Book Eater

Chapter 319: The One who Inherits, the One who Maneuvers Behind the Scenes (2)

As always, the same information window appeared in Theo’s mind.

[Deeper Theories about Elementals]

[This book goes beyond the theory of the four elementals, outlining the royal elementals and the ancient elementals. It explains the difference between a god and an elemental, as well as the changes that occur to an elemental with a divinity. The author, Myrdal, wrote this solely for one reader. You are the only one who can access this data.

* This magic book is rated Unique.

* Acquisition Conditions: A contractor of an ancient elemental.

* When consumed, elemental magic (Genuine) will be learned.

* When consumed, your understanding of elementals will increase to the maximum.

* This is the original copy that was directly written by the author. When consumed, you can read the message left behind by the author.]

Theo’s eyebrows rose when he saw the last sentence of the description.

This was a book that had been written solely for the sake of one reader.

Additionally, it bluntly stated that the condition of acquisition was that one had to be a contractor of an ancient elemental. Sage Myrdal had truly foretold Theo’s existence hundreds of years ago, maybe even more. The fact that Theo hadn’t met Titania before might also be due to Myrdal’s arrangement.

I was never harmed. But... can I trust Myrdal Herseim, who is also an unidentified existence?

A great magician of a previous century and better known as the summoner of a royal elemental… Myrdal Herseim was just a name that Theo had discovered in a textbook ten years ago. Theo had thought it a coincidence when he found the original book after meeting Gluttony at Bergen Academy and that he had simply been fortunate enough to sign a contract with an ancient elemental.

However, what if that luck was someone else’s intentions? Despite the results benefiting Theo, he couldn’t help feeling upset that his choices and efforts seemed to be nothing more than the movements of a puppet in a show.

He felt like he needed to talk to Myrdal again, so Theo opened the book. But a frown crossed his face in moments.

“... What... Is this book…?”

It was written in the official language of the continent. The paragraph summaries were excellent, and the explanations concise. The author was clearly knowledgeable, however, the contents were absurdly difficult to understand.

Damn, it will take longer than a day or two. It is at a level that I’m going to have to study for months or even years before being able to consume it.

It was rare to find a magician in the Magic Society who knew more than Theo about elementals. Yet he couldn’t remember anything after reading it once. It was a good thing there was some overlap with the Fairy's Book. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to get past a few pages.

However, when Theo thought about it, he realized it was natural. After all, the ancient elements were fragments of gods. This meant that a magician with eight Circles was still lacking to fully handle that power.

Transcendent.

An aura user had to become a grandmaster or a magician had to have nine Circles before they could reach the realm of the gods. Theo might possess several divinities and the experience of Mitra becoming a god for a brief moment, but it was still far from understanding the nature of the power. This was what it meant to challenge understanding Deeper Theories about Elementals.

“Yes, I will accept it.”

Anyway, Titania had done nothing wrong in delivering the book. Theo placed the old book in his Inventory and decided to focus on the main priority. The book Myrdal left behind was an unexpected variable. The first thing Theo needed to do was defend the world tree and stop Jerem’s desires.

“Then I will start off with a description of the areas.” The high elf looked down at the large forest stretched out below them and pointed. “The south will be the front, as it’s right next to the empty Red Plateau. However, the ents and dryads coexist deeper inside. Those two species are strong enough together that large monsters won’t enter that area.”

Theo nodded. “The ents and dryads... They are the species who receive the most from the world tree. They will certainly be a great help.”

Titania agreed, “That’s right. Their cooperation is indispensable when building the defense lines.”

The ents and dryads hadn’t been able to play a big role against Laevateinn because of their innate weakness to fire. However, they grew up in the Great Forest and were two or three times stronger than any other species in the area. An ent’s bark was almost impervious to steel axes, while the dryads exerted strength over the elementals in their area. Moreover, hundreds of ents could reverse the environmental conditions of the battlefield.

Titania continued, “Next is the west. You have met them before, but that’s where the beast clans reside. Frankly, it is difficult to expect much help from them.”

“I thought that as well...” Theo smiled wryly at Titania’s words. He had defeated the chief of one of the clans with a punch, so there was no need to think the others would be stronger. Power in numbers was meaningless against a necromancer. Rather, the correct move would be to evacuate them to the rear to prevent them from becoming the enemy’s minions.

Titana finished, “Apart from the north, which is permanently frozen, the last area left is the east. The inhabitants of that area are wildlife and creatures. Their scale and power aren’t great, but we can’t rule out the possibility of them falling into enemy hands.”

