Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 83 (Part 1)
Gowen, the man killed by Rodin’s magic, was a wanted criminal. Not only in the Ingram Empire, but also in the Riyaz Kingdom, Beros Kingdom, and Perry Kingdom of the 13 Nations Alliance, he was on the wanted list.
Originally, Gowen had been a soldier in the Ingram Empire’s army, mobilized for the current war. He even held the position of a squad leader, leading his subordinates to some degree.
However, after accidentally killing his superior while drunk, he fled the unit. The Empire’s army quickly dispatched a pursuit squad, but Gowen managed to evade capture time and time again.
But Gowen’s crimes didn’t stop with desertion. Wandering from place to place, he gathered other deserters under his wing and eventually built a force with over a hundred men.
Gowen led his men, ambushing and plundering those who had strayed from both the Ingram Empire’s and the 13 Nations’ armies. In villages, he massacred civilians and used young women to satisfy his desires.
Gowen’s unchecked rampage finally met its end in the northern region of the Perry Kingdom, where he was caught by a detachment from the Ingram Empire.
With a single ambush, Gowen’s band suffered near annihilation.
In a desperate bid to survive, Gowen fled with only a handful of his men and eventually reached this port city in the Perry Kingdom.
“Get lost. Before I kill you too.”
“Y-Yes, understood.”
At Rodin’s cold words, the few survivors hurriedly fled, not even thinking to retrieve Gowen’s corpse.
Rodin used earth magic to dig a hole and dispose of the body. It was a bit of a hassle, but since they were in the city, he had no choice.
Leaving the body would inevitably draw the attention of the city guard for investigation.
“Larry, Bianca. Did today’s events teach you anything?”
“Teach us?”
“Hmm… bad men die?”
As Rodin walked back to the inn with his siblings, he lightly posed the question.
Larry seemed to have learned a lot from today’s events, while Bianca, still pale, was clearly shaken by what had happened.
“There are many bad people in this world. And Larry, with the power you have now, you can’t protect your sister. So before going outside, think two or three times about what you’re doing. Otherwise, not only you, but Bianca will die too.”
“Ah! It’s my fault, isn’t it?”
“And Bianca. If you begged Larry to come out, you almost killed him today. Your whining can put not just yourself, but Larry in danger. Remember that the world is a dangerous place for both of you.”
“Ah! Brother Larry, I’m sorry.”
It had been a day full of lessons. Rodin, too, once again realized how full of annoying things the world was.
No one knew, but Gowen had been the one responsible for killing Rodin’s parents and older brother. Unbeknownst to himself, Rodin had avenged his family today.
But Rodin remained unaware of that fact, just as Gowen died without realizing that his nemesis had finally caught up with him.
* * *
Thankfully, nothing happened the next day. Rodin, Larry, and Bianca rested well at the inn and were able to board the ship again.
The voyage that followed was uneventful. Though they stopped at several ports, there were no incidents like the ones before.
“Hmm, it’s finally over.”
Ever since Rodin started understanding the language, The Frouval’s illusionary lessons had been a breeze. The content was basic to intermediate, so it served merely as an opportunity for Rodin to pick up the language.
“We’re finally moving on to level two.”
Rodin adjusted the hands of his pocket watch to 2 o’clock. Though there was still a long way to go, getting more familiar with the language was crucial.
“Shall we begin?”
With the hands of his watch set to 2 o’clock, The Frouval’s illusionary teacher began the lesson, saying, “We’ll now start the advanced courses.”
“Hmm, this is quite advanced.”
The first lesson was math, and the formulas were far more complicated than what he had seen in the library.
Rodin wasn’t too surprised; he had expected as much.
At 1 o’clock, the material had covered the highest level of mathematics he had learned in the library. Naturally, lessons starting from 2 o’clock would be even more advanced.
“Ah.”
Rodin focused on the lesson, sometimes letting out sounds of admiration, other times tilting his head in confusion.
The lessons continued from math to geography, administration, architecture, law, and culture, covering a wide array of subjects.
Rodin didn’t skip any of the lessons, believing that understanding everything would help him grasp the more advanced material in the future.
“It would’ve been nice if there were history lessons too.”
Strangely, history wasn’t part of the curriculum. He even moved the minute hand forward a few times to check, but history never appeared.
The Frouval’s history spanned at least 5,000 years, overlapping with, or even predating, the Magic Empire.
Knowing that history would have revealed what happened to the Magic Empire and what kind of relationship Frouval had with it.
“Well, can’t be helped.”
Rodin set aside his disappointment and refocused on the lessons.
It had taken three months to travel from the port city of Lanse in the Beros Kingdom to near the port city of Elpeso in the easternmost part of the Aslan Kingdom in the 13 Nations Alliance.
During that time, whenever he had the chance, Rodin continued receiving lessons from The Frouval’s illusion, filling his mind with knowledge.
“The math is definitely on a high level.”
Rodin had never once thought that his mathematical abilities were lacking. He had a deep and broad understanding of math, not just in its application to magic but as a discipline in itself.
Even Kruper, a self-proclaimed mathematician and instructor, had often been lacking compared to Rodin in many areas. When it came to casting magic, Rodin could overwhelm others with his quick and precise calculations.
But The Frouval’s math was on an entirely different level from his own. The gap felt as vast as that between an adult and a child.
Seeing symbols and formulas he had never encountered before, Rodin felt a bit overwhelmed. There was so much to learn that it made him wonder if what he had been studying all this time was truly math.
“That’s enough for today.”