Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 179 (Part 2)

“Apparently.”

“Ugh, I hate rain.”

“Really? Want me to keep it off you? Fly!”

Rodin suddenly took off into the sky. Surprised by the abrupt use of magic, all the mercenaries looked up at him.

Rodin ignored their stares and chanted in runes. It was the same Dome Shield he had used once before.

Back then, Rodin had only been a 6th Circle mage. He had been able to cast the spell but lacked the power to maintain it. So he used mana to cast the spell, and then absorbed ambient mana to sustain it.

Now a 7th Circle mage, Rodin still used the same method. He created a large Dome Shield over a wide area, setting it to maintain itself using ambient mana.

Tap!

Rodin landed back on the ground. People still hadn’t realized what he had just done.

Patter! Tap tap tap!

Soon, the sound of rain followed. People looked up at the sky, dumbfounded. Raindrops bounced off the invisible barrier above their heads, trickling down along the slanted surface of the dome.

“Wow!”

“He blocked the rain…”

“This is what a Grand Mage is.”

Only then did everyone realize what Rodin had done when he flew into the sky.

The Grand Mage moved personally, casting a large and transparent barrier over the group so they wouldn’t get wet from the rain. It was a marvel the mercenaries had never seen before—not even heard of.

“Wow! Big Brother Rodin, that’s so cool!”

“I didn’t do it to look cool. I just didn’t feel like getting rained on today.”

“But you don’t get wet because of the spirit anyway, Big Brother Rodin.”

“I just felt like it.”

Rodin gave a faint laugh and brushed off Bianca’s reaction.

He meant it literally. There was no special meaning—he just wanted to do that today.

The others were moving busily, preparing food. Within minutes, a savory aroma wafted through the air.

But Rodin took food out from his subspace and ate alone. He thought going out would only bring uncomfortable gazes from others.

After the meal, Rodin opened the book he had received from Queen Regina. He quickly flipped through the pages, absorbing the contents into his mind.

‘Huh?’

Anecdotal history was filled with tales spread among the common folk—unofficial accounts that couldn’t be believed blindly.

However, precisely because it was folk history, it sometimes contained truths unknown to the world.

“Could it be…?”

The name of the founding king of the Luvain Kingdom was Arvein Hesword Luvain.¹
He was the child of a fallen noble family living in the southern region of Luvain, called Risten. At the time, of course, there was no Luvain Kingdom yet—it was still part of the Kingdom of Eshulia.

According to the anecdotal history, young Arvein was ordinary. He knew how to show the right amount of aristocratic bravado, but didn’t particularly excel in any area. You could call him perfectly average.

His studies were middling, and he had no talent for swordsmanship. His reputation was that of an unremarkable noble.

This ordinary man began walking an extraordinary path in his mid-twenties. It started after he entered the southern Rokas Forest and nearly died to a magical beast.

‘He seemed like a different person afterward?’

The account didn’t specify which magical beast it was. What was clear was that after returning from Rokas Forest 14 days later, he suddenly began learning magic.

‘Could it be? An ancient soul?’

Official history said he had always possessed talent for magic. The well-known version was that he learned magic from a passing mage by chance and used it to found a nation.

Rodin also had understood the history of the Luvain Kingdom in this way.

But in the folk tale, it stated he suddenly acquired magical abilities. That he learned it on his own, without a teacher—this was not something to overlook.

‘There’s a good chance it’s an ancient soul.’

Rodin set the thought aside for now and continued reading the history book.

About halfway through, another curious part appeared. It was about the time just after the founding of the Luvain Kingdom. It said that King Arvein had suddenly acquired a tremendous amount of wealth.

‘The kingdom had just been established and was in a poor financial state, yet he suddenly became rich? That doesn’t make sense.’

Rodin had read the history of the Luvain Kingdom long ago—shortly after crossing into the Central Continent.

What he had read back then, of course, was the official history. That account said King Arvein had met a companion gifted in finance, and together they overcame the early economic crisis.

“Why does the folk tale feel more real? Everything lines up.”

Suppose the anecdote was true.

A soul within that ancient legacy took possession of Arvein’s body. That wasn’t enough—it even founded a nation. Then, using the legacy of the Kingdom of Bolas, which should have been in southern Luvain, it filled the kingdom’s financial shortfall.

“So that legacy has already been plundered.”

If that was true, then Tower Master Tamia and Marquis Richmond⁶ likely wouldn’t gain anything. Likewise, Marquis Rotten, who was also after the legacy of the Kingdom of Bolas, was simply wasting his effort.

“Well, I guess not all ancient souls are evil.”

Though King Arvein’s accomplishments were many, what was especially remarkable was that he founded a kingdom while minimizing bloodshed.

Whether in the official or unofficial accounts,

It was often said that King Arvein disliked combat itself and persuaded most people into becoming his allies.

‘Of course, he probably used dark magic for persuasion…’

Even so, that could still be considered a kind achievement. It was the opposite of how most founding monarchs waged massive wars of conquest, killing countless people.

“I’ll have to verify this.”

The next morning, after eating breakfast, Rodin went to find Queen Regina.

Queen Regina, who had been resting after her morning meal, greeted Rodin warmly.

“Welcome, Mage Rodin.”

“Were there any discomforts during your sleep?”

“No, none at all. Thanks to your healing magic, I slept very well.”

It wasn’t just a polite reply—lately, she had truly been sleeping soundly at night.

Back in the Duchy of Lientas, she would wake five or six times a night due to the pain. But now, that didn’t happen. She would close her eyes and then, before she knew it, it was morning. Her body felt lighter, too.

“How was the prince?”

“I slept well too. I feel completely refreshed.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Prince Arian also looked bright. Even the handmaid standing behind him had a noticeably relaxed expression.

“Did you read the book I gave you yesterday?”

“Yes. I read it thoroughly.”

Rodin returned the book he had brought.

As she received the rather thick volume, Queen Regina looked at him with slight surprise.

“Was the content not interesting?”

“No, I read it all. I came to ask you something related to it.”

“Wow! Is it because you’re a mage? To read all that in just one night—amazing.”

Queen Regina instinctively gauged the book’s thickness and clicked her tongue.

Even someone who liked books would need several days to finish something that long. She clearly remembered reading it over the course of a month when she’d received it from her father in her youth.

And yet, to finish it in one night—received in the evening, no less? She could hardly believe it.

“No, I just happen to enjoy reading.”

“So, what was it you wanted to ask?”

“How much do you trust the folk history written in this book, Your Majesty?”

Hyung_Otaku2

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