Book Eater

Chapter 127: Life is Timing (3)

The first sensation Theo felt as he came back into consciousness was the weight of the quill pen between his fingers.

He was writing something intently. The lightweight quill pen felt as heavy as a steel spear, and he could feel an ache run through his forearm with every movement. Despite only just regaining consciousness, Theo calmly reached out with his senses.

This- is it a summoning magic formula?

The thin hand was sketching out a summoning magic formula at a terrifying speed. It was a speed that displayed a fathomless knowledge of summoning magic.

Theo needed no other clues to realize that this nearly skeletal hand was Satomer’s. However, he wasn’t given a chance to be impressed by anything else of the best summoning magician in the modern age.

“... No, no!”

A grating voice echoed around them. It sounded like Satomer had a serious illness. He coughed up blood and phlegm as Theo grew more aware of how labored his breathing was. Nevertheless, Satomer’s voice was full of energy as he struck the desk with a weak fist.

Kwang!?

The ink bottle toppled, soaking the sheets of paper.

“This isn’t it!”

The magician cried out angrily as he rampaged in his laboratory. He threw his chairs across the room and shattered glass ornaments in a fit of rage. Theo could feel every movement sending shooting pains through his body, but he could also feel Satomer’s frustration boiling over.

Since he wasn’t in control of this body, Theo had no choice but to watch silently.

Satomer’s temper ran out of energy in a few minutes. Satomer collapsed on a nearby chair and turned to look to the side. A dirty mirror reflected a few motes of light, but it was hard to see Satomer in it.

Any other person would have cleaned the mirror with a rag, but the mirror was owned by a magician.

“Clean.”

The dirt vanished with a single word, revealing a pale, middle aged man. His lips were scabbed over from the number of times he had bitten them, and his eyes were red-rimmed from lack of sleep.

The last summoning magician, Satomer.

Theo was reminded that this magician hadn’t lived beyond fifty years of age. Satomer’s body hadn’t been able to keep up with his relentless travel and insistence on venturing into toxic environments.

It seemed Satomer was already near death by the time he had written his book.

“Kuk, kukuk, kukukukuk...”

The middle-aged man stared at his reflection with red eyes, and laughed like he couldn’t stand it anymore. Yet, strangely, Theo had the impression that Satomer was looking at him. Satomer’s gaze was sharp enough that it didn’t feel like a coincidence.

Unsurprisingly, Satomer talked to him first. “Kuhuhu, did you come to laugh at me?”

Huh? Laugh?

“Don't pretend you don't know! Do you want to make fun of this Satomer’s summoning magic too?”

Theo knew that summoning magic was considered a dead end even while Satomer was still alive. The field consumed large amounts of money and materials with very little to show for it. So the Magic Society had quietly discouraged any research into it. The factions that formed between magicians had slowly distanced themselves from summoning magicians. As a result, Satomer had left the magic towers behind and tried to continue his own research without their support.

Theo was facing the bitter resentment of many years that had turned into a grudge.

Satomer continued to spit out cynical words, “Do you think I don't know why you’re here? You’re obviously a 6th Circle magician. And clearly young, much better than me who stayed at the 5th Circle until I died. Why would you want my knowledge? It’s obvious that you want to mock me!”

Theo wasn’t upset by the biting words. Instead, he felt a bit saddened by the hedgehog-like attitude. Satomer had been a magician who walked the magic path he wanted until the end, yet he had only been snubbed by the people around him. It was a shame for Satomer, but Theo didn’t think Satomer’s life was meaningless.

Therefore, Theo answered in a respectful tone.

That is a misconception, Senior Satomer.

Satomer’s expression grew strange. He pointed at his own face while muttering, “Senior? I am your senior?”

I can’t think of a proper title. If you’re in a bad mood, then I can call you something else.

“... That’s okay… What a funny guy.”

Theo didn’t understand his reaction. Satomer spat to the side before gloomily leaning back and sighing like a tired monk on a hard journey. He stared blankly into space, and Theo waited patiently for him to speak first.

Satomer parsed Theo’s memories through Synchro and spoke, “You are Theodore Miller?”

Yes.

“What a blessed child. Reaching the 6th Circle in your early twenties, you really are overflowing with blessings. I don’t know why a person like you wants knowledge from a loser like me.”

His tongue was still sharp, but this time, it was directed towards himself, not Theo. Theo shook his head as firmly as he could.

Senior isn’t a loser.

“Fuck, don’t try to comfort me just because I’m upset. I don’t want to hear that from a child whose hair hasn’t even fully grown in yet.”

