Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 119 (Part 2)

Betner also put it away, ensuring no one else would notice.

“Do you have a reason?”

“It’s about time. This Failed Magic Stone absorbs natural mana and stores it. You can’t accumulate this much power by absorbing mana for just a year or two. It would take at least a hundred years to store this amount of mana.”

“Ah!”

Betner couldn’t help but agree.

The stone wasn’t a person. It didn’t absorb mana intentionally; only naturally absorbed mana could be transformed into a mana stone.

Gathering this much power in a short time was, of course, impossible.

Rodin mentioned a hundred years, but it was likely even longer. It might have absorbed mana for centuries, or even over a thousand years.

‘There’s one more reason.’

Rodin had another reason to believe it was an ancient artifact.

If it were a recent creation, those who made it would be among the most notorious criminals on the continent.

Thousands had already perished, and it was clear that soon, the toll would rise into the tens of thousands. This level of crime would undoubtedly be recorded in history.

‘It can’t be recent.’

The technological level didn’t match.

The magic to convert mana into magical power was known to anyone who studied Magic Stones. The few mage towers that had long studied Magic Stones knew this.

But the issue was the process that included mana absorption. It was something current magical knowledge couldn’t replicate.

‘I could, though.’

Of course, Rodin could make a mana stone right away.

He had created a mana-accumulating magic circle at age 12. Even now, the carriage carried a combined magic circle for mana accumulation and transformation, used for his training.

Mana accumulation and absorption used a similar method. With a slight modification, the former could be turned into the latter.

“Thank you for your insight.”

“No, I’m afraid I wasn’t much help.”

After sending Betner off, Rodin fell into thought.

The monster crisis was proving to be bigger than expected.

It was not just Lennox Kingdom’s problem. With the beast heading toward the border, the Kingdom of Tebia wasn’t safe either.

*

They spent the night at the village’s somber outskirts, setting off early in the morning. Breakfast was nothing more than jerky and dried rations.

A couple of hours after they left the village, the group naturally fell into formation. The terrain had become too difficult for the wagons to continue.

Cant, the mercenary leader, stepped forward to assess the terrain.

“Looks like the monster’s footprints.”

“Footprints?”

People gathered around to check the front of the wagons. They spotted an elongated oval-shaped hoof print, almost 3 meters in size.

“Wow! Seeing this, you can really tell how big that thing is.”

“One step and you’re done for.”

“It’s terrifying.”

“But the ground here is completely dry. It must have passed through over a day ago.”

Everyone sighed in relief at the distance. Rodin, too, hoped they wouldn’t encounter it.

“Big Brother Rodin, is the monster not around?”

“It doesn’t seem to be near here.”

The creature had grown due to the mana stone. If it were nearby, Rodin’s keen senses would have detected it.

Mercenaries filled in the giant footprints. With 30 of them working, it didn’t take long.

By the time they were ready to move on, a light drizzle began. The moisture made the water spirits chatter excitedly.

— Heeheehee.

‘Enough with the laughing.’

— Heeheehee.

The drizzle turned into a downpour. Streams from the mountains swelled into torrents, and they had to be cautious of landslides near the cliffs.

Despite the worsening conditions, they pressed on. Rodin didn’t intend to stop either.

They only halted after nightfall. They found a broad area perfect for camping.

“Did Sir Daniel know this place existed?”

“Yes, I pass through here every year.”

It explained why they hadn’t stopped earlier. To reach this location at the desired time, everything had to be meticulously planned.

“This is a good spot. High enough to avoid flooding.”

“But the rain is heavy. I’m not sure how long the campfires will last.”

The rain was accompanied by strong winds, likely indicating they were in the path of a storm.

“What if the fires go out?”

“We’ll have to shiver in the cold.”

It wasn’t winter, but it wasn’t summer either. Getting drenched now was an easy way to catch a cold.

“The mercenaries are in for a tough time.”

“Guard duty includes maintaining the campfires.”

“I’ll dry out some firewood for you.”

“No need. Betner already volunteered for that.”

Camp preparations were complete. Each tent housed five mercenaries, with a campfire in front of each.

It was an exceptionally hard night to sleep. The fierce wind whistled in their ears, shaking the tents furiously.

Mercenaries struggled to keep the fires burning, adding logs frequently and using large objects as windbreaks.

The fires flared and dimmed repeatedly. Just as it seemed they might not last much longer, Rodin emerged from the carriage.

“Out already, sir?”

“Yes. It looks tough out here.”

“No worries.”

Karis and Jena, who didn’t need sleep, greeted Rodin. He pitied them for braving the strong rain and wind.

There was a small roof on the driver’s platform, but it wasn’t enough to block the wind-driven rain. Their clothes were soaked as if they had fallen into water.

‘This won’t do.’

Rodin walked around to assess the size of the camp. He then envisioned a dome-shaped shield enclosing the entire area.

It was a spell he had never tried before. The idea had come to him spontaneously after waking up.

‘Let’s do this.’

Though he had never attempted it, he had some confidence.

The four major towers claimed to know about 10,000 runes, but Rodin knew double that. He had also learned how to combine runes during his lessons from the Frouval.

Most importantly, Rodin could control mana.

Spells using mana took longer for the initial activation than those using magical power. However, once activated, they could sustain themselves by absorbing surrounding mana.

“Screpf nadora iviek hasiu…”

Rodin recited the runes to stimulate the mana. Mana needed a push to move.

The first activation of a mana-based artifact consumed a significant number of mana stones. This was due to the large amount of energy needed to guide the mana into motion.

‘Alright.’

He sufficiently stimulated the mana. He distributed it around the camp using rune combinations.

“Power to guard the world. Dome Shield.”

The magic activated from Rodin’s words. The stimulated mana moved, creating a massive shield that enclosed the campsite.

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