Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 87 (Part 2)
“Brother, where are we going?”
“I’m thinking of heading east to the Kingdom of Lennox.”
“The Kingdom of Lennox? Is it far from here?”
“No. We’re going to the Richmond Marquisate within the Kingdom of Lennox. It’s said to take about 15 days by carriage, but since we’ll be moving at a leisurely pace, it’ll take a bit longer. Giddy up!”
With Larry and Bianca aboard, Rodin set off the carriage. Though he was familiar with horses, it was his first time driving a carriage, and he struggled a bit at first.
“Brother, can I learn how to drive the carriage too?”
“I don’t know much myself, but let’s give it a try together.”
“Yes.”
“Me too, me too!”
“Alright. You can learn as well.”
They weren’t in a rush. He figured they could try driving along the way, and if time allowed, he’d even teach them how to ride horses.
—
The first night outside the city.
Rodin, with the help of Larry and Bianca, quickly set up camp. They pitched a tent and laid out bedding so the three of them could sleep comfortably.
Traveling by carriage made it easy to carry their belongings. The heavy tent and thick bedding weren’t burdensome, and there was still plenty of space even after loading over 400 potions, food, and clothing.
The downside was the slow pace. The large carriage, meant to carry heavy loads, couldn’t move very fast with just two horses pulling it.
“Let’s eat.”
“Wow, even you have something you’re bad at, brother.”
That night, Rodin boiled water, threw in some jerky, and seasoned it with salt. It was edible, but calling it tasty would be a stretch.
Having spent the last few days eating delicious food at a fancy inn, the difference in taste was hard to ignore.
“Want to learn how to cook?”
“I’m not confident. My sense of taste isn’t that sharp.”
“How about you, Bianca?”
“I don’t know.”
You could gauge how sensitive someone’s taste was by how much their eating habits changed when the flavor changed.
None of the three seemed to have particularly sensitive taste buds.
Even though Rodin’s cooking was far from great, Bianca finished her bowl of soup, and though Larry grumbled, he didn’t stop eating.
“When we settle down in the Richmond Marquisate, I’ll look for a good cook.”
“We’ll eat there?”
“If I find someone who’s a good cook, I’ll hire them. If not, we’ll just go eat there every day. I’ve grown to dislike bad food myself.”
Rodin was no exception. After getting used to the fine cuisine at the high-class inn, his own cooking was far from satisfying, and he kept longing for better food.
“Go to sleep. I’ll join you a little later.”
“Are we studying tomorrow morning too?”
“Of course. We can study just fine in the carriage.”
Although it had only been a day, Rodin had gotten used to driving the carriage. Bianca still struggled, but by the afternoon, Larry had gotten the hang of it.
“Understood.”
“Studying… yay.”
Recently, Bianca had become engrossed in reading fairy tales on her own. She was progressing faster than expected, looking up unfamiliar words in a dictionary.
“Then don’t bother me.”
Rodin closed his eyes and summoned the Frouval illusionary lesson.
Larry and Bianca knew that when Rodin closed his eyes, it meant he was training magic. So, they refrained from making noise nearby and were careful not to disturb him.
Rodin finally went to bed a little after midnight, and before dawn, he woke up and stepped out of the tent.
“Sniff! Ahh.”
He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, filling his lungs. It felt refreshing.
“Hmm? Do you want to get some air? Go ahead.”
Rodin grabbed the comfortable training clothes from the carriage. They were thinner and softer than the special training center’s clothes.
Jito, who had been in the form of a robe, quickly reverted to his true form. Rodin put on the training clothes, and Jito flew up into the sky.
“Go enjoy yourself. While you’re at it, do some scouting too.”
—Squawk!
Jito soared high into the sky, moving faster than a hawk.
With Jito gone, Rodin began his morning workout.
While Undine had been growing into Undine, Rodin had resumed exercising. Every morning, he spent over an hour running, followed by at least 30 minutes of upper body strength training.
“Huff, huff.”
He wasn’t just running. He cast a 4-circle gravity spell, Gravity, on himself, doubling his weight while he ran.
Before 30 minutes had passed, his legs were shaking. He wanted to give up on the spot, it was so grueling.
But he forced himself to continue, taking one step at a time. Even though his pace slowed, he kept trying to run.
“Haah, it’s finally over.”
Rodin finished the hour, finally releasing the gravity spell. His body felt as light as a feather.
He slowly walked around to cool down, his breathing gradually stabilizing and his heated body cooling off.
“Time to do more.”
This time, he focused on his upper body. He increased the weight again and tortured his upper body with sit-ups, push-ups, and other exercises.
The workout was short but intense. By the time he was done, Jito, who had been flying around, returned and perched on his shoulder.
“You’re heavy, you know.”
With Jito on his shoulder, Rodin completed his exercise routine. This time, he collapsed to the ground, unable to hold out any longer.
“Whew, whew.”
—Squawk.
“I know, I know.”
Rodin took off his training clothes. Jito instantly attached himself and transformed back into a robe. Today, it was a forest green robe reminiscent of the woods.
The training clothes he had taken off were now Undine’s responsibility.
Undine used Rodin’s mana to summon water and quickly cleaned the sweat-soaked clothes. In less than 10 seconds, they were fresh and dry, without a drop of moisture left.
“You’re getting more natural with your powers.”
—Hehe.
“You’re laughing weirdly again.”
While playing with Jito and Undine, Rodin noticed the sun slowly rising in the distance. It was time to prepare breakfast.