Book Eater

Chapter 19: Outside the Academy (1)

It had been a week since that meeting in Vince’s laboratory.

“If you put the ingredients in the triangle drawn in the center of this magic circle and insert magic power—”

As always, the professor was standing in front of the chalkboard as he lectured on magic circles. Theodore had already studied this material three years ago, so he was mentally reviewing his conversation with Vince instead of wasting ink on taking meaningless notes.

A relationship filled with trust had been established with Professor Vince, but Theo’s routine didn’t have any major changes. He still attended classes as a student and fed Gluttony with library books. However, he didn’t have to worry about the consequences anymore.

- Just submit a list of library books consumed on that day to me. There aren’t any teaching staff managing the library, so it won’t matter if I say that I am in charge.

Vince was a professor at Bergen Academy, and his position was very different from Theodore, who was a repeat student. It wouldn’t be difficult for Vince to supplement the library books which had been consumed. No, he wouldn’t lack money even if he bought out the whole library. As a 5th Circle master, he had the prospects and income of a senior magician. However, he wasn’t too pleased when he heard that Theo had been visiting a black market trader.

- ... I won’t deny the results that it brought you, but the black market is far more dangerous than it appears. It would be best if you didn’t visit them anymore.

- Even though I used the Geass Scroll?

- Yes. A Geass Scroll is just a forced pledge between you and the black market trader. It isn’t uncommon to be caught in other places. The depths of that world run deep, and that black market trader only operates on its outskirts.

Professor Vince hadn’t smiled even once as he spoke. It was the face of a man who had seriously looked into the darkness and experienced its madness. The only thing Theodore could do was nod quietly and give up on going to the black market trader.

Besides, there is no reason to go to the black market anymore.

Professor Vince could easily provide him with artifacts to increase his magic power. The artifacts themselves were expensive, but they were still cheaper than conventional magic reagents and provided more magic power in comparison. Furthermore, consuming artifacts only added to his burgeoning list of magic spells.

Theo glanced at the table in his head.

[Grimoire “Gluttony”/ E Rank]

[Skill: Magic Power Amplification, Attributes Affinity

One of the seals on Gluttony’s power has been removed. Gluttony can now save a selection of spells and cast them freely. This ability can be further improved with additional magic power. The previous owner called this feature ‘Memorize.’ As the current owner, you can change the name if you want.

* Incomplete state. Most of the functions are sealed.

* Once a day, it will wake up to relieve its hunger.

* Immediately after relieving its hunger, it will answer one question.

* The abilities it feeds on will be given to its owner.

* Extracts an essence from consumed books or items. The higher the owner’s understanding, the greater the efficiency of extraction.

* Absorbs some magic power from an item which contains magic power.

* The Memorize function has been activated.]

The consumption of Roaring Flames had triggered this change in Gluttony. Theo’s magic power had shot through the early stages of the 3rd Circle and stabilized at the halfway point. The additional magic power coursing through his body had then lifted one of Gluttony’s seals and provided a description of the new Memorize ability.

Magic can be saved and then used freely...?! That is a difficult ability to find even in higher ranked artifacts!

Theo’s astonishment was not an exaggeration. In comparison, Roaring Flames had only been an intermediate ranked artifact. Once an artifact reached high rank, it was no longer left within the care of a person or family. It would be presented to the kingdom and be designated as a national treasure. An artifact that just had the Memorize function would be immediately designated as a national treasure. However, Gluttony had unsealed this ability at the 3rd Circle.

Only three spells can be stored at one time, but the explanation implies that it can be improved.

Since he had three circles, it was easy to assume that he could store one magic spell per circle. Even so, his instantaneous firepower had just quadrupled. Upon hearing of it, Professor Vince had called the grimoire a ‘book of unprecedented power’.

Fear rose up inside Theo as he pondered the implications.

Ding~!

The bells of the wall clock rang, and chatter instantly spread through the quiet classroom as the professor put down his piece of chalk. Professor Bernard had been hit quite hard over the matter of the Full Moon Bead, so he left the classroom without ever looking in Theo’s direction.

Phew, what a pitiful human.

Theo rose from his seat as the professor quietly left through a side door. It was clear that Professor Bernard would never apologize for the harassment he had subjected Theo to, so Theo had no intention of apologizing for embarrassing him.

Theo sighed as he left the classroom. It was time to feed Gluttony.

***

Theo stopped by the library to pull out a few books and stash them in his backpack. The written permit from Professor Vince had solved a lot of issues for him, and he could just take the books instead of hiding in the library until Gluttony woke up.

Well, there are several things that I need to do.

At the very least, the things he had to do now were less anxiety-provoking than the things he had needed to do before, so he confidently made his way to Professor Vince’s laboratory. Theo knocked politely on the door.

“Professor, it is Theodore.”

“Come in.”

He turned the doorknob as soon as he received permission. After their conversation last week, visiting Professor Vince’s laboratory wasn’t as nerve-wracking anymore. As always, there was the familiar smell of coffee, and Professor Vince would be behind the thick stacks of books and parchment...

Huh?

Theo looked around as he felt a subtle sense of discomfort. He looked around and quickly realized that something was different.

“Professor, did you do some cleaning?”

The cause of Theodore’s discomfort was simple. Professor Vince’s lab was unusually clean. The parchment and books scattered on the floor were now neatly organized. He hadn’t touched the laboratory equipment, but it was still odd.

Vince laughed softly. “Something happened. It’s a little related to you, so our talk today might be a little longer.”

“Yes? What...?”

“Please sit down.”

Theo sat in the chair he had become accustomed to. Vince pulled out a sheaf of paper from a drawer and flicked through it until he found two sheets, which he then handed to Theo.

Theo scanned the first page. A few letters on the top of the first page caught his attention.

“Meltor Kingdom… 126th Annual… Magic Contest?!” His initially quiet voice grew louder as he exclaimed with shock.

Meltor Kingdom was famous for its magicians. The Annual Magic Contest held every year in the capital attracted magicians from across the continent. Magicians from the kingdom, as well as foreign magicians, would swarm to Manavil, the capital of Meltor. However, magicians who couldn’t prove their credentials weren’t allowed to enter the contest, so there was a long line of people waiting to be tested.

Yet, the sheet of paper Professor Vince had just handed him was a letter of invitation allowing Vince to enter the Annual Magic Contest. Although Theodore was a student, he was also a magician. He knew the value of this invitation.

“Professor, you’ve been invited to the Annual Magic Contest?”

“It isn’t a big deal. I get it every year.”

In contrast to the excited Theo, Vince was sipping his coffee calmly. He was usually too busy with his research to go, and had been planning on staying at the academy this year again to focus on his research. But the situation had changed.

He asked with a casual expression, “Do you know why I showed you this invitation?”

Theo looked at Vince in anticipation.

“You can probably guess it. The invitation states that I can be accompanied by one assistant. Normally, I would throw it in the trash but...”

Vince trailed off as he laughed. Normally, Theo’s expression was stiff for his age, but now he looked no different from his excited peers.

Vince presented his gift in a pleased mood.

“How is it? Do you want to go to the magic headquarters with me?”

He already knew the answer.