Book Eater

Chapter 419 - Era of Peace (19)

‘It is genuine.’

Theodore was convinced without any feelings of hesitation.

It might’ve been away from its main body for thousands of years, but the divine power contained in it almost made his grip numb. Unlike the flagpole, which was nothing more than a keepsake, the power of the spear blade that Poseidon left behind was enormous.

Even a person with no knowledge of martial arts and magic could wield greater power than a master when holding it.

Its amazing power was proof that Poseidon was one of the three main gods of Olympus.

Keraunos of Zeus.

Kynee of Hades.

The Trident of Poseidon.

These were the relics of the gods who were so strong that they were regarded as the top three among the many gods of Olympus.

Recognizing its true nature, Theodore carefully injected magic power. He was efficient at using divine power, but unlike Medusa, he was still human.

Light flowed from the spear blade as it sucked in a considerable amount of magic power. Unlike when Medusa was using it, the light was light blue. Perhaps this brilliance was the original brilliance of the Trident.

Theodore embraced the divine light and narrowed his eyes.

“...I see.”

The purpose of the spear blade wasn’t just to turn Medusa into a god. No matter how powerful a god was, it couldn’t keep a space like Atlantis fixed for thousands of years, thus like how a raft needed a stake to roughly tie it to the shore, Atlantis also needed a stake. But if the stake was too poor, it would float away.

Thus the spear blade, the fragment of the Trident, became the stake.

He didn’t know if Medusa knew it, but the owner of the spear blade was practically entrusted with full authority over Atlantis. Now that the entrance was opened because of them, it was also possible to let the residents out.

Aquilo cocked her head after hearing that information from him.

“Darling, should you do that?”

“What?”

“You know, those shadows. Did you call them false gods? I don’t think they will be sane when they go back to the physical world.”

Theodore realized her concerns and replied, “Of course. Extinguishing the fire won’t return burnt ash to firewood.”

“Then...”

Theodore shook his head calmly.

“You don’t have to worry about the false gods. A god who has lost their divinity will naturally perish. They will start dissipating the moment they leave Atlantis because the foundation for existing as a god has disappeared.”

“Aha, I see.”

“Though, I don’t know if there are any other exceptions like Medusa...”

The two of them sighed.

The experience of watching such a tragedy once was enough.

Theodore fell silent and started to analyze the remaining piece of the trident, the key to Atlantis.

Most of a god’s belongings were equipped with protections to prevent them from being abused. However, Poseidon’s divinity was insufficient and couldn’t resist Theodore, who had the main spear body.

It wasn’t long before Theodore finished his analysis.

He withdrew the magic power that he poured into the spear blade, increased the divinity, and gave instructions through words.

[Trident, return to your original form.]

At that moment, the pole of a spear appeared under the only spear blade.

The pole of the Trident, which was called the King’s Flagpole in the Soldun Kingdom, finally recovered a piece of the spear blade.

The Trident, which became a spear, flickered blue.

‘Okay, it recognizes me as its owner.’

Now that Poseidon had been destroyed, there was only one person suitable in the physical world to be its master: Theodore.

Theodore held the Trident and closed his eyes.

First and foremost, there was work to be done.

[I command you in Poseidon’s name!]

Atlantis shook with this declaration. Atlantis was a world created with Poseidon’s power, so as his agent, Theodore had the rank of a great god.

Here, not even a speck of dust could go against his will.

Theodore took control of this world with one sentence and gave the command.

[Evict all beings except for Theodore Miller and Aquilo! Those who have maintained their divinity and those who have intelligence remaining, come to me instead!]

Shortly thereafter, portals were opened all over Atlantis.

Unlike the entrance, the exits were created individually.

The presences that Theodore could detect were decreasing one by one. The number of false gods was considerable despite the fact that the two of them had destroyed more than a hundred earlier. He sent over 200, maybe 300, to the bottom of the deep sea.

‘They will all disappear before they reach sea level.’

This was his way of allowing them to enjoy freedom and rest, even if it was for just a moment.

Aquilo watched him and said sullenly, “...I guess there is no one other than Medusa.”

“I thought that would be the case.”

Theodore nodded.

Human beings had a stronger tendency to depend on others than they thought. They didn’t easily go crazy if they weren’t alone.

But if there had been one who retained their divinity or their intelligence, they would’ve answered his call.

Now they were the only ones left in Atlantis.

Theodore looked around and suggested, “Shall we leave now?”

“Yes. There doesn’t seem to be anything else to see.”

It was exactly as she said.

Atlantis was a hastily created refuge. There were no facilities to see like other ruins.

The eradication of the false gods was over. There was no reason to stay.

Theodore got Aquilo’s consent and aimed the spear.

He was going to open a portal in front of him and get out.

[Warning! Traces of the outer dimension have been detected.]

[Warning! There is a being that is registered as a great enemy.]

[Warning! The door will be closed immediately.]

Suddenly, three sentences appeared before Theodore’s eyes.

‘Traces of the outer dimension? A great enemy?’

However, without giving any time to understand anything, Atlantis carried out its assigned duty.

[Plan 2: Implement a dimensional blockade.]

The first was naturally the protection of the refugees. The second was a function created based on a contingency. If this place was discovered, the gods would be in danger.

After the invasion, Atlantis would no longer be a refuge, but a prison that sealed the intruders forever.

It was just like right now.

Wuuoong...

The Trident in Theodore’s grasp shook once and soon lost its light.

He had lost control of Atlantis.

“Hah.”

Theodore belatedly figured out the reason and laughed.

He had guessed it, but he hadn’t expected to be checked.

There couldn’t be any other extradimensional entity related to him.

