Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 143 (Part 2)

But upon seeing the Marquis’s attitude, his heart was moved. A person so sincere and respectful seemed worth helping.

“Your Excellency, you’re being too formal. I am merely a mercenary.”

“What does status matter? When a mistake has been made, an apology is only proper.”

“Well, I’ll accept your apology. So please, raise your head.”

“Thank you for accepting my apology.”

Only then did Bake Richmond raise his head. Even so, his face was still filled with guilt.

“Now, let’s handle this matter first…”

“Ah, I’ve delayed you, haven’t I?”

Marquis Richmond left a bold and elegant signature on the receipt that Larry cautiously extended.

Only then did Larry let out a long sigh of relief.

Finally, he had completed his first assignment. If he kept resolving tasks one by one like this, someday he would rise to the rank of a higher-level mercenary.

“Thank you, Marquis. We will now take our leave…”

“Your business is done now, right? Shall I proceed with mine?”

“Huh? Your business?”

“Yes. I still have something to take care of.”

Larry stepped back, and Rodin stepped forward to face Marquis Bake Richmond.

“Do you have further business with me?”

“The aura of death fills your entire territory. How is it being handled?”

Rodin cut straight to the point, asking about the situation directly. He knew the Marquis would find it strange, but he wanted to see how he would respond.

“Hm, that is not a matter for mercenaries like you to concern yourself with. We will take care of it, so all you need to do is rest in our domain and then leave.”

“I also happen to have a home in this territory. And detoxification potions won’t solve the issue here.”

“You! So, you checked the goods we ordered, did you? Surely you’re aware of the rule against opening transported goods carelessly.”

Just as the Marquis said, opening cargo during transportation was strictly forbidden. Violating this rule would result in a significant penalty from the Mercenary Guild.

“I didn’t open it. You can tell just by looking at it.”

“Hmph. I see. But you claim the detoxification potions won’t solve the problem? You speak as if it’s not poison.”

“It isn’t poison.”

“Ha ha ha! Do you even realize what you’re saying? Our territory employs a highly skilled healer. That healer has already confirmed that what’s affecting the domain is indeed poison.”

Marquis Richmond’s territory was not a place favored by mages. The territory’s culture favored swordsmen, and even the locals would often leave if they became mages.

However, due to the harsh training regimens, injuries were frequent. Among all the territories in the Lennox Kingdom, Richmond’s domain produced the most injuries.

To address this, the Marquis actively utilized healers.

There were many healers trained professionally within the territory, and if a famous healer emerged elsewhere, the Marquis personally spent a large sum to recruit them.

“Regardless of what that healer said, the aura spreading throughout the domain is indeed a curse.”

“Are you claiming to know better than our healer?”

“Who knows?”

Thud!

Rodin took a mercenary badge from his coat and placed it on the table. That alone should be explanation enough.

Marquis Richmond looked at the white mercenary badge placed on the table with a puzzled expression, unable to immediately grasp its significance.

But soon, he realized—it was a platinum badge. Only then did it dawn on him that the owner of the most famous platinum badge in the current mercenary world was standing right in front of him.

“A Grand Mage… is that what you are?”

“Yes. My name is Rodin.”

“Ah!”

Even a commoner with the title of Grand Mage could not be treated carelessly. Nobles, or even royalty, were required to show respect to a Grand Mage.

Grand Mages possessed immense power. Their very presence could disrupt the balance of power among nobles or even entire kingdoms.

“I believe I’m correct. A dense, uniform curse is covering your entire territory.”

“A curse, you say…? Haah.”

By now, Marquis Richmond no longer doubted Rodin’s words.

While the healers in the Richmond domain were renowned and exceptionally skilled, none of them could compare to a Grand Mage. Even if dozens of healers unanimously declared something to be true, if a Grand Mage said otherwise, the odds were high that the Grand Mage was correct.

“You didn’t seem unaware of the possibility of a curse, did you?”

“Ah, well… At first, we did suspect a curse. The circumstances were too convenient to ignore.”

During a territorial conflict with the Roton Marquisate, a plague had spread within Richmond’s domain. Considering that the reason for their discord with Roton stemmed from a curse of frailty, it was natural to draw a connection between the two.

“Then why did you shift focus to poison?”

“As I mentioned earlier, it was due to what the healer said. We even treated some cases with detoxification potions. Also, volcanic activity has made the air more polluted.”

Listening to the Marquis’ explanation, Rodin began to doubt the healer. It didn’t make sense for a healer to mistake a curse for poison.

Treating cases with detoxification potions? That could have easily been fabricated by concealing the effects of removing the curse.

“That healer… I’d like to meet them. But before that, I’d like to meet the members of your household.”

“The members of my household?”

“I have my suspicions.”

“Please wait a moment. I’ll summon them immediately. Hamilton! Hamilton!”

The Marquis urgently called for the chief steward. Hamilton, who had been waiting outside, rushed in without delay.

“You called for me, my lord?”

“Gather all the members of the household here.”

“Pardon? Ah, yes, understood.”

Although Hamilton seemed to harbor some doubts, he didn’t question the order. It was standard practice in the Richmond household to follow the master’s commands without asking for reasons.

‘So this is how a knightly household operates.’

In a mage’s household, they would have questioned the reasons and methods step by step, seeking the most efficient solution. That was simply the way of mages.

In contrast, knights prioritized action over reasoning. Once a command was given, they moved first and thought later—that was the virtue of a knight.

As time passed, people dressed in fine attire began entering the room one by one, all wearing expressions of confusion.

“What is the meaning of this, Marquis? Why have we been summoned here?”

“Bake, would you care to explain? It’s quite disconcerting to be called out so suddenly.”

Some of them directly questioned Marquis Richmond. These were the eldest members of the family, visibly aged.

In front of the elders, Marquis Richmond seemed visibly nervous.

He had not yet completely solidified his control over the household. Uncles of his father’s generation still spoke to him in commanding tones, and his peers often sided with those elders.

“Please bear with me for just a moment. This will all be over soon.”

“I asked for an explanation. Give me a reason.”

“If you could just wait a moment, I’ll explain everything.”

Rodin remained silent, pulling his hood low. Only his chin was visible, making it difficult to even discern his gender.

As Rodin stayed quiet, Larry and Bianca refrained from speaking as well. Karis and Jena, who were naturally reserved, said nothing either, as they preferred to avoid unnecessary conversation.

‘Finally, they’ve arrived. But…’

Around the 20th person to enter was the one Rodin had been waiting for.

It was someone who had once killed a mercenary-born resident of the domain in an alleyway, just to obtain a sculpture.

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