The Book Eating Magician Chapter 69:
Chapter 69 – High Elf Ellenoa #3
It was a bit late due to the dinner party with Earl Bergen, but the moon was still in the middle of the sky . Perhaps there was still some time until midnight . It wouldn’t be a problem to have a quick conversation in the room where Ellenoa was staying .
Theodore asked for Vince’s understanding before turning around .
“Then, guide me . ”
To anyone looking at Theo right now, it would seem like he was speaking to no one . However, he had the ability to see what ordinary people couldn’t see . This was a power which elves were born with—eyes which could see elementals . It was a translucent bird-shaped elemental which conveyed Ellenoa’s voice to him .
The bird-shaped elemental was the low class elemental, Sylph, seen in [Introduction to Elemental Magic] . The wind attribute was convenient for conveying ‘sound’, so sylphs were often used as messengers .
Porong .
The sylph might not have a clear ego like Mitra, but the sparrow like elemental nodded and sped off . It flew a few steps ahead of Theodore . Unlike ordinary birds, it didn’t need to flap its wings to prevent themselves from falling . This was because the body of the sylph was closer to a spirit body .
‘By the way, this mansion is really wide . ’
It would never run out of room for guests . Theo realized this fact directly as the sylph only led him around five corners and yet the number of rooms he passed was already in the double digits . He walked for almost 10 minutes before arriving at the annex where Ellenoa was located .
If an earl’s house was like this, he didn’t want to know what type of maze the house of a marquis or duke would be .
Theodore stopped in front of the door and stroked the sylph . “Thanks for guiding me . ”
Pororong . Perhaps due to its mood, the sylph let out a pleasant sound before disappearing into the air .
Originally, elementals were invisible to human eyes . Once the supply of magic power was cut off, it would melt back into nature . Lower class elementals were different from the higher class elementals who had independent existences and were nothing like breezes in fields .
At that moment, a clear voice rang out from beyond the door, “Come in . ”
Theodore turned the doorknob and was hit with a thick, sweet scent . It was the smell of ripe fruit . He had only eaten it a few times, but the fragrance still remained in his memories . Theodore’s expression was a stunned one as he saw the sight beyond the door . Ellenoa’s room completely defied common sense .
“…Grapevines?” He spoke in a bemused voice as he touched the grapevines covering the wall .
It was a thick vine which was hard to see even in proper orchards . What about the grapes hanging from the vines? Each one was as big as a walnut . Even though he didn’t eat the grapes, he could already feel the sweetness of the juice contained within them . This was a sight which was impossible to imagine existing in the room of a nobleman’s mansion .
Ellenoa sat in the center of the green room . “Good evening Theodore . ”
She was like a flower or leaf which blended perfectly in with this far-fetched landscape . There were a few potted plants at her feet and grapevines surrounding her . Theo was observing the strange sight and replied belatedly, “Ah, good evening . ”
“Are you curious? I planted the seeds of the grapes that I had for dinner . Would you like to try one?”
‘These vines grew from a grape seed planted in the evening?’ The stunned Theo picked a grape and ate it .
As expected, the juices were sweet and rich, moistening the inside of his mouth with the flavour . Even for those who drank wine, the taste exceeded that of wine made from grapes . If the high elves set up an orchard, then other orchards would be ruined .
Theo sat on the chair opposite Ellenoa and ate a few more grapes . “…I’m sorry . ”
“No . Rather, it feels good . I was worried about whether it would suit the palate of a human . ”
“That’s impossible . Anyone would welcome such fruit . ”
Was the atmosphere good due to the delicious food? It was surprising the conversation between the two people didn’t start out awkwardly .
At first, Ellenoa thanked him for the rescue, then they talked about the power of the high elves before moving on to Ellenoa’s neutral appearance .
She told Theo the reason, “It is natural for people like Theodore to feel uncomfortable at the sight of my appearance . ”
According to Ellenoa, high elves were more like elementals than elves . They didn’t need to eat often, they wouldn’t die of starvation, and they wouldn’t feel tired even if they didn’t sleep . Thanks to the atavism of their ancestors, their gender fell upon a vague boundary .
“So, Ellenoa has no gender?”
“Um… It is a little different . The term ‘neutral’ may be a closer match . ”
“Neutral?”
Yes, Ellenoa nodded with a slightly flushed face .
“We are born female instead of male, but once we have decided on our mate, this will change according to their gender . If the partner is a male, I will become a female . If they are a female, I will be a male . ”
“Ah, then…”
“Yes, I still haven’t met a mate . ”
Well, it made sense . He glanced unconsciously at Ellenoa before looking away .
