Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 70 (Part 1)

The only remaining task was to verify the identity.

Since the identities of Bron’s party were clear, resolving Rodin’s identity verification was also easily handled.

However, they couldn’t immediately issue the mercenary pass. They would have to wait three days for the issuance.

The mercenary pass was an important item that also served as an identification badge. It included the name, date of birth, gender, physical characteristics, and occupation.

In Rodin’s case, his occupation was listed as a mage.

“How about this?”

While Rodin was undergoing the review and applying for the mercenary pass, Marlon found a perfectly suited request for their party. It was an escort mission from here in Bontis to the easternmost edge of the Aslan Kingdom, which was one of the 13 nations of the Union.

“It’s a one-year contract.”

“And it’s close to our destination.”

Bron’s party’s destination was Elpeso, a port city in the southern part of the Aslan Kingdom. The mission’s destination was Fort Posrak, at the eastern edge of the same kingdom.

Since both locations were in the same country, they weren’t very far apart.

“It would take about ten days from Fort Posrak to Elpeso. So, it would take one year and ten days. How long would it take us to get to Elpeso on our own?”

“It wouldn’t be less than half a year. Maybe seven or eight months? Something like that.”

“It takes four to five months longer, but we’d be saving money, right?”

“Savings aren’t the only factor. It’s one gold coin per day. Ellice gets two gold coins.”

The request stated that Bron, Baker, and Marlon, who were all Grade-2 swordsmen, were to be paid one gold coin per day. This fee did not reflect their true skills.

In the central continent, Bron’s party would earn between 1 gold 20 silver and, at most, 1 gold 50 silver per day per person. Even considering that mercenary requests were scarce in the Western Continent, it was still a significant underpayment.

Fortunately, the special occupations had a rate of ‘2 gold coins.’

Special occupations referred to mages, spirit summoners, and rangers capable of advanced reconnaissance.

“A few months… It’s a shame to lose the time, but it’s not bad. After all, we’re mercenaries.”

“Yeah, it’s our job to accept and complete requests.”

“It’s been a while since we had a job that suits us.”

Everyone seemed to agree with the request. Rodin, who had been quietly listening, nodded slightly.

Rodin currently had no specific destination. He had come to Bontis to obtain a mercenary pass but had no plans beyond that.

“It seems like everyone’s in agreement. So, when do we leave?”

“In five days.”

“What about you, Rodin? Are you thinking of joining us?”

Bron’s party was aware that Rodin’s original destination was Bontis and that he had no further plans.

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll think about it.”

Rodin decided to defer his decision.

He enjoyed being with Bron’s party and wanted to continue traveling with them.

However, he was also mentally exhausted. At the academy, he had always been on edge, and after leaving, he had been constantly on the move, never letting his guard down.

He now wanted to rest. He longed to settle in a moderately quiet place, where he could review the magic he had learned one by one. He also needed time to examine the items he had obtained from the deceased merchant.

“Alright. We’d love to have you with us, but we won’t pressure you. Marlon, Baker, Ellice, let’s accept the request for now.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s go submit it.”

Bron’s party immediately applied for the request and registered their lodging.

Later, the client would visit them to check their skills and equipment. If they were satisfied, they would apply for a mercenary guild contract.

The mercenary guild would then mediate the contract between the mercenaries and the client, formalizing the request.

After leaving the guild, they wandered freely. They bought necessary items and disposed of unwanted ones.

Rodin, while exploring Bontis, purchased a spirit stone and a magical beast stone.

He didn’t need the spirit stone and the magical beast stone right away. Both Undine and Jito still had some time before they reached their growth stages.

However, if they weren’t prepared when the time came, it could hinder the growth of Undine and Jito. Since the spirit stone and magical beast stone weren’t large, he decided to buy them in advance and carry them around.

* * *

After finishing his errands, Rodin returned to the inn. This time, too, he paid for the lodging and took a room by himself.

“Hmm.”

Rodin took out a small box from his backpack and inspected it. It was the box given to him by the dead merchant after the teleportation.

‘Should I open this?’

After a long time of pondering, he had figured out how to open it. He had also identified most of the magic embedded in the box.

‘It seems really old.’

The box had a magic that recorded time. Like tree rings, it had recorded the passage of time from the moment it was sealed, in regular cycles.

The recorded time was 999 cycles.

The box hadn’t been opened for at least 999 years. Since the maximum number of times that could be recorded on the box was 999, it had likely been neglected for even longer.

‘The level of the magic contained is too high.’

The box contained six different types of magic. Rodin had figured out four of them, but two were only vague guesses.

‘The lightning magic is certain.’

If forced open, the box would electrocute the person holding it. Judging by the complexity of the runes engraved in the magic, it was on par with the Black Thunderbolt that Rodin had created.

The Black Thunderbolt was the spell he had used to kill Elrov. Although it was a 5th-circle spell, it had been enhanced to have the power of a 6th-circle spell.

‘If forced open, it would kill anyone short of a top-level mage.’

But that wasn’t the only magic the box contained.

There was also a fortification spell that increased the durability of the box.

This was a magic circle that was still widely used today. It was commonly used on weapons and armor, and Rodin was, of course, familiar with it.

‘It’s a bit different, but that’s just a difference in strength.’

The magic circle currently known and the one engraved on the box were slightly different in the runes used, but the effect was the same. The difference was merely in how much more or less durable it made the object.

‘A mana absorption magic circle. I’m familiar with this.’

There was also a mana concentration magic circle similar to the one Rodin would engrave with printing magic during his training. The runes used in a few places were different, but this too was just a difference in power.

‘I’ll have to check later which one is better.’