Book Eater

Chapter 343: Unknown Land (4)

Pledge? Transcendent? Furthermore, not allowed in the swamp?’

As Theo digested the new words that were just thrown at him, he was also inwardly evaluating the dragon. The scales of this battlefield had just dramatically shifted with the dragon’s arrival. However, Theo was soon forced to gulp.

Damn, a monster. He is literally on a different level.

At first glance, the dragon was far stronger than the hydra. He wasn’t at the level of Desertio, but he was still an ancient monster who had nullified Abraxas with simple Dragon Worlds. There was a good chance he could temporarily seal Theo’s magic.

At the same time, the dragon hadn’t immediately started battling, so Theo let the rest of his offensive spells fade away. This seemed like a situation that could be resolved with a conversation.

“Huh? Something is strange. Wait a minute.” The dragon’s eyes narrowed. “You aren’t transcendent? Your spirit is strong, but it isn’t over the limit. Are you at the boundary? A transcendent spirit is very interesting indeed.”

The red dragon didn’t ask for an answer because he could see through everything. After realizing Theo’s abilities, the red dragon made a strange expression and then closed his eyes like he was thinking. However, someone interrupted him immediately.

[Kuaaaaaah! I will get rid of you! Tear you into hundreds of pieces!]

The hydra finally broke free of the mud hands. Its tail dug into the ground as its six heads roared. This was an ignorant destructive force.

Theo, Randolph and Titania tensed, but the red dragon growled, “Hey.”

The furious hydra froze.

[... Yes?]

“Shut up before you make me angry.”

[B-But Brasmati...!]

“I’m not going to say it twice.”

The hydra heard the note of irritation in the red dragon, Brasmati’s, voice and stayed quiet. There was a clear hierarchy in play, and despite the difference in strength, Theo could tell that there was a strange relationship between the dragon and endangered monster. It almost seemed like Brasmati and the hydra were working together?

I might be correct, but let’s put it on hold for a moment.?

There were so many problems in this situation that Theo didn’t dare add more onto the pile. He had to prioritize while waiting for Brasmati to open his mouth. Randolph and Titania were also aware of the identity of their opponent, staying quiet and ready.

“Ah,” Brasmati soon spoke. “I just remembered something. Was it you? Aquilo, she said she has a blood contract with a human magician.”

Theo half answered, “Yes?”

The red dragon nodded. “I suppose your scent is familiar because of Aquilo’s blood? It is mixed in with the smell of another… that I don’t know.”

Veronica’s face came to Theo’s mind. Was Veronica, a quarter dragon who had inherited the blood of a red dragon, related to Brasmati somehow? However, Theo didn’t speak. Even if the dragon before him really was related to her, it wouldn’t be strange that Theo didn’t know about him. Theo and Veronica were lovers, so he knew Veronica had an unhappy childhood because her grandfather, the dragon, hadn’t taken care of her at all.

... Dragons are a species who don’t care about blood relations.

Theo knew this, but he couldn’t stop his gaze from becoming colder. If this dragon was one of those who had made Veronica suffer, then he wouldn’t be able to hide his hostility. It was much better to pretend not to know anything.

“Well, good. You wouldn’t have made the pledge since you aren’t a transcendent,” Brasmati thought out loud. “Which means you have two options. If you were an outsider, I would have driven you out already. But you have Aquilo’s blood, meaning you are no longer an outsider.”

Theo asked, “What are the choices?”

“One, give up on moving forward and go back in good health. Stop searching the areas you haven’t reached yet.”

Brasmati looked at them with calm eyes. There was no malice in his gaze, but neither was there any concern. It was a gaze that spoke of his utter disinterest in Theo’s life or death.

Then he shrugged and warned them lightly, “There is no reason to stop mortals from staying, but I can’t let you act as a variable. If you dare to move forward, I will stop you with my own strength.”

Theo kept his face neutral. “... Then what is the second choice?”

“Heh, you are wise.”

Theo didn’t think he would die; however, the odds were slim. A dragon approached the boundary of the framework of life, and was nearly on par with a god. There was no need to risk a fight without any benefits. It was a situation with a 70% chance of collapsing, a 20% of getting annihilated, and a 10% chance of having one or two deaths. In such a situation, there was no reason to fight.

“The second choice is to follow me to the swamp’s center and cooperate with our work. If you do, I will allow you to move forward and promise a reward equivalent to your merit.”

“... Can I know the situation before choosing?”

“No. If you were any other person, you would’ve been sent back regardless of your capabilities. Now, make your choice.”

Theo’s mind spun as he evaluated Brasmati’s words. Clearly, Brasmati didn’t want an 8th Circle magician. He wanted a ‘competent magician linked to Aquilo.’

According to the information he’d gathered before heading to the swamp, there were at least five dragons gathered here. If there were two or three more on the same level as Brasmati, Theo wouldn’t be able to endure it. What was the problem that they couldn’t disclose it yet had to ask for his cooperation?