Theo had the memories of Lee Yoonsung, the descendant of an eastern warrior, so his knowledge of the human body had increased greatly . He could easily recognize a male and female body . Despite that, he couldn’t distinguish Ellenoa’s gender . It was because her gender hadn’t been decided yet .
As he listened quietly, he suddenly had a thought, ‘Haven’t I learned a lot about high elves?’
It was as he thought . Right now, Theodore probably had more knowledge about high elves than anyone else in the kingdom . If he wrote a book, then it was obvious that the elf scholars would come running . He would be able to sweep up a few hundred gold in one go .
However, such worldly desires seemed meaningless when he gazed into Ellenoa’s clear eyes .
“Now, Theodore . ”
It was time for the reason why she called him here .
“Can you summon the one who signed the contract with Theodore?”
* * *
There was an answer as soon as he pulled the cord of the contract .
[Hoing!] As always, Mitra appeared with a loud sound as her head popped out of a pot planted with a grape seed . Looking just like a mole, she looked around and leaped out with a smile the moment she saw Ellenoa .
“Oh, my **** . ” Ellenoa was confused when Mitra suddenly jumped onto the palm of her hand .
Mitra hugged the index finger like it was warm . Theo wasn’t very sensitive, but he couldn’t help the thump of his heart . This was despite the fact that Ellenoa was gender neutral .
“…I only heard the stories, but I didn’t know you were so cute . ” Ellenoa smiled sweetly at Mitra before turning to face Theodore again . “How much does Theodore know about this?”
“I just know that she is an ancient elemental and is an exception to the ranks of the Elemental World . ”
“Yes, that is true . ” Ellenoa smiled and placed Mitra on her shoulder . Mitra was confused by the sudden loss of the finger, but she soon started to climb Ellenoa’s green hair like it was a rope . Mitra looked like a cicada on a tree branch .
Ellenoa ignored her and continued the explanation, “Please listen . An ancient elemental isn’t necessarily a member of the Elemental World . They are considered to be ‘seeds’ of a much more mysterious and higher existence . ”
“See…ds?”
“Yes, this is an example . ”
As soon as she unfurled her left hand, wind formed the translucent shape of a giant . Horns rose from the giant’s head like a crown, and its body was as hard as armour . It seemed to be a giant from the myths .
As Theo gazed at it, Ellenoa nodded and told him its identity, “This is an illusion of Zephyr, the **** of the wind who existed a long time ago . According to the myths, he brought a storm to the earth by turning the world around and sighing . ”
“Old god, Zephyr…”
“He is also the prototype of the ancient spirit, Jeros, who signed a contract with Myrdal Herseim 120 years ago . ”
‘Myrdal Herseim!’ Theodore’s face stiffened at the unexpected name .
Why had that name emerged? No, he was the greatest elementalist of the century, so it was natural for the elves to know his name . As humans developed, their connection to the forces of nature weakened . Myrdal was the only one who was able to call an elemental king .
Ellenoa noticed his agitation and paused for a few moments . “Not all of the old gods were as divine as Zephyr, but it is certain that they were like him . For some reason, they lost their ‘status’ and the fragments of their bodies became seeds . The seeds that germinated became those known as ancient elementals . ”
The two people gazed at someone who might’ve been a mighty **** .
Mitra, who was braiding Ellenoa’s hair, looked up as she felt their gazes . She looked much like a mischievous child playing with dirt . It was hard to believe that such a cute earth doll had once been a mighty **** .
Ellenoa understood Theo’s unasked question and grabbed Mitra . Then she stared into Theodore’s eyes and presented him with two choices .
“If you like, I can try to revive some of her strength . It won’t be on the same level as the prototype, but she can probably regain the power of a lieutenant level elemental . ”
“Lieutenant elemen…tal . ”
Certainly, Mitra wasn’t significantly different from other elementals except for the fact that she had an ego . In the absence of Theo’s magic power, her abilities were greatly reduced, and she couldn’t even appear freely in the earth . If she became lieutenant level, she could cross some of those limits .
However, before deciding, Theodore asked Mitra, “Mitra, what do you want to do?”
Ellenoa smiled secretly at Theo’s act of not one-sidedly controlling the elemental . Theo didn’t know it, but that was close to how elves behaved . It was why other elves favoured him, despite not knowing about Mitra’s presence .
So, what was the reply? Mitra worried for a moment before… [Hoing!]
‘I will!’ was what she meant . Theodore stroked Mitra’s head a few times before handing her to Ellenoa .
“Please do so, Ellenoa . ”
“Then I will . Just think of it as repaying some of what I owe you . ” Ellenoa didn’t give him a chance to reply as she held Mitra in both hands . “Then I will start . ”
Wuooooong!
A light filled with vitality covered the room where the two people were located .