The Sorcerer's Handbook

Just as Ashe was on the verge of being entirely convinced, a sudden sense of caution rose within him. "Wait... Did Evelyn send you here?[1]"

He scrambled backward. "Close one. That was way too close. I almost completely fell for it! You're really good with words. What sorcery class do you specialize in? The Mind? Or the Control Class? Now that I think about it, have you already been secretly influencing my thoughts with a Miracle? No wonder you approached me out of nowhere. So this whole interaction was planned from the start!"

He threw his hands up dramatically. "How utterly despicable! You Belldet lackeys, helping a tyrant! Please, show some mercy and spare a total nobody like me!"

Anphel let out a soft, melodious laugh. "Mr. Ashe, you really are quite an interesting person. But jokes aside, I still wouldn't recommend that you stay in Montphera permanently."

"Why is that?"

Looking at him earnestly, Anphel said, "From the previous rankings alone, it's clear you're someone with great ambitions. You'll definitely become a Legendary sorcerer and leave a deep mark on both history and the Virtual World. The Belldets can't predict your future. Montphera is ultimately just a paradise designed for ordinary people, but you are destined to step onto a much greater stage."

Anphel clenched her small fists encouragingly. "I'll keep following your progress in the Gospel records. You're the first person I've ever met who actually appeared in the Woven Festival. I don't know how long you intend to stay here, but while you are, please come to me if you run into any trouble. I'll do my absolute best to help. Please look after me from now on!"

Looking at the red-haired girl's radiant, smiling face, Ashe suddenly felt a bit dazed.

He recalled all his previous first meetings. Iger had tried to murder him on sight, treating him like a fat sheep ready for the slaughter. Harvey had spent their entire first afternoon together detailing his unusual, deeply concerning fetishes. Annan had captured him the exact moment they crossed paths, while Quinna had nearly pierced his ears.

In stark contrast to all of them, Anphel not only spoke to him kindly, but she also gave him sincere life advice, encouraged him, and smiled with a purity that felt like fresh vanilla.

The more he thought about it, the more Ashe felt something stir deep in his chest. He turned around to look at her, causing Anphel to blink at him in surprise. "Mr. Ashe? What's wrong?"

Ashe sniffed, wiping his nose. "Nothing. I just feel strangely moved. If I keep looking at you, I might start having dangerously unrealistic expectations about reality."

A sharp voice suddenly called out from the corridor. "Anphel, what are you doing here?"

Evelyn walked quickly toward them, noticing immediately that Ashe was staring at her without the slightest bit of restraint. That blunt, undisguised gaze made her instinctively cover herself in discomfort. "If you keep ravaging me with your eyes like that, I'm going to start charging you an admission fee. The starting price is ten million Bel Points."

Ashe let out a long, deeply relieved sigh. "Ah... Thank you, Evelyn. Seeing a scumbag's face really helps stabilize my crumbling worldview."

Evelyn raised her fist in sheer irritation. After Ashe repeatedly spoke to her with such blatant disrespect, she had no intention of playing nice anymore. "You! Believe it or not, I will happily pay the legal fine first just for the pleasure of beating you up! Anphel, come with me."

"Yes, Sister."

Ashe froze on the spot. "You two... are sisters?"

Anphel nodded and quickly tried to reassure him. "But Mr. Ashe, everything I said just now truly came from my heart. I didn't deceive you... Wait, Mr. Ashe, why are you crying?"

Ashe covered his mouth, his eyes welling up with dramatic tears. "I just thought about how you must have been bullied, abused, and humiliated all these years by your cruel half-sister, and I just couldn't hold it in—"

Evelyn snapped, her veins practically popping. "We are one hundred percent biological sisters! Same father and same mother!"

"That's impossible. Your hair colors are completely different!" A sudden spark of realization flashed through Ashe's mind. "Wait, could it be that—"

Evelyn cut him off immediately, eager to stop whatever absurd theory he was brewing. "That is the result of sorcerers' Miracles interfering during embryonic development! Our parents specifically selected and optimized the best genetic traits for us!"

Ashe scratched his chin and argued, "But it still doesn't make logical sense. Your inner worlds are completely different. Anphel is taller, prettier, and has a vastly better personality than you. Oh, I get it now! The first attempt must have been a failed prototype. Taking the experience from that initial failure, your parents managed to successfully produce a perfected second version!"

Evelyn shrieked, "You absolute monster! Anphel, don't you dare hold me back! I'm going to beat him to death! How dare he call me a damn shorty again!"

