Have Magic - Chapter 69



Only Noblemtl

Embrace the Magic (69)

Rodin’s gamble paid off.

For different reasons, the Ingrem Empire’s magic corps gave up pursuing Rodin and Bronn.

After two days of camping, we arrived at the city of Bontis.

Bontis was a border city with the neighboring Kingdom of Beros and a central city for trade. The number of merchants coming and going each day was over 300, and the resident population was over 1 million.

Of course, as it was a border city, there were a lot of soldiers. More than half of the troops were gone due to the war with the Ingram Empire, but there were still over 20,000 soldiers guarding the city.

“Rodin, how do you plan on getting in?”

“I’ll go in as I see fit.”

Since Bontis was a border town, security was quite strict. You couldn’t enter without an ID tag, and even if you had an ID tag, people who were suspicious were often investigated separately.

Rodin had no identity card.

After the teleportation, there is an identity card obtained from the dead chieftain, but it is an item that should not be used. This is because the year of birth is recorded on the identity card.

“By magic?”

“Yes. I’ll figure it out. See you inside.”

“If you just get certified as a wizard, they’ll let you pass.”

“It’s a pain to explain where I learned magic. Please just tell me what I have to say.”

He handed over the reins and sent Bronn and his party ahead.

Bronn and his party had identification badges, even though they were issued from the Central Continent. There was a brief scuffle, but the guards ultimately did not stop Bronn and his party.

Meanwhile, Rodin moved to a place where people couldn’t see him and used invisibility magic. His appearance became transparent and he soon disappeared as if he was erased.

“Fly.”

Rodin flew through the sky and entered Bontis without difficulty.

The strongest among those in Bontis were all deployed to the northern front. After all the magicians and knights left, only ordinary soldiers remained here.

No one standing guard could detect the movements of Rodin, a 5th circle wizard.

Rodin naturally joined Bronn’s party. They immediately found an inn, unpacked, and headed out to find the mercenary guild.

“Where the hell are you?”

“It must be stuck in a corner somewhere.”

“Oh man, damned Western Continent. No requests, hard to find a guild. There’s nothing I like.”

It was a conversation between Malone and Ellis. There was something strange about it, so Rodin looked back at them.

“There are no requests from the Western Continent?”

“Almost none. Because there is no magic.”

“The forest is close, but there is no demon?”

Rodin’s common sense didn’t make sense.

The Ingrem Empire and the Taleh Kingdom on the Western Continent were suffering greatly from the demons of the Masurim. The demons were such a headache that the Taleh Kingdom spent 30% of its national budget on demon defense.

But there was no magic. It felt like something was against common sense.

“The story of suffering under the demons is a story of the past. You also know that the Ingram Empire failed to subdue the demons 30 years ago, right?”

“Yes. I know that too. We mobilized 500,000 people, but only a few hundred returned alive.”

“From the Ingram Empire’s perspective, it was a failure. All the high-ranking knights and high-circle magicians died. However, it is difficult to see it as a complete failure because the demons have hardly appeared in the 30 years since the suppression.”

“is it so?”

This was something Rodin didn’t know. It was the limitation of knowledge gained only through books.

Rodin had read a book that recorded the disastrous failure of thirty years ago. He also knew that since then, the Ingrem Empire had been attacked by the Thirteen Nations Alliance and suffered considerable losses.

But what happened to Masurim after that was not in the books I had read.

‘That’s right. The Kingdom of Riaz is not connected to Masurim. They probably wouldn’t be interested in that.’

The books stored in the special forces training center were those that were of the utmost interest to the Kingdom of Riaz. Books that contained content that was not of interest were not collected in the first place.

“Well, that doesn’t mean they don’t appear at all. They say that sometimes there are three or four of them, and sometimes one or two of them. But we can’t just go around the Ingram Empire or the Taleh Kingdom trying to catch them when they only appear a few times a year.”

Bronn and his party also tried to hunt demons several times. They stayed in the kingdom of Taleh for several months, and there were times when they killed and captured demons for a long time.

But the pay was too low compared to the time and effort put in.

I waited for half a year to hunt the demon, but the reward I received was only enough for one month’s living expenses. At this rate, the more requests I received, the more I lost.

