The Book Eating Magician

-Kuaaack! Nídhöggur’s scream rang out through the sky and the ground. It was difficult for a body with a time limit to cope with the shock of the big explosion.

This was the result of Abraxas being used with magic of the 8th circle and the dragon heart. The explosion, which burst from the repulsion of two forces, caused the dimension to shake. Once the light from the big explosion subsided...

“...Pfft!” Theodore laughed reflexively.

It was because of Nídhöggur’s face that was revealed through the rapidly shrinking crack. Due to the powerful shockwave, Nídhöggur’s head was bloody. His scales which couldn’t be damaged by aura blades were now shattered like glass, and one of his eyes was pushed into its socket. It was like a super huge battle hammer had slammed onto the top of his head.

-Y-You...!Mortal man from this lesser world!

The dragon from the myth was covered with blood. He struggled with the pain and poured out anger toward the one who harmed his body. Although only one of Nídhöggur’s red eyes could be seen, Theodore felt the space around him freeze. However, Theodore realized that the pressure was much weaker than earlier, and he nodded casually. “Don’t growl in my face. Your pride won’t be regained through these actions.”

-What nonsense are you saying?

“Think about it. It might be okay if you lost to Hraesvelgr. But being hit by a mortal... Oh, right. I had forgotten,” Theodore muttered in a voice loud enough to be heard by Nídhöggur. His mouth formed a sneer like he was mocking Nídhöggur.“You have no friends? This is a good thing.”

In the end, the last of Nídhöggur’s patience was broken. -Kuaaaaaah!

Before the fearsome roar, Theodore covered his ears but didn’t back away.He didn’t look scared or intimidated. It was because the crack in the dimensional world was almost closed. No matter how powerful Nídhöggur was, he was in another dimension and couldn’t do anything unless someone summoned him again.

Nídhöggur’s eyes were filled with anger, madness, and hate as he stared at Theodore.

-Taunting this body!Someday I will catch you and chew on yo—...!

At this moment, the dimensional crack closed, and Nídhöggur’s words were cut off. The evil dragon was sent off in a disgraced manner. However, Theodore kept looking up at the sky.

“Ah...!”

Then he could see it. The darkness covering the sky slowly got a center of light. The sky was blue, and the warm sunlight flooded their eyes like it had been there from the beginning. The elves and members of other species felt strange chills as they looked up at the sky. The darkness that had been covering the sky disappeared, and everything was as it should be.

“O...Over? Can we relax?”

“Alive... We’re alive!”

“Ohh, incarnation of the world tree!”

Joy and disbelief mixed together as the crowd became increasingly disorderly. The confusion needed to be calmed down. Theodore delivered instructions to the one whom he thought was the most suitable—the chief contributor to this incident.

[H-Hoing? Me?] Dmitra made a sound, and the people stopped talking and paid attention to her.

She was the incarnation of the world tree who had faced the evil dragon and protected the forest! Naturally, awe filled the eyes of the people. There were even those who didn’t dare look at her and had their eyes lowered to the ground. The area became silent in a flash.

[...Ha, hahaha...] Dmitra seemed embarrassed by their attitudes. She scratched the back of her head before raising her right fist up into the air.

It was difficult for her to speak, but she spoke concisely, [Nídhöggur is gone!]

As soon as she pointed to the sky with her fist, the people raised their fists with her.

[We won for everyone who lives in this forest!]

The large crowd cheered.Waaaaaaaah!

The various species were overflowing with joy. The furry bears carrying dryads on their shoulders swayed, while the rabbits riding on ents were dancing. The elves sighed with relief and relaxed, and the rest of the crowd followed. They had struggled against the undead for a long time, and there had been the advent of the evil dragon, Nídhöggur. This was a memory they would never forget.

‘Sigh, it is over.’

This time, it was a really big incident. Theodore stood behind Dmitra and locked eyes with Ellenoa, who was waiting for him with a gentle expression. Then he saw tears fall from her eyes.

“E-Ellenoa?”

“...We did it,”Ellenoa spoke in a small voice before taking a few steps and hugging Theodore.

Was it due to the difference in physique between the two people? It was clearly Ellenoa who was hugging him. Ellenoa spoke to the embarrassed Theodore in her arms,“I was worried.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Do you really know? I was worried a lot.”

