Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 67 (Part 1)

The first-generation trainees had been at the special forces training camp the longest. They were the oldest, and their desire for freedom was the strongest.

Many of them harbored ambitions of starting a family. Having traveled around, they had encountered many women, and through these experiences, they had become aware of the opposite sex.

They made a decision. They would no longer move as someone else’s sword.

“Let’s make a move.”

“Yeah, there’s no need to fight the kingdom’s knights. Let’s just disappear quietly.”

“Where should we go?”

“First, we need to cross over to the Kingdom of Beros. There’s no future here.”

Even though the slave rods were fake, the fact that the first-generation graduates were still slaves remained unchanged. In the Kingdom of Riyaz, where the slave system was deeply entrenched, it was difficult to escape the shackles of slavery.

“The border isn’t far, just across the Lamaton River. We can reach it in two days.”

“But how will we cross the river?”

“We’ll have to use the boat we came in on.”

“Hmm, we’ll have to make two trips.”

It had been only nine days since Commissioner Keline had effectively surrendered to the royal family and crossed the Lamaton River at their summons. Before that, the first-generation graduates led by Commissioner Keline had been on the eastern side of the river.

The method they used to cross the river was simple. The first-generation trainees had spent twelve days cutting down nearby trees and building a raft.

The raft they made was small, holding no more than ten people at a time, and it was so flimsy that without the help of a mage, it was difficult to keep it level.

“The mages will have a hard time, won’t they? But can they do it?”

“Do we have any other choice? We have to do it, no matter what.”

“Then there’s no need to waste time. Let’s get going.”

“Let’s go.”

In the end, the first-generation trainees decided to escape under the cover of darkness.

Just a few minutes before the imperial army used magic.

They left the inn where they had been staying to make their escape. They used narrow alleys to pass through the eastern commercial district.

Just as the city walls came into view, the sound of urgent hooves pounding the ground reached their ears. The startled first-generation trainees hid in the shadows and held their breath.

Suddenly, the western sky lit up. Instinctively, they froze and stared blankly at the now-bright-as-day western sky.

“W-what’s going on?”

“I don’t know. It looks like magic. Hans, what is that?”

“I don’t know either. How would I know what kind of magic that is?”

“Don’t look at me. I don’t know either. Just by looking at it, you can tell it’s some sort of high-level magic. Something I could never dream of using.”

The magic that lit up the western sky was something neither Hans nor Paul had ever seen before.

If they had read more books, they might have been able to deduce what kind of magic it was just by its form, but trainees 11 and 20 were typical training camp mages who had only learned what was taught to them.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Huh? Who are those people?”

At that moment, a loud voice echoed, shaking the entire quiet commercial district.

“Enemies! The Empire is attacking!”

The first-generation trainees heard the shout, but they didn’t immediately grasp its meaning. They stood there blankly for a moment, their faces reflecting confusion.

“It’s the imperial army. The imperial army is coming from the west.”

“Damn it. It’s the imperial magic corps. Run!”

With someone finally understanding the situation, the first-generation trainees began running all at once.

The sluggish mages, Paul and Hans, were each carried on the backs of the 3rd-grade knights, numbers 7 and 8, as they sprinted through the darkness.

* * *

Rodin, Bron, and their group, who were riding ahead, spotted a group running in the distance. Not sure if they were friend or foe, Bron slightly slowed his horse.

There were 17 people running ahead. If they recklessly charged in and got surrounded, it could be dangerous.

“Ignore them and keep going!”

“What about them?”

“They’re not the enemy, so just keep riding!”

Following Rodin’s advice, Bron’s group sped up again. As they approached, the group running ahead parted to the sides, making way.

Glancing back, Bron saw Ellice swallow hard as she watched the descending magic.

“Don’t stop, just keep riding!”

“Hyah!”

The flames were slowly descending. Though the speed was painfully slow due to the caster’s lack of control, the magic was bound to collide with something eventually.

Bron’s group kept glancing back while urging their horses forward.

Boom!

A massive explosion echoed through the village, waking everyone. Even though Bron’s group was far away, they instinctively covered their ears.

A high-pitched ringing filled their ears, making it difficult to hear each other.

Rodin grabbed Bron’s reins and pulled him along. Understanding the situation, Bron sped up his horse again.

“We’re going straight through.”

“What?”

―We’re going straight through. Don’t stop, just keep riding.

Rodin had no choice but to use telepathy magic to communicate his intentions to everyone in Bron’s group. He then glanced at the first-generation trainees running not far behind.

‘They managed to survive.’

Rodin turned his gaze forward again. A few members of the village guard were standing around, looking confused.

This wasn’t a city but just a slightly larger village. There were no stone walls, only a wooden fence.

―Don’t stop. Keep riding.

Rodin led the way through a gap in the fence.

A few village guards hovered around the fence, but they didn’t make any attempt to stop them. In fact, they didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so.

“Hyah!”

“Rodin! There’s something ahead.”

Bron’s voice came from behind. His voice was several times louder than usual, probably because his hearing hadn’t fully recovered.

“I see it!”

“What?”

―There are imperial knights ahead. I’ll clear the way, so just keep riding.

Up ahead, about a hundred knights came into view. Sharing his vision with Jito, Rodin saw the crest of the Ingram Empire clearly emblazoned on their armor.

“Are those imperial knights?”

“Yes, they’re from the Ingram Empire.”

Rodin kept his horse running as he began casting a spell. He combined the rune chanting with hand seals, preparing three spells to their final stage.

‘I hope they don’t give chase.’

The Ingram Empire’s magic corps consisted of 500 mages and 500 knights. They had spent a year and seven months moving along the front lines, attacking dozens of units and villages, achieving remarkable results.

Their characteristic tactic was to pair each mage with a knight, moving as if they were one.

But today was different. Since all 500 mages had gathered in one place to cast magic, the knight force was left scattered.

The 100 knights were there to protect the mages, while the remaining 400 were spread around the village, planning to deal with anyone trying to escape.

“Enemies! Don’t let any of them escape!”

“Hyaah!”

Hyung_Otaku2

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