Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 57 (Part 1)
Albrecht constantly kept an eye on his surroundings.
In his mind, he was devising a plan to escape, but outwardly, he acted like the most loyal of servants. Whenever summoned, he moved quickly, and he did his tasks with as much effort as possible.
“How on earth did you train him?”
“Well, I, um… I don’t really….”
“Of course, what would you know? The committee, right? Just handing off all the work to your subordinates and reaping the rewards. But let me ask you something.”
Count Ferrios lightly tapped Albrecht’s head. It was the center of his forehead, the usual spot for the slave mark.
“Y-yes, my lord.”
“Why is that one moving separately?”
“Pardon?”
“He’s a slave, isn’t he? If the slave rod breaks, he should drop dead immediately. So why is he moving around on his own without a master?”
Count Ferrios had noticed from the campfire and the fish remains that Rodin was moving alone.
The number of fish consumed was sufficient for one person but too little for two. The idea that they caught only a few fish and shared them among several people was nonsense.
Their target was a 5th Circle magician, someone who could catch dozens of fish with just a few gestures.
“I don’t really….”
“My guess is that he’s taken his own slave rod.”
“What? That’s impossible. Number 108 wouldn’t even know where it was kept.”
“Are you sure? Can you really be certain that little brat didn’t know?”
“I, I… I’m not sure.”
Albrecht wasn’t confident.
Even back at the Special Forces training center, he hadn’t realized that Number 108 was such a character.
He had just thought that becoming a 5th Circle magician at such a young age was a sign of extraordinary talent. He had never been curious about his personality.
“A guy meticulous enough to erase all his traces wouldn’t be unaware of where his own leash is. That’s ridiculous. He definitely knew.”
“So then?”
“He probably took it a long time ago. When was the last time you checked his slave rod?”
“Well… um…”
Once again, Albrecht couldn’t answer.
It was Commissioner Kser who managed the slave rods, not him. Even when there was a need to remove a slave rod, it was mostly Kser who handled it due to the magical locks.
“Stop with the ‘um, well,’ and answer me properly. When was it?”
“There hasn’t been.”
“What do you mean there hasn’t?”
“Since the initial slave mark was engraved, it’s never been checked.”
Count Ferrios clicked his tongue.
As expected. He figured as much. That kid must have taken his slave rod a long time ago.
There was no way to know exactly when or how, and it was likely that the committee members were equally in the dark.
But with such a sly little brat, nothing would be surprising. He might have bribed or blackmailed an instructor or a commissioner.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. What’s past is past. The important thing is whether he has the slave rod with him or if he’s hidden it somewhere. That’s what matters.”
“Don’t you think he’s hidden it?”
“Probably not. The fact that he keeps erasing his tracks suggests he’s very suspicious by nature. A suspicious guy would never leave his life to chance.”
“Chance?”
“Hiding it somewhere means he’d have to hope no one finds it, right? That doesn’t fit with that kid’s character. He must be carrying it with him.”
Count Ferrios had a keen understanding of Rodin.
If he knew Rodin’s personality, he’d never entrust his slave rod to someone else. Nor would he have hidden it somewhere.
However, Count Ferrios didn’t know that Rodin had already escaped the danger posed by the slave mark.
“If we catch him, the problem will be solved.”
“Exactly. If we catch him, the slave rod will be in our hands too. It’s fortunate that the committee is full of fools.”
“That’s true. If he broke Number 108’s slave rod, then all our efforts to come this far would be in vain.”
Count Ferrios had no doubt that he would succeed in capturing Number 108, Rodin. The magician Edric felt the same.
If they hadn’t found any traces initially, it might have been different. But once the tracking magic had succeeded, they were bound to meet. And once they did, there was no escaping a 6th-level knight.
“Right. Hmm, the sun’s already setting. Let’s eat first.”
“Won’t that make us late?”
“He’s a magician, after all. No matter how fast he is, there’s a limit. Once his mana runs out, he’ll have to rest for a long time anyway.”
“That’s true.”
“Then, let’s fill our stomachs first.”
—
Hamless Gorge.
It was a gorge formed by an earthquake about 300 years ago, a narrow, long passage running north to south. The shape of it looked like a giant had cut the earth with a sword, earning it the nickname “The Giant’s Slash.”
As Rodin passed through Hamless Gorge, he carefully observed the surrounding terrain. With just 500 soldiers stationed above, it would be possible to block 10,000 men.
“Why did the Riyaz Kingdom just abandon a place like this?”
This land originally belonged to the Riyaz Kingdom, but it was handed over to the Ingram Empire after a war. And they did it without even fighting a battle, just handed it over.
If they had used this natural terrain properly, they could have held off the Ingram Empire’s forces for at least half a year. But the Riyaz Kingdom abandoned this place entirely, as if they had some grand strategy.
Not that it was entirely ineffective. The Ingram Empire’s forces, assuming enemies were lying in ambush at Hamless Gorge, wasted about three days searching the area.
“To give up a place that could hold for half a year in just three days.”
Whhoooosh!
A sharp wind blew, penetrating his clothes. As Rodin tried to pull his coat tighter, Jito quickly clung closer to his body.
“It’s chilly.”