The Book Eating Magician

It was the summoning magician, whose luck didn’t follow his extraordinary talent and enthusiasm, Satomer.

The magician who had explored all corners of the continent responded to Theodore’s call. While his consciousness was called from inside Gluttony, Pride managed to escape from his ice prison and roared in anger.

This was the howling of a top species from the forgotten period, Ulfheðnar!

■■■■■■―!

The weakened glacier collapsed. Seawater rose through the cracks in the ice like paddy rice fields, and fish with busted guts floated on the surface of the water. Theodore, who was floating with magic—no, Satomer frowned at the sight.

‘This is confusing. Why did you call me? Wouldn’t the eastern martial artist, Lee Yoonsung, be more helpful than me who was always stuck behind a desk?’

It was a legitimate point, but Theodore answered differently.

–I want you to review something.

‘Review? What are you say-’

Satomer stopped talking. Once ‘Overwrite’ was used, he could read Theodore’s memories and share their knowledge and power. It was the reason why Alfred had been able to fight immediately in the past. So, Satomer soon found the memory of the ‘trump card’ Theodore had developed, and he shook, thrilled by what he saw.

–Senior, is it possible?

Satomer laughed at Theodore’s prudent question.

“Ku, kuha, kuhahahaha!”

–S-Senior?!

Theodore’s summoning knowledge had all derived from Satomer. He lacked in proficiency and application, but there was no big difference when it came to the breadth and depth of his knowledge.

So, if Theodore decided it was possible, Satomer would probably come to that conclusion as well. Satomer looked over Theodore’s plan a few times before laughing like a madman. Then he praised Theodore,

“Kuahaha! Damn guy! You are a damn genius! You are really a terrible person to be so smart!”

While Theodore remained surprised, Satomer nodded.

All the necessary supplies were already prepared, this body was several times richer in power and sensitivity, and there was even the ‘door to another world’ on his left hand… If Satomer tried 10 times, he could succeed all 10 times without any worries.

Then he raised his magic power and shouted to the party, “I’m starting! Don’t let anything interrupt me, no matter what!”

–What are you trying to do? The first person who reacted was Superbia, who had previous experience with Theodore. It quickly bypassed Aquilo and Randolph, trying to strike Theodore directly. However…

“Hello. Where are you going?”

Kwaaaaang!

Superbia was hit by the tail of Aquilo, who had a speed comparable to Superbia. It was difficult for an Ulfheðnar to shake off a dragon’s speed. Moreover, the situation was different from before.

The front and back defense areas were covered, so both people could respond more promptly than before. The collaboration of the dragon and sword master created a defense line which was more robust than when they’d been on their own.

Therefore, Satomer could fully concentrate on the summoning magic.

“「Open, door to the blazing world-」”

He started chanting a summoning spell. The center of the magic circle was completed in just a few seconds as the best summoning magician of the modern era started to show his true value.

“「Knock knock knock three times, turn once, open the door to the burning world. I will be your master.」”

–F-Fast…!

“「Flame that burns the world, death that scorches the world, dragon that calls destruction. My voice is over 1,000 years old, and I call on you. I command you to follow my will.」”

Theodore was more surprised than anyone else.

The spells weren’t just mere words, they were the result of high-level formulae calculations. Those which crossed a few bars were classified as complex strategy magic and were at a level that required a group to perform, not an individual.

However, Satomer’s spell was at a level of computation which surpassed strategy magic. No, this had already surpassed the concept of computing.

Theodore was able to tell because they shared the same body. From Satomer’s childhood to death, the formulae and calculations of summoning magic had been as familiar as breathing. It was a level of effort which could only be reached at the end of a long period of obsession.

As he thought this, something emerged from the ground before his eyes. This was the holy domain of the best summoner of the modern age. Satomer’s super-fast spell casting couldn’t be done by anyone else, including Theodore.

“「Offering!」” The ‘Ring of Muspelheim,’the red mark on the back of his left hand, started burning as Satomer roared. He held out ‘Charlotte’s Necklace’ in his right hand as the sacrifice.

“「The people who have lost their country, knights who have lost their monarch, and dead men who have lost their lives, set fire to those grudges. Set to rest those who have fallen into purgatory.」”

It would be a lie if Theodore said he didn’t regret it. However, he was prepared to use this necklace as a sacrifice. The warlocks of the Orcus Company were after it. Theodore was convinced that it was due to tracking ‘Charlotte’s Necklace’ that they had found him so far in the sea.

Hwaruruk!

‘Charlotte’s Necklace’ was burned, and the mark on his left hand glittered like it was satisfied. It meant the offering was accepted. In other words, the summons would answer him. Now, he just needed to open the door by calling the name of the summons and supplying the magic power, then it would be finished. No more calculations or chanting were required.

At that moment, Satomer realized something.

‘Hey, this will fail.’

–?!

Satomer realized it first, a variable which was overlooked before as he had never gotten this far previously.

‘I will use a simple fishing analogy. The magic spell is the fishing rod, while the offering is the bait. Of course, the goal is a fish. Then what about the fishing line?’

Theodore thought about it and quickly realized the right answer. -…The summoner?

‘That is the correct answer. To be precise, it is your soul.’ Satomer continued to explain, ‘The fishing rod is perfect. The fish has eaten the bait, and the only thing left is to pull up the fishing line…’

–Is it not possible?

‘It is only a bit, but you are lacking strength. If you pull it in this state, the line will break and the magic will fail. Apart from the failure, your soul that is used as the fishing line won’t be safe either.’

Satomer finished the explanation and grinned.

[Object name ‘Satomer’ has requested to complete his quest. Reviewing the status of the quest and the current situation in response to the target’s unexpected request…]

[I acknowledge that object name ‘Satomer’ has a reasonable request.]

