Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 105 (Part 1)

A month had passed since Rodin began training in swordsmanship with Larry.

Rodin had just finished the 2 o’clock session of his class with The Frouval. The 3 o’clock class he was about to attend was none other than the Rune Language class.

Two more months flew by.

“Sigh.”

The Rune Language was hard. No one in the world knew all the Runes. Even the Four Great Magic Towers could only comprehend about 10% of them.

Rodin laid out three runes in front of him, neatly written side by side.

“This can’t be true. These are supposed to be different runes?”

At a glance, they looked identical. The characters were complex, each consisting of over sixty strokes. To anyone, they appeared to be the same rune.

However, the lengths of the strokes on the left and the right sides differed ever so slightly. It was a difference so subtle that one wouldn’t notice without careful inspection.

One rune had a slightly longer left stroke, another had both sides equally long, and the third had a slightly longer right stroke.

This tiny difference completely changed their meanings.

One meant “deep darkness,” another meant “shivering from cold,” and the last meant “an ancient footprint.”

Despite their similar appearances, the meanings were completely disjointed.

“Who the hell invented the Rune Language, anyway?”

If a saintly king, praised by all, had created such a writing system and forced the people to learn it, what would have happened?

“They’d completely forget his past glory and curse him to death, asking why he made such garbage.”

It was absurd, but Rodin hadn’t given up. In fact, he had become deeply engrossed in the challenge of spotting these subtle differences.

Through Frouval’s classes, Rodin learned about 40 to 50 runes a day. If there were intricate or excessively complex runes, the number dropped to about 30.

But once Rodin learned something, he rarely forgot it.

Even though the number of runes he learned each day was small, his knowledge of the Rune Language steadily increased.

“That’s enough for today.”

Rodin stopped his practice and stepped outside. There was still plenty of time before dinner.

“Jena.”

[Yes, Master. Are you going to read a book today?]

“Yeah.”

Rodin pulled a book from his dimensional bracelet and summoned his combat automaton, Jena, to keep him company.

It had been half a year since he escaped the underground ruins.

Every day since then, Rodin had spent time reading books. Each time, he summoned either Jena or Karis, alternating between the two.

They weren’t particularly kind or exceptional teachers, but for Rodin, that was enough.

“A Magic Empire, huh…”

[It was called an empire back then.]

“I know. In our time, we call it the Magic Empire because magic hasn’t advanced as much as it did back then.”

Through his daily reading, Rodin learned that the underground ruins in the Moord Wastelands were created by one of the princesses of the Magic Empire. He also discovered that she had a rare constitution that allowed her to sense mana.

“I’m kind of like her.”

Though there was a difference in their level of sensitivity.

The princess of the Magic Empire could sense mana, but she couldn’t control it as precisely as Rodin could.

She only knew that mana was an energy source and that using it allowed for a form of magic distinct from the typical methods of channeling magic power.

However, in the Magic Empire, the princess held a position where she could do almost anything unless the emperor directly forbade it. With her vast resources, she invested heavily into research and developed a device that allowed her to control mana more precisely. The research and creation process alone took 24 years, and the cost was astronomical.

Eventually, she succeeded and used the device to create numerous artifacts.

“She used wealth and power to solve what I handle with my own body.”

Rodin didn’t particularly envy her.

Everything the Magic Empire’s princess, named Elanerien, had accomplished, Rodin could also do—albeit not just yet. The difference in their magical prowess was significant. The artifacts she created were still beyond Rodin’s abilities.

In addition to her special constitution for sensing mana, Princess Elanerien was an exceptional genius in magic. She reached the 9th Circle at the young age of 34, shocking the entire Magic Empire.

The Magic Empire had a history spanning 5,100 years at that time, and Elanerien’s achievement made her the tenth fastest in history to reach the 9th Circle.

“Even with over 5,100 years of history, there were still nine people faster than her.”

Rodin found it hard to believe, even though the book said so.

It was surprising enough to learn that the 9th Circle even existed. If he’d come across such records earlier, he would have dismissed them as fiction.

However, after encountering an 8th Circle mage during his escape from the underground ruins, Rodin could no longer deny the possibility. Just thinking back on that encounter still sent chills down his spine.

Anyway, 8th Circle mages still existed in the present day. It wasn’t too far-fetched to believe that 9th Circle mages existed in the Magic Empire, where magic had reached its peak.

“But the part about the apocalypse seems strange.”

The book mentioned that Princess Elanerien had placed an enormous number of books inside a dimensional bracelet to prepare for the end of the world.

“It’s strange. There was no apocalypse. Jena, you don’t know anything about the end of the world, do you?”

[No. Karis and I entered the ruins before that.]

There weren’t many records left about the fall of the Magic Empire, which happened 5,000 years ago.

Still, there were records of several kingdoms being established within decades after the collapse of the empire.

The fact that new nations were founded was evidence that the world hadn’t ended.

“But it does feel like something was lost.”

There were too few remnants of the Magic Empire. Though it had been 5,000 years since its fall, the sheer absence of its legacy was puzzling.

Even the kingdoms established shortly after the empire’s collapse retained very little knowledge of the Magic Empire. Not even the names of its heroes, emperors, or the imperial capital remained.

Moreover, the languages used by the Magic Empire and the kingdoms that followed were entirely different. The resemblance was so faint, only about 5% at best. It was a completely foreign language.

It didn’t make sense that every newly established kingdom would create and adopt an entirely new language just because the previous empire had fallen. That would have been too inefficient.

“Was it Frouval’s doing?”

Rodin had both Frouval’s class records and books about the Magic Empire, but he still couldn’t grasp the exact relationship between Frouval and the empire.

There were mentions of each other in the records of both powers, but no detailed information.

Even Karis and Jena only knew of Frouval’s existence and didn’t have any specific knowledge about them.

“It’s clear they existed at the same time. It’s frustrating.”

Rodin pushed the questions aside and focused on the book. Next to him, Jena read aloud and transmitted the meanings directly into his mind.

This indirect method of reading slowed things down, but the pages turned steadily, one after another.

“Am I destined to become a linguist?”

Rodin chuckled. Throughout his life, he had learned many languages.

The moment he entered the special forces training center, he had to learn the continent’s common language. Though it only took him a few days, in hindsight, those days were invaluable.

After that, he had picked up various ancient languages while reading books in the library.

Without anyone to teach him, he had to piece together words on his own, so none of the languages were fully mastered. However, in terms of the sheer number of languages he learned, it was in the dozens.

After leaving the Special Forces training center, Rodin had acquired the Frouval’s treasures, learning the language and script used by Frouval. Thanks to the pocket watch and the instructional ring, his learning was nearly flawless.

Alongside the common language of the continent, Frouval’s language became his second proficient language.

Now, the third language he was learning, taught by Jena and Karis, was the language of the Magic Empire—what modern-day mages referred to as the golden age of magic.

“Jena, thank you for your hard work.”

[Are you going to rest?]

“Yeah. My head is spinning. Thanks.”

[It’s nothing. Call me anytime. I’m much better than that stiff Karis, right?]

Rodin had been alternating between summoning Jena and Karis. He made sure never to summon the same one twice in a row.

Of course, he also found it easier to summon Jena rather than Karis. She was far more pleasant to deal with.

However, despite being combat “automatons,” both had their own distinct personalities. Rodin couldn’t shake the feeling that showing favoritism might upset one of them.

“Phew.”