Theodore smiled wryly as his fists pounded weakly on his chest. “...Yes.”

Finally, more tears fell down her cheek, and Theodore couldn’t help touching them.It was a warm and wet feeling. Theodore wiped away Ellenoa’s tears with his index finger, while her green eyes looked up at him like she was drunk.

“Ah...” He wasn’t dumb and knew the meaning of those eyes. Her face tilted and got closer. However, the moment the eyes of Ellenoa and Theodore got closer...

“Hmm?”

“Ah.”

Both of them felt a blatant gaze and looked in that direction. Simultaneously, Theodore and Ellenoa stiffened.

[Why did you stop? I don’t mind.] Dmitra finished her short words and chuckled, resting her chin on her hands as she gazed at the two people.

She smiled mischievously. The innocent Ellenoa’s intentions were exposed, and she fled with a red face. “P-Please don’t look!”

“Ellenoa!”

Dmitra laughed at the sight.[Hihihi! Indeed, Mother Ellenoa is naive.]

“Mitra, you are a troublemaker...” Theodore stopped speaking when he felt a sense of incongruity. Then he looked Dmitra up and down, and immediately realized why he sensed something was off.

“Mitra, why is your body smaller?”

That’s right. It was because Dmitra’s size had shrunk. Dmitra was surprised when Theodore pointed it out, and her eyes widened.[Hoing! Theo is right. At the most, I am 10 centimeters shorter.]

“Isn’t a decrease of 10 centimeters a big change? Don’t talk about that. Tell me why you are smaller.”

[Understood. Mitra is a good daughter, hihihi.] Dmitra made a small joke before touching a tree trunk that was slightly darkened. [The tree is becoming weaker.]

“What?”

[It used a lot of power to make me into this state and sucked up a lot of poison. It didn’t reach the roots, but a considerable amount of health was consumed.]

As Dmitra touched the world tree with sad eyes, Theodore hastened to make a diagnosis. Despite not being a god, he was connected to Dmitra’s senses and had overflowing knowledge as a magician. Theodore quickly realized the state of the world tree. “Shit, this isn’t good.”

It was a situation he hadn’t expected, but he quickly realized the cause of it. This wouldn’t have happened if the world tree was a fully grown world tree. The problem was that Elvenheim’s world tree was immature, and there was no new Arv to help its growth. In such an environment, there was the summoning of Hraesvelgr, turning Mitra into a god, and blocking Nídhöggur’s attack... It would be strange if there were no problems.

“Your power has already returned to the world tree?”

[Yes.]

“But it is still in this state...”

Dmitra, who had become Mitra again, nodded with a gloomy expression. The fact that there was no difference meant that the world tree had consumed a large amount of power. Theodore’s face stiffened as he saw the leaves of the world tree. The leaves, which had always been green, was now slightly yellow, and the branches, which should be as hard as steel, were now easily broken.

“...It looks like there is one more thing to solve.”

The worst was over. The presence of the world tree was as large as life for the inhabitants of this forest, but this was a minor challenge compared to Nídhöggur. A world tree that had yet to grow up needed to stockpile vitality for its growth. If it failed to compensate for this, it would die in some years, maybe decades. From this point on, it was a matter that needed to be discussed with the real top leaders of the great forest, the high elves.

“Well, it should be okay for a few days.”

Fortunately, this problem wasn’t something that needed to be solved in a day or two. Unlike the evil dragon, Nídhöggur, there were several solutions for this. So, there was no need to pour cold water on those who were tired from the hard fight. Theodore looked up at the clear blue sky. It was a sight that everyone in the forest could see.

“The clear and blue sky is the best.”

Theodore had seen the scenery of Nastrond behind Nídhöggur through the gap in the dimension. When the sky and earth were swallowed up by darkness earlier, the screams of those who suffered forever had seemed to tear at his eardrums. If the evil dragon, Nídhöggur, had swallowed up the world tree, this material world would’ve turned into the same hell as Nastrond.

‘That can’t happen.’

In the childhood he couldn’t remember well, Theodore had dreamt of being a magician who fought against an evil dragon. He had never thought that dream would become a reality.

“Kuk,” Theodore giggled in a somewhat pleasant mood as he stared at the distant sky above the trees.