Book Eater

Chapter 56: Zero Library Delicacy (2)

Theo’s eyes widened as he read the information window.

A magician can fight at close range? Is that really possible?

Theo had his own pride as a magician, but he also acknowledged the strength of aura users. No matter how much he strengthened his body with secondary magic, he wouldn’t be able to match a real swordsman like Randolph. As an extremely refined biological energy, aura elevated one’s physical abilities to a terrifying level in exchange for sacrificing other paths. Even a 7th Circle magician using Haste would find it difficult to deal with Randolph’s swords.

“Ah, is that Battle Song? It’s been a while.” Veronica looked over Theo’s shoulder.

A Tower Master could freely walk in and out of the Zero Library, so it wasn’t strange that she knew about Battle Song. It might be awkward, but she truly was qualified to be his guide.

Theo turned and asked, “Is it a famous book?”

“Huh? Rather than famous… I’d say that it’s a bit wicked?” Veronica thought for a moment before explaining, “Ordinary magicians don’t usually touch it. It’s popular with our kids, and the basic version is a mandatory requirement, but it’s very difficult to find someone who’s actually learned it.”

“Why? Magic that assists in close combat would be useful in any situation.”

Theo was correct. Battle Song would make up for a magician’s lack of physical ability, so it should be a spell that wasn’t just limited to war magicians. So why did other magicians ignore it when it could take care of their only weakness?

Veronica smiled knowingly. “That’s everyone’s first thought too. And Battle Song is exactly as powerful as you imagine. If you’re a skilled user, you can even match an aura user’s abilities. However, Battle Song is a permanent spell, unlike Haste or Strength. Do you understand what I mean?”

A bad feeling started to rise in Theo’s chest. “... Perhaps.”

Veronica nodded. “If you want to use Battle Song, you have to allocate and keep at least four circles revolving. Which one is more risky?”

Indeed, it was a rather annoying task for a magician. This was different from automatically renewing spells. A magician would need to revolve his Circles continuously in order to sustain the effects of Battle Song. If a 5th Circle magician used Battle Song, they would then only be able to use 1st Circle spells. In that situation, it was probably more effective to maintain some distance and cast higher Circle spells.

Only war magicians would find a use for this…

Even 7th Circle magicians would be limited to 3rd Circle spells when they cast Battle Song. The disadvantages far outweighed the benefits unless you were a war magician with battlefield experience. Moreover, obtaining the speed of an aura user was useless if one didn’t also have the commensurate level of fighting technique.

In Theo’s case, despite being able to use Magic Bullet with only one Circle, he was finding it difficult to trust his unstable fifth circle. However, an answer came from an unexpected direction.

- User, select this book.

Gluttony?

He was glad that Veronica was standing behind him and missed the flash of astonishment on his face. Theo quickly realized the voice in his head wasn’t a hallucination.

- Don’t ask questions you already know. It is a waste of time.

Since when could you speak to me like this?

- It’s a feature that returned some time ago. Isn’t it a fortunate occurrence when you want to hide my existence?

Theo decided to leave the matter for later. The Zero Library’s books took a higher priority than a minor addition to Gluttony’s abilities. So, Theo asked for advice about the magic book.

Why should I select this book?

- It is Treasure rank, so it will help release the 3rd seal. In addition, the feature that will be unsealed by the 3rd seal will allow you to use this magic more efficiently.

... And you can’t tell me what that feature is.

- That's right.

At the end of the day, Theo was the one making the decision. He glanced from the book in his hands to the glass cases around him. There was only one choice available to Theo at present, but one day, he would come back again for the knowledge locked away in these books.

He turned to Veronica with [Battle Song] in hand, who nodded with a pleased expression. It seemed many magicians of the Red Tower learned this particular spell.

Veronica started to walk toward the wall. “Well, it isn’t a bad choice! The books in here aren't easy for a kid like you to learn, so it’s smart to pick something within your means.”

Theo followed. “Yes, thank you.”

Veronica reached up to place a hand on the wall. “I’ll be in the capital for a while, so you should visit Vince and have a good night’s sleep. We can talk about your Circles later, okay?”

It seemed Veronica wasn’t the type to adjust her schedule for others. She poured magic power into the wall while patting Theo’s head with her other hand. Despite it being a truly awkward touch, he could tell that she was expressing her affection.

“See you later, Theodore!”

Theodore was transported out alone before he even realized that he had been kicked out of the Zero Library.

***

Now that he was done with the Zero Library, Theo headed for his assigned private room in the Magic Society with Vince. The Magic Society had enough room to accommodate over a thousand magicians once they had enlarged the interior with space magic. Of course, it was rather difficult to obtain a private room, but a Superior ranked magician could clear a lot of the red tape.

They had an early dinner and retired to the room, where Theo told the whole story to Vince.

“... So, that’s what happened.”

Vince was amazed at the twists and turns to the story.

It had only been a fortnight since the Pupil Tournament finals, but it seemed like the owner of a grimoire was destined for an eventful life. As soon as Theo had returned home, he encountered an Elder Lich and Death’s Worship.