“Then what about the Central Continent? Is there a lot of work for mercenaries?”

“There are a lot more of them than here. In the Central Continent, no matter which mountain or forest you go to, there are bound to be demons.”

“Is the number appropriate?”

“It’s not the number that matters, but the frequency. You have to show up often to pay and hire mercenaries.”

The need for mercenaries arose from the dangers that could arise at any time.

When you think, ‘Hey, he won’t show up,’ you don’t hire mercenaries. When you are afraid, ‘The devil might show up,’ you hire mercenaries.

“The Central Continent is a place where demons appear frequently. The Western Continent has hardly seen demons for the past 30 years. So there are no mercenaries on the Western Continent? What on earth do they do?”

“Escorts for high-ranking officials or dignitaries. That’s the most common. But it seems like the number of war mercenaries has increased a lot since the war started.”

“Aha, escort.”

“It seems like there have been more escort requests recently.”

Originally, the 13-nation alliance had relatively good security. There were not many mountains, so there were few places for bandits to hide, and the number of soldiers was very large due to long-term preparations for war.

As soon as they heard that bandits had appeared somewhere, soldiers would rush in and subdue them, so there was no place for the bandits to stand.

But things changed when the war broke out.

The soldiers who had been suppressing the bandits were all deployed to the northern front. Taxes were raised too much in the name of preparing for war, and the situation of the powerless commoners deteriorated rapidly.

Even deserters who had fled during the battle joined in. Now bandits were appearing frequently even in places close to the city.

“Because of the war, you know. But what good is it to have so many requests? They’re only meaningful if they’re in line with our destination.”

“Let’s check with the mercenary guild first. Maybe there’s a request to go to the Kingdom of Asran.”

Bronn and his party also stopped by the mercenary guild in the capital of the Kingdom of Riaz. They were hoping to find a request heading east, but the only request they found was heading to the port city of Melcos in the south.

“Let’s check it out. If it’s there, that’s good. If it’s not there, then it can’t be helped.”

“Over there. Mercenary Guild.”

“Ha, I’m really stuck in a corner.”

The mercenary guild was located between the commercial district and the slums. The buildings were shabby and there weren’t many mercenaries coming and going.

“Rodin, you must not cause any accidents for the next three years. Understood?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure not to get caught even if I cause an accident.”

“You’re not saying you won’t do it.”

“Who can be sure of the future? But I’ll try.”

In order for someone without a mercenary badge to receive a mercenary badge from the mercenary guild, they needed a guarantor. In Rodin’s case, Bronn and his party were the guarantors.

Instead, if an accident occurred within the next three years, the guarantor who had stood as a surety would be held liable.

Whether it was a financial matter or a life-or-death matter, the guarantor was the one who had to take responsibility.

“Let’s go in.”

Bronn took the lead and opened the door to the mercenary guild.

Fortunately, unlike the shabby exterior, the interior was quite well-decorated. The tables and chairs weren’t too worn out, and there were many mercenaries resting here and there.

‘It looks like an ordinary restaurant.’

Of course, it wasn’t a restaurant.

There was no welcoming greeting like, “Welcome,” even though someone had come here. Even a person who appeared to be an employee of the mercenary guild was busy sitting and chatting with the person next to him.

Bron walked straight towards the clerk at the counter.

Baker, Malone, and Ellis moved toward the poster to examine the request.

“I have a younger brother who wants to become a mercenary.”

“You’ve come to take the mercenary qualification test. Is this the way?”

The employee who was chatting away with the person next to him immediately straightened his posture when Bron arrived. Fortunately, he was a person who knew how to distinguish between work and private life.

“Yes. I want to become a mercenary.”

“If you apply for a review, we will contact you within three days. Please leave your contact information and go…”

“Wait a minute. This guy is a magician. This isn’t a normal examination, he has to take a magic verification test.”

The counter staff’s words were interrupted by Bronn. It seemed that the verification procedures for wizards and inspectors were different.

When the word wizard was heard, the mercenaries in the hall also looked this way. Their faces looked like they had seen some kind of magical creature that only existed in imagination.

“Ah! A wizard? What is your level?”

“I’m buying a 3 circle magic spell.”

