Book Eater

Chapter 40: Return Home After Five Years (1)

The Blue Tower Master, Blundell Adruncus, had called for them?

Both magicians were puzzled, but had no choice but to follow Melrose. While the hierarchy between magicians was relatively casual, this was a command from the head of a Tower. They couldn’t refuse it even if they didn’t know Blundell’s intentions.

The Blue Tower wasn’t that far from the Magic Society, so it didn’t take Melrose long to escort them to the Blue Tower. Theo felt many eyes settle on him as he walked through the entrance.

He whispered, “... Master, why is everyone staring at me?”

Vince was also uncomfortable under everyone’s eyes, so he nodded. “You’ve become a celebrity after yesterday’s match. As expected from the Blue Tower, gossip spreads unnecessarily fast.”

Theo murmured, “Is there anything I should care about?”

Vince snorted quietly. “Just ignore it. If you give them any attention, they’ll just cling harder.”

The Red Tower magicians often called the Blue Tower magicians shady, while the latter called the former crude. However, the insults hid a grain of truth. The Red Tower cherished strength over logic, and the Blue Tower preferred to play tricks rather than force matters into a frontal collision. Over time, this had evolved into two rival philosophies of the Towers.

A Red Tower magician would rather duel than debate, while a Blue Tower magician would drag out a conversation for hours; it was best to avoid both.

Theo followed Vince’s advice as he ignored the magicians around him. Melrose ushered them past the gawking magicians until they reached the Tower Master’s residence on the top floor.

Melrose bowed and bid Theo and Vince goodbye in front of a colorfully patterned door. As Vince stepped forward, the door creaked open.

Creeaaak~

The door closed noisily behind them after Vince and Theo entered. The room before them was filled with artifacts. Blundell rose from the stool he was sitting on as he greeted them with a smile.

“Ohh, welcome! Sorry for calling you so early in the morn... ing?”

Blundell’s eyes glanced from Theo to Vince, and stayed there. His smiling eyes suddenly shone like glass beads. After a moment of silence, Blundell grinned so widely that his mouth wrinkled, “Kuahaha! Vince, you finally took a layer off!”

Vince replied warily, “... What do you mean?”

Blundell guffawed, “Ah, this guy! Why are you trying to cheat the eyes of this Blue Tower Master? Anyway, congratulations on going beyond the wall!”

Vince relaxed. “Hoo, thank you.”

As expected of an 8th Circle magician, Blundell had noticed Vince’s achievement in a single glance. He laughed as they all moved to a large table that already had some tea steeping. It filled the air with a delicate fragrance. It seemed this conversation wouldn’t be short.

Blundell cleared his throat, still grinning. “Vince, can I ask you something first?”

Vince nodded. “Speak.”

Blundell’s smile grew wider. “Nine hundred and thirty-two and one thousand one hundred and six. Do you know what those numbers represent?”

Vince frowned at the sudden, seemingly random numbers. When asked, any wise person would be better off holding their tongue. He didn’t answer, so Blundell continued.

“That’s the number of people who have been looking for information on Vince Haidel and Theodore Miller, respectively, since yesterday.”

“...?!”

Vince and Theo’s eyes widened. They had expected some level of scrutiny after the awards ceremony, but this was well and truly beyond their guesses. There were only a precious few people who were even qualified to access information at the Magic Society, so this was a rather rude shock.

As Vince and Theo stiffened in worry, Blundell shook his head and grinned at them. “Well, you don’t have to worry. I sealed your files before the ceremony began. The only one who can overrule my seal is His Majesty, so you can relax.”

Vince stared at him. “... Did you know this would happen?”

Blundell took a sip of his tea. “It always happens. People try to recruit promising participants every year. The scale just got bigger in this case.”

On the other hand, Vince couldn’t help frowning. He despised politics so much that he had chosen to leave the capital, but the same vultures were now trying to get their claws into his disciple. His rising anger unconsciously roused his six circles, and the air started to heat up. The wrath of a 6th Circle magician was truly terrible. Fortunately, there was one more powerful magician in the room.

“Come now, don’t get too heated up.” Blundell tapped the table once.

Chill.

The heated air instantly cooled into a light autumn breeze that lightly swept through the room. Theo blinked, barely concealing his amazement. This was a level of magic that he had never seen before, where casting and chanting were meaningless. This magician, who had reached the 8th Circle thirty years ago, could be more accurately described as a natural disaster than a human. Blundell could probably make Sylvia’s Blizzard look like child’s play.

After cooling down the atmosphere, Blundell spoke, “Even if you are a 6th Circle magician, you can’t throw politics away. It isn’t wise to antagonize those in power.”

Vince silently ground his teeth. “Then what would the wise Tower Master do?”

Blundell’s eyes twinkled. “Huh? If it were me, I’d just beat them all up. I’m an 8th Circle magician, so I don’t care about stepping on them.”

Theo and Vince stared dumbfoundedly as Blundell guffawed and pulled out an envelope.

“That’s a joke. Actually, I prepared this for you.”

Theo looked bewildered. “What’s this?”

It had been stamped with the seal of the Magic Society, but had no other markings. Unlike Theo, Vince knew exactly what it was.

“A dispatch? Theodore is still at the Basic ranking.”

