Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 82 (Part 1)
After finishing his meal, Rodin went to the place where the injured mercenaries were gathered. Thanks to the potions used for treatment, there were no critically injured people who seemed to be on the verge of death.
‘Was the damage severe or minor?’
Out of the 30 mercenaries, only 6 were unharmed. The losses were severe enough to almost call it annihilation.
However, considering that their opponent was 100 imperial knights, the damage could actually be considered minimal. No, it was practically a stroke of luck.
Had Rodin not intervened and if Sylvia hadn’t worked so hard to assist, they surely would have been wiped out.
Rodin began treating the most severely injured mercenaries first. He spent the entire morning tirelessly using magic, bringing the injured back to a significant level of recovery.
While Rodin was busy treating the mercenaries, the ship set sail. Despite the Imperial Army’s surprise attack during the night, the departure time remained as scheduled.
* * *
The voyage went smoothly. The winds were moderate, and the waves never grew too high.
During the voyage, Rodin’s routine returned to what it had been before.
In the mornings, he taught the continental common language to Larry and Bianca. Bianca was picking it up a little faster than Larry.
After lunch, Rodin had time to himself.
He would listen to the lessons of the Frouval projection teacher and practice his mana cultivation techniques according to the schedule. He focused on maintaining his magical sensitivity by repeatedly casting and canceling spells.
“With this, I should be able to hold basic conversations.”
For several months, Rodin had been receiving lessons from the Frouval projection teacher. The hour hand of the pocket watch was still at one, but the minute hand had passed the four mark.
In essence, he had completed about a third of the first phase of basic training.
Perhaps because of this, he started to understand the projection teacher’s speech sporadically. Although it wasn’t as clear as the continental common language, it was still much better than when he had first started.
“Should I test it out?”
He set the minute hand back to when he had attended his first lesson. He replayed the very first lesson he had heard.
Grinning.
“As expected.”
He could understand most of the projection teacher’s words now. There was no need to force meaning or guess at the content.
“I’ve improved.”
Rodin’s skills in the Frouval language had increased considerably. His ears had opened up, and the teacher’s speech flowed smoothly into his mind.
“Looks like things will speed up.”
Returning to his original lesson, he found that he could now understand it without having to repeat the lesson multiple times.
Fifteen days after leaving Lanse, the ship docked at a port city in the Kingdom of Perry. They were set to depart again in two days. Rodin disembarked with the exhausted Larry and Bianca after the long voyage.
“Brother, my legs feel weird.”
“Rodin, mine too. It feels like the ground is shaking.”
“They call it land sickness. When you’ve been on a ship for a long time and step onto land, it happens. You’ll get used to it soon.”
This was Rodin’s first experience with land sickness as well. He had heard about it from sailors, but the sensation was stranger than he had expected.
“Brother, where are we going?”
“We’re staying at an inn today.”
“Are we studying again today?”
“Of course. Studying is a habit. Once you get used to doing it daily, your proficiency in the continental common language will improve quickly.”
He took his siblings to an inn close to the harbor and reserved a room for two nights, timed to match the ship’s departure.
Since the ship had arrived early in the morning, they started their stay at the inn while it was still morning.
After breakfast with his siblings, Rodin immediately began teaching them the continental common language.
“Is it hard?”
“Rodin, do we really need to know how to read?”
“Of course. If you don’t, you’ll be deceived and taken advantage of. There’s no harm in learning.”
Rodin was strict with his siblings when it came to study time. He didn’t allow any distractions, not even for a moment.
Thanks to this consistent education, Larry and Bianca were gradually learning to read. Since they could already speak, they only needed to learn the words.
After finishing the morning lessons, Rodin went to the inn’s first-floor dining area. Though he had already eaten breakfast, he ordered tea to listen to the rumors circulating around.
‘Hmm.’
As expected, sitting in a crowded place brought in plenty of information. There were many discussions, especially about the movements of the Ingram Imperial Army.
‘The Kingdom of Beros will fall soon.’
It had already been a long time since the king of Beros fled with the royal family, the army, and their wealth. Most of the kingdom’s territory was now a no-man’s land, so it wouldn’t take long for the Ingram Imperial Army to conquer it.
‘It’ll spill over to the Kingdom of Perry in a matter of days.’
Both Beros and Perry were originally weak nations. Even if their king had led all his troops in a desperate fight, they wouldn’t have been able to hold back the Imperial Army for long.
‘But where did the king run off to? Could he have gone as far as the central continent?’
The people in the dining room didn’t know where the king of Beros was either. It was as if he had hidden himself so thoroughly that not even rumors about his whereabouts circulated.
‘It’s hard to believe. How could they not find such a large army?’
Having gathered enough information, Rodin finished his tea and stood up.
Jingle!
Just then, the door opened, and several people entered. They all looked exhausted.
“Hey! We need some food here.”
“Yes, sir. You can sit anywhere there’s a free table.”
“Is there anyone here from the ship Capleton?”
“Hmm?”
Capleton was the name of the ship Rodin and his siblings had sailed on.
“I’ll ask again. Whoever came on the Capleton, come forward now. If you come out now, I won’t hit you. But if I catch you later, you’ll regret being alive because the pain will be unbearable.”
It seemed they were bandits looking to hitch a free ride on the ship. Judging by their attire and numbers, they seemed fairly capable, but they were far from a match for the retainers protecting the Capleton.
“Tsk.”
Rodin clicked his tongue and went upstairs to his room. Inside, Larry and Bianca were busy studying the continental common language dictionary.
‘Nice. They’re studying on their own.’
When he had first started educating them, Larry and Bianca were only interested in going outside to play. They would often intentionally arrive a few minutes late to avoid starting their lessons.
But recently, they had changed.
Though they still complained about how difficult it was during each class, they were at least making an effort to study. Bianca, in particular, was not only using the dictionary but had a children’s storybook by her side, trying to read it.
Rodin found a quiet spot, sat down, and closed his eyes. He summoned the projection teacher and resumed his lessons.
About two hours later, Larry and Bianca left the room, exhausted from studying.
Rodin considered stopping them from going out but decided to let them be. Instead, he sent Undine to accompany them.