Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 2 (Part 1)

Dinner preparations were complete. The merchant called out to the group in a loud voice.

“Everyone, gather around. It’s time to eat.”

“What about this little one?”

“He needs to eat too. He’s a good kid.”

Before Rodin, who was wrapped up in a blanket, two loaves of bread, water, and soup were placed. It was the same menu as what Rodin had eaten inside the wooden crate.

Rodin reached out from under the blanket and tore off a piece of bread. As he dipped it into the soup, it caught on something solid.

“Huh?”

Unlike the soup from earlier in the day, which only had a hint of meat flavor, this soup was full of meat chunks, making his mouth water.

He placed a bit of the meat on the torn bread and put it in his mouth. The rich meat aroma made his head spin.

‘Oh my god, this tastes amazing.’

He was glad he hadn’t run away. If he had, he wouldn’t be able to eat this soup.

Rodin tore the bread carefully and dipped it into the soup. He estimated the amount of meat. Altogether, the meat in the soup was about the size of his fist.

‘Though my fist is small.’

He was happy throughout the meal. He felt pity for the kids who had run away and missed out on this happiness.

‘Why aren’t they chasing after them?’

Eight children had run away, using a very clumsy method.

Yet none of the adults seemed to be in a hurry. No one had even left to go catch the kids.

After finishing his meal, sleepiness overcame him. The warmth of the campfire was more comforting than his mother’s embrace.

“Hey! Go inside and sleep.”

“Hm?”

“Hey!”

“Yes?”

The loud voice startled Rodin awake. Still groggy, he couldn’t fully grasp the situation.

“I said go inside and sleep.”

“Yes, thank you, sir.”

Rodin quickly ran to the wooden crate he had come in. It was the same wagon he had ridden in.

He went inside and closed the door. Even though it blocked the cold wind, it was still chilly inside. The campfire was much warmer.

“Brrr.”

He snuggled deep into the thick blanket. As he wrapped himself up, sleepiness washed over him again.

* * *

Hardin, who was gathering special slaves, looked around. His subordinates were tidying up the area and finishing the camp preparations.

He turned his head to look far down the road where the eight kids had run away.

“Click.”

“Master, your bed is ready.”

“Set up the watch. Oh! What about the little one?”

Among the nine kids bought with money, there was only one referred to as ‘the little one’. Rodin, not yet five years old, was more mature than the kids who were four or five years older than him.

“He’s inside, sleeping. He is just a kid.”

“Yes, a kid. But one who is unusually mature for his age. He’ll stand out in the training center too.”

“He seems smart too. But can that device you have really determine talent?”

At the mention of talent, Hardin took out a square object from his coat. It was called an aura predictor.

“It can predict talent related to aura, but it’s ambiguous.”

“Ambiguous? How so?”

“You aimed to become a knight, didn’t you? Then you know what score they use as a standard for talent?”

“10 points. If it’s below 10, you’re treated like trash. I got 7 points and was kicked out.”

There are devices in the world that measure aura and magic talent. They measure the amount accumulated during a set period while practicing aura or magic.

They are accurate, but the problem is that the person has to practice directly. This makes it difficult to measure the talent of passing or abandoned orphans.

The predictor Hardin had overcame the limitation of requiring direct practice. It just needed to be brought near the person to check if they had aura talent.

“This predictor doesn’t use a 10-point standard. That’s the problem.”

“If it’s not 10 points, then what is the standard?”

“As long as it’s not the lowest score, it will light up. It only tells if there is talent, not if it’s outstanding.”

Hardin shook his head slightly as he looked at the crate where the little one had entered.

It didn’t matter how outstanding the talent was. He just needed to bring back the kids who made the aura predictor light up as ordered.

**Requirements from headquarters:**

1. Children under 10 years old.
2. Intact and healthy limbs.
3. Sufficient intelligence to follow instructions.
4. The aura predictor must light up.

“Isn’t the minimum score 1? Are there kids with an aura talent of 1?”

“Yes, over half of the children in the world have a score of 1. This device just filters out that half.”

Even though it was only half, it couldn’t be ignored. It could filter out completely useless ones.

“Oh, by the way, what’s the news from the Ingram Empire? I heard the emperor died.”

“It seems true. The princes are suddenly gathering forces.”

“Oh, so there might be a civil war?”

“If the emperor’s death is true, then yes. Hopefully, they’ll fight among themselves for the next 20 years.”

He spoke lightly, but it wasn’t impossible.

The crown prince had solid support within the royal family, but the nobility didn’t favor him. Many nobles were forming alliances, looking for a prince to support.

“If the next emperor is moderate, might they avoid war?”

“No way. War between the Empire and our 13-nation alliance is inevitable. It’s just a matter of time.”

“Damn those empire folks. Why do they crave land so much?”

His subordinate blamed the Ingram Empire, but the cause of the inevitable war lay with the 13-nation alliance. Both Hardin from the Riyaz Kingdom and his subordinates knew this.

However, they couldn’t blame their own royal family, so they ended up cursing the Ingram Empire.

“We have to move tomorrow. Let’s wrap up.”

“Yes, master.”

Hardin went to bed first. His subordinates left a few to keep watch and found places to sleep.

Hyung_Otaku2

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