Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 168 (Part 2)

“Hey! Mercenary! Watch your mouth. This is Lady Tamia, the Tower Master of Chronoa Magic Tower.”

A magician from the Chronoa Magic Tower, who had arrived late, delivered a sharp rebuke.

Only then did the mercenaries begin to carefully examine the people gathered around them.

“Tower… Master?”

“From one of the Four Great Magic Towers? Uh… that is…”

“That’s enough. I don’t care for your tone—just continue. What did Marquis Rotten say last night?”

“He said that Marquis Richmond released poison and most of the people in the territory died. Apparently, fewer than a hundred survived.”

The mercenary’s gaze drifted toward the fallen Hurst. He then glanced behind, where the battle was still ongoing.

“Got comrades back there?”

“We always operated as a five-man team.”

“With Hurst included, that means two are still back there. Karis, take one person with you and bring the other two.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Karis disappeared, taking one of the mercenaries with her.

The remaining mercenary looked around, gauging the mood, before speaking carefully.

“We didn’t believe what Marquis Rotten said.”

“Why not?”

“Come on, I’ve been a mercenary for 22 years. I’ve seen noble knightly houses plenty of times. There’s no way that straight-laced Marquis Richmond would use poison. Captain Hurst thought the same.”

It meant that the seasoned ones didn’t believe Marquis Rotten’s claims. Come to think of it, even the knights from Rotten’s house hadn’t fought with much passion.

Those who fought as if their lives depended on it were all soldiers. They lacked combat experience, and worldly experience too.

“But those two comrades of yours are out there swinging their swords like madmen.”

“Well, they’re the sensitive type.”

“Young Master. The soldiers are all very young.”

“Indeed. I hardly see anyone over thirty.”

Even the soldier Karis had brought back was a man in his mid-twenties. The soldiers from Rotten’s house fighting up front were all in their late teens to late twenties.

“Mage Rodin. Is this… could it be?”

“It seems like mind control through dark magic. It didn’t work on those with experience.”

“You’re saying it’s possible to brainwash on this scale?”

“If the atmosphere is prepared in advance, it’s not impossible. Staged scenes of false magical communication, zealous speeches, and synchronized reactions from the surroundings—put all that together, and it’s likely. Add to that…”

Dozens of herbs that cloud the mind flashed through Rodin’s thoughts. Just ingesting or burning them could dramatically increase the success rate of brainwashing.

“Are you saying my comrades might have been brainwashed too?”

“Did anything seem off with your meals? Or perhaps they burned strange herbs in the campfire?”

“Meals? Ah! There was some weird green soup yesterday. Tasted fine, though. As for the fire… uh… We tossed in some dry grass to chase away spring mosquitoes. Didn’t really help.”

After hearing the mercenary, it became clear.

Marquis Rotten had orchestrated large-scale brainwashing. Magic, atmosphere, and herbs combined made people believe the unbelievable.

“Huh, to think that’s all it takes to brainwash this many people.”

“He must’ve started preparing the atmosphere back in Rotten’s territory. Saying things like ‘poison might be used,’ and ‘Marquis Richmond is trying to kill us all.’ That kind of thing.”

“Oh? That’s right. They hired people called propagandists, and they went around spreading such talk.”

Rodin now had a rough picture of Marquis Rotten’s nature.

He was the type who specialized in deceiving and manipulating people. No doubt he had experience inciting the public back in the ancient Bolas Kingdom.

“Did you know? Deceiving one person and deceiving ten thousand people—there’s not much difference in difficulty.”

“How is that the same? The more people, the more likely someone will be suspicious.”

“Those who are already deceived convince the others. It’s no different from politics. Someone who’s biased thinks that’s the truth and goes around insisting it’s right.”

“So, their side forms on its own.”

“Yes. Like I said earlier, inciting people is easy. What’s hard is proving that it’s not true.”

The expression on Marquis Richmond’s face darkened as he listened to the entire exchange.

Lady Tamia, the Tower Master, also showed a subtle trace of anger on her face.

“Evil, is it?”

“Mage Rodin. Are you sure Marquis Rotten is not here?”

“Yes, my lord. Have you seen him anywhere around here?”

After brainwashing people last night, Marquis Rotten had disappeared. As a 7th Circle dark mage capable of teleportation, chasing after him now was meaningless.

“Hah, where must I go to find that man?”

“That, Marquis Richmond, you already know.”

“I do?”

“Are you sure Grand Steward Hamilton Kylas is in the lord’s castle?”

“What?”

Marquis Richmond didn’t understand Rodin’s intent at first. He stared at him, confused for a moment.

Then, suddenly, his thoughts turned toward a possible legacy of the Bolas Kingdom, perhaps located in the southern region of the Luvain Kingdom.

“Check it at once.”

“Y-Yes, understood.”

Marquis Richmond hurried to find a magician for magical communication. He spotted one of the mages hired from the mercenary guild in his territory.

“Wizard Hoos! Wizard Hoos!”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Can you open a line to the lord’s castle?”

“To the castle? Please wait a moment.”

A 4th Circle mage named Hoos quickly pulled a communication orb from his bag. He infused it with mana, and after a moment, a mage on the other side responded.

―Hoos, what’s going on?

“My lord, the line is connected.”

The face on the orb was barely visible. The distance was great, and the mana of both mages wasn’t strong enough.

“Understood. Are you Magician Maxim?”

―Yes, my lord. This is Magician Maxim.

“Can you contact Grand Steward Hamilton Kylas?”

―Steward Kylas went home last night and has not yet come in.

Marquis Richmond closed his eyes tightly.

It was already past noon.

Kylas was known for his diligence—he had never been late before.

“Send someone to Steward Kylas’ residence immediately.”

―Yes, I will deliver the message.

It was now certain that something had happened to Grand Steward Hamilton Kylas. Whether it was death or abduction was still unknown.

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