A book from the Zero Library?

Kurt III and Blundell’s expressions changed at the same time. They knew full well how valuable the books from the Zero Library were to magicians. They could single-handedly raise a magician’s learning ability or even bestow them with a key trump card in a moment of crisis. They were treasures that even Superior magicians found difficult to borrow.

However, were they worthy of a king’s boon?

Kurt III was the first to understand Theo’s intention. “A book from the Zero Library isn’t difficult to loan out, but it seems like you are asking for something else.”

Theo nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

Kurt’s eyes narrowed. “You want ownership of the book.”

That made more sense. Obtaining ownership of one book from the Zero Library was worthy of a king’s boon, even if it wasn’t a national treasure.

The expressions of the other magicians in the room were interesting. Blundell looked rather perplexed as he stroked his beard, while Veronica’s eyes sharpened with interest as she watched Theo. Sylvia shuffled awkwardly as Vince nodded knowingly with a secret smile.

Theo was the only one in the room who could directly transform theoretical knowledge into proficiency, so it was hard to find a better reward. If he obtained a book from the Zero Library, then he could learn another ability like Alfred’s Magic Bullet and Myrdal Herseim’s ancient elemental summoning.

Kurt III thought for a moment but soon made a decision. “... Okay.”

Fortunately, his answer was positive. Kurt III looked at Theo seriously. “I will give you a book from the Zero Library. However, if you ever fail to properly fulfill your obligations, then you, Theodore Miller, will return the book to the Zero Library.”

Theo bowed. “Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty.”

The king had spoken in a roundabout manner, but he was basically just giving the book to Theo. Every magician bore the obligation to pass on their knowledge to later generations, and the book could be easily retrieved after his death. In any case, Kurt III had determined that Theodore’s achievement deserved such a reward.

Kurt glanced to the side. “Veronica.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?” The Red Tower Master was sprawled over one of the armchairs.

Kurt instructed, “I want you to accompany Theodore Miller and assist in the screening of the books from the Zero Library. You should be aware of this, but you can’t take anything out.”

Veronica stretched like a cat before she rose. “Well… okay! It has been a long time since I’ve smelled a book.”

“Then that will be all.” Kurt looked around before rising to his feet.

As he stood up, the magicians naturally went down on one knee, leaving just Blundell and Veronica standing. The two tower masters simply inclined their heads.

Kurt smiled at Theo and Sylvia. “Thank you once again for your merits. I hope that you continue to uphold your duties and responsibilities for Meltor Kingdom. I can’t believe that it has only been a fortnight, and I’ve already seen your faces twice.”

Theodore and Sylvia declared in unison, “As Your Majesty commands!”

Their second encounter with the king had finally come to an end.

***

“Now, shall we go to the Zero Library?” Veronica slung an arm around Theo as soon as Kurt left.

Veronica might be powerful, but her distinctive scent and soft touch were dangerous to Theo’s senses. Fortunately, Sylvia had taken her leave with Blundell, leaving just Vince to accompany them.

Vince interjected, “Tower Master, Theo is uncomfortable.”

Veronica turned to look at Theo. “Huh? Is that so?”

As Theo met Veronica’s golden eyes, he couldn’t help stammering, “A-A bit...”

“Ah, that reminds me, I emit a lot of heat. I don’t feel it, so I forget sometimes. I’ve been doing it since I was born.” She pulled away the arm which was around Theo’s neck.

As soon as her arm left his shoulder, Theo’s body started to cool down. But Veronica’s words had roused his curiosity.

So the heat was not due to her accomplishments in magic?

“Well, people already know this story.” Veronica noticed his curiosity and said cheerfully, “I have the blood of a red dragon.”

She spoke casually as if she was telling him what she had for breakfast. Theo unconsciously stopped walking, but Vince already knew the story and kept walking with a blasé face.

As Theo regained his wits and caught up with her, Veronica shrugged it off. “It isn’t that big of a deal. It’s just a quarter. I just live a little longer than ordinary people, and my hair and eyes have a vivid color.”

Nevertheless, Veronica had inherited the blood of the dragon, long considered the toughest species across the continent, so she could never be ordinary. A dragon’s limitless magic power and the sensitivity capable of dominating nature wasn’t a realm that humans could dream of touching. Her lineage must have contributed to the fact that she had reached Blundell’s level at a younger age.

Veronica brushed back her hair and muttered, “I can push it down to reduce the heat… but it is hard to walk around normally. I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. I was too insensitive.”

“It’s okay.” Maybe her embarrassed expression had charmed him, but Theo answered reflexively, “It was just a little warmer.”

To be honest, it was pretty hot, but he wasn’t about to ignore the atmosphere. It was likely she must’ve only had idiots around her.

“... You have a good mouth for a kid.” Veronica tried to look casual, but her stride widened in response. Indeed, her reactions were really honest. Theo was getting a different feeling than the one he got from the cute Sylvia. Veronica was walking so quickly that they reached the Zero Library ten minutes earlier than expected.

