Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 183 (Part 2)

The injured were loaded onto wagons, and those still in decent condition mounted their horses. But they couldn’t maintain their original pace.

The journey progressed slower than expected. It wasn’t until the fifth day that they reached the fork in the road.

“We part ways here.”

“Bron. Take care on your journey.”

Over five days, Bron’s party had all regained their health. Even Baker, who had suffered the most, was now sitting on a horse and waving.

“Yeah. Thanks to you, I feel much better. You said you’re heading to the Kingdom of Luvain, right?”

“Yes. Our destination is the capital of the Kingdom of Luvain.”

“Breniara… it’s a beautiful place. You be careful too.”

“Yes. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

The two groups parted ways.

The uphill caravan including Bron’s party turned northward, toward Raidos, capital of the Kingdom of Selden. Since magical beasts frequently appeared in the region, it wouldn’t be an easy journey.

Rodin and Queen Luvain’s entourage continued eastward. In their case, the terrain was the bigger problem than the magical beasts.

“Should we have gone north, then turned east?”

The route through Raidos and then turning eastward had much better terrain. Since the two kingdoms maintained good relations, a wide, well-made road connected the capitals.

But the detour was too long. Compared to going directly east and crossing the border from here, it would take at least ten more days.

Scott and Rodin spoke briefly and decided to continue heading east. It was the shortest route, and that meant it was also the roughest.

“They say there are sections where the road is cut off.”

“That’s fine. We can just lift the entire carriage and move it.”

There was no path in the chosen route that a horse couldn’t traverse.

However, there were several spots that were difficult for the carriage to pass through. In such cases, they had agreed to use magic to lift and move the entire carriage.

“Is there another reason?”

“It’s about time we were ambushed.”

“Ah!”

This mission had an assignment score of 6 points for Iron Badge mercenaries. Bronze Badge mercenaries earned 4 points, and Silver and Gold Badge mercenaries received 2 points each for this mission.

It was a high score for a single mission. The reason lay in its danger level.

This was a mission with a very high probability of ambush. The Mercenary Guild had acknowledged this risk, which is why even Silver and Gold Badge mercenaries were awarded 2 points.

“The mercenaries should start getting tense.”

“Wouldn’t they attack after we cross the Luvain Kingdom border?”

“Before crossing the border, after crossing it—we have to be cautious either way. We can’t trust anyone. Think about why we didn’t ask the Kingdom of Selden for help.”

The Kingdom of Selden and the Kingdom of Luvain had a long-standing friendly relationship. If Queen Regina had simply notified them that she was present here, the Selden royal family would have willingly dispatched escorts.

However, Queen Regina did not inform Selden of her situation. It was because she could not trust those who would come as her ‘escort.’ That had also been Rodin’s advice.

“Mage Rodin, how high would you estimate the likelihood of an ambush?”

“Guaranteed.”

“Ah! I’ll inform the mercenaries.”

Scott’s face fell. He belatedly remembered that this mission was originally classified as ‘Extreme Risk.’

The Mercenary Guild did not set mission difficulty levels lightly. If they had judged it as highly dangerous, it meant it truly was.

Originally, this mission had been designated ‘Extreme Risk.’ Bronze Badge and below were not permitted to accept it.

However, once Platinum Badge mercenary Rodin accepted the request, the danger level dropped by one tier. The presence of a Grand Mage had significantly raised the party’s chances of survival.

“There’s still about a month left until arrival, right?”

“Yes. About fifteen days to the border, and another fifteen days after crossing it.”

“Every moment from now on is dangerous. Even the border guard we’ll meet at the border must be regarded with suspicion.”

“I’ll inform everyone accordingly.”

Having driven a sense of alertness into Scott, Rodin returned to the carriage. Bianca was waiting for him.

“What is it? You have something to say?”

“I’ve been talking a lot with Sister Ellice, and the way she learns magic is different from mine.”

Ellice barely knew any runes. She had no intention of studying runes separately, either.

She learned magic by memorizing the full incantations as they were spoken. So, while she knew the spells, she had no understanding of the individual meanings of the runes that made them up.

“Yeah. She’d be different from you. Why? Do you want to learn like Ellice?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Just… Sister Ellice’s method feels a bit… wrong. Sister Ellice even said my method is the correct one. She told me to keep doing it my way.”

Ellice wasn’t unaware that her method was unorthodox. She also understood well that there were limits to how far she could grow using a shortcut.

But she used shortcuts because they were easy. And the benefit of achieving similar results with less effort couldn’t be ignored.

“Right. Your method is the orthodox one.”

“Sister Ellice said no one has ever become a Grand Mage using her method.”

“That’s true. Well, no Grand Mage has ever come from outside a Magic Tower.”

Rodin’s method was commonly called the “Magic Tower’s teaching method,” but that was actually incorrect. In the past, all Magic Towers had taught runes individually like Rodin did, but nowadays, even the Four Great Towers no longer taught runes comprehensively.

He had realized this after speaking with Tower Master Tamia.

Even Tower Master Tamia often used spells without knowing their meanings. In fact, there were quite a few spells being used with completely incorrect pronunciations.

“Big Brother Rodin, I can’t become a Grand Mage, right?”

“Why do you think that?”

“I know my own talent. I remember my score clearly. It’s not the kind of talent that can become a Grand Mage.”

“Hmm.”

Rodin remained silent.

To say, ‘You can’t become a Grand Mage’ would’ve been too cruel to Bianca. But he also didn’t want to lie and say, ‘You can definitely become a Grand Mage.’

“I asked Sister Ellice how far someone with less than 20 talent points could go. She said, a 3rd Circle mage.”

“You can grow beyond that.”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better, right? You don’t have to. Even a 3rd Circle mage is impressive.”

Bianca didn’t look disheartened in the slightest.

She still vividly remembered the days when she was on the Western Continent, merely waiting for death. Compared to that, becoming even a 3rd Circle mage was a successful life.

“No, I’m not just saying that. You’re learning the refined mana cultivation method I developed. It sounds like boasting, but it’s far superior to the methods taught by the Four Great Towers. I can guarantee it.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. And you remember the elixir you took, right? Thanks to that, your limits have been raised a little. In about half a year, you’ll take it again. As long as you don’t slack off, you should be able to reach the 5th Circle.”

“Okay. I’ll work hard. I won’t ever slack off.”

Rodin gently patted Bianca’s head. Her unshaken demeanor made him proud.

Bianca smiled softly and closed her eyes.

Just then, Rodin’s eyes lit up sharply. He immediately burst out of the carriage and shouted loudly:

“Scott! Magical beast!”

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