The Book Eating Magician

Chapter 2

The Greedy Grimoire #2

The library wasn’t far from the dormitory.

When he was a few steps away the library’s shabby door, the scent of old paper and bookshelves tickled his nose. It was a pleasant smell he was now familiar with.

After pushing the door half-open, the empty library was revealed.

‘Well, I thought it would be like this.’

The sight was always the same. It could be said that no student other than Theodore Miller would be found in the library after class.

Most of the books collected here talked about difficult concepts which the professors only explained the simplest parts of in class. There was no reason for adolescents to feel excited when they were busy playing.

Thanks to that, Theo was able to secure a peaceful space.

“Today… I should look up lightning magic one more time.”

Theo walked between the bookshelves in a familiar manner. Having spent five years in this library, he was able to find any book with his eyes closed. Even professors who occasionally came to find books would come to Theo before the librarians, so there was no doubts about his accuracy.

Theo pulled out the books he wanted.

‘[Lightning Magic Primer]… I’ve memorized everything, but I might have missed something. Additionally, [Why is Lightning Difficult to Control?] could be helpful. [Principles Behind Lightning Strikes]? It is closer to meteorology than magic, but let’s take this as well.’

Three thick books were instantly piled up.

Each book was very thick. Even a person with a fast reading spend would have to spend a day and a half to finish them. One book might be memorized, but that didn’t apply to the other two books.

There would be a loud spectacle if other students needed to read this for homework. However, to Theo, this thickness was only a day’s worth of reading. The professors were aware of this but ignored it because it was no use.

If they knew the amount of knowledge Theo had read, they wouldn’t be able to hide their regret like Professor Vince.

Rustle… rustle…

There was only the sound of pages being turned in the library.

Theo liked this silent time. It was because he coveted knowledge which could help him shake off this suffocating situation. Here, there were no professors who dismissed Theo or students making jokes.

Theo channeled all his stress into studying everyday. Theo’s superior brain was used to this stress, and it absorbed the knowledge which had been accumulated in the library like fleece sucking up water.

It had been five years. Was he imagining it?

As Theo looked at the books carefully, it was like the letters on the paper were sparkling.

* * *

Tak.

Theo’s fingers closed the last book. This was the third book. The clock in the library was pointing to 10 o’clock. He had arrived in the library at 6 o’clock, so he had read three books in only four hours. This was a pace truly worthy of being called speed reading.

‘Um, that was quite interesting.’

They were interesting books. In particular, [Why is Lightning Difficult to Control?] systematically summarized why lightning magic was so difficult.