Book Eater

Chapter 174: Return to the Magic Tower (1)

The Northern continent was somewhat different from the tangle of kingdoms and civilizations that made up the Central and Southern continents. The sword empire, Andras, and the magic kingdom, Meltor, could take pride in being the strongest in the Northern continent due to their hundreds of years of conflict.

The history of mankind is war.

According to one prominent historian, the war which had lasted for centuries had continuously developed the two powers. There were the seven sword masters which represented the Empire, the Seven Swords, and the four Tower Masters who guarded the Meltor Kingdom. The other continents would be satisfied with one or two masters. However, the North had a total of eleven masters.

On average, there would be an all-out war at least once a century. That constant source of constant war had forged the Northern continent into a different beast from the Central continent, which had lived through centuries of peace. The military power and patriotism of the two Northern kingdoms had been trained over many generations.

This meant that Manavil, the capital of Meltor, had a watertight defense system.

“... Indeed, there is no way to hide.” Theo, the young man wearing a dark hood, was amazed as he examined the walls in front of him.

He knew that the walls of Manavil were covered with magic to prevent teleporting, but the sheer thoroughness of the defense was incredible. It had been personally set up by White Tower Master Orta. No one could pass through the barrier set up by the continent’s finest space magician. Theo lifted his head to look up at the sky. It looked like nothing, but reaching the 7th Circle had given Theo’s eyes new power. He could see the gossamer thin web of magic power that enveloped Manavil in a hemisphere.

I can’t enter unnoticed if I fly, so the remaining method is...

... To go through the ground. The only way was to enter through a tunnel below the wall. Moreover, Theo had an excellent helper when it came to the earth.

He carefully avoided notice as he scooped up some dirt in his palm and whispered, “Mitra.”

The dirt on his palm molded into the shape of a girl. Mitra, with a large bud on her head, looked up at him sleepily.

[... Heeeng?]

“Oh, you were sleeping. I’m sorry.”

Mitra had a confused expression, but she soon giggled as Theo patted her head. She looked at him with shining eyes and asked.

[Deo, you caw?]

He discreetly pointed. “Can you pass underneath that wall there? Please find out if it is possible.”

Mitra jumped off his palm.

[Hoing!]

It probably meant that she understood. The elemental moved through the earth, and Theo’s mind was soon filled with images of soil, gravel, and roots. Mitra’s perception flicked from one to the other quickly, leaving Theo slightly dizzy.

Even considering her innocent appearance, Mitra’s cognitive abilities were lacking in many ways when compared to intermediate elementals. However, she was smart enough to understand Theo.

[Hoeeng… Deo, sowwy!}

What’s going on?

[Here, strange block. Can’t go.]

There was a wall that Mitra couldn’t go through? This meant there was no path to sneak into Manavil.

Theo suppressed his disappointment and transmitted.

No, thank you for the help. Go and get more sleep.

[Yes, I noe...]

Theo felt the connection fade away as Mitra returned to the elemental world. He looked at the wall again and sighed.

No space movement, no flying in the sky, and no moving through a tunnel.

If he entered through the front door, he would have to prove his identity. So, he had been looking for a back door, but there was no way for a 7th Circle magician to break through Meltor’s defense system.

Hmm, should I try the checkpoint after all?

The moment when he was about to join the line...

“-W-White Tower Master!”

“What? What about the Tower Master?”

“A white robe and white mask! It really is White Tower Master Orta!”

“No way! Why is he...!?”

Suddenly, the crowd started to mutter as the mysterious Orta appeared at the gates. Other kingdoms may have marquises and dukes as movers and shakers, but the real authority in the Meltor Kingdom belonged to the Tower Masters. So, naturally, they were people who were difficult for the public to see. The Yellow Tower Master was known not to engage in any external activities, while the White Tower Master was a mysterious figure.

White Tower Master? Why is he suddenly at the front gate...

Theo had a surprised expression on his face. The White Tower Master was considered a hidden sword of Meltor Kingdom. From assassination to intelligence, he was in charge of all the shadowy tasks. He wasn’t someone who would appear at the main entrance without a purpose.

However, Theo soon realized Orta’s purpose. Orta’s eyes peered through his mask and landed on him.

“Guard Captain, I want to ask something of you,” Orta called out.

“Yes, Tower Master! Whatever you say!” the guard captain promptly responded.

He was a citizen of Meltor Kingdom, so he was well aware of the status of the Tower Masters in the kingdom. Orta’s position wasn’t low enough to ask something of a mere security guard.

