Book Eater

Chapter 121: Crossing the Wilderness (1)

Meanwhile, the city of Manavil bustled with life as news of the agreement between Meltor and Elvenheim spread throughout the city. The merchants were running helter-skelter, as they caught the scent of money in the air. Some would say it was a once-in-a-lifetime chance at a jackpot.

One of Meltor’s largest trading companies, Polonell thought the same.

If we grab this opportunity, then we can live well.

However, the boss of Polonell wasn’t greedy. The magic towers and even the high ranking nobles knew that the merchants would be drooling over rights, so he decided to obtain a large quantity of raw materials, since this agreement would triple the export of artifacts and goods. He would then supply the artifacts and goods to the Magic Society. He would make a tidy profit and maintain a good relationship with the magic towers.

As a result, the top company, Polonell, was able to launch a merchant caravan to the Central Continent faster than anyone else.

Dagadak, dagadak.?

The carriages trundled happily down the road. Normally, they would be moving slower due to baggage, but they had prioritized speed and raw materials, so the carriages were able to move faster than usual. Furthermore, their carriages were the express carriages that Theo had borrowed for his ride home and had yet to hit the market.

In the second carriage from the front, a middle-aged man laughed excitedly as he said, “Hahaha! Magician, you are lucky that you joined!”

His bushy hair rustled as he tried to get it under control. His nickname, “Bear”, suited him perfectly. Bear was an experienced merchant who rejected the preconceived notions of merchants resembling snakes or foxes.

The brown-haired young man sitting in front of Bear glanced up. “Lucky?”

“Yep!” Bear nodded enthusiastically. “You came to us right when we were leaving, and you got the chance to ride an express carriage like this? We weren’t able to hire a magician to accompany us because it was such a sudden trip, so it is really lucky that our paths crossed!”

The young man nodded. “Ah, that might be so.”

“Additionally, you’re the junior of the hero, Theodore Miller. Isn’t this a good relationship?”

Theodore Miller also felt lucky as he laughed inwardly at Bear’s words. Using his own name as a recommendation was working well. In reality, the brown-haired young man with brown hair instead of black, and green eyes instead of blue, was actually Theodore Miller. His face was now visibly different from what everyone knew.

Theo recalled the information of the necklace hidden behind his clothes.

[+6 Who am I? (Accessory)]

[- An artifact created from an unknown failure. This necklace artifact can circumvent the perceptions of others by subtly changing the wearer’s appearance. It does not require active monitoring by the user, and once the magic is released, the medium will be destroyed. It can defend against magical insight, but it can’t conceal the fact that the user is in hiding.

* The rating of this magic tool is Precious.

* When consumed, a considerable amount of magic power will be absorbed.

* When consumed, the digestion time will be eighteen hours.

* When consumed, understanding of transformation magic will increase.]

Just before Theo’s departure, Vince had brought him an artifact from the magic tower. It was a piece of equipment usually given to those who were going to infiltrate enemy territory on secret missions.

So Theo could now disguise himself properly. Now, he wasn’t the hero, Theodore Miller, but the 4th Circle Theo who was going to visit distant relatives in Kargas.

I honestly thought the pseudonym was too obvious, but...

Vince had laughed and shaken his head.

Sometimes it is better to do this than to conceal your name thoroughly. You will be going around unknown countries, so I don’t think you should use an alias. What’s that saying in the east? Simplicity blurs the line between illusion and reality.

His mentor had explained that a carelessly made lie could attract the human eye more than an easy one. In any case, his name would be meaningless if they could see through the artifact.

“Huuuu...”

In the end, this was the best way to watch out for himself.

Theo looked out the window as the carriages kept moving. The carriages had traveled far enough that the capital and the top of the magic towers were lost to the horizon. He didn’t know if he would come back in the next four months or even years. It was then that Theo suddenly realized he was all alone.

His master, who always pointed out his shortcomings, the good-hearted and pretty Sylvia, whom he shared a few meals with, and Veronica, who was very caring towards him, even though she was sometimes too much… Theo wouldn’t be able to see the people who were like his second family for a while.

No, my resolve shouldn’t be this weak.?

