Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 37 (Part 2)

Rodin, who personally handled potion production in the evening, returned to the dormitory.

In the dormitory, from which Hedler and Lant had departed, Cory sat quietly. He was wearing shabby clothes of unknown origin.

“Rodin, you’re back?”

“Cory, do you have a mission?”

“Yes. I went to the counseling room. They told me there’s a quiet task to be done alone. They told me to come out tonight.”

The words ‘alone’ and ‘quietly’ bothered Rodin. The clothes Cory was wearing also felt ominous. It seemed like he was going to be given an unpleasant task.

“Do you know what the mission is?”

“No. They said they’d tell me when I come out to the front gate tonight.”

“Are you doing it alone? No supervisor?”

Rodin felt increasingly uneasy. Cory, smiling brightly, looked ominous today.

“Yes. They told me to prepare thoroughly since I’m doing it alone. Ah! I took some potions you had hidden. Is that okay?”

“Of course. That’s why I told you about them.”

“Thanks.”

“Hmm, Cory.”

Rodin, who had taken off his clothes, sat in front of Cory, postponing his shower.

Cory, sensing the strange atmosphere, also fixed his gaze on Rodin.

“Why? Do you know something?”

“In the current situation, there are two possible tasks they could assign to an inexperienced 18-year-old spirit mage. One is to be assigned to a unit. Spirit mages are more effective when with others. They can assist the unit in various ways.”

Cory was a mid-level spirit mage who had contracts with fire and wind spirits. While his personal combat ability was considerable, his scouting ability was also notable.

With a mid-level wind spirit, he could continuously monitor an area of 2 to 3 kilometers. This significantly reduced the number of night watchmen needed and was helpful for reconnaissance during movement.

“Yes. Spirit mages are versatile and helpful.”

“But if the mission was to be assigned to a unit, they wouldn’t have told you to come alone. You’re just a trainee who knows little about the world.”

“I don’t know much about the world? I’m going to be the continent’s greatest spirit mage!”

Cory reacted with playful indignation, but Rodin’s expression remained serious. This was not the time for jokes.

It was already 9 PM. Cory had to leave soon, and Rodin needed to give him crucial advice.

“Do you know how much a meal in the dining hall costs? What about lodging fees? Clothing costs?”

“Well… I could find out if I ask.”

“Right. If you ask, you’d know. So, surely at least one instructor would accompany you.”

“Oh… Right.”

Cory didn’t argue further.

He sensed the seriousness in Rodin’s expression. This wasn’t the time for jokes.

“If the mission was to assign you to another unit, they wouldn’t send you alone without a supervisor. And there’s no need to keep it a secret if they were deploying a spirit mage.”

“Then what?”

“The second possible task for you is likely an assassination. A distasteful assassination.”

“What do you mean by a distasteful assassination? Aren’t all assassinations unpleasant?”

It was certain that the task involved killing someone, but Cory was not particularly bothered by that.

Everything they learned at the special unit training camp was about techniques for killing people.

Even before the war began, he suspected he would have to kill someone.

“And you said it was at the front gate, not the stables, right? This means it’s not a task that involves riding a horse. The horses have emblems signifying they are from the special unit training camp.”

“Are you saying I can’t let anyone know I’m from the special unit training camp?”

“Yes. It’s certain that you’ll be killing an ally. And probably someone of high rank.”

Cory was wearing shabby clothes suitable for a slum dweller, not the robes of a spirit mage. He couldn’t ride a training camp horse, and he had to do it quietly at night, alone.

Given these conditions, the only fitting task was killing an ally.

If it were an enemy, they wouldn’t go to such lengths to erase traces. The Ingram Empire wouldn’t even be paying attention to this place yet.

“That’s ridiculous. Why would we kill our own? Why do such a thing?”

“Considering the situation the special unit training camp is in, it makes sense. But that’s not important. What you need to worry about is that the committee expects you to be caught.”

“Caught? Me?”

Cory, who had little aversion to killing, reacted sensitively to the word ‘caught.’ He instinctively realized it meant death.

“Yes. They’re setting it up so that if you get caught, no one will know who sent you.”

“Ah! I just need to avoid getting caught.”

“The task itself will likely be something a mid-level spirit mage can handle. The target isn’t a swordsman or a mage but probably a high-ranking politician or a merchant guild master. However, it seems they expect you won’t be able to escape afterward. The target is likely in a city with many guards or knights. It could even be the capital.”

Listening to Rodin, Cory’s mind went blank.

Killing someone in a crowded city with a high position?

Even though spirit mages were versatile, escaping wouldn’t be easy.

“Rodin, what should I do? Can’t I avoid killing? I really don’t want to die.”

“You need to prepare a way to survive. You have to kill whoever follows you quickly and retrieve the slave Rod. And you need to prepare an escape route in advance.”

Both tasks were not easy.

If given even a slight chance, the watcher would break the slave Rod. Cory had superior combat abilities.

Escaping was equally difficult.

It wasn’t enough to simply escape. He had to do so without being detected.

He couldn’t show his face or reveal that he was from the special unit training camp.

If either his face or his origin was discovered, he would be pursued. If pursued, Cory’s chances of survival were slim.

“There must be a way, right? Rodin, you must have one. Right?”

“The watcher will maintain a certain distance from you. They’ll follow the path you take exactly. If you prepare in advance, it can work to your advantage. But the problem is dealing with them before they break the slave rod.”

“If the path is the same, I can do it. I can prepare with the spirits.”

“The watcher will have your slave Rod. Once you retrieve it, hide it somewhere no one can find. It’s too dangerous to carry it around. Got it?”

“Yes.”

“The remaining task is to escape unnoticed. If you enter the city first…”

Hyung_Otaku2

•