The Book Eating Magician Chapter 7:

What does this book taste like? #3

Dagadak, dagadak, dagadak .

As Theo’s consciousness returned, the scenery around him was moving at a frightening pace . No, it was more correct to say that he was moving through it .  Theo, who still didn’t understand the situation, turned his head as someone’s shouts reached his ears .

“General! The enemy forces have appeared before us!”

General? The enemy forces had appeared before them…? This was something which would be heard on the battlefield .

Theo tried to make a bewildered expression, but his vision moved independently of his will . Then he looked at the face of the knight running next to him .  Shortly after that, Theo realized his lips were moving on their own .

“Hrmm, it is a little faster than I expected . ” It was the deep and and solemn voice of a man .

His fingertips touched his chin and felt a rough texture . Theo wasn’t 20 years old yet, so the beard on the chin definitely wasn’t his .  If so, there was only one possibility .

‘My voice… No, this isn’t my body?’

Maybe this was the right answer .  Theo thought confidently .

This was right after he’d consumed Alfred Bellontes’ [Ballistics Magic] . So, Theo could guess that this phenomenon was related to the description which had said he could absorb some of Alfred’s experience .

He didn’t know what synchro meant, but if it was absorbing Alfred’s experience—

“Prince! I will stand in the lead! The general infantry can’t possibly defeat the charge of our knights . I, Vince, will protect Prince with this sword at all costs!”

It was a cry that sounded like roaring flames .  The passion in that voice was incredible as the person moved in front of him .  Based on his shout, this man seemed to be the leader of the group of knights . Furthermore, his blazing eyes proved what he’d said weren’t just words .

However, the prince, Alfred, didn’t accept Vince’s comment .

“No, I will stand in the lead! You must follow behind me!” The one with the most noble body declared that he would stand in the most dangerous position .

Despite seeing the enemy coming close, Alfred Bellontes didn’t slow down his horse .  Alfred shrugged off Vince’s hand and rushed forward .  The two armies soon crashed into each other .

Kukwakwakwang!

There was a huge roar as the warhorses collided with the the infantry troops . The terrible power of the charge was added to the horse hooves and smashed the human body .  The enemy’s formation collapsed from the surprise, and the Bellontes troops were temporarily dominant as they pushed the enemy forces back .

Alfred roared wildly from the vanguard .

“Bellontes’ prince, Alfred, is here! Come forward if you want to claim my head for yourself!”

It was an obvious provocation .  As the prince and war hero of Bellontes, Alfred’s head really was worth several thousand gold . If they killed him, then this long war might end .

A knight moved through the confused soldiers in response to his provocation .

“I am Richard, the eldest son of Earl Jason!”

Every time his sword flashed, several soldiers were knocked down .  It wasn’t uncommon to cut through humans like they were straw . Any knight should have at least this much skill .  A mere magician would have their heads cut off .

Richard smiled as he moved closer to Alfred .  Theo became frightened as he faced the murderous intent in front of him .

‘It is dangerous . At this distance, there is no way to survive unless I am a 6th Circle magician!’

In any era, a magician’s enemy was a knight .  They were masters of weapons which dominated in close combat . A knight could cut off a magician’s head before a spell was completed .  Therefore, magicians always hired escorts . However, there was no one near Alfred right now . It was a great opportunity for Richard Jason, who was famous for his agility .

As Richard quickly took care of 30 people, he shouted righteously, “Bellontes’ hero! I salute your bravery to confront me with the body of a magician! But…”

‘But it ends here!’ was what he was trying to say .  However, a gruesome ball of pressure passed through him .

Paang!

“…Then I will pay homage to your stupidity,” Alfred scoffed as he aimed his finger .

One beat late, the body fell to the ground . The brave knight, Richard Jason, who had been rushing toward Alfred just a moment ago, suddenly died .

This was because a hole was drilled into the middle of his brain . It was impossible for any human to survive that, even if they had the blood of an ogre . Once the brain was destroyed, even an ogre couldn’t regenerate .

Meanwhile, Theo was astonished by the incredible situation .

‘That is Magic Missile? No way!’

It was a blue flash .  If Theo hadn’t been inside Alfred’s body, then he wouldn’t have grasped the moment when the spell had activated .

Although it was 1st Circle magic, the chant had been omitted and the output of Magic Missile had been far beyond common sense . It was likely that even the 5th Circle Magic, ‘Force Bolt’, was weaker than that .

