Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 112 (Part 1)

Rodin decided to bring Karis and Jena along on this journey. He believed it would be a valuable learning experience for them, and likewise, Larry and Bianca could learn a lot by observing the two.

Of course, the fact that they were combat dolls remained a secret. If people found out, they’d start asking questions, and there wasn’t a good explanation prepared.

“Are they really here to protect Big Brother Rodin?”

“That’s right.”

“Matthew! Is that true?”

“Yeah, Rodin was just here a little while ago.”

Hearing that he’d come and gone meant there was no danger. Only then did Larry relax. Bianca, however, grinned and slowly approached Jena.

“Sis.”

“What do you want, little miss?”

“Don’t call me little.”

“I don’t want to. Maybe I’ll stop if you grow as tall as me someday.”

Jena set an impossible condition.

Though Jena appeared feminine, she was built as a combat doll. She stood at 185 cm, just about the same height as Karis. It would be hard for even most men to match that height.

“Tch. But sis…”

“Go on, little miss.”

“Why are there two carriages?”

“Well, you’d have to ask the young master about that.”

The reason they had two carriages was due to the weight of Karis and Jena.

Outwardly, neither of them seemed particularly large. Their figures were firm and balanced, so they looked like they weighed under 80 kg.

But in reality, they were extremely heavy because of the materials their bodies were made from. Jena weighed over 150 kg, and Karis was about 2 kg heavier than that.

If both were put in one carriage, their combined weight alone would be 300 kg. Add Rodin, Matthew, Larry, and Bianca to that, and the total exceeded 500 kg—far too much weight for a single carriage. The horses would struggle, and they’d be exhausted in no time. That was why they’d been forced to use two carriages.

“Bianca, I think Rodin figured two carriages were needed since there are six of us.”

“Is that so?”

“What are you all chatting about so happily?”

Rodin, having finished organizing the rest of their luggage from afar, approached slowly. He was still dressed in his robe with his hood pulled low.

“Big Brother Rodin! Who are these people?”

“They’re people I’ve come to know. Go ahead and introduce yourselves. This is Karis, and this is Jena.”

“We’ve already met. But Big Brother Rodin.”

Bianca ran up and grabbed Rodin’s arm, her face full of curiosity.

“Your eyes are making me uncomfortable. What are you curious about?”

“Big Brother Rodin, are you a noble?”

“What? Where did that come from?”

“Well, you’re not a noble, right? But why do you have guards? And earlier, she referred to you as ‘young Lord.’ Doesn’t that mean you’re a noble?”

Rodin had expected Larry, Bianca, and Matthew to have some suspicions. Especially Bianca, who was too curious to let something like that slide.

Rodin didn’t have a prepared answer for this. He intended to brush it off without giving a clear response.

“Does it matter? Would your attitude change if my status did? Or are you thinking of leaving because you’d be uncomfortable if I were a noble?”

“Uh… no, that’s not it.”

“Then it doesn’t matter. Now, get in.”

“Which carriage should I take?”

As expected, Bianca quickly lost interest in whether he was a noble. Just as Rodin had said, it wasn’t important. All she really cared about was magic and the journey ahead.

“Get in the one with Matthew.”

“Huh? Why? Shouldn’t we split up?”

“I’m going to inscribe a magic circle in the other one, so it has to be empty for now.”

“Got it.”

Bianca, Larry, and Matthew climbed into the carriage Jena was driving. Rodin got into the carriage Karis was in and began pulling out his equipment.

—

The organization Slavon, which sought traces of the ancient world, had not left the underground ruins even after Rodin escaped. In fact, even more people had gathered there than the original group of mages.

There was still much to investigate in the area. The way runes were combined and etched onto the walls of the underground chambers to form magical circles was invaluable to Slavon.

To create new magic or restore lost spells, the key was understanding the runes. The more forgotten runes they could decipher, the more likely they were to complete magic spells.

Slavon, an organization dedicated to recovering ancient magic, regarded these ruins, with their abundance of runes, as a treasure trove.

“How’s it going? Have you figured anything out?”

“No. I’m still stuck.”

“Damn it. I can’t believe so many unknown runes keep popping up.”

The magical circles etched into the walls of the underground ruins weren’t formed by mere magical energy but by mana. For those who couldn’t perceive mana, nothing should have been visible.

But whoever created these ruins had been considerate enough to make the runes visible on the walls, as if they were kindly offering a lesson on hidden magic.

The mages dispatched by Slavon were busily studying the runes, examining them with their eyes.

“We don’t even know a fraction of these runes. It’s so frustrating.”

“If we can decipher all of them, our magic will make great strides.”

“Yeah, if we figure them all out. But do you really think that’s possible? I’ve been staring at them for ages, and I still don’t get anything.”

“At least we’ve discovered that one of the magical circles etched into the walls is a refraction spell.”

When they first arrived at the ruins, the first magical circle they identified was for ‘defense.’ About six months later, they figured out another one for ‘enhancement.’ And five days ago, they learned that one of the spells was refraction magic.