The Book Eating Magician Chapter 388:
Chapter 388 - Forest that Leads to the Future (3)
A month passed by . Since the day he shared fruit with Ellenoa, Theodore had been staying in the Northern Great Forest and enjoying his daily life with her . The time spent in the forest was a bit longer than the time he had spent in the city . However, like a rippling stream, time never stopped flowing, and it was soon the time to part .
“Sigh . . . ” Theodore sighed with deep regret when he realized he had to leave . When he had his body and mind ever been so calm?
If the honeymoon with two brides had been filled with new things, then life in Elvenheim was peace itself . The day would start with lively birdsong and end with Ellenoa . The high elves treated him with respect and friendliness . He was called benefactor everywhere he went, even by the elves harvesting crops and fruits .
‘It is a situation I can’t dream of if I am in Meltor . . . I don’t feel bad . Rather, I am coming to grips with my old memories . ’
Now, Theodore was the greatest magician on the continent and Chief Tower Master . However, 20 years ago, Theodore had just been someone from a rural village—the Miller Barony .
The inhabitants of the land, which had no special products and farmland, had lived while helping each other, regardless of status . Even those born a noble weren’t different . His mother, who had been suffering from poor health and weight loss, had still worked to gather flour and potatoes .
It had been a territory where the title of ‘lord’ was hollow . Theodore had been born with a lot of love and had grown up without being crooked .
Crunch . He bit the apple that a child, whom he did not know, had given him .
‘Delicious . ’
Thanks to the elves’ long experience, the fertile soil of the Great Forest was incomparable to that of other regions . Theodore was eating the apple when someone returned .
“Theodore!” It was High Elf Ellenoa, who was more beautiful than she was a month ago . Was there an old saying that those in love became more beautiful?
Theodore greeted her and asked a question, “Ella, isn’t it okay to speak to me more casually now?”
“E-Even if you say that . . . ”
Theodore had asked her many times already . Ellenoa liked her nickname of Ella, but she found it difficult to call Theodore by an informal name . However, there wasn’t a sense of distance now . Ellenoa wriggled her fingers and said, “ . . . I am shying calling you so casually . ”
It wasn’t a deliberate fox-like act . Theodore dragged Ellenoa into his arms .
“Omo!” Ellenoa’s eyes shone as she was pulled into his arms . She looked like a deer rather than a fox . There was a floral aroma coming from her hair, and Theodore could feel her body temperature . He felt her shyness would break if he hugged her faster . Theodore moved his mouth closer and playfully bumped his nose against hers .
“Ahaha, it tickles . ”
“It is a penalty for calling my name with an honorific . ”
“That—ahit . W-wait, ahahaha!”
In addition to her nose, he tickled her ears and waist . Ellenoa lost strength as she laughed, while Theodore hugged her and held up her waist . The unique scent of vegetation surrounded their bodies . She faced him and soon realized it . “ . . . You are leaving . ”
“I’m sorry, Ella . ”
“No, honestly, I already guessed . ”
Ellenoa was a high elf and had a woman’s senses . There was no way she could have been unaware . She could see it just looking at Theodore . There was a heavy burden on his shoulders—a weight that was difficult to fathom . Ellenoa didn’t have the power to bear that burden . As such, Theodore was resolved to stand alone against the painful consequences that could happen to Elvenheim .
“Do you remember? The first time we met,” Ellenoa started . In the back alleys painted with blood and sin, the two of them had met there . Then she continued, “You were much smaller than you are now, yet you didn’t step back from the monster that emerged from a nightmare . Eventually, you saved not only my life but the lives of everyone in this forest . ”
“ . . . ”
“I was really worried . I was always the one being saved, and I wondered if I was qualified to be your spouse . ”
“Ella . ”
“Therefore, please tell me, Theodore . ” Her pair of bright green eyes shone gently . “Can I be your strength?”
“Yes . ” Theodore placed both hands on her face and nodded without hesitation . “Even now, you will be my strength in the future . ”
Ellenoa stopped breathing for a moment as she listened to the words . Then she hugged him around the neck . “ . . . Go safely, my love . ”
It was something Theodore couldn’t promise . Therefore, he didn’t speak . He just kissed Ellenoa quietly . The moment that Ellenoa realized the meaning of his silence, Theodore’s body was surrounded by a bright light and he disappeared somewhere .
It was time to prepare for the end .
* * *
With one month left until Wrath would fall, Theodore left Elvenheim and literally moved around the whole world . Sipoto in the Kargas Kingdom, the ruins of the Lairon Kingdom, the Babarino Plains in the Soldun Kingdom where he had fought Pan Helliones . . .
Theodore left no stone unturned from the past events in his life . He had a good conversation with the old man who was famous for being an ‘Old Books Maniac . ’
-Oh, how are you? Tell me some stories .
Then he met Canis, who he had encountered as a client and customer at Bergen Academy .
