Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 157 (Part 1)

The County of Aramia had long suffered at the hands of the Lizardmen. They had sent knights, and even requested help from the Magic Tower.

No matter what method they tried, the complete eradication of the Lizardmen was impossible.

From the northern Kingdom of Olvena to the distant southern Kingdom of Rain, the creatures crossed over by following the waterways from all sorts of places. Even if they formed large-scale subjugation forces to wipe them out, it was only a temporary solution.

However, leaving them unchecked was not an option either. The Lizardmen raided villages every night without fail.

They were cunning. They only attacked when their opponents were outnumbered or off guard.

They never moved in large numbers. Sometimes, it was just one of them, and even at most, no more than five. They would kill people, tear off only the fleshier parts, and disappear.

With no other solution in sight, a formal request was issued for the extermination of Lizardmen.

For mercenaries of the Wood Badge rank, slaying one Lizardman earned 1 quest point. For the Iron Badge, two were required for 1 point, and for the Bronze Badge, four had to be slain for 1 point.

Starting from the Silver Badge, simply bringing back the tails of Lizardmen was no longer enough to earn points.

Although the request was officially issued by the County of Aramia to the Mercenary Guild, no one expected Wood Badge mercenaries to successfully hunt Lizardmen. Even for Iron Badge mercenaries, hunting them alone was difficult, so they usually worked in teams.

—

“Not a single one in sight today.”

“Looks like we’re going to come up empty. Larry, what do you think?”

“What about you, Jena?”

“There’s still some time before sunset, so let’s wait a little longer.”

The first major difficulty in Lizardman extermination was their sheer strength. Unless one was at least a Silver Badge mercenary, taking one down alone was a near-impossible feat.

The second difficulty was that they were incredibly hard to find.

Lizardmen were sly creatures. If they sensed that their opponents were strong, they didn’t show themselves at all—even if they had numbers on their side.

They only ever emerged from the swamp when there were only a few weak opponents, ambushing them from the shadows.

When Larry first appeared, spotting Lizardmen was relatively easy. They had underestimated him.

The moment they arrived at the swamps, Lizardmen would show up from somewhere. There was even an instance when five of them appeared at once, and Karis had taken down four of them single-handedly.

However, after about ten days, Lizardmen became increasingly difficult to find. With at least one of their kind dying at Larry’s hands every day, they had begun to recognize him as a formidable enemy.

—

“How many more do you need for the Bronze Badge?”

“Twelve.”

“Why not team up with Bianca? She wants to earn a Bronze Badge, too.”

“But if Bianca joins, won’t it be even harder to lure them out?”

Five days ago, Larry had advanced to an Iron Badge mercenary. Around the same time, Karis and Jena had also been promoted to Iron Badge.

Larry had risked his life every day, barely managing to gather nine Lizardman tails. Their strange spear techniques were difficult to adapt to, and there had been countless dangerous moments.

However, Karis and Jena had simply scanned the surroundings, swiftly cut off the tails, and returned in under thirty minutes.

Regardless, thanks to their efforts, Rodin’s entire group had now become Iron Badge mercenaries.

—

“The Lizardmen don’t know Bianca, do they?”

“Maybe not?”

“Then why not ask the Young Master? He’ll find a way.”

“You’re telling me to ask my brother for help again? Ugh, I feel like I can’t do anything without him.”

Bianca actively sought Rodin’s help, even for the smallest things. That was her way of getting closer to people.

Larry, on the other hand, was much more hesitant when asking Rodin for favors. It was partly because he felt indebted to him for saving his life, which made him extra cautious.

This difference was even reflected in how they spoke. Bianca treated Rodin comfortably, like a real older brother, whereas Larry was always careful with his words.

—

“Cover the left side!”

“There are two of them!”

“I’ll handle one!”

Nearby, another mercenary team was hunting. They were all Iron Badge mercenaries.

“They’re the same rank as us, but the Lizardmen keep appearing for them. Hmm… Maybe they’re avoiding us because of me?”

“You think it’s because of you, Jena?”

“Yeah. Did they stop showing up when Karis was around, too?”

“Yes. They haven’t appeared for days now.”

“When exactly did it start?”

“About four days ago, I think?”

Upon hearing the timeframe, Jena had a realization.

Five days ago, she and Karis had hunted Lizardmen near the river, trying to earn their Iron Badges.

It was clear that at least one of the Lizardmen from that time had survived and recognized them. Because of that, Karis and Jena had been marked as untouchable threats.

—

“It’s not you. It was Karis and me.”

“In that case, we should be the ones asking the Young Master for help.”

“Oh! That makes sen—”

“Get down!”

Jena suddenly tackled Larry to the ground.

Something massive passed just inches above their heads.

—

“Wh-what was that?!”

“That thing!”

Following Jena’s gaze, Larry looked up.

A massive creature had swooped down close to the ground but was now rising back into the sky.

—

“That’s the one from before, right? The giant Wyvern?”

“Yeah. It’s still alive.”

“It was aiming for me.”

“Well, you were just standing there like an idiot. And we’re outnumbered.”

Nearby, other hunting parties were present, but they all had at least six members—some even had over ten.

In contrast, there were only two of them here. On top of that, neither had even drawn their weapons.

To the giant Wyvern, they must have seemed like easy prey.

—

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