Book Eater

Time passed by. Some people forgot, some people didn’t. It was a memory of the day when a meteorite had fallen from the sky. A night sky had enveloped the whole world, and it had seemed like all life would end. From dragons to daylight, everything had been equal before the falling crimson meteorite.

As soon as the myth of doomsday became reality, nobody had been able to resist it and had to accept fate. On that day, infants and adults were equal, or a farmer and a sword master, and even a human and a dragon. Before absolute destruction, no living thing had been able to look at the sky.

A sword master’s aura blade? A great magician’s 7th Circle spell? The abilities that talented humans had trained all their lives had become no better than meaningless baubles. It was like how the differences between a rabbit, a bear, and a tiger were all inconsequential in the face of an avalanche.

Only one magician had flown against the ruin. It was just like how long ago, Icarus had challenged the sun and crossed the sky. This magician had struggled to prevent the destruction that had yet to arrive, forcing his body beyond the boundary of the planet.

Then the old god-sword broke, and his five viscera had burst.

Nevertheless, he had fought on. He had fought alone without telling anyone. Had it been like an egg hitting against a rock? The magician had continued to throw himself against inevitability despite knowing the result. Finally, he was exhausted and defeated. But, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, he had revived and defeated the destruction.

Very few people knew about it. The vast majority of people didn’t. One magician had saved the world. Tomorrow shouldn’t have come.

The skeptics, the ones with sharp intuitions, and those who understood were silent, but the people who had looked up at the red sky and trembled from an uneasy feeling soon forgot about this day. Thus, life went on. Just like yesterday, somebody died today while somebody else was born in this world.

Six months had passed since the day the meteorite fell.

***

New days constantly arrived in the world, as if the end hadn’t been moments away. The struggle between Theo and the Seven Sins led to a transformation of the times. Just as yesterday and today were different, today and tomorrow were different.

First, the West Continent had undergone a series of changes. The land Lairon had left behind was the epicenter of a war of nerves. The undead had infested the land, so it was difficult for any one kingdom to occupy it. However, after Jerem’s death, the land was ownerless.

- I will get payback for the persecution of our people!?

The nomadic people crossed the western border of Lairon. However, the people of Austen and Soldun, who lacked agricultural land due to a long drought, also started acting. After all, one of the largest and most fertile lands in the central region had no owner. Any nation’s leader would covet it. It had been a few years since the end of the drought. After regaining its national strength, Austen claimed without any fear,

- We should take at least one third!

Meanwhile, King Elsid of Soldun scoffed. It was ridiculous from his point of view.

- Don’t make me laugh. It was our elites who got rid of the undead remaining in Lairon. If you covet the land, I will give you a chance to use the same bed as the zombies.

It was a declaration which left no room for compromise. Wasn’t it the same as Elsid saying Soldun would kill them? On the surface, Soldun was threatening a war. As such, Austen became very angry and summoned the army to demonstrate the majesty of the Sultan.

As the clouds of war spread across the central part of the continent, Meltor was aghast and informed both countries.

-We are the ones who killed the warlock who destroyed Lairon. Why are you guys fighting over the land?

The central countries were dumbfounded by the absurd interjection. They could push forward with force, but the current Meltor Kingdom was an unmatched power at its peak. The Meltor Kingdom had the 7th Circle Blue Tower Master and White Tower Master, as well as the 8th Circle Red Tower Master who had the lineage of a dragon. But above them all stood Meltor’s top magician and Chief Tower Master, Theodore Miller. It was doubtful that the other countries would even last for a day if Meltor wanted to unify the West Continent.

As a result, the war on the verge of breaking out was smothered. However, there was no break as the East Continent started to experience their own troubles. The aftermath of the devastation caused by Lust, the so-called Lust’s Apocalypse, was causing problems. The empire was bordered by multiple kingdoms, and the land was so wide that it was hard to compare to Lairon. Furthermore, it was difficult for Meltor to wield its influence from so far away.

Of course, if Theo acted properly, he could destroy all invaders and rebuild the Central Empire. However, if he did that, he would be no different from a dictator.

I need to combine the remnants of the empire with the yokai led by Shuten-doji in order to form an alliance.

It was diplomatic of a country to be weak in front of the strong and strong in front of the weak. If they showed that they had the power to resist, the other kingdoms would pull back on many fronts. If they pretended that they couldn’t occupy the outskirts which were now difficult to defend, the predators’ greed would somehow be filled.

Theo’s plan went well. The New Central Kingdom, based around the Fairy Dance Lee family, kept close to half its territory. It was unlike the Western Xia and the Bukhae Kingdom, which had moved without the help of others.

The situation of the East Continent isn’t stable yet but...

Theo was forced to leave without seeing the results. There was something more serious than the restoration of the world, which had been damaged by the Seven Sins. He moved across the sea to the other continent with one space movement. Theo couldn’t waste even one second these days. He walked down a familiar corridor with a stiff expression.

Step, step.

As the sound of his footsteps echoed, someone on the other side of the hall heard and looked up with an expression of sadness.

“You are late, my soul. You took more than an hour?” She tapped Theo on the shoulder before lightly kissing his cheek. Veronica’s bright hair shone as she softly whispered, “I guess there was a lot of work in the East Continent? Otherwise, you wouldn’t be late.”

Theo kissed her and smiled wryly. “Well, that and I had one place to go first.”

“Is it a big deal?”

“You don’t have to worry.”

“You said the same thing about fighting that meteorite. You should specify if you are suddenly going to die like last time.”

“I understand, Becky.”

