Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 124 (Part 2)

The detour took a significant amount of time. By near midday, they had not made much progress toward their destination.

“Stop!”
Rodin shouted as he leaped out of the carriage. Startled, Jena and Karis pulled the reins to halt the carriage.

“Sir, is something wrong?”

“Hold on. Fly!”

Instead of answering, Rodin cast a spell and rose into the air. He climbed high enough to see past the dense trees below, taking in the surrounding scene.

“This isn’t good.”

The distance to the giant beast had closed considerably. What was once a two-hour distance at full speed was now down to about 30 minutes.

The real issue was the group driving the monster. Their path was heading directly toward where the carriage stood.

“Sigh, this direction?”

Rodin descended back to the ground, where Larry and Bianca were waiting for him.

“Rodin! What’s happening?”

“The beast is coming.”

“Here?”

“The knights are leading it this way.”

Rodin had tried to avoid battle by taking an isolated route. He thought it would be safe.

But the knights had the same idea.

Support from the Magic Tower was on its way, but they needed more time. The only way to buy that time was to lead the beast to an uninhabited area.

“Why this way?”

“You can ask later. It won’t be easy to get away.”

The beast was not moving at a leisurely pace. It was chasing the knights at full speed.

Considering the length of its strides, it would be at their location in less than ten minutes. It was too late to turn the carriage and flee.

“Sir, what do we do?”

“Release the horses. Larry, you know how to ride, right?”

“Of course. I practiced hard for this.”

When they were in the Richmond Marquisate, Rodin had taken time to teach Larry horseback riding. He wanted to teach Bianca too, but she couldn’t stay balanced on a horse, so he’d given up.

“Matthew, you can ride, right?”

“Yes. I even managed the stables’ training.”

Matthew had gone to a ranch to learn proper horse training, paying to work there for several months. He’d at least learned how to ride a horse.

“Larry, take Bianca and head to the spot where we rested this morning. Run there. Matthew, look after the children.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll take care of Bianca.”

“I’ll stick close to Larry.”

With a gesture, Rodin sent the three on their way. Matthew untied the horses from the carriages.

There were four horses in total, attached to two carriages. Matthew and Larry each led two and departed.

Rodin stored the remaining carriage in his subspace. Now only two masters of swordsmanship and Rodin remained.

“Phew.”

“Nervous?”

“Yes. I haven’t experienced many dangerous battles.”

He intended to deal with the giant beast here. If he couldn’t kill it, he at least had to keep it confined to this area.

If it broke through, it would head straight for where Larry and Bianca were fleeing. That was not an option.

“Should we reposition?”

“No, this spot will do. I don’t rely much on terrain obstacles.”

“True, your spell accuracy is impressive.”

“Besides, the creature is huge. Even if I cast roughly, it’ll hit.”

This area wasn’t ideal for a mage. While not overly dense, there were enough trees to block sightlines and hinder magic.

But Rodin didn’t mind.

He was confident in his coordinate calculations. There was no chance he’d accidentally strike a tree. Plus, the sparsely spread trees provided decent cover.

“Someone’s coming.”

“It’s the knights. Looks like the decoy unit.”

While they spoke, unfamiliar figures appeared. The knights leading the beast.

“Who are you?”

“Just passing through. Did you lead the beast here?”

“Well, we…”

“You should have checked for people first.”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ground shook harder. The beast was closing in.

“Run while you can.”

“I can’t let it pass. Move aside and don’t interfere. Fly.”

Rodin ascended into the air. Not too high—he stayed about ten meters up, aiming at the direction the beast was coming from.

“A mage?”

“Get out of the way or be killed.”

The hesitant knights lingered until Karis pushed them aside. Two stumbled and fell.

“You dare!”

“How impudent.”

“Interfere, and you’ll die.”

Karis drew the spear from her back, and an ethereal blue blade materialized at its tip—a symbol of a master warrior.

“A master?”

“Poison!”

Rodin, still in the air, descended quickly and cast a spell on Karis and Jena.

“Resist Poison!”

It was a spell that enhanced poison resistance. It didn’t provide complete immunity, so prolonged exposure was still dangerous.

‘So that’s why.’

Rodin now understood why there were so few sword-inflicted wounds on the beast. The thick poison surrounding it prevented close approach.

Even from a distance, the stench of the poison was intense.

At this level, most knights would succumb to poisoning before they even reached the beast. Even master-level warriors would need support from high-level mages to engage.

‘If it were airborne poison, we’d be fine, but this is contact poison.’

Combat constructs only mimic breathing; they don’t actually breathe. If the poison entered through the respiratory system, it wouldn’t have been an issue.

But the poison around the giant beast was contact-based. Anything that touched it was corroded. Even a combat construct had to be wary of such poison.

Thud, thud, thud!

“It’s coming!”

“Let’s keep moving! Run!”

“Run!”

Past the trees, a glimpse of the monster’s horn appeared. The horn shifted to reveal its head, and soon its eyes were visible.

Finally, the knights leading the beast started to flee. Even with their aura-enhanced speed, the beast closed in faster.

Thud, thud, thud, crash! Snap!

The sound of the beast’s approach mixed with the noise of breaking trees. Moments later, the beast arrived.

Hyung_Otaku2

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