Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: Gravekeeper of the Spirit Mausoleum (5)
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The dragon blood Theo possessed originated from Lordbrok.
Naturally, the more power Lordbrok reclaimed, the stronger the dragon blood's performance would become.
Crack, craaaack—
Theo chuckled at the pleasant sensation of his body changing in various places as he pulled out a grimoire.
- The Book of Oaths.
"Is this about necromancy?"
- The Demon's False Kingdom.
"This is about the illusions and hallucinations created by lesser demons."
- The Pinnacle of the Sage.
"Is this a theoretical tome on celestial magic that blends sorcery and astrology?"
As expected of grimoires stored by the imperial family, every single one contained extraordinary content.
Some of them Theo had even heard of, or they piqued his interest enough.
But Theo boldly set those aside.
'Selection and focus. Anything that can't supplement my swordsmanship is just baggage.'
Theo had begun dabbling in magic solely because he believed it would aid him in battle, not to awaken his talent as a mage.
The same went for the time magic system handed down by the Magic Empress.
Theo was learning the concept of the wheel of time, but he was also pondering how to integrate it into his swordsmanship.
If his prediction was correct, time magic would undoubtedly provide explosive growth for him.
'So I need to find a grimoire that can help me understand time magic.'
Still, nothing caught his eye, so he wondered if he should check another room.
Fsssh...!
-Ooh, what's this? [Almadels of Secret Arts]?
-Look at this! There's analysis on the strengthening techniques of those beastkin bastards we fought back in the day!
-Understanding the Three Steps to Heaven? Why is the Sword King's secret art here?
The ghosts of the Dragon Child Corps stealthily slipped out of the Spirit Mausoleum Sword and thoroughly searched the library.
-Hey! Check out what I found! Damn, this is killer!
Some even entered the armory and let out roars.
-Hey, Theo! Theo! Can we look at the stuff here?
In particular, the ghosts who had encountered high-level secret arts they'd rarely seen in life had faces flushed red.
"Yes, looking is fine, but damaging them or taking them out might not be allowed."
-Aww? Can't take 'em outside?
"Right. According to the Magic Empress, most have security spells, so they're usable inside the vault, but taking them out could alert the imperial family immediately."
-Damn! I was gonna leisurely check 'em out outside!
-Guess we gotta memorize every bit then.
-This one's a whopping 600 pages. When am I gonna memorize all that? Sigh!
-You're an idiot, so it's hard for you, but I was a prodigy from childhood. I can do it. Keh keh keh!
-I could too if I wanted. Once I get started, I'm amazing.
The immature ghosts started grabbing each other by the collar again, but most quickly plopped down and pored over the books they'd picked.
The knowledge and insights they gained would soon become Theo's.
Theo made a peculiar expression, thinking there was a method like this too, and before he knew it, he reached the last grimoire.
-Belphegor.
"The Demon of Sloth."
Like Amon, a demon opposed to dragons.
Among them, one so famous that even Theo knew it well as a grand duke level.
He wondered what connection it had to time magic among the seven deadly sins, but this grimoire emanated an unusually strong blue glow.
-Those rotten heavenly bastards say sloth is laziness, a sin that diligent, hardworking humans must avoid most. But sloth is leisure, free time. If you live your one life rigidly without enjoying it, how is that different from a machine's cog?
-The life given to me is finite. So using that resource rigidly or enjoying it is based on my free will.
-Utilizing the temporal resource called life. Placing it under my will and control. That is the starting point of <Sloth>.
'Interesting.'
Adjusting the lifespan limit given to living beings?
It was a novel idea, and on the other hand, it strongly felt connectable to time magic from the perspective of utilizing time.
'Time is relative to begin with, and the observer's perception and subjectivity are ultimately most important. If it's a method of expanding the time domain centered on a biological clock with "me" as the subject...'
It was still abstract, but Theo felt strongly that this could form a plausible viewpoint for interpreting the time magic system.
'I need to discuss this deeply with Roddy.'
Theo continued reading Belphegor.
[You have discovered a new interpretation of time.]
[Your understanding of the quest increases. Current completion: 15%]
.
[You have successfully constructed the subject's perspective. Proficiency of 'Skill: Hatchling Synchro' greatly increases.]
[Current completion: 21%]
.
[Current completion: 32%]
.
.
Thud!
Quite some time passed.
Theo finished reading and fully closed the grimoire.
His mind was a jumble of various information and thoughts, but he felt like he'd grasped a thread.
[Current completion: 64%]
'Time is also related to light. Since the speed of light is absolutely fixed unlike time, it can serve as a unit to measure time, and this light can be applied to the thunder attribute that carries photons.'
[Current completion: 69%]
It was also good time to sketch out a rough blueprint for how to develop the thunder attribute.
'But.'
The joy was short-lived.
Theo's eyes narrowed.
'The last few pages at the back are missing.'
Theo discovered traces that the final 8 pages of the grimoire had been forcibly torn out.
The lack of wear suggested it hadn't been long since they were ripped.
「It's just like someone who took a satisfying shit in the bathroom but ran out of toilet paper and couldn't finish cleaning up properly.」
"...Where did you learn that expression?"
