Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 104 (Part 2)
Larry sat on the chair in the parlor. His expression was calm, as if nothing was wrong.
Rodin didn’t sit down. Instead, he gestured toward the door.
“Let’s talk outside.”
“What? Oh, sure. I’ll go.”
Rodin led Larry out into the garden.
Although they called it a “garden,” there wasn’t much grass. Trees lined the outer edges, but the center was covered with soft earth. The layer of soil was thick enough that stepping on it gave a slightly cushioned feel.
“What’s going on?”
“Give me your sword.”
“My sword?”
Larry hesitated briefly but then handed over his sword.
At Cardos, they taught trainees never to entrust their sword to others. Except for repairs at the blacksmith, the sword was to be treated like a lover, always at their side.
The school even punished students for temporarily handing their sword to someone else. Larry had been scolded for this during his early days at the school.
But it was different with Rodin. Rodin wasn’t someone from Cardos, and even if he was, Larry would gladly bear the consequences.
“I know a swordsmanship style.”
“You do swordsmanship, brother?”
“No. I can’t. I just know it. But this swordsmanship…”
Rodin hesitated briefly and then demonstrated the swordsmanship he had learned from Frouval’s illusionary class.
Though his movements were slow, they were precise and free from unnecessary flair. There was no error in the forms he had learned.
*Clang!*
After finishing the sequence, Rodin handed the sword back to Larry. Larry took the sword reflexively, staring at Rodin in bewilderment.
“That… what was that?”
“Extreme, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It’s incredibly defensive. It feels like a style that tells you not to attack.”
Though there were offensive moves, they were far fewer compared to the defensive forms. The nature of the swordsmanship was clear.
“Exactly. From what I see, this swordsmanship only uses offensive moves when facing weak opponents. When facing someone of equal or greater strength, it’s all defense—blocking, evading, deflecting, pushing away.”
“That’s what I thought too. But why are you showing me swordsmanship all of a sudden?”
“Doesn’t matter what I think. What’s important is what you want. If you still want to continue at Cardos, that’s fine. If you want to learn the swordsmanship I’m offering, that’s fine too. I’ll leave the choice to you.”
Larry didn’t answer right away. He sighed repeatedly, his expression complicated.
Rodin didn’t rush him. He calmly looked up at the sky, giving Larry time to think.
After a long while, Larry finally spoke.
“Brother!”
“Yeah, tell me.”
“Do you remember when you first saw me?”
“Of course I do.”
Larry and Bianca had been sticking their heads out, crying as they awaited death. Most of the children they had traveled with had already been decapitated, their heads rolling on the ground in front of Larry and Bianca.
In that moment, when death was far closer than life, Rodin appeared.
When a true strong person showed up, the marauders, who had seemed like reapers and predators, became nothing more than insignificant insects.
They died in an instant, and Larry and Bianca were saved just before death.
“I never wanted to experience that again. That moment, when I was waiting miserably for death, was… it was unbearable.”
“I know. Being helpless like that is terrible.”
“So I endured. I endured and swung my sword. But I… I’m just so tired.”
“You’ve done enough. You gave it your all. And you’ll keep giving it your all. That’s who you are.”
Rodin hugged Larry tightly. In his arms, Larry trembled.
“Brother. Am I worthy? Am I worthy to learn your swordsmanship?”
“As I said earlier, this isn’t my swordsmanship. I just happened to learn it. If you choose to learn this style, we’ll be learning together.”
“I’ll learn it. I’ll work hard. I want to protect you and Bianca.”
“You’ll be able to.”
The next day, Larry quit the Cardos Sword School. There were so many trainees that no one tried to stop him from leaving.
Rodin only trained swordsmanship with Larry in the early mornings. He replaced their usual exercise routine with sword training.
Larry spent nearly all his time on swordsmanship, from dawn until late at night. Apart from sleeping, eating, and practicing aura, all his time was devoted to it.
Three months passed that way.
(T/N: Hello, everyone! This is Hyung Otaku. I’m excited to announce that I’ve launched a Patreon for Embracing Magic! If you’d like to support the novel and help it grow, I invite you to join the Patreon community. Your support means a lot and will help bring even more content to life! Here!)