“Just a moment. I’ll contact the branch manager right away. Please sit down and wait a moment.”

The counter staff disappeared, and less than 10 minutes later, a man in his 40s appeared. He was clearly running in a hurry, as evidenced by his attire.

“Hoo, hoo. You’re a 3rd circle wizard?”

“Yes. I got into the 3rd circle a month ago.”

In the mercenary world, magicians were extremely rare. Even if you searched through all the mercenaries based in any city, you would only find a few magicians.

Rodin also remembered being curious about the fact that the 2nd circle wizard Ellis was included in Bronn’s party.

“You are amazing.”

“Thank you. I feel lucky.”

As he spoke lightly, Rodin took off the hood he was wearing. Only then did his pretty, young-looking face come into view.

“Ah! My age is……”

“I’m 14 years old.”

“Wow, that’s really amazing. A 3rd circle wizard at the age of 14. I’m sure you’ll be recognized even in the Magic Tower.”

“I like my brothers and sister.”

When the branch manager mentioned Matap, it meant that he could introduce it to you.

Rodin politely declined the branch manager’s offer, using Bronn’s group as an excuse.

“Since you’ve applied for the mercenary qualification examination as a wizard, we’ll have to check your skills. Oh! I’m not doubting you, wizard. It’s just the procedure of the mercenary guild.”

“It’s okay. Please feel free to talk as it is not a bad feeling.”

Among wizards, there were many who found even the most obvious suspicion unpleasant. They were beings who considered themselves so lofty that it was not easy to please them.

“There is space in the back.”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

I followed the branch manager to the empty lot behind the mercenary guild building.

The prepared vacant lot was wide. There were weeds growing here and there on the outskirts, but the wide floor in the center was neat and flat, as if it had been well-maintained.

In the middle of the empty lot, there were three scarecrows that looked like they had been recently erected, lined up in a row.

“Please use three types of 3-circle magic. If it’s a magic that needs to be used on a scarecrow, then just use it on the scarecrow. If it’s a magic that can be used on the ground, then please use it on the ground. Scarecrows aren’t expensive, but it’s a bit of a hassle to set them up. Oh! After you use a magic, please explain what kind of magic it is. I don’t know much about magic.”

“Okay. Should we start with this first?”

Rodin muttered as if he was reciting runes. His voice was so quiet that even the people next to him could not hear him properly.

“……Fire Ball!”

The first spell was completed. A fireball the size of an adult’s head was created from Rodin’s fingertips and flew forward.

Boom!

The fireball collided with the floor, not the scarecrow. At the same time, the floor split open, scattering debris in all directions.

“This magic is….”

“I understand this. It’s a fireball, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Haha. It’s the representative magic of the 3rd circle wizard. I know it’s the most powerful among the 3rd circles. They say that a 3rd circle wizard who can’t use Fireball isn’t even considered a 3rd circle wizard.”

That’s true, but Fireball wasn’t the most powerful of the 3rd circle spells.

Of the three circle magics Rodin knew, the most powerful was Calling Thunder. It was a magic that brought down lightning, and was also called ‘lightning’.

“Oh, yes.”

“Please show me the next magic.”

“yes.”

Rodin again muttered and cast, and after some time, he completed his magic.

“……Wind Cycle!”

A scythe made of wind cut down a scarecrow on the left side of the empty lot. The scarecrow was instantly cut off at the waist.

“Wow! What is this?”

“Wind Cycle. A scythe made by compressing wind. It’s useful for personal magic. It’s also fast.”

“Good. Please give me the third and final spell.”

“The third one is…, um.”

After thinking about it for a moment, I chose magic.

All the magic shown so far was attack magic. It was the magic favored by mercenaries, but it felt too biased.

So this time I chose a different spell. I chanted the runes and stretched my hands to the floor.

“……Ground Barrier!”

The ground a meter in front of me suddenly rose and formed a wall in front of me. It was a small wall about two meters high and three meters wide.

“It’s a defensive spell. It’s called Ground Barrier. It’s quite strong, so it’ll be able to block several attacks from knights.”

“Oh, magic is truly amazing. Let me take some notes.”

The mercenary examination was simply concluded. The branch manager recorded the magic and returned to the first floor hall where he and Rodin had originally been.