Theo let out a hollow laugh as he looked at Lordbrok, who had appeared at the door before he knew it.
"How were the spirit medicines?"
「You said there are four more places like this ahead, right?」
"Yes. For now."
「It'll take time to digest, but after a full round, I should recover about 60% of my prime.」
Theo's eyes widened slightly.
"Then?"
「Yes. At that point, the heart restoration will be complete too. Thank you.」
Theo clenched his fist.
Lordbrok's resurrection was truly imminent.
And in fact, as the ancient dragon's factor developed, his senses had become even sharper than before.
「More importantly, that thing in your hand looks like a grimoire? A very advanced one at that. The unpleasant scent is wafting all the way here.」
"Would you like to see it?"
As Lordbrok lightly extended his hand forward, the grimoire floated up into the air and was sucked into his grasp.
「Belphegor. A real headache of a guy. Similar to Amon, yet different.」
"Do you know Belphegor well?"
「A little.」
Lordbrok flipped through the pages rapidly as he continued.
「Belphegor is actually a similar case to Amon. He was once a god of such high stature that he entered the pantheon of all gods, but due to his individualistic personality and slothful nature, he fell to become a demon. Well, he didn't seem to care at all. His original name is Baal-Peor (בַעַל-פְּעוֹר).」
"Even after his fall, his skills must be impressive."
「Yes. But because he rarely shows himself externally, he's underrated compared to his true ability. He didn't have particular ill feelings toward us dragons either.」
Lordbrok examined the torn last page and furrowed his brow.
「In any case, a grimoire bearing the name of such a being contains quite interesting content... but it's damaged?」
"Yes. It seems someone already tampered with it. Do you happen to know what the rest says?"
Lordbrok shook his head.
「Not at all. Demonic magic starts from <concepts>, which is very different in nature from the <truths> or <laws> we dragons pursue. So I can explain, but I can't pinpoint the missing parts. It deals with concepts that don't exist in this world to begin with. However.」
"However?"
「By nature, a <concept> must be explainable in language. And if part of that language is lost, failing to complete its full meaning, it loses its power.」
Theo vaguely realized what Lordbrok meant and widened his eyes.
「So this grimoire bearing Belphegor's name must also fully function as a grimoire only if...」
"It can't have any damage to its pages, right?"
「Exactly. But this is the final part defining the <concept>'s meaning, torn out entirely. Yet it's still functioning as a grimoire, which is strange.」
A grimoire bearing a demon's name is a kind of code defining the concept of words.
Naturally, if even part of it is damaged or a single letter changes, the meaning completely alters.
The fact that Belphegor's grimoire was still intact meant only one thing.
"Someone tampered with the concept arbitrarily."
「It means those last eight pages created some <concept>. They separated a new concept from the existing one. An exquisitely precise task... Is there a human capable of this?」
Lordbrok stroked his chin with his hand, an intrigued expression on his face.
"Items in the vault can't be taken out arbitrarily. So it seems they separated just the necessary part and left."
「It means there's a secret in here the vault's owner absolutely doesn't want discovered.」
"What could it be?"
「As I said, I don't know. But one thing is certain.」
Lordbrok's lip curled up.
「Belphegor's true essence is probably there. What you're holding is only half.」
Indeed, even after confirming all the content, the blue glow hadn't faded.
It was then.
Ding!
[You narrowly missed the final clue to complete the quest.]
[Recover the last part of the grimoire to complete the quest.]
[If recovery fails, the quest will be judged as failed.]
'Narrowly missed?'
Theo quickly activated his skill.
['Skill: Hatchling Synchro' activated, summoning the lingering thoughts remaining in the grimoire.]
Fwaaah!
In the inverted vision.
Under the glow of luminous lamps, five people were devouring Belphegor's grimoire.
'Star of David? How did they get in here?'
To encounter the Magic Tower's elites in the imperial secret vault.
Moreover, the one who seemed to be the leader was a familiar face to Theo.
The handsome man he'd seen at Theo Hydoor.
A familiar face, but he couldn't recall who...
'Ivory King! Damn it! Why didn't I think of him?'
In his previous life, there were a few who had reached the absolute level at Theo's age.
Talents from the 3 Armies and 8 Generals who survived the Great Upheaval.
Wellington was one, and Nazar iu Monte fit here too.
The Magic Tower's sole heir, who ascended to 10th Circle Archmage at the youngest age in history,
And conquered numerous magic systems, transforming the Magic Tower into the Ivory Tower.
Thus earning the moniker [Ivory King].
However, Theo hadn't immediately recognized Nazar iu as the Ivory King upon seeing him partly because the Ivory King usually wore a robe pulled low, so his face wasn't well-known publicly.
But also because it was hard to imagine the current Magic Tower Lord's grandson appearing in the heart of Ragnar territory.
So why Nazar iu personally moved to rip out the last part of Belphegor's grimoire was unknown.
But one thing was certain.
They hadn't left long ago.
And,
'I can use this chance to capture a hostage and pin a huge debt on the Magic Tower.'
The pumpkin had rolled right in on the vine.
Of course, Theo wasn't one to just watch it happen.