Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 80 (Part 1)
Darren, Jefferson, and Sylvia.
These three had been guests of the Hedges Merchant Guild for quite some time. During their stay, they were provided with lodging and meals, which allowed them to focus entirely on their swordsmanship.
Thanks to this support, they were determined to succeed in retrieving the box. When they set out, they hadn’t doubted their success.
However, before they could even arrive, the key person they needed to meet, Lord Grem, had gone missing. All that remained were traces of an ambush and dozens of corpses.
No matter the situation, the mission was a failure. Even after deploying three warriors of the formidable 5th rank, they had no choice but to return empty-handed.
“This feels hollow.”
“What’s the point of being 5th rank knights? We need someone to fight, at least.”
“Well, what can we do? It’s not like we did anything wrong.”
On the Western Continent, the title of “Tier” is added to the rank of a swordsman, but on the Central Continent, they simply use “rank” without the Tier title. The practical nature of the Central Continent led to a natural simplification of terms.
“Still, Hedges…, huh?”
“What kind of people…?”
Darren abruptly stopped speaking and stood up. Almost simultaneously, Jefferson and Sylvia grabbed their swords that had been resting by their side.
“We’ve got enemies.”
“There are a lot of them.”
The three of them stormed out of the drawing room. They could see a staircase leading downward, and beyond that, in the harbor, a considerable number of people were rushing forward with swords in hand.
“They don’t look like soldiers from Lant.”
“Could it be those guys? The ones who attacked Lord Grem?”
“Why would they?”
“Maybe Lord Grem managed to escape alive. Those guys probably think we’ve already retrieved the box.”
It was a wild guess thrown out in the heat of the moment. But as soon as Darren said it, he realized that couldn’t be the case.
“Those guys are lighting torches?”
“They’re planning to set the harbor on fire.”
“We’d better move. If this goes on, our ship could get damaged.”
Before the three could take action, the mercenaries guarding the ship had already sensed that something was wrong.
The movements of those dressed in unfamiliar garb didn’t seem like those of ordinary bandits.
“Everyone, stay on alert.”
“We’re here to guard the ship.”
These mercenaries had been hired by the Hedges Merchant Guild specifically to guard the ship, so the safety of the ship came first, even over the harbor itself.
Crackle!
“You’re doing well.”
Darren, Jefferson, and Sylvia appeared before the tense mercenaries. Since the three weren’t technically employed by the Hedges Merchant Guild, they didn’t have command over the mercenaries.
However, the mercenaries knew that these three were incredibly powerful and would be a great help in defending the ship.
“Welcome, knights.”
“What’s the situation?”
“They’re setting the harbor on fire. They haven’t attacked the ship yet, but as you can see…”
The group that had sufficiently set the harbor ablaze was now gathering near the ships. It was as if they were saying, “You’re next.”
“These idiots.”
“We should cut down their numbers a bit.”
Just as Darren was about to step forward, Jefferson grabbed his arm. When Darren looked at him in surprise, Jefferson pointed at a spot in the distance.
“There’s a mage.”
“Hm.”
Not too far from the ship, a knight in armor stood beside a mage. Behind them, about 20 others who had already returned from setting the fires were gathering.
“A mage?”
“They’re not even flinching when they see us. They must be strong.”
Swordsmen could usually gauge their opponent’s strength at a glance. While there were some who could hide their level with special techniques, it wasn’t common.
Mages had a spell called *Hide Mana Circle* that allowed them to conceal their power. It wasn’t a difficult spell, so any 3rd-circle mage could use it.
However, for a swordsman to hide their true strength, it required a secret art. Only a select few could do it, making it rare for swordsmen to conceal their power.
Darren, Jefferson, and Sylvia could tell at once that the knight standing at the forefront was of 5th rank. The opponent had likely recognized their strength as well.
Yet, the opponent showed no sign of tension. He exuded confidence, as if he had an even greater force at his disposal than three 5th-rank knights.
“Hm.”
“Bart, clear the deck!”
“Yes.”
It was the night before their scheduled departure, just a few hours before setting sail. As a result, there were quite a few passengers who had boarded the ship early. Many of them were watching the situation unfold from the deck without a care in the world.
Bart, the mercenary captain, began ushering those on the deck into the ship’s interior.
Some passengers stubbornly refused to leave the deck, but the mercenaries didn’t bother with them. They had insisted on staying, so they would bear the consequences.
“That should do it.”
If the enemies were all swordsmen, they wouldn’t have bothered clearing the deck.
If they won, the enemies wouldn’t even reach the deck, and if they lost, it wouldn’t matter whether people were inside or on deck—danger was everywhere.
However, the opponents had a mage. A mage who could very well be of the 6th circle.
When fighting against a mage of such power, the battle was bound to spill over onto the deck.
* * *
Bart, the mercenary captain, was herding the passengers from the deck into the ship’s interior. The sudden influx of people caused several to trip and fall.
Larry and Bianca, who had been playing on the deck, were caught in the chaos. Swept up in the crowd, they staggered back and forth until Bianca tripped over someone’s foot.
“Bianca!”
“Ahh!”
Bianca screamed instinctively as she fell.
It’s going to hurt if I hit the ground. What if I get trampled by people? These thoughts raced through her mind as her body hurtled toward the floor—until suddenly, she stopped.
“Huh?”
“Are you okay?”
Rodin had been attending one of the Frouval’s illusion classes when he sensed a mass of magic gathering outside the ship. He immediately realized that there was a mage— and not just any mage, but a very powerful one.
Thus, Rodin had followed the flow of magic that he had placed on Larry and Bianca’s bodies for protection. Although fighting would come later, protecting the children came first.
“B-Big brother Rodin.”
“Larry, you come here too.”
Rodin grabbed both Larry and Bianca with his hands. Using magic, he created two *Magic Hands* to encase and shield them.