Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 141 (Part 2)

“We’ve uncovered something important: the fact that the Demon King was actually created by the Kingdom of Rophelia.”

“And?”

“If that gets out, it’ll be chaos, won’t it?”

“I doubt anyone would believe it. You’re not a historian, so who would take you seriously?”

For others to believe something like that, the speaker needed credibility—such as a degree or a mentor with universal recognition.

Without that kind of background, Larry’s claims would only echo as empty words.

“But if you say it, it’s different. You’re a Grand Mage.”

“It’s too much trouble.”

As Larry said, if someone of Rodin’s stature as a 7th Circle Mage made the claim instead of a mere first-rate swordsman, people would at least lend an ear.

However, he didn’t particularly want to take the lead. Just imagining people approaching him from all sides to ask questions was horrifying.

“That’s so like you, Brother. Oh, I’ll head over to the next carriage.”

“Isn’t it a hassle every time?”

“Come on, it’s not like it’s the first or second time. This much is nothing.”

Going back and forth between the two carriages was a subtle inconvenience. Because of that, Larry had once suggested they all ride together in one carriage.

However, Karis and Jena were too heavy to fit into a single carriage. Adding Rodin, Larry, and Bianca on top of that made for a total of seven passengers.

“It’d be nice if we could use a four-horse carriage.”

“They say only nobles can use those in the Central Continent, right?”

On the Western Continent, there were no restrictions on the number of horses. Whether it was a four-horse carriage or even an eight-horse carriage, as long as one had money, anything was possible.

However, in the Central Continent, only nobles were permitted to use four-horse carriages. Anything above that, like an eight-horse carriage, was reserved for royalty.

“Should I obtain a title?”

“Is that even possible?”

“Any country would grant me a title if I asked. But I deliberately avoided it because I’d get caught up in all kinds of bothersome matters.”

Rodin was one of the four Grand Mages on the entire continent. No country would dare refuse him if he requested a title.

“Let’s just endure it for now.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

As much authority as nobles had, they also bore a proportional amount of responsibility. It wasn’t possible to take only the privileges while ignoring the obligations.

Rodin, prioritizing the responsibilities over the privileges, had chosen to forgo receiving a title.

“I’ll head over now.”

“Alright. See you at dinner.”

Both Larry and Bianca crossed over to Jena’s carriage, leaving Rodin alone in the carriage driven by Karis.

Rodin took out a box he had retrieved from the treasure vault. There was a faint trace of magical energy lingering around it.

“I can barely sense any magic.”

The situation was entirely different from the box that had contained the treasures of the Frouval.

The box from the Frouval had utilized magic so perfectly that the magical energy leaking out was nearly zero. Because of this, even Rodin had found it hard to detect that it contained artifacts unless he paid close attention.

However, this box was on the verge of losing functionality. The magic within it was almost depleted, making it difficult to detect.

“There’s only one spell active on it.”

The long, rectangular box contained only one spell: a preservation spell. There were no magical locks or defensive spells that would activate if forced open.

“Still, a preservation spell is enough to consider this a 7th-circle magic.”

Preservation spells were somewhat ambiguous in their requirements.

The spell itself could be implemented with 6th-circle magic, but the amount of magical energy required made it impossible for a typical 6th-circle mage. Only a mage with an extraordinary abundance of magical energy could use it.

“If they were planning to rebuild the nation, they should’ve preserved some books or something.”

Judging by the box’s shape, it didn’t seem like it contained any books. Rodin found that disappointing.

The Kingdom of Rophelia had existed in the later period of ancient times. Many records about it remained, and much was already known.

However, it was still insufficient. With more than a thousand years having passed, there were countless lingering questions about the “why” and “how” of that ancient era.

Clack!

Rodin carefully opened the box. Inside were ten glass bottles arranged in a row, each containing a transparent liquid.

“This color… seems familiar.”

There had also been bottles of transparent liquid in the Frouval box. Since he hadn’t identified them, he had refrained from touching them so far.

“Hmm. This is…”

Small letters were engraved near the top of each glass bottle, revealing the identity of the liquid stored here.

“A Secret Elixir of Talent? What is this supposed to mean?”

The text was easy enough to read, but its meaning eluded him.

The Kingdom of Rophelia belonged to the late ancient period, so a lot about it was already known. In particular, more than 80% of its language had been deciphered. Rodin, too, was familiar with that 80%.

“The wording suggests it enhances talent. But how? And what kind of talent are we talking about? Magic? Aura? Or perhaps talent related to spirits or familiars?”

The box was labeled as containing a “Potion of Talent,” but there was no further explanation. With such vague wording, Rodin couldn’t trust the liquid’s true nature.

Was it implying he should drink it to find out? Or did it enhance all types of talent indiscriminately?

“If they could create a potion that enhances talent, that would mean… they were more advanced than the Magic Empire. That can’t be true.”

It was a fact that the Kingdom of Rophelia had a higher level of magical development than the current era. Even the artifacts discovered in its ruins left no room for doubt.

But the difference wasn’t overwhelming. Rophelia was perhaps one step ahead of the current era—far from reaching the level of the Magic Empire from 5,000 years ago.

“Maybe I misunderstood the text. Let’s think this through. The Kingdom of Rophelia… While their magical level was high, there weren’t many mentions of spirit mages or summoners.”

Among the artifacts of Rophelia, there were none related to spirit mages or summoners. Even in the dozens of storybooks that had been discovered, there were no mentions of such figures.

“They were a kingdom that specialized in creating Mana Stones.”

The original purpose of seeking the underground vault had been to find Mana Stones. It was clear that the Kingdom of Lophelia had conducted extensive research on mana and magical power.

“Ah! Could it be?”

Thinking of Mana Stones, Rodin began to suspect what the liquid’s identity might be. While he couldn’t be certain without testing it, it was possible that it was a potion designed to aid mana absorption.

“If my guess is right, then this doesn’t mean much to me.”

Whether it was magical training or aura training, both involved a process: absorbing mana, circulating it through the body, refining it, and then converting it into magical power or aura.

The potion likely aided in the first step of that process—mana absorption. If that were the case, it wouldn’t be of much use to someone like Rodin, who could already manipulate mana at will.

Even for those with natural talent in magic or aura, the potion wouldn’t hold much value. Such individuals could absorb sufficient amounts of mana without assistance.

However, for those who struggled with mana absorption—those with little to no talent in magic or aura—the potion would be an invaluable resource.

“Am I right about this?”

Rodin picked up one of the glass bottles. With each movement of his hand, the transparent liquid inside gently swayed and shimmered.

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