, it should be impossible to be found through ID. However, he doubted that it would be of any use when they could see and record the true face of a person.

‘If governments never messed with the World Builders, who else would do that?’

“Bro, I added you as well. I will see the village until you are back. Call me before you go back.”

Logan also had no plan to leave Jason.

“Sure. But I am not leaving today.”

It was already past 2.00 pm. Jason spent half an hour on a stream near the village washing away the blood on his clothes. 

He had no thoughts of being on the road in the dark. If a mutated beast could come out midday, the night was out of the question. 

“It is alright. Are you planning on logging out  at night?”

“Yeah, it will be morning there.”

Jason didn’t plan to stay here at night. For the time being, there was very little he could do.

“Hey, are any of you hungry?”

Dawn started to feel hungry, and her stat window showed a condition called slightly hungry.

“Is it surprising? We even had to drink water to deal with the thirst.”

Logan looked at Dawn as a contender. He wasn’t sure exactly what she was contending for, but Jason had a high value for him at that point.

“Here.”

Jason gave a silver coin to Dawn. 

“This is for both of you.”

“Huh? Bro, why not give me one also?”

“That is a hundred coppers. It is enough for both of you for a couple of days.”

He shook his head before walking into the village. 

It was a small village with a wooden palisade surrounding it. The houses were mainly made of stone, and there were no guards at the gate. People walked in and out, looking at the three of them with odd looks, Especially at him, who had wet clothes. 

‘A wizard living in a place like this?’

Jason found it hard to believe. 

There was no fancy building and there was no obvious fluctuation of magic.

‘Is he hiding?’

He felt it could be the best case. The wizard wasn’t revealing his identity.

“Hey!”

He called out to a man who carried a fishing rod.

“Is there a person named Mr Merlin?”

The man looked at him for a few seconds before answering.

“Mr Merlin? I think that the old gentleman lives on the east side of the village. Who are you, lad?”

“I am Jason, a messenger from the Forestedge.”

“Ah… A messenger. I see.”

“Mister, why are there no guards near the village gate?”

This was the last village bordering the Dark Forest, and these people should keep an eye out for dangerous animals near the village at all times. 

“Ah… That… Because no dangerous animal or beast came to our village in a long time. Actually, there is nothing dangerous near the village these days. We rarely need to keep our guard up during the day. We close the gate at night, anyway.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

The man obviously looked happy, making Jason feel weird.

‘He didn’t call Wizard Merlin with any honorifics. It is possible he isn’t aware of Wizard Merlin’s status. Could this be the work of the wizard?’

He felt it was the best possible explanation for the disappearances of any danger around the village. A Wizard was a true force to be reckoned with. As long as his casting speed was fast enough, no human or animal would be his match. 

Jason didn’t want to ask more questions. This could cause unwanted misunderstandings. 

“Thank you. Then I will be going.”

“Yes, Mr Messenger. You better find a place to stay at night.”

“Thank you for the reminder.”

He gave a nod before walking into the village, feeling awkward. He expected to see the village guards and an audience with the village leader before being able to fulfil his duty. 

‘Huh?’

He froze on the spot. 

Someone looked at him. It wasn’t a simple gaze, nor was it the feeling of a magic domain. It was a gaze that was sharp as an unsheathed sword. 

The feeling disappeared in an instant, but he realised what it was. A real Grandmaster was inside this village. 

‘Is this place a base of a hidden organisation?’

He realised the second possibility of not having any threat around the village. Other than him, many seemed to have not noticed the feeling. If a real Grandmaster took action, there was no need to worry about most dangers. As long as the enemy was not a Grandmaster or a Wizard. 

‘Sigh. I shouldn’t get involved in things I shouldn’t.’

That gaze only monitored him for a second, but for a Grandmaster, it was more than enough to look at him. 

He started walking toward the east.

…

“Master Merlin?”

He stopped in front of the normal-looking house. There was no difference between that house and the other houses in the village. An old man sat on a chair in front of the house. He was smoking, using a pipe in a relaxing manner. 

“Hm? It is me, young man. Who might you be?”

“I am a messenger from Forestedge, Sir. This is for you.”

He presented the exquisite-looking scroll to the old man. 

“Hm? From the magic tower?”

‘So, he is the Wizard.’

Jason carefully stood by the side, letting the old gentleman read the scroll. 