Theo had nothing to say about this topic. His soul had shattered when he entered the Akashic Records to fight against Wrath. The problem was that Veronica was linked to his soul. As soon as Theo fell into the Akashic Records, her heart had stopped before restarting. Even the contract of a Seven Sins contract had been severed, so her soul had taken serious damage. Back when Theo’s soul shattered and entered a dimension that was several levels higher, it had broken all of his contracts.

It is lucky I recovered the connection along with Gluttony or I would’ve regretted it.

He almost shuddered thinking about it. If it hadn’t been for the vitality of Veronica’s bloodline and Theo’s quick return, Veronica would’ve died. How stupid would it have been to save the world while losing a lover? The warmth of her body was now even more precious.

After hugging her for a few seconds, Theo asked, “Am I late?”

“By my standards.” Veronica smiled and patted his head. “If that old man was still alive, he would be trying to break your head right now.”

“... There are still others. How is Sylvia?”

“She’s fine. She has a slight fever but that’s normal.”

“I see...” Theo sighed with relief and flopped down onto the chair. It was an expression that he hadn’t shown when he dealt with a dragon, a demon, or even Wrath.

Veronica saw his expression and teased him, “Control your face. You look like you are possessed by an evil spirit. Won’t people misunderstand?”

“Sigh... I know but I can’t control it.” This was different from the trials Theo had faced so far. “It is hard for me.”

It was hard to believe that every parent had gone through this once or several times. Having a clear enemy was much easier. Theo couldn’t even imagine the battle that was going on beyond the shabby door. It wasn’t even close to how he’d felt when he fought Pride. When he fought Wrath, he had been desperate but hadn’t given up. This was the first time he had such a feeling of helplessness.

At that moment…

Creak.

The door of the room containing Sylvia opened.

“Ah!” The medical magician saw the two Tower Masters and bowed.

However, Theo stopped him and asked desperately, “How is Sylvia? Is there anything wrong?”

The medical magician was a bit surprised at Theo’s frantic expression. He had seen it on the faces of almost every father. He had thought the Chief Tower Master would have more composure, but it seemed he was wrong. The medical magician couldn’t stop a wry smile from crossing his face. So what if Theodore Miller was the strongest magician? He was also a father.

He replied quickly. “Don’t worry. She’s a bit tired, but she is fine. And... you should hear this from the Blue Tower Master.”

“T-That’s right.” Theo reddened as he glimpsed his own behavior with the benefit of hindsight. “Thank you for your hard work. Then... Becky?”

Rebecca gently pushed him forward. “I will wait a bit. The two of you should spend some time together.”

“... Becky, thank you.”

Thanks to Veronica stepping back, Theo entered the room. It was only a few steps but it felt like the other side of the universe. He barely maintained his steady pace.

“Theo, you came.” Sylvia sat on a wide bed, holding a white blanket.

“Sylvia.”

“Yes.”

His mouth didn’t open well. Theo silently took a step closer. The caregiver stepped back like she could see the thoughts in his heart. When he reached Sylvia’s side, he quietly waited for her to speak. Her face was a bit more worn than usual, but she was a few times brighter.

“Theo.” Sylvia showed him the small bundle in her arms. “Look, it is our child.”

“... Ah.”

Objectively speaking, it was hard to say that the child was beautiful. After all, as a newborn baby, it was wrinkled and red. However, Theo’s vision blurred. Tears that he didn’t know had formed were spilling, dripping like melting ice. No words emerged as he embraced his child with trembling hands.

Ahh...

He thought that he had been born for this moment, the birth of the child who inherited Theo’s and Sylvia’s blood. Theo had been afraid of this moment. There were more people he had to protect at the risk of his life. He had hesitated for a bit because the burden on his shoulders had gotten heavier.

However, at this moment, Theo forgot all his regrets.

“... Caregiver,” Theo whispered so that the sleeping child wouldn’t wake up, “Give this leaf to Sylvia in a tea.”

“C-Chief Tower Master. Excuse me, but this leaf...?”

Even if Theo was the Chief Tower Master, the caregiver wouldn’t feed anything to a new mother when she didn’t know what effect it would have. Theo smiled at the cautious caregiver. “A bud of the world tree.”

“Heok!”

“Hurry. The strength weakens quickly away from Elvenheim.”

“U-Understood!”

The caregiver moved deftly while Theo looked lovingly at his child. He could hear the child quietly breathing. The tiny body seemed like it would break with the slightest touch. Theo barely suppressed the urge to hug the child as tightly as possible.

Open.

Theo placed an index finger to the child’s lips. He wouldn’t have been late if he had come directly from the East Continent. However, the reason he was late was to get this. A clear drop of liquid flowed from the space connected to his fingertips. There were only a few drops, but it was a huge amount from an elf’s perspective. It hadn’t been easy for them to extract sap from the barely recovering world tree because they thought of the world tree as their ancestor. 𝒃𝒆𝒅𝙣𝒐𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝒎

Theo glanced lovingly at his baby’s face. If a baby was fed this sap, they would grow up with the love of all the elementals and spirits. Indeed, it seemed as if the baby’s color improved.

“Theo.” Sylvia watched him from the side and held out both of her hands.

Theo reluctantly placed the baby back in her arms. Sylvia kissed the sleeping child’s forehead and looked at him with a profound gaze in her eyes. It was more loving than passionate. These were definitely the eyes of a mother.

“If you have a name that you’ve thought about, can you tell me?”

“Um...”

He had one. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that that energetic old man had contributed to Theo’s victory. If possible, Theo had wanted to end their wedding with a beating from his hands. No, the old man might have laughed and cried instead.

The name Theo had in mind drew inspiration from Blundell Adruncus. “Adellia.”

The meaning of the name was obvious to Sylvia as soon as she heard it. Her eyes widened before warming. She smiled brightly.

“It’s a good name.”