The Book Eating Magician Chapter 262:

Chapter 262 – Unexpected Reunion (3)

Theodore looked calmly at the situation before crying out once again, “…This is a ridiculously serious situation!”

The Magic Kingdom, Meltor, was proud of its tower masters, and amongst them, Tower Master Veronica was the strongest and most famous . She was a monster who could be compared with the 1st and 2nd Swords of the empire .

Veronica didn’t have the physical weakness of a magician since she had inherited the blood of a red dragon . A preemptive attack from the strongest person in Meltor was nothing short of declaring a war on the whole empire .

It wouldn’t be strange if a war had started immediately on the spot!

Furthermore, the Andras Empire had also sent their strongest person, the 1st Sword .

If the strongest representatives of Meltor and Andras were to fight, there would be no delaying the war any longer . Either Veronica or the 1st Sword would die, collapsing the balance of power and causing the nations to move .

“Well, don’t get too excited and listen until the end . ” However, Aquilo still had a relaxed expression and started to elaborate on the circumstances of that time . “It was a fairly good surprise, but neither one of them died . Apart from the 1st Sword, there was also that crown prince? He used his strange ability . It is either Distortion, Interference, or Refraction . ”

“Aura Ability… . !”

“Anyway . Regardless of whether he knew that Red would react to that provocation, the prince hastily stepped forward . Then―”

*     *     *

Kwaang!

Prince Fermut was hit in the face, giving him a nosebleed and blowing him away . If he hadn’t defended with a high-density layer of aura, he would’ve been killed by the shock .  The space distorted from mere physical force!

Perhaps he should be proud of surviving Veronica’s blow .  However, Fermut didn’t agree with this opinion .

“You **** bit…! How dare you touch this body?! You human and dragon mongrel!”

Aside from his father, who was the emperor, everyone had to act respectfully in front of Fermut . It wasn’t just because of Fermut’s high rank . He was the next emperor who had the power to become the empire’s 3rd Sword . Only the 1st and 2nd Swords were above him .

When did such a valuable body last shed blood? Fermut’s eyes filled with killing intent as he looked at his nose that was crooked from the hit .

“―You were lucky . ” Veronica didn’t pay attention to him at all, as she shook the blood off her fist . “I unconsciously moved my fist . You should’ve flown off nicely if I hit you properly . I’m sorry . ”

It was true . Fermut’s mouth had been moving, and before Veronica realized it, she was already punching him . It was like hitting a fly that was right in front of her .

So, of course, Fermut and the 1st Sword hadn’t been able to respond in time . She hadn’t had a purpose, and her punch had been the embodiment of ‘absence of self’, which made it undetected . It probably would’ve been blocked if she had been planning to kill him .

In any case, it didn’t matter .  Veronica felt regretful that her attack had failed to kill Fermut .  Both rationality and instinct supported her thought that Fermut was the one who had ordered Theodore’s assassination .

“I thought I should leave it to the boy to kill you, but… now I can’t endure it anymore . I’ll kill you here . ”

“What nonsense are you saying…?”

Shortly after that…

Huk .

The space three centimeters in front of Fermut’s face heated up . If someone hadn’t pulled on his clothes, his head would’ve been blown off . His instincts cried out one beat too late .  He absolutely shouldn’t fight this monster .

As the flame sword heated up the space around her body, the greatest magician of Meltor faced her enemy .  “Do you intend to interrupt, 1st Sword?”

“…I don’t want to be hostile to you here . ” With dark hair and green eyes like evergreen plants, he was a swordsman who looked to be in his 30s despite having been active for over half a century .

He was the empire’s 1st Sword, Crowd von Russell .  In this era where the grandmasters had disappeared, he was the man who could be called the strongest swordsman on this continent .

“This isn’t the place to fight . How about we end today’s talks here since they aren’t working out?”

“What? Sir Russell! This is too shameful!” Fermut was quicker than Veronica in protesting the proposal .  “This mongrel threatened a prince of the Andras Empire, this Fermut! It is also the meeting where there is a tacit promise of non-aggression! We can’t leave this insult alone…!”

“Your Highness,” Crowd von Russell cut off Fermut’s enraged voice . He then bowed politely and whispered at a volume which couldn’t be heard by the two people from Meltor, “If you fight here, both of us will die . If you don’t understand the situation, just follow me . ”

“…Huh?”

“You can’t tell?”

Crowd von Russell looked over at Aquilo, who was next to Veronica .

Realizing the meaning of his gaze, Aquilo gave an amused smile . ‘I used a camouflage, but I guess my identity was found out . Does he think it is burdensome to deal with me and Red at the same time?’

The swordsman judged that Aquilo was a considerable monster . She didn’t have pure power like Veronica, but her strength was the pursuit of ‘depth . ’ Despite being far behind Veronica in a one-on-one fight, Aquilo was a wild card capable of killing a giant .

