Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 112 (Part 2)

Refraction worked by responding to external stimuli. When a strong attack came from outside, the magic deflected it, reducing the impact.

“You think there’s more?”

“There must be. By the way, doesn’t it feel a bit hotter in here?”

“It’s always hot down here. Plus, it’s summer.”

“No, it feels even hotter than usual.”

Slavon still didn’t realize that beyond the walls lay a sea of lava. They occasionally felt vibrations through the walls, but they assumed it was nothing more than minor earthquakes.

“It would be better if we could wear lighter clothing.”

“You know the rules.”

Mages belonging to Slavon were forbidden from removing their robes in public. The robes, bearing the insignia of the Ekrot Magic Tower, were a required part of their identity.

Breaking this rule came with severe consequences, possibly even public punishment.

“Did you hear? The tower master is supposed to arrive today.”

“Yeah, I heard he’s coming.”

About ten years ago, a large ruin was discovered in the Kingdom of Den, located north of the Kingdom of Tebia. The ruins were massive, inscribed with magical circles that seemed to date back to the Magic Empire.

All of Slavon’s research forces had been focused on the Kingdom of Den. The tower master, Baynus, had practically been living there.

The ruins in the Moord Wastelands had already been opened and found to be empty.

In contrast, the ruins in Den remained sealed. Even after Baynus, a descendant of the Magic Empire, infused the entrance with his mana, it hadn’t budged.

All of Slavon’s efforts remained centered in Den. Baynus had spent nearly all his time there.

Then, eight days ago, they received word that Baynus was planning to visit. It would be his first time back here in nearly nine months since briefly inspecting the site following an intruder’s attack.

“If the tower master comes, maybe we’ll speed up the research…”

*Rumble.*

Suddenly, the walls shook violently. Unlike the usual tremors, this one was much stronger and lasted longer.

“Wh-what’s going on?”

“What is this?”

“Everyone, get down!”

“Grab onto something!”

The thirty or so mages inside the ruins instinctively crouched down. With nothing sturdy to grab, they pressed their bodies flat against the ground.

“Ah, it’s stopped.”

“Whew, that was a strong one.”

“Yeah, but this time… wait, something’s not right.”

One of the mages, still lying on the ground, felt his chest. His robe felt much hotter than usual.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“My chest… hold on a second.”

Curious, the mage touched the ground.

It was scalding. Not just the heat from summer, but actual burning heat.

“The ground is hot.”

“What?”

“I said the ground’s hot! This isn’t an earthquake… it’s a volcano!”

The mages of Slavon had been so convinced that the tremors were caused by earthquakes because the tower master, Baynus, had said so.

If Baynus had told them from the start that it was a volcano, the mages would have believed it.

It was their blind trust in Baynus that had led to this mistake.

“No way!”

“Touch it yourself. Something’s wrong.”

“But the tower master said it was an earthquake…”

*Rumble!*

This time, the shaking was even more intense. A deep fissure opened in the wall, and through the crack, a bright red glow began to seep in.

“Damn it! Run!”

“It’s a volcano! Lava is coming in!”

Slavon’s mages began a frantic escape. Using every skill they had, they tried to flee the ruins.

“Get out of the way!”

“Open the path!”

“What are you doing? Move!”

The narrow passageways of the underground ruins quickly became bottlenecks as the mages crowded together, each trying to be the first to escape.

“Up! Go up!”

“There’s a staircase. Hurry!”

Even after reaching the end of the passage, they faced another hurdle. The staircase that led from the tunnel to the main shaft was narrow and spiral-shaped, making it hard to ascend quickly.

“Fly!”

“Levitation!”

For those who were at least fifth-circle mages, this wasn’t a problem. With Fly magic, they could swiftly soar upwards.

Fourth-circle mages managed to float upwards using Levitation magic, though not as smoothly.

“What about us? Help us!”

“Save us!”

“Argh!”

“Ugh! Save… me…”

But the lower-ranked mages were trapped. They couldn’t ascend the staircase fast enough and found themselves stuck in the passageways.

The bright red lava quickly engulfed them, consuming those who had once lived proudly as mages. The scorching liquid claimed their lives in an instant.

“Damn it! The tunnel…”

“Damn…”

The few mages who managed to reach the top of the tunnel were greeted by another challenge—an extended shaft that led to the surface. They still had a long way to go before they were safe.

The only relief was that having ascended, they had bought themselves some time. And with fewer survivors, they no longer needed to fight over the narrow space. Those who survived hurriedly raced through the tunnel, finally reaching the outside world.

As they emerged into the open air, the tower master of Slavon arrived at the tunnel entrance.

“What on earth happened here?”

“A volcano, sir. Lava… the lava is…”

“Lava? This place hasn’t seen volcanic activity in over a thousand years. How could there be lava?”

Baynus had been confident that this was an earthquake zone, and he had his reasons.

The Rien Mountains, which included Sorien Mountain, had experienced seismic activity for hundreds of years. There had been many instances of large cracks forming and landslides occurring due to earthquakes.

Even the nearby villages had suffered several earthquakes in the past few decades. Their construction methods had even changed to withstand the frequent tremors.

Because of this, it was only natural for Baynus to assume that the Moord Wastelands, near the Rien Mountains, were also prone to earthquakes. He hadn’t considered the possibility of volcanic activity.

“But it’s true, sir. Our comrades died from lava breaching the walls.”

“Lava has already poured into the passageways…”

“You must have been mistaken… Oh, heavens. Prepare to leave this place immediately.”

Baynus couldn’t finish his sentence. He could see the red-hot lava slowly creeping out of the dark tunnel.

“We leave now. Get ready!”

“Move!”

“Haa…”

Baynus shut his eyes tightly, watching the lava.

It was a clear mistake on his part. No matter the circumstances, he should have examined the area more thoroughly. If he had, he could have saved his subordinates from dying so meaninglessly.

—

Rodin was meticulously inscribing magic circles on the inner walls of the carriage that Karis was driving. Since he was planning to engrave a complex combination of magic, he had to calculate the position of each circle and the arrangement of the runes carefully.

“This part needs to have a mana accumulation circle, but it seems a bit tight.”

He measured the space with his hand. It seemed just barely enough to fit the magic circle.

“I want to increase the aura conversion rate a little more.”

Rodin’s plan was to turn the two carriages into aura training chambers and mana training chambers, respectively. When someone used them for training, they would serve that purpose; otherwise, they’d simply be regular carriages.

*Rumble.*

Just then, a faint vibration ran through the ground. Rodin immediately stopped working and opened the door leading to the driver’s seat.

“Karis, did you feel that tremor?”

“Look to the eastern sky, my lord.”

“Hmm. Ah! So the volcano finally erupted.”

Far off in the eastern sky, thick black smoke was rising. The volcanic activity of the Sorien Mountain and the Rien Mountain range had resumed.

“Did you anticipate this?”

“Yes. It held out longer than I expected. I thought it would erupt a few months ago.”

Hyung_Otaku2

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