Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 165 (Part 1)

The Marquis of Richmond mobilized 500 men for this territorial war. It was an enormous force, with 200 knights alone.

As the number of people was large, the size of the camp was also vast. There were over 150 tents set up, and the bonfires lit to illuminate the surroundings were even more numerous.

Rodin slowly drove the carriage toward the camp established by the Marquis of Richmond. As he got somewhat close, ten knights suddenly jumped out.

“Stop!”

“Who goes there!”

The knights of the House of Richmond were currently in an extremely bad mood. It was because they had just received news that the lord’s castle of the House of Richmond had been attacked.

All of them were barely suppressing their anger when a strange carriage appeared. Perhaps due to the heightened emotions, aggressive words came out without them realizing.

“Greetings. Some of you may recognize my face.”

“Who are yo—, huh? Sir Rodin?”

Rodin poked his head out from the carriage.

The knight who recognized Rodin immediately corrected his posture.

“You’re one of the knights I saw back then. A pleasure to meet you.”

“What brings you here, though?”

“I have an interest in this territorial war as well. Could you inform the marquis?”

“Ah! I’ll inform him right away.”

Two knights quickly ran off. The remaining eight knights slightly bowed their heads, then opened a path on either side.

Soon after, the Marquis of Richmond came running out personally.

However, he wore a somewhat ambiguous expression. He seemed confused, in a way.

“Archmage Rodin. It’s been a while.”

“Yes. You visited the County of Aramia, didn’t you? I saw you from a distance back then.”

“Did you? Ah! In any case, please come inside.”

Guided by the Marquis of Richmond, they entered the large tent at the center of the camp.

Jena, Larry, and Bianca remained in the carriage, and only Karis accompanied Rodin.

“By the way, you look troubled.”

“Ah! That’s because… we received word that the lord’s castle was attacked.”

“I see. I’ve heard the story as well.”

“But since the intruders were all found dead the next day, I assumed it was the work of you, Sir Rodin.”

The ones who had attacked the lord’s castle during the night had been around fifty knights. It was by no means a weak force.

However, by morning, all were found dead. And all of them had fallen to magic.

The Marquis of Richmond naturally assumed that Rodin had been the one to act. After all, there were no other mages capable of dealing with fifty knights.

“It wasn’t me.”

“Then who could it have been?”

“Who knows.”

Rodin had a suspicion, but feigned ignorance. Instead, he leisurely examined the individuals gathered here.

“There are a few mages, I see.”

“Yes. I requested support from the Mercenary Guild.”

He said support, but in truth, it meant he had commissioned and hired them. He must have offered quite the price to quickly gather mage mercenaries.

“The quality seems decent. Three 4th-circle mages, and even one 5th-circle mage.”

“Yes. The three 4th-circle mages were hired from the capital domain, and the 5th-circle mage was hired in a city I passed through on the way here.”

The price he had offered was considerable, but not to the point of being a burden for the Marquis of Richmond.

The Marquis of Richmond was one of the five wealthiest nobles in the Kingdom of Lennox. In addition to the taxes collected within his domain, he also personally operated three merchant guilds.

“What time does the territorial war begin?”

“It’s scheduled to start at 10.”

“Not long now. I’ll be resting in a suitable place until then.”

Rodin rose from his seat.

Even for Rodin, the Marquis of Richmond was not someone he was comfortable with.

Being around nobles was unpleasant without reason. Moreover, they weren’t exactly close personally.

“Are you thinking of participating in the territorial war?”

“Unless something special happens, I will only observe.”

“And if something special does happen?”

“I hope you, Marquis Richmond, will be victorious in this territorial war.”

That was enough of an answer. The implication that he would intervene if a loss seemed likely was conveyed clearly.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“I believe what has passed should be left behind. Then, until we meet again.”

“Yes, Archmage Rodin.”

Rodin left the marquis’s tent. From the carriage, Jena waved with a smile.

“Where’s Larry?”

“That way.”

As he climbed into the carriage, he saw the opposite side. Larry and a young-looking knight were facing off.

“Did a fight break out?”

“No. Brother Larry asked to test his skills.”

“Really?”

It looked like they had already gone a round — Larry’s body was covered in dust. The man facing Larry also looked slightly out of breath.

“I was inside for not even ten minutes.”

“They started as soon as you went in, Big Brother Rodin.”

“Haah!”

The knight sparring with Larry was of 3rd-rank. That was two whole levels above Larry, who was 1st-rank.

But the duel was not easily decided. Larry defended firmly and continued the fight by any means possible.

“Big Brother Rodin!”

“What?”

“He’s fighting well against a 3rd-rank knight. So doesn’t that mean Brother Larry is also 3rd-rank?”

“Of course not.”

Just because one can endure doesn’t mean they’re of the same rank. Right now, without someone to counterattack for him, Larry was basically only half-capable.

“Then 2nd-rank?”

“Not that either. What if that knight stopped fighting and stepped back?”

“Huh?”

“Larry wouldn’t be able to do anything. Even if it were a 2nd-rank knight — if they just kept their distance and used a bow, Larry would be nothing more than a moving target.”

For Larry to truly be called a 3rd-rank knight, he would have to be able to fight on equal terms with one. Simply holding out defensively was not enough to be considered the same level.

“Ahh. So he still needs to learn more.”

“Just like how if you use a bunch of defensive artifacts and block a 3rd-circle mage’s attacks, that doesn’t make you a 3rd-circle mage.”

“Mm. I get it now.”

The sparring continued for quite a while, but in the end, Larry lost. Exhausted, he eventually collapsed.

“Amazing. Your swordsmanship is really unique. I couldn’t break through at all.”

“Thank you, sir knight. But I still lost.”

“Lasting this long is impressive in itself. Once you reach my level, you’ll be able to withstand even the commander’s attacks.”

The “commander” the knight mentioned was a 5th-rank knight. He had been watching with folded arms from afar, exclaiming in admiration the entire time.

“I’ll train even harder. My goal is to reach your level, brother.”

“You should aim even higher when setting goals.”

“I will.”

Larry got into the carriage. Rodin drove the carriage and stopped it beside the campsite.

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