The transaction between the two bibliophiles, one a scholar and the other a magician, reached a satisfactory end. There were many differences in their professions, but their desire for new knowledge was the same.
Regardless of how expensive they were, the balance between ‘books which had been read’ and ‘new books’ tilted toward the latter. They were books which had never been seen in Kargas, and there was no doubt that the translations were perfect.
They traded dozens of books, starting from the Book of Clouds. It was a barter completely based on thoroughly subjective standards, completely disregarding financial standards. If a merchant had witnessed their conversation, they would’ve had a heart attack. Every exchange cost one or the other several hundred gold, yet, the two agreed without any hesitation. There was an unspoken consensus that this was okay.
.
This grandfather, isn’t he a good match for me?
It is rare for a young man to be like this…
Theo and Heinrich felt a sense of kinship with each other. They were willing to throw away money if it came to a book they wanted. They craved knowledge from inscribed old paper because their spirits weren’t satisfied with their current level of knowledge.
This kinship bridged the almost fifty year age gap, and they conversed like old friends.
“Sir Theo.”
Afternoon turned into evening as the sun sank into the west, and the blue sky darkened. The two men had moved their discussion to the reception room.
Heinrich made an unprecedented offer as night fell. “If you don’t mind, would you like to stay overnight? I live alone except for the servants, so there are quite a few rooms left. It should be enough for a short stay.”
“Well, I haven’t found accommodations yet.”
Due to his circumstances, Theo tried to move with utmost discretion. It would be difficult to find a good place to stay after sunset, so he decided to accept Heinrich’s offer.
“I will accept your goodwill, Sir Heinrich.”
“Haha! I am honored to have a hero stay overnight. Tell me if you need anything.” Heinrich laughed as he clapped his hands. A maid entered, and Heinrich said, “This is a precious guest. Please guide him to the room on the third floor and make sure he doesn’t lack for anything.”
The maid bowed. “Yes, I will do so.”
Heinrich turned to Theo. “Ah, what do you want to do for dinner?”
Theo wasn’t picky, so he just ordered lightly, “I’ll have a simple meal in the room. I spent a few days in the carriage, so I just want to rest.”
Heinrich looked sheepish. “Oh, I was being rude again.”
Theo smiled. “No, I also had a great time.”
The two bade each other good night, and Theo followed the maid out of the room.
She said politely, “I will guide you to your bedroom. Should I move your carriage to the stables?”
“Ah, please do so.”
“By the way, where is the driver? I will also give him a room.”
“That’s okay. He has already left and will come back tomorrow.”
“Yes, then I will have the carriage put away.”
Heinrich’s residence was rather large, but it was nothing compared to the royal palace and Red Tower. It took only a few moments for the maid to show him his room for the night.
“Then I’ll take my leave. Please use the bell pull if there is a problem.”
The maid bowed before closing the door behind her. Theo immediately threw himself onto the bed once he was alone. The carriage ride had been far too exhausting.
He had taken the shortest route, which meant traveling through mountain paths rather than paved roads. However, no matter how good the carriage was, mountain paths were very bumpy. He had barely slept for the past few days from the unexpected jolts and motion sickness.
However, the result made it all worthwhile.
“Even so, I didn’t think I would see the Book of Clouds.”
In fact, Theo had once seen a manuscript of the Book of Clouds in the White Tower. At the time, he’d struggled to understand even half its contents. The symbols and drawings were too difficult, and there were many ciphers hidden in the text to make copying difficult.
Okay, I should try again.
He would set a goal of reaching 98% understanding by the time he reached Meltor. Theo made a pledge and opened the book.
I can do it somehow if I don’t give up!
Then exactly thirty minutes later…
“What?”
He remembered it clearly. There had been high-level formulas and magic power control requirements that wouldn’t tolerate a single misstep. It had been so incredibly difficult that even a 7th Circle Theo had found it a slog. 𝒷𝓭ℴ𝓋𝓵.𝒸ℴ𝓶
However, Theo opened and closed the Book of Clouds several times in bewildered confusion. It wasn’t because it was too difficult, but because it was the opposite.
“Why is it so easy?”
His understanding had started at 32%, but now had already reached 97%. He just needed to read it once or twice more to go over 98%. It was a resounding success, but Theo felt like he had punched air. He had only read for half a day and his understanding was already at 97%?
He didn’t understand what was going on. The unfamiliar ideas now seemed easy, and the difficult formulas felt like simple arithmetic operations. It was like he received knowledge from the gods-
Wait a minute, the gods?
At that moment, Theo recalled Aiolos’ Pocket, which had contained the divinity of the wind. What if it raised his affinity and?his comprehension of wind magic as well? It was just an uncertain hypothesis, but it seemed credible.
