Book Eater

Chapter 181: Paracelsus’ Legacy (1)

It was like a bolt out of the blue.

The Yellow Tower Master, one of the symbols of Meltor Kingdom, was actually a grimoire!

However, Paragranum didn’t seem too surprised by Gluttony exposing her. Meanwhile, Theo, who was caught in a war of nerves between two grimoires, was simply astonished. The fact that he was encountering another grimoire besides Gluttony was utterly shocking.

What the hell is going on?

He gritted his teeth, as he glared at both the grimoire in his left hand and the one in the shape of a girl in irritation. The girl’s presence wasn’t awe-inspiring; however, the problem lay in the fact that he didn’t know what the grimoire was up to. Why did she approach Theo as a member of Quattro, and why did she appear despite being aware of Gluttony’s presence?

Moreover, he didn’t understand what Gluttony meant by taboo. Theo wanted to ask, but Gluttony seemed unusually furious at the moment. Moreover, why was this new grimoire hiding as the Yellow Tower Master?

“Keh, what type of atmosphere is this for a talk? Last time I was interrupted by Veronica...” A bleak smile that belied the cute girl’s face passed over her face as Para gestured. “It is good to see you, boy. I am the Yellow Tower Master Norden and the grimoire, Paragranum, the last book left behind by the great alchemist, Paracelsus. That tongue is pretty wary, but this body is ten times weaker than yours, so you don’t have to worry.”

“......”

“Well, you would be an idiot to just believe me. There is still a lot to talk about.”

It was a roundabout suggestion to change their location. This crossroads wasn’t a suitable location to talk freely because it was a place where people usually passed through.

Damn, is it okay to be dragged around like this?

When Theo looked at the situation calmly, Norden didn’t feel like an enemy. Theo’s discomfort came from the sudden fear of his secret being revealed, but his intuition had been quiet from beginning to end. Theo was well aware that it was risky to rely solely on his senses, just like when he’d been attacked by Aquilo. In the end, his intuition was just a tool, like a compass. It was reliable as well as unreliable.

In the end, it was up to Theo himself to decide.

This was a situation where they both knew each other’s secrets, but Theo’s nervousness stood in direct contrast to the Yellow Tower Master’s laid-back attitude. The initiative of the conversation was in Para’s hands.

“... Then where do you intend to continue this conversation?” Theo asked as he was forced to take a step back.

“If you don't mind, how about my laboratory?” Para laughed and pointed to the top of the Yellow Tower. It was a place where no magician had stepped into for decades, maybe centuries. In that sense, the Yellow Tower Master was like an urban legend in Manavil.

The grimoire, Paragranum, had been hiding as a human for more than five hundred years, at least since the completion of the magic towers.

***

Gluttony.

As Theo climbed up the tower behind the Yellow Tower Master, he quietly started asking Gluttony questions

Explain the previous talk you had with the Yellow Tower Master. What is the taboo, and what is Paragranum?

- Hrmm, I understand.

Did Gluttony think it was information that Theo also needed to know? Gluttony relayed the information more readily than Theo had expected.

- As it said, Paragranum was created by the great alchemist Philipus Paracelsus. No alchemist surpassed him in the Age of Mythology, and the vulcans, the ancestors of the dwarves, regarded him as a wise man. Even the great blacksmith, Vulcanus, treated him as a demi-god.

... The creator of a grimoire.

The dwarves were far superior to human craftsmen when it came to dexterity and aesthetic sensibilities. It was only reasonable that their ancestors had even better skills. The high elves only inherited a bit of the blood of the Arv, yet they could create miracles. The pureblood upper species must be the embodiment of miracles themselves.

However, the alchemist called Paracelsus was someone whom even the upper species respected. It was clear that he was far beyond the framework of a mortal existence. He was a existence that could create a grimoire.

- Paragranum is the grimoire created by Paracelsus.

Alchemy had continued to deteriorate from the Age of Mythology, so it wasn’t seriously studied in the current era. However, it was the foundation behind the construction of Meltor’s magic towers, and it was still being researched.

