The Book Eating Magician Chapter 135:

Chapter 135 – The Goal is the Port (1)

As the sun rose the next morning, Theodore watched the horses get attached to the carriage in preparation to leave .

The two horses naturally had luxury pedigrees . It wasn’t comparable to the limited express carriages of the big companies, but it was the best that individuals could afford . He would’ve been able to obtain it if he used the Polonell Company, but that would mean exposing their tracks .

It was natural for Theodore, a foreigner, to be extra careful .

‘…It won’t mean much if they’ve already found me . ’

Fortunately, there were no signs that the watchdogs had caught up yet . However, Theo had to hide until he left the gates . Until then, he focused his senses carefully .  This was how Theo knew about the shadow that had appeared behind him while he was stroking a horse’s mane .

It was affected by the angle, but the shadow was extra long .

“Good morning . Have you come to say goodbye?” Theo looked back to see the gigantic Gibra standing there with a shrug .

Last night, Gibra had drunk more than half of the tavern’s casks, but his complexion was just as good as that of a master level aura user . A common person would have to lie down for a week, or they may have even died on the spot .

Gibra nodded and opened his mouth to speak . The commission was over, so his tone was the same as when they first met .  “Well, something like that . I would’ve just sent you off, but the request this time turned out bigger than I thought . ”

“Do you have useful information?”

“It is called the after sales service . Be thankful . ”

Theodore was interested and listened obediently .

“You said that you don’t have a designated destination right now?”

“Yes, I was supposed to stay longer . ”

It was now an old story, but Theodore was originally planning to spend at least three months in Kargas . However, there was the variable called the underground auction, where he had clashed with the Orcus Company .

Of course, the original books he collected were more than expected . He had expected to be stuck here for a few months, but he exceeded his target slightly and gained an unthinkable extra income .  From now on, it was time to worry about the backlash caused by the jackpot .

“If possible, go to the east . ”

“The east?”

“Yes, the east . ”

Theodore made a vaguely puzzled expression .  Then  Gibra explained, emphasizing the reason, “The base of the Orcus Company is to the southwest of the central continent . Therefore, its influence is particularly strong in the south and west, while it is weaker in the east . You will be able to breathe easier if you go the coastal kingdom . ”

“Thank you for teaching me, but is it okay for Gibra to be giving me this after sales service?”

“No, I think this is just right . ” Gibra was pleased that a blow had been dealt to the Orcus Company . “There have been a few times when my jaw dropped open, but it was a fun request . ”

Theodore noticed that Gibra had his own ulterior motives, but he could also tell that Gibra’s answer wasn’t a lie . It was because Theo’s developing senses were gradually improving his intuition .  It was also true that Gibra’s advice was helpful .

So, Theo bowed sincerely . “…Thank you . ”

“I hope to see you at a later time . I will collect a few original books and sell them to you for a high price . ”

“Yes, then next time . ”

After the short goodbye, the two men turned their backs to each other . They might meet again, or they might never meet again . Everyone in the world knew this fact, but they continued to move on with a vague expectation .

As Theodore climbed onto the driver’s seat, Gibra entered the much more familiar back alleys .  Then Akan appeared from where he had been waiting in the shadows .

“Thank you for the good work, Branch Director . ”

“Right . ”

The positions of the two people were the same as always . Gibra walked first, while Akan followed behind .  They had been working together for several years, so Gibra could tell that there was something suspicious in Akan’s stride . It wasn’t difficult to guess the reason for that .

“Akan, are you curious about why I helped ‘him’?”

“T-That… I’m sorry . ”

“There is no need to be sorry . It is natural to be curious when thinking about it . The Empire’s intelligence network has placed a bounty for information about ‘Meltor’s Hero,’ so why did I miss the gold coins lying before me?”

The atmosphere of the alley cooled as soon as those words, ‘Meltor’s Hero,’ were mentioned . The power of the Information Guild might not stretch to the northern continent, but they were the best information guild in the central continent .

They was no reason why they wouldn’t hear about the reputation of the hero, who had rescued a high elf from slavery and created the alliance with the neutral Elvenheim . They were also aware that the Andras Empire would pay a lot of money for information about him .

Nevertheless, Gibra had kicked away his chance .

“Well, I would’ve gained a lot of gold if I sold the information . The empire is filled with barbarians, but they aren’t ones to break their promises . Perhaps it is true that they will give the gold . ”

“Then why…?”

“Hey, Akan,” Gibra’s chilly voice interrupted, “We are rats in the gutter, but we are still rats that live in the gutters of Kargas . Earning a few extra gold coins isn’t worth risking the whole country . If we sell this information to Andras, we will become enemies of Meltor . ”

“……”

“The Andras Empire is a country that has no interest in alliances . Our help is only worth a few gold coins . Once we are thrown away, the armies of Meltor will come down to the central continent . ”

Once that happened, they were screwed . Unlike the north which had experienced war for hundreds of years, the central continent was weakened by a long period of peace .

They only had one or two master level people, compared to the north which had more than six or seven . Meltor and Andras… either one of them was a power the central continent couldn’t afford going against . However, more than anything else, Meltor wasn’t a warmonger like the Andras Empire .

The grace he was giving Theo now could be paid back for an expensive price later . It wasn’t about a personal favour to Theodore Miller . These thorough calculations were Gibra’s real intentions . He had expected Akan to have some reservations, so Gibra had come to this alley .

