The Book Eating Magician - Chapter 318

Chapter 318

Chapter 318 - The One who Inherits, the One who Maneuvers Behind the Scenes (1)

The underground, a subterranean world that caused instinctive fear among living creatures on the earth . . .  

It didn’t allow for a single strand of light . This was a space that was cut off from the blue sky and the grace of the sun . If the place beyond the sky was revered as a sacred and beautiful place, then the area under the earth was considered as a place of death and flames .

Most cultures buried a person when they died, making the underground known as the world of the dead .  There was a reason for this stereotype . There was no need to go back to the Age of Mythology . In this era, there were many forces that made the underground their home .

The underground auction house in the Kargas Kingdom was part of it .

At any time and from anywhere, those hiding in the underground were always afraid of the sun, and they held secrets that couldn’t be revealed to others . Those with wicked eyes crawled into the darkness beneath the earth to be able to display their wicked desires openly .

After staying in the abyss for a long time, the rats were finally eaten by the abyss .

“ . . . Hrmmm . ”

Bodies, bodies, and bodies . . . A man opened his mouth on top of a hill of hundreds, maybe thousands, of bodies . He let out a viciously distorted voice that caused the listener to feel fear .  

The man was wrapped in a black robe, and as he crushed one of the skulls rolling near his feet, he muttered, “Kuhuhu, I would suppose this situation is called ‘boil the hound once it has caught the rabbit’?  It is my favorite expression . ” (TL: Getting rid of something once it has served its purpose)

It was as he said . All those who worked as his puppets were part of the mountain of the dead .  The head of the Orcus Company, Isaac, had died in a gruesome puddle of blood .  With Jerem’s resurrection, the Four Horsemen turned the organization, which they had created, into a meal for Jerem, just like putting a hound that had lost its value into a boiling pot .

“Their deaths will help the king . Isn’t this a rewarding experience for such trash?” Red Knight Elohim chuckled as he looked down at the mummified bodies .  It wasn’t just the vitality of the bodies that was drained . Their souls, the backbone of their life, had also been absorbed . Those who died here would have no room for salvation . They would constantly suffer pain serving under Jerem .

“Well, this will keep me alive for another month or two . ” Jerem nodded at Elohim and pulled out his hand that had been hidden in his robes .

Rotting skin, like that of a leprosy patient, was revealed .

The body of the Pale Rider couldn’t stop the collapse of his soul . It was due to the lack of a suitable vessel for Jerem’s soul, as well as the fatal wound Mitra had dealt him . Right now, absorbing the vitality and souls of the living was just a desperate measure, not a fundamental solution .

In order to fix this wound, he had to pay an equivalent price to a great being, Nídhöggur .

“If possible, I wanted to be better prepared, but . . . I guess it can’t be helped . There isn’t a lot of time remaining in this flesh . ” Words with an unknown meaning behind them flowed from Jerem’s mouth .  Just what the hell was he starting? 

Building a mountain of bodies and a river of blood . . . Among them was an excellent magician . There was also a swordsman who made a name for himself . One man had slaughtered all the famous people in the organization like they were chickens and completed a single magic circle .

“I don’t need to call a complete form from the beginning . It is enough to finish it after the calling . It isn’t difficult to call an avatar if I use the souls gathered from Lairon and the body of Baldur . ”

The altar of sacrifices was surrounded by a magic circle of an ominous color .  On the left was a soul gem . It was a crystal ball made from the 10 million souls that had been stolen by the great magic circle in Lairon . Judging by its value, the volume would remain even if he called several high-ranking demons .

However, there was an even more valuable offering on the right .  It was Baldur’s body . Surrounded by a brilliant light, his remains didn’t allow the human eye to look at it . Jerem could only confirm the outline, and the Four Horsemen didn’t even dare face it . Baldur was a god who represented light, the antithesis of warlocks .

Therefore, the presence of darkness couldn’t help being attracted to this prey .

“「 Eater of the world tree, king of Nastrond . 」”

The magic circle, which had been drawn with the blood of thousands, flashed red . As soon as the chanting began, the darkness in the underground area started to wriggle as if it had gained life . It was proof that the wall separating the material world and Nastrond was collapsing .

“「 You are the one who scoffs at all deaths, who sits down on the field of those killed at the end of the world . 」”

The taboo history from the end of the Age of Mythology flowed out, and the magic circle emitted red light like it was responding .  It was the eye of Nídhöggur, Nastrond’s king . The gaze penetrated through the wall of the dimension and reached Jerem .

-Did you call this body, Follower?

Terror flooded in . As soon as he received that gaze, Jerem forgot his position as a transcendent and became terrified .  Nídhöggur was a king of monsters who could kill him with one finger . . .  Jerem had contracted with Nídhöggur to obtain the mighty power . However, it was inevitable for him to feel fear due to the difference between them .  Jerem barely controlled the shaking of his voice and opened his mouth, “Your strength is required . Receive the offering I brought, and let me borrow your power . ”

-Hoh? Nídhöggur first looked at the soul gem with disinterested eyes, but he then looked at Baldur’s body with intrigue . It was the body of a god from the Age of Mythology . He might already be dead, but Baldur’s fame had spread throughout the world .