The grimoire went beyond common sense, so Gluttony’s words frightened Theo. The reason Paragranum contributed to the founding of Meltor approximately six hundred years ago and the making of the magic towers was to establish a research base.

Of course, Paragranum herself might have a different reason. However, as Theo mentally reviewed what he knew of the grimoire’s actions, he realized that his conclusion was close to the right answer.

Then what does it mean by breaking the taboo?

- Umm.

This question seemed a bit tough as Gluttony, who had been freely speaking, paused for a moment.

- Every grimoire has a ‘purpose of existence’ imprinted from its creator. I collect magic, Pride collects genes, and so on, so forth. All of our actions are meant to fulfill that purpose. Do you understand?

Yes.

- Therefore, a grimoire follows its own methods of action to achieve its own purpose of existence. Autonomous movement, ingestion type, manual control type... They all have their own principles. In the case of Paragranum, it is a manual control type that requires a user.

- But Paragranum doesn’t have a master now. It created its own body and is pretending to be human. This is different from its purpose. Tools that deviate from their intended purpose are no longer tools.

- They deviate from their ‘purpose of existence’ itself. That is the taboo for grimoires.

Gluttony’s voice was growing louder with every sentence

- Simply changing its principles of action isn’t bad. But books that violate their purpose become more and more erratic, and soon they will become wild. It is a sin for a tool to deviate from its fate. It is a miserable end for a grimoire. Their ego will collapse, and they will disappear without achieving the purpose of their existence.

As Theo had seen in the struggle with Pride and his own experience with Gluttony, grimoires emphasized intelligence and purpose above all else. So, this was an unacceptable result for them. But Theo had a question.

Eh? Then why does the Tower Master look fine? It has been six hundred years since the taboo was broken.

- I am also curious about that.

... Is breaking the taboo that dangerous?

- There is a saying that you might wake up in the morning and die in the evening.

I don’t like that!

As the grimoire and its owner argued, the girl arrived at the top of the Yellow Tower and asked, “Did you hear an interesting story?”

“...!” Theo’s eyes widened.

Para chuckled. “You probably asked about me. If you reached master level, you would’ve released the 4th seal at least. You would’ve heard almost everything and wondered why I am fine after breaking the taboo.”

“... Do you have any mind-reading skills?”

“Perhaps. Alchemy doesn’t have that type of ability, but I have my own style.”

If so, that meant it was Paragranum’s own fearsome intuition that allowed her to infer the conversation between Theo and Gluttony. This wasn’t an opponent that Theo could challenge with words.

As Theo tensed, Para stopped in front of a door and said, “35 liters of water.”

“Huh?” Theo uttered.

Without responding to Theo’s question, Para continued, “20 kilograms of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia, 1.5 kilograms of lime, 800 grams of phosphorus, 250 grams of salt, 100 grams of potassium nitrate, 80 grams of sulfur, 7.5 grams of fluorine, 5 grams of iron, 3 grams of silicon...”

There were a few things in that list which Theo knew, but some others he didn’t. It was a scientific foundation that would only develop in the future, meaning Theo didn’t understand Para.

However, Gluttony was different.

- Is that the chemical makeup for one average adult human?

“Correct.” Para grinned like she had been waiting and stripped off her robe. Theo had seen beautiful women before, but he was impressed by Para’s body, which had perfect proportions. Para gestured at her slim body and said, “I used fewer quantities when creating this girl.”

- It isn’t made from a human body.

Para shook his head. “I can only create something from nothing. Using life that already exists is the domain of chimeras.”

Theo listened to the conversation between grimoires and couldn’t hide his confusion. “H-Human body? You created a human body?”

“To be exact, I created a homunculus. This body is just a human imitation and will last ten more years before dying. In other words, it is a failure.”

“... Why?”

Why was Paragranum trying to make a human? Why make a homunculus? Why was a grimoire doing this? Why live as the Yellow Tower Master?

Theo had more questions at the tip of his tongue. Ethical reluctance, curiosity as a magician, unpleasantness as a human, curiosity about the life that was created... Theo couldn’t guess all the reasons. However, Paragranum, who had watched many magicians for a long time, knew all of Theo’s questions.

The grimoire in the shape of a beautiful girl laughed eerily. “For my purpose.”