He tried to put aside the terrifying thought and pulled out a book from his bag.

It was Vince’s magnum opus, [Ancient Magic Overview - Balcard]. Theo had already spent half a day reading it, but he had yet to understand it.

Pararak.

The carriage suddenly grew quiet, punctuated only by the sound of pages turning. Even the loud Bear knew what it meant when a magician opened a book, so he kept his mouth shut.

This was why books were good. As Theo studied the indescribable and difficult text, his misgivings faded away. The hesitation in his eyes had disappeared, and his brain was already drifting away into the world contained in the book.

The focused Theo was truly the image of a magician, regardless of his age.

***

In many ways, Theo’s journey was different from what he had expected. It was impossible to find the romance of adventure when he was literally in a carriage for hours. Sometimes he couldn’t rest at night or could only take a short nap.

Despite this, Theo, as the only magician and precious guest, wasn’t tired at all. However, it was a murderous schedule for the merchants and mercenaries.

[Hoing!]

Of course, that didn’t mean Theo was just sitting there.

... To the northeast…. roughly 2 kilometers?

After Mitra’s abilities awakened in the Great Forest, her power was rather useful for detecting enemies from a distance.

Theo could sense twenty three enemies. Judging by their weight on the earth, they were probably hobgoblins. The merchant column was well equipped to handle them, but it would still be annoying.

So, Theo’s magic power crept toward them.

- Kieeek!

- Kirururk!

It may not be perfect, but the presence of a 6th Circle magician, enhanced with the Ring of Muspelheim, was incomparable to that of an ogre. The hobgoblins instinctively stopped and started to retreat. The merchants were none the wiser, and Theo saw no need to break their illusion. He wanted to get to Kargas quietly, and drawing attention was too counterproductive.

Thanks to Theo, the carriages were never in danger. The merchants reached their rest stop in Sipoto Plans and marveled at their luck for setting a record pace. Sipoto Plains acted as a natural border between the Austen Kingdom and Kargas Kingdom. But unlike most grassland plains, there were only a few sparse tufts of grass here and there.

When they reached the plains, Bear shouted loudly, “Alright lads, we’re stopping here for the night! Mercenaries, keep guard until the staff sets up the tents and fires! Then we’ll start with dinner!”

Bear’s voice boomed across the merchant procession, cutting through all of the noise with ease. The horses stood in place, sweating buckets. The carriage drivers quickly dismounted and poured water over the horses to cool them off. The horses had been pushed to their limits by running all week. But they were given as much as food as they would want, and would recover with a good night’s sleep.

Bear looked back at Theo and asked, “Theo. It will take some time for dinner to be ready. What do you want to do until then?”

Theo thought for a moment. So far, he had hardly left the carriage except to eat, since he had been distracting himself by studying. And his weeklong concentration had borne fruit.

[* Your level of understanding is high. (84.5%)]

He couldn’t say that he had mastered it perfectly, but he could use easy vocabulary to trigger the ancient language magic. The best way to improve from this point would rely on practical use. So, this wasn’t something he could achieve from inside the carriage.

Theo jumped out of the carriage. “Then I will go and get some fresh air.”

“Alone?”

“There are only a few creatures in the Sipoto wilderness. I won’t go too far away, so don’t worry.” Theo reassured Bear and stepped outside the bustling campsite.

He walked until the carriages looked small and stared at the moon and stars shining in the wilderness.

After the Sipoto Plains is the continent.

The Sipoto Plains were different from the creepy Red Plateau. It had a similarly bleak landscape, but Theo could sense signs of life. The land here was weak, but it was still arable. However, it couldn’t support the number of people who currently lived here.

The real problem was in the land located beyond it. The Austen Kingdom was suffering a massive drought, which had spread to the point of threatening this plain. Theo had heard about the Austen Kingdom’s troubles from Vince, but he still disagreed with their reasons for kidnapping Ellenoa. However, they weren’t evil people, and a sigh emerged as he thought about the warriors bending their pride.

So, Theo had to ask once.

“Gluttony. What was the cause of the drought that no magicians or scholars in the world have discovered?”