Book Eater

Chapter 313: Nastrond’s Demon King (3)

The Zero Library was a place that collected the most dangerous, as well as the most valued books. One needed explicit permission from the royal palace to enter. In fact, it was impossible for a Superior-grade magician to even apply to access it. In order to enter the Zero Library, one needed to be at least Prime rank. However, Prime magicians couldn’t afford to take out a book from the Zero Library, let alone own it privately.

Not even the four magicians standing at the peak of the magic towers could abuse it. That tradition had continued.. Until today.

“Is this the first time since I’ve taken out Hellfire?”

It had been a long time since Theo had visited the Zero Library, and took a look at the books kept in glass boxes. It was better than a mountain of gold to a magician. There were books that contained ancient spells and a theorem on primordial magic that didn’t even exist. Then there was also a book written in an unknown language. A book was like the remains of wisdom.

- In my opinion, it is like a buffet. Isolate valuable knowledge from a person’s hand and grant it to those who are qualified. Books exist for a rational purpose.

“This is a little unexpected. Isn\'t it more advantageous for knowledge to be universal for the overall development of magic?”

Gluttony’s voice was more upbeat than usual as Theo asked questions. It was as he said. In terms of the evolution of general learning, the number of scholars and intellectuals couldn’t be bad. Grimoires were the same. The magic of the Age of Mythology was so wonderful because most of the inhabitants had innate talent as magicians.

However, Gluttony didn’t explain it further.

- I will describe it in detail later. Right now, User has too much to do.

“... Okay, don’t forget about it later on.” Theo thought it was a pity, but he didn’t have time.

He put aside Gluttony’s remarks and walked through the library.

Should I look at the books I appraised the last time?

Academic theories were interesting, but he wasn’t going into a laboratory right now. He was going into combat and had to choose spells that could be used against warlocks and the undead. Theo passed through a few familiar covers and piled up books on a table.

There was the shadow magic, Reverse Shadow, and the ultimate ice spell that created a cryogenic space, Ultima. There was also the earth spell that contaminated matter at high speed, Rotting Hands, and the astral spell which interfered with the soul, Soul Caliber.

There were a few more interesting books, but these four were the best when taking into consideration the time it would take to increase his understanding. Besides, he didn’t intend to finish eating these four books. Theo put two books to the side and appraised the remaining two, “Appraisal.”

Simultaneously, information about the two magic books appeared.

[Rotting Hands]

[This book explains the magic that quickly decomposes the target by accelerating the natural phenomenon of the material world. Decomposition is caused by a variety of factors, including air, light, heat, and bacteria. Depending on the material, the time the magic will take will change. The power of the magic changes according to the earth affinity of the caster.

* This magic book is rated Precious.

* Acquisition Conditions: 7 Circles, affinity for earth magic (high).

* When consumed, Rotting Hands will be learned.

* When consumed, your ability in earth magic will increase slightly.

* It is an original book written by the author, but the soul has become weathered after many years. It can’t be a target of Overwrite, and the fragment of the soul can be absorbed without Transmission.]

[Soul Caliber]

[This book describes the magic that interferes with the astral system of the material world and destroys it. The power of Soul Caliber, the sword of the soul, can cut through the immortality of senior undead. This magic can’t be learned without great inspiration. It may cause interaction with User’s power, Umbra.

* This magic book is rated Treasure.

* Acquisition Conditions: 8 Circles, soul sensitivity (medium).

* When consumed, Soul Caliber will be learned.

* When consumed, your ability in astral magic will increase greatly.

* This is the original that was directly written by the author. When consumed, some of the author’s abilities will be handed down according to your fitness level.]

Both spells were very useful. The undead might not be alive, but their shells were made of muscles and bones. They couldn’t exert their power once if they rotted away. However, it was useless against the like of banshees, which was why he learned Soul Caliber as well. There was no need to explain the practicality of Soul Caliber, which destroyed the immortality of senior undead.

“Gluttony, please store them in the Inventory.”

- I understand.

The tongue emerged from his left hand and swallowed all four magic books. He wanted to sit down and read them, but Theo still had something to do. No, his real reason for visiting the Zero Library was just beginning.

“... Now it is time to unseal the room of prohibited books.”

Prohibited books were the reason why Theo needed full authority in the Zero Library. They weren’t grimoires; prohibited books were spells in book form, not paper and letters. It wasn’t possible to reach the level of a real grimoire, but it could suppress the souls of humans.

This was why the Magic Society placed prohibited books in a sealed room—to block the spread of damage. Only the king and the chairman of the Magic Society had the authority to enter.

It isn’t possible to unlock this without a key.

Theo stood in front of the sealed room and admired the tight security. He wondered how many cracks would form if he hit it with Keraunos, the magic he had invented. Then Theo pulled out the key Kurt had given him.

Clink.

He inserted the key into the lock without hesitation and turned it clockwise. The wards surrounding the sealed room in several layers were released, while dozens of mechanical devices activated with an unpleasant noise. It was like something was scraping at his ears. However, Theo continued twisting the key until it finished rotating.

Kukukukung...!

The door opened.

“Ah.”

At that moment, intense magic power burst out from inside the sealed room, enough to throw a person backward! This was the result of collecting dozens of prohibited books and sealing them in one place. The magic power contained in the room came pouring out. Theo’s legs stiffened, and he raised his vigilance as he withstood the pressure.

This pressure is just a gimmick... The real thing will be from now on!

