Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 107 (Part 1)

The closest magic tower to the Richmond Marquisate was the Cedria Magic Tower.

Though the Cedria Tower was small in scale, it was surprisingly well-equipped. It was one of the few places capable of crafting activation-type artifacts.

In terms of financial stability, it could easily rank among the top ten magic towers on the central continent. Thanks to this solid financial backing, the number of mages was gradually increasing.

However, it suffered from a shortage of highly skilled mages.

The tower lord had reached the 5th Circle, as had the elders. With no 6th Circle mage in sight, despite its growing size, the tower still couldn’t shake off its “small-scale” label.

It had been about ten days since Cedria Tower’s Elder Kendrick, a 5th Circle mage, had arrived at the Richmond Marquisate with thirty mages under his command.

After completing their investigation, they went to meet the most likely candidate for the next marquis, Bake Richmond.

“So, the curse is called the ‘Curse of Frailty’? Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. The Curse of Frailty. The body gradually weakens, the afflicted falls ill, and eventually loses their life. In some cases, high fever and rashes accompany the curse, depending on their constitution.”

“Is this the work of dark mages?”

“That’s something the duke should decide after hearing everything. However, I must say this upfront: Cedria Tower does not interfere in noble family disputes. What I’m about to say is based solely on the results of our investigation into the curse, with no personal bias.”

At Kendrick’s words, Bake Richmond’s expression grew heavy. The truth he was about to hear was unlikely to be a pleasant one.

“Of course. Mage Kendrick, please just share the investigation results. I will make the decisions afterward.”

“Understood. Holton!”

At Kendrick’s call, a mage named Holton entered the room, pushing a cart. On the cart lay a splendid golden suit of armor.

“This armor…”

“I thought the duke might recognize it.”

“How could I not? This was my father’s armor while he was alive.”

The golden armor was something the late Marquis Richmond had cherished dearly in his final months. He never let it out of his sight, even wearing it during the last battle he fought in on the western continent.

To Bake Richmond, the armor was a legacy of his father. He had brought it back to the estate along with his father’s body and placed it in his father’s former quarters.

“This armor is the source of the Curse of Frailty spreading through the Richmond Marquisate.”

“That’s absurd! Are you saying my father cursed our land?”

“Think about it. Did the marquis always wear this armor from the beginning?”

“That, that can’t be… Surely…”

Bake Richmond’s mind fell into chaos.

The golden armor was a gift from the Marquis of Rotten in the Kingdom of Maven, given last year as a token of gratitude for the Richmond family’s help.

The Rotten family had long maintained a friendly relationship with the Richmonds, stretching back several generations. Both the late Marquis Rotten, who passed away ten years ago, and Marquis Richmond had been close for over fifty years.

Their bond was so strong that they often helped each other out, whether it was in territorial wars or by lending money without expecting repayment.

“I won’t make any judgments. As I said earlier, the decision is yours, Duke.”

“How could this…”

“Don’t jump to conclusions. It’s possible that they didn’t know what they were giving you.”

“Sigh.”

Bake Richmond couldn’t bring himself to believe that the Rotten family, whom he considered as close as family, had given him a cursed gift with malicious intent. No, he didn’t want to believe it.

“The tower will not involve itself any further in this matter.”

“Even though this concerns dark magic, are you saying the tower will wash its hands of it?”

“Times have changed. We no longer automatically reject dark magic. Yes, this curse has claimed lives, but that makes it a crime. And crimes…”

Crimes are a matter for the guards or the knights. It wasn’t the role of the magic tower to intervene in how a country handled its law enforcement.

This situation involved the nobles of another country, but in any case, it wasn’t something the tower should get involved in.

“I understand the tower’s position. But how certain are you of your investigation?”

“We are certain that the curse originated from this armor.”

There was no need for further confirmation.

Using the 3rd Circle spell Search Evil Force, they had pinpointed the armor as the source of dark magic. Even when they attempted to use the 3rd Circle spell Saint Shine to purify it, the magic had reacted aggressively toward the armor.

“What should we do with the armor?”

“If you wish, we can destroy it. If you don’t trust us, we can do it publicly, in a place you approve of. Whatever you prefer. Oh, one more thing—when the armor is destroyed, you’ll likely hear a loud scream. So it’s best to do it away from any civilians.”

In the central continent, the destruction of cursed items had to be conducted under the supervision of a magic tower to prevent them from being stolen or misused.

It was an ironic situation.

They no longer rejected dark mages, but they still adhered to the principle of destroying dark magic-infused objects. It seemed contradictory, but it was a reflection of the tension between old traditions and the current societal norms.

In the past, both dark magic and dark mages had been rejected and condemned. There was even a time when simply reporting the existence of a dark mage could earn a reward.

But as the number of dark mages dwindled, society began to question whether there was any need to continue persecuting them. Although they were still disliked, a consensus had formed: “Let’s stop killing them.”

However, there was still no consensus regarding objects infused with dark magic, so the principle of destruction remained in place.

In the end, this led to a strange situation where dark mages were left alone, but their cursed creations were destroyed.

“It would be best to destroy the armor publicly. The knights of the marquisate deserve to know the reason.”

“Let me know when you’ve decided on a date. We will be there to witness it.”

Considering the impact the curse had on the marquisate, it was necessary to show the people as well. Duke Bake Richmond himself wanted to destroy the cursed item in front of them.

However, because the item in question was his late father’s treasured armor, he feared the people might misunderstand.

“Oh! How are the people affected by the curse doing?”

“We’ve already treated about half of the afflicted. We should be finished in about five days.”

“Thank you in advance. I will make sure the payment is made promptly.”

Cedria Tower had been hired to investigate the curse, and as long as they received their due payment, they had no other interest in the matter.

“Oh, by the way, Duke, I heard there was someone treating the cursed people before we arrived.”

“Yes, that’s correct. One of our residents, a mage.”

Even after Cedria Tower began its investigation, Rodin continued to treat the nearby patients. Since he was acquainted with Margaret and Matthew, he couldn’t just ignore them.

His work reached more than ten people, and soon rumors started to spread.

Some people even insisted on being treated by Rodin rather than by the mages of Cedria Tower.

“Could I meet this person?”

“I can tell you where he lives, but I can’t force him to meet you. He’s not a criminal, and he’s a mage as well.”

“That’s more than enough. I’ll request the meeting myself.”

“Very well. I’ll provide the location.”

Elder Kendrick had grown curious about this mage who knew the Clean Up spell, a rare magic nowadays.

Even Cedria Tower didn’t possess the incantation for Clean Up, so Kendrick couldn’t help but feel intrigued.

Perhaps, with a bit of coaxing or pressure, they could extract the spell from him.

Although Clean Up was only a 3rd Circle spell, it was far from easy to master. The spell involved particularly complex runes for a 3rd Circle spell and belonged to the healing school of magic.

Healing magic did not synergize well with combat magic.

Many mages who could wield healing magic saw their combat magic weaken significantly.

For battle mages, it was even worse; many found it impossible to cast healing magic, no matter how hard they tried.