Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 122 (Part 2)

“Please, aid us before our kingdom suffers further. Master Francis.”

“Ha ha, we are moving with urgency, so do not press us too much.”

“Tebia’s damage isn’t that severe, is it? Compared to our kingdom… Ha.”

The complaint came from the king of the Lennox Kingdom.

The western part of Lennox, which had been ravaged by the giant beast for about a month, was in ruins.

The death toll had exceeded 12,000. Six villages had been affected, and the economic losses were immeasurable.

By contrast, the Tebia Kingdom’s direct losses were minimal. While Lennox was being devastated, they had figured out how to deal with the giant beast.

The moment the giant beast crossed over, Tebia launched its first subjugation attempt.

It failed miserably, leading to them only luring the beast afterward, steering it towards uninhabited areas or places with fewer buildings.

This effort resulted in casualties among their knights and magic troops.

As of yesterday, approximately nine knights and two wizards had died. Civilian casualties numbered around 20.

In comparison, Lennox had lost over 100 knights and more than 20 wizards, with civilian losses in the tens of thousands.

The damage Tebia sustained was relatively minor.

“But to go back to the earlier topic. If this is a prelude to the Demon King’s return, doesn’t that mean the Demon King will appear?”

“We at Landes believe so.”

“Herias agrees as well.”

“Chronoa, too.”

“We do as well.”

Landes Tower, Herias Tower, Chronoa Tower, and Nella Tower.

These four were known as the continent’s major towers, unmatched in scale and tradition.

Of the four, three tower masters—excluding Nella—were grand mages of the 7th Circle, the most powerful on the continent, leading to unmatched strength in each.

“But wasn’t the Demon King defeated? I’m not the most attentive student of history, but I thought I’d heard he was slain.”

“No, that’s misinformation. We don’t know if the Demon King is truly dead.”

“So the tale of his death by the sacrificial force was a fabricated rumor?”

“It’s hard to know precisely what happened a thousand years ago, but perhaps the story was deliberately spread to reassure the public.”

It was plausible.

The Demon King’s emergence had brought bloodshed across the continent. The scale of devastation was so massive that they said the population had halved because of him.

In such a scenario, people must have lived each day in fear.

If, at that time, the Demon King hadn’t appeared for a while, the leaders could have lied to calm the public.

“What happens if the Demon King appears again?”

“Then we must gather the continent’s might. Just as we overcame before, we will do so again.”

“Let’s avoid any unnecessary infrastructure projects like before.”

“Of course. We won’t repeat past mistakes.”

Before the Demon King’s emergence, the current central and eastern continents were not divided as they are now. The land east of the Paroma Mountains was considered the eastern continent in its entirety.

The Demon King had appeared at the far eastern edge. That was also where the giant beasts had first appeared.

The Demon King, upon his appearance, drenched the world in blood. His power was so overwhelming that defeating him seemed impossible.

“It was a ruse of the Demon King. Everyone, including the central continent’s leadership, believed it.”

“In any case, the Demon King’s appearance is… sigh, a concern.”

The Demon King had shown an aversion to water.

When it rained, he sought shelter and waited until the rain stopped. He would go around rivers and lakes.

However, he wasn’t weak to water. Wizards cast countless water-based spells against him, but the Demon King effortlessly blocked them.

He simply disliked water, as a human might avoid contact with waste, though not harmed by it.

“That’s it!”

The leaders at the time decided to use this to halt the Demon King. They planned a massive river construction involving 3 million people.

That became the long, continuous waterway stretching north to south, known as the Icos River.

People were worked harshly, and tens of thousands died in the process.

Yet they succeeded in completing the Icos River before the Demon King’s arrival.

However, when he finally arrived, he simply crossed it, showing no aversion to the water that previously defined his behavior.

“If the Demon King appears, all inter-nation conflicts must cease.”

“Of course. With death looming, territorial gains mean nothing.”

“The sole focus should be the Demon King’s subjugation. Any personal motives will lead to failure.”

“As I said, our kingdom will commit everything to the Demon King’s defeat.”

“We’ll see how long that resolve lasts.”

The towers retained extensive records on the war against the Demon King, surpassing any historical archives held by the kingdoms.

Of the 2 million soldiers assembled to combat the beasts, only 100,000 survived. From the 1,000-person sacrificial unit sent to strike the Demon King directly, fewer than 100 returned.

And of those who survived, not even half were unscathed.

Yet, the warriors who fought and returned were not rewarded at home.

Not only were they excluded from honors and compensation, but they also bore the brunt of civilian losses incurred during the battle with the beasts.

Over half ended up imprisoned; some were hanged. Those who avoided execution were later accused of various crimes and either died, were imprisoned, or sentenced to forced labor.

“Ah! Another giant beast could appear. Keep a close watch on your internal affairs.”

“That’s our business.”

Despite the mention of the Demon King, the kings did not take it seriously.

To them, a millennium was too long. The numbers of the dead and the damage seemed abstract, not truly felt.

The meeting soon adjourned.

That afternoon, the wizards of the Landes Tower set off for the Tebia Kingdom.

The giant beast was not just a simple creature of immense size and strength. It had high magic resistance, making it difficult to wound even with low-level spells.

This is why Landes Tower’s subjugation force consisted primarily of high-ranking wizards. The 7th Circle wizard Francis would be among them.