“-So, you can’t be left alive . ”

Akan’s body fell to the ground . He died before he even noticed the black dagger stabbed in his neck . This was the remarkable ability of the man assigned as the branch manager of Sipoto, the ‘King of Mice . ’

As he looked at the face of the man he’d killed with one attack, Gibra muttered, “…You are competent, but you are a cheap **** . I know that you won’t be able to keep your mouth shut in the face of gold . ”

So, Gibra killed him . He pierced his the neck of his subordinate, whom he had known for several years, to prevent the possibility of this information leaking .  As always, there was a bitter aftertaste . Gibra spat out a mouthful of phlegm in attempt to shake off the bitter taste .

He couldn’t reverse what he had already done . From now on, he could only look forward .

Today’s investment would be returned several times over in the future .

 

*     *     *

Without knowing about the murder that had just taken place, Theodore’s carriage ran aggressively out of the city . Theodore, sitting in the driver’s seat, was in the midst of drawing something .

“30 degrees on the right… 42 degrees on the left again… add a triangle to the hexagon and a pentagram to the circle…”

To outsiders, it would be mumbling with an unknown meaning, but any magician would be surprised to hear it . Theodore’s mumbled words were dozens of equations and hundreds of arithmetic operations being completed .  It was also done during the rough carriage ride . There were more impacts than there would be when riding in a high class carriage, but Theo didn’t feel any nausea .

Instead, he successfully completed his calculations . “Okay, this is done . ”

With satisfied eyes, he looked down at the magic circle he drew in minutes . It was a magic circle used to call a summon, which he pulled from Satomer’s absorbed knowledge .  Originally, this spell required an offering which would act as a catalyst to summon something, but Theodore didn’t need to have one . It was because of the ‘contract’ handed over by Satomer .

One drop of blood was enough for the call .

Wuuong…!

There was a bright light as the drop of blood fell . Light flowed along the magic circle drawn on the parchment, and as mana flowed near it, a gate was created which the summons could access . After signing the contract, he could just call the summons by using its name . However, this process was inevitable since he wasn’t the contractor yet .

Eventually, all the preparations were over, and Theodore recited the name of the summon .

“I call you as your name contractor, the crow who thinks-”

It was the summons he’d gained from Satomer .

“Your name is Hugin!”

Simultaneously, something black emerged from the magic circle . A few feathers fluttered as the wings staggered, and a crow soon rose up before Theodore’s eyes .  Theodore looked at it with admiration, then the crow’s beak opened . Was it going to cry out like an eagle? Theo was filled with expectations .

After a moment, the crow called Hugin cried out, Kyaack-!

“……?”

Kuwaaack-! It was a small cry .  Theodore, who had been expecting a lot, let out a long sigh, while someone appeared at the sound .

“Hey, Young Master . What was that sound? It sounded like a drunk person was vomiting . ”

“…Over there . ”

“Eh? A crow?” Randolph’s expression changed the moment he heard it was something Theodore had summoned .  It was because the crow didn’t fit Young Master’s image at all . He covered his mouth while he hunched over like he had cramps .

“P-Puah . I laughed very well . I didn’t know you could summon such a thing . ”

“I thought it was time to do so . ”

Theo could feel some of the frustration that Satomer had felt all throughout his life . As Theodore felt like he was chewing shit, Randolph sat down beside him .  For an aura user who was close to a master, nausea was a distant story, and he had no interest in reading books like Theodore .

After a minute of silence, Theodore opened his mouth first . “…I’m sorry I got you caught up in something so annoying . ”

“Hmm?” Randolph looked over at the abrupt apology .

“You became enemies with the Orcus Company because of me . If I hadn’t done this, you wouldn’t have to run away-”

“Stop there, Young Master . ” It was a fair apology, but Randolph shook his head firmly and denied it . “Do you think I did this just to help you? I had my own thoughts when I decided to follow you . So, you don’t have to feel sorry for a decision I made . ”

“But…”

“No, I wasn’t honest . I actually am fortunate to be accompanying Young Master . ”

‘Fortunate?’ Theodore’s eyes became bigger at the unexpected answer .

Randolph became the enemy of a warlock and even fought against a death knight . Still, he was sincere . He was genuinely delighted that he got to meet Theodore again . It might be the intuition Randolph got when he found his ancestor’s swords in the Miller Barony .

Fun things always happened around this person .

“I regained the heirlooms and trained my skills for a year, but I couldn’t get that feeling of urgency or improvement from that time . Then I met Young Master and experienced a fight that made my blood boil . It has been a long time since my hair stuck up like that . ”

Randolph realized it while colliding with the death knight . His stagnant skills had started to experience a breakthrough in that fight . The back of his neck cooled as he moved around the boundary of life and death . It wasn’t easy to meet these types of opponents .

That was why he had decided to accompany Theodore . It was in order to reach the master level shimmering in front of him .

“This is a journey to complete my sword . So, don’t worry or feel sorry, Young Master . ” Before Theodore could reply, Randolph changed the subject . “By the way, where are we going now?”

Theo laughed at the clumsy method and replied, “I am thinking about going to the east . The influence of the Orcus Company is less in the Soldun Kingdom, so we can breathe and sort things out there . ”

Theodore needed a break now . He had obtained more than 20 original books and needed to experiment with ‘Charlotte’s Necklace . ’ If he arrived at the coastal kingdom in the east of the continent, he would be able to secure some time .

However, Randolph’s expression changed subtly at Theo’s words .  He looked at Theodore uncertainly before muttering, “Well, will it turn out that way?”

“What do you mean?”

“In the meantime, wherever Young Master goes, incidents happen . I don’t think Soldun will be an exception…”

Theodore had no choice but to smile wryly . “No way… I have to believe that won’t be the case . ”

“Is that so?”

The two men sighed and looked at the broad grasslands of Kargas .

If they maintained this speed, they would be able to leave the Kargas Kingdom and cross the border of Soldun in a week . As to whether the Orcus Company’s hands would reach them by then… there was such a bet .