The Book Eating Magician
chapter-65

Slavers Raiding Mission #2

The slums of Bergen, where [Shackler] were hiding, were as complex as an ant cave. If a stranger, who didn’t know this, travelled about recklessly, then they would disappear into the shadows of the city.

The air weighed heavily on Theodore’s shoulders. There were wine bottles rolling on the ground as well as stains which could be blood. Whatever it was, Theo ignored it and focused on the situation calmly. ‘On the right, 25 meters away, there are three at the back.’

This precise sensing ability didn’t just depend on physical detection. It was a possible feature because he shared the feelings of the elemental, Mitra, who had assimilated with the ground. The mole-like ability to grasp the movements and physique of others through vibrations was extremely useful to the present Theodore. He could see things he couldn’t see with Hawkeye.

Indeed, there were three thieves whispering beyond the wall. Theo took a few steps until sound entered his ears.

“I saw it! It was definitely an elf!”

“You’re crazy, Hans. Did you take medication during the day?”

“You are probably hallucinating from not seeing a prostitute for a few days. Do you want me to lend you some money? The interest rate is 2% per day.”

“Hey, this son of a bitch!”

Somehow, one of them had seen a captive elf, and his colleagues didn’t believe him. The thief became angry at this treatment and stormed away from his spot. He moved beyond the corner and came face to face with Theodore. The man opened his mouth with surprise when he saw Theo, but…

Piing—

A hole was formed in the middle of his forehead before he could speak. Even the strongest magician, Veronica, had no way to completely avoid Magic Bullet at this distance. The fate of the thief ended the moment he met Theo.

‘There are two left… I will handle it.’

Theo pointed his index fingers over the wall and fired at the heads of the two remaining thieves. The light of death pierced them, and they were smiling as their brains scattered. This was the last of the three common thieves.

Not long after that…

In a guerilla warfare, the level difference meant nothing before the Magic Bullet.

“Eek.”

“Kuack…”

Theo killed anyone he met. He moved thoroughly according to this principle, burying dozens of bodies along his route until he met a second patrol. It might be a coincidence or skills, but a warrior had managed to make a shallow scratch on Theo’s forearm.

‘Che, I’m still inexperienced. It was an attack I could’ve avoided if I had fully digested Lee Yoonsung’s experience.’

He healed the wound slightly with magic. It was just a few drops of blood, but it couldn’t hurt to be careful. Theo then concealed his body and realized he had reached the barracks. It was a barrack where two elves were trapped. Just as he was worrying about which of the two barracks to attack first…

Shouts rang out from the barrack on the right. “No? Why not?!”

Theo naturally moved toward the right barrack in response to the sound. His two golden eyes looked over the fence and examined the situation inside. There was a large group of thieves arguing with four warriors standing in front of the barrack with grim expressions.

Theo tensed as he grasped their level at one glance.

‘There are five aura users… Maybe the intelligence agent from the White Tower missed something. Isn’t it better to watch the situation before entering?’

Theo was tense enough to move at any time, but he decided to listen to their argument first.

“This is against the agreement! Didn’t you agree to turn over two elves to me? You don’t know how risky a position our guild is in because of you!”

“Wait a little longer, Boss Rakon.”

“It has already been over a week! We don’t know when those rascals will come!”

Theo narrowed his eyes at Boss Rakon. He was the boss of the guild which Canis belonged to. Perhaps he had decided to take a few elves in exchange for mediating this slave trade. That was why Rakon had agreed to a deal which normally wouldn’t have been accepted, even for a few hundred gold coins. The thought of possessing an elf beauty had made him forget the fear of execution for a while.

Yet as time passed, he had begun to feel uneasy. Rakon wanted to get the elves out of the city as soon as possible. It had been a few days, so he was sick at the thought of an executioner coming.

However, the members of [Shackler] shook their heads with resolute expressions. They seemed to think the thieves would stab them in the back if they handed over the elves, but doing this was annoying since the thieves came several times a day to ask.

“Dammit, just let me see them once!” Rakon tried to shake their cold attitude, but there was nothing he could do. These people couldn’t even be bribed. The subordinates of Shackler were different from his own.

Wuuong~ The wind cooled his inflamed head.

Rakon exhaled and then inhaled with surprise as his eyebrows twitched when he smelled the faint scent of blood from the wind. The blood wasn’t coming from anyone near him. The extraordinary smell of the thief boss had detected an enemy.

Clink. Rakon flicked his wrist, and six daggers appeared almost simultaneously. The series of actions were really quick. The warriors winced at his sudden action, but he threw the daggers in the direction where he smelled the blood. Amazingly, it was aimed toward Theodore’s location!

