Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 58 (Part 1)
Count Ferrios anticipated losing thousands of lives in the process of capturing this place. He thought that even such a loss would require good fortune, and that they might not be able to take the location even after losing all their forces.
“You captured it without any casualties, Your Excellency.”
“Yes, since there was no one to resist, it was easy to take.”
Count Ferrios resumed walking. The sweat on his body was swept away as he moved against the wind.
“Perhaps they thought they were being clever with their strategy?”
“What? Did they think we would just wait around forever, wondering if there was something left behind because it was empty?”
They had spent a few days searching the area, but that wasn’t really a loss. Considering the nature of the terrain, capturing it within a month would still be considered a gain.
“But still, why is that kid heading to the Empire?”
“Isn’t it to seek revenge?”
“Revenge? Against whom?”
“After all, the Kingdom of Riyaz is where they enslaved and imprisoned that kid, right? The kid’s enemy is the Kingdom of Riyaz, not our Empire. So, maybe he’s seeking our help.”
Count Ferrios nodded slightly at Edric’s words. It made some sense.
They had come to capture the young wizard, but they hadn’t even seen the kid’s face yet. Since they hadn’t met, there was naturally no grudge between them.
“Yes, that’s possible. Our homeland doesn’t have a slave system, after all.”
“Indeed.”
“What a pity. It would be nice if I could use him.”
“Oh!”
The Ingram Empire did not recognize private ownership of slaves. Occasionally, those who committed major crimes, like treason, were made slaves and forced into labor, but they were all considered property of the imperial family.
The young wizard they were currently tracking was no different.
Even if Count Ferrios captured him, he would belong to the imperial family. The right to command him would also rest with the imperial family.
“Not that it would make much difference to him.”
“That’s true.”
Slaves had to work for the Empire until their death. It didn’t matter who their master was.
“Even though it’s a familiar sight, this place is so desolate.”
“I think so too, but…”
*Fwip!*
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
“Take cover!”
Dozens of arrows made of wind flew at them from the left, striking the group. It was an attack they hadn’t anticipated at all.
Count Ferrios instinctively ducked to avoid the attack. It was a reflexive move befitting a knight of his caliber.
However, the response of the wizard Edric and the commissioner Albrecht was delayed, and both were hit by several arrows. Edric clutched his abdomen and groaned, while Albrecht struggled to pull out the arrow lodged in his back.
“Who dares!”
*Ssshhh!*
At that moment, green mist began to rise from the opposite side of where the arrows had come from. The smoke filled the sky and descended to hover close to the ground.
“Your Excellency… it’s… poison…”
“Get down! Hold your breath and wait.”
Count Ferrios was the first to drop flat on the ground, pulling Edric down by his legs. Then, he felt a strange sensation.
‘Magic?’
It was true that knights were less sensitive to magic, but they weren’t so dull as to not sense magic right in front of them.
Someone of Count Ferrios’s caliber could immediately tell if a person passing nearby was a wizard.
Just as he ducked down, Count Ferrios felt magic flowing along the ground. It made his hair stand on end.
“Get up… now…”
*BOOM!*
A massive explosion occurred. The explosion erupted from right under their chests, and none of the three could put up any defensive maneuvers.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
The force of the explosion sent them flying, and they fell back to the ground one by one. Albrecht, the heaviest, was the first to drop. Then the wizard Edric hit the ground, and finally, Count Ferrios fell.
“Ugh!”
Luckily, Count Ferrios did not lose consciousness. Despite suffering severe injuries from the massive explosion, his limbs were still attached.
But the other two weren’t so fortunate.
Edric, whose abilities were the weakest, couldn’t withstand the explosion. His body was torn to pieces, leaving only an unrecognizable mass of flesh. He was dead.
“Grrrgh.”
Albrecht was still alive. The aura he had cultivated over the years had barely kept him alive.
But a large hole had been gouged out of his abdomen, as if by a monstrous beast. Even if a 7th-circle wizard arrived and used healing magic immediately, there would be no way to save him.
“D… damn…”
Count Ferrios glared to the north.
There was no need to check who was responsible. It was clearly the trap set by the young wizard they had been pursuing.
“The explosion was bigger than I expected. Maybe the orb was of higher quality.”
A robed figure appeared before them. With the hood pulled low, the face was not visible.
The figure said something, but Count Ferrios couldn’t hear it. The ringing in his ears was too intense, leaving only a high-pitched ‘beep’ sound.
“What should I do?”
Rodin maintained his distance as he watched his opponent.
Despite the severe injuries, the opponent was still standing on two feet. It was likely the 6th-tier knight he had suspected.
‘Bernstein Duke? Count Ferrios? It could be either of them. Hmm, what should I do? Should I fight?’
He would win if he fought. The opponent was in no condition to put up much of a fight. Even if Rodin just kept his distance and bombarded him with magic, there wasn’t much the knight could do in response.
But the opponent was a 6th-tier knight. As a strong enemy he had never faced before, he might have some unexpected tricks up his sleeve.
“Should I give it a try?”
Rodin softly chanted a rune. He formed a hand seal with his fingers to maximize the spell’s power.
“Black Thunderbolt.”
The same spell that had killed Elrov was cast again. The black lightning bolt materialized in the air and struck down in an instant.
Count Ferrios threw his battered body forward. There was no hesitation in his movements. His response was quite swift.
*Bzzzt!*
“Argh!”
The Black Thunderbolt was fast. Count Ferrios had reacted with remarkable agility, but he couldn’t completely avoid it.
However, he hadn’t taken a direct hit. Despite Rodin’s meticulous crafting of the spell, it merely grazed Ferrios’s shoulder.
“Not bad.”
As expected of a 6th-tier knight. His brief evasive movement was remarkably quick. If Rodin attacked from close range, it would be difficult for him to dodge the knight’s swift reflexes.
“You, I’ll remember you.”
‘Should I really kill him?’
“Hmph.”
*Fwoosh!*
Something shot up into the sky from the opponent’s arm. It soared high and disappeared in a burst of bright flames.
“Damn.”
Rodin looked up at the sky, visibly perturbed.
What the opponent had fired was a magic flare. Since this area was occupied by the Ingram Empire, reinforcements would arrive soon.
‘This is getting complicated.’
Rodin quickly calculated the situation in his head.
The benefit of killing the knight. The risk of being pursued by reinforcements if he took the time to do so.
‘How long would it take to kill him? 10 minutes? 20 minutes? Maybe even longer?’
Seeing how the opponent was holding on despite his mortal wounds, it didn’t seem like he could be easily killed. In that time, the reinforcements would likely arrive. The outcome wouldn’t be favorable.
After considering various scenarios, Rodin concluded that staying here longer would be dangerous.
‘This isn’t like me.’
With the trap he had set up, he had definitely shaken off the pursuers. But now he had gained an enemy who bore a grudge against him.
Whether this was a gain or a loss was something he couldn’t determine immediately.
‘Let’s think of it as a gain.’
To ensure it was a gain, he had no choice but to grow stronger faster than his opponent. As long as he became strong enough that the enemy’s retaliation wouldn’t be a threat, it wouldn’t matter.
“Fly.”
Rodin used magic to soar into the sky. As he distanced himself from the site of the trap, Jito returned.
“Good work.”
―Kkuweng.
Rodin removed the robe he was wearing. Jito then clung to him and transformed into a new one.
“Today, it’s sky blue?”
―Kkuweng.
“Alright. Let’s go with the color you like.”
* * *