‘Gluttony.’

The pinnacle of a grimoire from another dimension, Gluttony of the Seven Sins.

It was ironic that he was bound by that relationship even when the contract had been terminated.

Also, Olympus even used the term ‘great enemy.’ This made him wonder what they had done. Was it one of the main culprits of Ragnarok, instead of just being a part of it?

If so, he could understand the reason behind the dimensional blockade.

There wasn’t much meaning in killing the host of a grimoire, but it could be neutralized by a dimensional blockade.

“...D-Darling? What is going on?”

Aquilo was quite anxious, unlike the calm Theodore.

It was due to seeing Medusa, who had gone crazy after being trapped for thousands of years. Aquilo wouldn’t go crazy because she was a dragon, but it was a hundred times better to commit suicide than to be trapped in a place like this for the rest of his life.

Instead of answering immediately, Theodore lifted the Trident and threw it into empty air.

Kkiiik—!

An unpleasant noise rang out and the air tore apart.

He broke the dimensional blockade with one swing of the spear.

“Hmm.”

Theodore waited without entering it.

A few dozen seconds later, the torn air closed again. The noise that seemed to come from the bottom of hell soon disappeared.

That was enough.

“It is very sloppy for a dimensional blockade. Is it because the seal was opened once? Or is it because it was worn down over thousands of years...?”

After a moment of contemplation, Theodore came to a conclusion.

“I think I can get out after a fortnight.”

“Really?”

“If I hurry, ten days is possible. But it is better to be as careful as possible when it comes to going through a dimensional gap.”

“Phew.”

Aquilo finally sighed with relief at these words.

By a dragon’s standards, he couldn’t even take a nap in a fortnight.

Her race meant a month would pass just by lying down and rolling around for a while.

However, Theodore still had a sense of time and was different.

“A fortnight... it will be pretty boring in a place like this.”

Theodore created a desk and stool with a single gesture of his hand. He sat down on the stool and rummaged through his subspace.

He had nothing else to do, so he was going to read a book.

However, Aquilo was upset.

“Darling, don’t you think this is too much? Are you going to leave me alone and read a book?”

“Why? Do you want me to lend you a book?”

“...No.”

Aquilo rejected his offer and whispered in a coy tone, “I thought of something more interesting than reading a book.”

Before Theodore could ask what it was, he heard something light and thin falling.

Then a pair of slender arms stretched out from behind Theodore, who was sitting on a chair, and hugged the back of his neck.

The right amount of weight and warmth tickled him through his clothes.

It was a temptation that was hard to resist no matter how many times he experienced it.

“You can do whatever you want with me for a fortnight. How about it?”

It was hard for any man to refuse, but Theodore let out a short sigh.

He had denied her countless times so far.

Wasn’t it normal to give up after experiencing it once or twice?

Aquilo’s pride couldn’t be so cheap.

Theodore opened his mouth with the intention of saying something stronger, when he belatedly realized something.

“Aquilo, why...?”

Aquilo’s body was trembling slightly.

Was she trying to control her emotions?

Aquilo was silent for a few minutes. Then she started to talk at a volume that was barely audible.

“...I only have you.”

It was a different tone than when she was playfully seducing him.

Just listening to it contained a heart-wrenching feeling.

Theodore held his breath and listened to her story.

“There are no dragons born in this physical world any longer. The only dragons remaining are the ancient dragons who are thousands of years older than me. There is no male of any species who can be my mate.”

When it came to dragons, the strongest race on Earth, their companion had to be equal to them. She could form a relationship with them even if they weren’t equal to her, but she couldn’t accept them as a family.

It wasn’t a matter of taste. It was a matter of instinct.

The only beings that dragons could acknowledge were the same race of dragons or immortal beings who had reached the realm of transcendence.

“I’m scared.”

She hugged Theodore from behind and continued speaking.

“I’m scared to be left alone and die like Medusa.”

Aquilo, an evil dragon who had lived her life as she pleased since she was born, confided in someone for the first time in her life.

She had been interested in him since the first time she met him.

Then after she met her nemesis Veronica, her feelings for him deepened. She plunged deeper and deeper into a depth that could hardly be described as interest.

Finally, the dry fuse was ignited.

Aquilo abandoned even her desire for exclusivity and spoke in a sorrowful tone.

“If you tell me to wait, then I’ll wait. I will even wait a thousand years if you promise to make me your wife.”

“…….”

It was a confession that he couldn’t answer easily.

If he tried to brush it off lightly, Aquilo might change her affection for him into hatred. To a proud dragon, this confession was akin to a life-threatening challenge.

At this time, two concentric circles spread in Theodore’s mind.

They were his sense of responsibility and pure attraction.

His past, which had inadvertently cut off the dragons’ vein, and his heart, which was shaken by Aquilo’s sincerity, moved in one direction.

‘My tenacity isn’t good enough.’

Theodore smiled bitterly without realizing it.

Seemingly recognizing his expression as an answer, Aquilo’s face filled with dark despair.

It was at the moment when her fluorescent eyes were about to lose their light.

“—Kyack?!”

Theodore stood up and picked up Aquilo with a hug.

A ray of anticipation and doubt appeared in her wide eyes.

“D-Darling?”

While trying to hide his awkwardness, Theodore started walking.

Atlantis was clearly a refuge for the gods.

There were no entertainment facilities and no meaningful facilities.

But—

“...I think there is a bedroom here.”

“Ah!”

Despite the roundabout words, Aquilo understood immediately.

With an expression like she had gained the whole world, she kissed Theodore’s cheek several times.

No more words were needed.

***

A month later, Theodore and Aquilo returned to the physical world.