Book Eater

Chapter 17: At the Crossroad of Trust (1)

After dinner, Theodore walked toward Professor Vince’s laboratory with a troubled expression. He knew why Vince had called him. Vince was the one who knew Theo best in the academy. There was no way he wouldn’t realize how abnormal Theo’s rate of improvement was, considering where he started from.

Plus, he knows that I don’t have the money to buy magic reagents or hire a tutor.

Vince had cared for him more than anyone else in the past three years. Theo had confided in him about his miserable financial situation, which was barely above that of a poor peasant, and his horrible mana sensitivity. Theo also didn’t want to lie to Professor Vince, especially since he had always regretted seeing Theo’s talent go to waste and tried to open up another path for him.

Above all, there was the problem of coming up with a way of hiding Gluttony’s existence.

Damn, there’s no way to hide it no matter how I think about it. I can’t make up excuses to Professor Vince. It will cause a misunderstanding, and I might not be able to salvage this.

Gluttony had said that there were over a hundred ways to increase magic power, but it had only told him one. In this day and age, only three or four methods were known. There were other purported methods using black magic or fraudulent techniques, but it wasn’t rare for the user’s magic power to decrease as a result. In a situation like this, there was no way to escape. No matter how he pondered, he couldn’t come up with an explanation by the time he arrived at Professor Vince’s laboratory.

“... I’ve arrived.”

It was his first visit since coming for the permit. Theo looked at the brown door before him. At that time, he had come out of this room with a happy expression, but he now had new worries. His position had changed a lot. The 2nd Circle dunce now had the best marks in the grade. This was the result of him facing all of his problems head-on.

This is the same thing.

He wouldn’t run away. Theo decided he would face it as he raised his hand.

Knock, knock.

“Professor, it is Theodore.”

An answer came from behind the door, as if he had been waiting.

”Come in.”

.

Theo turned the doorknob as the familiar scent of coffee washed over him. Professor Vince was reading from a parchment behind a messy desk that was covered in books and parchment. He put down the parchment and looked at Theo with a face that was difficult to read.

“You came right on time. The faculty meeting took longer than I expected, so I just got back.”

Deciding Garcia Carter’s punishment was difficult for the academy. Viscount Carter was famous, so they didn’t want to punish his son and cause a problem. The professors were so concerned that Vince was eventually forced to give up on expulsion or repeating a year. The meeting ran for two or three hours before Viscount Carter personally showed up in a crystal ball and ended their discussion.

- I’m really sorry that my foolish son was such a nuisance.

As an upright and honorable nobleman, Viscount Cater didn’t try to make excuses for Garcia. Rather, he asked Vince to punish him strictly. As a result, the principal of Bergen Academy decided to leave the decision to Vince.

“What a farce. The principal was too scared of making the wrong decision.”

Vince paused to sip his coffee. He was annoyed at the bureaucrat-like professors who only cared about their own well-being. On the other hand, Theo hadn’t expected much from the professors, so his expression was still calm.

Vince put down his cup. “I spoke for too long. Should I go straight to the point?”

Vince pulled out an impressive pendant on a silver chain. Theo could feel a considerable amount of magic power radiating from the red jewel set at its center. Theo’s eyes widened when he saw the pendant.

It’s an artifact! I’ve never seen such a high quality one before.

The two months at the black market trader’s shop had sharpened Theo’s eye for artifacts. He immediately noticed that the silver pendant was more than a cut above the goods from the black market trader. Its configuration of magic power was completely different.

He might be able to cut the path to the 4th Circle by more than half if he swallowed it. The pendant was like an à la carte dish. Then Professor Vince told him the identity of the pendant.

“The name of this pendant is Roaring Flames.”

“Roaring Flames...?”

“Yes. Garcia, that idiot, used this artifact during his spar with you.”

Theo nodded unconsciously. So that bizarre spike in power at the end had been facilitated by the pendant. Now he understood how Garcia, a 3rd Circle magician, had been able to use the 4th Circle Blaze Shell. Roaring Flames had supplied the magic power.

