The Sorcerer's Handbook

As they lunged down the stairwell, Iger, running close behind Ashe, finally asked the question, "Do you really see yourself as her father now?"

Just after escaping the perilous game floor, Ashe and Pankey had engaged in a brief but intense, razor-sharp argument. According to the character activity map the Gospel provided, Annan was on the 86th floor, while Lys was on the 56th. Annan was currently locked in combat with multiple opponents, whereas Lys was being pursued by a single enemy.

Pankey had adamantly insisted that everyone prioritize rescuing Annan first. Neither Iger nor Harvey objected to the butler's logic, but Ashe firmly insisted on going after Lys.

However, with time working against them, they didn't waste seconds debating. They immediately split up after voicing their stances. Pankey took the elevator straight up, while Ashe bolted down the stairs. Iger gestured to Harvey, sending the necromancer up with the butler to curry favor with their boss, while the Fraudster himself chose to accompany the year's worst-performing employee to fetch their child.

Unsurprisingly, Ashe's decision to blend business with personal feelings was bound to draw both Pankey and Annan's ire. After all, Lys didn't seem to be in immediate, mortal danger, whereas Annan was pushed to her absolute limit. Yet Ashe had prioritized a mere girl over their employer. It was utterly irrational.

Iger didn't fully understand it either. Does he think the office is his own living room?

He knew Ashe was clever. The man was as cunning as a goblin and always scheming his way out of a tight spot. Clearly, he was no socially inept fool incapable of prioritizing.

By all rights, they should have united to save Annan first, then turned their collective strength to rescue Lys. Instead, Ashe had insisted on fracturing their forces. If anything went wrong, he alone would bear the full weight of the consequences.

Iger could have easily joined Pankey to rescue Annan, but doing so would have left Ashe entirely on his own. For the sake of their shared camaraderie as outsiders, Iger chose to accompany him down the stairs. Even if they both earned Annan's scorn later, having Ashe around as a sarcastic companion made the prospect far more bearable.

Ashe's voice cut through the rhythmic, heavy pounding of their footsteps. "How could that be? I'm an unmarried man, far too young to be a father."

"Then why do you care about Lys so much that you couldn't even wait a few minutes? If we had gone to help Annan together, we could have neutralized her enemies quickly and then turned to save Lys. Wouldn't that have been the more logical choice?"

"Oh, right. How did I not think of that? My mistake."

Iger reached out and sharply rapped Ashe on the back of the head. "Are you playing dumb with me? I get that we're under a lot of pressure, but how could you not deduce something so obvious?"

"I wasn't thinking that far ahead just now—"

"If you don't want to explain yourself, fine."

Rounding a sharp corner on the landing, Ashe sighed helplessly. "Lys isn't like Annan."

Iger teased. "Ah, I just hope the difference you're referring to isn't about her appearance. There are plenty of differences. For starters, they don't share a name."

"Setting aside their actual combat ability, the core issue," Ashe said, his expression turning serious, "is their mindset."

"Mindset?"

Iger paused for a fraction of a second, a flicker of realization crossing his eyes. As a Mind Class sorcerer, he instantly grasped the deeper implication of Ashe's words.

Ashe explained, "No matter how dire the situation, Annan knows how to stay calm. She knows she has people who deeply care about her, like her mother, Quinna, her butler, Pankey, and us. She has countless reasons to persevere. She trusts that time is on her side and is absolutely certain that reinforcements are rushing to her. She holds onto hope."

"But Lys is different. She..." Ashe hesitated, searching his mind for a proper comparison, before settling on the worst one available. "She's like you."

"She is nothing like me."

"She doesn't know if anyone will actually come to save her. She doesn't know if she's truly valued. Time favors Annan because, with every passing second, she feels rescue drawing closer. Time works against Lys. Every ticking second makes her feel like she's actively being abandoned."

Ashe smiled faintly, though his eyes remained focused on the stairs below. "You only get to be spoiled if you take love for granted. Maturity usually just comes from a fear of being left behind. Lys has always been so sharp, so considerate. I never knew you as a child, but I bet that's exactly how you were back then.

"She's not like me."

"So even if it's just me, I have to get to her first." Ashe leaped down the remaining steps, his boots slamming hard against the concrete. "Even if I can't change the outcome when I arrive, even if I end up captured alongside her, at least I can show her through my actions that she should never give up hope."

"I was never like that," Iger muttered, keeping perfect pace with him. "I've never fallen so low that I needed someone else to hand me hope."

"Be a little more patient with children, Aunt Perskin."

"You still haven't answered my question, though. You've explained why she needs to be saved, but not why you care about her this much."

"Have you forgotten? I have a contract with her. I am bound to protect her."

"Is it really just because of the contract?"

"Well, there is one other reason... not that it matters, but..."

***

Ashe scooped Lys up and settled her over his shoulder before giving her a sharp swat on the butt.

