Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 145 (Part 1)

Rodin stepped outside Harrison’s room and into the expansive garden.

The garden was a beautiful place. Benches were lined along the outer edges, and, as it was winter, the yellowed, dried grass spread across the ground like a carpet.

As Rodin moved, people followed him in a cluster, their faces brimming with curiosity.

“This will do.”

Rodin placed the statues on the ground.

On the far left, he set a statue shaped like a horse. In the middle, he placed one shaped like a rat. On the right, he arranged statues of a griffin and an ox.

One, one, two. That was the pattern of the arrangement.

As Rodin positioned the statues, Harrison Richmond hesitated. It seemed like he had something to say but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Once Rodin finished placing the statues, he turned to Harrison Richmond.

“Lord Harrison, do you have something to say?”

“Um… Archmage. These statues are treasures of the Kingdom of Bolas, so… um… I was wondering if you could perhaps explain how to use them, if you know.”

“How to use them? It seems Lord Harrison doesn’t know what these statues are.”

“No, that’s not true. I know exactly what these statues are. I’ve done extensive research on them myself. They are treasures passed down by the royal families of the ancient Kingdom of Bolas, containing sealed spirit beasts and elementals to protect the nation.”

What Harrison said was indeed the common understanding. Some ancient texts even mentioned that they contained a map to the treasures of the Kingdom of Bolas.

Rodin had once thought of them as treasure maps, too, and had considered using them to seek out those treasures.

‘Neither is true.’

Now, however, he thought differently. When he had first come into possession of these statues, he had uncovered their true nature.

These weren’t artifacts containing elementals or spirit beasts, nor were they maps.

“Lord Harrison, these statues do not contain spirit beasts or elementals.”

“What? But according to my research, they definitely contain sealed spirit beasts or elementals.”

“That’s what has been claimed, yes. But it’s not true. To understand the truth, one must know the history of the Kingdom of Bolas.”

Rodin turned his gaze to the crowd, fixing his eyes on them.

What he was about to say was something everyone needed to know. It was essential to prevent similar misunderstandings in the future.

“The leadership of the Kingdom of Bolas were all dark mages.”

“What? Dark mages?”

“Dark magic, you say…”

The reactions were varied. Some were shocked, while others had expressions that seemed to say, ‘So what?’

‘Interesting.’

Rodin focused on Barclay Richmond’s expression—he was undoubtedly a dark mage himself.

‘I expected a reaction like, “How did he know?”’ But even Barclay looked surprised, as if he were learning this for the first time. His face clearly showed that this was news to him.

“Nowadays, dark mages aren’t particularly persecuted. There’s some discomfort toward them, but that’s about it. However, during the time of the Kingdom of Bolas, it was a completely different story.”

“I’ve heard about this as well. In ancient times, dark mages were almost considered public enemies.”

The persecution and attacks against dark mages in ancient times were well-known. Even someone like Marquis Richmond, who wasn’t particularly scholarly, was aware of it—proof that this history was common knowledge.

“Yes, that’s correct. Because of this, the Kingdom of Bolas faced invasions from surrounding nations and was pushed to the brink of destruction. To counter this, they created twelve guardian statues.”

“They suddenly decided to make guardian statues, you say?”

“They sealed the souls of the kingdom’s leadership within them. If someone were to activate the statues, those souls would seize the activator’s body.”

The notion of seizing another’s body…

To knights, who weren’t familiar with the mechanics of magic, this idea was absurd—utterly impossible. Knights didn’t even distinguish between the soul and the body.

But from the perspective of white magic, it was something that should never even be attempted—a taboo. In other words, acknowledging this act as a taboo was, in a way, an admission that it was possible.

“My word… Is such a thing even possible?”

“Whether it’s truly possible or not, only dark mages would know. What’s certain is that the royal family of the Kingdom of Bolas believed it to be possible. That’s why they created these statues.”

“Then… I… Does that mean…”

“Yes. Lord Harrison, what you were asking me for is essentially how to offer your body to be taken over.”

Harrison’s face turned deathly pale.

The thought that he had narrowly avoided losing his body simply because he hadn’t figured out the method made his head spin.

“Archmage.”

“Yes, speak, Marquis.”

“If what you say is true, then wouldn’t this mean that immortality is possible? One could keep transferring their soul into a new body, couldn’t they?”

“No, that’s not possible. There’s a condition that must be met for a soul to take over a body.”

Rodin paused for a moment, pondering how best to explain.

During his silence, all eyes remained fixed on him. The older ones in particular seemed intensely interested.

“Just as every person’s face is unique, so too is the form of their soul. Each soul is different. Thus, unless the body is compatible with the soul, it is impossible to enter it.”

“What if someone helped? If descendants dedicated themselves to finding bodies compatible with the soul over generations, couldn’t they offer them?”

Marquis Richmond was 55 years old. Although he was a 6th-level swordsman, the path to becoming a master wasn’t even in sight. In another 20 or 30 years, he’d likely reach the end of his life.

Perhaps that was why he was so intrigued by the idea of immortality. The thought of living long enough to explore not just mastery but even higher realms must have been enticing.

‘Humans truly are endlessly greedy. I can’t even blame just the dark mages.’

Seeing even the seemingly upright Marquis Richmond harbor such desires, Rodin gave a bitter smile.

If someone like him was thinking this way, there was no need to look at the others. The elderly men in the back, staring at Rodin with piercing gazes, looked nearly deranged with obsession.

“Even so, eternal life is impossible. Just as a body ages over time, so too does the soul. As the years pass, the soul grows older as well. For an aged soul, the body must also be old.”

“So, what you’re saying is…”

“Let’s say someone who is 100 years old stores their soul in one of these statues. The new body must also be around 100 years old or at a similar stage of aging. It’s impossible to transfer into a young, vibrant body as some of you might imagine.”

There were rare exceptions, such as liches, but even Rodin wasn’t entirely familiar with them. The books he’d read only mentioned that liches had significant weaknesses, rendering them nearly worthless.

“So even if an old person transfers their soul, they would still be old?”

“That’s correct. This is why true immortality is unattainable. And there’s another issue to consider.”

“What kind of issue…?”

“The vessel that holds the soul becomes rooted to the soul. Even if the body is switched, the true home of the soul remains the statue, turning it into something akin to a life vessel.”