Magicians often had aptitudes for certain magic attributes. Theo originally had little to no wind magic aptitude, but Aiolos’ Pocket had changed that. However, Theo shook his head and glanced down at his left hand.
It’s just a hypothesis, no matter how I think about it. It would be faster to ask the party involved.
The criteria to eat a book was 95% understanding, and he had already reached that standard with the Book of Clouds. Originally, Theo would’ve been filled with anticipation, but now he was filled with deep suspicion.
“Eat.”
– You brought some good quality food.
Gluttony had awoken the moment it felt the Book of Clouds, and instantly unleashed its tongue.
Gulp.
The magic book, which had only two copies on the continent, disappeared.
[Book of Clouds has been consumed. Your understanding is very high.]
[Proficiency in wind magic has increased. The wind attribute affinity has reached its limit. In compensation, the level of skill proficiency will rise even further.]
[You have acquired knowledge related to meteorology.]
[An original copy has been consumed. Synchro rate will be checked with object name Heathcliff… It is judged to be a fine rate. Heathcliff has accepted your request. At his discretion, Heathcliff has approved the spiritual connection.]
Theo was laying in bed as he fell into darkness. His mind couldn’t withstand the separation of his consciousness and rejected it by making him faint. In retrospect, it had been a long time since he had experienced Synchro. The authors of the recent original copies he had eaten were monsters, and they had refused the Synchro.
Surely a former Tower Master wasn’t that much of a monster?
Theo laughed a little bit as his consciousness faded away.
***
He didn’t know when precisely his consciousness returned. Theo opened his eyes and saw a blue sky above him. When he realized that he was lying on clouds, Theo realized he was in someone else’s mind. Were clouds nothing more than mass of water vapor, or were they filled with hopes and dreams?
At that time, a voice rang out from behind Theo, “I understand your appreciation, but you are acting a bit impolite, my junior.”
Theo hastily got to his feet and turned around to find a middle-aged man in a white robe. Once Synchro was established, one’s surface thoughts could be read. Theo was reminded of what he had forgotten and hurriedly bowed apologetically.
“I’m sorry.”
The middle-aged man examined him curiously. “Well, it’s okay. In any case, I’m a dead man, and you are a magician of Meltor. You don’t need to be so formal.”
“It is nothing, Senior.”
Theo looked at the senior before him. Heathcliff had been a White Tower Master. He had been a great magician of the 8th circle when he’d still been alive, and his fame continued on to this day. Heathcliff might’ve left the Towers, but he was still Meltor’s pride and joy.
However, Heathcliff just chuckled and waved his hands. “You… Aren’t you quite eloquent? I had no idea that I would hear such words after my death. I know that glory is useless, but it feels better than I thought.”
Theo remembered that Heathcliff had been famous as a playboy. Heathcliff scratched his head like he wasn’t accustomed to such praise and sat next to Theo. Unlike the reticent Orta with his mask and cold atmosphere, Heathcliff seemed like a friendly, cheery man.
“Okay! Rejoice, junior. I will give you three answers.”
Theo blinked. “Huh?”
“I know your first question, and I will answer it.”
Theo recalled his thoughts from before he ate the Book of Clouds and stared at Heathcliff. He was doubtful, but Heathcliff really knew the answer.
Heathcliff began the explanation by raising a finger. “As you know, divine power and magic reject each other, so you don’t know what effect divine power has. Isn’t that right?”
Theo nodded slowly. “… Yes, that’s right.”
“First, a definition. Divinity is a form of the Circles and is one of the final destinations that magic can reach. It is a power that can exert maximum strength in the material world.”
Deities were the incarnations of the material world. Their power to defend the world was so great that they repelled the demons who invaded from outer space. Their traces had disappeared when the Age of Mythology ended, but their impact lasted for thousands of years. Magic was humanity’s attempt at imitating that power.
Heathcliff continued, “It is inferior, but a magician’s Circles are akin to a deity’s abilities in that they manipulate the material world. It is just that their scope and authority fall far behind. If I compare them to an 8th Circle magician, the gap is at least three thousand times greater.”
“Three thousand times…”
“I’m not exaggerating, junior. Even a dragon’s heart, which is far superior to Circles, is ten times less powerful than divinity. Divinity is the supreme authority that rules the material world.” Heathcliff looked at Theo with bright green eyes. “And you have two divinities. Aiolos, was it? The god of wind… It’s incomplete, but it still makes the 8th Circle look like a party trick. Once you reach the 9th Circle, you should be able to see through it, from the principles to the application.”
The master of wind and the previous White Tower Master paused for a beat.
“Now, let’s move on to the second thing. Is your heart ready?”
“… What are you talking about?” Theo asked uneasily as he saw Heathcliff’s strange expression.
What was Theo going to be told? Theo endured patiently, as Heathcliff finally opened his mouth.
“You… Aren’t you going to die soon?”