Book Eater

These were monsters that weren\'t well-known because their population was small compared to their danger level and because they were picky about their habitat. Like birds, they walked on two feet. They had claws that cut through rocks easily and scaly skin that even crossbows couldn’t piece. On top of that, their tail and fangs were venomous.

With the ability to fly over the clouds, a grown wyvern that was at least five meters long was a formidable threat.

For this reason, the magic towers treated wyverns as a level four hazardous monster. There was little chance of them causing a disaster, but they couldn’t be subdued with clumsy violence.

In addition, wyverns were group-type monsters. They moved with at least a double digit amount every time. This meant that a monster that could threaten even aura users in a 1:1 fight would come in waves.

It was an event that might happen only once in a century, but once it did, it required a few knight divisions to act.

That was definitely the case.

Truly, that should’ve been the case.

“Ha, hahaha...”

Edmund, a magician participating in the first test run of the airship, could only let out a fleeting laugh. He was a 5th circle magician of the White Tower. His career was outstanding for his age.

But because of his age, he was never active in the same era as Theodore.

At the end of all the wars, Edmund was only 15 years old. 17 years had passed since then and he was now 32 years old. The boy who had many dreams suddenly became a promising prospect for the next White Tower Master.

But today, he faced the first crushing moment of his life.

Just then, a wyvern fearlessly jumped into a lightning bolt net. In a matter of seconds, it turned into a charred lump of charcoal and fell.

The magic resistance of high-ranking monsters ended up being so meaningless.

4th circle magic could normally be deflected with a single flap of its wings, but, the caster was the strongest magician in the world. The lethal power of Chain Lightning, the lightning magic that Theodore added several modifications to, wasn’t at a level that the wyverns could withstand.

“Um.”

Theodore analyzed the results without much interest.

‘Very tenacious. They don’t burn easily and don’t flinch from the cold. It is also hard to say that lightning is a weakness.’

If Edmund heard his thoughts then he would’ve been at a loss for words.

This was already the fourth wave of wyvern attacks.

Each wave, Theodore had wiped out the groups of wyverns with magic of different attributes without even using a proper spell. He merely made a gesture like he was waving away a fly.

‘...Is this the magic of the chief tower master?’’

Edmund was also a magician so he could tell.

If the place where he reached was the mountainside, then Theodore was no different from the sun in the sky. It would’ve been better if he didn’t know, but he ended up seeing it with his clumsy talent.

This was a difference in competence that he didn’t even dare to challenge!

Even if he devoted his whole life to it, how many steps could he follow?

This was the moment that Edmund, who had never felt a lack of talent in his life to this day, learned about frustration.

Ignorant of Edmund’s thoughts, Theodore eventually found an answer.

“Now I have a clue.”

Against monsters like wyverns, magic attacks weren’t very effective.

It also wasn’t possible to place high-ranking magicians on airships that would eventually number not one, but dozens and eventually hundreds.

Therefore, it was best to equip the airship with anti-aircraft weapons.

‘The ballista... no, I would prefer the repeating crossbow of the east. If I engrave an enchantment on them that automatically casts guided magic...’

Against monsters with high magic resistance, physical attacks with secondary magic attached were more effective than pure magic.

In addition, several experiments had shown that the wyvern’s two wings were weak compared to the robustness of its body.

It was an unavoidable weakness of flying creatures.

It wasn’t known about the thick wing bones, but the skin could be pierced by arrows.

A rain of arrows combined with tracking magic would be the most disastrous thing they had ever experienced.

“Superior Edmund.”

Theodore completed the basic idea and turned his head.

“We’ll be arriving at Western Xia soon. Get ready to land. Prepare the personnel to land.”

“Yes, Chief Tower Master! I will do so!”

“Please.”

Theodore patted Edmund’s shoulder and descended the stairs from the deck to the cabin.

It was an airship that was attempting to move between continents, so its scale was large.

There were six floors from the deck to the bottom floor. The top three floors were all guest rooms, the lowest floor was the cargo room, and the middle levels were the control room and engine room.

Theodore’s destination was one of the guest rooms.

“Master Baek.”

He spoke and the door opened as if the person had been waiting.

“Haha! Sir Theodore!”

Baek Jongmyung, the middle-aged man who appeared behind the door, greeted Theodore with shining eyes. Just like any sword master, he had a strong physique. His beaked eyes shone as brightly as a child.

The head of the Baek Family forgot about the pains of his body and opened his mouth.

“Thank you so much for granting this shameless request! To be able to set foot again on the homeland I left behind...”

Unlike Baek Dongil, who had little yearn for Western Xia, Baek Dongil seemed to have sincere feelings.

Theodore replied with a few short words before looking out the window.

The one or two windows in each room were a great tourist attraction in and of itself. Everyone had been curious about what was among the clouds at one time or another.

But what he wanted to see right now wasn’t the sky.

“...I am starting to see it.”

“What?”

Baek Jongmyung was startled by the sudden noise and turned back to look at him.

“O-Ohhh....!”

He let out a groan that was hard to understand and his eyes turned red.

The outline might still be blurred, but a sword master’s eyesight could penetrate several kilometers.

The Western Xia.

The old home of the Baek Family was getting closer.

* * *

From the sky, a huge ship descended to the ground.

The people inside couldn’t tell, but watching the majesty of the flying airship descending from the outside was like watching a mountain literally falling.

Of course, that feeling of intimidation was just an illusion on the part of those watching.

