Book Eater

Chapter 310: Lairon, the Last Day (5)

Don’t tell me…

Were the remains of the divinity, the cornerstone of the Lairon Church, sleeping in the golden coffin? Theo moved forward cautiously. The closer he got, the more the light pulled down at his boundaries. This divine light that warmed the living didn’t seem like Jerem’s trap.

Once he got within a short distance of the golden coffin, Theo was able to see an unexpected sight.

“Well, there is no reason to leave the contents.”

The inside of the golden coffin was empty. The lid was already open, and there seemed to be a cavity inside that formed the shape of a two meter tall man with thin limbs. Since a typical god clan was larger than an ordinary human, this golden coffin was likely a divine relic that housed the remains of the light.

But the coffin might contain some clues. Theo carefully looked around the golden coffin and found the blurred outline of letters on the inside. The relic was at least three thousand years old, so the carved letters were worn, but Theo could still make them out. They weren’t ordinary letters. There was a sense of incongruity when he followed it with his fingers. His head tilted as he faced the unknown phrase.

What? I can’t physically recognize the characters?

His optic nerve didn’t respond. As soon as he cut off the magic power flowing to his eyes, the blurred letters disappeared without a trace. It meant they were letters that couldn’t be seen with ordinary people's eyes.

“Gluttony.”

- Hmm.

If there was something they didn’t know, don’t hesitate to ask. This was the philosophy of all magicians, so Theo woke up Gluttony.

Unsurprisingly, Gluttony replied readily.

- Hoh, it has been a while since I’ve seen divine letters.

“Divine letters? Are they letters of the god clan?”

- That’s right. It is a system that deviates from the concept of writing that other species use, but it is still the same as writing and reading. It isn’t visible to the eyes of mortals or those without divinity.

“... I see. It is thoroughly meant for the god clan.” Theo was convinced and nodded.

Meanwhile, Gluttony continued explaining.

- They’re called divine letters, but strictly speaking, they aren’t letters. They form a sign that is inscribed using the will contained in the soul and are called divine letters.

“Then is it impossible to trace the source?”

- Usually, but it is possible for me. Each pattern has their own characteristics. It isn’t hard for me to distinguish between the letters of each god.

Regardless of what was considered impossible, Gluttony quickly decoded the divine letters on the golden coffin. It was the moment when the secret of the Age of Mythology was revealed in Lairon. This was the true reality of Lairon, who had been used as a source of false faith for humans. The truth resonated in Theo’s mind.

- Here lies Baldur, god of light, born as the second son of King Odin and loved by all. The orator who represents the world’s goodness, a brilliance that doesn’t tolerate sin. Whoever damages these remains won’t be able to find rest in the swamp of death.

The true identity of the god named Lairon was son of King Odin of the Aesir god clan, Baldur! Baldur was the god of light, so the expression ‘the remains of light’ was fitting. It was the source of the divine power that had sustained Lairon for hundreds of years, a sacrifice that would be more precious than a dragon heart for a warlock.

This was the reason why Jerem had come to the divine king’s palace.

“Shit, it is already too late!”

The blank coffin proved that Jerem had obtained Baldur’s body, causing Theo to feel a sense of crisis. Baldur’s body was in the hands of a 9th Circle magician. The scale of the disaster that this would cause couldn’t be fathomed. The ultimate magic circle left in this kingdom was only a gimmick, and the two magicians had arrived too late.

This was a fatal blow that couldn’t be overlooked.

- No, Baldur seems to have set up his own trick?

Gluttony stopped Theo’s self-blame. The golden coffin started to emit an even brighter light. It was like a final radiance before death. Just like a candle about to be blown out, the remaining divine power in the golden coffin carried out its final arrangement.

Huuuuuuong!?

The spectacular wave of light emitted from inside the coffin soon turned into a image of a slender and long branch.

“What is this branch?”

Theo could feel a pure divine power emanating from it. Theo looked at the shimmering branch with a puzzled expression. He didn’t know what this branch had to do with Baldur’s trick.

However, Gluttony’s reaction was dramatic in many ways.

- Mistilteinn! The branch of the mistletoe tree that killed Baldur, the god loved by all.

Theo was astonished by the words and looked at Mistilteinn, while Gluttony explained.

- It seems like Baldur’s soul isn’t inside his body. Instead, he fled to the branch that killed him. He was awakened by User’s divinity in order to convey his last wish. User, you will know his wish if you touch Mistilteinn.

“... Okay.” Theo carefully approached Mistilteinn.

It was a branch that emitted a warm light. The branch looked like it could be found anywhere, yet it was actually a relic of a legend that had killed Baldur. Theo’s fingers stretched out slowly and eventually touched the surface of the branch.

Pahat!?

An unknown memory emerged from Mistilteinn.

[... The calculations were off. Despite millions of lives being sacrificed, it isn’t enough to devour Baldur’s body. It seems like these lowlives aren’t worth anything.]

It was a cold and eerie voice, the voice of the incarnation of disaster which didn’t contain anything but evil. The voice of Jerem, the warlock who threatened the world and wiped out the people of Lairon, whispered in Theo’s ears.

[More of Baldur’s divinity has been consumed than expected. I overlooked the fountain of human greed... Well, my resurrection was also too delayed. I need a new offering to fill this gap.]

