The Book Eating Magician Chapter 39:

Question and Answer #2

After hearing those words, Theo couldn’t hide the shocked expression on his face .

‘A hidden feature…?’

Over the past few months, he had tasted the value of the grimoire, Gluttony . There was the ‘eating’ which changed knowledge into proficiency through the eating of magic books . Theo could also gain ‘skills’ through eating rare artifacts as well as use ‘Memorize’ to store magic .

If there were artifacts capable of recreating just one of Gluttony’s abilities, it would be enough to instantly become the national treasure of a country .  Yet, now, there was a condition to add another function to it? It was enough to overwhelm anyone .

–It seems like it is appetizing .

“I won’t deny that, but what is the catch?”

–No catch, I just want to help my user grow quickly .

Gluttony whined before continuing .

-The problem is the quality of the food .  You’ve never fed me rare books except for [Ballistics Magic] and [Introduction to Elemental Magic] . Don’t just feed me commonplace books .

“The quality of the food…?”

-You might think I am greedy, but doesn’t it benefit you as well?

Certainly, he had experienced eating a ‘Rare’ grade magic book twice . However, there was a limit to how many original books were still roaming around the public .

[Ballistics Magic] had been obtained by coincidence, and [Introduction to Elemental Magic] had been thanks to Vince’s help . The books of applications from heroes in other fields weren’t things a student could covet .

However, if Gluttony’s words were true, then Theo had no reason to refuse .

‘In any case, I need to eat Rare books for my growth . If one hidden function is freed up in the process, then that is advantageous to me . ’

The same was true even if the conditions to free it were absurd .  Whether Gluttony released the hidden function or not was up to its will, so Theo could always give up if it was difficult .  There was nothing to lose, only potential benefits to gain .

In the end, Theodore listened to Gluttony’s suggestion .

–The release condition for this function is simple .  You can free it by eating something that exists around you .

“What is it?”

–It is just…

Theo’s eyebrows twitched as he heard the condition to free the hidden function .

‘…Why is it that?’

 

***

Some time passed by .

Vince, who had been in a trance for a while, opened his eyes slowly . His blue eyes glowed for a moment, but the glow soon began to fade .  It was a phenomenon caused by the new 6th Circle stabilizing in his body .

“Huuuu…”

A soft sigh emerged from Vince’s lips, and Theo realized Vince was awake .

“Congratulations on your 6th Circle Professor!”

“Thank you . It is all thanks to you,” Vince responded to the celebration in a sincere voice .

Vince had been stuck at the 5th Circle for more than a decade . If he hadn’t met Theodore and heard advice from Gluttony, he might’ve been stuck for many more years .  No, would it have just been be a few years? Some magicians were fated not to cross the wall until death . For Vince Haidel, his relationship with Theo might have been his only chance .

“If I had been studying alone, I might have wasted the next 10 years, maybe more . I think it’s the greatest luck of my life that I met you at Bergen Academy, Theodore . ”

“P-Professor . ”

“Don’t look at me like that . The question I asked was something which will advance the archaeological field for many years . ”

It wasn’t exaggerated praise . All relics involved with the ancient magic empire, Balcia, had already been destroyed .

If Vince hadn’t discovered a slate by chance, then he would’ve never studied the Balcard language . The ancient document had preserved the Balcard language in a good condition . It was an opportunity for Vince to study archaeology, but it also acted as a shackle to stop him at the 5th Circle .

He had studied dozens of Balcard slabs and spent 10 years waiting uselessly for more artifacts to be excavated .

‘I have been rewarded for the years I waited . ’ Vince barely managed to suppress his magic power as he shook with joy .

Filled with overwhelming emotions, Vince couldn’t help grasping Theo’s hand . Any senior magician knew what it meant to cross the ‘wall . ’ Now, Vince’s mind and body were overflowing with magic power . His aging would be suppressed, and he would take the first step on a path to transcend humanity .

It wasn’t unreasonable that uncontrollable joy would be bubbling within him .

Theo thought, ‘Is it okay… to do it now?’

One of the virtues of a magician was having sober thinking, so such excitement was rare . It was highly likely that Vince would accommodate a small demand from Theo .  Theo thought about the ‘condition for liberation’ Gluttony had told him before falling asleep .

‘Feed it a dimension pocket… Doesn’t it know how expensive and rare that is?’

That’s right, the condition Gluttony had presented was to feed it a Dimension Pocket .

Spatial magic required at least the 6th Circle, and in the case of a dimension pocket, a certain amount of space had to be sewn into the pocket, which meant the difficulty was high .

So, in the kingdom, it could only be sold to those who were authorized by the Magic Society or magicians of at least the Superior rank . Obviously, private sales were prohibited, and it was almost impossible to replace if lost or destroyed .

Yet Gluttony wanted to eat such an object? Theo would’ve sneered if Vince hadn’t been there .

“Excuse me, Professor . ”

“Huh?”

