Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 52 (Part 1)
Jito returned through the window. After changing Jito into his gym clothes, Rodin fell into brief contemplation.
‘What should I do?’
There was no need to worry about breaking the slave rods. He had already erased the explosive properties of the slave markings long ago. The marks left on their foreheads were now just simple drawings.
The issue was with his comrades the committee members would take with them. Should he extract them beforehand or wait and find an opportunity later while they were all moving together?
‘For now, it’s better if they move with the committee members.’
There was nothing to gain by staying in this war-torn region. If they had to escape somewhere anyway, the central continent was a decent choice.
‘I can move on my own.’
He was a 5th circle mage. As long as he wasn’t surrounded, he could escape anytime.
‘Let’s go.’
After exiting the shower room, he first headed to the interior room of 310. There, he shook the sleeping Drok violently to wake him up and dragged him back to 301.
“Hedler, Lant. Wake up.”
He woke Hedler and Lant, who had just fallen asleep. Meanwhile, Drok leaned against the wall, dozing off. He must have been extremely tired.
BANG!
Unlike the still drowsy Drok, Hedler and Lant opened their eyes the moment he touched them. They quickly sat up on the bed.
“This is important. Earlier…”
Rodin conveyed the overheard conversation to Hedler, Lant, and Drok. Drok, who had been dozing, now had bright eyes, fully awake.
“So, the committee members are going to take us?”
“Probably not you, Drok. You’re injured. The committee members wouldn’t bother taking you.”
Drok still hadn’t fully recovered. He needed at least ten days to walk without crutches and a month to run around.
“Then why did you call me?”
“Because you’re staying. You need to handle things here. Ah! And the slave rod. You don’t need to worry about that. I already swapped out all the slave rods from the previous group. So, if anyone tries to threaten you with a slave rod, just ignore it. It’s fake.”
Drok thought he had heard wrong.
Swapping out slave rods? He never imagined such a thing was possible.
Moreover, Drok believed the slave rods were in the royal castle. The committee members had staged a scene early on, sending carriages to the capital.
“Really? You swapped out the slave rods? Even mine?”
“Yeah. Not just yours, but all the slave rods from the previous batch. I can’t show you proof, but just trust me.”
Drok couldn’t believe it. The fact that the shackles binding him were gone felt like a dream.
“Then we can just run away.”
“There are no slave rods, but the slave markings on you haven’t disappeared. If you get caught by the nobles, you’ll be treated as slaves again. Most of you will be used as guards because of your skills, but the fact that you’re slaves won’t change. If things get a little dangerous, you’ll be abandoned as cannon fodder.”
No place in the Riyaz Kingdom was as thriving with slavery as here. Not only on the western continent, but the entire continent had the most slaves and the busiest trade.
Moreover, the treatment was terrible. The Riyaz Empire was the only place where you could kill a slave for fun without being punished.
“Then what should we do?”
“At dawn, the empire’s army will arrive. If you have to go somewhere, Hedler and Lant, move with the committee members. Make sure to get on the ship heading to the central continent. Whatever you do on the ship, you’ll have to decide then.”
Once on the ship, there was nothing Rodin could do to help. It was entirely up to Hedler, Lant, and the trainees moving with the committee members.
Rodin believed Hedler would make the right decision. He might not be great at studying, but he wasn’t a foolish friend.
“What about us? What should the rest of us do?”
“What else? Once the committee members leave, you must run away. Tell the others that the slave rods are fake.”
Rodin was a bit worried, though.
He had definitely swapped out the slave rods, but how many would believe that? Surely, some trainees would hesitate, unsure of what to do.
If they encountered the Ingram Empire’s army, they wouldn’t have a good time. They might even face the wrath of the emptied Special Forces training camp.
And if they met the Riyaz Kingdom’s army? They’d still be used as slaves, but the treatment would be even worse.
“Where should we go?”
“Anywhere, as long as you move quickly. Was it Duke Bernstein and Count Ferrios of the Ingram Empire? I don’t know who they are, but judging by the committee members’ reactions, they must be extremely powerful. Think of it as death if you get caught and run like crazy. Preferably to a place where slavery is illegal.”
“Only the Beros Kingdom, but it’s at war, too.”
“Go there first and see the situation. You’re not the brightest, but there should be at least one smart guy among those you’re moving with. Ask for their opinion. Don’t let your pride get in the way.”
Rodin’s words hurt his pride, but Drok didn’t get angry.
He owed his life to Rodin. No matter what he said, he could accept it with a smile.
“What about you?”
“I plan to deal with at least one of the committee members. Three committee members would be a burden for you.”
“That’s… true.”
The remaining committee members here were two 5th circle mages and one 5th class knight.
No matter how rusty they were, their skills hadn’t disappeared. It was too much for the trainees, including Hedler and Lant, to handle them alone.
“Probably Kser will take all the slave rods. So, excluding him, I plan to take care of one of the other two at an appropriate place.”
“Won’t they move together?”
“Even if the destination is the same, they can’t move together. They need to transport their belongings. They’ll move to their own homes first and then head to Melcos separately.”
If all three were together, Rodin couldn’t act rashly. Even though he was confident in his strength compared to mages of the same level, he had no chance of winning against three.
“Then there will only be two left.”
“Yes… Oh? The instructors are moving. They’re gathering on the first floor.”
“Really? I’ll head back to the dormitory.”
Drok quietly opened the door and disappeared quickly. He didn’t look like someone with an injured leg.
“Should we pretend to be asleep?”
“Hedler, you have the identification badge, right? The golden one.”
Rodin had always wanted to enter the Advanced 1 Library. Perhaps it was a rebellious mindset. The more they prevented him, the more he wanted to go.
So, he didn’t plan to gain anything from the Advanced 1 Library. He was just curious.
“Yes, I do. I use it to enter the aura training room.”
“Give it to me.”
Hedler took the identification badge out of the pocket of his clothes hanging on the hanger and handed it over.
Anyway, he wouldn’t need to use the aura training room anymore.
He could use some aura training room created elsewhere, but it was a farewell to the Special Forces training center’s aura training room.
“We won’t see each other again, will we?”
“I’m not sure. When we sent Cory off, we said the same thing, but let’s part with a smile.”
“Ha, Rodin. Thanks to you, it was fun. Thank you.”
“Forget the formalities. I also received a lot of help from you. Let’s not feel sad. Think of it as a good thing. Let’s smile.”