If you look into my memories, you will find that I’m the owner of a grimoire.

“What, are you showing off?”

Theo’s mental voice stayed steady.

I asked the grimoire something before I came. I asked why summoning magic is weaker than every other type of magic and if the summoning magic recorded in the legends is just fiction.

“... Is that so?”

The grimoire had an answer. The reason why summoning magic doesn’t work properly has nothing to do with the system itself.

Satomer was so focused on Theo’s words that his eyes watered from not blinking and the glass in his hands broke, causing his hands to bleed. He might pretend to be aloof and might only be a fragment of a soul at the moment, but he was a magician to the bone.

So, Theo told him the truth without holding back.

.

As the Age of Mythology came to an end, the barriers around the material world became thicker, making it difficult to borrow the creatures and powers of other worlds. It was impossible to summon a senior rank a thousand years ago, and in your days, it was difficult to even summon a lieutenant.

“......”

Theo couldn’t guess how Satomer would react to this cruel answer. The road that Satomer was trying to walk had been broken off from the very beginning. Satomer’s eyes fell into shadow as he looked at the ground.

Then he raised his head to stare at the ceiling and started to laugh hysterically. “Ha, haha, hahahahaha...!”

S-Senior?

Theo asked worriedly, wondering if Satomer had gone crazy.

“Yes, that’s it! That’s why they didn’t answer my call! The world itself is the problem, so it didn’t matter how many times I tried to fix the formula! The material world itself sucks! This damn timing! Hahahahahahaha!”

Theo didn’t know whether Satomer had gone insane or was just happy. Would he react this way if the work he had dedicated his entire life to was all in vain? However, Satomer didn’t seem to think so, if the expression on his face was any indication.

Satomer grinned widely. “I wasn’t wrong! My research didn’t fail! My magic… My dream wasn’t in vain!”

Satomer’s joy was deep and sincere. He had tried to walk the path of summoning magic until his very end, but didn’t have anything to show for it. He had never been able to summon the existences he dreamed of during his childhood. So, the life of the man called Satomer was literally meaningless.

However, that wasn't it. His efforts were correct. The summoning magic he dreamed of did exist. It was simply that he couldn’t overcome the powerful obstacle that was the world. So, there was no reason to feel regret. The life’s work of a magician was saved thanks to this enlightenment.

The magician with a strong pride, Satomer, bowed and expressed his sincere appreciation, “Thank you, Theodore Miller. I didn’t know I would resolve my lingering attachment in this way.”

… What do you mean?

“Well, it’s okay if you don’t understand yet. It isn’t easy to explain either. But let’s deal with the problem quickly. We don’t have a lot of time left.”

Ah!

Satomer was right. Darkness had already swallowed up half of Satomer’s laboratory. Theo could feel that Synchro would end the moment the darkness touched Satomer’s feet. It was proof that the time limit of forty minutes and twenty-five seconds was almost done.

Satomer said his farewells, “Take whatever knowledge I have! You might be able to get more use out of it than I could.”

Senior!

Satomer continued, “I’ll give you a hint. If, as you said, the barrier of the material world is blocking the summoning, a magician can either break down that barrier or make a doorway.”

Breaking it down by force was out of the question. Only a legendary grandmaster would be able to break the barrier of the material world. Even Veronica couldn’t do something like that, let alone Theo. Therefore, Satomer was clearly trying to teach him about the second way.

Satomer smiled knowingly. “You’re still young. I wish I had a young brother like you, but I’m glad we met. If there is a god, their personality must be quite twisted.”

Seni… or....

“Go, there is no point saying goodbye to a dead man.”

As Theo left Satomer’s body, Satomer’s voice echoed in Theo’s ears

[Your body already contains a door that leads to another dimension. I don’t know where it leads, but if you use that door with summoning magic, you can call senior level summons.]

......

[Take the one who signed a contract with me. I forgot its name, but it will be pretty useful.]

The rough voice of the best summoning magician in the modern age, Satomer, faded into the distance. If possible, Theo wanted to say thank you. But what would Satomer say? Theo couldn’t help laughing at the thought as he was sucked away by an enormous power.

He was on the verge of losing consciousness when he heard a familiar voice,

[Synchro with the object called ‘Satomer’ has ended.]

[Synchro rate is 76.4%, there is no loss of proficiency.]

[Satomer has handed the coordinates of a contract over to you. If you want to contract his summons, you will need to link the summoning spell with the coordinates.]

[A new feature has been added to ‘Ring of Muspelheim.’]