Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 58 (Part 2)
The continent’s ridge of the Western Continent.
A place made up of large and small rocky crags, impossible to cross on foot. Even most higher-ranking knights couldn’t navigate through its rugged rocks.
Only those who could fly could cross the mountain range. Cory, aided by Silafe, a mid-tier Wind Spirit, was crossing the center of the range.
“Huh?”
As he was nearing the Central Continent, Cory halted his flight. Below him, someone had lit a campfire.
‘Is it safe?’
After a brief moment of hesitation, Cory decided to descend and take a look. There was no particular reason for it. He was just curious. He also felt like taking a short break.
“Silafe, take me down.”
Nod!
Silafe descended near the campfire. Cory, who was nestled in Silafe’s embrace, stepped onto the ground.
“Hmm? Hohoho, I didn’t expect to see another person crossing the Ridge. Please, have a seat. Guests are always welcome.”
“Thank you.”
Cory plopped down next to the campfire. Just in case, he kept Sillaphe stationed right beside him.
“Hmm, are you a wizard?”
“That’s correct. Though lacking, I’m tasked with exploring the truth.”
“You must be from the Magic Tower.”
Wizards who spoke of seeking the truth were invariably affiliated with a Magic Tower.
Wizards raised by kingdoms or some academies who focused on combat magic had no interest in the truth. Their minds were solely occupied with stronger spells.
“That’s right. But what brings you to cross the Ridge?”
“I’m fleeing to the Central Continent to escape the war.”
“Indeed, many lives have been lost in this war. It’s a tragic situation.”
After that, the conversation paused.
Cory leaned close to the campfire as if warming himself was his mission. He showed no interest in the elderly wizard beside him.
Meanwhile, the elderly wizard maintained his silence, quietly observing Cory.
A young man who looked barely twenty. Though he was dressed in a robe like a wizard, he wasn’t one. Unless one was an Archmage, they wouldn’t be able to evade his eyes.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Are you a Spirit Mage?”
“Yes.”
“A Spirit Mage crossing the Roof must have a Wind Spirit. A lower-tier one would struggle, so it must be mid tier. Am I right?”
He was spot-on, but it wasn’t something to be particularly surprised about. Even Cory could make such a deduction.
“Yes, that’s correct. You seem to know a lot.”
“When you live as long as I have, you learn many things. Besides, my closest friend was a Spirit Mage.”
“Oh! There aren’t many Spirit Mages.”
“My friend passed away three months ago. I stopped by the Western Continent to see him off.”
He was saying that he had attended the funeral. Cory understood immediately and sighed briefly.
There were few Spirit Mages. Many Spirit Mages never even saw another Spirit Mage in their lifetime.
Perhaps because of this, Spirit Mages felt a sense of kinship or camaraderie, even with those they had never met. When a Spirit Mage died, it somehow evoked a tender, sorrowful emotion.
“It’s a pity.”
“Hohoho, you’re just like my friend. He, too, would be saddened whenever he heard that a Spirit Mage had died somewhere on the continent.”
“I’m not sad. It’s just a bit of a pity.”
“Alright then. Not sad, just a bit of a pity. Hohoho.”
Cory frowned at the elderly wizard’s response.
He found the old wizard’s attitude unpleasant. Especially the way he spoke to him as if he were a child; it had bothered him from the start.
Of course, the man’s age was clearly much greater than his own. He had undoubtedly lived more than three times as long as Cory.
But it was still annoying.
“You’re laughing strangely.”
“Oh! I apologize. If I offended you, I offer my sincere apologies. Come to think of it, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. I am Francis, an old man from the Landes Magic Tower.”
“Oh! Landes Magic Tower.”
It was a name Cory recognized. As one of the four great Magic Towers on the continent, it was mentioned several times during his special forces training.
Cory knew the tower’s name, but he didn’t know who Francis was. He wasn’t particularly interested in magic.
If someone who was interested in magic had heard the name Francis, they would have gasped in alarm. They would have exclaimed, “An Archmage!”
“It’s not such a great name.”
“Being from one of the four great Magic Towers is impressive. It’s one of the strongest places on the continent.”
“Is that so? Thank you for the kind words.”
The wizard Francis smiled faintly, clearly pleased.
Francis felt happier when the Magic Tower was praised than when he himself was complimented. It was likely due to his deep love for the tower to which he belonged.
“They say the four great Magic Towers are stronger than most kingdoms. Is that true?”
“Hoho, is that what you think?”
Cory was speaking out of ignorance of the Magic Towers.
The four great Magic Towers weren’t just stronger than most kingdoms. They were stronger than the combined strength of over a dozen kingdoms.
“Is it not?”
“You’re quite an amusing fellow. Your reactions are anything but ordinary.”
“I didn’t grow up in an ordinary way.”
His life as a slave was anything but ordinary. Being confined and forced to learn was also not ordinary, and neither was his experience of becoming one of the few Spirit Mages on the continent.
“Hohoho, not ordinary, you say? It seems you’ve been through a lot. Your eyes have depth. But do you have a place to go on the Central Continent?”
“I’ll have to find one. I might become a mercenary.”
Cory already had an identity token. When he was given missions during his special forces training, they had also issued him an ID card.
However, that ID was from the Western Continent. To use it on the Central Continent, he would have to update his residence or obtain a new identity.
“A mercenary. It’s a rough but essential role. I hope you become a famous mercenary.”
“Of course. I’m going to become the greatest Spirit Mage on the continent. You’ll hear my name someday.”
“But I haven’t heard your name before.”
“Oh! I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Cory. As I mentioned earlier, I’m going to become the greatest Spirit Mage on the continent.”
Though his words were full of bravado, the old man Francis didn’t mock him. On the contrary, he appreciated Cory’s ambition.
He had once been like that when he first started learning magic.
He had believed he would become the greatest wizard on the continent. He had declared that he would definitely become an Archmage.
And he had done it. Francis was a 7th-circle Archmage and one of the most famous wizards in the world.
“I believe your dream can come true.”
“Thank you, Grandpa. I should be going now.”
“Won’t you rest a bit longer?”
“I need to go quickly if I want to become famous quickly.”
Cory was already on his feet.
Thanks to the campfire, he had been able to warm up without summoning Celist, the mid-tier Fire Spirit. Now it was time to move on.
“I don’t know if we’ll meet again, but I’ll remember your name.”
“I won’t forget the name Francis either.”
Cory, cradled in Silafe’s embrace, suddenly shot up into the sky.
Francis silently blessed the young Spirit Mage with grand dreams in his heart.