The Book Eating Magician - Chapter 162

Chapter 162

Chapter 162 – Delicacy from the East (3)

The system responded to his permission .

[After confirming the user’s intention, object name ‘Abe no Seimei’ will be called . Checking the communication connection… Success, object name ‘Abe no Seimei’ has approved the two-way communication . ]

[He will temporarily be synchronized with the user’s consciousness . ]

Simultaneously, the voice disappeared, and darkness covered Theodore’s eyes . It was a darkness which didn’t tolerate the presence of life .

Theodore looked around the darkness with a feeling of déjà vu, and he soon figured out the cause of the darkness . It was the same as when he heard the ‘quests’ in the Pirate Archipelago . Maybe this was the only space where he could converse with the authors .

As before, light particles gathered in front of him .  Abe no Seimei… This was the appearance of an existence who couldn’t be handled even with Gluttony’s 4th seal released .

‘Based on only the physique… It is hard to know . ’

Theodore looked nervously at the shape which was gradually forming from the light .

He estimated that the figure’s height was 170cm, but the gender couldn’t be discerned . It was difficult to judge because the eyes were male while the jaw was feminine .  Shortly after that, Abe no Seimei’s form was completed .

The hem of his sleeves went down to his thighs, while his long hair, which flowed from underneath the strange hat he wore, had a black shine like ebony .  He was wearing white clothing similar to a robe, with red cloth woven in . It was clothing that Theodore had never seen in any literature .

However, Theodore could only calmly observe Seimei up to there .

Ping-

The moment that he saw the last part of Seimei’s form, the nose, an unfamiliar dizziness filled Theodore’s mind .  Seimei had pale white skin and bright golden eyes . Apart from the cultural difference, it was a beauty which anyone would admire . However, Theodore felt an inexplicable sense of hostility .

“Urgh . ” Theodore gritted his teeth as he was filled with the desire to attack .

Meanwhile, Seimei’s eyes widened with surprise . “Ho, an interesting power is protecting you . ”

Of course, it was obvious that something was causing this hostility .  As Theodore stared at Seimei, he tried to suppress his boiling magic power . “You are Abe no Seimei?”

“That’s right,” the onmyōji, Abe no Seimei, said with a nod as he opened the fan in his hand . “This body is a 2nd generation onmyōji leader, originally Tsuchimikado Abe . I am Onmyōji Seimei . ”

Theodore replied with a bleak expression, “I don’t understand what you are saying . ”

“Hrmm, you are someone who can’t read the atmosphere . In this situation, it is reasonable to agree enthusiastically . ”

“I don’t know who you are, but I don’t like feeling like this . Can you explain?” Theodore couldn’t think about the atmosphere due to the hostility he felt .

However, Seimei countered Theodore’s doubts calmly . “I was just playing a small trick . The hostility isn’t coming from me but from yourself . ”

“Myself?”

“To be exact, it is coming from your neck . ”

‘My neck?’ Theodore touched his neck and was surprised to feel a cool chill pouring out .  It was at the place where Aquilo had injected her blood . The mark which remained there was shining blue . This was a phenomenon Theodore had never experienced before .

However, unlike him, Seimei seemed to already know the situation and wasn’t confused .

Seimei said, “Dragon of the west, a strong proprietary feeling . A female?”

Dragon’s blood itself created a powerful magic resistance . Theodore’s own magic power wasn’t affected, but it was conscious of any magic from the outside .  However, Aquila’s blood mark was reacting more than that . It was showing an extreme hostility toward Seimei .

Theodore concentrated on the mark on his neck .

‘I know you are helping me, but just relax,’ he consciously suppressed the blood mark .

Theodore managed to calm his head and looked at Seimei again .

Seimei was a man with the beauty of a woman .  It was different from Ellenoa’s neutral charm . Seimei transmitted the beauty of both sexes . Perhaps due to the mood, the silhouette of Seimei’s face looked like a fox .

Theodore opened his mouth with a wary expression, “Was that why you called me?”

“No, it was just a prank,” Seimei spoke with his fan covering his mouth . “The real test will begin now . This is why I called you . If you fail to live up to my expectations, I won’t be able to give you ‘Art of Onmyōdō . ’”

“What is the reason for the test?”

“I’ve already experienced that there is nothing as dangerous as giving strength to an unqualified person . ” The playful atmosphere was gone in an instant, with Seimei’s voice showing his seriousness .

As Gluttony had said, Seimei had almost reached the end of a mortal existence, so his pressure pushed heavily on Theodore’s shoulder . The pressure was high even in comparison to back when he faced one of the Seven Swords of the empire .

