Book Eater

Chapter 377: Through Adversity and Towards the Stars (1)

The breeze at dawn on the Baekun Mountains was quite cool, ruffling the dewdrops on the shrubs. The mountaintop was so high that the morning sun reached it late, since it was often swallowed by clouds. The fog was like a tide of calm waves as it covered the windows of the Fairy Dance Lee Family home.

“... Um.”

The cool breeze caressed the face of the man sleeping serenely on the bed. He looked young, but his face held the marks of a responsibility beyond his years. Black hair, white skin, and symmetrical features created an almost scholarly look to him. Theodore Miller was the world’s strongest magician and only transcendent.

It is morning.

Theo opened his eyes and slowly got to his feet.

“Ah.”

He winced at a sudden throbbing in his chest. He was almost recovered, but the aftereffects of the fight still remained. Theo looked down at his hands with a bitter smile. The Eight Jade Magatamas had been broken, the Heavenly Sword had lost its sharp blade, and two artifacts had been used as consumable items. He had also almost lost an arm. If he had fought the heavenly demon without preparing, the winner and loser might’ve changed.

Suddenly, a thought came to Theo’s mind, and he called out to Gluttony, “Hey Gluttony.”

- What is it?

“I forgot that I had something to ask you.”

When he had been about to lose his left arm to the heavenly demon, Theo had been ready to cut off his arm as a last resort. The situation had been so urgent that he hadn’t thought about it, but didn’t his left arm contain Gluttony?

Gluttony heard Theo’s unasked question.

- The question is sillier than I expected, User. If the contract could be canceled because the connection was cut off, how many people in this world would be afraid of grimoires? If that was the case, I would take one eye and one arm.

“Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy. You are right.”

- I have a contract with User, not User’s left arm. It was just convenient to set the connection point at that location. If you had cut off your left hand, I would just set the connection point on your right arm instead.?

Theo nodded. “I’m glad.”

- Um?

“If this is the case, then I don’t have to put a gauntlet on my left arm?”

- ... That’s right.

Theo looked at his left arm with a lighter expression. The skin that had been charred to his elbow had mostly returned to its original appearance. Seimei had also left a Sanskrit word carved in black. After the suicide spell, the heavenly demon had lost more than eighty percent of his strength, but the force that Seimei had sealed into him was still considerable.

Seven types of sacred creature abilities, five types of different powers. There were more than a hundred types of magic, shamanism, and so on... It is hard to believe this is only twenty percent. It will take me a hundred years to consume it all.

There was very little room to grow after Theo had become a transcendent, but now he had something new to study. It was a massive gain, but the true boon was the Absorption Star Method. It was the ability to disassemble all entities he made contact with into its smallest constituent forms and absorb that power. This had been the power which raised the newly born heavenly demon to the level of a demon king.

“... I could turn into a demon king if I make a mistake, but it isn’t a useless ability.”

In particular, Theo needed to be alert. There was a possibility that the management authority of the material world and the Absorption Star Method would collide with each other in his body because it was a power that could make him the enemy of the world. He would explode on the spot, even though he was a transcendent.

“Damn, I have bad luck this morning.”

Theo shook off his imagination and changed his clothes. Then he felt someone approaching the door.

“Taishang, you are awake.”

The number two person of the Fairy Dance Lee Family, Lee Joonyoung, greeted him with a respectful new title. Lee Joonyoung had been renowned as a genius and had worked hard to become a master using Theo’s teachings.

Theo straightened his clothes and opened the door, “You could have sent a subordinate rather than coming yourself.”

“I wanted to see to Taishang directly. I can’t neglect you.”

“Isn’t it too much for someone who is almost a lord in name?” He playfully asked Lee Joonyoung, who shook his head stiffly.

“Nobody in the family would think so.” Lee Joonyoung wasn’t particularly humorous.

Theo laughed without saying anything else. It was because Lee Joonyoung was such a person that Theo could entrust Lee Seol to him. He knew grace and didn’t hesitate to be polite. The East Continent didn’t have knights, but his chivalrous nature was no different to a knight’s.

Lee Joonyoung smiled and bowed. “If you’re ready, please let me guide you.”

Theo knew the structure of the mansion just as well, but he didn’t say anything. It was time to meet the leaders of this war.

***

“Theo!”

As soon as he entered the dining room, a woman called out, and the heads of everyone present turned toward him. Theodore Miller had nearly singlehandedly overthrown the catastrophe that had threatened the East Continent and exercised the greatest rights over the empty territories. He was a person who couldn’t help attracting attention.

“Did you sleep well, Becky? And...”

Theo hugged Veronica and looked around. White Tower Master Orta was wearing his usual white mask. Lee Seol was sitting on a chair and waved. There were also the two representatives of Japan, Suzuka and Nobutsuna. Then finally, he saw a miserable looking woman whose body was bandaged.

“A-Aquilo?”

“... Boy.”

A long bandage was wrapped around her torso, and her right arm was in a splint. Who would imagine seeing the evil dragon of the sea like this? Her beautiful face looked no different than before, but the paleness to her complexion meant that the injury was pretty serious and couldn’t be repaired with her natural recovery ability. Considering how long it had been since the injury, she must’ve been in great danger in its immediate aftermath.

“How did you get hurt?” Theo couldn’t help being angry on her behalf.

Meanwhile, Veronica answered for Aquilo, “Theo killed it.”

“Huh?”

“The tiger that came after me attacked her first. It was a serious injury since she was in a human body.”