She couldn't help but let out a small, startled yelp.

"See? You always get yourself into trouble, and it's always up to me to bail you out," Ashe said, feigning irritation with a teasing laugh. "Let's see if you dare be naughty again!"

Lately, Ashe had noticed that Lys hadn't been showing him the proper respect. She used to call him Daddy exclusively, but recently she had started alternating between Ashe and Daddy, even going so far as to openly tease him in front of Harvey. Private jokes were one thing, but how could she disrespect him in front of the others?

If this continued, Ashe feared she might evolve into the kind of brat who casually demanded money from strangers. This was the perfect opportunity to reassert his adult authority. For the sake of her proper upbringing, it was time for a firm hand.

Watching from above, Iger's expression turned utterly bizarre. He hadn't expected Ashe's grand, noble reason for prioritizing Lys's rescue to boil down to showing off in front of a little girl.

And this guy had the nerve to claim she reminded him of me? Iger thought, exasperated. You're the one acting like a spoiled brat here, not her.

Meanwhile, Dia covered her flushing face, wishing desperately that she could return to her original body just to give Ashe a thorough thrashing. But she was trapped. Growing up, even the Witch hadn't dared lay a finger on her, yet Ashe had just slapped her like it was nothing!

She should have handed control back to the Little Witch the moment she saw him. After all, the Little Witch's butt could handle a hit, but she was the Secret Princess! How was she supposed to face White Queen and her other sisters after this?

Suddenly, Secret Princess' expression hardened. She slammed her hand against Ashe's back. "Run!"

Boom!

The ceiling above them gave way. Ashe bolted instantly, carrying Lys clear of the blast zone as twisted steel and concrete debris rained down where they had just been standing.

"It's still alive?" Ashe muttered, his eyes narrowing as he stared into the rising dust.

Upon discovering that the staircase to the 56th floor was completely blocked, he and Iger had traveled up to the 57th. Using the Gospel, they confirmed that Lys's pursuer was directly beneath them and quickly devised an ambush. Iger would unleash a Psychic Scream to disorient the target, while Ashe would drop from above to annihilate it.

For this strike, Ashe had bypassed his standard Sword Painting and Singular Devotion Miracles. Instead, he relied on his absolute strongest asset, the Sword Barrier.

The Sword Barrier was a flawless blend of offense and defense. It absorbed ranged attacks entirely, and any close-range impact not only nullified the enemy's strike but also shredded them with volatile sword energy. This energy originated from the Earth Sword and was shaped by the Wind Barrier. Because the Earth Sword anchored itself to the ground, its energy was practically indestructible.

The barrier could not be pierced without first shattering the very earth beneath it. Unless an opponent possessed the sheer force required to breach it instantly, the Sword Barrier always won.

Very few creatures within the Virtual World dared to clash with it head-on, choosing instead to flee or pivot to ranged attacks. The fact that local entities feared its edge spoke volumes. Against ordinary sorcerers, it would be a formidable weapon.

However, the Sword Barrier's offensive potential was usually underwhelming because it was entirely stationary. True to its name, it was a barrier designed to take hits rather than deal them.

It wasn't until this specific environment that Ashe discovered the perfect loophole. If the barrier needed to anchor to the earth, why not treat the ceiling as the ground?

Driving his blade directly into the ceiling above, Ashe condensed the Sword Barrier upside down. By cutting away the floorboards while Iger's Psychic Scream locked the enemy in place, Ashe executed his improvised strategy flawlessly.

Miracle, Aerial Sword Barrier!

"The damage should have been more than enough. The Psychic Scream completely paralyzed it. There's no way it had time to react," Ashe murmured, setting Lys down as his mind raced. "Could it be—"

Iger quickly flipped open the Gospel, shouting, "Tell me everything this book knows about that monster!"

The Book of Gospel gave its answer.

[Everything To Know About The Monster]

Cost: 30 Gospel Points

Target Profile: Name Encrypted.

Identity: Isa Secret Guard. Acting on behalf of the Isa Imperial Family. Possesses administrative authority second only to the imperial household, with the power to command all imperial units.

Professional Authority—Secret: Granted intelligence privileges second only to the imperial family. Can freely access any tier of information.

Professional Authority—Weaving: Granted Miracle privileges second only to the imperial family. Authorized to siphon Gospel Points to request direct Miracles or divine intervention from the Omniscient Weaver, effectively rewriting fate.

Professional Authority—Night of Darkness: The target's armor is blessed with Night of Darkness, automatically consuming Gospel Points to nullify all incoming damage.

Professional Authority—Soul Repose Prayer: The target's soul is blessed with Soul Repose Prayer, automatically consuming Gospel Points to instantaneously mend all mental and psychic trauma.

There were dozens of other professional privileges listed beneath, but Iger didn't waste time reading further. His face went pale, and he screamed, "Ashe, get out of there right—"