Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 39 (Part 2)
The sun had fully set. Unlike a few days ago when the moon was barely visible, tonight a large, yellow moon hung in the sky.
‘Silafe, Selist. Make sure to burst this guy’s head, but only about half of the back.’
Nod!
Selist and Silafe worked together, placing their hands on the back of the thug’s head. Using a small amount of magic, they created an explosion.
Thud!
The back of the thug’s head burst. He died without ever feeling the pain.
‘Is this enough? Maybe it’s a bit too strong?’
The power was slightly stronger than anticipated, but Cory decided to let it go. He didn’t know exactly how powerful the explosion from the slave mark would be.
‘Let’s move, Silafe.’
Silafe carried Cory and flew into the sky. Despite the bright moonlight, no one was looking up.
They flew over the city’s buildings, landing on a small shop’s rooftop. There, Cory crouched down and regulated his breathing.
‘Hopefully, they’ll show up tonight.’
For the past six months, Marquis Stain had always passed this way to visit his lover after the royal palace’s regular meetings.
That was the information Cory had received from Elrov. He had confirmed it multiple times himself.
‘He’s here.’
In the distance, he heard faint footsteps. The bright moonlight revealed the shadows of three people approaching.
‘I have to finish this in one strike. There won’t be a second chance.’
Among the three, two were 4th rank knights, stronger than Cory. If he couldn’t kill them in one blow, he’d have to run immediately.
‘Selist, go to the opposite side.’
He sent Selist to the opposite side and waited with Silafe. Soon, Marquis Stain passed the designated spot.
‘Now. Selist first, then Silafe.’
Selist emitted a faint heat from the opposite direction.
Feeling the heat, Marquis Stain’s guards instinctively moved to block the direction of the heat.
At that moment, Silafe attacked from the direction the guards had vacated. Sharp wind blades struck and bisected Marquis Stain’s waist.
‘Damn.’
He had used too much magic. He only needed to pierce the heart or cut the head, but in his tension, he had used full power.
“Marquis!”
“An enemy!”
“Hus, I’ll pursue. Stay with the Marquis.”
One guard stayed by the dead Marquis while the other ran towards the source of the heat, mistaking it for an assassin.
Seeing this, Cory immediately turned around.
‘Selist, run at a moderate speed and then return to the Spirit Realm.’
After sending Selist off, Cory clung to Silafe’s body.
Silafe, a mid-level wind spirit, lifted Cory and flew high into the sky.
He faintly heard someone shouting ‘The other side!’ from behind. Cory smirked as he flew over the city walls.
The guards patrolling the outside of the city walls didn’t notice Cory leaving. Their focus was on the outside.
For some reason, there were many gaps in the patrol tonight.
‘What a stroke of luck.’
Perhaps he could escape using just one set of clothes. Everything was working in his favor.
Cory didn’t know it, but the number of guards at the city gates had been halved from today.
Due to the worsening situation in the war with the Empire, even the city’s guards had been sent to the front lines.
“Set me down here.”
He was set down where he had tied the horse. Several hours had passed, but the horse was still well secured.
Cory changed into the prepared clothes and mounted the horse. He carefully packed the clothes he had been wearing into a bundle.
‘Hmm, Selist has returned.’
Selist didn’t seem to have suffered any shock. There was no significant drain of magic either.
It seemed the distance had become too great, causing her to automatically return to the Spirit Realm.
“Let’s go. Hiyah!”
He spurred the horse and glanced back.
No one was following. Even the guards on the city walls were quiet.
Everything had gone according to plan. No, it had gone even more smoothly than expected.
It was so seamless that Cory was left bewildered.
‘Mission complete. It took exactly ten days. Cory, the greatest Spirit Mage on the continent, well done. Hehehe.’
* * *
The city of Hampton was originally one of the three major cities of the Ingram Empire. It was a bustling trade center in the south, conducting business with numerous southern countries, including the Riyaz Kingdom.
However, about thirty years ago, when the 13-Nation Alliance attacked the Ingram Empire, Hampton lost its function as a trade city. Instead, it transformed into a support city for the front lines.
Weapons and armor gathered in Hampton. The Magic Corps had accommodations and training grounds, and there were training centers and blacksmiths for countless new recruits.
Thousands of barracks were set up to the east, and training grounds for knights were established on the opposite side. There were also entertainment districts for the many soldiers and inns for their families.
Hedler, Lant, and the Royal Guard of the Riyaz Kingdom arrived at the mountain pass between the city of Hampton and the city of Orphus.
The city of Orphus, three days from Hampton, was similarly transformed into a military city.
“We’ve reached the first rally point. Everyone dismount and rest.”
“Yes, sir.”
“From now on, nod in response to maintain secrecy.”
Nod!
It had been a grueling twelve-day march. Both the knights and the special forces were on the verge of collapse.
Especially the magicians, Darren of the special forces and Boyle, the conscripted magician of the knight order, were foaming at the mouth, barely conscious.
“Listen while you rest. We’re at the mountain pass between Hampton and Orphus. If our intel is correct, Count Bahas and Mage Weidman, along with their guards, will pass through here within ten days.”
It meant a battle would occur here.
Realizing this, the group instinctively scanned their surroundings.
“As you can see, it’s not ideal for an ambush. Though it’s a mountain, the trees are bare. We’ll dig and hide in pits, waiting to strike Count Bahas and Mage Weidman.”
“Oh!”
They would also have to create their own hiding spots.
Exhausted to the point of not wanting to lift a finger, the thought of manual labor was daunting. They felt like abandoning everything and running away.
“Sir Cliff.”
“Yes, commander.”
“Take a few men and head to Hampton. You know what to do, right?”
“We’ll keep watch and report the number of Count Bahas’s group via magic communication.”
Deputy Commander Cliff had already been briefed on the target and their mission before departure. He was the only one who knew, aside from Count Frays.
“Right. Five should be enough, including a few rookies. Take that special forces magician.”
“Understood.”
Cliff, the deputy commander of the Royal Guard of the palace, selected two promising young men from the special forces: Hedler and Lant.
He also included Darren, the special forces magician, for magic communication. He added two young knights similar in age to Darren.
Including Cliff himself, there were six in total.
“We move immediately.”
“Can we rest a bit…?”
“You’ll have time to rest on the way. Move now.”
Darren resisted, but to no avail. There was no leniency for magicians, even those with less physical strength.
Under Cliff’s leadership, the six separated from the main group. Their destination was Hampton.