“That… Well, there…”

However, Theodore wasn’t such a person .  He knew the amount of money Vince had used for Theo to win this tournament and would pay him back one day .  Theo couldn’t say that he needed a dimension pocket, so he swallowed back his words . “No, it is nothing . I forgot . ”

“Ah, I see . ” Vince smiled and tapped Theo’s shoulder . His warm hand stabbed at Theo’s conscience .

‘Hoo, let’s find another way . I can feed it substandard goods if needed . ’

Just as Theo changed his mind, Vince said, “Oh, that reminds me, I have something to say to you as well . I almost forgot about it because of this . ”

“Professor…?”

“Umm, don’t think of it as a burden . ”

As Theo looked at him with a confused expression, Vince hesitated slightly before asking . “Theodore Miller, will you be my successor?”

“…Huh? Those words… perhaps?”

“It is as you think . I want to put your name as part of my family tree . ”

Theo’s expression turned blank as he listened Vince’s words .

Any magicians of the Average rank and above were eligible to obtain a disciple . A magician could wander the whole world in search of the second generation to whom they would pass on their research .

It was different from teaching students at the academy . This was the same as being the successor of the research which Vince had built up over his lifetime .  The student would become the teacher’s responsibility until death .

Vince’s declaration that he wanted to hand over everything to Theo caused Theo’s eyes to turn redden .

“…Will it be okay with me?” Theo asked like it was ridiculous .

However, Vince nodded with a little smile . “You may think it is cowardly . I am a shameless person for aiming at the grimoire’s knowledge, even if I don’t deserve it . ”

“……”

“Still, will you believe in me? I am quite old and have been wanting to ask you this for a while,” Vince spoke these words and finished with a refreshed expression .

He didn’t know what Theo thought of him, but Vince wasn’t a saintly person . The war magician, who used to kill people for no reason on the battlefield, was now asking someone to trust in him . The existence of the grimoire was merely a chance and not the main target .

Vince liked the human called, ‘Theodore Miller,’ so he was pushing this firmly .

Soon, Vince Haidel’s name would become enormously famous . He had reached the 6th Circle in his 40s, so his name would surely be among the top ranking magicians within the next decade . If he could go further, then he would become a candidate to be the next Red Tower Master .

If Theo accepted the proposal, he would become the disciple of such a person and take over later .  Theodore was well aware of the weight of this proposal . ‘It really is a burden . This…’

If he refused, then Vince was sure to accept it .  He would continue helping Theo like before without revealing his sadness . Occasionally, they would feel obliged toward each other and the cycle would repeat .  They would work together without opening up their innermost hearts .  It would be equivalent to a calm exchange between magicians .

Theo didn’t want to remain in that type of relationship .  He walked forward with a calm face and grabbed Vince’s hand firmly . The trembling passed across each of their palms and met in the middle .

“Thank you, Professor . ”

“…No, I’m not your professor now . You have graduated from the academy . ” Vince smiled brightly and corrected his title, “In the future, please call me Master . ”

During this moment, the relationship between these two magicians, the long-time dunce and a senior professor of Bergen Academy, was newly established .

 

***

The next day, Vince enrolled himself as Theodore’s master at the Magic Society’s reception desk .  It was a difficult process to cancel once it was established, but he didn’t hesitate to give his signature . He had made up his mind from the beginning .

“Y-You can do it slowly…”

“Don’t worry about it . ”

“…Yes, I understand . ”

The receptionist in charge of the desk advised Vince, but he didn’t listen . Vince’s expression was cold as usual .

Thanks to that, the process which normally took one hour ended in 20 minutes . After receiving the completed file, the receptionist disappeared with an expression like he had seen a monster, while Vince and Theo walked away .

The schedule for the magic contest would really start today . There weren’t many events where the magician could be accompanied by their disciple, but that wasn’t all .

The center of the Magic Society had a large poster which contained the schedule for the magic contest .  Vince pointed to the events there and explained what he knew . There were many events he didn’t know about, but fortunately, there were a few events his disciple could attend .

“If you are interested in summoning magic, that event isn’t bad . This time, magicians from the east are participating, so it is an opportunity to see different types of elementalists . ”

“That sounds interesting . ”

“The ‘attack magic’ hosted by the Red Tower is also good, but… personally, I don’t think it’s a place you should go . There are many there who are interested in crushing small trees . ”

In the first place, most of the events from the Red Tower were focused on the battlefield and destruction magic . Consequently, the Red Tower’s budget would be used to pay for the repairs of the damaged buildings .

The two people shook their heads briefly and looked for the next event .

At that moment, someone spoke to them, “Excuse me, are you Vince Haidel and Theodore Miller?”

“Hrmm? Who are you?” Vince asked as he turned around, only to see a magician in a blue robe scratching at his temple .

“I am Melrose from the Blue Tower . I have come to find you for a specific reason . ”

Compared to Loren, the blue-robed magician was very polite .  Therefore, Vince replied in a blase manner, “Yes, what is going on?”

However, he didn’t anticipate the words which came after that .

“I’m sorry, but please accompany me for a while . The Tower Master has called for the both of you . ”