Have Magic - Chapter 72



Only Noblemtl

Embrace the Magic (72)

Time passed quickly. Before we knew it, it was the day that Bronn and his party set out on their mission.

Rodin had breakfast with Bronn and his party, and greeted each of them as they came out of the entrance.

Baker was the first to pack his things and come out. After saying goodbye to Rodin, he went to the stables and picked up his horse.

Malone and Bronn came out next. They hugged briefly and promised to meet again.

Finally, Ellis came out, wearing her familiar robe pulled down low.

“Ellis, here, take this.”

“huh.”

Ellis absentmindedly accepted the staff Rodin offered her and tilted her head. Something about the staff felt different.

“Isn’t it strange?”

“Huh, what is it?”

Two days ago, on the day he received the mercenary badge, Rodin borrowed a staff from Ellis. He had prepared an answer in case she asked him why, but it was a useless preparation.

Ellis handed over the staff without even asking why, just saying, “Okay.” She didn’t even wonder why he was asking for the staff.

Rodin took Ellis’ staff and slightly modified the magic within.

“I changed the magic a little. I said that measuring the magic circle is not necessary, right?”

“There’s no need. It’s actually dangerous.”

Among wizards, there were many who were extremely averse to measuring their circle. There were also many wizards who had bad tempers.

If these two situations had overlapped, Ellis could have ended up in a bad situation.

So, unless it was a special case, measuring the magic circle was rare. If you really wanted to know the opponent’s circle, it was better to ask them to use magic.

“I enchanted it with Magic Shield and Healing. It will be more useful than measuring the Magic Circle.”

“Huh? You created an artifact?”

“It’s just a small trick. Anyway, they’re both 2-circle magic, but they’re better made than I expected.”

Ellis’ expression became blank after hearing Rodin’s explanation.

He kept touching and caressing the staff, and it felt like he was touching a lover.

“Thank you. I… don’t know how to express this.”

“Just use it well. You should check things like the magic recharge time yourself. I haven’t checked it myself.”

“Okay. I’ll use it well. Thank you.”

“Go and see. They’re all waiting.”

I sent Ellis away by force.

Bronn and his party, who were riding horses to go to the place of request, looked at Rodin for a long time.

“Take care. See you again sometime.”

“Yes. Take care. I hope you have a safe return to the Central Continent.”

“Okay. I’ll go.”

He sent Bronn and his party away. Rodin watched them quietly until they were out of sight.

‘Has another relationship come to an end?’

It has not even been a few months since the special forces training camp was settled. The relationship that started so suddenly ended again today.

‘We’ll see each other again someday.’

Rodin also returned to his room.

I haven’t decided what to do next yet. I plan to stay here until I make up my mind.

I stayed at the inn for five days. During that time, whenever I had time, I used the magic of the pocket watch to take classes.

While attending class, I learned something shocking.

The teacher who was teaching was not human. When seen from the front, he looked exactly like a human, but when he turned around, he saw a short, thick tail. And from the back of his head to the tip of his tail, there were small, densely packed bony plates.

‘If not during the Magic Empire, then when?’

The pocket watch, the ring, and even the box that contained them were all filled with amazing magic. So Rodin naturally assumed they were relics from the days of the Magic Empire.

But it wasn’t a relic left behind by a human. It resembled a human, but it was a relic left behind by some other being.

‘What kind of race is it? I’ve never seen it in books. Was it before or after the Magic Empire?’

When contemporary scholars are asked to name the era in which the greatest magical civilization flourished, they all mention the era of the Magic Empire.

There were many records written after the Magic Empire that praised the Magic Empire era.

There was talk of restoring that era or wanting to go back to that era.

Also, the relics from the Magic Empire that were discovered once every few hundred years contained amazing magic. It was a level that could not even be dreamed of in this era.

‘Well, it’s not important.’

It was a bit surprising that it was a relic of a non-human being, but I decided to just ignore it. I wasn’t going to meet anyone from that era anyway. I just wanted to gain the knowledge left behind in the relic.

“By the way, I’m really frustrated.”

Even though I ignored the source and focused only on studying, my progress was seriously slow. Even my good brain had its limits because I couldn’t understand what the teacher was saying.

At the special forces training camp, knowledge was easily acquired only by reading books in the library. Math classes were also evaluated early on as having nothing more to learn.

But I felt like an idiot when I took the class on pocket watches.

I was listening to the class by somehow inferring the content from the actions of the man who appeared as the teacher and the images that appeared next to him, but the progress was incredibly slow.

“I feel like an idiot.”

What was even more frustrating was that there was no way to check whether the inference was correct or not. As a result, I couldn’t feel at ease even though I was barely making progress.

“I used to read several books a day, but here, it’s hard to even turn one chapter. Ugh.”

Whenever I felt bored during class, there was a place I unconsciously looked at. It was a ring that I kept separately in my backpack.

“There must be something that will help you in class.”

The ring was an artifact that stored something. The runes I properly understood were simple words like ‘storage’ and ‘memory’, but I had a strong feeling that it had something to do with education.

“Try it?”

It was a thought that came to me every time I saw the ring. Every time, I would sigh and give up.

“What are we going to do with things like boxes, but rings… ugh.”

If the ring breaks, your finger will definitely fly off. If you’re unlucky, your whole wrist might fly off.

For Rodin, who uses the water method, fingers and wrists were especially important, because if they were lost, his magical skills would suffer.

“Put it in? Stop it?”

When I feel frustrated in class, I think of the ring, and when I look at the ring, I feel afraid.

This situation was repeating itself several times a day. I was getting frustrated with myself for not being able to make a decision.

