Book Eater

“This is a pretty interesting development from my stupid son.”

Veronica, the red-haired beauty sitting in a VIP seat, looked down at the stadium with a gaze showing that her expectations had been exceeded.

The difference in capabilities between Adellia and Verus was clear.

If they had the same amount of magic power, he wouldn’t have been able to endure for even a minute and would be immediately defeated. Even if he had twice as much magic power, it was still difficult to hold on for even five minutes. She was going to praise him for putting up a good fight, but there was a fiery fighting spirit in Verus’ eyes.

Those who had participated in a war would know it. It didn’t show the determination to lose; it showed the determination to win.

“Aha.”

After an unknown amount of time after the steam rose, Sylvia recognized the trick before anyone else and smiled.

Was this the reason he created the steam? Obviously, if it was Magic Bullet then it could break even the best defenses of a 5th circle magician.

However, it was difficult for it to hit due to the narrow attack area, so Verus intended to make up for these shortcomings with steam. If he aimed for the gap when visibility decreased, Adellia wouldn’t be able to dodge it. The proper use of Magic Bullet would be a blow that would catch her off guard.

“Sylvia, what Ver is trying is Theo’s thing, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. It is Alfred Bellontes’ unique magic. It is a technique that forms the magic bullet in the body, accelerates it, and then ejects it. Looks like he managed to teach himself the magic that Theo didn’t teach him because it was dangerous...”

Even Theodore, the first user since Alfred, had to endure the recoil that twisted the muscles and bones of his arm. What were the side effects of a failed attempt when even if one followed the correct usage method it was dangerous?

If Verus was an ordinary child, it wouldn’t be strange if he became crippled after one failure. Veronica and Sylvia’s faces hardened as they imagined him working hard.

It seemed necessary to scold him, regardless of whether he won or lost the finals.

Veronica’s expression became a bit serious as she asked, “Well, that is a secondary thing. What do you think will happen?”

“Magic Bullet is just as threatening as it is difficult to learn. If you face it without knowing, you can’t avoid or block it. This is especially true in a situation like the current one where the view is obscured by water vapor.”

“So Ver will take the lead?”

“Who knows?”

Verus’ accomplishment was still hypothetical so Sylvia didn’t immediately affirm it. It was true that if a person didn’t know about Magic Bullet’s existence, it was almost impossible to deal with it.

Yes, if a person didn’t know.

Sylvia smiled meaningfully as she looked at Adellia’s shadow in the haze.

“...Would that child really not know?”

That was the magic of Theodore, the father she adored so much.

* * *

“Kuek!”

It was more painful than when he practiced. Verus gritted his teeth as he held onto the magic power that wanted to disperse.

His bones, which were stronger than steel, made a creaking sound.

The magic power at the tip of his index finger lifted the nail, causing intense pain and drops of blood to fall. As a result, the aiming point of Magic Bullet was altered.

Nevertheless, Verus didn’t pull his finger back.

‘Wait, just hold on for another minute!’

He just had to hold on until the moment that Adellia’s location was revealed through the steam. The speed of Magic Bullet was extremely fast and would hit at almost the same time that it was shot.

After withstanding the burden for seven seconds that felt like minutes, the moment that Verus had been waiting for finally came.

‘Ah.’

He saw it.

Beyond the thick steam, a familiar shadow emerged.

Just like his other physical abilities, Verus’ vision was better than a human’s. While he could see her, Adellia couldn’t see him yet.

Now was the golden opportunity.

Verus immediately let go of what he had been desperately holding back.

Piiing!

There was a creepy sound as something made contact with the steam and pierced a hole the size of a coin through it. A trail of red light was left behind like a thunderbolt after it left Verus’ fingertip.

This was the moment that Alfred’s Magic Missile welcomed its second successor. While greatly inferior in precision and power compared to Theodore’s Magic Bullet, the underlying magic formula and theory were the same.

Therefore, Verus was happy to forget about his sore finger.

He was proud of himself for recreating Magic Bullet and was confident that Adellia would never be able to avoid it.

Sure enough, there was the sound of a damage crystal breaking on the other side of the steam.

‘Uh? It’s like...’

The average person wouldn’t have known. It was the difference between the sound of damage crystals, magic items that absorbed shock, and ice breaking.

Verus realized it belatedly, but it was too late.

A chill had already surrounded him!

“You caught me off guard, Ver.”

It was a calm voice. Adellia, who was floating above Verus’ head, looked down while riding on her staff. ｂｅ𝚍𝚗𝚘ｖｅ𝚕．ｃ𝚘𝚖

There was an eerie whirlwind.

‘Then who did I hit with Magic Bullet...?’

Verus double-checked the shadow he saw in the steam and froze. An ice sculpture in the shape of Adellia stood there with a hole in its abdomen which was probably caused by the bullet he shot.

What he thought was a golden opportunity was a trap?

Verus shouted as he squeezed his knees, which were about to lose strength.

“Sister! How did you know? This is my secret skill!”

“It is a coincidence.”

“A-A coincidence?”

Adellia looked down at the bewildered Verus and chuckled.

“I noticed that you intentionally released the steam but I couldn’t read your next move. I didn’t know anything. Then, I suddenly remembered the old match between Father and Mother.”

More than 20 years ago, during the Pupil Tournament of the past, Theodore had counterattacked using the unique magic ‘Magic Bullet’ against Sylvia, who had taken the initiative after summoning the liquid snake.

He had also blocked her vision to make up for the shortcomings of Magic Bullet.

After Adellia remembered, she made preparations just in case.

And this was the result.