However, his surprise didn’t end there.

“Take it.”

“... Huh?”

Professor Vince suddenly threw Roaring Flames at Theodore. An artifact that would be treasured by any magician and worth at least a hundred gold was being tossed at him like a ball. Theo reflexively caught it.

Before Theo could ask anything, Vince said, “You won’t receive an apology from the academy. However, you were attacked by this artifact. I think this pendant, Roaring Flames, was sent as an apology by Viscount Carter.”

“No, even so...”

No one in the Meltor Kingdom would hand over an artifact like this as an apology. At the very least, Viscount Carter wasn’t known for his wealth. Theo knew this and wasn’t convinced, but Vince casually explained the story behind the incident.

“Instead, Garcia will receive a one month suspension. I chose his punishment without consulting you, so if you have any complaints, give back the pendant and he will be expelled.”

“... I have no complaints, Professor!”

“Well, I thought so.”

As Theo was stunned by his sudden windfall, Vince smiled and picked up his cup of coffee. No matter what punishment Garcia received, Theodore wouldn’t benefit from it. Garcia might even hold a grudge if he received a severe punishment. However, accepting the Roaring Flames would give Theo an advantage.

This might make it possible to reach the 4th?Circle before graduation.

For a moment, there was a peaceful silence. Theo’s hands were tingling because he wanted to use Appraisal straight away, while Vince closed his eyes and savored the scent of his coffee. However, the silence between the two of them was broken by Vince’s voice.

“So, I’ve got some questions for you.”

The inevitable question had arrived. The relaxed feeling suddenly disappeared as Theo’s expression grew grim. The excitement from receiving the artifact disappeared as a hypothetical dialogue of how this conversation would go popped into his head. The atmosphere in the room seemed to cool within mere seconds.

“I don’t doubt your capabilities. No, anyone who understands your nature wouldn’t feel doubt. Haven’t I told you a few times already? Theodore Miller, if you had a little more sensitivity, then you would’ve been the top graduate three years ago.”

Theo’s expression didn’t soften. Rather, it became more tense. Theodore was afraid of that splendid reputation. Only one person in the academy had known the extent of Theodore’s talent.

“However, that is the limit. There is no way to increase one’s sensitivity, and I felt regret for you.” Vince looked at him with sharp eyes. “But you have changed since the winter break. No, the word ‘change’ is lacking. You have completely transformed.”

Theo was a little relieved that he didn’t sense any animosity. Theo might have absorbed some of Alfred Bellontes’ talents and experience, but he wasn’t a match for Vince. Vince had been a war magician for decades and was only a few steps away from the 6th Circle. If Theo fought Vince a hundred times, then Theo would die a hundred times. Fortunately, Vince was just questioning Theo and didn’t seem to have any hostile feelings.

“It is okay if you don’t want to explain it. You are sincere and not a bad student. I know you wouldn’t use a dirty method for such growth."

“Professor...”

“But if you think of me as your teacher, I wonder if there is anything I can do to help you.”

Vince just wanted to teach him. At that moment, Theodor Miller had a hunch.

This is a crossroads.

His life would change depending on his choice. Should he tell Vince, or should he hide it? If he concealed it, then his days would continue in the same way they had. He would continue eating books from the library and receive his diploma as an elite student. But would it really be like that?

There was a limit to how many books he could take from the library. Gluttony had already eaten over a hundred books in the past two months. He had managed to conceal it by changing the layout of the collections or moving the desks, but if someone looked closely, then it would soon be clear that books were disappearing. However, if he had Professor Vince’s cooperation, he wouldn’t need to take such risks.

No, that doesn’t matter.

In the end, that was a secondary matter. He had to look at the essence of the situation. What was the meaning of this crossroads? Theo stared solemnly at Professor Vince. In retrospect, it was a simple question.

... Should he believe in Vince or not?

“Professor.”

After a silence that seemed both long and short, Theo made his decision.

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