The Sorcerer's Handbook

Ashe failed to notice that Evelyn's expression suddenly turned strange for a fleeting moment before snapping back to normal. "So what you're saying is, unless Iger personally comes to persuade you, you won't join us?"

Ashe pondered for a moment. "Well, if you insist on marrying me... I guess I could consider it."

Evelyn snorted. "Hmph. Come to think of it, you've almost saved up enough for your ransom, haven't you?"

Ashe raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, thanks to these past few days of high-paying work. It's truly a blessing from the Belldets. But if you're trying to trick me into spending it all again, forget it. Not a chance. The ten short recordings I bought from you last time are enough to last me a whole year. You probably don't know this, but watching those things is very physically taxing. You won't be able to tempt me with that again."

"Then let's flip the script. If you don't buy my junk products, I'll send those ten recordings and the proof that you bought them straight to Annan."

A cold sweat broke out across Ashe's back, but he forced himself to stay calm. "I'll delete them right now! When I get back, I'll tell Annan I've had a change of heart and turned over a new leaf."

He summoned his Book of Gospel, his finger hovering over the screen for a long time without actually pressing down.

Evelyn blinked. "Go on. Delete them."

Ashe straightened up righteously. "I don't think I should give in to a shady merchant's threats. At worst, I'll just take a double beating from Annan and Second Mistress Donna!"

"Relax. I'm not going to ruin my business reputation over someone like you," Evelyn shook her head and turned to leave. "Once you've saved enough ransom, get out. You've offended me. If you refuse to die or be our dog, then no shop in Montphera will ever sell you anything again."

Ashe snorted. "Unless it's to attend Iger's wedding, don't expect me to ever set foot in Montphera again!"

He wrung out the cloth hard and went back to wiping the statue, only to realize that Evelyn had somehow reappeared right on top of it. "Are you really not going to join the Belldets?"

This time, her voice carried none of its usual arrogance. It was calm, almost pleading.

Ashe fell silent. He didn't answer, choosing instead to focus on his work.

Seeing his silence, Evelyn jumped down and walked away, her figure disappearing around the corner of the corridor.

The cult leader glanced at her elongated shadow, recalling what Annan had told him. "When we've saved enough ransom, that's when the Belldets will make their move."

***

Inside an office lined with portraits.

Iger sat across from Evelyn and calmly offered his suggestion. "They've almost gathered enough ransom. It's time to act."

After a long silence, the blue-haired woman asked, "Is it really impossible to recruit them?"

"Annan and Pankey's goal is the Divine Lord's wish. You can't offer a price they'd accept," Iger explained. "As for Harvey, even if you were willing to risk offending the entire Gospel to protect him, he has a strong self-destructive streak. He won't stay just for profit, unless you can offer him a more dazzling vision of death. In that regard, the Belldet can't compete with the Funeral. Lys is tightly bound to Ashe. If you don't recruit Ashe, she won't stay either."

"Then go convince Ashe to stay. He'll definitely listen to you—"

The fraudster cut her off. "In our original agreement, my only condition was that only one of us, either me or Ashe, could stay. I don't care about the others, but if Ashe stays, I leave. Our deal is void."

"Why?" Evelyn asked, thoroughly puzzled. "I used to think you had some grudge against him... but he trusts you so much. Why won't you stay with him?"

"It is precisely because he trusts me that I can't stay with him," Iger brushed his hair back. "Do you know what my profession was back in the Blood Moon? I am a fraudster. It might be a rare trade here in the Gospel, but think about it. A fraudster who specializes in deceiving others, yet is completely trusted by someone... don't you find that ironic? What's even more ironic is that I truly wouldn't deceive him.

"Education in the Blood Moon is mostly trash, but it does teach one valuable thing. Any relationship that makes you anxious will corrupt you. Any relationship that makes you feel wronged will hurt you. Any relationship that changes you will dominate you. Personal autonomy is the foundation of everything. If I keep staying with Ashe, I'll stop being myself. Or, to put it more directly... fly too close to the sun, and wings of wax must melt."

Iger stared intently at Evelyn. "So, do you understand now? It wasn't the Belldet that chose me. It was me who chose the Belldets. Back then, I was swept away by the darkness. I bought the wrong ticket, boarded the wrong train, and went on the wrong journey. But just because you bought a ticket doesn't mean you have to ride it to the final stop. It's time for me to get off. And I need you to smash this train to pieces, until nothing worth remembering is left behind."

Evelyn let out a soft sigh. "Is there really no other way?"

Iger countered, "Isn't this exactly your original plan? The contract states that you must shelter the Funeral Agency, and it forbids you from giving instructions, guidance, or leaking information by any means. But there is a loophole. Members of the Funeral Agency can leak information on their own initiative. As long as the leak comes from their side, the contract becomes void, and you will no longer bear any responsibility toward them."

The fraudster couldn't help but chuckle. "You never intended to honor the agreement from the very beginning, did you? You only wanted to keep Annan and the others in check for now, use your wealth to buy off a traitor, and exploit the contract's restrictions to trap them within the Belldet family. That way, you could ensure nothing went wrong, and no one could slip through the net."

He tilted his head, his smile thinning. "And now, at a time like this, you're getting sentimental? It's no different from the Blood Saint weeping over corpses. How hypocritical."

Evelyn responded calmly, "Annan and I were companions once, after all. If they had been willing to join the Belldet, I wouldn't have gone this far. By the way, have you spoken to Annan?"

"No."

At that moment, a knock echoed at the door. Iger stood up. "Anphel is here. If you'll excuse me."

"Don't you dare use your tricks on my sister."

"Not while you're still alive," the Fraudster replied smoothly. "Tonight, I will contact the Senheiser family, the Agency, the Red Hats, and the other factions to pass on Ashe's information. Then... I will put an end to the nightmare that has haunted me for days."

Watching Iger's departing figure, the blue-haired girl fell into deep thought. When she heard her sister chatting and laughing with him outside, she summoned her Book of Gospel and spent her points to ask, "Did Iger Perskin tell any lies just now? If so, which sentence was false?"

A line of glowing text materialized before her.

[There were no lies.]

Evelyn pondered the answer for a long moment before a sudden realization dawned on her. "Fraudsters really are rare in the Gospel Kingdom."

***

Inside the chief's office of the Senheiser family in Vanmura.

"Nona, inform the other Six-Emblem Leaders. Assemble a team of elite combat sorcerers for an expedition into Montphera."

The female elf standing beside her nodded coolly. "Shall I lead the team?"

"No."

Seated in her high-backed chair, Quinna overlooked the mist-shrouded city, her fingertips lightly brushing her lips. "Ashe Senheiser is the key to our family's continuation. I will personally lead the team to bring him back."