The situation is serious enough that the dragons on the continent have gathered together. It is also so secret they have to stop the intervention of other species.

Even without his super sensitivity, he could tell that the future would change dramatically depending on the choice he made here. To step back without obtaining anything or take the risk and move forward... The greatest magician of the age stood at the crossroads where no magician would hesitate.

***

“First, let me explain the pledge related to the swamp.”

Once they started moving, Brasmati explained the history that they didn’t know. It was a story of what happened thousands of years ago. In the latter half of the Age of Mythology, many superpowers and high-grade species had existed all over the world, even though it wasn’t comparable to the peak of the period. During that time, the swamp didn’t reject civilization like it did now, nor was it a place where mutated creatures lived. More than a hundred demonic energy sites had been sealed by heroes of the era, and the southern part of the continent had once been the most prosperous tourist spot in the continent.

The destruction had come entirely out of the blue.

“Thirteen transcendents living on the southern continent died in one day. The causes of death ranged from a heart attack, to brain death, respiratory arrest, and so on. The people who would live even when they were thrown out into the universe were wiped out. At first, we thought a demon king had descended.”

“... That wasn’t the case?”

“No, a demon king would have been easy to kill.”

Theo hid his fear when the red dragon treated a demon king like some kind of wild dog from another dimension. After all, Nídh?ggur was on the same level as a demon king. He was a transcendent who could turn the horizon upside down with a single flap of the wings and who had induced the onset of darkness with a single command. Yet, in the Age of Mythology, even demon kings had subjugated. They would descend once a century and be defeated.

What’s more dangerous and difficult to deal with than a demon king? A great demon king.?

Theo was trying to figure it out when Brasmati stopped walking and looked back.

“A grimoire.”

“... Huh?”

“A grimoire. One grimoire ate more than a dozen transcendents at the end of the Age of Mythology. When we became aware of its existence, we sealed it with the help of over forty people.”

Theo’s expression was blank. He knew the power of a grimoire, but he didn’t know of a grimoire that could eat a dozen transcendents.

His voice rose an entire octave. “If that many transcendents really died that way, wasn’t it a disaster for the continent? Why wasn’t such a disaster recorded?”

“There are three reasons.” The hot and damp air stirred around Brasmati. “One, only transcendents, not mortals, died. The transcendents were the only ones who were subject to the raid… Although, calling it a raid would be slightly inaccurate. It would be more precise to call it a transition.”

Theo asked, “Transition..?”

“Two, we covered up the history. If someone got their hands on a grimoire that could threaten transcendents, it could jeopardize the world. The hydra is a guardian we prepared a long time ago. Transcendents don’t enter this swamp, and the hydra can easily beat mortals.”

The three masters looked at each other in confusion as the truth was revealed. The unknown land, the southern swamp that had been unexplored for thousands of years, was once a thriving metropolis that had been reduced to wilderness at the hands of a grimoire. Any historians who heard this would have a defining moment of their career.

Theo probed, “Then why doesn’t the hydra have any practical experience?”

Basmati shrugged, “There are rarely any strong people who aren’t transcendents. Most of them can be defeated with just its poison and body, so it didn’t feel the need to hone its combat skills.”

Theo nodded. “Then the third reason?”

Brasmati went silent for a moment. Then he replied stiffly without looking back, “It’s simple.”

Only a dragon could intervene with this seal.

“The grimoire can’t be described by any means other than ‘memories’.”

The meaning of his words was vague, but Brasmati didn’t explain any further. Rather, he arrived at his destination before he could say any more.

“We’re here. I will tell you the rest after the introductions.”

As Brasmati spoke, Theo felt a shadow fall over his face. Someone was approaching from above them. It wasn’t an enemy, so Theo’s reaction was slightly slow. He barely raised his eyes when something white and blue pounced on him.

“―Boy!” Theo’s face was deeply buried in something. “Did you come to pick me up? I thought you abandoned me after calling a few times. I’m sorry I misunderstood.”

Theo was finding it difficult to breathe. “A-Aquilo?”

Aquilo hugged him tighter. “Uh, your voice is coming from my chest, not my mind? You have grown since I last saw you, boy.”

“Uup, let me go, puhaah!” Theo barely managed to escape from the slender beauty, stepping away from Aquilo with a reddened face.

A few years wasn’t long for a dragon who lived for thousands of years, but she was still far more excited than he’d thought if she’d immediately buried his face in her chest. The redness on his face was caused by lack of oxygen, not because of Aquilo’s scent or softness... probably.

“It has been a while. I didn’t know we would be reunited here.”

Aquilo grinned at Theo’s serious tone. “Really? I knew you would come.”

“What does that mean?”

“From now on, you will know. Our last lord is waiting for you.”

Theo’s eyes widened, “... Lord?”

The dragon of the sea laughed at him. “Yes, the dragon lord. Don’t you know about it?”

That’s right. It was impossible not to know.