Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 76 (Part 1)
Rodin erased the current map and laid out the old one before his eyes once more. As expected, no matter how hard he looked, there were no overlapping sections between the current map and the previous one.
‘Where is this map from?’
The two terrains didn’t seem to connect. If that were the case, there wouldn’t have been a need to store the maps separately.
“Hmm?”
He put away his pocket watch and looked over at the children. Although they were pretending to sleep, he could tell they were awake.
“If you’re awake, you might as well get up.”
Despite Rodin’s words, the children kept their eyes closed. The girl shifted slightly but still didn’t open her eyes.
“If you don’t hurry up, I’ll have breakfast by myself.”
“Yaaaawn!”
“Aah!”
Finally, the children stirred, pretending to have just woken up. It seemed they were quite hungry.
“Let’s eat.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you for the food.”
He poured the soup, which had been kept warm, into their bowls. Yesterday, the children had seemed a bit wary, but today, they devoured the soup as soon as it was served.
Rodin ate his breakfast at the same pace as the children, so they all finished around the same time.
“Thank you, sir.”
“What?”
After the meal, the boy spoke on behalf of the group. But the word he chose irritated Rodin slightly.
“Uh… th…anks…”
“Sir? You’re calling me ‘sir’?”
“No, that’s not what I meant.”
“I told you so.”
The children whispered amongst themselves, seeming to have predetermined how to address him.
“S-sorry, ma’am.”
“Ma’am? Ah! My head… I’m not a ma’am!”
His voice grew louder without him meaning to. The shock caused him to shout instinctively.
“Huh? Then…”
“I’m 14 years old. I’m only 14!”
“Oh! Big sis, I’m sorry.”
“Sister, I’m sorry.”
He couldn’t understand why their form of address was jumping around so much. After a few corrections from “sir,” it had somehow become “big sis” and “sister.”
Rodin knew he had a somewhat pretty face. In the training camp, Hedler, Lant, and Cory had teased him quite a bit about his looks.
With his delicate features and a voice that hadn’t yet deepened, it was understandable why people might mistake him for a girl.
However, thanks to all the training he’d done at the camp, his physique was undoubtedly masculine.
Though he might look small standing next to a beast like Lant, he had a body that could stand among the other swordsmen without looking out of place.
“Sigh, I’m a guy.”
Resigned, Rodin pulled down his hood completely, revealing his entire face, which had only been partially visible.
“Oh! I’m sorry.”
“What? Why?”
The girl, confused, asked again, even after seeing his face, still unsure why he was a guy.
“Because I am a guy.”
“But you’re prettier than my mom.”
“Still, I’m a guy.”
“That’s strange.”
The girl continued to stare at him as though she still didn’t understand, but Rodin didn’t want to drag this conversation out any longer.
“Undine.”
Using Undine’s magic, Rodin cleaned the dishes.
The dishes became spotless in an instant, and the children’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Let’s clean them up too.”
Nod!
Undine sprayed water over the children’s bodies. The water, summoned from the air, swirled around, thoroughly cleaning every part of them before disappearing.
The children, who had been dirty and grimy, now looked refreshed. Their skin was smooth, and their once tangled hair was now soft and clean.
“Now, it’s time for you to make a decision. But before that, do you see what’s here?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know what it is?”
“Money.”
Piled next to Rodin was over 200 gold. It was the money they had taken from the raiders the previous day.
“This is your money now.”
“Why?”
“Because it originally belonged to your families. Anyway, I asked you to think about it yesterday. What do you want to do? Should I take you to Lanse? Or do you want to part ways here? I’ll do whatever you decide.”
Rodin pushed the money towards the children, signaling that they could take it and leave if they wanted.
The children glanced between Rodin and the pile of gold, clearly torn about what to do.
“Um…”
“Speak freely.”
“Could you… could you take care of us? I can clean well. I’ll do the laundry, too. I’ll do anything you ask.”
“I’ll do anything, too. Please take care of us. I’ll eat just a little, and I won’t make any noise at night.”
Rodin closed his eyes tightly at the children’s decision.
He had thought this would be the best option for them, but at the same time, it was the one decision he had hoped they wouldn’t make.
‘I can’t believe I, a child myself, have to raise these kids.’
It weighed heavily on him, but he had no choice. If he left them behind, they would undoubtedly be harmed by adults.
“Are you two siblings?”
“No. We’re just from the same village…”
Though the last part was hard to hear, Rodin could easily guess what they meant.
The two families had lived in the same village, and they had fled together. That’s why they had been captured by the raiders at the same time.
“How old are you? What are your names?”
“I’m Larry. I’m 12 years old.”
“My name is Bianca. I’m 10 years old.”
“Goodness.”
Rodin was stunned to hear their ages. He was only 14 himself, and they were just 2 and 4 years younger than him. And yet, he had to be their guardian.
“I’ll work hard on the laundry and cleaning.”
“Don’t abandon us. Bianca won’t eat much.”
“I’m not going to abandon you. And it’s fine if you eat a lot. I’m not going to make you clean or do laundry, either.”
“Really?”
“We can eat a lot?”
The children took Rodin’s words as permission, and their faces immediately brightened.
“We’re leaving now. I’ll hold onto the money for the time being. It’s 200 gold, so when you become adults, I’ll give you 100 gold each.”
“That’s not necessary.”
“But I’ve decided. Do you know how to ride a horse?”
“N-no.”
Neither Larry, who answered, nor Bianca, who remained silent, knew how to ride a horse.