Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 111 (Part 2)

A voice broke the brief moment of calm that followed, causing everyone’s head to snap toward it.

“Who are you?!”

“His brother. Oh, and by the way, I’m younger than you. So, how about it? Wanna try me too?”

“A… a mage?”

Dorian’s group had heard rumors about Larry’s older brother being a mage. A rather skilled one, too, with a reputation in the mercenary world.

They’d dismissed it as mere gossip, but now, seeing him in front of them, the rumor didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore. Regardless of the truth, none of them wanted to fight him.

“Larry, how about it? Should I give them a little more time?”

“When did you get here, brother?”

“I’ve been here for a while. You looked like you were having fun, so I waited. So, what do you think? Want me to give them a bit more time?”

“No, it’s gotten boring. They’re too weak. They’re not even good for practice.”

The swordsmanship taught by the Frouval Phantom wasn’t just about blocking. The key was reading your opponent’s attack patterns while defending. As the fight went on, you’d get more comfortable and gain the upper hand.

At first, Larry had been quite tense during the fight, unable to take his eyes off his opponents for even a moment.

But as he began to read their patterns, defending became easier and easier. Once he felt at ease, there was no longer any benefit to continuing.

“Is that so? Then let’s go.”

“W-where do you think you’re going?”

Rodin began walking toward home with Larry. But the five blocked their path.

“Annoying.”

Without chanting any runes, Rodin summoned five magic hands, each grabbing one of them.

“W-what is this?”

“Let go!”

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

He slammed all five into the ground. He paid particular attention to Dorian, making sure he landed on a sharp rock.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

“This is your last warning. If you block my path again, I’ll kill you.”

Rodin’s voice was quiet, cold, and emotionless.

That made it all the more terrifying. Dorian’s group was swallowed by a primal fear—the belief that if they crossed him again, they would die.

“Y-yes. We’re sorry.”

“P-please forgive us.”

“Let’s go, Larry.”

“Yes, brother.”

Rodin and Larry walked home together without so much as a glance at the five who lay sprawled on the ground.

*

It was the morning of their departure.

Bianca looked like she was going on a picnic, her face lit up with excitement. Seeing this, Larry shook his head.

“Why are you so excited?”

“It’s a trip! Hehehe, I can’t wait.”

“We’ve only been on this continent for less than two years, Bianca.”

Larry had traveled out every day while attending the Cardos Sword Academy. Even after leaving the academy, he had gone to the market a few times with Margaret or Matthew.

However, Bianca had rarely gone outside since they settled at the Richmond Marquisate. Although her magic training kept her busy, the main reason was that Bianca was scared of people.

Inside the house, she had no problem interacting with others, but stepping outside terrified her. Even when Larry, Margaret, or Matthew invited her to go out, she hesitated.

The only time Bianca felt safe was when she was with Rodin.

But Rodin was always busy. He was constantly occupied with something, so Bianca never got the chance to ask him to go out.

“Hmph! Larry, you’re becoming as emotionally dry as Big Brother Rodin. You’re turning into him!”

“Hey! I’m not that bad, am I?”

“Oh, please. Right in front of me? And what do you mean by ‘that bad’? What exactly are you saying about me?”

“There are people like you, Big brother Rodin.”

Rodin was taken aback for a moment, but he decided to let it go. He didn’t see the point in arguing with Bianca.

“Have you finished packing?”

“Yup. Let’s go already. Hurry.”

“You should at least pack up your bed.”

“You can do that for me. I’ll be waiting in the carriage.”

They hadn’t packed the items they used that morning into their spatial bracelets yet.

The beddings that Larry and Bianca had used that morning, the dishes from breakfast, and the clothes they were going to wear today still needed to be stored. Matthew’s cooking utensils from preparing breakfast also hadn’t been packed away yet.

“Fine… Oh, and don’t get too startled when you step outside.”

“Okay!”

Bianca dashed out of the room, and Larry reluctantly followed her.

Left alone, Rodin began packing the few remaining items. He collected everything from Larry and Bianca’s rooms and then went to the kitchen to pack up what was left.

Finally, he made his way to Matthew’s separate quarters. There were a few things there belonging to Matthew and some of the items left behind by the late Margaret.

“Haah…”

Thinking about Margaret still weighed heavily on Rodin’s heart.

Without realizing it, Rodin found himself touching the bracelet engraved with the space where Margaret lay at rest.

As Rodin was packing up the last of Margaret and Matthew’s things, Larry and Bianca found themselves engaged in a standoff with two unfamiliar figures outside. Larry, tense, gripped his shield tightly, while Bianca folded her arms, glaring at the strangers.

“Who are you? Why are you here?” Bianca demanded.

“Oh my, look at this. Karis, this cheeky little girl just called me ‘you.’ How adorable is that?”

“They’re the young lord’s siblings. Show some respect,” the taller of the two women responded.

The strangers standing opposite Larry and Bianca were Karis and Jena, the combat dolls who had pledged their loyalty to Rodin.

Rodin had summoned Karis and Jena to help him learn the language of the Magic Empire. They were excellent teachers, capable of teaching both the written characters and the correct pronunciation.

While it was beneficial for Rodin to learn the language from them, the dolls had an even greater advantage—they didn’t need to be summoned every time to learn. Inside their storage space, they shared all of Rodin’s experiences, hearing everything he said and observing everything he did.

That time amounted to almost a full year.

Thanks to this, they quickly mastered the common language of the continent. Although they weren’t completely fluent yet, they could hold a decent conversation without sounding out of place.

“The young lord wouldn’t expect you to show that kind of respect,” Jena said flatly.

“I haven’t received any specific orders to change that. Behave yourselves,” Karis replied sternly.

In front of Larry and Bianca, both Karis and Jena referred to Rodin as “young lord.” This was a title Rodin had given them a while back, and he hadn’t issued any orders to change it since.

When alone with him, they called him “master,” but in the presence of others, they used “young lord.”

“Anyway, Karis, you’re no fun.”

“Reveal your identities!” Bianca demanded, her bravery showing.

Jena simply smiled, while Karis ignored her.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jena, and this gruff one here is Karis. We serve Rodin.”

“You serve Big Brother Rodin?”

“That’s right. We’re his guards.”

(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!)

Hyung_Otaku2

•