Book Eater

His eyes opened suddenly in the middle of the night.

“...”

Darkness had filled the room, leaving only a faint outline of it visible.

Theodore instinctively lifted his left arm and noticed the weight on it. Soft hair, a warm body temperature, and regular breaths tickled his skin.

A rich woody scent and a faint body odor entered his nose. Ellenoa had been bullied by him for a long time and was now in a deep sleep.

‘Beautiful.’

He could tell even while dazed.

The moon, starlight, and dim lighting from the ceiling added a glow that made them act like beautiful cosmetics. They highlighted the long drooping eyelashes and lips resembling cherry blossoms.

Possessed by a subconscious impulse, Theodore reached out.

Carefully, as if touching thin ice, he stroked her cheek with his fingertips and hoped that she would wake up. The elf’s unique, moist skin bounced off his index finger elastically.

Naturally, a thought flashed through his mind.

‘...Even a goddess wouldn’t be more beautiful than Ella.’

Theodore was convinced even though he hadn’t seen one.

If it was the Age of Mythology, his head might’ve been cut off for blasphemy, but in today’s era, there was no existence that could condemn him.

[Bah.]

No, there was one.

[Che, poop.]

A young voice echoed in his head. A bitter smile appeared on Theodore’s face as he soon realized who the source was.

Speaking of which, he had forgotten about her existence.

In a gentle, soothing voice, he called out her name.

‘Mitra.’

[Bah, I don’t know that little elemental! I’m a goddess! The strong and pretty Dmitra!]

It seemed she was sulking.

Theodore let out a small chuckle and apologized to her.

‘Yes, a pretty and strong goddess. I’m sorry.’

[I’m sorry I’m uglier than Ella, bah!]

‘I didn’t say you were ugly?’

[Huh?]

There was no profession more obsessed with logic than magician. In other words, as a magician, he was extremely good at using logic to catch others off guard.

The sullen Mitra’s ears perked up at his words.

Seizing the opportunity, Theodore whispered.

‘Our Mitra is as pretty as Ella. There is no goddess prettier than our Mitra.’

[...I-Is that so?]

‘Of course. Who signed a contract with such a powerful elemental?’

[Hehehe, as expected, Theo knows things.]

Mitra laughed after being coaxed by a few words. At this sight, Theodore was conflicted between being relieved and worried.

Because of her appearance like an innocent child, people felt uneasy. Well, she had the power of a goddess so she wouldn’t fall for sly tricks.

Theodore lay on the bed and stared up silently.

The bedroom was located inside a hole in the World Tree. It had a round ceiling that allowed him to see the brightly shining stars in the night sky between the branches that stretched here and there.

Every time the wind blew, moonlight poured in through the leaves. The sound of crickets, who came up through an unknown method, and Ellenoa’s breathing was peaceful.

However, the peace didn’t last forever.

[Theo.]

Mitra called out to him with the dignity of a goddess.

[The sanctuary around the World Tree is almost complete. It will take many years to extend to the outskirts of the forest, but the foundation work of the temple has been completed.]

‘...Yes, good job.’

Theodore’s eyes deepened slightly.

Her role in the plan to make Elvenheim the mana hub of this world was pivotal. Furthermore, the entire Northern Great Forest had to be turned into a sanctuary and a temple to circulate power.

The work done so far was just the beginning.

It was right to say that this was now the starting point.

‘Life is starting to come back to the Red Plateau. Did you know?’

[Yes, but the grass needs another 10 years to grow. It might take another 100 years for the ecosystem to be properly constructed.]

‘Let me help you. I also want to settle nomads in this land. Less civilized people will have no objection to believing in your existence. They can also play a role in deterring uninvited visitors from outside the forest.’

The greater the number of believers and deeper the faith, the more powerful the god.

This was especially true for Mitra, who had become one with the World Tree.

Reverence and worship for the World Tree flowed into Dmitra’s faith. Thus, nomads who felt awe at the power of Mother Nature and conformed to it were excellent neighbors.

That aside, there were still plenty of other things to talk about.

For a while, Theodore and Mitra discussed Elvenheim’s future and things to do in the future.

It was an incomprehensible story in the realm of mortality.

‘Ah, by the way Mitra.’

Toward the end of the conversation, Theodore expressed a question that suddenly came to mind.

‘Did you intervene in the matter of Alisa and Orta’s child?’

[Hehe, did I get caught?]

Mitra laughed right away.

Theodore had half-expected it so he chuckled.

Mother Earth was the mother of all life. It wasn’t a big deal to grant a child. It might be different if it was a transcendent species like a dragon, but a mix between a human and a high elf wouldn’t be much of a burden.

In her own way, it was a gift to Alisa and her husband.

[Ah.]

Suddenly, Mitra’s laughter stopped and her voice became strangely filled with guilt.

[...I’m sorry, Theo.]

‘Huh?’

‘I would love to help, but I can’t control Ella and Theo’s child. Anyone who has enough power to interfere in the fate of a transcendent must be at least the level of a great god...]

It was the same race involved, but the level was too different.

Orta was a 7th circle great magician and had the Empty Eyes, but compared to Theodore, he was insignificant. Theodore was a 9th circle great magician, had accessed the Akashic, and was even a dimensional guardian. He was beyond the power of Mitra, who had just become an intermediate god.

