Book Eater

Chapter 167: The Road Home (2)

It had been a week since the Marquis and the Crown Prince had been informed that Theo was leaving. It was an easy farewell, since the two of them weren’t entirely fond of two incredibly strong variables hiding out in their kingdom. In fact, the only ones who were sad were the Baek family.

“A week has already passed,” Baek Jongmyung, the expert of the Baek Family, looked between Theo and Randolph.

One was a generous man who had guided his son, while the other was a friend he had dueled and drank with. There might be a large age difference between them, but Baek Jongmyung treated them like friends, and he was sad to see them go so soon.

Baek Jongmyung said, “… As Sir Ted requested, I will manage the annex where the two of you stayed. Can I ask for the reason?”

“A guest shouldn’t bring bad luck to the owner,” Theo responded cryptically. However, Baek Jongmyung was accustomed to this way of speaking and realized Theo’s intentions.

“Hrmm, you have opponents that are that strong?”

“I don’t think Master Baek and the Baek Family should go against them.”

Baek Jongmyung would have hit anyone else who said something like that, but he smiled at Theo’s words. When they first met, Baek Jongmyung hadn’t known Theo’s depths. Now, it was even harder for Baek Jongmyung to gauge if he could win against Theo. However, the seldom rude Theo was currently advising him not to dig into this issue? This was enough to prove how dangerous these waters were.

Baek Jongmyung nodded heavily. “Haha… There is a saying in the East about a frog in a well. I truly am sorry that I can’t return your favor, despite being an expert.”

“It’s nothing. Thank you for the help,” Theo said.

“You’re thanking me? Please don’t be so humble. I owe you a great deal for putting up with my son.” ｏｖ𝚕．ｃｏ𝚖

Baek Jongmyung called out Baek Dongil, who was standing silently behind him. Theo was wondering why Baek Dongil wasn’t speaking. It seemed the boy’s eyes were swimming in tears, glimmering like the light from a chandelier.

“B-Brother.” Baek Dongil choked up. He turned as red as a tomato and coughed a few times before barely managing to look at Theo. “Thank you for listening to my shameless request!”

He dropped into a deep bow, with his hands clasped together. Baek Dongil was giving thanks for their relationship, rather than grumbling about the short teaching period or sudden parting. He had yet to understand all of it, but he had received a foundation of basic knowledge from Theo. He would have to study by himself now that his teacher was leaving. As the loser of a warrior family for many years, it was natural for Baek Dongil to feel regret at his teacher’s departure. However, Baek Dongil’s pure heart meant he didn’t hesitate to express his sincere gratitude.

That heart was why Theo had decided to teach him. Theo saw his past self in Baek Dongil’s endless efforts, but his mind wasn’t twisted by it.

“Dongil.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“The foundation that I’ve taught you so far is the prerequisite for becoming an apprentice magician in Meltor Kingdom, the most developed kingdom of magic in the continent. A more efficient learning system doesn’t yet exist on this continent.”

Theo wasn’t bragging. Meltor’s Magic Society shared their research achievements and knowledge with each other in order to constantly push the envelope. Their curriculum, which had been developed and refined countless times, boasted the best efficiency and knowledge on the continent. A student who received a diploma from one of Meltor’s academies could teach at any other academy in any kingdom.

However, Theo didn’t dwell on his past anymore. He told Baek Dongil, “If you keep following the curriculum, you will be able to reach the required level within the next year.”

Fortunately, Baek Dongil’s mana sensitivity was several times better than old Theo. If Baek Dongil studied well and kept training, it would be easy for him to reach the 3rd Circle. He might even reach the 4th Circle if his family provided adequate support. At that point, there may only be a few magicians who could teach Baek Dongil in the central continent.

As Theo thought about that day, he said, “I am ashamed to reveal it only now, but my name is Theodore, not Ted. And my surname is Miller.”

“Theodore Miller?”

“Yes.”

If Baek Jongmyung or Baek Dongil knew anything about the north, they might feel surprised or even angry. However, they just blinked at him, and Theo stood up. Now, everything in Soldun Kingdom had been resolved. He had used duplication magic on original books about shamanism, regained a thousand gold, and formed a close tie with a budding magician.

“One day, if you encounter a wall that can’t be broken down by your own strength, come to Meltor’s Magic Society and find me.”

Baek Dongil didn’t know that this relationship would be the Baek Family’s most valuable treasure after coming to the western continent. After Theo and Randolph said a simple farewell and left the room, Baek Jongmyung and Baek Dongil stared at each other in confusion.

Baek Jongmyung opened his mouth first and said, “… Huhu, this is truly entertaining.”

Baek Dongil stuttered, “I-Is that so?”

“I reprimanded you for something that seemed frivolous at the time, but it seems you were right.”

Baek Dongil didn’t understand and replied eagerly, “Yes! I think so as well!”

