Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 46 (Part 2)
He sensed movement inside and heard a familiar voice faintly.
Bang!
He opened the door abruptly. Hedler and Lant, who were preparing to sleep, stared at him.
“You’re here.”
“Hehe. Yeah.”
Rodin hugged Hedler and Lant lightly and sat on the bed. Hedler and Lant also sat across from him, looking at each other’s faces.
“You don’t seem hurt. When did you get here?”
“As soon as we arrived, we had dinner. Food outside is much better.”
“Are you teasing me now?”
“You’ll be able to get out someday too. Hehe.”
Hedler was visibly excited after having tasted freedom outside. Lant nodded in agreement beside him.
Rodin was a bit envious of them for having experienced the outside world.
When he had reached the 4th circle and erased the slave mark, if he had left, he could have tasted that better food.
“Oh, right. Hold on a second.”
Rodin cast a simple alarm spell outside the door. It was a spell that would alert them if someone approached.
“Why?”
“I’ve already collected your slave rods. I hid them separately.”
“Really?”
“Seriously?”
Hedler and Lant’s eyes widened.
Rodin chuckled and waved his finger.
“Your lives are in my hands. Scared?”
“Yeah. Scary. Please spare me.”
“My life is in Rodin’s hands. It’s okay. I trust Rodin.”
“Tch. Not scared at all, huh.”
The threat didn’t work at all. Still, seeing his comrades after a long time lifted his spirits.
“Then, can’t we just leave? It’s easy to get out of here.”
“If we did that, we’d be on the run forever.”
“So, what’s the plan?”
“Let’s see how things go. An opportunity will come.”
Rodin wasn’t too worried. If no opportunity arose, he would create one.
Escaping naturally like Cory would be ideal, but killing all the committee members to ensure no one could chase them was also an option.
“Like Cory?”
“Huh? Who told you about that?”
“I met Cory. While escaping from the Kenas Forest…”
Hedler started recounting their mission from the scene at the front gate of the training center.
Rodin, not particularly curious about the mission, felt a bit bored but decided to listen patiently.
They met the royal guard in the capital, crossed into the Ingram Empire, and killed their target, Count Bahas, before fleeing.
Just as he was about to cut him off out of boredom, Hedler mentioned meeting Cory in the Kenas Forest.
The scene of meeting Cory in the Kenas Forest was quite dramatic.
Whether it was actually dramatic or Hedler just told it that way, it seemed luck was on their side.
“We were really lucky. If we hadn’t met Cory there, we would have been caught for sure.”
“Luck was on your side, and Cory is a spirit mage, so he found you even from a distance.”
“That’s true. We were really far away, but he found us.”
Cory’s spirit, Silafe, had been flying high to monitor the Imperial Army’s movements. Cory shared his senses with Silafe, observing the Imperial Army through its eyes.
Then, he spotted two people running frantically. They seemed familiar, so he got closer and realized they were Hedler and Lant.
“So, you waited until the Imperial Army dispersed and then came?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Oh, by the way, we gave all our remaining potions to Cory.”
“Good job. We can make more potions.”
“Oh! Here. Take this. It’s a mana stone.”
Hedler took out a walnut-sized low-grade mana stone from his pocket and handed it over. He was quite a straightforward guy.
Cory had bought ten low-grade mana stones. Even though Rodin had said only one, Cory thought it might be necessary and bought more.
But Hedler handed over exactly one low-grade mana stone, just as Rodin had requested.
“Thanks.”
“Hehe, we did well, right?”
“Hedler, you fool. Cory must have already given the mana stones to Rodin.”
“Oh! Right. I’m too late.”
Although he wanted to say ‘Too late and too little,’ he held back.
If he expressed disappointment, Hedler would surely be hurt. He was quite sensitive.
“It’s okay. I needed more anyway.”
“Really? Hehe, I did well, right?”
“Yeah, well done.”
“But Rodin, you’ve found the slave rods. Isn’t there nothing else to do now? What are you doing these days?”
“I’m making fake slave rods to swap. I’ve swapped those for the 3rd and 4th batches, but it’s on hold now.”
The committee member overseeing the training center had changed. Until it switched back to Habinon or Albrecht, Rodin didn’t plan to go to the central building.
“How many fake rods have you made?”
“I’m working on the 6th batch slave rods now. By the end of this month, I should be done making fake rods. We just need Habinon or Albrecht to take charge again.”
“You prefer a knight over a mage?”
“Yeah. Mages are sensitive to magic. It’s risky to use magic nearby. But now, with four committee members, there might be more chances.”
“What if Albrecht is dead?”
“What?”
That was unexpected. He hadn’t anticipated Albrecht’s death.
“We left him behind when we made our last escape. He’s probably dead.”
“Hmm, then there’s still only one knight.”
“Did I mess up? Should I have spared him?”
“No. You did well. It’s better to reduce the committee members even if it means waiting a few days. We might end up fighting them otherwise.”
While Albrecht’s death was surprising, it wasn’t alarming. Considering all possibilities, it was actually a good thing.
“What will you do after this?”
“I’m planning to research artifacts. I might be able to make a few good ones. Especially now that we have mana stones.”
Rodin tossed the low-grade mana stone Hedler had given him and caught it again.
Lately, he had been busy making fake slave rods, but he intended to make artifacts when he had time.
He hadn’t decided what to make yet, but he had a few good ideas.
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it.”
“What about the slave rods? Should I bring them tomorrow?”
“No, you keep them. You’re better at safeguarding things than I am.”
“I think Rodin should hold onto them too.”
Rodin’s meticulous nature assured Hedler and Lant that their rods were in good hands.