Book Eater

This was a question that couldn’t be answered a few decades ago.

At that time, the northern continental powers were busy fighting each other. Countries in the central part of the continent were also in the midst of a behind-the scenes battle centered around the Lairon religion. And as if that wasn’t enough, it wasn’t even clear if Elvenheim existed. Therefore, it could be said that the entire West Continent was chaos.

However, everyone living in this current era now had an answer to the question.

Meltor had brought Andras down to a kingdom and became the leader of the Alliance of Trinity. It was now the undisputed powerhouse.

Thus the true golden age of the magic empire had begun.

There were two main pillars in the Meltor Empire.

One of them was naturally the imperial family and its officials, led by the first emperor, King Kurt III. With the support of the four great magic towers, Kurt greatly reduced the power of the old nobles and devoted himself to stabilizing the nation with the absolute imperial power in his hands.

Perhaps it was this method of reigning paying off, but Meltor suffered no major problems despite its territory and population more than doubling in a short period of time.

Kurt’s accomplishments were extraordinary, but the role of the four great magic towers, the second pillar, was much more than just support for the first pillar.

They were the helmsmen of civilization.

Using the benefits and resources they had as a victorious nation, they led the entirety of human civilization to the next level! It was thanks to the guidance of Theodore, who had become the leader of the towers, that this became their role. Even the initially confused magicians embraced this role.

The wars that had lasted for hundreds of years were over and magicians no longer needed to be effective killing machines.

As such, research and budgets for combat purposes were diverted to a more productive direction. New developments in industry, architecture, sanitation and health care were literally dazzling.

Ideas, thesis, and talents that had been buried due to the constant wars finally were allowed to sprout in this peaceful era.

But even despite all of it, there were still those who stood at the forefront of the transformation.

“We will now begin the 50th general assembly of the magic towers.”

Sylvia spoke while acting as the host as usual.

Sitting around a huge round table with a diameter of 10 meters were four participants.

Blue Tower Master Sylvia.

Red Tower Master Veronica.

White Tower Master William.

Director of the Magic Engineering Research Institute, Paragranum.

Aside from the vacant seat of the tower leader, the seat of the Yellow Tower Master was also empty, but that was expected.

Veronica grumbled when she saw it.

“Hey, why don’t you just put that chair away? Everyone here knows who you are, right?”

William turned his head with a trembling expression at the words.

His gaze naturally shifted to Paragranum. There was a fact that he learned only after becoming the White Tower Master:

The alchemy grimoire, Paragranum, was just a homunculus in the appearance of a girl.

Her main body was a grimoire that only appeared in the history books a few times. When he first heard this fact, he realized why Orta left to do farming which didn’t match him.

Receiving his gaze, Paragranum answered quietly.

“It isn’t like it will be vacant forever. It doesn’t matter if we leave it alone.”

“You are going to give up the position of Yellow Tower Master?”

“That’s right. There is more and more work to be done in the institute. It is impossible for me to be the head of the research institute and a tower master at the same time.”

This was definitely true.

She was able to work without a single day off because she was a grimoire, yet if she was saying such words, it meant that she couldn’t handle the tower even if there were ten extra people in her human body.

Sylvia took it seriously and nodded.

“I understand. Let’s find the right person to be the Yellow Tower Master.”

“Yes, please.”

“Then I will start the first agenda.”

Sylvia picked up a thick stack of papers.

Among the many agenda items, these were topics that required the tower masters to take action. Even after filtering it out a few times, there were still so many suggestions.

Three pairs of eyes focused on her lips.

“The first agenda is the issue of road maintenance. It is said that roads through rough terrain such as the Nadun Mountains are constantly being damaged. It is steadily happening even though the monsters in the area have been defeated a few times.”

Veronica raised a hand and asked.

“Is it possible that the subjugation of monsters was incomplete?”

“The war magicians who participated in the subjugation denied it. They burned down the nests and searched a 20 kilometer radius.”

“That is thorough. They did that and the monsters still reappeared?”

“Yes. Moreover, the second subjugation team didn’t find many monsters.”

The damage continued even though the monsters near the roads had disappeared.