Needless to say, Nídhöggur accepted it . -Okay, tell me your desire .  In the name of this Nídhöggur, I will grant you strength corresponding to the sacrifices offered .

Simultaneously, the two sacrifices on the altar were sucked into the dark abyss . It meant they had become the possessions of Nídhöggur, the ruler of Nastrond . Subsequently, Jerem’s desire was conveyed to Nídhöggur .

-Yggdrasil, how interesting .  In the Age of Mythology, many wanted to take it . But in the end, it was burned without entering anyone’s hands .  Desire filled the eyes of the wicked dragon . -Indeed, this is entertainment after a long time .  Follower, I’ll match your trick .  This time, I will take that seedling .

“Thank you, great dragon . ”

-On the day that this body swallows Yggdrasil, I will give you a piece of Niflheim’s territory .

Jerem grinned, and Nídhöggur opened his mouth .  Magic couldn’t surpass the walls of the dimension . Jerem thought this at first . Crossing the walls of the dimension wasn’t a feat allowed to a 9th circle warlock, even when his body was complete .

However, this was just a mere nuisance to Nídhöggur .

――――――――――――――!!!

An odor of death spread out, and the dragon roared .

*     *     *

Simultaneously, Theodore’s group finished their first task after the conversation in the cabin . It was to settle Veronica’s matter that Titania had pointed out . The ward was completed faster than expected, and Veronica’s mana calmed down .

“ . . . Tch . ” Still, Veronica’s complaints couldn’t be stopped .

“Well done . There is no magic power coming from her . ” Titania nodded as she looked at the ward Theodore had made .  

There was no problem if it couldn’t be felt with the senses of a high elf . No fires made it through the ward . However, Veronica was unhappy about the situation and muttered to Titania, “You don’t have to act so arrogantly with Theo!”

“ . . . ?” Titania didn’t understand the meaning of the words and turned away with no response . Of course, her indifferent attitude made Veronica even more infuriated .

“I’ll be right back . Please wait, even if it is boring . ” Theodore tried to calm Veronica, then he followed after Titania . He had visited Elvenheim once before, but most places were still unfamiliar to him . Titania, who was walking ahead, looked back at her and said, “Let’s go higher . It is more efficient to explain each zone from a high altitude . ”

“I will . ”

The two people exchanged words and flew into the air .  Theodore used flying magic, while Titania relied on the ancient elemental, Geros . As Theodore rose slowly in the air, he listened to the voice coming from above him . Titania’s voice was mixed with the wind as she said, “I want to ask you something . ”

She hesitated for a moment before asking softly, “Is my tone that arrogant?”

“ . . . Huh?”

“I didn’t speak with honorifics the first time we met . I don’t have any bad feelings towards you and don’t want to make you uncomfortable . If you have any complaints, tell me without worrying . ”

Theodore looked up at her with a subtle expression, then he realized that Titania was wearing a skirt and looked away .  This was the disadvantage of flying magic .  However, Titania seemed to think his silence was an answer and sighed .  She spoke in a tone that was still stiff but carried some of her own troubles . “I respect you even if I don’t use honorifics . You are the benefactor of Elvenheim . I’m not haughty or stupid enough to not admit them . If there is a problem . . . Yes, think of it as me lacking social interaction . ”

“Okay, I understand your point . ” He accepted her words but pointed out one thing . “Then you should fix something first . ”

“What is it?”

“My name isn’t ‘you’ . ”

Titania looked down at him with surprise and smiled bitterly . It was only a slight smile, but it was the first time Theodore had seen it .

“ . . . Indeed . Theodore, should I call you this?”

“Yes, I will also call you Titania . ”

“This is a monumental day . Aside from the high elves and Master, you are the first one to call my name . ”

The atmosphere improved as both of them continued to fly in the sky .

After a few kilometers, Titania and Theodore crossed the clouds and landed on one of the branches of the world tree . They flew for a few minutes and couldn’t even fly halfway up the world tree . Of course, they could go further up, but it would be counterproductive to their goal of understanding the different areas in the Great Forest .

‘The scenery is spectacular . If this was opened as a tourist destination, many people would pay gold to see it . ’

However, it was unlikely that would ever happen . Theodore was smiling when Titania called out to him .

“Theodore . ”

“Ah, did you want to explain something?”

“No, I remembered that I have to give you something . ”

“Huh?”

The wind was strong . Against the backdrop of the huge tree, the wind blew Titania’s hair and white fur clothing . Then she pulled out a book from inside her clothing . Theodore’s eyes shook as he saw the book’s cover .

“Master asked me to give this to Theodore . ”

“Hah . . . ” Theodore laughed involuntarily and received the book from Titania . The book’s cover was so worn down that it was impossible to know when it was written .

‘It makes me realize that he truly isn’t human . ’

Theodore’s trembling fingers touched the characters on the title, [Deeper Theories about Elementals] .

The Introduction to Elemental Magic II that Theodore bought a few years ago at the auction house had raised his understanding of magic and elementals, but he hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Myrdal again . It was the original copy of the book Myrdal had written, but a fragment of his soul hadn’t remained in it .  

However, what about this book that had been written before Theodore was born?

“ . . . Sigh . ” Theodore took a deep breath to calm his agitation and a place a hand on the sage’s book .

‘Appraisal . ’