[The completion of the quest is confirmed. I will begin the transmission of object name ‘Satomer’ in 30 seconds.]

It was what he had been hoping for, but Theodore shouted in an urgent voice, –What does this mean?!

‘What? It is what you wanted and what I have to do.’

-…Don’t make me laugh!

Theodore had a good head. He could guess why Satomer had asked to complete the quest and why the system accepted. The strength he was lacking for the fishing line would be covered by Satomer’s soul.

However, unlike Theo’s convinced mind, his heart couldn’t admit it. Satomer had wasted his whole life and now even lost the dream he had tried to achieve after death! As a fellow magician, Theodore couldn’t accept that despairing ending!

–This is your wish! You didn’t give up until you died! Don’t lose it now! Don’t turn away. You should watch until the end!

Even if Theodore succeeded in the summoning magic, Satomer wouldn’t be rewarded for that success. Theo couldn’t accept such a conclusion. Satomer replied with the same cynical tone as always, ‘Kuk, acting like this, you look like a loser again.’

–Senior!

‘Shut up. It is already done. Rather, you should look at what’s in front of you.’

Front? Theodore looked away from his inner self and saw the scene before him.

Kwaang!

Randolph crossed his two swords and barely prevented the attack. However, his wrists and knees shook as if they were going to break. It was evidence that they were already at their limit. Even Aquilo was in jeopardy, like a candle facing a storm.

“Heok…! Heeeok…!”

Randolph’s shoulders shook as he struggled to breathe. Even a top class swordsman couldn’t control his breathing while the relentless barrage from Superbia continued. There was no difference with Aquilo, who struggled to block him.

“Ack!” Aquilo screamed and hurried away from the sharp teeth.

Her beautiful blue scales were red from her blood, and there were no unscathed areas on her body, from head to toe. Even her lips were bloody. How long would they last? She seemed to be muttering something that Theo couldn’t hear.

Satomer, who shared Theo’s vision, nailed in the last wedge.

‘Boy? Aren’t they fighting that monster to protect you?’

With the fate of his colleagues on the line, Theodore couldn’t say anything more. Additionally, the end of the 30-second grace period was in sight.

Satomer spoke with a sincere expression, ‘Don’t worry about me. Think about the living, rather than the dead. My wish is almost completed. Didn’t I tell you? It is good even if I die. It is time to put your words into actions.’

-…Are you satisfied with that?

‘Satisfied? Of course not. I never managed it from my birth to my death.’

As Theodore’s face distorted from the cynicism, the 30-second grace period ended.

[Starting Transmission with object name ‘Satomer.’]

–Ugh!

‘Senior!’ Theodore cried out reflexively and noticed that control of his body had been passed back to him. He admired the high perfection of the magic circle formed and listened to the ever-diminishing voice of Satomer.

–Anyway, I did everything. From the chant to the magic circle… I taught you, didn’t I?

‘That’s right.’

–Then it is enough. In the end, wasn’t the one who succeeded in this summoning magic… me, Satomer…? My regrets, my dreams, this inferiority, this ideology, I have given it all to you…! I can even throw my life away.

As evidence of his determination, Satomer didn’t feel regrets as his soul was being absorbed. Rather, this attitude was strengthened. Satomer stared at Theo, who was a junior caught up in a fate that Satomer couldn’t enjoy, someone with a rich bond to fate.

For the promising but still young Theodore, he spoke, –I’ll leave it to you.

This was when the best summoning magician of the modern era gave up his role of to the protagonist.

–Summoning magic, new achievements… I’m handing it all to you. The honor… realize it.

“…Yes, it is an honor.”

–If you understand… call, it, now.

With some exceptions, summoning magic was always done by calling the name of the entity the person wanted to summon. As Theodore tried to move his lips, the remnant of Satomer cried out, –Call!!!

At the same time, Theodore shouted loudly, “「Come, Fafnir!」”

* * *

It happened in an instant. The moment ‘it’ appeared, the world started burning. ‘It’ was a sacred dragon made of white fire.

The night retreated, and the darkness fled. All the clouds in the sky evaporated, and the sea level lowered faster than the frozen sea could melt.

The sky became as bright as daylight, almost burning the eyeballs, while some of the fishing boats near the coast melted away. The cool seawater bubbled up like lava, and the swimming fish died without knowing anything.

The amount of time elapsed was exactly one second.

As Fafnir descended to the material world, the radius of three kilometers was turned into a fiery hell.

This was the existence which burned the original world trees in the Age of Mythology and transformed the Red Plateau into a land where no life could live. Fafnir was the strongest trump card Theodore had prepared.

‘……!’

Some might say it was nonsense, but they couldn’t make any noise because there was no air to vibrate.

Aquilo looked up at the white dragon in the sky with damp, fluorescent eyes. The enormous light and heat emanated from Fafnir’s scales, making it an area which normal humans couldn’t live in. It was the ancient dragon which could even kill her!

Knowing its potential, Aquilo desperately cut off all heat and tried not to be noticed.

“The great dragon god floating in the sky, please ignore this beautiful girl.”

“……”

If Randolph was awake, he would be laughing after hearing the prayer. Luckily, he was dragged into Aquilo’s hands and lost consciousness. However, did her prayer enter the ears of the gods somewhere in the universe?

Exactly two seconds after Fafnir was summoned…

『Target picked, extermination begins.』

Fafnir’s glowing white eyes looked down at something floating on the sea. Half of the glacier, which had been used as a fighting ground, had melted away. Superbia had transformed into a marine life, just like when it fought Aquilo.

–D-Dammit…! Superbia thought despairingly as the situation reversed.