-Kukukuk, the kid who used to run around is now a hero . I am living well thanks to you . There is no need to worry about me .
In addition to those, there were many other meetings . The friend who had abandoned Theodore after he failed, the current king of Andras . . .
They didn’t even take a day, but somehow he timed the meetings properly . In this one month that might be his last, Theodore spent the last week with her .
-Hmm, you came to see me . Isn’t this praiseworthy?
She was the evil dragon of the sea, Aquilo . The bond which had started from the Pirate Archipelago continued to this day . Aquilo was surprised by Theodore’s sudden visit but immediately responded to the conversation, recalling the time they confronted Pride and drank alcohol . She also showed him her pile of treasures .
-Please keep this in mind, Boy, Aquilo had said seriously as he left her lair .
-What do you mean by ‘in the future’?
-Boy, you are now an immortal, a transcendent being who can live for more than a thousand or ten thousand years . Perhaps there are few people in this world who will exist as long as you?
- . . . Maybe it is a future you can’t think about due to the upcoming death . If that day comes, can you be an old friend of this dragon?
Theodore hadn’t been able to deny it and left Aquilo . He had made a subtle expression, knowing that his atmosphere was strange . However, he hadn’t revealed the story about Wrath . The only one who noticed anything had been Naia .
“―Go . ”
Theodore had finished all the conversations . There was no one else he wanted to meet, and his heart wouldn’t waver . A magician was the strongest when his mind was perfectly clear .
Flash!
A light flashed once, and Theodore’s surroundings became covered with snow and ice . This was the Arctic . It was the middle of the northern hemisphere . The cold was fine . Even a master level magician could use their magic power to unconsciously change the surrounding temperature, let alone a transcendent .
“ . . . Gluttony, how much time is left?”
Nevertheless, Theodore couldn’t help shaking .
-There isn’t much time left . There are exactly 11,489 seconds left until Wrath enters the planet’s atmosphere .
Once converted, that amount of time was 3 hours, 11 minutes, and 29 seconds . Immediately after that, the meteorite, which could completely destroy civilization on this world, would fall . Theodore got goosebumps on his arms . Unlike his hardened mind, the foresight telling him of inevitable death stimulated his body’s instincts . He gritted his teeth as he fought his unreasonable instincts .
‘Can I do it?’
As frosty wind swept through Theodore, he gazed up at the sky . It didn’t matter if there was an earthquake or volcanic eruption . Either of those would be less threatening than the destruction that would fall from the sky . Some time later . . .
* * *
[Mission scheduled time, 972 seconds remaining . ]
‘It’ was still in space . A silent space filled with cold air, as well as all types of electromagnetic waves and radiation . ‘It’ continued to travel at a speed of 10 kilometers per second, passing several planetary systems in order to carry out the task assigned to it .
It had a smooth silver surface . This sphere moving through outer space with an unknown force was Wrath of the Seven Sins .
[Activating the observation function, setting the drop point coordinates . ]
Gluttony had spoken . There was no reason for it . It was half right, half wrong .
Wrath had very good thinking . It had the intelligence to identify the target before performing the mission and to carry out the destruction with maximum efficiency . Wrath had a calculation speed that could analyze navigational coordinates several light years ago in dozens of seconds . It was never swept away by emotions or impulse .
[Observing . ]
In the interior of Wrath which was was several kilometers deep, its ‘eyes’ opened . Once used to their maximum, its eyes could observe supernovae hundreds of light years away in real time . Wrath would arrive at the planet in 16 minutes . It was only a matter of time until Wrath arrived at ‘Designated name: Earth . ’
A crackling noise occurred a few times before the screen became clean like a new mirror . This was a technique difficult to understand even for the creator .
[Video Enlargement . ]
Covered with ice and snow, the northern hemisphere of the planet was beautiful . However, for the emotionless grimoire, the scenery was nothing more than an investigation point . Wrath soon discovered a speck of dust on the observation video .
[―Identifying obstacles on the local planet and beginning the analysis . ]
The video was enlarged to 2x, 4x, 8x, until the object was large enough to be recognized . Red robes, black hair and blue eyes—it was a common creature of the ‘human race . ’ The amount of energy the human had was considerable, but he was an obstacle Wrath could easily crush .
[Uniqueness, Gluttony’s contractor . ]
Wrath didn’t care . It didn’t worry about that for even a second as it decided to erase the unique presence . As a matter of fact, it wasn’t a big loss if Gluttony was destroyed . Wrath’s priority was to neutralize the civilization that could threaten all of them . Then at that moment . . .
- . . . It is good . Chunk of scrap metal, the human that appeared on the observational video started to speak, -The welcome is a bit big but please accept it!
It was just after this that . . .
[A high energy reaction . Grade 2 boundary . Reacting to the presence of a dragon . Searching for the object name . ]
An enormous heat swallowed Wrath’s body .
[ . . . Fafnir’s ‘laser’ has hit the outer wall!]