King Hodae had been the variant who rode the wind and fought with Veronica in her draconic state. No matter how strong she was, Aquilo hadn’t been able to stand against him in her human body. She had received a surprise attack from King Hodae on the way to Hyungkang Castle.

... Moving while avoiding the eyes of the variants. I should’ve told her to fly in the distant sky.

It was also fortunate in some ways. Encountering King Hodae and suffering a serious injury meant she had avoided meeting Lust. Aquilo would’ve suffered quite a bit if she had been present. Theo felt sorry for the evil dragon and reached out a hand.

「 Full Recovery. 」

White light shone from Theo and wrapped around Aquilo. When the light faded, Theo pulled the splint off her arm.

“Ah, wait...”

The bandages were removed before the confused Aquilo could stop him.

“Ohh, it’s okay now? As expected of Theo. You fixed her.”

“What?” Aquilo froze before conjuring a water mirror in the air. When she saw her smooth skin and color back, she immediately threw herself around Theo. She was ecstatic when the shock of her defeat and the pain of her wounds were removed.

“Boy, I love you!”

Veronica’s eyes burst into flames. “Hey, this woman! Who is in front of you right now?”

Aquilo glanced slyly over her shoulder. “Oh, my. Can’t you sense the atmosphere, halfling?”

Veronica raged. “You are the one who can’t read the atmosphere!”

“How many days do you want me to say thanks for? Do you have no conscience? You would’ve been in big trouble if it wasn’t for me!”

“Have you forgotten that I saved you? You are the one who needed defending!”

As soon as they got better, they started squabbling. It seemed like they were half joking and were unlikely to get to blows, so Theo took his seat. The meal began, and the story unfolded with the sound of tableware.

“I’ll report first,” Orta said as he organized the documents. “The number of variants is declining every day. It is estimated that fifteen percent of the total population of the empire is still alive. Our troops and those of Japan have cleaned up three areas, but the empire has already collapsed.”

Theo frowned. “Has it become an ownerless territory?”

“Yes. The north and south still haven’t figured out the situation and are defending their borders, but Western Xia is already showing signs of mobilizing a large army. They will soon cross the western border.”

Theo ate a spoonful of eggs and asked, “The variants in the west of the empire haven’t been cleaned up yet?”

Orta nodded. “That is why I would like to make one suggestion.”

Theo agreed. “I will give you permission to delay the subjugation of the variants in the west. Focus on protecting the survivors of that area. You don’t need to do the job of Western Xia.”

“Yes, I will do as Chief Tower Master says.”

It was obvious what would happen to the East Continent once the supreme empire of the East disappeared. The greatest nation on the East Continent had fallen, so the coming era would be one for battling over territory and resources. It was clear that the countries who had been suppressed by the empire, from the Bukhae Kingdom in the North Sea where there was almost no agricultural land, to the people of Western Xia who held a long grudge due to the tributes would gather their soldiers to invade.

It wasn’t a big deal for Theo, but the majority of refugees were likely to be slaughtered or become slaves.

I didn’t defeat Lust to see this happen.

Even if he couldn’t completely replace the empty seat of the empire, he needed an organization to fill the gap. Thankfully, he had a particular organization in mind for a while.

“Sir Nobutsuna.”

“Yes, Lord Savior.”

In this situation, Nobutsuna was more suitable for dialogue than Suzuka, who had no experience with politics. He soon understood Theo’s intent and opened his mouth, “Japan will treat the refugees of the former empire as if they are our own people. We will consolidate twenty to thirty percent of the old territory at the border.”

Theo nodded. “I will give you time to discuss it with the officials. Choose someone appropriate to deal with it and send them to me.”

Suzuka added. “As you wish! I will make sure they aren’t too greedy.”

Theo looked back at Orta. Japan wouldn’t miss the chaos that would unfold either. Power was needed. Theo needed the strength of a nation, rather than the power of a transcendent. Meltor would be able to suppress three countries alone with their military prowess.

“White Tower Master. Meltor’s base will be in the Baekun Mountains, and we will follow the laws of the Fairy Dance Lee Family as they are the rulers of this area. It will work much better than the words of foreigners from another continent.”

Orta inclined his head. “I will keep that in mind.”

They would need to hammer out the details over the next few weeks, but Theo had said all he needed to here. He put down his empty bowl and turned to appreciate the scenery outside the window. No, the moment he turned his head…

“Chief Tower Master.” Despite business having concluded, Orta had something else to say.

Theo turned back to him. “Yes?”

Orta replied, “His Majesty asked me to deliver a message to you.”

“His Majesty?” Theo was surprised.

Orta smiled through his mask. “Meltor managed to occupy territory that is almost the size of a country in the East Continent without a war. The land is also rich in resources and farmland. Most of this achievement is due to Chief Tower Master.”

“... I had no choice about it. What do you have to say?” Theo frowned. There was no need to repeat the story.

Orta cut to the chase. “It is a simple evaluation of a meritorious deed. His Majesty made a suggestion.”

“Suggestion?”

“Chief Tower Master has a title that usually comes with land. This means you have the right to have a manor. However, His Majesty can’t make Chief Tower Master a duke when you deserve more than a dukedom. Therefore, he had a good idea.”

The conclusion was simple, and Theo realized it immediately. “A royal duke.”

Orta disregarded Theo’s stiff expression and kept talking, “Chief Tower Master, His Majesty has said that he will raise you to the position of royal duke. If you wish, you can be called a royal duke, and the Miller family will be raised to a royal household.”