Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 115 (Part 2)

The level of magic used in the shock absorption was higher—a 3rd Circle spell compared to the 2nd Circle spell for cold emission.

However, the frozen carriage had a more refined and efficient design, indicating the care put into its creation.

“Haha. When mages meet, they just can’t stop talking about magic.”

“We’ve probably talked too much about ourselves.”

“Oh! They said the meal is ready. Let’s fill our stomachs first.”

“Sounds good.”

As Rodin rose for the meal, he suddenly halted, his gaze fixed northward.

“Mage Rodin, is something the matter…?”

A deafening roar shattered the air, and the ground quaked wildly, as if someone were shaking it by its very roots.

“Magic Hand.”

Rodin instinctively cast a spell to steady his companions.

Larry, Bianca, and Matthew, who had almost fallen, regained their balance with the magic’s help. Karis and Jena stood firm without assistance.

“What in the world…?”

“Hmm.”

“Rodin, what’s happening?”

“Feels like a beast. I can’t tell what exactly, though.”

What Rodin sensed was an overwhelming presence accompanied by a massive surge of mana. However, he had no immediate way of knowing the creature’s appearance.

“Is it heading this way?”

“No. It’s moving from there to over there.”

The roar that erupted from the north was rapidly moving to the northwest.

Whether it was chasing something or being chased, it was clear that the situation was dire.

“What is it?”

“What’s going on?”

“What kind of monster…?”

Daniel, the head of the trading company, had already collapsed to the ground. Betner, the mage, was holding on to a nearby tree for balance, while most of the mercenaries were bracing themselves, hands on the ground.

“Everyone, stay alert. Squad Two, start perimeter checks. Squad One, maintain close protection.”

“Get it together!”

The leading mercenary stood up and shouted orders, while another revived the fallen guards.

“Mage Rodin, it isn’t the trolls we saw earlier, is it?”

“No, it’s fundamentally different. It feels much larger and more powerful.”

It was definitely not related to the trolls from earlier, but he couldn’t shake the idea that it was somehow connected to the black stone they had seen.

“It mustn’t come this way.”

“It’s moved further away. I’ll check it out.”

Rodin signaled Karis with a glance and moved away. Jena stayed behind to guard the group.

*

Rodin ventured deep into the forest to escape prying eyes and ears. Karis followed without a word.

He only stopped walking when they reached a dark spot, cloaked in shadows, where the sun had fully set.

“Jito, please scout the area.”

—Caw!

Jito returned to its true form and took off into the sky, circling the area where the roar had originated.

“It’s huge.”

Sharing its vision, they could see the monstrous beast rampaging, destroying everything in its path.

Its size was immense. Standing about 20 meters tall, its weight was unfathomable. Its broad shoulders and the two horns on its forehead stood out.

“It looks like a Minotaur. Karis, do you know of Minotaurs? A bipedal beast with the head of a bull.”

“Yes. Although its name was different, similar creatures existed in the past.”

“That one isn’t 20 meters tall, though, right?”

“Of course not. Typically, they were about 4 meters tall, with some rare cases approaching 6 meters.”

During the era of the Magic Empire, monsters weren’t as common. Or rather, they were abundant but kept confined to specific areas. As a result, it was rare for them to appear in human territories.

“It’s related to that Failed Mana Crystal, isn’t it?”

“Failed Mana Crystal?”

“The black stone we saw earlier. I decided to call it that.”

“Yes, I also think there’s a connection.”

Although the exact process was unknown, the creature not only contained mana but absorbed it, leading to excessive mana that influenced its physical form.

‘It’s in their nature, combined with the traits of a beast.’

The tenacity of beasts had given rise to this situation.

A person unable to manage the mana they harnessed would succumb to mana poisoning, similar to the mana overload Matthew had experienced, resulting in unconsciousness and physical weakness.

“It’s moved further away. Jito, return.”

Whoosh!

At Rodin’s call, Jito swiftly returned, moving like the wind with impressive speed.

“A fascinating familiar.”

“Didn’t your era have familiars?”

“Familiars were common. Over half of the empire’s citizens were contracted with them. But none like Jito in this form.”

Jito intrigued Jena as well.

Karis and Jena were battle constructs from the Magic Empire era. They often unconsciously compared what they observed in this era to their time.

To them, the current age had regressed alarmingly. What was once ordinary during the Magic Empire had become rare.

The kind of magic once mastered by any competent mage had now become a lifelong research project for people and magic towers of this era, akin to mana stones.

In this backward flow, only Rodin and Jito seemed to stand out.

Rodin’s mana perception surpassed that of previous masters. His skill in manipulating mana was equally exceptional.

Handling mana unaided was a long-cherished goal that past masters had trained rigorously for.

Ultimately, they failed and resorted to specialized tools for mana manipulation.

But the current master, Rodin, moved, shaped, and wielded mana effortlessly. It didn’t even seem to strain him.

“Did you not have transforming familiars?”

“Transforming familiars existed, but none that turned into clothing.”

“Oh, really?”

There was a single record of a familiar like Jito appearing in an ancient bestiary, once known as Elif.

Rodin, however, didn’t believe it appeared only once in history; he simply took it as an indication of Jito’s extreme rarity.

“Transforming familiars would take the form of other animals, beasts, or even other familiars.”

“Isn’t that even more impressive?”

“The original traits of the familiar never disappeared. A familiar with a hard body would remain hard even in a new form. A familiar made of fire would keep its flames.”

“So Jito is different, then.”

Jito’s natural body was quite tough, covered in scales reminiscent of fish scales that were rigid and sharp to the touch.

Yet, in its clothing form, it was incredibly soft, reminiscent of the finest silk produced on the Eastern Continent.

“Let’s head back.”

“Yes, Master.”

When alone, Karis reverted to addressing him as ‘Master’ instead of ‘Young lord or sir.’ Knowing she would be discreet around others, Rodin let it be.

(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!)

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