“If you can’t get rid of the shit, avoid it. It’s better than staying in your room until the end of the magic contest.” Blundell smiled in satisfaction as he added, “Theodore, it’s been about five years since you’ve been home, right? Would you like to take this opportunity to go back?”

Theo glanced at him, frowning. “Huh? Return home?”

Blundell explained, “Coincidentally, this dispatch mission’s destination is the Miller Barony.”

Vince’s eyes widened. “Ah...!”

That changed the story. Theo could slip away from the clutches of the nobility without offending them, and reunite with his family. If the difficulty of the mission was reasonable, it would be a good solution to their problems.

Vince watched as Theo read through the contents of the dispatch. It was a brief report of a cave and a person’s biography. The final mission statement contained a few short instructions.

Theo looked up. “... Investigate the whereabouts of the magician sent to survey a cave found in the Miller Barony? Isn’t it a pretty simple request?”

Blundell agreed, “It isn’t a dungeon but an ordinary cave found three months ago. A moderately smart person was sent to survey it, but...”

Theo finished, “Contact has been cut off.”

Blundell coughed. “That’s right.”

It was a frequent occurrence among self-indulgent magicians. Once they found something worth investigating, they would often disappear for several months as they investigated. It was common to send someone to find the magician and get a report.

Blundell continued, “It shouldn’t be that hard. You can take a break at home and avoid the rumor mill. If you find the magician, it would be nice if you came back with them.”

Theo nodded. “... I understand.”

It wasn’t that difficult. The Miller Barony was his playground, and his father was a poor lord with nothing to hide. If the magician didn’t go to extreme lengths to hide themselves, then he would be able to find the magician instantly. Theo looked at Vince, who nodded, and accepted the dispatch mission from Blundell.

All of a sudden, Blundell’s expression morphed into one of worry, and his voice grew solemn. “Ah~, but this old man is very worried since you’re so young. If that magician didn’t deliberately cut off contact, it might be dangerous~”

Vince stared at him. “What are you talking about?”

Blundell ignored Vince. “Hey! You know, you should have a companion, and co-inci-dentally, I have a suitable companion for you!”

Blundell smacked his staff against the ground in an obvious signal. As suspicion warred with confusion on the two magicians’ faces, someone emerged from behind a large bookcase.

Her blue eyes and silver hair perfectly complemented the new white staff she held in her hand.

“... Sylvia,” Theo muttered quietly.

Sylvia bowed. “Ah, hello.”

Theo replied awkwardly, “Ah, hello...?”

Neither of them were that socially adept, and one had a rather high opinion of the other. This confluence created a scene where there was no way they could talk easily. They awkwardly stared at each other until Blundell nudged Sylvia forward.

He sighed melodramatically. “You two aren’t the only ones receiving attention since yesterday. Sylvia is going through a similar thing.”

Theo’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me that the companion...”

Blundell grinned. “Yes, it’s Sylvia!”

Theodore swiftly put down the envelope. “I'm sorry, but I'll take the next opp-”

“Now hang on a minute,” Blundell interrupted before Theo could reject the mission. He grabbed Theo’s shoulders, who could feel the sheer strength in those arms as a quiet voice rang in his ears. He couldn’t help but feel a thrill of fear.

“It might be a little burdensome, but Sylvia has absolutely no experience with friendship. Her magical skills are great, but she’s mentally rather young. So, I would like her to build up some social experience on this trip.”

Theo whispered back, “Even so, isn’t it too much for a woman to go on a trip with a man?!”

Blundell snorted. “That child is still unaware of the opposite sex. Her interest in you comes from finding someone who’s like her. She needs someone like that.”

Still, Theo couldn’t help feeling burdened. Blundell read Theo’s hesitation and took out a plaque from within his robes that was emblazoned with the Magic Society’s symbol and Blundell’s signature.

Theo glanced down at it. “This...?”

“This is a nameplate given to the inspector from the Magic Society, which contains their rank. Each inspector is given a grant that corresponds to the rank of the nameplate. If you take a mission that corresponds to the lowest Rank 9, you will receive a grant of three gold. But...”

Blundell tapped the nameplate, and the nine turned to a number five. “I can do this at my discretion.”

Theo asked, “Then the grant...”

Blundell nodded. “Naturally, it increases. As I recall, I can pay up to a hundred gold.”

Theo’s eyes widened.

If I can get a hundred gold right now…

That was several years of the Miller Barony’s budget! His barony was filled with many starving farmers because of the last few bad harvests. If he added the two hundred gold he’d received as the prize for the Pupil Tournament, he could ensure the barony’s prosperity for ten years! He could buy nice clothes for his parents, and ease the burden on the poor and hungry farmers.

When he thought of that, he had to agree. “... I understand. I will go with Sylvia.”

Blundell released his shoulders with a laugh. “Ohh! Yes, that’s a great decision! It isn’t common to be accompanied by a talented 5th Circle magician at all! Huhahaha!”

While Blundell was laughing, Theo glanced at Sylvia, who was shyly looking at him. When their eyes met, she smiled and waved. Her smile made her seem much younger than she looked.

I wonder what I’m going to hear when I bring her home? Is this what people call a jackpot?

Theodore Miller had become a 4th Circle magician and was returning home with three hundred gold and a pretty girl. It was like something out of a fairy tale.

While any young man would be joyous, Theo could only let out a deep sigh.