‘How?!’ Theo questioned reflexively. He had completely erased his presence, but Rakon had attacked him accurately. They hit the fence around the height of his thighs.

Pyupok! Pyok Pyupok! There was the sound of something flying through their wind, and holes appeared in the wood.

As the fence collapsed in the aftermath, the hiding Theodore was revealed. It was then that the guards finally realized his presence and pulled out their shamshirs. A red radiance lit up in the eyes of the aura users.

Theo was confronted with five aura users before him. “Hoo, then it can’t be helped.”

Instead of retreating, he stepped forward. It wasn’t difficult to escape, but if he left, it would add to the burden of Vince, who was on the other side. Above all, the experiences of the two people inside him were talking. This was a situation where he could win.

“It is a young man. Hey, kid! Did you get lost from your mommy?”

Theodore’s cheekbones twitched at Rakon’s taunt. It was a sensitive response to the strange provocation.

‘…Uh, it feels worse than I thought?’ It was a single word which touched on his nerves.

The same word felt different depending on whose mouth it came out of. Veronica and the bearded robber had both called him ‘kid’ but the difference was like night and day.

However, Theo’s head cooled off thanks to that thought. This was too different compared to facing Veronica. There were five people and four in the nearby barracks, making for a total of nine people. However, they weren’t stronger than her.

Theodore’s right hand calmly moved. ‘Open Inventory. Equipment #3.’

Meanwhile, his left hand pulled out a red robe. Veronica had given it to him personally. It contained the emblem of the Red Tower and five circles. The robe was a symbol of honour and force in the Meltor Kingdom.

As the red cloth fluttered over Theo’s upper body, Rakon’s eyes widened as he realized the identity of the person in front of him. “Damn, executors have already been sent!”

The villains in Meltor were sensitive to this clothing. Containing defensive and secondary magic, the robes were exclusive possessions of the envoys of the battlefield. It wasn’t an artifact which an ordinary kid could obtain.

Finally, Theodore checked his Memorize slots before raising both hands.

‘Battle Song.

‘Sonata of Speed.

‘Allegretto.’

Then he ran at a fearsome pace through the darkness.

***

At that time, Vince Haidel was leaping between buildings on the other side of Theo’s location.

After reaching the 6th Circle, Vince’s physical abilities had increased. His movements were just like when Theodore used ‘Battle Song.’

Paak!

Vince used Battle Song in midair and secured his body with magic. The numerous warriors on the ground couldn’t discover Vince in the sky. It was a reason why magicians were capable of playing an active role on the battlefield. Magicians could wipe out patrolling scouts, so a veteran war mage was the most efficient person on any battlefield.

Among the Superior ranked magicians, Vince was one of the best.

‘Here.’ From the sky, he looked at the point which Canis had marked and landed without a sound.

Vince couldn’t feel it. He used ‘Detect Evil’ as he gazed at the grey tent in front of him. The quarters here felt like the warriors had been living here for several years. As Vince recalled Canis’ information, he felt a sense of discomfort.

That’s why it wasn’t easy to avoid the blow.

Kiiing! It was faster than sound. As the blade tore through the air, the sound emerged one beat late with the scattering of red aura. The tip of the shamshir cut Vince’s neck, scattering drops of blood in the air. However, it didn’t hit the artery. It was due to the increased reflexes of Battle Song.

However, rather than being surprised by the unexpected attack, Vince muttered as if he realized something, “Hah, so that is what happened.”

A man walked out of the darkness near the tent. The black turban decorated with gold was quite distinct. It was a feature of the men from the Austen Kingdom on the northern part of the continent.

The man had long arms, and red aura shone around his shamshirs like a haze. He looked Vince up and down and precisely guessed Vince’s identity.

“Meltor, war mage.”

“That’s right. Janissary of Austen,” Vince responded while putting on his robe.

The man was more shaken by Vince’s words than his red robe as Vince’s tone expressed that Vince was completely confident he was correct.

While the Janissary protecting his identity closed his mouth, Vince wiped at his wound. “What crime organization would do this so fearlessly? Even if they succeed in selling the elves, they would only lose money. There aren’t many idiots who would try to buy slaves in this country. You aren’t using Meltor as an intermediary. Instead, you’re just passing through.”

“…Why do you think that?” It was a crude version of the official language, but the meaning was still clear. Vince had no intention of letting the man survive, but the man was tenacious. As the man stepped backward, Vince stepped forward, gesturing with a nod toward the tent before him.

He was already convinced that his guess was the right answer. “The elf held in there… No, isn’t it a ‘high elf?’”

The eyes of the Janissary shook.