Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 63 (Part 2)

Rodin didn’t have particularly high spirit affinity. His instructor had said the same thing. While he could barely manage to form a contract, growth wasn’t something he should expect.

“Ten years isn’t a short time, but still.”

Rodin couldn’t shake the thought of “already?” He had expected it would take at least thirty more years before Undine would start to grow.

“I guess I’ll need to find a spirit stone.”

A spirit stone would aid in a spirit’s growth. It wasn’t absolutely necessary, but without one, the process would take longer and have a higher chance of failure.

Cory had already raised both of his spirits to the intermediate level. When his spirits grew, he had, of course, received spirit stones from the special forces training center.

“Hmm?”

Rodin was lost in thought about Undine when he realized they had passed the ambush. As expected, the ambushers did not attack Bron’s party.

“A wise choice.”

If they had attacked Bron’s party, the merchant group behind them would have inevitably been drawn into the battle, increasing the number of enemies.

But by letting the party pass, the ambushers could focus on attacking the group behind them.

“We’re past it.”

“Just as you predicted, Rodin.”

“Hmm.”

“I just hope the fight behind us doesn’t spill over to us.”

It wasn’t just about spilling over. There was a possibility they could be pursued and attacked to eliminate witnesses.

“Shall we pick up the pace a bit?”

“Are we going to sprint?”

“We need to put some distance between us first. Let’s go.”

Bron was the first to increase his horse’s speed.

As if on cue, the rain started pouring down harder. It was now coming down in sheets.

“Ugh, I hate this rain. Hiyah!”

“Hiyah! Let’s go.”

“Ahhh!”

At that moment, a faint scream was heard from behind. The ambushers and the merchant group had finally clashed.

“Tsk, the fight broke out after all.”

“Malon, Ellice. Forget about it. It has nothing to do with us.”

“I know, I know. It just doesn’t feel good.”

Bron and his group were fundamentally good people. But they weren’t so foolish as to misunderstand the situation.

Their opponents weren’t weak thugs, but rather, at least a hundred formidable foes. Getting involved in such a fight would endanger everyone in the group.

After a while, Bron, who had been riding at the front, pulled the reins. The horses, exhausted from the full-speed run, were panting heavily.

“Whoa, whoa. This should be far enough.”

“Whoa, whoa.”

“I’m exhausted.”

They had ridden for several minutes. They had put a considerable distance between themselves and the battle.

“Should we move to a different spot?”

“Yeah, the rain is just too heavy. Even my underwear is soaked.”

They had ridden their horses like madmen through the rain. The rain gear was utterly useless.

“Ugh. Maybe it’d be better to just keep going until we reach a village?”

“How far to the next village?”

“How should I know?”

“Is there no cave or something around here?”

The only certainty was that they wouldn’t find any shelter along the road.

They had two options: head into the mountains hoping to find a cave or push on harder to reach a village.

“Rodin, you choose too. Should we keep going until we find a village? Hands up!”

Rodin raised his hand. Ellice also raised her hand high, waving it enthusiastically.

With a spirit to protect him, Rodin had no need to wander the mountains. As for Ellice, as a mage, she hated the idea of wandering around the mountains.

“Then, let’s head into the mountains and look for shelter. Hands up.”

“I choose the mountain.”

“Me too.”

“But isn’t this mountain too small? It’s not very high either. Do you think there’s a cave?”

The group had arrived at a small mountain that could be found behind any village. It was so small that one could easily go up and down it on a morning stroll.

“Well, if there isn’t, we can’t help it. Let’s start searching.”

“Ellice and I will take this side. Malon, Baker, Rodin, you take the other side. Whether we find something or not, let’s meet back here in an hour.”

“Alright.”

Rodin moved to the right side of the path with Malon and Baker. They headed toward a slightly sloping uphill area.

After about twenty minutes of moving up the slope, Rodin raised his hand. Once again, it was not Jito but Undine who had succeeded in reconnaissance first.

Seeing the signal, Malon and Baker stopped.

“Did you find something?”

“Yes. Undine found it. This way.”

After walking for a few more minutes, they found a small cave of appropriate size. It was only about five meters deep, but it was enough for five people to take shelter from the rain.

“Alright, I’ll go get the others.”

“No, I’ll go. As a mage, I’m probably faster.”

“Will you?”

“Yes. Thanks to Undine, I’m not even getting wet.”

Rodin tied his horse nearby and quickly descended the slope. The slope was gentle, but the ground was quite slippery from the rain.

“They haven’t gone far.”

Undine was simultaneously keeping track of Bron and Ellice, who had moved to the other side.

“Hmm?”

Rodin, who had been moving leisurely, suddenly stopped. After thinking for a moment, he changed direction and dashed sideways.

“Where is it?”

Swish! Swish!

He ran in the direction Undine indicated. Under a large tree, a person was lying, barely alive.

“It’s the merchant leader I saw this morning.”

The merchant leader was not in his right mind. His injuries were severe, and he was barely conscious.

“How did he get here?”

The question was answered the moment Rodin saw the item in the merchant leader’s hand. It was an artifact imbued with teleportation magic.

“This is a relic that can’t be made anymore.”

Teleportation magic required a 7-circle spell. Only archmages could use it, and creating such an artifact was impossible in the current era.

But long ago, in the ancient times often referred to as the Age of Antiquity, such artifacts were not unheard of.

The item the merchant leader used was likely an ancient artifact, now classified as a relic.

“A one-time use.”

The relic in the merchant leader’s hand had lost its function after a single use. Though it could no longer be used, Rodin quickly pocketed the spent relic.

“Was he attacked because of this artifact?”

Hyung_Otaku2

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