After Theo finished telling his story, he bowed his head in apology. “I’m sorry, Master. The dimension pocket that you lent me...”

Vince shook his head. “No, your judgment was correct. It would have been a disaster if that grimoire had escaped. If the issue could be resolved with one dimension pocket, then everything is fine. Even better, the dimension pocket has been reissued and the grimoire is still sealed, so this is the best result.”

Vince was full of praise. Even though he had borrowed the power of the grimoire, Theo had still single-handedly saved the Miller Barony. He had saved hundreds of lives and prevented an unprecedented disaster. Only an idiot would disparage Theo for sacrificing a dimension pocket.

Vince wanted to lighten the mood, so he switched to another topic. “By the way, I didn’t think that the Tower Master would like you so much. She has a fickle temper, so it isn’t easy for people to approach her.”

“... Is that so?” Theo’s expression changed subtly.

She had dragged him along with an arm around his shoulder as soon as they had met. She hadn’t shown any signs of disliking Sylvia or Vince; she had just been more interested in Theo. She had the same expression whenever she saw Blundell.

Vince mused aloud, “She usually gives off a bad first impression, much like a dragon, and it takes time for her to learn anything about someone. In my case, it took her two years to remember my name.”

Theo stammered, “I-It might just be a fluke.”

Vince chuckled. “It wasn’t just me. In any case, I feared that you might have chosen something for Gluttony that would be bad for you.”

Vince had thought he might choose a poison like Hell Fire, but when he saw the book beside Theo, he lowered his voice. “Is that Battle Song? It’s been about ten years since I last read a copy.”

Theo glanced at the book. “Master also learned this?”

Vince sat back. “Of course. A melee ability, no matter its limitations, is a good trump card. Even if it can’t be used often, it still works as a trick.”

Of course, the books in the Zero Library had been duplicated. Since the special power in the book couldn’t be copied, creating duplicates to distribute the knowledge wasn’t a problem. The books in the Zero Library were treated as special since they were original copies, but most of the knowledge in the Zero Library was widely known. Of course, there were some forbidden books, but it was impossible to get those unless the person was a tower master or the king.

Evidently, Vince had also learned Battle Song, as he started to recite the chant for Theo. The memory of a senior magician would stay sharp for years after they studied their spells.

Vince finished, “If you don’t understand something, you can ask me. I don’t know what you’ll get from this book, but I haven’t forgotten any of the verses of the song.”

Theo bowed gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Does this mean you will come to the Red Tower?” Vince’s question might sound strange, but in fact, a mentor and their disciple weren’t obligated to belong to the same tower. Though there were four towers, they were all bound by the Magic Society. So, regardless of the tower they belonged to, there was no impact on their relationship.

Every magician had the right to belong to the tower of their choice, and Theo had made up his mind. “Yes, I want to go to the Red Tower.”

He had become quite interested in the Yellow Tower, since he had a contract with Mitra. However, that idea was left in the dust after he’d gone home and encountered the powerful Elder Lich. Theo had a hunch that his life would never flow calmly.

I need strength. If I don’t become stronger, the grimoire will devour me in more ways than one. This time, I managed to get out safely, but I shouldn’t expect the same luck every time!’

Theo had never wanted to live as a researcher. He wanted to live like the adventurous magicians he’d read about during his childhood. He wanted to save people and find treasures; he wanted to live the wonderful life of a magician. When he met Gluttony, he’d thought his dream had come true, but in the end, he was still an immature magician.

Since Theo’s desire was clear, Vince nodded firmly. “Okay, I will complete the entrance procedure now. Since you’re an Average ranked magician, you’ll be given a private room inside the Red Tower.”

“Thank you, Master.”

“Well, then I'll be going. Read it carefully.”

As Vince left with a smile, Theo opened [Battle Song]. “Uhh… That’s a lot of ambiguous words.”

It seemed like the rumor that Battle Song had been written by a foreign magician was true. Theo could see strange, foreign words mixed into the song. He would have some trouble translating it accurately. It was a tricky book worthy of being kept in the Zero Library, but it wasn’t beyond Theo’s comprehension.

His eyes started to move across the page mechanically.

Life energy flows in the body, just like magic power and aura. The direction of its flow can drastically manipulate the body’s performance. The spell described in the book aims to direct this change using the following principles...

A familiar silence descended on Theo’s room, like a tranquil haven for magicians acquiring wisdom. Theo’s consciousness quickly sank into that routine state where he was fully concentrated on a book. If he used the Appraisal ability on himself, he would witness his comprehension level rising quickly.

The minimum level of comprehension required to extract an essence was 95%, or “very high”. When he was halfway through the book, he was already brushing up against that level of knowledge. But the combination of exotic vocabulary and extraordinary knowledge was taking a toll on his concentration. Nevertheless, he chose to push himself in order to learn the strange spell that seemed so different from the magic he knew and wielded.

***

On the sixth day, Theodore finally put down the book.