Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 174 (Part 1)

Larry gathered the contract. Once Rodin confirmed the matter was settled, he posed a question.

 “I heard the Western Continent war has ended. Could you tell me what happened afterward? I’m especially curious about why the war ended so suddenly—have you heard anything about that?”

“Yes. The war in the Western Continent ended abruptly because of the Beast Forest.”

The long-standing war in the Western Continent had come to an end with startling suddenness.

Neither the allied forces, who had barely held off the Ingram Empire’s offensives, nor those who had crossed over from the Central Continent to offer support had anticipated it.

At first, there was widespread suspicion that the sudden halt in combat was a trap. So even after the fighting stopped, they maintained the highest level of alert for several months.

But then, rumors spread like wildfire. That was because the demonic beasts of the Beast Forest—beasts that should have been confined to the far west—had appeared en masse in the central and southern regions of the Western Continent.

“The Beast Forest? Don’t tell me the beasts crossed over?”

“Yes. Apparently, an enormous number of demonic beasts came over at once. The numbers vary depending on who you ask—some say 200,000, others claim it’s over a million.”

The Ingram Empire was in such disarray that they couldn’t even determine how many beasts had invaded. They hastily redirected their war-deployed troops to the west, but the damage they had already suffered was immense.

Still, the Ingram Empire managed to hold the line somehow. But the Kingdom of Talereh, which had been barely fending off the beasts in the south, was already on the brink of collapse.

“That’s unbelievable.”

“Yes. Right now, the Ingram Empire and the Kingdom of Talereh are in chaos. Talereh never had many troops to begin with, and the Ingram Empire had most of its forces stationed in the south. So…”

“They lacked the manpower to stop the Beast Forest’s advance.”

“Exactly. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the western region was completely scorched. There are even reports that over a million people died.”

When Rodin had first heard that the Ingram Empire had suddenly halted the war, he had considered the possibility that the Beast Forest might be involved.

Ever since a massive extermination effort had failed decades ago, there hadn’t been a large-scale outbreak of demonic beasts from the forest.

Which meant that, over the years, beasts had been accumulating inside the Beast Forest—so an eventual eruption was not unthinkable.

But he hadn’t expected the damage to be this severe.

If more than a million people had died, most of them were likely civilians—struck by misfortune while simply going about their daily lives.

“What about now? Quite a bit of time has passed, hasn’t it?”

“Fortunately, they’ve managed to form a defensive line. However, I hear that quite a few beasts have already breached it and moved inland. Some were even seen by soldiers from the Ingram Empire and the Central Continent at the border of the Kingdom of Landert.”

“Hmm…”

At this point, one would have to assume that demonic beasts had spread throughout the entire Ingram Empire. They might have formed a defensive line, but that didn’t mean none had slipped through.

‘They’re in for a rough time.’

Exterminating the beasts that had already made it across would not be easy. Searching the vast territory of the Ingram Empire would be impossible with soldiers alone.

“That’s why they’re hiring mercenaries, apparently.”

“Must be a large-scale recruitment.”

“Exactly. It’s not even easy to find the beasts. But the Western Continent doesn’t have that many mercenaries. And using the war-time mercenaries as-is is just…”

Scattering wartime mercenaries across the Ingram Empire? It would be like releasing trolls to catch ogres.

In fact, the trouble caused by those former war mercenaries might prove worse than that of the demonic beasts themselves.

“What about the volcano in the Marquisate of Richmond?”

“Ah! You mean the Sorien Volcano. It’s still spewing black smoke. Fortunately, the lava stopped flowing long ago, and there are no longer any sparks. Some studies even suggest that volcanic activity might cease within the year.”

“That’s a relief.”

Just as Rodin had predicted. Starting next year, farming might return to normal.

The damage until then wouldn’t be light, but the Marquisate of Richmond was wealthy—he believed it could withstand the impact.

“Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

“Yes, I think this is enough… Ah! What about the Kingdom of Luvain? I heard the civil war ended, but…”

“After the change of king last year, things have been peaceful so far. There were reportedly multiple assassination attempts, but nothing’s been confirmed. As you know, there are limits to the information we can obtain from the Mercenary Guild.”

“That’s enough. Thank you for the information.”

Rodin wanted to ask about Duke Lientas as well, but held back.

Showing suspicion here would only ensure word reached Duke Lientas’s ears.

*

After leaving the Mercenary Guild, they wandered through the commercial district. Since it was a long-range mission, there was a lot to buy.

He paid particular attention to purchasing food supplies. They had to prepare for situations where they wouldn’t be able to conveniently retrieve food from subspace.

After preparing for camping, they stopped by a shop specializing in herbs.

To create an antidote potion capable of treating Azahasar Pallite, they had to follow the arcane knowledge of the Magic Empire. The ingredients were quite different from those used in modern potions.

Leisurely, they walked around, purchasing all the potion materials. The sun was slowly setting.

“Let’s go buy some accessories.”

“Accessories?”

“Do you remember when we got caught by Elder Kendrick, and Bianca sent me a signal?”

“Yeah. I thought about you, Big Brother Rodin, and channeled mana into my bracelet.”

At that time, after taking down a giant Minotaur, Rodin had ascended to the 7th Circle. The physical reconstruction he went through had left his mind somewhat scattered.

Even so, he noticed the faint light in the bracelet.

Using Jito, he immediately located Larry and Bianca and flew toward them at full speed using the Fly spell.

Had Bianca not sent that signal, it would have taken longer for him to realize the danger.

That brief delay might have cost Larry and Bianca their lives.

“This time, I want to make something a little better than what we’re using now. Lientas is known for its accessories. Pick one each. I’m going to turn them into artifacts, so choose carefully.”

“Ah! Okay. I’ll pick something safe and simple.”

“Big Brother Rodin, I want something pretty.”

“Sure. You might be using it for a long time, so choose carefully.”

In the maritime city of Aramia, they had already replaced Karis and Jena’s underwear, gloves, and shoes—each transformed into an artifact tailored for them.

Now it was Larry and Bianca’s turn. He hadn’t yet decided what magic to imbue in the accessories. Spells that could support them in battle were good, but so were ones that could save their lives in critical moments.

‘It’d be good to have a communication artifact, too.’

Hyung_Otaku2

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