"Big sis, Mr. Ashe didn't actually say you were short. Right, didn't you mention you had something important to discuss with me? Let's head over now."

Anphel practically dragged Evelyn along, hurrying away down the hall. Ashe was just about to go back to his chores, but from a distance, he faintly caught the sound of Iger's name.

All he had done was point out that Evelyn wasn't quite as tall as Anphel, yet that alone had instantly set off the little shorty's explosive fuse. Just that noon, Iger had openly landed a devastating blow to her pride, too. Ashe had no idea how Evelyn planned to deal with that fraudster.

A sudden trace of anxiety rose within him. He summoned his substitute to carry him, tracking their path from a safe distance. His body was still suffering from the heavy physical penalties Evelyn had slapped him with, and trying to run on his own feet would have left him entirely exhausted.

As a side note, Ashe couldn't just let his substitute do his chores for him because Evelyn had already anticipated that loophole and sealed it tight. All her service requirements explicitly specified that manual labor must be performed in person. Her petty legal justification was that only intelligent beings could provide a truly suitable level of service.

At most, Ashe and the others could use spirits or Miracles to temporarily reinforce their physical bodies, but they were strictly forbidden from letting those Miracles replace their actual labor. Doing so would be legally classified as low-quality completion, which translated directly to the exploitation of the Belldet Consortium, a massive taboo in this city.

The bizarre sight of a substitute carrying Ashe down the corridors drew nearly one hundred percent of the room's attention. Even so, the servants along the way merely glanced at him once before quietly returning to their tasks. Their sheer focus bordered on a kind of spiritual reverence, as if they weren't just dusting furniture, but were instead tending to ancient divine artifacts like the Dragon King's power within the Angel Alliance[2]. Even during mundane cleaning duties, not a single servant showed a trace of boredom or impatience. If anything, they genuinely seemed to love their work.

A passing thought drifted through Ashe's mind. Work earnestly, play to the fullest, rest comfortably, and live freely...

Evelyn and Anphel didn't head anywhere private or secluded. Instead, they walked straight out to the second-floor courtyard garden. Ashe trailed them quietly, keeping his distance. The garden's incredibly dense, sprawling landscaping formed a natural maze, so he didn't have to worry about being spotted.

Slipping behind a thick wall of manicured shrubbery, Ashe caught the rustle of clothing as people took their seats.

Then, Evelyn's voice rang out. "This is my sister, Anphel. And this is Iger Perskin, companion to the necromancer."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Perskin."

"Just call me Iger. It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Anphel."

Evelyn cleared her throat. "Now, Perskin. Didn't you just claim that the sole reason you refuse my generous offer is that you refuse to sign any contract with me?"

"That is correct," Iger replied smoothly. "Your Angel ancestors left behind a terrifying wealth of knowledge regarding contractual law. I am simply not naive enough to believe my shallow understanding could ever compete with traps laid by an Angel. I am not Harvey. A nine-hundred-year-old trap designed by an Angel still carries more than enough weight to keep me cautious."

"In that case, let me offer you a far better option. This is my sister, Anphel Belldet."

Behind the bushes, Ashe blinked in confusion. Hadn't she literally just introduced her? Is the shorty going senile already?

"Her future child will be the next legitimate head of the Belldet family, and the undisputed master of Montphera."

Evelyn's voice dropped to a low, intense whisper. "As long as you can make her fall for you, the entire Belldet family will invest every resource we possess into your future. We will not only help you tear up your contract with Annan, but we will even place you directly on the grand stage of the Woven Festival to seize the ultimate wish of the Omniscient Weaver!"

She leaned in closer to Iger. "We can even find a way to ensnare Annan, turning the entire Dolan family's legacy into our personal playground. Aren't you terrified of Control Class sorcery? But what if that power worked for you instead? What if you could wield the Control Class Miracle of the Belldet family yourself?"

Evelyn's voice carried far more intoxicating temptation than any master salesperson in the world. "Iger Perskin, this is the true bargain I am offering you, and the price I have set for your loyalty. Tell me, does it stir an impulsive urge in you to make a purchase?"

1. If I translated it word for word, it would be "Wait... don't tell me you're the PR agent Evelyn sent." It's accurate, but it feels stiff in dialogue, so I rendered it as "Did Evelyn send you here?" as someone would naturally say in a real conversation. ☜

2. This is a fictional example of an extremely precious and sacred artifact. The comparison highlights the servants’ extraordinary dedication, showing that they approach even ordinary cleaning with the same reverence and care one would reserve for a divine treasure. ☜