Book Eater

Chapter 378: Through Adversity and Towards the Stars (2)

It was a truly shocking offer.

Royal duke! It was on the same level as a grand duke, but it meant something very different. A grand duke was a noble with great authority while a royal duke was literally a king. He wouldn’t be bound to Meltor Kingdom but would wear the crown as the master of an independent state in a hierarchical relationship with Meltor. Moreover, since all the territories in the East Continent would be recognized as his, it would be possible to build a kingdom that was larger than the Meltor Kingdom.

It was a temptation that ordinary people couldn’t turn away from.

“Hrmm.”

However, Theo thought about it clearly.

His Majesty knows... This isn’t an offer he would’ve thought of. Then the appointment of royal duke must be something that the nobles gathered together and petitioned for.

The loyalists in Meltor would have a fit, but it was Meltor that would lose out if he became a royal duke. Theo hadn’t lost his magic abilities, but he had a lot to deal with as Chief Tower Master. If he vacated his position, the work would accumulate in seconds and the necessary budget would have to increase. Additionally, the amount of money and labor required to establish a new kingdom was a totally different story compared to making a manor.

Meltor had just overcome a war and would be disturbed by financial difficulties again. The only ones to gain from a weakened kingdom were the corrupt officials.

... Well, it might be a suggestion for His Majesty to try and control me. He is a man who would weigh the gains and losses. Even if I accept the offer, he would’ve already prepared a backup method.

The stupid nobles hadn’t realized that while Kurt III was wise and genial, he wasn’t meek. Rather, he was a king who could be ruthless when needed. He had walked a bloody road since he was a child, so he knew how to draw a sword at any time. If Theo accepted the offer, it was obvious that Orta would squash all the relevant nobles when he returned.

“Hahat.” Theo thought this and looked ahead with a laugh. “You don’t need to listen to my answer, White Tower Master.”

Orta waited. “...”

“Do you need a pledge? I won’t become a royal duke. So, please speak with ease.”

“Sigh, of course. I will deliver it to His Majesty,” Orta sighed and smiled as he breathed out in relief. In retrospect, he shouldn’t have acted on the spur of the moment. Theo was a 9th Circle magician, a transcendent located in legends.

Ah...

As one of the few magicians who understood Theo’s position, Orta realized that it was meaningless for him to seek wealth and power. Of course, it didn’t mean that a transcendent was abstinent. It was just that the laws of society or providence of the human world weren’t valid for Theo.

What does a magician long for after achieving the 9th Circle?

If he wanted wealth, he could snatch it with force. If he wanted power, he could show off his strength. Orta’s experience battling transcendents had allowed him to see the truth clearly. To Theo, a nation and its army were just a bunch of weeds that could be wiped out at once. Only another transcendent could stand against him.

However, in the modern age, there was no longer anyone who could stop Theo.

“... Chief Tower Master,” Orta asked as a mortal, not a Tower Master, “What are you going to do now?”

He wasn’t simply asking about tomorrow’s schedule. Theo felt the weight of Orta’s words and looked up at the sky outside the window before replying, “I’m not sure.”

The boy who had shed sweat and tears in the academy’s library, wishing for a good reputation... He had dreamt of finding a beautiful girl and becoming a respectable magician. However, once all those wishes were fulfilled, the wish that remained was simple.

“I will love those who love me, use my strength to fulfill my responsibilities, live today like yesterday, and seek the truth as a magician.”

Some people might say that it was a waste. Why should he do nothing when he had the power to do anything? It was human nature to attain the things one desired with their own abilities. However, Theo would laugh at their stupidity.

A person who wielded their power just because they could was simply an idiot. There was no need for shallow and offensive desires. His desire was to pursue infinite wisdom by exploring the laws of the world, as well as to love his family and lovers and to keep his friends alive.

“Isn’t it luxurious enough?” Theo kept looking outside the window.

Once he heard Theo’s wishes, Orta almost felt like his whole body had been struck by lightning. Theo could put the whole world under his feet but didn’t covet any power. He valued his own bonds and didn’t want to be higher than anyone else. Instead, he smiled comfortably in the morning sun, which would be the same today and tomorrow.

‘I see.’ Orta understood why Kurt III hadn’t been very worried about Theo’s choice.

The man in front of Orta, Theodore Miller, was such a hero.

“Once again, I salute you. Chief Tower Master,” Orta said politely with a sincere heart.

He was someone with a quiet character, and the sincerity of a transcendent stirred him. Theo unintentionally settled the atmosphere and looked over with a strange expression.

...?

The morning in the Baekun Mountains started with silence.

***

“Theo!” After breakfast, Veronica laughed from where she was lying on Theo’s bed. “I’m really impressed. I knew you wouldn’t accept the proposal, but your words were so cool!”

“Eh? What?”

“I will love those who love me, use my strength to fulfill my responsibilities, live today like yesterday, and seek the truth as a magician? I should publish a book of Theo’s sayings one day!”

“T-That...” Theo’s face turned red, and he waved his hand.

He hadn’t felt it when he said those words, but he grew a bit embarrassed hearing them from someone else’s mouth. A quotation in a book? How would he endure the embarrassment if he later saw a book like Theodore Miller’s Book of Sayings in a bookstore?

