Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 108 (Part 1)

These days, Margaret was living the happiest days of her life. She had met a good employer and was receiving satisfying treatment.

Especially, her son was no longer involved in dangerous work. Yet, he was still acknowledged by his employer and received daily compliments.

Her son was diligent by nature. Even when he worked as a miner, he was liked by everyone, whether they were his superiors or subordinates.

However, mining was far too dangerous. She often had to suppress the urge to tell him to quit multiple times a day.

“I need to make a new set of clothes for my son.”

Margaret smiled as she prepared her knitting tools. She tried to thread the needle, but it didn’t go in easily.

“Sigh…”

She failed several times at threading the needle. A sigh escaped her lips naturally.

It was disappointing. She was truly happy these days, but she knew this happiness wouldn’t last long. Age was the problem.

Unless one was someone exceptional, like a mage or a swordmaster, reaching one’s fifties meant it was time to start preparing for the end of life. The 50s were the age when vitality began to fade, and the body started to break down in various places.

Margaret was no exception.

Lately, her eyesight had grown dim. In the mornings, she would wake up feeling sluggish, spending a good amount of time just sitting idly.

“It’s a shame.”

This had become a phrase Margaret often said to herself these days.

Her son had finally settled down. He had met a good employer, and only happiness lay ahead. But it was a shame that she wouldn’t be able to witness that happiness for much longer.

“But I must stay strong. If I’m strong, my son will be, too.”

Recently, Margaret had been teaching her son how to cook. It was part of her preparations for the end.

Fortunately, her son had a knack for cooking. His sense of taste was exceptional, so with just a few demonstrations, he was able to replicate most dishes.

“There’s still so much left to teach him…”

Knock, knock!

“Margaret! It’s Rodin.”

“Huh? The boss?”

The voice of her good employer came along with the sound of knocking. Margaret hurriedly stood up, but suddenly swayed.

“Ah…”

Her head spun for a moment, and she nearly fell. She barely managed to regain her balance, but she couldn’t seem to muster any strength.

It had been several years since she entered her fifties. It seemed the time for wrapping things up was approaching faster than she had anticipated.

“Margaret?”

“I’m coming, sir.”

Margaret gathered her strength and opened the door. Fortunately, her employer didn’t seem to notice her condition.

“Margaret, were you knitting?”

“No, I was just thinking. Please, come in.”

“Alright, excuse me then.”

Rodin, a mage on the verge of reaching the 7th Circle, sensed the faint aura of death lingering around Margaret. He also saw that she was trying her best to conceal it.

Though Rodin was still a 6th Circle mage, not yet fully matured, his innate sensitivity remained intact.

‘I can’t do anything about age, even with my power.’

Margaret had no idea, but Rodin had been secretly looking out for her.

Every day, he mixed a potion made with an ancient healing formula from the Mage Empire into the water she drank. Additionally, he visited her at night while she slept and cast recovery spells.

Such actions couldn’t extend her lifespan. However, they could reduce her pain and help her pass peacefully when the time came.

This was the only help Rodin could provide Margaret for now.

“What brings you all the way here, sir?”

“I was hoping to get some advice.”

“Advice? What kind of advice would you seek from a simple countrywoman like me? I don’t know anything about magic.”

Margaret belittled herself as a simple countrywoman, but Rodin had been through much worse, having once been a slave.

Though the slave brand had been removed, leaving no visible trace, if one looked closely at his identity, everything about Rodin was shrouded in deception.

“I need advice from someone with life experience.”

“Life experience? If my trivial experiences can be of any help, feel free to ask.”

“When a person lives, they need a goal, right? But I don’t have anything I desperately want to achieve by the time I die. What kind of goal should I set for myself?”

“A goal?”

Margaret didn’t quite understand the question at first. It sounded profound, but upon reflection, it was a rather simple inquiry.

As far as Margaret knew, the smartest person she had ever met was her employer, Rodin. It was surprising to hear that someone as remarkable as him was troubled by such a mundane concern.

“Is it a strange question?”

“Sir, is there a reason you want to know what that something you desperately want to achieve is?”

“I need to know so I can set it as my target and work toward it. I need a destination to run toward.”

Rodin believed that in order to stop wandering aimlessly, he needed to know the path ahead. To find that path, he needed to identify the destination.

Once he could see that destination, and knew the way to get there, he felt he could stop wandering and start moving forward again.

“Sir, how many people in the world do you think have grand goals that they run toward without looking back?”

“Whether they succeed or not, don’t all people run toward their goals? Ah, perhaps not children…”

“No, sir. Very few people in the world have such grand aspirations. Most people are just living their lives.”

Margaret found Rodin’s question intriguing, but at the same time, she thought it was very much like him.

Most people didn’t concern themselves with what someone else’s ultimate goal in life was.

The question “What do you want to be when you grow up?” wasn’t really about one’s final goal. It was merely asking about a temporary stop along the way.

Yet, here was Rodin, not even twenty years old, already searching for a goal to run toward with all his might. His mature demeanor made him seem adult-like, but his inability to find that goal made him appear young again.

“Just living?”

“Of course, small goals come up from time to time. For example, this morning, I had the goal of making a meal that tasted better than yesterday’s. When I gave birth to Matthew, my goal was to raise him without making him feel envious of others. When I was fired from the restaurant, my goal was to find a job that paid more.”

“Small goals…”

“Yes, I constantly set small goals. But I wasn’t born just to raise Matthew, nor do I live simply to find well-paying jobs.”

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