This caused Baek Jongmyung to smack him over the head. “This brat! You cheeky fellow!”

Baek Dongil was a fool who had only grown up slightly under Theo, so he uttered, “Ah! What was that for, Father?!”

Despite the argument, smiles spread across the faces of the two men, and the story spread through the Baek Family.

***

Randolph opined, “You must think a lot of that kid.”

Theo shrugged. “He’s polite and bright. If he grows up without becoming twisted, he will definitely be a good magician.”

The two men took a second to check everything as they stepped out of the mansion they had lived in for the last year. The two of them were intending to travel a long distance, so Theo kept most of the goods, including food, in his Inventory.

Since exporting artifacts was a major part of Meltor’s economy, they had strict rules on distribution of goods. So, Theo used his power to avoid having his goods noticed.

“… Okay, there doesn’t seem to be any problems,” Theo commented.

Then he used an extremely convenient spell that he had been preparing for the past week.

Mass Teleport.

A spell to move a large number of people over a long distance was no longer impossible now that Theo had reached the 7th Circle. Randolph had been informed about the spell in advance, but he couldn’t help admiring the convenience.

“I thought we would go through the sky instead of the land or sea, but I hadn’t expected space magic. Magicians really are capable of anything.”

“Well, it isn’t easy.”

Theo wasn’t wrong. He had only been able to derive the spell formula after enlightenment, but it still wasn’t easy. He didn’t seem to have much aptitude for space magic. Theo calculated the formula and flow of mana perfectly, but Mass Teleport was unsteady, and it took three attempts to calm the instability.

This magic was now simple and stable, but traveling as far as the White Tower Master was just a distant dream. Theo stared at the magic circle and sighed.

Hah, there is no attribute as convenient as space magic…

Unfortunately, it was a field that didn’t suit Theo. He could gain abilities through Gluttony’s predation of original books, but Theo didn’t have an innate compatibility for it.

While Theo was grumbling in his head, Randolph walked up to the magic circle and asked, “Where are we going?”

“Kargas Kingdom’s Sipoto. At my level, I can’t move much further than that.”

The White Tower Master could fly from Piris to beyond Meltor’s border, but that wasn’t the norm. Thus, Theo created a Mass Teleport with the best results. Moreover, although it wasn’t a match for the White Tower Master, Theo’s range was huge for his level. He could move from Piris to Sipoto in the southeastern continent, which meant he could arrive at the border of the central continent immediately. Even if he took the fastest route over land or sea, it would still take a fortnight.

Theo finished the final checks, stood in the center of the magic circle, and infused it with magic power.

He cried out, “Mass Teleport!”

There was a flash of light as the spell activated, and the two men dissolved like ice in heat. There was the customary wave of dizziness which Theo couldn’t get accustomed to, even though he had already experienced it a few times! Theo endured the uncomfortable sensation and transmitted the coordinates of the destination.

He felt a headache pierce his temples, but space fatigue would come and go quickly. As expected, the discomfort disappeared just as suddenly it had appeared.

“Phew!”

“Huooh…!”

Theo exhaled, while Randolph clutched his head as he fought the dizziness. Theo took a quick look around them. They had landed somewhere in the wild, as sand and wind tickled Theo’s nose. This wasn’t the first time he had seen this landscape, so Theo was confident he had succeeded. He had set the outskirts of Sipoto as the destination for Mass Teleport.

Dding-

At that moment, Theo experienced a sharp pain in his mind.

“Ack!”

It wasn’t the unpleasant feeling of space magic, but a pain which came from a warning. Theo grasped the reason with logic, not intuition, and smiled bitterly. In a sense, it was like growing pains. Using space magic, which he had never used before, led to an unexpected side effect because Theo’s vessel had disappeared when he reached transcendence. The vessel was a restraining device which limited one’s capacity, but it was also a safety device. Being capable of infinite possibilities was a double-edged sword.

That is why I have to fix it with Sorcery.

While Theo contemplated the unexpected enlightenment, Randolph shook off the dizziness and approached him.

“Theo, will you prepare to move again in Sipoto?”

“… I think so, but not now.”

Theo hadn’t chosen Sipoto as the destination for Mass Teleport just because it was within range.

He wanted to talk to Gibra again, who had found out where they’d been staying and sent a letter to them. Theo didn’t know whether Gibra offered information on the Orcus Company for a favor, or if there was some hidden trap. He wanted it to be due to personal feelings, but it was foolish to want a favor from the information world.

Theo waited till his magic power had regenerated some before he opened his mouth to say, “I will go and see Gibra.”

Even if Gibra was plotting something, he wouldn’t be expecting their arrival with space magic.

The presence of the White Tower was common knowledge in Meltor, but space magic was difficult to see in real life, and there were those who doubted its existence. Theo’s Mass Teleport had cut down their expected arrival time by nearly a dozen days.

It was the best way to overwhelm Gibra’s expectations.