If Veronica were here alone or with the White Tower Master, Crowd would’ve chosen to fight here .  However, he couldn’t win against both Veronica and Aquilo .

It might be different if the 2nd Sword had accompanied him, since Prince Fermut hadn’t reached the same level as them yet . However, fortunately, Crowd saw that Aquilo wasn’t active, so there was room to retreat .

Indeed, Crowd’s judgment was correct .

“…Tch,” Veronica clicked her tongue when she realized the situation .

Aquilo enjoyed seeing Veronica’s frustrated expression and whispered in her ear, “I have no intention of attacking people who are running away . What will you do? I might consider it if the boy was in my arms . But of course, I will refuse if you ask me . ”

“Damn pirate, shut up . ”

It was a delicate situation . Meltor would dominate if Aquilo joined in, but it would be disadvantageous if she didn’t . Veronica was torn by the intervention of the 1st Sword and didn’t know what to do .

However, she didn’t want to just let them go .  She looked at Fermut with murderous intent and worried about the situation for a moment before coming up with a compromise .  “Hey, number 1 . ”

“What is it?”

“Get that **** away from me before I change my mind . I won’t chase you . ”

“I will do so . ” Crowd understood the meaning of Veronica’s words and turned to retreat .  In some ways, this result could be called his victory .  Andras was in a disadvantageous situation, yet Meltor couldn’t remove the two people despite their superior firepower . It was also a bonus that they noticed the existence of Aquilo .

“…Huh?” Therefore, Crowd was one beat delayed in realizing it .  Veronica said she wouldn’t chase them, but she never said she wouldn’t attack .  The sword masters, who were wide open targets, were subjected to a merciless magic bombardment .

―――――――――――!!!

The Infernal Blade struck the ground, causing a cause explosion . This was followed by a severe firestorm which melted the ground .  The explosion burst outward before disappearing .

Clouds in the distant sky were torn apart, while some sandworms sleeping deep in the ground ended up dead . A few birds that unfortunately looked down were blinded . If they were lucky, they would die before struggling with the pain .

It was truly a transcendent destruction .  The grassland, where butterflies had been flying peacefully, had now changed into a hell-like scenery .  The land was burned to a depth of a few hundred meters and would only recover after centuries . This damage was produced by the peak of the most destructive magic attribute .

The scale of the damage was proof of Veronica’s destructive power .

“Sigh, couldn’t you have warned me? You savage,” Aquilo, who had quickly flown into the sky, grumbled as she looked at the distant horizon . “Besides, those guys avoided the attack surprisingly quite well . ”

For dragons, extended long-distance vision was merely a part of their senses . As such, Aquilo noticed that the two sword masters who had escaped far away weren’t injured at all .

Veronica’s robes flapped as she agreed, “I can’t kill them anyway . If the 1st Sword could be hit by a surprise attack like this, the war would’ve already been over . It would be strange if it was effective . ”

“Then why did you attack while knowing this?”

“I just wanted to vent my anger . I didn’t want to just sit down and do nothing like you . ”

After pricking Aquilo with her words, Veronica sighed as she stared at a distant place .  She had wanted to kill one person in this place but missed her chance because the 1st Sword moved so fast .

As such, the talks ended without any conclusions .

 

*     *     *

“Crazy . ” Theodore grabbed his head as he listened to Aquilo’s words .

It was fortunate that Veronica hadn’t gotten hurt in the talks, but it couldn’t be called a positive end to the meeting .  The northern powers had taken a step toward a war .  No, it happened a month ago, so there was a possibility that the war had already begun . Theodore’s mind went blank at the news .

Aquilo smiled at him and enjoyed the funny sight .  She might not always show it, but Aquilo was essentially an evil dragon . She was someone who accepted the suffering and agonies of mortals .

Despite her goodwill toward him, she enjoyed the sight of Theodore’s agitation .

“…Aquilo . ” A few minutes of silence passed by before he spoke .

During this period of time which no one had counted as to how long had passed, Theodore raised his head .  Aquilo saw his hardened eyes and laughed, “Yes . Do you have something to ask this evil dragon, Boy?”

For her, Theodore was a hero . He had used Aquilo’s power to dismantle the Pirate Archipelago, rather than use it for his own private desires . Originally, he should oppose Aquilo, who existed as an evil dragon .

Yet, a just hero was currently asking an evil dragon for help .  This situation caused a thrill to run down Aquilo’s spine .  Without knowing her wicked thoughts, Theodore said, “I will pay anything . Please let me borrow your strength and take me back to Meltor via the shortest path . ”

“Any…thing?” Aquilo bit the pipe in her hand pervertedly and licked her lips .