Theo frowned. “The undead, no taming... We can’t afford to have the creatures join them. It is best to have the beast clan organize the eastern forest.”

The beast clan wouldn’t be much help after the war began, but that didn’t mean they were useless. It would be meaningful if they helped reduce trouble in the east. They needed a more detailed strategy.

However, Theo had a basic idea of what needed to be done, “Titania, where is it better to start?”

Titania replied immediately. “The south.”

He wanted to ask her opinion, but Theo was surprised at the firm answer. “Why?”

“The Ceremony of Evergreens is just ending. The ceremony takes place with the cooperation of the ents and dryads,” Titania explained without hesitation. “I don’t know about the dryads, but the hierarchy of the ents is a little vague. There is no head, and they often don’t follow commands. It is best to tell the story when so many of them are gathered in one place.”

Theo nodded. “Okay, let’s go to the south.”

Titania almost smiled. “A quick decision is good.”

At almost the same time, the two jumped down from the world tree. The white fur and red robes fluttered in the wind as they quickly flew to the south forest and over a spectacular sea of trees.

Eh?

At that moment, Theo recalled something.

The place where the Ceremony of Evergreens is taking place. This means that Ellenoa...

When he saw Titania descend, he reflexively followed her down to a clearing next to two colored flags. Then he came face to face with the person he had thought about just seconds ago.

“... Theo?” Ellenoa’s eyes widened as she cried out in surprise.

Theo didn’t know what went through her mind for her to blush as soon as she saw him. If Alisa hadn’t intervened, the two of them might’ve stared into each other’s eyes for a long time.

“Eh, you finally decided to take our cutie?” Alisa, the high elf who didn’t even reach Theo’s chest, ambled over with an uproarious laugh.

The two high elves had just finished the Ceremony of Evergreens.

***

“Ahahaha! So, you are traveling together?” High Elf Alisa listened to the situation and laughed as boisterously as ever. She looked childish, but she was the second oldest high elf in Elvenheim. Alisa had been living a long time long before Ellenoa was born a few decades ago, so she had more experience.

Alisa looked at the two playfully before asking Titania, “Titania, can you do it?”

Titania replied, “... Believe in me.”

Alisa giggled, “Yes, if you say so. Well, it will be fine with that good-looking man. It would be perfect if it turned into a love affair!”

“A-Alisa!” Ellenoa grew flustered as Alisa’s giggled turned into full laughter. Then Ellenoa pointed behind her as she asked Theo, “By the way, have you thought of a way to persuade them? The ents don’t take our orders. It’s all over if the ents don’t move, even if we persuade the dryads.”

Theo nodded. “Yes, I’m aware.”

The dryads were fairies who dwelled in trees. Even if they wanted to follow commands, the dryads couldn’t be separated from their tree and couldn’t move if the ents didn’t. The ents were a species who didn’t follow the orders of the high elves and whose hierarchy was unclear. Titania also wondered how they would get the ents’ cooperation.

“Everyone, don’t be too surprised,” Theo warned as he activated his magic power.

Maybe the proximity to the world tree was attractive, but Mitra immediately responded to Theo’s call, absorbing all the mana in the ground and creating a body. Her hair was braided back, and the flower bud on her head was shining impressively.

[Hoing! Mitra!]

She looked like a child of ten years, but the three high elves stiffened as they saw the essence of the child—the world tree, Yggdrasil. They felt the power of the giant tree that sustained all life in the Great Forest, the tree which the elves called the parent tree. Before any of them could open their mouths, something happened.

[Ohh... Oh... Ohhhh....!]

[... King...! Welcome... King...!]

[Bow...! Bow... Knee!]

Kung kung.?

The earth trembled as the ents reacted the moment Mitra appeared. The reaction was also more than expected, perhaps because she had grown from last time. They immediately fell to their knees and didn’t raise their heads. Their branches broke, but the ents didn’t care. The ruler of all vegetation, the embodiment of the world tree Yggdrasil, was a living god to the ents.

“...”

“...”

“...”

The noble and beautiful high elves were overwhelmed. Mitra was confused.

[H-Hoing? Theo? I... What do I say?]

Theo thought for a moment before giving her an answer.

All communications begin with greetings.

Mitra danced in place for a moment before placing both hands on her waist and shouting,

[Nice to meet you―!]

This encounter would be a cornerstone in the great battle for the future of the material world. However, Theo couldn’t help comparing it to a play in an elementary academy as he laughed and stroked Mitra’s head. This ridiculous spectacle was the beginning of the defense of the world tree.