Book Eater

Chapter 211: Upcoming Battle (2)

“Brother!”

Theo had guessed correctly. Baek Dongil was waiting for him in the central tower of the Magic Society, which held all of its administration. Although Baek Dongil looked a little more mature, he still had the same black hair and sweet eyes. The shine in his eyes was no different from the one in Theo’s memories.

Theo greeted Baek Dongil with a smile, “It has been a while, Dongil.”

“Yes, Brother! Have you been well?”

Baek Dongil seemed to have learned western etiquette; he had definitely matured. His head reached Theo’s shoulders, and Theo could see a faint fuzz on his chin. It was evident that this boy was becoming a young man. It seemed like just yesterday that they had met in the Soldun Kingdom, but time was like a flying arrow which never looked back.

That was not the only change. Theo could see that after discarding the three dan method, Baek Dongil had mastered three Circles. It was remarkable progress, even if Baek Dongil’s talent was excellent.

This is a tremendous development in a short amount of time. It’s not a level that can be achieved with just talent. It seems like he barely slept.

A blank slate was easiest to teach. However, Baek Dongil had started off using the wrong method, so he needed to unlearn old habits from shamanism as well as absorb new information. He had to put in twice as much work to understand magic theory.

A great maestro had once said that it was easier to teach a beginner than a master. Despite such adverse conditions, Baek Dongil had achieved stellar results. It had only been a short relationship, but it was a fulfilling achievement for Theo who had once taught him.

“You have improved a lot. I thought it would take a year, but you have already mastered three Circles?”

“I am still lacking, Brother.”

“There is no fault in your spoken common language except for pronunciation, and you have managed to come here in less than half a year. Well done.”

“B-Brother.” Baek Dongil flushed at the blunt praise. He had been born to a family of prestigious warriors, yet he had no talent and couldn’t learn aura. This was his first time being acknowledged and praised. Baek Dongil bowed his head to cover his burning eyes. Theo understood his feelings and turned around first.

“You’ve just arrived, so you don’t know the way, do you? Let’s go to my room.”

“... Yes, Brother.”

“Let me hear your story on the way up. I am very curious if Master Baek is doing well.”

“Yes, I will do so,” Baek Dongil responded loudly as he secretly wiped his tears with his sleeves and followed Theo. “Last month, Father was named a marquis by the Soldun royal family. He was going to start as an earl, but the crown prince helped my father a lot.”

“Indeed, he received the position of marquis after naturalization.”

Nobles couldn’t exert great power in Meltor, even if they were a marquis. However, in other countries, a marquis would be granted a division of knights, troops, and several territories. They were essentially kings of a small country. At most, an earl could only lead a thousand soldiers. Yet a foreigner had managed to climb up to the position of marquis.

But only a few people have the guts to confront a master. The complaints will keep accumulating until they explode...

The prince who had naturalized Baek Jongmyung would be held responsible for all of this. Theo recalled the prince he had once met. Why had he taken up this political thorn basket so soon?

Perhaps...?

Perhaps Crown Prince Elsid was in the middle of a civil war! At that point, accumulating military power would be the right choice. There was a large difference in the amount of military power a marquis could bring to the field as opposed to an earl.

Political weakness would become meaningless. Once a civil war began, only the winner would decide right and wrong.

So, the reason Dongil was sent to Meltor now.. is probably to protect him until the end of the civil war. I don’t know if it was Master Baek or the prince’s idea, but they have a good head.

Even if the entire Central Continent were at odds, the north wouldn’t be affected. No country’s blade could reach Baek Dongil here, at the center of Manavil. Any hostility toward Baek Dongil would be a declaration against Theodore Miller, who was regarded as a hero.

The promise of the past had become Baek Dongil’s shield.

Well, the party involved doesn’t seem to know.

Theo couldn’t find any signs on Baek Dongil’s face, who was still sniffling. Moreover, it wasn’t easy to deceive Theo, whose senses had become sharper since Mitra’s flowering. As they walked through the corridor, Theo wondered how he should treat Baek Dongil. He came to a conclusion more easily than he’d thought he would.

“Dongil.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“You don’t have to give me a definite answer, but... do you want to become a fellow disciple of my master?”

“... Huh?” Baek Dongil looked surprised.

Meanwhile, Theo thought about his decision. He had no time to teach Dongil, so that was out of the question. He also had responsibilities as the captain of Quattro. Most of all, Theo didn’t have a knack for teaching. It might be due to his habit of studying alone at the academy’s library, or maybe his mind was just too sharp.

I don’t know how to make other people understand.