Paang!

Once again, light emitted from Alfred’s finger .

“Kuaack!” Simultaneously, somebody else’s breath was cut off .

Every time Alfred’s fingertip flashed, one person fell over and died . It was the same for magicians who used defense magic or knights covered in body armour .  The speed of the Magic Missile didn’t let anyone escape, while its power penetrated the defenses and caused havoc . It was literally a mortal blow .

After a few hundred Magic Missiles were shot…

‘…Indeed, Alfred’s Magic Missiles are fired in this way . Even if the same formula is used, it is bound to fail . ’

Theo had surprisingly succeeded in digging out the principles of the powerful Magic Missile . So far, scholars had been studying [Ballistics Magic] for 30 years and hadn’t been able to achieve it .  It wasn’t because Theodore Miller’s talent was superior .

The ‘synchro’ which allowed him to share Alfred Bellontes’ senses was the answer .

‘The magic is completely within his body . ’

Usually, magic was a technique to handle mana outside the body . Sensitivity was the concept which referred to the efficiency of drawing mana out of magic power .  However, Alfred improved Magic Missile in a way which was completely contrary to that concept .

He completed the magic inside his body and shot it out of his body .

It wasn’t an easy method .  The human body wasn’t a vessel to hold magic spells . Alfred had to give up other spells in order to learn this Magic Missile .  Through special training, his bones, flesh, and blood had been converted into the magic circle specific to Magic Missile .

As a result, he was able to produce the most powerful Magic Missile .

‘A magician who only shoots Magic Missile… Can he be called a magician?’

What made Alfred think of this magic? He had given up the freedom of being a magician and just concentrated on killing people with Magic Missile .  Theo couldn’t help sympathising with Alfred .  He attributed it to the shadow on Alfred’s face as he calmly shot a human being .

Soon after, the last enemy soldier was brought over .

“Kuk, release me! Let me go! I am Marquis Belford Astro . My status isn’t something to be trifled with!”

He wore a burgundy cloak over splendid plate armour .  The intricacy of the embroidered pattern showed that he wasn’t an ordinary soldier .  Wearing such flashy clothes on the battlefield proved that he was a high-ranking noble .

The soldiers kicked him, making him kneel down .  Alfred gazed down at the man with cold eyes and said, “Marquis Astro is worse than a dog, that’s what you are . ”

Resonating with an eerie voice, Alfred continued to say, “Didn’t you plunder the houses near the border and sold the women as slaves? I have no intention of letting you live as a captive of war . ”

“Now, wait a minute, Prince Alfred!”

“I don’t have a hobby of listening to dogs . You will die here like a dog . ”

Alfred stretched out his finger, condemning the man in front of him to death .  This man was a person who wasn’t even worthy of captivity . Alfred’s finger shone with a blue light .

Paang!

The corpse collapsed with a hole in it .

“…Dispose of the body,” Alfred said while turning around .

Usually, it was polite to take the body and send it back to the enemy kingdom . However, this was a person who had burned down villages and caused men to lose their wives .  In such a situation, there was no need to preserve his body .  The ugly mass of flesh called Belford soon disappeared without a trace .

At this point, Theo left Alfred’s body .

‘Ah, it ends here . ’

The experience was truly impressive .  Theo looked down at the ground which was becoming more distant .  It was a battlefield filled with blood, death, knights polishing armour, nauseous magicians, and soldiers calling for medics…

Then finally, he saw Alfred Bellontes .  At that moment, Alfred also looked at him .

“W-What?’

Theo was confused as he saw Alfred’s lips moving .

–Young magician who craves my strength .

The profound voice echoed .

Alfred wasn’t talking to himself .  It was advice from Alfred Bellontes to Theodore Miller .  This was a gift from the man who had given up freedom for strength and had lived as a war hero instead of a magician .

–Don’t give up your way as a magician .

Finally, the connection with Alfred was cut off .

 

[The synchro with Alfred Bellontes has ended . ]

[The synchro rate is 85 . 7%, the experience has been maintained . ]

[1st Circle magic ‘Magic Missile’ has sublimated into ‘Alfred-style Magic Missile’ . Alfred Bellontes’ experience has turned into proficiency for that magic . ]

[Gluttony is satisfied with the food that it has consumed . Ask a question or feed it one more book . ]

 

*     *     *

In the eastern part of Meltor Kingdom, Bergen Academy’s library…

The fallen Theodore regained consciousness .