Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 62 (Part 1)

They resolved their lunch by eating jerky as they traveled. Rodin, who had bought plenty of jerky from the inn, placed a piece in his mouth and savored its taste.

“I can’t believe jerky can taste this good.”

Rodin had always had a healthy appetite, but he wasn’t the type to be picky about flavors. His appetite was more about eating as much as he wanted without skipping meals.

However, after graduating from the Special Forces Training Camp, he began to appreciate taste. He wanted to eat delicious food and even started to crave new dishes.

Of course, his old habit of eating as much as he wanted without skipping meals remained unchanged.

“If I visit other countries, I’ll get to taste various cuisines, right?”

To the east of the Kingdom of Riyaz lay the Kingdom of Beros, and beyond that, the Kingdom of Perry.

As they traveled towards their destination, they would have the chance to visit all the countries of the Thirteen-Nation Alliance. This meant that they could try all the cuisines of the Thirteen-Nation Alliance.

“Spring is almost here. Look over there, flowers have bloomed.”

“Ellice, why are you pretending to be a girl? You don’t look at flowers and stuff.”

“Marlon, do you want to die?”

“Hey, I’m completely a guy, you know.”

Bron and his companions often bickered amongst themselves, but they would soon burst into laughter. Their closeness was evident in their behavior.

“We can rest over there for today.”

“Yes. It’s better to rest here than to camp, even if it’s a bit early.”

The group arrived in a small village. It seemed that travelers often visited this place, as there were several inns.

They entered the nearest one and first checked the lodging fees.

“50 silver for a night. Breakfast is included, but dinner costs an additional 10 silver. If you need jerky or dry rations, let us know now, and we’ll prepare it by morning.”

“We’ll stay for the night and have dinner here as well. Oh, please prepare six servings for dinner. I’ll cover the cost. Also, prepare ten days’ worth of jerky and dry rations for the morning.”

“We could have bought it ourselves.”

“It’s fine. Thanks to you all, I wasn’t bored today. Let me at least treat you to a meal.”

Rodin decided to pay for dinner. The reason he ordered six servings was because one serving wouldn’t be enough.

“Thank you, Rodin.”

“We sure know how to pick people.”

“I’d like to unpack first. Oh, what about bathwater?”

“Cold water costs 1 silver, warm water costs 2 silver. If you want it delivered to your room, we can arrange that. And be sure to tip the staff who brings it.”

From behind the innkeeper, a boy about Rodin’s age peeked out. He was the one in charge of the bathwater.

“Understood. I’ll take warm water, please.”

“We need to book our room too.”

“Sigh, I always feel a sting when paying for inns.”

“Me too.”

Bron’s group had to save money whenever possible. They didn’t want to risk reaching the Kingdom of Aslan only to find themselves short of the 100 gold needed to board the ship.

“Please show us the way.”

“Of course, I’ll take you there.”

Rodin booked a room and entered it first. The man in charge of the bathwater was already waiting for him.

“Would you like to eat first, or bathe first?”

“I’ll take the bath first.”

“Then I’ll prepare it right away.”

The bathwater arrived shortly after. Watching the man go up and down the stairs several times with a large bucket made Rodin want to tip him generously.

“How much should I give?”

This was one of those trivial things where reading a lot of books didn’t help at all. The lack of real-world experience could only be filled by living in the real world.

Rodin held out 10 copper coins and cautiously watched the man’s reaction. The man seemed slightly disappointed, so Rodin added another 10 coins. The man’s expression lightened a bit, but it still wasn’t one of satisfaction. Finally, Rodin grabbed another 10 coins with his other hand, and only then did the man’s face brighten completely.

20 to 30 coins.

Rodin memorized this amount as an appropriate tip.

He enjoyed a refreshing shower. For the places he couldn’t reach, he asked for the help of the water spirit, Undine, to wash every corner of his body.

“Please be thorough on my back.”

Nod!

Rodin, a water spirit summoner and a magician, didn’t really need to have bathwater prepared. He could ask Undine to clean his body or even create water and heat it with magic for a bath.

But since he was at an inn, he wanted to wash with water that had been prepared by someone else. While it might be cleaner to ask Undine for help, pouring water directly onto himself felt more satisfying.

“Imprint. Mana Accumulation Magic Circle.”

Before heading down for dinner, Rodin imprinted a Mana Accumulation Magic Circle on the floor of the room and embedded a mana stone in it. By the time he finished eating and took a rest, there would be enough mana gathered for him to perform the Mana Circulation Technique.

He went down to the first floor, where Bron’s group was already waiting.

“Hmm? It’s crowded.”

“They must be part of a merchant caravan. They have a lot of escorts.”

Before taking a shower, they had been the only guests, but now, dozens of people were sitting and eating dinner. Just on the first floor, there were more than 20 people.

“Take a seat. We should eat too.”

“Let’s order.”

Bron’s group chatted without pause, with Ellice and Marlon continuing their bickering.

Had he been alone, the time would have felt quite dull, but thanks to them, Rodin wasn’t bored.

It took nearly an hour and a half for their ordered dinner to arrive.

As he looked at the late-arriving meal, Rodin glanced outside. The sun had completely set, leaving only darkness.

The inn’s food was also delicious. Wherever he went, it was always better than the food at the training camp.

“Rodin, see you tomorrow.”

“Sure. I’ll head up first.”

After finishing his meal, Rodin went back to his room. Since the meal took so long, the Mana Accumulation Magic Circle had gathered enough mana.

Rodin immediately performed the Mana Circulation Technique. After two cycles, the technique’s efficiency began to drop.

While the Circulation technique was beneficial when done frequently, repeating it too often reduced its effectiveness. For Rodin, doing it twice a day—once in the morning and once in the evening—was the most efficient.

“What should I do next?”

After a moment of contemplation, he opened his backpack and took out a book he had taken from the Advanced Library Section 1 and began reading it.

It was related to aura, so everything was unfamiliar to him, making the reading more enjoyable.

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Hyung_Otaku2

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