The root cause was Baldur’s soul escaping into Mistilteinn, but Jerem didn’t seem to know this. He was silent for a while before coming up with a wicked idea.

[That reminds me, there is a young world tree in the northern part of the continent. Furthermore, if I offer the souls of the elves... it should be enough. It is fairly easy to calculate the power that will be consumed in the process.]

Elvenheim’s world tree!

Maybe it was because Jerem had occupied Theo’s body for a while, so he remembered some suitable offerings using those memories. The world tree was a symbol of endless vitality, a sacrifice suitable for Baldur’s body. The beings of darkness yearned for a life and light that they couldn’t produce, so the value of the world tree was incalculable.

[Kuhuhu, I can play with the elves after a long time.]

Finally, the monologue trailed off, and Mistilteinn stilled. It was the last thing Baldur’s weak soul could do. As Mistilteinn faded away in his hand, Theo responded to Baldur’s will.

“I understand your will, Baldur.”

Baldur was a soul who cared for this world even though he was dead.

“I will surely stop him.”

Mistilteinn shone once again, as if Theo’s voice had been heard.

Flash!

The tree branch crumbled like it was burnt, and the light penetrated Theo’s body. It was a blessing from Baldur.

This...! T

Theo was shocked the moment he realized what blessing he had received. It was Baldur’s blessing from the old myths, where nothing could harm him but a branch of mistletoe. This was an invincible blessing! The top blessing, which could negate the power of a god just once, was nestled inside Theo’s body.

It was Baldur’s farewell gift as he left without any resentment.

***

“Veronica... Not yet.”

Theo climbed back up to the first floor and looked around the empty auditorium. He couldn’t find any more clues apart from Mistilteinn. The great magic circle, the original target of the two people, must be on the top floor with Veronica. The undead hadn’t been able to come underground because of the divinity, so there must be a lot of security around the magic circle. It wasn’t a bad idea to join her.

“―Um?”

It was at this moment that…

Kwaaaang!

Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed, and a pile of rubble fell down. Of course, it wasn’t enough to injure Theo. However, he couldn’t help feeling confused when he saw Veronica coming down. The Red Tower Master usually didn’t destroy things for no reason. She couldn’t destroy the door of Meltor’s royal palace, but she could ruin this building because the kingdom was already dead.

“... Veronica, what is that in your right hand?”

She was holding something like rags in her hand.

“Oh, this? It is the former pope.”

Veronica threw the lich in the luxurious outfit onto the ground. There wasn’t any part of its body that hadn’t been smashed, and a strong magic power was leaking from it. The Elder Lich was a senior undead, but it was placed into a critical state by Veronica who didn’t have any divinity.

“The pope?” Theo’s eyes contracted.

Veronica dusted off her hands as she grumbled, “Yes, he said he was an agent of Lairon. I was nervous because he was an arch lich, but it seemed he didn’t know how to use his power.”

“Well, he wasn’t a magician, so it can’t be helped.”

It would be hard for the two magicians to know whether they would win or lose against an arch lich at its peak. After all, it was difficult to destroy those monsters without divinity, especially when they cast such a pall on the material world. However, an arch lich that didn’t know how to use its power was just a skeleton. Veronica proved this by smashing it in a few minutes.

“Did you interrogate him?”

“Of course. I burned him a few times, but he doesn’t know anything. He didn’t even see the warlock’s face.”

“There is no point leaving him here. Finish it.”

Veronica’s fire neatly incinerated the arch lich that was the former pope. It was a lich who hadn’t been made through the right process, so there was no way for it to survive once the body had completely disappeared. In case of another situation, Theo used the light wave to make sure the lich was gone.

“What about the magic circle? It looks like it hasn’t been destroyed yet.”

Magic power was still overflowing in the city, proving that Pluto’s Palace was alive and supplying strength and immortality to all bodies in its sphere of influence. Perhaps the magic circle wasn’t on the top floor? Theo was feeling confused when Veronica rummaged through her pocket grimly.

“I found it. The problem is that I couldn’t destroy it.”

She held up a strange purple crystal.

“This amethyst...”

“It was the core of the great magic circle. No, this amethyst is probably the magic circle itself.”

“The magic isn’t canceled despite it being separated from the magic circle. Once the crystal is activated, it only exists as the source of power.”

As a magician, they immediately understood each other, and the two people looked grimly at the amethyst. It was a small gem on the surface, but the inherent power and ominous feeling it gave off made it incomparable to the senior undead. Handling it carelessly could cause a catastrophe beyond the current one.

This was why Veronica said that it couldn’t be destroyed. However, it would reveal the evil intentions of the creator when the magic circle reached its maximum, so it couldn’t be ignored.

“Gluttony.” However, a third choice existed for Theo. “This thing, can you digest it?”

Silence was the response to Theo’s question.

- I am not weak, User!

Before Theo could say anything else, the tongue swiftly stretched out and swallowed the amethyst.

[Nídh?ggur’s Bloodstone has been consumed. It is difficult to measure the amount of magic power that is contained.]

[The ritual spell, Pluto’s Palace, has been destroyed.]

[It will take seven days to completely digest.]

[Nídh?ggur has noticed User’s presence. It has threatened you for going against its contractor.]