He studied the man who wore a clean white attire and had long grey hair. The man gave a vibe of an old refined man with a kind heart. 

“They finally sent it.”

Wizard Merlin looked at him for a moment with a smile. 

“It is conferred on me for my achievement. I was waiting for a while.”

‘That explains….’

Even though Jason didn’t ask until now, he had this question. There were many communication methods. He wondered why he needed to deliver the message in hand. Unless another Wizard decided to move, the only other way to transport goods and people was through teleportation. He was sure this small village had no such method. 

“Congratulations, Master Merlin. May I be bold enough to ask what they confer for?”

“Thank you, young man. It is nothing. It is based on my studies on the development of improvements in mana breathing.”

‘Wait! Is this… That Merlin?’

In Yuriel, Merlin wasn’t a common name, but it wasn’t rare, either. 

However, he knew the pioneer of changing Mana Breathing. This was the man who made the greatest contribution to human survival in the later stages of Yuriel. Because of him, many people survived the invasion. 

Sadly, this great man passed away long before his findings came to practical use.

“Ah… But you might have no idea what it is, right? You are a stranger.”

“Yes, Master. But I heard a bit about Magic and mighty Wizards from Envoy Boris.”

“Ah… So he was the one who sent you here. Interesting.“Are you interested in magic, young man?”

Merlin took a puff of smoke with interest.

“Honestly, I am, Master Merlin. I would really like to learn magic.”

“Really? But it takes both talent and effort. Mind if I take a look at you, young man? I am in a good mood today.”

“It is an honour, Master Merlin.”

This was already a great development. Besides, he already had an advantage.

He allowed the old gentleman to touch his wrist.

Jason felt a trace of magic entering his body. It was a sensational feeling that he didn’t feel in a while. 

“Huh? Young Man. Tell me the truth. Did anyone teach you how to use mana breathing?”

Jason felt the grip on his wrist tightening. 

“No. Master Merlin. What happened?”

Technically, no one in this life taught him that. Especially since no one would be able to teach him the advanced method he knew.

“Are you certain, young man?”

“Yes, Master Merlin. I just came here this morning.”

“Hm? Ah… So it is the day. A couple of hours is not enough for this to happen, even if you knew it.”

“What… What exactly happened, Master Merlin?”

He switched his tone and expression to a bit of a worrisome look.

“Nothing much, young man. What is your name?”

“I am Jason Hope, Master Merlin.”

“Well, Jason… Your first magic node is already unblocked. You may not know, but this means you have a natural talent for magic?”

“Really?”

He tried his best to look surprised and happy. 

Of course, he knew it was unblocked. He felt the first node under his left chin being unblocked about an hour earlier. In the Mana Breathing method they used at this time, it would take at least two to three days to unblock the first node. Even a natural genius might need a full day. Also, it wasn’t usable while moving. However, the method he had was different. 

“Yes. First, tell me one thing. What happened to your shoulder?”

“Ah… I and my companions saved a Travelling Merchant from a pack of wolves, Master Merlin. There was one big wolf that the Merchant called a mutated wolf. Its claws did this before I killed it.”

“You… Killed a mutated wolf? How?”

“I know how to use a sword, Master Merlin. Honestly, the Merchant said it was not mature.”

“Hm… That explains. What did you gain?”

“I sold its hide and a weird crystal for twenty-three silvers, Master Merlin.”

“Hm… Not a bad price. Good work, young man. I have one more question.”

“Yes, Master Merlin.”

“I am an old man in my last days. I never had a proper apprentice. Would you like to be my apprentice and learn magic from me?”

“Master?”

Jason was expecting to get a letter of recommendation or some advice, but this was far better. He was honestly surprised.

“What do you think, Young Man? I am not a Grand Wizard or Master Wizard, but I can teach you a lot.”

“I… I would love to, Master Merlin.”

“Very good. Now I guess you first have to go back and report your achievement, right? Wait here.”

Jason watched in a daze as the old gentleman walked into his small house. He wondered if he was truly in a dream. If he could somehow find his appropriate Magic Sphere, he had a chance of starting his journey to a bright future. 

He never had a proper master in his last life. He learned from the common teachings of the last humans in the domain of the Angel of Death. If he had a real master, the opportunity was better. 

“Here.”

Master Merlin brought a clear paper with a red seal on it.