“I can’t just watch forever.”

Rodin knew it too.

I had already figured out everything I could find out without wearing the ring. For further study and lessons on pocket watches, I eventually had to put a ring on my finger.

“Shall we try drinking alcohol?”

As soon as I thought about it, I put it into action.

I bought five bottles of the strongest liquor the inn had to offer from the innkeeper. I also ordered some snacks to go with the liquor.

“Let’s eat.”

A glass is a luxury. He poured the entire bottle into his mouth. The bitter and poisonous liquid went down his throat.

“I don’t feel anything?”

I didn’t really feel drunk. It just felt like I was forcing myself to drink a liquid that was tasteless.

“One more bottle.”

An entire bottle of alcohol went down my throat through my mouth.

This is already my second bottle. I only felt a hot sensation and a bitter taste. This time, I didn’t feel particularly drunk.

“What a disappointment. What kind of alcohol is that….”

There Rodin’s memory was cut off. He had no recollection of what happened after that.

* * *

I finally opened my eyes a long time after lunch. My head felt like it was going to burst and my stomach felt like it had been squeezed.

“Ugh. I’m going to die. Healing. Cure.”

I used 1st circle magic and 2nd circle magic in succession. My head, which was about to burst, became a little clearer. My stomach still hurt, but it was better than before.

“I’m going back. Cure Poise.”

Just in case, I also used the 4th circle magic Cure Poison. I thought it would help since it was a magic that cured poison, but surprisingly, it did.

My stomach, which had been upset, was completely relieved and returned to normal. My stomach no longer hurts.

My head was a little clearer, but my dizzy mind had completely returned. I was in a state no different from usual.

“Was the alcohol poisonous? Why are you drinking this?”

This kind of alcohol is tasteless and makes you dizzy. I drank it for nothing and just wasted time.

I wasn’t even wearing the ring. I put it on the nightstand before I started drinking, and it was still there after I sobered up.

“For a wizard who is supposed to be more cool-headed than anyone else to think of borrowing the power of alcohol. What a fool. What a fool.”

I grabbed the ring that was on the table. Then I closed my eyes tightly and just put it on.

“Ugh!”

A lump of magic energy escaped from the ring and entered my body.

From the fingers to the arms, from the arms to the body, and then to the head. The magical power that had been swirling throughout the body returned to the ring.

“ah!”

Rodin knew immediately what the phenomenon was. It wasn’t something he had originally known, but it just came to him on its own.

The magical power that had just swept through his entire body read his magical power pattern and returned. From now on, only someone with the same magical power pattern, namely Rodin, could use it.

“It was like the owner’s imprint.”

At least until he died, no one else could use the ring. Even if he happened to acquire the ring, it would be just an ordinary ring to him.

“My prediction was correct.”

Rodin’s idea that the ring stored something was correct. The ring contained teaching materials necessary for education.

However, it was not possible to take out the actual book. Only the contents of the textbook were stored in the ring.

“It’s like a knowledge repository.”

Moreover, this ring was linked to a pocket watch. The textbook appeared in the eyes of the person wearing the ring according to the progress of the pocket watch.

“From now on, I won’t have to worry about what other people think. The cumbersome procedures have disappeared.”

Up until now, the illusion of the pocket watch has been visible to everyone. So before training, the door must always be locked and the sound must be prevented from escaping with a silence spell.

But the moment I put on the ring, my methods changed.

Now, the welcome is not a space that everyone can see, but is formed in the eyes of the person wearing the ring. Likewise, the sound is only heard by the ears of the person wearing the ring.

“I should have tried it a long time ago.”

The days I spent alone and suffering felt stupid. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have had to drink that tasteless alcohol.

“Since there is a textbook, class will be a bit easier.”

The problem of not being able to understand the teacher’s teaching at all remains. However, it will be a little better now that I have some reference material.

“I guess I should start focusing on my studies now.”

Wearing the ring created a situation where I could study properly. I decided to stay at the inn a little longer and focus on my studies for a while.

“Once you finish the basics, you’ll be able to understand some of the language.”

From that day on, I focused on studying all day long. I even took notes, which I didn’t usually do, and progressed as quickly as I could.

* * *

Two months have passed. I’ve spent most of my days studying, but I still haven’t mastered the basics.

Still, progress was gradually picking up. This was thanks to Rodin’s ability to understand the language little by little.

“If I just study for a few more months, I think I’ll have a solid grasp of the basics.”

I went out and ordered a late lunch. It was crowded so I had to wait quite a while before I could get my food.

‘There are a lot of people.’

Even though the sun hadn’t set yet, half of the first-floor restaurant was filled with customers. Even the empty seats still had traces of customers having just eaten there.

“Can a phone call reach here? I thought this place was safe.”

“Now that Flanders has fallen, so too will Bontis.”

Rodin listened to people’s conversations while eating. There was a lot of useless chatter, but sometimes, like today, he heard important stories.

‘France has fallen? Already?’

The fortress city of Flanders was not far from the trading city of Bontis where they were staying. It would take two days to get there by horseback, and even with a large force, it would only take eight or nine days.

‘That would be dangerous.’

I was running away again. I felt ashamed of myself for not being able to fight back, but there was nothing I could do.

The Ingram Empire was too strong for an individual to deal with. If he had the rank of Archmage, he wouldn’t be afraid of a single nation, but until then, he needed to be careful.

‘I have to leave the city tomorrow morning.’

I’ve been here a long time. It’s been over 70 days since I left Bronn and his party. During that time, I’ve barely left the inn.

‘I also took a break from working out for too long.’