Diary of a Dead Wizard

Chapter 94: Leaving the Wizard Tower Means Becoming Human Again—Temporarily

“So I can leave the Tower now…” Saul felt as if he’d been released from prison.

He was like a balloon floating into the sky, both weightless and untethered.

He had thought he’d only get a chance to leave once he advanced to Second Rank.

If he wanted to raise his magic to 50 Joules, it would likely take him another half a year.

Who would’ve thought that a single invitation from Senior Byron would push that timeline up?

What kind of mission did Byron need his help with?

Saul recalled that he’d asked Byron to help him search for a more complete soul entity. Maybe this invitation had something to do with that?

“You’re leaving the Tower?” Keli’s voice sounded beside him.

“Yeah,” Saul replied, smiling.

Keli, already a Second Rank apprentice, wasn’t exactly a surprising candidate for out-of-Tower missions.

But this was also her first time heading out. Saul asked with concern, “Is it a dangerous task?”

Keli shook her head.

Eyes lowered, her tone was flat, “Just picking up some materials cultivated outside the Tower… and stopping by home.”

She didn’t seem to want to elaborate. Then she lifted her head and raised her voice a bit.

“Since it’s your birthday, and you’ve gotten such great news, let’s hurry back and eat some cake to celebrate.”

Keli once again clamped onto Saul’s shoulder.

“Cake to celebrate a birthday? But isn’t cake something you can eat anytime? Or is this not the kind of cake I’m thinking of?” Nick interjected curiously from the side.

Since Nick would be accompanying Saul on the trip, Keli thought for a moment and extended an invitation.

“Please join us. I just finished baking it,” she said with a nod.

“It’s a very special kind of cake!” Saul perked up immediately. He didn’t even need Keli to push him this time and enthusiastically led Nick out.

“Senior, don’t be shy—I’ll share my piece with you…”

Their departure was delayed by a day due to some unavoidable circumstances.

By the time Nick took Saul and left the Wizard Tower in a carriage, he still looked a bit sluggish.

Meanwhile, Saul—who had fed most of the birthday cake to Nick—was wide awake, leaning against the window to gaze outside.

They were traveling in a two-tiered carriage. The space was cramped—there wasn’t enough room to lie down, only lean back—but it was very fast.

The driver was a grown male servant from the Tower. Anyone who lived to that age likely had their own means of self-preservation.

Throughout the journey, the servant spoke only when necessary and kept his presence to a minimum. Both Saul and Nick simply referred to him as “the driver”; they didn’t even know his name.

Saul could sense the fear radiating from the man.

The same kind of fear he himself felt in front of mentors and the Tower Lord.

It was a kind of pressure born from a disparity in power—no amount of courage could erase it.

Nick remained reclined in his seat, resting. With no one to share in his joy, Saul could only hang halfway out the window like a first-time city tourist.

It was April. The air still had a chill, but the spring breeze had already begun to green the earth.

The once dull yellow grass surrounding the Tower and the distant plains now showed tinges of fresh green.

As the carriage sped along, grass seeds and insects splattered against the wheels and sides, leaving yellow-green smears.

Mountains and forests drew closer. Wild hares and field mice occasionally darted out of the underbrush.

After taking in the scenery for a while, Saul couldn’t help but look back toward the Tower.

The gray-black Wizard Tower stood alone on the plain, surrounded by emptiness and silence—as if it had endured for centuries unchanged.

Beyond the wizards’ structures, there wasn’t a single tall shrub nearby.

It was as if even the plants feared the Tower, instinctively keeping their distance from that mysterious world.

The carriage rumbled on across the vast wilderness for most of the day before reaching signs of human settlement.

But they didn’t stop, not even veering toward the towns. They sped past along the main road.

These villages weren’t exactly flourishing, though they had plenty of buildings.

Saul noticed that when some people outside saw their carriage, they dropped to their knees and remained prostrate for a long time.

They wore plain and worn clothes, but no one looked destitute.

It seemed like life outside wasn’t so bad.

The darkness of the Tower hadn’t spread to the common folk. In fact, they appeared to benefit from the Tower’s environmental protections.

After a long while, Saul finally withdrew from the window.

Having stared at the landscape for so long, he still felt a sense of detachment—as though he were merely a bystander. It wasn’t the carefree feeling he’d imagined.

It was as if the chains from the Tower were still wrapped tightly around his neck.

When Saul sat back down in the carriage, feeling somewhat lost, he noticed that Nick had somehow fully recovered and was now reading a book.

Saul: “…”

Fine. He rummaged through his heavy backpack, pushed aside his tools and potions, and picked out a book that wasn’t too sensitive to read.

They traveled for five days, only stopping briefly at night to rest. Even sleep was replaced by meditation.

It felt a bit like being a monk.

On the sixth day, Saul finally looked up from his constantly jostling book, closing his eyes to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Nick, do you know where we’re actually headed?”

“To Borderfall City on the edge of the Kema Duchy. We’ll meet Byron there, then… most likely head to Hanging Hands Valley. But before that, I need to take a quick detour to finish a minor task and earn some credits.”

Nick glanced up and winked at Saul. “Since we’re already out, and we’ve got time to spare, we shouldn’t waste the trip.”

As they chatted, the carriage suddenly lurched to a stop, jolting both of them.

“Are we there?” Saul quickly looked out the window, but saw only farmlands and gently rolling hills.

There were no towns nearby.

At the base of a hill in the distance, a group of several dozen riders stood quietly.

One of them held a banner—blue with silver trim—emblazoned with an abstract image of a rabbit biting a snake.

Nick closed his book without warning and slipped out of the carriage.

From the opposing group, a tall middle-aged man urged his horse forward.

He wore a mix of navy blue and silver armor, light and flexible, with metal plating only at the vital points. A longsword hung at his hip.

As he approached, he dismounted about ten meters from Nick and dropped to one knee, offering a salute with one hand to his chest.

Nick lifted his hand to signal him to rise—his gestures smooth and princely.

The two turned their backs to Saul and began speaking in hushed tones.

From this distance, Saul couldn’t hear what they were saying. He could only tell that the man remained respectfully deferential while Nick stayed stoic as always.

After a while, Nick returned—but didn’t get back into the carriage.

“There’s a matter with my family that I need to attend to. From here to Borderfall City, you’ll have to go on alone.”

Saul asked in surprise, “What about the mission with Byron?”

Nick winked and his lips twitched ever so slightly. “I’ll finish up my business quickly and catch up before the mission starts. But…”

Saul immediately sensed something ominous in that “but.”

Sure enough, Nick went on, “That small task I mentioned earlier—I’ll have to trouble you to handle it. I’ll transfer the mission credits to you.”