They weren’t at the level of grimoires, but the prohibited books in this sealed room were beyond common sense. The books could exercise their abilities without owners, or they could freely manipulate a human. It was common for them to tempt those who came within their sphere of influence. Unsurprisingly, unfamiliar voices began to whisper, flowing from the darkness of the sealed room into Theo’s mind.

[Desire this body. Enjoy all the richness of the world,] a majestic voice whispered, trying to inspire his ambitions.

[Take me. You can hold any woman you want in your arms,] a bewitching whisper tried to stimulate his sexuality.

[I will give you endless power, an infinite life,] an arrogant whisper attempted to seduce Theo without any distinction in the direction.

There were many different types of voices. From a young child to an old man, from perfectly spoken words to hard to understand pronunciation... Theo knew better than anyone else that something irrevocable would appear if he answered any of these temptations.

Well, this deception doesn’t mean anything to me.

He wasn’t affected. In order to control Theo, who was an 8th Circle magician and master of Gluttony, one needed strength on the level of a demon or god. That wasn’t possible for prohibited books, which were less than grimoires, to have. The prohibited books didn’t stop whispering, even if they knew the truth. After all, it was the only way they could find freedom. The problem was that a horrifying existence was attached to Theo.

- Foolish existences trying to tempt my user!?

Gluttony, one of the notorious Seven Sins grimoires, raised its voice. It sent out a mental wave that affected all the whispers at once.

[Kuaaaaack!]

[Kyaaaack?!]

[Kueeeeeoh!]

In a realm unknown to human senses, dozens of prohibited books were plunged into terrible pain. They had intended to touch Theo’s spirit and came into direct contact with Gluttony’s mental wave, leaving them almost defenseless. The prohibited books had never been attacked this way before. Furthermore, the attacker was a grimoire that stood above them. The prohibited books shook from the shock.

- Not knowing their place and not maintaining a single mental barrier! They don’t deserve to hold knowledge! I should put every one of them in my stomach…

“Ah, that isn’t possible,” Theo interrupted Gluttony’s angry words. “You were the one who said the capacity would be overloaded with more than two books. I can’t afford to have you sleep for three months when we’re not sure if the feature can even be used.”

- But—

“Please bear with it this time. Take out only one or two prohibited books.”

-... It can’t be helped. I will respect User’s judgment.

The meaning of the overloading capacity was simple. Theo had fed Gluttony many books and artifacts in the past few weeks. Gluttony’s seal was ready for the next phase, with only a few books left until the sixth seal was lifted. However, it wasn’t easy to accept the release of the seal. In order to release the sixth seal, Gluttony needed to sleep for nearly three months.

I might’ve tried it if it was one month or two months... but three months isn’t possible. The battle will end before the seal is released.

Honestly, he was feeling the pinch of regret. Every feature unlocked by Gluttony’s seal was very powerful and assisted Theo greatly. There were also functions that could be used directly, such as Memorize and Another. How much more powerful was the stage 6’s feature?

“Sigh,?it is hard to miss the opportunity,” Theo sighed as he looked around at the prohibited books that were cowed before Gluttony. They were covered in gold, made out of cowhide, or even wrapped in chains. There wasn’t a single book that looked ordinary.

Among them, one book caught Theo’s eyes.

“Ru... by?”

There was a book the size of a little boy’s head with a red gem in the middle of the cover. It was covered in a suspicious haze of magic power, but Theo couldn’t feel any evil from it. He took a few steps closer and reached out a hand toward the prohibited book. But the moment he stretched out his left hand…

[Kyaaaaak! Don’t do it! Please don’t eat me! I can’t serve anyone other than my master, but I don’t want to be destroyed!]

Theo frowned at the scream inside his head. The aggrieved high-pitched tone pricked Theo’s ears, even though it wasn’t real. Theo suppressed his irritation and examined the words of the prohibited book with astonishment.

“... Don’t eat? Do you know Gluttony?”

The source of the scream was naturally the gold-encrusted book with the jewel in the center that he had tried to grab. If the book were a human, it would look very agitated.

[W-W-What are you talking about?]

“Then shall I eat?”

Gluttony’s tongue poked out.

[I’m sorry, I was wrong! My creator knew about you, so a record remained in my memories!]

“Who is your creator?”

[T-That...]

As the book hesitated again, Gluttony quickly stretched out its tongue.

[Kiyaaaaak! S-Solomon! It is Solomon!]

- The king of wisdom? Stop talking nonsense! Why would he make a prohibited book when he can write a grimoire??

Gluttony shouted before Theo could respond. It was an emotional reaction, with slight anger mixed in. Gluttony was truly outraged by the prohibited book. However, that anger vanished in an instant as Gluttony seemed to read something from the contact and spoke in a cold voice.

- ... I see. You... You are a broken fragment of Lemegeton?

[Hiik! H-How?!]

- There is no grimoire that can hide before me. This is the power of Gluttony that I possess. You are just a fragment of Lemegeton. I don’t know how many pages you have, but it probably isn’t even a hundredth of the original. Isn’t that why you are on the level of a prohibited book?

This was a conversation that couldn’t be understood, so Theo just listened quietly. It was clear that this prohibited book had come from a grimoire called Lemegeton and that this made Gluttony feel quite uncomfortable. The silent Gluttony opened its mouth again and suggested.

- There is no value in pursuing it any longer. User, can I get rid of this lesser thing?

[S-Spare me! A defective product like me is of no use to digest! B-Besides, I can function as a sub-ego, which you can use for secondary functions!]

Theo felt like he was watching a catfight as he came to a decision. He laid his hand on the prohibited book and declared.

“Appraisal.”

It was time to look at the fragment of the Lemegeton grimoire.