[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-diary-of-a-dead-wizard":3,"chapter-diary-of-a-dead-wizard-diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-94":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Diary of a Dead Wizard",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1380755,1828,"Chapter 94: Leaving the Wizard Tower Means Becoming Human Again—Temporarily","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-94",94,"\u003Cp>“So I can leave the Tower now…” Saul felt as if he’d been released from prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was like a balloon floating into the sky, both weightless and untethered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had thought he’d only get a chance to leave once he advanced to Second Rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he wanted to raise his magic to 50 Joules, it would likely take him another half a year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would’ve thought that a single invitation from Senior Byron would push that timeline up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of mission did Byron need his help with?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re leaving the Tower?” Keli’s voice sounded beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah,” Saul replied, smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keli, already a Second Rank apprentice, wasn’t exactly a surprising candidate for out-of-Tower missions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was also her first time heading out. Saul asked with concern, “Is it a dangerous task?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keli shook her head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eyes lowered, her tone was flat, “Just picking up some materials cultivated outside the Tower… and stopping by home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t seem to want to elaborate. Then she lifted her head and raised her voice a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since it’s your birthday, and you’ve gotten such great news, let’s hurry back and eat some cake to celebrate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keli once again clamped onto Saul’s shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Nick would be accompanying Saul on the trip, Keli thought for a moment and extended an invitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please join us. I just finished baking it,” she said with a nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, don’t be shy—I’ll share my piece with you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their departure was delayed by a day due to some unavoidable circumstances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time Nick took Saul and left the Wizard Tower in a carriage, he still looked a bit sluggish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Saul—who had fed most of the birthday cake to Nick—was wide awake, leaning against the window to gaze outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The driver was a grown male servant from the Tower. Anyone who lived to that age likely had their own means of self-preservation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul could sense the fear radiating from the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same kind of fear he himself felt in front of mentors and the Tower Lord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a kind of pressure born from a disparity in power—no amount of courage could erase it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was April. The air still had a chill, but the spring breeze had already begun to green the earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once dull yellow grass surrounding the Tower and the distant plains now showed tinges of fresh green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the carriage sped along, grass seeds and insects splattered against the wheels and sides, leaving yellow-green smears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mountains and forests drew closer. Wild hares and field mice occasionally darted out of the underbrush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking in the scenery for a while, Saul couldn’t help but look back toward the Tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gray-black Wizard Tower stood alone on the plain, surrounded by emptiness and silence—as if it had endured for centuries unchanged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the wizards’ structures, there wasn’t a single tall shrub nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if even the plants feared the Tower, instinctively keeping their distance from that mysterious world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage rumbled on across the vast wilderness for most of the day before reaching signs of human settlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they didn’t stop, not even veering toward the towns. They sped past along the main road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These villages weren’t exactly flourishing, though they had plenty of buildings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul noticed that when some people outside saw their carriage, they dropped to their knees and remained prostrate for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wore plain and worn clothes, but no one looked destitute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like life outside wasn’t so bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The darkness of the Tower hadn’t spread to the common folk. In fact, they appeared to benefit from the Tower’s environmental protections.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long while, Saul finally withdrew from the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if the chains from the Tower were still wrapped tightly around his neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul: “…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They traveled for five days, only stopping briefly at night to rest. Even sleep was replaced by meditation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt a bit like being a monk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the sixth day, Saul finally looked up from his constantly jostling book, closing his eyes to pinch the bridge of his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nick, do you know where we’re actually headed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they chatted, the carriage suddenly lurched to a stop, jolting both of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are we there?” Saul quickly looked out the window, but saw only farmlands and gently rolling hills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no towns nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the base of a hill in the distance, a group of several dozen riders stood quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of them held a banner—blue with silver trim—emblazoned with an abstract image of a rabbit biting a snake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nick closed his book without warning and slipped out of the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the opposing group, a tall middle-aged man urged his horse forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he approached, he dismounted about ten meters from Nick and dropped to one knee, offering a salute with one hand to his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nick lifted his hand to signal him to rise—his gestures smooth and princely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two turned their backs to Saul and began speaking in hushed tones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, Nick returned—but didn’t get back into the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul asked in surprise, “What about the mission with Byron?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nick winked and his lips twitched ever so slightly. “I’ll finish up my business quickly and catch up before the mission starts. But…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saul immediately sensed something ominous in that “but.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1298,"2026-06-05T22:22:08.871Z",1,"novelbin.me","231d3c79a660a56996af5465ffad6ec2c3edaea91b27684aeafef7c18ab029c3","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-95","diary-of-a-dead-wizard-chapter-340",1037,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fdiary-of-a-dead-wizard-cover.jpg"]