Apart from the actual size of the airship, the illusion they felt was due to the fact that they had never seen a ship approaching from above them.

Gulp.

Someone couldn’t control their nerves and gulped, but no one could reprimand him. There were those who couldn’t raise their voices and even took several steps back.

Soon, the airship completely landed on the ground.

Thump.

The ground shook once, perhaps due to the enormous weight. But the bottom of the airship remained intact without a single scratch. It was thanks to the fact that the structure itself was strengthened due to the case of a possible collision.

Subsequently, a prefabricated staircase lowered from the upper part of the airship.

“Um...!”

Xu Wenhui, the king of the Western Xia kingdom, let out a sigh without knowing it.

It was because he recognized Theodore’s face, who walked down the stairs before anyone else.

He was the one who destroyed the middle kingdom which was once hailed as the immortal empire!

He was said to be able to turn the heavens and earth upside down with a single gesture of his hand. Theodore was a monster he had heard about over and over again from the previous king since he was a child.

The moment Theodore’s feet touched the ground, Xu Wenhui bowed his head with the utmost politeness.

“Little King Xu Wenhui is here to see the great master.”

It wasn’t the attitude a ruler of a country should have, but his subjects followed his example and prostrated themselves on the ground.

““I greet the great master!””

Unlike the young king, his subjects remembered that day.

It was the day that the former king lost the reckless war of conquest to the barbarians of the southern countries who formed an army of 200,000.

The southern people didn’t have a great desire to conquer, but the resentment of their king was carved into their bones and so they attacked. The army, which had been immersed in peace after being subjugated by the central plains, collapsed helplessly. The forces of the south were crushed all the way to the very front of the capital of the Western Xia kingdom.

At that moment, a great master appeared and blocked the 200,000 troops.

-This is the end of your blood retribution. If you want more bloodshed, I will be your opponent.

Of course, there were those who objected to the wild declaration.

The moment 200,000 barbarians gathered, they set up their own system and revealed their trump cards.

There were as many as five great warriors who reached the master’s realm.

However, the great master confronted them all at once.

It was an unforgettable memory. Everyone who stood on the walls of the capital had held their breaths. The great warriors charged in while releasing aura blades, targeting only one person.

Flash!

It was just a moment. They blinked once and only the great master was standing there.

At first, everyone doubted their eyes, but eventually the 200,000 barbarians gave up and turned away.

It was the end of a meaningless war.

“Raise your head.”

Theodore spoke in a quiet voice as he raised Xu Wenhui’s body.

“I am glad that you respect me, but excessive courtesy is just a burden to each other.”

“How can it be too much to look up to the great master?”

Xu Wenhui compiled without losing his manners.

“But if the great master thinks as such, I will obey.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. However...”

Xu Wenhui looked over Theodore’s shoulder and tilted his head.

It was because Baek Jongmyung and Baek Dongil, the two members of the Baek Family, had descended the stairs and stood there.

Unlike Xu Wenhui, who didn’t know the two of them, the reactions of the ministers were intense.

“Cough, ahem!”

“Ummm...”

There were those who cleared their throats, those who turned their heads away for no reason, and those who tried to hide behind their companions.

Baek Jongmyung looked around at them and sneered.

“Heh!”

In the past, these people had done too much and the Baek Family lost many things due to their tricks.

It was only one defeat but the cost was devastating.

That was why Baek Jongmyung moved to the Soldun Kingdom.

At the time, he thought of them as a pack of wolves. They were beasts who bit and killed without mercy when they saw weakness.

Then what about the squirming behavior of the people he saw now?

‘They are rats, then and now.’

The moment the strong appeared, they formed a group and lowered their tails. Look at their pale faces. How many of them would be safe if he revealed what happened in the past?

At this thought, Baek Jongmyung immediately laughed.

They weren’t even worth dealing with.

Theodore read his mind and said with a smile, “These are Marquis Baek Jongmyung and Baek Dongil of the Soldun Kingdom. Baek Dongil is my junior brother and Soldun is an ally of Meltor. I hope you treat them well as distinguished guests.”

“Ah! Of course. I will serve them with the utmost care.”

The Baek father and son lowered their heads and their shoulders slumped. They were borrowing Theodore’s authority, so they couldn’t show any disrespect to him.

Baek Jongmyung’s eyes were filled with deep gratitude and confidence.

Xu Wenhui raised his eyebrow at the unknown atmosphere, but they didn’t give him an answer.

He adjusted his eyebrows and invited Theodore.

“I heard the great master was coming and thus arranged a small welcome party. Please come with me.”

“Hmm.”

Theodore nodded once. He followed behind Xu Wenhui and whispered, “I’m sorry, but I don’t intend to stay long.”

“Huh?”

Xu Wenhui’s eyes widened because he was planning to hold a big banquet a few days from today.

Theodore looked at the eastern horizon while explaining, “I have an appointment.”

This was the reason why he rode the airship to the East Continent with Tiger King.

His true destination was the New Central Kingdom.

It was a new kingdom that had been founded less than 20 years ago, and the person who invited him was waiting.

The Fairy Dance Lee Family.

There was an event that the head of the family, Lee Seol, invited him to participate in.

“...Ah, really.”

Theodore secretly smiled bitterly.

He had given her an artifact to use if anything big happened, and Lee Seol had used it without any hesitation.

This was the authority to command the world’s strongest great magician.

And it was used for only one reason.

‘She wants me to attend her son’s birthday party.’

Theodore’s lips twitched as he walked through the palace corridors.

He felt like he would burst out laughing again.