“I am well aware of Magic Bullet. It is a terrifying practical magic, but it is easy to avoid due to the small attack area. It will be difficult for you to fire it continuously at your level.”

“Che.”

This point struck Verus in the core and took a step back. Then Adellia raised her hand and moved her magic power.

This was the end of the conversation between the siblings.

It wouldn’t be too late to have the rest of the conversation after finishing this match.

“Cold Blast.”

A whirlwind of cold air poured out. This was the 5th circle wide area ice magic spell.

Verus hastily raised a wall of fire, but the whirlwind extinguished the flames and struck him violently.

“Kuock...”

There was a boom and one damage crystal shattered.

The score was 1:0.

Adellia had taken the lead. If he allowed himself to be hit by two more effective hits in the future, his defeat would be decided.

Verus escaped the vortex by rolling over and then pushing himself up.

“Not yet!”

The boy with fangs wildly ruffled his red hair.

Seeing this, Adellia pointed her staff at him and laughed.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

Thus, the second round between the Miller siblings started.

“Fireball!”

Verus’ magic power boiled as he shot out a fireball.

Now that he had exhausted his secret technique, the best he could do was to give it his all.

The fireball he threw with all his might collided with the ice wall.

Verus ignored the shattered fragments of the ice wall and just ran forward while looking straight ahead.

Now he had only one breakthrough method left.

This was the reason Adellia widened the gap between them the moment the finals began. A melee battle was his only chance of winning.

“Icicle Arrow.”

Adellia knew Verus’ aim and created dozens of ice arrows in front of her. Unlike the beginning, the rain of arrows concentrated power in each shot and fired in a straight line.

There were ten shots that had the power to suppress even heavily armed soldiers, but they weren’t enough in the face of Verus’ serious charge.

On top of that, he was a 4th circle magician.

“Burning Hands!”

A pair of flame palms emerged. The two palms swung along with Verus’ hands and shattered or bounced most of the ice arrows far away, neutralizing them.

He closed the distance more easily than he expected.

Verus raised his fists at the sight of Adellia getting closer and closer.

Bam!

Just then, a Magic Missile hidden among the ice arrows struck Verus’ jaw.

It was a blow that was impossible for him to notice due to its transparent shape and a lower amount of magic power than normal to hide its presence.

The damage crystal wasn’t destroyed due to its weak power, but Verus’ legs stopped.

“Shouldn’t you cool your head a bit, Brother?”

Adellia had predicted a few moves ahead and tapped the ground with her staff.

Road Freezing.

Ice formed on the surface of the ground, freezing dozens of meters. This variation had Grease magic added to it with the intention to thoroughly seal close combat.

This ice was fatal for a warrior whose stepping foot was important.

“It is only this much!”

However, instead of backing down, Verus stepped on it with all his might.

Bang!

The ice completely cracked. Magic that acted on the ‘surface’ lost its power when the surface itself was destroyed. The ice floor lost its grease effect and it immediately melted when it was touched by Verus’ magic power.

The response that could be called a straight-forward method didn’t stop there.

There was a bang as Verus stepped on the ground and launched himself forward. The intention was to approach through the air rather than the ground, where it was easy to be blocked.

However, Adellia’s staff was faster.

“I knew it.”

The space where there was nothing distorted and something round appeared along the trajectory of her swung staff.

Aerial Hammer.

This was wind magic that compressed the wind into the shape of a hammer.

Verujs couldn’t escape because he was in the air and was thus slammed down violently.

It was like playing ball. It was a shame that he was hit diagonally instead of horizontally as he might’ve gone off the field and lost due to being out-of-bounds.

Suddenly, an unknown change occurred.

Verus, who had fallen down, stood up and smiled helplessly. On the other hand, Adellia stiffened and touched her waist. A shard of a shattered crystal fell between her fingers.

The scoreboard installed on the ceiling changed to 2:1.

It was proof that the two of them had exchanged blows with each other.

“...You were prepared to be attacked from the beginning. Moreover, you seem to have neglected the burden on your fingers and body.”

“If I didn’t do this, I wouldn’t be able to catch up with you.”

The difference in skill was clear. If he didn’t admit this fact, he wouldn’t be able to reach her, let alone win.

Therefore, Verus admitted it and took the risk.

The price of stealing one point from Adellia was his index finger, which had been broken in the middle. It dangled from his right hand. The damage crystal didn’t react to this because it was an injury he inflicted on himself. The recoil of using Magic Bullet broke his index finger.

“I tried to win without getting hurt but I was arrogant,” Adellia said with a sigh while soaring into the sky.

“I’m going to do my best for this blow. I can assure you that this is an attack you won’t be able to avoid or block.”

Verus laughed, undeterred by the threatening words.

“Sister, you are acting grandiose in a manner that doesn’t suit you. Do you intend to make me give up?”

“Well, what do you think?”

“I’m sorry, but my answer is no.”

Perhaps due to her mood, Adellia’s expression became even colder. She closed her eyes for a moment. Once her eyes opened again, there wasn’t a single shred of hesitation left.

A chill went down Verus’ spine as he gathered his strength.

If it was a one-hit-ko match, he still had something left as well.

Just like how he learned the Magic Bullet skill on his own because he admired his father, he naturally acquired this skill because he admired his mother.

“Suuoooo... op!”

The nearby air was sucked in which caused an untimely gust of wind.

After seeing this, the eyes of Adellia and some people sitting in the audience widened like trays.

They had no choice but to do so.

“Don’t tell me? Can you use ‘that’?”

It was Red Tower Master Veronica’s exclusive move.

He was preparing to unleash a Dragon Breath.