It was a story from before he’d met Gluttony. The professors had ignored him due to his low sensitivity, and the students had hated to even study with him. He had always needed to think and realize things alone. Thus, Theo’s thinking abilities had developed in a peculiar direction.

Theo could find answers to his own questions, but he couldn’t sympathize with the questions that others had. Therefore, Theo thought about asking his master, Vince Haidel, to play the role of mentor.

I remember a story Master once told me.

Vince had no idea what he would soon be asked, but he would enthusiastically accept. Every magician would love a student with Theo’s talent and sincerity.

However, Baek Dongil’s eyes turned red. “I will be Brother’s junior disciple?”

“If you don’t want to, I can suggest other people-”

“N-No! Absolutely not! I will become your junior disciple no matter what!”

“Y-Yes. Then I will tell him.” Theo faltered at the enthusiastic reaction.

However, Baek Dongil just smiled at him. “I will become a magician who won’t shame our sect!”

“U-Umm... magicians don’t really have the concept of a sect...”

“Ah, and Brother. Father told me to give this letter to you.”

“Letter?”

Baek Dongil nodded and pulled out an expensive looking envelope. The ‘Baek’ stamped on the envelope was probably a seal. Theo received the envelope with a puzzled expression and carefully pulled out the letter.

As he read through the letter, Theo’s face stiffened.

***

Elsewhere, Meltor’s most influential people were gathered for a meeting. The theme of the meeting was ‘measures and justifications to intervene in Soldun’s civil war.’

Soldun was closer to the south than the north. In order to dispatch troops from Meltor to Soldun, it would take a month by land. Even with the support of the White Tower, it would take more than a fortnight. However, it would be an unauthorized intrusion.

“Secretly dispatch a messenger!” Robert, the minister for the army, insisted. “Send an agent of the White Tower—no, the Tower Master should move directly to secretly contact the prince. If the nobles have joined hands with Lairon, Prince Elsid will be willing to accept our support!”

“No, that conclusion is too hasty.” On the other hand, the minister of foreign affairs refuted him. “We know that the intelligence of the White Tower is credible, but in Soldun’s case, there is a possibility of creating the misunderstanding of foreign interference. We have to wait for the Lairon Kingdom or Andras’ shadows to move.”

Robert clearly thought the minister of foreign affairs was being ridiculous. He pounded his chest and shouted, “It‘ll be too late by then! You don’t know how dangerous it is to be late to a battlefield!”

“Minister! You can’t ignore the department of foreign affairs!”

“You are being ridiculous! We are talking about Soldun’s civil war!”

Kurt was just watching instead of participating in the debate. It was fatal to be late for a war, but the minister of foreign affairs was correct that they shouldn’t be too hasty. Both sides were reasonable, so it was difficult to choose one.

As he pressed a hand to his temple, Kurt continued to think.

It is tricky. The nobles of Soldun have already contacted the Lairon government and set up a shadow agreement. The longer we delay contacting the crown prince, the more detrimental it becomes and our odds will fall under 2%.

The prince might’ve brought a sword master from the East, but Lairon’s special forces were strong. A single swordmaster couldn’t affect the situation too much. Elsid would lose. Still, the prince was unaware, and Andras would be watching carefully to tie Meltor’s hands.

Damn, this is a really irritating situation.

It was possible to send the White Tower Master to infiltrate, but the Andras Empire would probably send the empire’s Seven Swords to block the infiltration. That would inevitably lead to a battle, and everyone would be vigilant against the northern powers.

Andras was a close friend of the Lairon Kingdom, so they had nothing to lose. However, Meltor would suffer a big loss for nothing. It was at this moment that...

“Quattro’s Captain, Theodore Miller, has arrived!” The voices of the guards at the entrance suddenly rang out, causing everyone to fall silent. The value of Theo’s name had grown lately.

Veronica blinked from where she was guarding the throne and turned to the other Tower Masters.

Theo’s red robes flapped gently as he entered and said, “Your Majesty, I request an urgent meeting.”

“Urgent?”

Theo had the same authority as a Tower Master, so he could skip formalities if there was an urgent situation. However, that right was just a ceremonial privilege, so Kurt hasn’t expected Theo to use it. What was so urgent that a model student would skip the formalities?

Yet the heated atmosphere of the room cooled immediately at Theo’s next words, “A guest came to see me today, and I received a letter from him that I have to give to Your Majesty.”

“A letter?”

“Yes, the sender is...” Theo stopped for one beat before dropping a bomb on everyone. “Crown Prince Elsid of the Soldun Kingdom.”