MTWW 01

Chapter 01

. I am……

I am a book.

A book titled Magic.

As its title suggests, I contain all manner of magic.

I appear before a chosen contractor with the talent to become a mage, in a world that needs magic.

By opening me, a contract is formed, and I turn the contractor into a mage.

When the contractor becomes a great mage and spreads magic throughout the world, my role ends.

Then I lose consciousness, only to awaken again in another world, and repeat the cycle.

That’s how it has always been… until now.

“Am I… right now…”

Something that had never happened before occurred.

“…have I possessed someone?”

He runs.

The dim light of dawn.

“Huff… huff…”

A boy runs through the darkness.

A gust of wind blows, pulling back the hooded robe he wore.

His tousled blond hair glitters under the moonlight.

“Kh, haah, haah…”

At his limit, the boy halts, crouching down to catch his breath.

As if being chased, his sky-blue eyes dart around nervously.

Finding no one, he lets out a sigh of relief.

“S-success… I did it…!”

From his chest, he pulls out what he had been clutching tightly.

A tattered leather cover.

On it, embroidered in golden letters, the word Magic.

That book is me.

[ Hm. ]

My faint consciousness slowly returns.

[ This kid is the new contractor? ]

I spread out my mana to examine the boy holding me.

A frail body, without a single trace of mana.

The only redeeming qualities are a spark of potential and the fact that he’s still in his growth years.

[ This won’t be easy… ]

But that’s fine.

One of my past contractors was blind, another mute.

At least this boy has all his limbs.

As I studied the boy, he also studied me.

“The Devil’s Book…”

[ …What? ]

What did he just say?

Devil’s book? Me? Who said that?

Unbelievable.

Each world I awaken in judges me differently.

In some places, I was a grimoire holding the secrets of magic.
In others, a divine scripture forbidden to even glimpse.
Once, I was even a doomsday tome said to destroy the world simply by being read.

Of course, sometimes I was just another book tucked away on a shelf.

“With this… I won’t be ignored anymore… I can revive my family name…”

Ambition burned in the boy’s blue eyes.

I don’t know his story, but it’s possible.

Through me, he could become a mage none could ever belittle.

Not just restore a fallen family—but make it flourish more than ever.

After all, every contractor who passed through me became a mage whose name resounded across the world.

This boy would be the same.

All he needed to do was open me…

Shing.

The boy pulled a sharp dagger from his robes.

Moonlight glinted menacingly off its blue edge.

Skkk.

Without hesitation, he slashed his own arm.

[ …?! ]

Blood poured down the torn flesh.

[ Wh-what are you…?! ]

Panicked, I cried out, but my voice could not reach him.

He hadn’t opened me yet—so I had no influence over him.

He placed his blood-soaked hand upon me.

If only he would open me now…

“<A blood-written vow, a seed swallowed, a crimson flower blooming.>”

The boy chanted trembling words.

[ You fool—stop! That’s not a contract spell! ]

The incantation he spoke was not for a contract.

[ That’s a demon-summoning spell! ]

To summon a demon, a medium is required.

Something infused with a demon’s residue.

He had mistaken me for such a vessel. But I’m not.

“<A vine crawling through bone, fruit of flesh blossoming, root thyself.>”

If he finished the chant and invoked the activation phrase, the spell would seek another medium.

It would take his blood as the price.

And it was certain—he would die.

[ You’ll die! ]

No matter how I shouted, my voice could not reach him.

At last, the boy spoke the final words.

“<Blood Born.>”

Splaash—blood gushed from his wounds.

It poured onto me, soaking my cover and pages in red.

“Ghuh?!”

The boy suddenly vomited blood.

Realization flickered in his eyes—it had gone wrong.

But it was already too late.

Blood vessels burst in his eyes, turning the whites scarlet.

“Ah… urgh…”

He collapsed, bleeding tears.

[ Damn it…! ]

My consciousness grew hazy—whether from the boy’s death or his blood soaking me, I couldn’t tell.

[ …Damn… it…! ]

I blacked out before finishing the curse.

The Imperial Academy.

A place where the empire’s most promising youth are trained.

Children of noble houses across the empire compete to enter.

Though all are students, invisible ranks form depending on their family’s status.

A king’s child reigns like a king.
A merchant’s child is treated like a peddler.

It’s not just social rank—political influence matters just as much.

And at the very bottom of the academy’s hierarchy, everyone named the same person:

Esric Spelder.

Once hailed as a great family of mages, the Spelders fell into decline.

Clinging to tradition, they failed to keep up with the changing world of magic, and collapsed.

