Ute grew up in the slums. It was so dark there that the sun never seemed to shine. Dirty water ran all over, and it smelled really bad. He was always hungry and poorly dressed. In winter, he could only wrap himself in rags he had scavenged and curl up in a corner, hoping to survive the long night. But the most terrifying thing wasn't the cold; it was the stronger children. Countless times, Ute was beaten black and blue. He would huddle behind the trash can, full of resentment and despair.
Then, on a snowy day, his life took a turn.
That day, he was curled up in a tattered sack, trying to survive with the little remaining warmth. Just as he was on the verge of passing out, a warm hand touched his head. With great effort, he opened his eyes and saw a stranger: an old man with white hair, wearing beautiful magic robes.
"Would you like to come with me?"
Ute's first reaction was fear. He had seen too many human traffickers abduct children from the slums, and they never came back. He gritted his teeth and shook his head desperately, but that hand remained on his head, exuding a strange warmth.
"Don't worry. I won't harm you," the old man said softly.
In the end, Ute followed him. He thought he would be sold as a slave to a noble family or sent to do hard labor. But when he saw the tall tower on the city's edge, he was stunned.
Was this... a wizard's tower?
Was he really adopted by a wizard?
In the first few days, he was extremely scared. There were only him and that old man, no, the wizard, in the tower. He didn't dare to get close to the other person or move around casually. Every day, he just obediently helped with the housework. But gradually, he noticed some strange things.
For example, the armor guards who greeted him every day actually... had no one inside!
He saw with his own eyes a "guard" fall in front of him, and the armor scattered all over the place, with nothing inside. He collapsed right then and there. When he came to, Lin Yuan, the old man, was sitting beside his bed, trying hard not to laugh as he looked at Ute.
"Silly boy, haven't you seen magic before?"
Yes, Ute had never really seen magic. But in this tower, he first felt the wonder of magic. He began to secretly observe how the old man cast spells and how he commanded those "guards without people" to patrol. He summoned up the courage to ask the other person for advice, and Lin Yuan didn't refuse. Instead, he casually threw a magic book at him: "Read it yourself. Come to me if you can understand it."
At that moment, the awe in Ute's heart gradually turned into admiration.
As the days passed, Ute learned more and more magic, and his way of addressing the old man also changed quietly. From the initial "old man" to "teacher," and then to... "master." He himself didn't know why. Maybe he just depended on Lin Yuan, or maybe he finally felt like he belonged. Either way, Lin Yuan wasn't just a teacher, he was like a father.
After staying in this tower for more than forty years, he sensed something was wrong. One day, Lin Yuan's eyes, his words, and even the way he cast magic... all seemed a bit abrupt, as if he had never truly been in touch with this world. Ute didn't expose it but accompanied him, solving various affairs in the city together as wizards. Later, he even participated in the war between the White Tower and the Black Tower with him.
However, after that great war, Lin Yuan left.
Ute stood at the entrance of the tower, gazing into the distance. His feelings were complex and indescribable. He understood that the master hadn't passed away; instead, he'd journeyed to another realm... Perhaps, he'd never return.
When he came to his senses, he realized he was standing in front of a group of children. Those seven or eight-year-old boys and girls looked up at him, their eyes filled with expectation and unease, just like when he first met the master in his childhood. Ute let out a soft sigh and smiled slightly.
"Ahem, I'm the second principal of the Lin Tower Academy. You can call me Principal Ute..."
From now on, he'd look after the tower and follow the master's magical footsteps.
=====================
乌特小时候生活在贫民窟,那是一个连阳光都透不进来的地方.污水横流,腐臭弥漫,他每天都吃不饱,穿不暖.冬天的时候,他只能裹着捡来的破布,蜷缩在某个角落,期望能熬过漫漫长夜.但最可怕的不是寒冷,而是比他更强壮的孩子们.乌特无数次被揍得鼻青脸肿,躲在垃圾桶后面缩成一团,心里充满了不甘和绝望.
就在一个下雪天,他的人生发生了转折.
那天,他蜷缩在破旧的麻袋里,试图借着一点残存的温度熬过去.就在他即将昏睡过去时,一只温暖的手按在了他的头上.他勉强睁开眼,看见了一张陌生的脸,一个白发的老头,身上穿着华丽的魔法.
"你愿意跟我走吗?"
乌特的第一反应是害怕.他见过太多人口贩子拐走贫民窟的孩子,然后他们再也没有回来过.他咬紧牙关,拼命摇头,但那只手却依旧停在他的头顶,带着一种奇特的温暖.
"放心,我不会害你." 老头轻声说道.
乌特最后还是跟着走了.他本以为自己会被卖到某个贵族家里当奴隶,或者被送去做苦工,然而当他看到那座耸立在城市边缘的高塔时,他的脑子一片空白.
这是... 一座魔法师的高塔?
他真的被一个魔法师领养了吗?
最初的几天,他害怕得不行.塔楼里只有他和那位老头,不,魔法师.他不敢靠近对方,也不敢乱走动,每天只是老老实实地帮忙做家务.但渐渐地,他发现了一些奇怪的事情.
比如,那些每天和他打招呼的铠甲守卫,竟然... 里面根本没有人!
他亲眼看到一位 "守卫" 在他面前摔倒,盔甲散落一地,里面空无一物.他当场吓得晕了过去,等到醒来的时候,那个老头,林远,正坐在床边,忍着笑意看着他.
"傻小子,没见过魔法吗?"
是的,乌特确实没见过真正的魔法.但在这座塔里,他第一次感受到了魔法的神奇.他开始偷偷观察老头如何施法,如何指挥那些 "无人守卫" 巡逻.他鼓起勇气向对方请教,而林远也没拒绝,只是随手扔给他一本魔法书:"自己看吧,看得懂再来找我."
那一刻,乌特心中的敬畏慢慢转化为崇拜.
日子一天天过去,乌特学到了越来越多的魔法,而他的称呼也悄然改变.从最初的 "老头" ,到 "老师" ,再到... "老爷" .他自己也不知道为什么,或许是某种依赖,又或许是某种归属感.对他而言,林远不仅仅是他的老师,更像是一位父亲.
在这座高塔待了四十多年后,他察觉到了一些不对劲的地方.某一天,林远的眼神,林远的话语,甚至是他施展魔法的方式... 都变得有些突兀,仿佛他从未真正接触过这个世界似的.乌特没有说破,而是陪着他,一起以魔法师的身份解决城市里的各种事务,甚至在后来,与他一同参与了白塔和黑塔之间的战争.
然而,在那场大战后,林远离开了.
乌特站在高塔门口,望着远方的天际,他的心情复杂难言.他知道,老爷不是死了,而是去了别的地方... 或许,再也不会回来.
回过神时,他才发现自己正站在一群孩子面前.那些七,八岁的小男孩,小女孩仰着头看着他,眼中带着期待和忐忑,就如他小时候第一次遇见老爷那般.乌特轻轻叹了口气,露出一丝笑意.
"咳咳,我是林塔学院的第二届校长,你们可以叫我乌特校长..."
从今往后,他将肩负起这座塔的责任,也将延续老爷曾经的魔法之路.