Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 106 (Part 1)

There was no need to carve magic circles on all four walls. Rodin had the magic of image storage and printing. All he had to do was carve one side perfectly, store the image, and then print it on the other walls.

However, carving that one side wasn’t an easy task either. It had taken him two full days just to carve the spatial expansion magic in the warehouse.

A 5th-circle spatial expansion spell had been hard enough, so it went without saying that the 7th-circle state preservation spell would be even more difficult.

On top of that, this time, he intended to engrave multiple magic spells together. Naturally, the difficulty multiplied several times.

“Phew, this is exhausting. Really tough.”

Rodin wiped the sweat from his forehead and surveyed the magic circle. The walls were filled with evidence of his labor over the past few days.

It had taken exactly 11 days to engrave just one side. He spent another three days on inspection, as retrying due to material issues was not an option.

In exactly 14 days, he had completed the state preservation magic circle, the spatial expansion magic circle, as well as the mana accumulation and mana storage magic circles.

He also placed ten high-grade mana stones in the center, which would stir the flow of mana.

“Please, please… Activation.”

Rodin activated the carefully engraved magic circle. A faint light spread across the entire wall.

As the spatial expansion magic circle activated, the front, back, top, bottom, and sides all stretched outward simultaneously. The space expanded, now more than four times larger than before, compared to the previous twofold expansion.

The mana accumulation magic circle began to gather mana from the surroundings. The mana, drawn to the circle, was absorbed and stored by the mana storage magic circle, while the accumulated mana preserved the condition of the items inside the warehouse.

“It worked.”

On the surface, it seemed like a success. However, the real test would be whether it functioned properly when items were stored inside.

“Well… No, I should do this myself.”

Rodin began by moving all the items out of the warehouse. Then, he opened the adjacent food storage and transferred the remaining ingredients into the newly modified warehouse.

Since it seemed to be time to restock, there weren’t many ingredients left. It took less than an hour to move everything to the new warehouse.

“Ma… Huh? What are you doing here?”

“I came to check it out, Big Brother Rodin. Looks like you’re all done?”

“Yeah, it’s all done.”

“Big Brother, what did you do? Why are all the storage rooms open?”

Bianca wandered around the two storage rooms, running her fingers along the walls. She didn’t feel anything unusual.

“Strange?”

“Big Brother, did you turn the warehouse into an artifact? But why can’t I see any magic circles?”

“Haha, that’s my secret.”

Bianca was no different from others. She couldn’t perceive mana. Although the magic circles, created from mana, filled the space, Bianca couldn’t see a thing.

“Ugh, it doesn’t look cool.”

“Cool?”

“Yeah, it would look cooler if the magic circles were all complex and visible.”

“There are advantages to the circles not being visible. Others… well, you can think of it that way. That’s not a bad thought either.”

In fact, many people shared Bianca’s view. Most commoners thought that way, and even many mages tried to make their magic circles more intricate and impressive, treating them as pieces of art.

“Big Brother, can you teach me too?”

“Teach you what?”

“How to make artifacts. I want to try it too.”

“Specifically, what kind of artifact? If it’s something within your ability, I’ll teach you.”

Bianca’s proficiency in runes was average. Not particularly fast, nor too slow.

Moreover, she was still at the 1st circle in magic, so the artifacts she could create were quite limited.

“I want to make potions.”

“Potions… Healing potions are difficult. You need to be at least a 2nd-circle mage to start making those.”

“I want to learn how to make medicine. I want to heal Grandma Margaret.”

“Huh? Is Margaret sick?”

Rodin had no idea Margaret was unwell. This morning’s breakfast had been just as delicious as always, so he hadn’t suspected anything.

“Yeah, she had a fever last night. Her hands were really hot, so I made some water and soaked a towel to help cool her down.”

“Really? What about breakfast?”

“Uncle Matthew made it. He’s a good cook too, but Grandma Margaret is better.”

“Matthew made it? I had no idea. It tasted just as good.”

Despite his fondness for good food, Rodin’s sense of taste wasn’t particularly sensitive. As long as it met a certain standard, it all tasted delicious to him.

“Big Brother, will you teach me?”

“Alright. I’ll teach you how to make disease-curing potions. It’s something you can learn at the 1st circle.”

Whether potions were considered artifacts or not was a matter of debate.

Most people believed they were, since only mages could infuse them with mana. This was the stance taken by specialized training schools and most magic towers, which saw potions as a type of artifact.

However, there were also many who argued that because potions didn’t involve the engraving of magic circles, they weren’t artifacts. All four major magic towers viewed potions as a branch of alchemy, not artifacts.

Rodin didn’t care about the distinction. Whether classified as artifacts or not, it didn’t change anything.

“Really? You’ll teach me?”

“Yeah, I’ll teach you. But first, let’s go.”

“Where?”

“To see Margaret. She’s sick, isn’t she?”

Rodin began walking briskly toward the annex where Margaret and Matthew lived.

Bianca, practically skipping alongside him, grabbed his sleeve.

“Big Brother, why are you walking so fast? You’ve gotten even faster since training with Brother Larry in swordsmanship.”

“Really? I’ll slow down a bit. By the way, where’s Larry?”

“He went to the blacksmith to fix his sword. He’ll be back soon.”

“Alright.”

As they continued walking, they soon arrived at the annex where Margaret was.

Matthew, who was carrying a pot of meat soup inside, met Rodin at the entrance.

“What brings you here, sir?”

“I heard Margaret’s not feeling well, so I came to check on her. If I can, I’ll try to help.”

“Well… It’s just a cold, but can you really treat it with magic?”

“Probably. Even if I can’t cure it completely, I should be able to ease the symptoms.”

Matthew’s previously gloomy face lit up with relief, and he hurriedly opened the door.

Rodin entered the room and saw Margaret lying with a damp cloth on her forehead.

“It’s a cold?”

“Yes, isn’t it? It seems like a cold. I heard it’s been going around the whole territory.”

Rodin could sense faint traces of dark mana, tinged with the energy of a curse, emanating from Margaret’s body. It was subtle enough that only someone like Rodin could detect it right away.

“Hmm. Let me take a closer look.”

“Of course, sir.”

“True Eye.”

Just to be sure, Rodin used a spell to inspect her body. There was no foreign substance inside her.

However, her body temperature was indeed quite high. No wonder Bianca had thought she was burning up.

“Hmm.”

Hyung_Otaku2

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