As the three tower masters were troubled over this matter, the quietly listening Paragranum opened her mouth.

“What about the possibility of a worm living there?”

“Worm...? Do you mean a sandworm?”

“It is a bit different from that.”

Paragranum paused for a beat, as if choosing her words. Then she explained.

“The sandworm is a typical example but there are also subspecies that aren’t well-known due to only a handful of sightings. I think they appear once or twice a century?”

“Get to the point.”

“A rock eater or an ore chaser.”

Rock eater and ore chaser.

Unlike sandworms, which could only penetrate sand, they were monsters that could even break through rocks and swim in the ground. In addition, rocks and ores were prey to them.

They would drool over the alchemy paved roads.

Above all, their nests often were underground around the mantle area. Therefore, it would be difficult for the current subjugation team to find them.

Veronica let out a short sigh and muttered, “...We need to change the composition of the subjugation team.”

“That is also my judgment.”

William agreed and then added a few words.

“We need an earth magician who can follow the traces of the worms as well as a battle magician with excellent destructive power to accompany them.”

“Our fools will love it. They complain that it is hard to find monsters to fight these days.”

“I will also issue a recruitment notice to the yellow tower. Some rewards need to be given.”

Sylvia collected the opinions of the tower masters, wrote a few lines of answers on the document, and put it to the left. Then she pulled out the next agenda.

If they went as quickly as possible, it would only take three or four days.

She had hosted 49 times already and was used to it.

“The second issue is about the airfields for the airships. It is difficult to find a suitable place due to the free space and environmental conditions required for take-off and landing.”

“Eh? If this is about the airfields, aren’t there four under construction?”

“The initial plan was 20.”

Veronica was speechless as Paragranum explained the reason in a low voice.

“The natural environment of the north is so bad. Except for farmland, flat land itself is rare. Furthermore, the wind and rain are strong and weather changes are severe. Small airships are likely to have accidents.”

“What if magic is used to control the atmospheric pressure around the airfield?’

“It isn’t known what effect that will have on the magic mechanisms of the airship.”

“This...”

It was a difficult problem. Of course, everyone would be solved if Theodore stepped forward and set up a magic circle, but that was truly the last resort.

The four tower masters put their heads together and thought for a moment.

To their surprise, it was Veronica who solved the problem.

“Wait, flat land is rare except for farmland?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

“Then why don’t we just make more flat lands?”

“...Huh?”

It wasn’t known if it was due to a change in ideas or a reversal of ideas, but even Paragranum’s eyes widened.

Meanwhile, Veronica continued to explain like it wasn’t a big deal.

“As far as I know, the Eastern Canyon is left alone because it can’t be used for farming and the ore veins are dry. Can’t we just blow up a useless hill or mountain and build an airfield?”

“...U-Uh?”

“...Isn’t that ridiculous?”

“Hoh.”

Paragranum understood the idea before anyone else and affirmed it.

“It is radical, but it isn’t a bad idea. It is a valid method.”

“Right?”

“However, the tower masters must act since it requires power strong enough to change the terrain. It is still a bit too much for the White Tower Master.”

Sylvia didn’t say it but it was hard for ice magic to produce enough destructive power to change the terrain.

This meant there was only one suitable candidate.

Veronica laughed and formed fists.

“Yes, the person who gave the opinion should go and do this!”

“Sigh. Then I’ll ask Para to choose the location.”

“I understand.”

The second proposal ended up with an unexpected solution.

As Sylvia was picking up the document for the next agenda, she unknowingly muttered a name that came to mind when she heard about the airships.

“...Theo.”

Veronica didn’t miss this little sound.

“Theo? Ah! Come to think of it, he went for a ride on the airship, right?”

Following her words, Paragranum and William also spoke.

“Was it a test drive today? I forgot.”

“He has probably left the airfield by now.”

The subject of Theodore was brought up. The tower masters thought of him, who wasn’t here right now.

The first test flight of the airship from the West Continent to the East Continent.

Coincidentally, Theodore just happened to have something to do in the East Continent.

That man should be flying above the clouds by now.

