The Book Eating Magician Chapter 53:

The Voices Calling Him #2

The power structure of the Meltor Kingdom differed from other kingdoms in many ways . The Meltor Kingdom had been founded by a great magician and prospered due to magic . In modern times, the magic towers occupied the center of its national power .

Thus, the nobles were just custodians of wealth and status . The ones who wielded power in the kingdom were the senior magicians . It went without saying that the royal family had risen to the throne due to the support by the magic towers .

In particular, the Red Tower Master and Blue Tower Master were treated as being of a higher rank than the other tower masters . Nobody could beat them in rank except for the king .  In other words, Theo was called by the three people at the peak of the Meltor Kingdom .

After finishing his conversation with Elder Shugel, Theodore immediately informed his family . Thanks to his inventory, he didn’t need to bother about packing, but he needed to say goodbye to his family .

“…Something like this happened, so I have to return to the capital immediately . ”

His family had blank expressions after he told them the news . His Majesty and two tower masters…? That was a far cry for a family that was just the head of a village .  His father, Dennis, came back to his senses first, while his mother was busy taking care of his little brother .

“Huh… His Majesty has called you, so you can’t go slowly . ” Dennis sighed deeply .

He had thought Theo would stay for a few more days, but there was a sudden decree . This was the reason for the heavy atmosphere around his family . For a rural nobleman, Dennis had done nothing except inherit his title .

Dennis approached his son, who had become much greater than him, and spoke while grabbing Theo’s hand, “Theo, live for yourself in the future . ”

“…Yes?”

“I’ve felt it in the past . We were blind . I, as well as the villagers, had too many expectations of you… the expectations for you to become an important person and increase the fortune of this village . ”

Theodore tried to speak, but he couldn’t .

He had never hated their expectations . Theo had believed that he could be a special and great person, just as they had said . It was because of them that he had decided to enter the Bergen Academy which was far away .

However, it had sometimes been a burden . There had been days when he didn’t want to go home looking pitiful, so he’d struck his back to move .

Now, he felt like a knot tightening his throat had been released .

“If it wasn’t for you, this village wouldn’t be around right now . No, with the money you added, the sick and poor will be able to have a warm winter . At the very least, you are a much bigger man than this small Miller Barony . ”

“…Father . ”

“So, I’m looking forward to it . Walk to the point that you want and then come back when you want to rest . That is enough for us . ”

The body temperature transmitted through his father’s palm was hot . Instead of answering, Theo nodded with a tight neck .  In his heart, he’d always thought he was alone, but his father had touched on that pain .

It was the same for his mother, who spoke belatedly, “Your father has said everything I wanted to say . And when did you start understanding this? You talk like that even though you don’t know anything about it . ”

“C-Cough!” Dennis coughed at her words .

His mother looked askance at Dennis before smiling and hugging Theodore . “There is no need for you to be a big man or to go far away . Don’t get hurt and be healthy . Please remember that we’ve wished for nothing else since you were born . ”

“…Yes, I’ll keep that in mind . ”

“And that Sylvia, I like her . ”

Finally, she kissed Theo’s cheek and hugged his little brother again . The child called Leo waved his fingers toward his much bigger brother . As Theo grabbed those small hands, he wondered what his brother wanted to be when he was older . Magician or knight… Maybe he would be a farmer .

Theo stepped out his house, filled with expectations for that day . It was time for him to go back into the world .

“What, are you going, Young Master?”

At that moment, a man leaning near the entrance spoke to him .

“…Randolph . ”

“We will also be leaving this territory . I wanted to say goodbye before you left . ” Randolph fidgeted with the two swords at his waist and said in a laughing voice, “It is a shame about the 200 gold, but the time I spent with Young Master was a lot of fun . If you want to hire me for something next time, I’ll do it for half price . ”

“Maybe it won’t end up as just half price?”

“Ha, you are a rotten employer . But will I be tricked twice?” With those words, he walked away with his usual light footsteps .

Randolph placed his life on the edge of his swords and tried to tempt fate in unknown locations . Maybe he was more suited to life as a mercenary than the descendant of a warrior .

‘I hope I meet him again . ’ Theo also turned in the opposite direction .

The two men went on their own way as they hoped for a day of reunion .  So, the magician and mercenary went different ways at the intersection .

 

***

“Okay, are you ready?” Elder Shugel looked at both of them in turn as he finished painting a magic circle on the outskirts .

“Yes, everything has finished . ”

“I’m ready . ”

The two robed people nodded without hesitation . Theo had said farewell to his family, and Sylvia had quickly finished her preparations .

After confirming their answers, Shugel nodded slowly and talked to the investigator who came with him . “We will return to the capital first . Examine the residual black magic remaining here and report it to the Magic Society when you return . ”

“Yes, I understand!”