The great alchemist, Philipus Paracelsus, had imprinted it with the purpose of creating a [human]. The [human] couldn’t be superior or inferior to humans.

Paragranum’s purpose was to create a complete human being. It didn’t matter if they were a beggar or hero, as long as life was created. This was the destiny given to Paragranum and the purpose of its existence. This was the path of truth that the alchemist, who had reached the peak in the Age of Mythology, pursued until the end.

“Thanks to that, I could rewrite my behavior to exclude users and enable solo action. There is no research as effective as imitating humans directly.”

One question was resolved for Theo, but another question popped up. “Why did Paracelsus try to create a human?”

“According to the records of Creator Paracelsus, humans are the ‘allies of possibility’ and the ‘seed of chaos.’ Namely, a creature that can’t be anything but chaos. If I can create that possibility myself, there may be a way of reaching the truth.”

“That... is a simple hypothesis.”

“Is that really the case? No, that question is worthless. Be it right or wrong, I still have to try.”

Chill.

After listening to Para, Theo understood the madness inherent in the grimoire. The grimoire possessed wisdom from a time which humans could hardly imagine, and it could communicate clearly and effectively. However, it had the instinct to pursue its purpose, regardless of success or failure.

Don’t feel despair. Don’t give up. Don’t compromise. It isn’t possible or impossible.

Para talked like a human, but her essence was thoroughly a tool. Theo remained quiet.

The Yellow Tower Master turned around and said, “That’s my story, owner of Gluttony. Are you wondering why I brought you here and confided in you?”

The Tower Master opened the door at the top of the tower. The darkness inside flowed out smoothly and seemed to devour the cool air of the corridor. A fear that Theo barely understood rose from the depths of his heart.

Theo mastered his fear and spoke, “There is something you want to ask.”

“Correct.” The Yellow Tower Master Paragranum reached out with her left hand as she looked at him with a satisfied expression and pulled a lever on the wall.

Click.

A dull mechanical sound was heard in the darkness.

“Heok!” Theo’s eyes trembled in amazement.

The darkness cleared and an unimaginable sight appeared before him.

“Hello, welcome to my laboratory for the first time.”

There was a body in the shape of a strong, young man. There was a body thing in the shape of an elderly old man. Then there was a body that looked like a cute little boy and another body in the shape of a beautiful woman. There were people of different shapes floating in transparent glass containers. No, Theo knew. They were all homunculus. Human shells that didn’t have their own ego.

Theo’s voice trembled. “... How many people know about this?”

“No one. If you weren’t the owner of a grimoire—no, you wouldn’t know if you weren’t the owner of Gluttony.”

“So, why did you come to me?”

They entered the room, and Para sat down on a chair in the middle of the bizarre room.

She looked at the still shaken Theo. “As you can see, I can’t leave the city easily. Manavil can cope with just Veronica, but I can only move a short distance away. So, I want to do business with you, who have the skills and a shared secret.”

“Business?” Theo shook his head and almost scoffed. Did she show off her power in order to make a deal?

However, Paragranum nodded and said seriously, “Don’t you have a lot of hidden secrets because of Gluttony? I can help you when it comes to this.”

It made a lot of sense. Theo had managed to avoid answering anything about the Great Forest, but he couldn’t conceal Gluttony’s existence forever. The fact that he had recently defeated Hyde, one of the empire’s Seven Swords, had yet to be revealed to the public.

Theo was convinced by the Yellow Tower Master and nodded. “... Continue.”

“I need someone to move on my behalf, and you can get benefits while sharing your secrets. Isn’t this a win-win situation?”

“What exactly are the benefits?”

“I have been waiting for you to ask!”

From Theo’s point of view, he couldn’t help but ask. However, Para pulled out an old map like she had been waiting for him to ask. The map was outdated, but Theo didn’t have any problem recognizing the markers. It covered an area which coincided with the Meuse Desert, outside the Austen Kingdom.

Para pointed to a red dot on the map and said, “This is the place where the laboratory of my creator, Paracelsus, is hidden. If you go there with my homunculus, I will give you the entirety of his legacy, except for the materials I need.”