* * *

An altitude of 15,000 meters, the stratosphere, was a space where human beings weren’t allowed to live.

It was a place where clouds and weather phenomena floated under his feet. A heavenly landscape that mortals had dreamed about since time immemorial was before him.

The clouds that spread all the way to the horizon looked soft, as if they would warmly embrace the person who jumped on them. Of course, that softness would end up becoming a dizzying fall as soon as a person was embraced.

Still, it was inevitable that one would think about it once.

‘Well, I’m not a child any longer.’

Theodore stood before the railing of the airship and looked down at the clouds, smiling lightly. The scenery in the sky was so beautiful that even he, who had taken one step into the truth of the world, fell into a brief daydream.

Theodore took a few steps back, closed his eyes, and the entire airship that he was riding filled his senses.

The hull for a round trip between the two continents was huge. The 150 meter long body was covered lavishly with a special metal. The magicians riding in the cockpit and engine compartment were superior-class elites.

Also, their role wasn’t just to protect this ship.

‘I was expecting it, but it is still a bit of a shame. It will take another 50 years.’

Even with the help of science and technology, it was impossible to fly a hull of this magnitude without the help of a magician.

This was a ship that flew in the sky with a magician engine and magician helmsmans.

This was the limit of the airship that took 20 years to complete.

“...It is okay.”

At this level, it was still a fairly rapid development.

If they had tried to launch an airship like this with only engineering and no magic, it might’ve taken several more centuries.

Theodore paused for a moment to praise the achievement of humanity.

At this moment—

“Brother!”

A familiar voice came from behind him and his eyes widened.

“Dongil.”

“Yes, Brother! Thank you for allowing me to ride it!”

Baek Dongil, who was wearing the red robe of a magician of the red tower, bowed to him. He might be a junior brother, but the test run of this airship was top secret within the magic towers. It was purely because of Theodore that he was allowed to board.

Theodore just smiled slightly and shook his head.

“No. It has been a long time, so I wanted to let you and the Baek family visit your hometown.”

“Brother...!”

Baek Dongil was overcome with emotion and had tears in his eyes.

As he said, Baek Dongil didn’t come alone.

His father, Baek Jongmyung, had been missing the Western Xia due to his old age. As such, he was also in the cabin of the airship.

But he was anxious about flying so he stayed in his room.

However, there was another companion on the airship in addition to them.

“Ohh! As expected, humans are amazing. It was only yesterday that I was on a ferry, but now I am standing on an airship!”

She was 190 cm tall and had slender limbs.

The beautiful woman whose dignity surpassed her beautiful appearance approached from a distance and giggled.

She was one of the two spirit bosses of the Baekun Mountains.

It was Tiger King.

“So we are going to meet Seol on this ship, right?”

“We need to wait until we reach the East Continent?”

“Okay! I have one more story to tell you!”

She smiled and put an arm around Theodore’s shoulder. Then, she suddenly nuzzled her sharp nose into his hair.

Did she smell anything?

Tiger King let out a strange laugh and whispered softly to him.

“Hmm? There is one more type of smell coming from you?”

“...It isn’t anything to be hidden, but don’t go around talking about it.”

“Ahahaha! Of course, a hero being lascivious isn’t a big deal!”

Tiger King laughed it off and disappeared somewhere. Sighing, Theodore looked around the ship. It was the first operation of the airship and there were many things to take care of.

Was flying at an altitude of 15,000 meters smooth?

‘The atmospheric control magic works well. There aren’t any air pressure problems. There were no special issues during take-off.’

It was hard for ordinary people to breathe if they rose to the stratosphere thus magic circles were laid on the hull to prevent this.

There was magic to push out the clouds during take-off and magic that deflected any lightning strikes.

Most problems were anticipated and prepared for in advance.

However, Theodore soon had no choice but to smile bitterly.

Kieeeeeek!

Screams echoed from kilometers away. The shrill noise was never human.

He needed to add one more thing to the airship.

‘Add facilities to prevent or defend against attacks by flying monsters.’

As Theodore sorted out his thoughts, the world’s unluckiest wyvern attacked the airship.