Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 180 (Part 2)

Although the building had been expanded and remodeled over the centuries, remnants still remained here and there.

Just considering what his descendants had done for the region, there was no doubt that Reynolds Berken, the first head of the merchant group, was from Hedens.

“I see. I wasn’t aware of that.”

“King Arvein’s first meeting with Reynolds couldn’t have happened until after he turned fifty. That’s well after the Luvain Kingdom’s financial rise.”

Rodin had dismissed the official record and accepted the unofficial one. That made Queen Regina genuinely happy.

“Thank you, Magician Rodin. If my father and grandfather had heard that, they would’ve been delighted.”

“It’s nothing. That’s simply how I see it.”

“That’s what makes it even better. Do you have any other questions?”

“This has been more than helpful. I came by early in the morning and imposed, but thank you for explaining things in such detail.”

“Not at all. It was a pleasant conversation.”

“Then, I’ll be taking my leave.”

Though the conversation hadn’t been long, it was a meaningful one.

Thanks to it, Rodin was able to completely relinquish any greed he had toward the legacy of the Kingdom of Bolas, supposedly hidden within the Luvain Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Selden had well-maintained roads. Its main roads stretched broadly from east to west, and from north to south, making travel convenient.
However, the weather was an utter mess. Every other day, heavy rain poured down, and the wind and rain were so fierce that tents were frequently blown over.

“Can’t tell whether this is just how things are around here or if it’s seasonal.”
“Is the Kingdom of Luvain like this too?”

The mercenaries glanced at Scott. Being from the Kingdom of Luvain, they figured he’d be able to explain.

“It’s because of the season. The Kingdom of Luvain gets sudden downpours like this around this time of year too.”
“Then when will the weather start to clear up?”
“It gets better once summer comes. Though it’ll get unbearably hot instead.”

It was currently the transition period between late spring and early summer. During this time of year, the Kingdoms of Selden, Luvain, and Lloyd generally experienced bad weather.

“When does summer start?”
“In about twenty days? At the latest, within a month.”
“By then, won’t the escort commission be almost over?”
“Yeah. And once it ends, you’ll be met with a scorching heat that’ll burn your skin. Brace yourselves—summers in the Kingdom of Luvain are brutal.”

Aside from the occasional appearance of magical beasts, their journey had gone without incident. Perhaps because of that, the mercenaries had begun to relax a little.

“Scott, may I have a word?”
“Mage Rodin? What is it?”
“There are people up ahead. There are more of them than us, and one of them is a magician.”

Rodin’s senses had picked up on dozens of presences that had stopped ahead. They weren’t in combat formation. The atmosphere was calm—it seemed like they were simply resting.

“Ah! Could it be those guys? The ones going around massacring rural villages?”
“That I don’t know. Regardless, I think we should make the mercenaries a bit more alert. They’ve gotten too lax.”
“I… I see. That’s my fault. I’ll speak to them firmly.”

Scott went around rousing the mercenaries. For those still grinning foolishly, he gave them a good kick in the rear to forcibly bring back some tension.

‘Feels familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.’

Sensing something strange, Rodin climbed up to the roof of the carriage for confirmation. Being at a higher vantage point allowed him to see farther.

The party continued to move forward. Soon, they could see the group resting up ahead.

“Looks like a merchant caravan.”
“They appear to be resting.”

Listening to the reports from the mercenaries, Scott stepped forward. The other side, too, looked on with alert eyes.

As reported, the ones who had arrived earlier and were resting appeared to be a merchant caravan. Two wagons and six carts were accompanied by about fifty armed escorts.

“Hm? Ah, so they did make it to the Central Continent. Up we go!”

Rodin leapt off the carriage roof and stepped forward. Passing Scott, he moved to the front, and Scott naturally stepped back.

“Stop right there. We arrived first and are resting here, so please maintain your distance until we depart.”
“We will keep our distance. However…”

Rodin peeked past the man blocking the way to look behind him. He spotted a familiar face.

“What are you doing?”
“Bron! Long time no see. Ellice, Marlon, Baker. Have you been well?”

“Huh? Someone who knows us… wait, could it be—Rodin?”
“Yes. Good to see you. It’s been over two years, hasn’t it?”

The people Rodin had spotted were a mercenary party he had met in the Western Continent. Thanks to Bron’s recommendation, he had been able to receive his mercenary badge and had learned all sorts of things about the mercenary trade.

The memory of crossing the Lamaton River with Bron’s party was still vivid. Their last encounter had been when they took on a commission headed for Fort Poslac. It truly had been a long time.

“Rodin!”
“Wow! It’s been ages!”
“I’ve heard the rumors. Knew I wasn’t wrong about you.”

The news Bron referred to was probably about Rodin receiving the Platinum Badge. Rodin hadn’t been particularly active in mercenary circles, so there wasn’t much else that could’ve spread.

“A Grand Mage, huh? These guys didn’t believe me when I said I had a connection with one.”
“Grand Mage?”
“No way…”

At the mention of Rodin’s name and the title Grand Mage, the expressions of the group that had arrived earlier hardened. It dawned on them too late that if Rodin turned hostile, they’d be in serious danger.

“Looks like I wasn’t the only one who’s grown. Ellice, you’ve become a 3rd Circle magician.”
“Well, with how much time’s passed, that’s the least I could do.”
“Yeah. We’ve become 3rd-Class swordsmen too.”
“Hahaha, congratulations.”

Everyone had grown in the time they hadn’t seen each other. Though it was natural to grow as time passed, not everyone managed it—many fell short and gave up.

“How’ve you been?”
“Well, I’ve just been training in magic. That’s about it.”

Even though they were drawing everyone’s attention, Rodin didn’t care. He and Bron’s group stepped off to the side and continued their personal conversation.

“I’m the one who vouched for you to become a mercenary, but then you dropped off the radar. I thought you’d quit.”
“Come on, why would I quit such a great profession?”
“With your skill, you could’ve easily joined a noble house. So I figured you’d been hired somewhere.”

In truth, Bron’s party had only heard Rodin had come to the Central Continent when the news of him becoming a Grand Mage spread. Until then, they had thought he was still in the Western Continent.

“Well, I’m the kind who doesn’t like working under anyone. What about you, Bron? You took a commission to Fort Poslac, right? What happened after that? Did the job go well?”
“It was rough, but we got through it. Took the pay and came back to the Central Continent.”
“What about Ellice? Seems like it’s been a while since you became 3rd Circle.”

The mana of the 3rd Circle in Ellice’s body was quite distinct. You had to be about two years into the 3rd Circle to have a mana circle that dense.

“She hit 3rd Circle less than a month after we parted ways. It’s thanks to you.”
“Yeah, Rodin. It really is thanks to you. We were ambushed by bandits during a commission. The staff you gave me saved us then. Something just… clicked in that moment. I held on to that feeling and, little by little, I finally made it to 3rd Circle.”
“You’re giving me too much credit. That’s a level you reached through your own efforts. By the way… you’re on a job now, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Ah, I’d love to catch up more, but I can’t. We’re in the middle of a commission.”

Bron avoided talking about the details of the job. Since he wasn’t the leader responsible for the escort, he didn’t have the authority to speak freely.

Of course, from the outside, it was obvious they were on an escort mission for a merchant caravan, but saying it aloud and having others figure it out were different things.

“I can’t linger here too long either. As you can see, I’m on a commission myself.”
“Right. Let’s meet again sometime.”
“Yes. Travel safely.”

Though they wanted to talk longer, the glances from the people Bron was with weren’t exactly friendly. It seemed like it was about time for them to depart.

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