‘Sigh, I was wondering what you were talking about.’

Theodore just smiled without disappointment.

‘It is okay. Ella and I aren’t impatient.’

[But.]

‘If I want a successor to the temple, there are many other options. I want my child to be born out of love, not out of necessity.’

It was exactly as he said.

An heir was needed but it didn’t necessarily have to be the child of the two of them.

He could teach a qualified elf to take over the role. Even if there was no suitable person, it would be fine if Theodore put in a bit of effort.

Hearing this, Mitra smiled widely.

[Hehe, as expected of Theo. So cool.]

.

‘It is just some ordinary words.’

As the two of them were having a friendly conversation, they failed to consider the existence of a third party who could look into their mental world.

The race closest to the World Tree.

An agent of Goddess Dmitra.

They didn’t consider Ellenoa, the high elf who once played the role of ‘miko.’

“I think so as well.”

“E-Ella?”

Theodore had been so focused on the conversation with Mitra that he was startled.

Since when had she been awake?

Before he could raise the question, he felt Ellenoa raising her upper body.

Light green hair flowed beautifully and covered white skin.

Her skin that wasn’t fully covered was truly dizzying.

At the sight of Theodore at a loss for words in a different sense, Ellenoa didn’t let go of this opportunity.

“Gasp!”

He became short of breath.

Was it due to the weight pressing on his stomach? Or was it because of Ellenoa, who was looking down at him seductively?

Theodore’s eyes widened and his body stiffened.

“My hair is a bit messy.”

Ellenoa didn’t just climb on him for no reason. She raised her arms and tied her hair in a ponytail.

Her bewitching, curved neck glowed in the darkness.

Her armpits revealed under her slender arms also caught his eyes.

“El—”

As Theodore gulped and was about to say something, Ellenoa’s lips approached him and she whispered.

“Shh. The conversation is over, right?”

The subsequent whisper interrupted Theodore’s sense of reason.

“Make me a mother.”

“—Ella!”

Theodore suddenly got up and hugged her. A warm breeze started to blow again in the chilly night air.

[Oh my!]

Seeing this, Mitra covered her eyes with her hands.

For Dmitra, the goddess who symbolized the prosperity of life, sex wasn’t a particularly embarrassing thing.

Mitra smiled happily and retracted her gaze from the bedroom.

Starting now, it was the time for the two of them again.

***

For the next two months, Theodore stayed in the forest and looked for something to do every day.

It was okay to say it was some type of diversion.

He restored cliffs collapsed by landslides, reduced overgrown swamps to a moderate size, etc. These were small things compared to what he could do.

He didn’t bestow impossible miracles upon the inhabitants of the forest.

While it wasn’t impossible to make this large forest into an ideal state, that would only increase their dependence on Theodore.

The best thing to do was to just hasten what would happen someday.

After all, even this was enough to inspire awe.

“The valley that collapsed in one night...!”

“Isn’t the rotten ground restored to its original state?! This is absurd!”

“Thank you for your help, Theodore!”

Those who remembered his past achievements and those who didn’t remember them were united when it came to their words of gratitude.

In his spare time, he whispered his love to Ellenoa.

Perhaps it was because the passion of the first night hadn’t cooled down, but the affection between the two of them stirred up even the elves, whose emotions were usually calm. Maybe this was why many couples were born along the forest path that the two of them walked through.

In a way, it was also a virtuous cycle.

Then it happened one day.

Theodore was taking a walk around the forest before heading to Ellenoa as usual when he received a whisper.

[Can you hear my voice, darling?]

It was a beautiful voice like the tinkling of chimes.

It was a voice reminiscent of a siren, a monster that existed in ancient times. It was a voice that he couldn’t forget once he heard it.

“Aquilo?”

[You can hear me. It has been a while.]

“Yes. I think it has been five years since I last saw you.”

Theodore answered calmly.

Even the voice that made his ears ecstatic with just a sound wasn’t enough to shake the mind and body of a transcendent.

Aquilo no longer called him a boy.

He didn’t know what type of change of heart there was, but her attitude was now a bit more cautious than before. It felt more serious than playful.

“What is going on? You contacted me all of a sudden.”

After Theodore asked this question, Aquilo asked back.

[Darling, I found something interesting. Can you give me some time?]

“How long?”

[Who knows. I can’t guess either. You are the only one who can be called an expert in this day and age.]

At these words, Theodore became intrigued and inquired about it.

“Expert? What did you find?”

Aquilo didn’t know anything about it, and if there was anything Theodore knew well, it was magic. Even young dragons had lived for thousands of years, so it must be an unusual problem if even she didn’t know about it.

Sure enough, Aquilo’s answer lived up to that expectation.

[It is a historic site.]

“A historical site? Where?”

[I found it, so it is naturally in the deep sea. You know what is more amazing than that? This site isn’t from ancient times or the Dark Ages. If so, what era is it from?]

Theodore’s body, which had been flying rapidly, came to a halt.

Indeed, he could see why Aquilo couldn’t easily touch it.

It wasn’t from ancient times or the Dark Ages. Thus, there was only one era that had ruins that Aquilo couldn’t identify.

“...A ruin from the Age of Mythology?”

“Correct!”

The cheerful voice ringing in his ears admitted it.

There was a matter that Theodore had to deal with himself.