Veronica pouted. “I can’t?”

“No.”

“Tch,” Veronica clicked her tongue at Theo’s stubbornness and switched topics. “By the way, Theo, putting aside Orta’s story, what’s your schedule like after returning home? Do you intend to return to the central tower where work has piled up as usual?”

Theo shook his head. “Well, I would like to take a break. Would you like to take a month off?”

“Really?” Veronica blushed at the thought of going on vacation and couldn’t hide her joy. No Red Tower magician would believe their eyes. They couldn’t imagine her gentle expression and trembling voice.

Ah, that reminds me.

Theo was reminded of something he had wanted to talk about but had forgotten after becoming too busy.

“Becky.”

“Hmm?”

“It might be a bit unexpected, but I’ve made you wait too long. When is the best time to schedule a wedding?”

“...” Veronica’s eyes widened at the words.

Some people might complain about Theo not being able to read the atmosphere since he talked about a wedding so casually. However, Veronica’s reaction was more violent than he’d imagined.

Hwaruruk!

Her red hair started burning, and the room filled with heat.

“Uwah, Becky! Becky? Veronica! Wake up!”

“―Ah.” Fortunately, Veronica regained her spirit and put out the flames. However, some black soot remained in a corner of the room. It was proof that the heat she emitted was attack magic. The red-faced Veronica remained silent as Theo erased the traces with a restoration spell.

“――――――!!!”

She couldn’t stop her thoughts from going wild.

Marriage, marriage! Now she wouldn’t be an old spinster! Some people might call her a cradle robber, but who cared! Theo asked her to marry him! If anyone interfered, she would burn them! Ah, how should she answer? She couldn’t speak or breathe. Ah, too embarrassing!

She was caught in a spiral until Theo put a hand on her shoulder. Veronica repeated high-level magic formulas repeatedly and barely managed to calm herself down but there was still a slight red blush to her cheeks. “W-We! Where should we go on our honeymoon?”

No, she just looked okay outwardly. She was still panicking.

Veronica finally jumped to her feet. “Waaaaah! I\'m embarrassed! Why am I taking it so seriously at this age? Theo, I\'m sorry but talk to me later! I’m not rejecting you. You can pick any date for the wedding...”

“W-Wait a minute. Becky?”

“N-Next time! The next time! I need to prepare my heart!”

Before Theo could nod, Veronica quickly flew out of the room.

Why is the topic of a wedding so stimulating?

A 9th Circle didn’t confer knowledge of everything in the world. After all, Theo was still in his twenties. He simply stared blankly at the rumpled sheets where Veronica had been moments ago.

「 Silence. 」

It was enough. The world killed all sound according to his will, and only Theo’s breathing was heard in the room. All sound was blocked from leaving or entering the invisible wall.

“Gluttony.”

It was a bit late due to his chat with Veronica, but Theo had originally returned to the room to have this conversation. His foresight was warning him that the moment he asked this question, an irreversible flow would be created. It wasn’t unhappiness or bad luck, but the inevitable law of causality. Even if he didn’t know about it, it wouldn’t pass him by.

To be unaware...

This feeling was a bit different. He felt that ignorance wouldn’t be good this time. It would not be much different from trying to cover the sky with his palm. If he ignored what was going to happen, he would delay the despair. However, it wasn’t a solution. So he woke Gluttony.

- ... Kung.

It seemed that Gluttony was unwilling to answer the question it knew Theo would ask.

“Gluttony.”

Theo had no choice but to ask clearly.

“Explain what Lust said. What is the destruction that will come soon?”

- ......

Gluttony was silent for a moment. It rarely expressed that it didn’t want to answer something. Nevertheless, Theo kept waiting. The nerves of the two beings filled the wall of silence before Gluttony eventually spoke.

- Maybe she was talking about Wrath.?

Gluttony said with a resigned and helpless tinge to its voice.

- She is talking about that damn chunk of metal that receives a signal when the majority of Seven Sins are evicted.

“Chunk of metal?”

- That’s right. I have been forbidden from talking about it until Wrath is activated, and it is impossible to reveal its existence. To be precise, I had forgotten about it until this point. I only remembered when Lust was destroyed.

The only Seven Sins remaining in this material world, Wrath... It was good to know about its existence, but that still didn’t answer Theo’s question. Why were the conditions regarding Wrath so restrictive?

- User.?

Gluttony didn’t answer the question directly.

- How much do you know about astronomy?

Theo frowned. “What? What are you talking about?”

- Do you know what a comet is?

Theo had learned about the concept of asteroids and meteorites after reading Paracelsus’ books. Gluttony saw Theo’s curiosity and started to explain with a long sigh.

- Humans might not know it, but there is a comet that circles the world at an observable point every a hundred and twenty years. In the Age of Mythology, this comet was called Deus, and there were a few religious groups who worshiped it as a destructive god with infinite power.

“So?”

- ... That comet is Wrath.

As Theo froze with an ominous hunch, Gluttony’s voice penetrated his flesh like a sharp blade.

- It is a weapon that waits on the outskirts of the stars to destroy the planet when the signal comes.

This was the Seven Sins whose purpose of existence was focused on destruction. Gluttony’s voice was rather dull as it added to its terrible explanation.

- We call it Planet Buster.