“I will guarantee the identity of the man standing there. Can he skip the checkpoint?” Orta asked.

“Huh?” the guard captain looked at Theo and stuttered, “I-It isn’t a big deal.”

“Thank you.” After receiving permission, Orta glanced at Theo, who understood.

This was a person that a Tower Master had pointed out, so the people paid close attention to him. At the same time, they didn’t dare stop him. Thus, Theo was able to pass Manavil’s rigid checkpoint and enter the capital.

“Ah...!” He exclaimed as he saw the high-rise buildings which pierced the clouds.

They were rare enough in other countries that this was a panorama that a kingdom in the Central continent would never be able to enjoy.

As Theo walked before him, Orta greeted, “It has been a while. A year has passed?”

“Yes, it has already been that long.”

“I can tell. You have gained a lot of experience in the meantime. Becoming a master when you’re not even thirty years old... His Majesty will be amazed.”

Indeed, Theo had been seen through. He glanced admiringly at Orta. The number of Circles was the same, but the Tower Master had seen all sorts of things as Meltor’s pillar. So, Theo’s seven Circles were exposed to Orta with a simple glance.

“Well, it’s a long story,” Theo responded.

“I want to hear about it.” Orta’s white mask looked at Theo and said, “The suspicion that the Orcus Company uses black magic, did you raise it?”

Theo winced. “Ugh.”

“Don’t panic. The South is a different matter, but the White Tower has many sources in the Central continent. You were identified in most of the places you passed through.”

Theo nodded before suddenly glancing around him in surprise.

Is it okay to talk about classified information in the streets?

However, his concerns faded when he saw the distorted space around them.

W-What type of magic is this?!

This wasn’t simply blocking off sound. It was like everyone passing by was unaware of the two of them. Some people were even passing through Orta’s and Theo’s bodies. It was a type of space magic, but the principles behind it were incomprehensible. Theo realized this was why Orta had revealed confidential information so boldly.

Orta was a 7th Circle magician who had a shield with unknown principles!

Is it a refraction or distortion of space?

While Theo was interested in the mysterious shield, the two of them arrived at the crossroads separating the royal palace and the magic tower. Theo expected to go to the royal palace first.

However, Orta said, “His Majesty is currently in a meeting. Maybe it will end in the evening... If there’s any urgent business, I can try to get a quick meeting.”

“Ah, it can wait a bit. If possible, I would like to go to one place first...”

“Where?”

The White Tower Master was approving when Theo told him. Unless he owned a house in Manavil, there was only one place for a magician to stay. The sacred space of magicians on the continent. The Magic Tower.

***

“There is no need to hide from here on.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

The magic shield had been maintained until they had entered the Magic Society, but the two only needed to conceal that Theodore Miller had left this place. Now that they were in the Magic Society’s lobby, the spell was no longer necessary.

Huk.

Theo lowered his hood as the shield was lifted.

“Eh-?”

“W-White Tower Master!”

“Did he teleport?”

“Next to him... No way!”

The magicians in the lobby had a variety of reactions. Someone lost their place in the book they were reading, while another person tilted his head when he noticed the White Tower Master. Some of them also recognized Theo, who hadn’t been seen for over a year.

He was Meltor’s young hero, the idol of magicians his age, the one behind the alliance with Elvenheim, and the one who had defeated a representative of the Andras Empire. The lobby burst into a flurry as he suddenly appeared.

“T-Theodore Miller!”

“What? The guy from all the rumors? Really?”

“He’s the real hero...”

“He looks younger than I thought. How old was he again?”

It was fortunate that Theo wasn’t surrounded. No one dared approach him with the White Tower Master standing next to him. The magicians were being eaten alive by curiosity, but they were too afraid of the Tower Master. After all, Orta had pioneered almost the entire field of space magic.

Orta ignored their chattering and asked Theo, “Did you want to stop by your room? Or see someone else?”

“I’d like to see my master.”

“Vince Haidel, understood.”

Orta remembered Vince well. There were less than a hundred 6th Circle magicians in Meltor Kingdom. However, Theo was soon forced to stop when he heard a voice.

“... Theo?”

She had flowing silver hair and clear blue lake-like eyes. There was a pile of books which had seemingly fallen out of her hands. However, she didn’t look down at them. She just kept staring at Theo blankly.

It was an unexpected reunion with Sylvia Adruncus, who had grown quite a lot in a year.

“It’s been a while, Sylvia.” Theo didn’t know what to say, so he could only smile bitterly.