The great onmyōji declared in a majestic voice, “If you really want my ‘Art of Onmyōdō,’ you must first get the recognition of this Seimei . ”

A fragment of a soul in the original book was going to test Theodore…?

Theodore was dumbfounded, but Seimei’s words did make sense . Gluttony’s power, ‘original books predation,’ was a magic which defied comprehension and could reproduce the magic without any errors .  As a person who had made a name for himself in his era, it was natural for Seimei to want to verify the person desiring that knowledge .

“Is it an art that you have to be careful about transferring?” Theodore asked with a cautious attitude after guessing the reason .

“Huh? It isn’t a dangerous technique,” Seimei answered .  It was a surprising reply . Theodore was bothered by it, but Seimei fanned his face and continued .  “Well, your words aren’t entirely wrong . I don’t know about anyone else, but it is extremely dangerous in your hands . ”

“…What do you mean?”

“According to its name, the Art of Onmyōdō is a method of harmony between yin and yang . Therefore, the interaction with harmony will be amplified in accordance with the power of the opposing forces . ” Then Seimei pointed his fan at Theodore and continued to say, “I don’t know how you obtained them, but there are two enormous types of forces twisting in your body . One is the flame of extinction that burns the heavens and the earth, while the other is the blood of a sea dragon . If you can properly control them using the Art of Onmyōdō… your strength will be enough to destroy a country . ”

Indeed, Theodore couldn’t deny the eerie words . The power of the two opposing forces joining together had been proven in his spar with Baek Jongmyung .

If Theodore could threaten a sword master with an incomplete version while still at the 6th Circle, what about after reaching the 7th Circle and completing it? It might evolve into a magic which could literally destroy a mountain .

However, what if the person who acquired such magic was evil? No, even if they weren’t an evil person, it was still risky . This was a power huge enough to disrupt the balance .

Seimei urged him to answer with cold eyes . “Now, what will you do? Will you accept this test?”

Should Theodore accept it now or postpone it until later? There was a choice to not accept it . Theodore was troubled for a moment about the two roads ahead of him .  He could wait until he released Gluttony’s 5th seal, ignore Seimei’s test, and force the synchro . Of course, there was also the quest, and his relationship with Seimei would become a mess .

‘…Backing off isn’t a good choice either . ’

His intuition had evolved over time and through several crises .

The words he spoke to Baek Dongil had meant something . Theodore couldn’t reach his goal if he stuck to a comfortable road or took a shortcut . This was also true if he backed away . The trial wouldn’t wait for the challenger, and there was no law that the opportunity would always be there .

So, Theodore believed in himself and stepped forward . “The test, let’s start it straight away . ”

“-Ohu . ” Seimei smiled, folded the fan, and touched his lips with it . “Young men are excellent at recognizing opportunities! I thought you would step back here . ”

“There is no need for flattery . ”

“Huh, is that so? Are you pouting?”

Theodore could easily tell that Seimei was guarded against him . Perhaps it was due to the two powers inside him, or for other reasons . Either way, the current Theodore could do only one thing .

Being straightforward was the best option . The right answer was to say that he would break Seimei’s test . It was meaningless to step back against the already vigilant Seimei .  Theodore’s declaration was the right answer as the playfulness was erased from Seimei’s face .

Then Seimei said, “Good . Then let the wind bring the trials!”

Wuuong-

A wind started blowing over from somewhere . This was the spiritual world created by Gluttony where the laws of physics didn’t exist, so the ‘wind’ was indeed an unnatural phenomenon .

The pitch black space filled with color, and the landscape turned into a ridge which Theodore had never seen before . Pink petals rubbed against his cheeks, and the sun appeared in the new sky . It was hard to imagine this was just an illusion .

‘This… Is this a landscape Seimei created?’

Seimei’s voice entered the nervous Theodore’s ears, 「This Abe no Seimei is most interested in judging people according to the virtue of ‘Heaven, Earth, and Human . ’」

“Heaven, Earth and Human…?”

「The heavens, the earth, and people . You will know the meaning when you take my test . 」 Seimei then started the test with a loud and dignified voice, 「Chapter 1, I will start with the ‘Human’ test . 」

In response to that, a system message popped up .

[You have accepted the request of object name ‘Abe no Seimei . ’ The difficulty of this stage is quite high . If you fail or give up along the way, you can’t challenge it again . ]

[Test of ‘Heaven, Earth, and Human: Human chapter’ will start in 30 seconds . ]

[Success Reward: Skill ‘Art of Onmyōdō’, Seimei’s recognition, and you can see some information related to ???? . ]

[Failure Fee: Failure to acquire the skill ‘Art of Onmyōdō’, Seimei’s quest is not available . ]

[Test of ‘Heaven, Earth, and Human: Human chapter’ is starting . ]