Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 142 (Part 2)

“Do you want another bottle?”

Rodin pulled another bottle of the potion from his subspace.

Bianca’s eyes fixated on the bottle as soon as she saw it. Her face clearly showed her desire for it.

“Huh? There’s more?”

“Yeah. Drink it.”

“I should give it to Brother Larry.”

Bianca’s restraint and consideration for Larry made Rodin feel proud. He hoped they would continue to be a close, caring pair of siblings as they grew older.

“There’s more, so just drink it.”

“Is it okay?”

“Yeah, drink it. I’ve already set aside the potion meant for Larry.”

“Okay.”

Bianca drank another bottle of the Potion of Talent.

‘This is her limit.’

For Bianca, two bottles were her maximum. Drinking more beyond this point might cause the mana she had forcibly gained to start dominating her mana circle.

‘Two bottles… that’s equivalent to gaining two years’ worth of progress. Asking for more would just be greedy, right?’

Leaving Bianca alone, Rodin crossed over to the adjacent carriage.

He had already confirmed that the Potion of Talent wasn’t harmful to the body. There was no longer any need to monitor her.

—

Rodin also informed Larry, who was in the carriage Jenna was driving, about the potion. Larry, like Bianca, expressed his intent to drink it as well.

“Drink it. Start cultivating immediately.”

“Yes, brother. Thank you.”

“No need for thanks.”

Larry, like Bianca, had a similar talent score. Unsurprisingly, the time it took him to cultivate wasn’t much different either.

‘Bianca should start feeling the heat soon.’

Rodin knew firsthand that the potion inevitably caused a high fever. By cultivating quickly before the fever set in, they had yet to notice its effects.

‘They’re going to have a hard time tonight.’

Although he was worried, he believed they would endure. Both Larry and Bianca were strong-willed individuals.

—

Just as expected, by evening, Bianca’s face turned beet red. Her entire body seemed to be radiating heat—it was visibly apparent even from a distance.

“Sleep!”

Rodin used a sleep spell to forcibly put Bianca to sleep and laid her down in the carriage. She would toss and turn in discomfort throughout the night, but being unconscious would make it easier to endure.

Around 10 PM, Larry also started showing symptoms of a fever. Rodin used magic to put him to sleep as well.

“Get some deep rest and wake up refreshed.”

It was only natural for the body to have a rejection reaction when something foreign entered it.

Even when a limb was severed and replaced with another’s, it often didn’t take. Forcing it could do more harm than good. A graft from one’s own body was the only way to avoid rejection.

Larry and Bianca had received mana and aura that weren’t originally theirs for free. To Rodin, the amount was negligible, but to them, it was almost equivalent to all the mana or aura they had accumulated in their lives. A rejection reaction was inevitable.

The sleep magic would naturally wear off by morning, as Rodin had set it to do so.

Bianca, however, didn’t wake up until around lunchtime. Fortunately, she appeared refreshed, with no signs of side effects.

“The fever’s gone.”

“How long did I sleep?”

“Fifteen hours.”

Even while Bianca and Larry were unconscious, the carriage had kept moving, bringing them closer to their destination.

“I see. That’s a lot of sleep. Ah! What about Larry?”

“He’s still asleep. He should wake up in an hour or two. How are you feeling?”

“I feel great. Like I could fly.”

As expected, Larry woke up roughly two hours later. Like Bianca, he looked refreshed.

“Brother! My aura… it’s grown a lot!”

“That’s good to hear.”

Though they still had five bottles of the potion left, it wasn’t wise for Larry and Bianca to take any more for the time being.

At least one or two years would have to pass before they could safely consume another bottle. For now, the two bottles they had taken were their limit.

“Thank you, brother.”

“No need to thank me. Oh, by the way. Want to fight?”

“What?”

“Orcs. There are two of them up ahead. What do you want to do?”

“Bianca and I will handle them.”

Larry leapt from his carriage and jumped onto Bianca’s.

Moments later, Karis and Jenna stopped the carriages. Larry and Bianca dashed out and ran forward to confront the orcs.

—

The journey to the Richmond Marquisate was uneventful. The group was able to stick to their schedule, moving and resting at predetermined times without any major problems.

They encountered monsters three times along the way, but aside from one instance, the threats were within Larry and Bianca’s capabilities.

Even when 20 orcs attacked, Larry and Bianca took on two at a time in three separate rounds, while Karis handled the rest.

“Rodin! We’re here!”

“Yeah. Finally.”

In the distance, they could see the walls of the Richmond Marquisate. However, the scene at the castle gates was unfamiliar.

The Richmond Marquisate was a bustling region with a large resident population and a steady stream of merchants passing through. The castle gates were usually packed with merchants forming long lines.

But now, the area in front of the gates was eerily quiet. Aside from the two guards stationed at the entrance, there wasn’t a single person trying to enter.

“Brother, something feels off.”

“It’s probably because of the plague.”

“They sent us out as bait and had the antidote potions sent over, right? Maybe they arrived first?”

Larry didn’t seem particularly angry about being used as bait. He understood that it was a decision made for a larger purpose.

“Either the antidote potions didn’t work, or the people who used us as bait were attacked too.”

“Or maybe they haven’t arrived yet?”

“Hmm, maybe.”

Larry thought it was possible that their group had arrived first, but Rodin considered that unlikely.

Their group hadn’t traveled at full speed. They had taken detours and generally kept a leisurely pace, even under normal circumstances.

When they had first taken on the request, they had moved slightly faster, but even then, their speed was slower than a typical merchant caravan.

“Let’s go. We’ll find out when we get there.”

“Alright.”

Without needing to queue up, they passed through the castle gates. Even the guards seemed surprised to see people entering at this time.

The carriage moved slowly toward the lord’s castle. Along the way, the streets were nearly deserted.

“This is serious.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think it would be this bad.”

The entire territory felt like a ghost town. There was no sign of life, only a suffocating air of death.

“Brother, we’re at the castle.”

“Yeah. Let’s finish the request first. It’s your request, so you handle the conversation.”

“Got it.”

The carriage stopped in front of the castle’s main gate. The guards on duty stepped forward to block their way.

“Halt! State your business.”

“We’re here to deliver goods. Here’s the request confirmation.”

Larry handed over the contract written by the mercenary guild when he had accepted the request. After confirming its contents, one of the guards disappeared inside.