“I’m sorry, but… then I’ll be going . ” As he finished speaking, there was a sudden wave of magic power .

Huuuuong! Shugel’s white hair and beard were pushed up from the stirring magic power . It was different from Theodore’s heavy magic power and Sylvia’s cold power .  The magic power of a Prime magician who trained in the wind attribute filled the surroundings like real wind, and the magic circle painted on the ground began to shine with a silver colour .

A haze emerged as the space around them seemed to distort .

[Hold your breath…] Shugel’s voice echoed .

Even though he was speaking clearly, the sound wave wasn’t transmitted properly . This was the aftermath of the space starting to bend inside the magic circle .

Theo and Sylvia held their breaths simultaneously . As well as its high difficulty, space magic was famous for being dangerous . They didn’t want to see the devastation which would occur if they didn’t follow the advice .

Shugel quickly finished his magic spell and slammed his staff in the center of the circle . [Mass Teleport!]

The appearance of the three people distorted and then disappeared .

‘Ugh…!’ Theo almost exhaled due to his fear . There was an instinctive rejection as the magic circle was activated .

First, colour disappeared and then shapes collapsed . As his five senses shook, he felt dizzy and nauseous . They were travelling through a gap in time and space which wasn’t allowed for living things, so it was inevitable that the magicians would suffer .

Was it for one minute or just 10 seconds?

“Huuuu!”

“Hah…!”

Theodore and Sylvia let out their breaths with surprise when they felt like their original senses returned . Theo took a moment to restore his balance before looking around .

‘This place…?’

It was a wide, clean room without any furniture . On the floor was a magic circle similar to the one Theo had just travelled through .

Shugel noticed his curiosity, and after recovering his breathing from the aftermath of the space magic, he explained, “Space movement requires an empty space like this one . If there are any objects or people on the other side, then I can’t guarantee the party’s safety . ”

Theo was convinced of this as Shugel moved to the door . There weren’t many space magicians, but it was wise not to stay in the transfer room for too long .  The probability of Theo and Sylvia overlapping with each other was like being hit by lightning .

“I will guide you to the reception room . First, I need to go to His Majesty and tell him about your work . ”

They exited the transfer room, and Shugel led the two people down the corridor . Theo had not spent a lot of time at the Magic Society, but the structure around him seemed like the inner areas . This was because space magicians were normally dispatched for important missions .

Yet Shugel’s footsteps soon came to a stop as he encountered someone . “You…?”

The person had dark brown hair and had on a red robe symbolizing the Red Tower .  Theodore looked over from behind Shugel and discovered the person’s appearance . Surprise, curiosity, and welcome entered his eyes .

Theo cried out without even knowing it, “Master!”

The person who Theo’s group were encountering was Vince Haidel .

Shugel’s eyes wrinkled as he realized who it was . “Vince… Yes, there was that name . Did they contact you as Theodore’s teacher? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have known that we would be back at this time . ”

The dispatch of a space magician was always kept secret . They were valuable workers for the Meltor Kingdom, but there was also a need to conceal them . Apart from the three people who could send them places and the White Tower Master, no one else had the authority to find out the missions of a space magician .

However, Vince dismissed him without replying . He was looking at Theo with a pleasant gaze, but it was uncomfortable for him to be in this spot .

He confessed like it was embarrassing, “Huu . Elder Shugel, I would’ve stopped you properly, but I hope you consider that I didn’t have time to communicate it properly . ”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

The three people were confused for a moment because of Vince’s words .

‘H-Heok!’ A violent presence appeared behind Theo and made his spine freeze forcibly .

This presence was different from that of the elder lich, and the quality of it was different from that of the Blue Tower Master . It was a pressure which pushed at him . Perhaps the other person didn’t even intend to do it . Even though the person was just standing there, the pressure coming from them crushed the surroundings .

This was the presence of an absolutely strong person which couldn’t be hidden!

“What, this little guy is our newbie?” A sweet and deep voice, similar to a well-aged wine, rang out . The voice emerged casually as the speaker appeared before Theodore and Sylvia .

They had really bright crimson hair and golden eyes which were bright like the sun . The robe which wrapped around their body was deep red .  The robe covered a feminine and curvaceous body which was truly amazing, but nobody would dare stare at this woman .

‘The air… It’s hot?’ It wasn’t a hallucination .

This was a terrible magic power which caused the mana in their air to respond and raise the temperature . Despite the cool weather, the heat tickled his skin .  There was only one person who was so transcendent she could change the environment and who looked so beautiful in red .

“Looking at his face for the first time, he is quite a handsome kid,” the Red Tower Master said as she held Theo’s chin . “From here onward, this Veronica will guide him . ”