Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 178 (Part 2)

Someone was setting the village ablaze.
With each wave of their hand, massive fireballs exploded in every direction.

‘Just a bit further.’

Rodin pushed further back into the past. Not just one, but five figures appeared.

‘It’s them.’

Rodin recreated the scene he had seen using illusion magic, projecting it into reality.

Now, everyone gathered around could see the scene Rodin had witnessed.

One of the five was setting fires in all directions. Another was going through the village, killing every villager he encountered.

The remaining three were watching the spectacle from a distance, snickering. They seemed to be exchanging words, but unfortunately, no sound could be heard.

“Ah! Is it them?”

“Yes. Those bastards.”

“So it wasn’t just one…”

The knight commander felt all strength leave him. It was jarring—this didn’t match the witness testimonies.

They had believed it was just one person and had spent several days searching under that assumption. So, when encountering groups of multiple people, they had only investigated, not considered them suspects.

But five of them? It was possible that among those they had let pass without suspicion, one of these fiends had been hiding. All their efforts had been in vain.

“C-Commander! That guy! He’s the one we were told was the witness!”

“What?”

“That man—the one we thought was a witness—is that guy over there!”

The man who had claimed to be a witness had deceived the knights. He had tricked the soldiers and slipped right through the investigation net.

“That, that… Find him! Track him down and bring him back!”

“He’s already been sent away… It will take time to locate him.”

“Damn it. Holen, can we contact them with magic communication?”

“I’ll contact them right away.”

The area suddenly became a flurry of activity. The military mage assigned to the order began preparing communication magic, while the knights and soldiers tried to memorize the faces projected in the illusion.

‘One slipped away by pretending to be a witness. Then where are the other four?’

Rodin’s first concern was the whereabouts of the remaining four. They could still be somewhere out there, committing massacres.

‘Then why did one of them separate from the group?’

They had committed the atrocity as a group, but one had left. There must have been a specific reason to break away from the others.

‘But what in the world was their motive?’

On a hunch, Rodin rewound the illusion magic even further into the past. The scene played in reverse, drawing curious looks from the knights.

Rodin raised one hand lightly to signal them, then pushed further into the past. Soon, the five could be seen rummaging through the village.

“Huh?”

“They’re… looking for something?”

“What are they trying to find?”

Rodin carefully observed their expressions. One of them suddenly brightened, as if he had found something.

Rodin slowly walked toward the location where that man had stood. It was now just a burned ruin, with only blackened wood and ashes remaining.

“That looks like the place.”

“I think so too.”

Standing on the same spot, Rodin rewound time again.

One of the fiends entered the house and began rifling through everything. He searched the bedroom, combed through the kitchen. Then, from a coat hanging on a rack, he pulled out a single sheet of paper.

Only then did the man’s face brighten. There was no doubt—the thing they had been searching for was that piece of paper.

“What is that?”

“Ah! Damn it.”

“Commander, you seem to know something. Please tell us.”

Queen Regina, having seen the entire illusion, directed her question toward the knight commander.

The commander let out a heavy sigh, clearly troubled. After remaining silent for a long while, he finally opened his mouth.

“Haa… It’s a rumor that’s been spreading recently in our kingdom. When Adolf Berken died, he supposedly hid his fortune somewhere, and left behind a map.”

“Berken? As in the Berken Merchant Group, one of the top three merchant groups on the Central Continent?”

“Yes. Adolf Berken died two years ago. He had no children to inherit the business. Eventually, the guild was torn apart, but the Berken family’s fortune was never found.”

All of this had begun because of the map said to have been left behind by Adolf Berken. The village that had suffered such horror was one of the places where Berken had stayed for a long time during his life.

“All of this… just for money…”

“Big Brother Rodin.”

“Yeah?”

“That Adolf Berken guy—was he really that rich? Rich enough that people would kill this many just for his money?”

Rodin didn’t know much about Adolf Berken either. He had heard the name a few times, and that was it.

Regardless, Adolf Berken had been the head of one of the top three merchant guilds in the Central Continent, a place where commerce was far more advanced than in the Western or Eastern Continents. It was undeniable that he had been incredibly wealthy.

“He must’ve been rich, sure. But I still can’t understand doing something like this just for money.”

“It’s horrible. Really horrible.”

“Let’s go. One of them went to the city, but the other four should still be nearby.”

Only now did the knights realize they had been too focused on the one who had posed as the witness. Four others were still out there, likely close.

“Then where did the other one go?”

“To report in, I’d guess.”

“To report?”

“Before we worry about that, let’s assess their abilities. They’re strong, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s only because this was a rural village that such a tragedy occurred. In a city, they wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

The knights nodded at Rodin’s words.

The perpetrators were roughly third- to fourth-class swordsmen. One of them was a mage, but even he was only third-circle.

If they had attempted something like this in a city, they would’ve been beaten to death by nearby mercenaries before the city watch even got involved.

“Then… were there really no strong defenders in this village? What if the city watch had been here?”

“Ah!”

“Before I explain, remember—this is just my theory. Don’t take it as fact, and try to think critically.”

“It’s alright. We’ll keep that in mind.”

This was only a hypothesis. Rodin believed it was likely, but it still needed further confirmation.

“Someone intentionally lured the city watch away to another location, causing a gap in security. That person is likely the one behind these fiends. The one who pretended to be a witness must have gone to report back.”

“Ah, I see. Then the other four are waiting somewhere for new orders.”

“Not necessarily. That’s the part I can’t be sure of. This is Adolf Berken’s inheritance we’re talking about. They might act out of greed before they receive any orders.”

When it came to money, even siblings would betray each other. Superiors? All the more likely. They may have already divided up the inheritance among themselves.

Of course, if their loyalty was strong, they might still be waiting for instructions.

“Ah, I see. Since it’s Berken’s fortune, that’s understandable.”

“With that, my work here is done. Scott! Let’s set up camp a bit further away.”

“Understood. You all heard him! Let’s move out and camp at a distance.”

Too many had died here. At the very least, they needed to move far enough away that no trace of death lingered.

Hyung_Otaku2

•