The door of the Zero Library was very impressive. When Theo saw the door carved from opaque ice, he muttered, “Ice? No, that’s adamantium alloy.”

Veronica formed a fist and slammed it into the door.

Kwang!

The blow caused a loud ringing noise, but the door didn’t even tremble. Rather, it was Veronica’s fist that turned red from the impact.

Veronica went on to explain, “If I want to destroy it, I would have to spend a full day using every bit of my strength. The same would go for a sword master. This vault is essentially the secret warehouse of the royal palace. This wall surrounds the entire building, so you can’t even use space movement to sneak inside.”

Magicians still argued about what could be considered the best metal, but there was no question that adamantium was the strongest metal in existence. Once it was refined, it could block every physical and magical attack to the same degree. It was limited in its use as a weapon, but it was undeniably unparalleled in defense.

Veronica turned to Vince before opening the door of the Zero Library. “Vince, wait here. I’m sorry, but you can’t enter. Theodore was the only one who received permission from His Majesty.”

Vince nodded. “Of course. Go ahead.”

As Vince stepped away from Theodore, Veronica placed her hand on the door.

Huuuuuuong! 

As soon as her palm touched the surface, a powerful wave of magic power rippled across the door’s face. Theo’s eyes widened as peak 6th Circle magic power radiated from Veronica’s hand to form a giant magic circle. It seemed the keyhole wouldn’t even appear if the magician didn’t have this much magic power!

Veronica placed the key which she’d pulled out into the center of the magic circle on the door. In a bright flash, the two magicians disappeared.

***

Flash!

Veronica and Theodore appeared inside. The space movement magic had been triggered during that brief moment that the defenses had been lowered to accept two people. Since it was only a short distance, Theo wasn’t as affected as before. He immediately looked around.

This... is the Zero Library?

It wasn’t at all like he had imagined. The room was brightly lit by a light tool embedded into the ceiling, while walls were filled with glass boxes that contained books.

Some of the glass cases were empty, and Veronica explained, “People borrowed or lost these books. The cases are left empty in the hope they will be returned one day. However, I have yet to see a book returned to the Zero Library.”

Theo wondered, “How do they get lost?”

Veronica scratched her head. “Hmm, the ones we’ve lost so far happened when the one who had it perished and the book was stolen. After all, how could we punish a dead person?”

Indeed, no magician would ever be careless with a book from the Zero Library. It was more realistic that the book would be stolen. Theo started to wander the shelves as he started to examine the books. He could open the glass cases as long as he was careful.

A reddish book giving off magic power attracted his interest.

Appraisal.

[Hell Fire]

[This book contains a technique that allows one to summon a flame of the Demon World that burns all matter. Once called, the flames of hell can only be extinguished when the user’s magic is exhausted or dead. Burns from this magic are difficult to heal. The author of this book has hidden their identity.

* The rating of this magic book is Treasure.

* Acquisition Conditions: 7 Circles and an affinity for fire magic.

* When consumed, Hell Fire will be learned.

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

* This is an original work penned by the author. When consumed, there is a very low probability of absorbing some of the author’s proficiency.]

It was the 7th Circle Magic, Hell Fire! No one other than the Red Tower Master would be able to safely handle this spell. Even skilled sword masters would die if they were hit with this particular spell. Hell Fire was famed for being able to burn through any aura that tried to defend or repel it.

However, Theo saw the conditions to acquire it and returned the book without making a fuss. It would take a few years or even decades for him to reach the 7th Circle. He had been excited to find a Treasure ranked book, but that feeling didn’t last long.

Theo only grew more bitter as he examined the books one by one.

This one is too sophisticated… I need to gouge out an eye to acquire this one? What, do one-eyed magicians require special spells? Is it like spells that can only be learned if one is female, or just bald?

The conditions required to consume the books only seemed to increase with the level of the book. At the very least, he needed to be at the 6th or 7th Circle. He didn’t even consider the ones which demanded a loss or impairment of the body. Since normally only Prime magicians entered this place, there were only a few magic spells that Theo could master.

“Eh...?” A leather cover engraved with a gold leaf caught Theo’s attention.

He could feel his intuition tingling as he reached out to touch the book.

Appraisal.

[Battle Song]

[This book contains various ways to strengthen your body in order to fight in close combat. As it was designed by a child from a high ranking family who couldn’t use aura, Battle Song greatly strengthens the body using magic power. The efficiency is superior to any secondary magic, so it is difficult to find an analogy. However, there is one drawback to using this spell.

* The rating of this magic book is Treasure.

* Acquisition Conditions: At least the 5th Circle.

* When consumed, Battle Song will be learned.

* When consumed, your ability in close combat will be greatly enhanced.

* This is the original work penned by the author. When consumed, you will inherit some of the author’s abilities according to your fitness level.]