Just a few generations ago they had castles and vast lands—but they lost it all.

Now, not even a small house remained.

A family utterly ruined.

Esric was the last heir of the Spelders.

His only chance at entering the academy was thanks to his ancestor, one of the academy’s founders and a former headmaster.

Thus, Esric was allowed to study under the academy’s sponsorship.

At first, things went smoothly.

But once the truth of his sponsorship spread… everything changed.

“So you’re here on sponsorship?”
“I thought you were just a scholarship student?”
“A scholarship? With your grades? Ha, no way.”
“I knew something was off when you said you didn’t even have an imprint.”

The last heir of a fallen mage family.

Esric instantly became the lowest of the low.

Mockery, bullying, harassment followed him everywhere.

“Your family was called a ‘mage clan’ centuries ago. Ancient history.”
“Idiot. You don’t even have an imprint—how will you cast a single spell?”
“You got in only because of your family name.”
“Don’t bother coming to class, you useless trash.”

He had no allies.

“Esric.”

The headmaster summoned him.

“I know your circumstances are unfortunate. But with grades like these, the academy can no longer sponsor you. Our support is for promising youths, you understand. We haven’t forgotten the Spelders’ contributions, but we cannot favor you alone. From next semester, there will be no sponsorship.”

Esric despaired.

Without sponsorship, he couldn’t even survive, let alone restore his family.

“However…”

The headmaster held up an old book.

“If you assist my research and help produce results, I might reconsider.”

Esric had no other choice.

From that day, he began helping in the headmaster’s study.

The work was mostly reading and organizing countless tomes and records.

The volume was overwhelming for one person.

Then one day—

“Ah, hand me that book.”

The headmaster snatched a book from Esric’s hands.

“Did you sense it? The mana within. Be careful—there might be a demon inside.”

At the word “demon,” Esric laughed faintly.

“You don’t believe? Demons are real. They grant impossible powers through contracts. In exchange, they grant the contractor’s wish. But… enough of that. It’s not a pleasant subject.”

He put the book back.

Esric memorized its position.

A book that could grant wishes…

Unknowingly, he swallowed hard.

The sound must have reached the headmaster, for he said:

“Never touch that book, Esric.”

But Esric heard the opposite.

That he must form a contract.

That he must seize power, restore his family, and escape this hell.

At dawn, desperate, Esric stole the book from the headmaster’s study.

He attempted a demonic contract—but failed, collapsing unconscious.

Since he had the study’s key and knew of the book’s existence, the headmaster named him the culprit.

Branded guilty, Esric was thrown into the academy’s dungeon.

A full day later—

“This is insane…”

Esric woke, staring at his body.

“Did I… possess him?”

Impossible.

In all the eons I had lived as a book, this had never happened.

No one had ever tried to use me as a medium for demon-summoning.

“That bastard kid… what the hell was he thinking…”

I scratched my throbbing head in frustration.

Footsteps echoed beyond the bars.

Drawing closer—until a robed elder appeared.

The man from the boy’s memories.

The one who’d lied, calling me a devil’s book.

His name surfaced from memory.

Zeras Grimm.

“You’ve awakened.”
“…”

“Why did you do it? No matter how desperate, you shouldn’t have.”

He clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

Then, leaning close to the bars, he whispered:

“…Did you contract with the demon?”

“—!”

Him.

He had pushed the boy into this.

“Did you at least try? But you failed, I see. Nothing about you has changed. So it wasn’t a demon’s relic after all. Pity.”

“Why… did you use me?”

“I didn’t use you. I only used human greed. So—where is the book?”

“Why don’t you find it yourself, if you can?”

He sneered.

“If it wasn’t a demon’s relic, then that book is worthless.”

Chuckling, he turned away.

“Tomorrow the disciplinary committee will convene. Say what you like—no one will listen. If you want to keep your life, accept expulsion quietly. That’s the best mercy I can offer.”

With that, he left.

“…Ha. That bastard.”

He dared call me worthless?

A mere academy headmaster, judging me?

I have created countless great mages.

I made a blind man the world’s greatest sorcerer.
A mute became a tower master.
A simple swordsman became a wise sage.
A mage who slew a dragon and became king—all through me.

And countless others besides.

He will never find the book.

Because I—am inside this body.

I shut my eyes, focusing inward.

The image of a tattered brown cover.

The golden letters spelling Magic.

It now resides within me.

Carefully, I opened its cover in my mind.

『 The contractor casts their first spell. 』

A strange voice echoed inside me.

『 Confirming contractor. 』

It was my own voice—yet felt alien.