The Sorcerer's Handbook

Pankey voiced the doubts they all shared.

Ashe nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Both Harvey and I have already appeared on the future rankings. Iger is the only one who hasn't shown up even once. So why does Evelyn favor him so much? What does she actually want from that male veela?"

At that, every eye in the room turned to Annan.

Annan raised an eyebrow, meeting their stares. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Ashe replied, "Because it was your decision to bring us to Montphera in the first place, Miss. And you just happen to have a history with Evelyn. If anyone here understands Lady Belldet best, it has to be you."

Pankey looked equally curious. "I only found out after coming here that you and Miss Evelyn were acquainted in the past."

Annan crossed her legs and lightly flicked her earring, as if sorting through a mental filing cabinet to cook up a refined conclusion. "Evelyn... that was a long time ago. After she took over as head of the family, we never contacted each other again."

Clearly having no intention of revealing any secrets about "how to win over an ultra-wealthy beauty and turn life around," Annan moved straight to the point.

"Evelyn is actually quite normal in terms of personality. She grew up in an environment where everyone pampered her, yet it never spoiled her. Her character, temperament, and morals are all solid. Aside from being incredibly self-conscious about her height, she's not much different from any ordinary girl."

Annan paused, leaning back. "If anything, she's too ordinary. Ordinary enough to long for a pure, sincere, sweet romance. She knew her status was her biggest obstacle, so she once ran away from home, hoping for a thrilling adventure."

"And then?" Ashe asked.

Annan shrugged. "And then the previous head of the Belldet family paid to orchestrate her 'dream adventure' for her. Once Evelyn learned the truth, she gave up. She stopped chasing that kind of commoner happiness and returned home to inherit a trillion-dollar conglomerate."

Harvey added, "Come to think of it, Evelyn doesn't look that old. How did she become the head of the family so young? Where are her parents?"

"Other than the fact that they've passed away, there's no public information. But their lives had nothing to do with the succession anyway. Belldet family heads are usually unmarried. The heir is chosen from the next generation of siblings, meaning Evelyn's parents were never the heads. Her aunt was the previous family leader."

She continued, her tone dropping slightly. "Almost every Belldet family head takes over at a young age. If we assume the previous heads didn't just fade away into retirement but actually died, then no Belldet head has ever lived past forty."

Ashe raised a hand. "Wait... What about the time of death for the heads' biological parents?"

Annan's expression turned subtle. "There are no clear records. But historical data doesn't show a single case where a Belldet head still had living parents. Statistically speaking, it's reasonable to equate 'becoming the head' with 'losing both parents.'"

"Then we have to tell Iger about this quickly—"

"It's useless," Harvey interjected calmly.

Ashe looked at the necromancer in surprise. "How is it useless? He might end up as a sacrifice for his own child!"

Harvey shook his head. "So what if he does? It takes more than ten years for a child to grow up. Do you really think a fraudster cares about consequences that far down the line? Do you think he fears a risk that won't surface for over a decade?"

He leaned forward, his eyes sharp. "With his personality, he has already investigated every single loophole you can think of, and plenty you can't. I dissect corpses with utmost care; he investigates marks with the exact same precision. Trying to warn him about a danger in his own field of expertise only makes me think you're underestimating Iger Perskin."

Ashe froze momentarily, then slowly closed the Book of Gospel.

Pankey guessed. "Could it be that Iger's good looks caught Lady Evelyn's attention?"

Annan shook her head and waved her hand, giving the butler a double rejection. "I already told you. Evelyn is just an ordinary girl. She's not the type to fall head over heels for good looks. And even if she were, she'd go after him herself. Why would she have her sister marry Iger instead? Does anyone in this world actually enjoy a twisted romance like that?"

Ashe blinked, subconsciously rubbing his face to hide his awkwardness.[1]

Annan continued, "To bet the entire Belldet Consortium on one person... even if Iger were a devastatingly handsome man, even if he were the reincarnation of her Angel ancestor, she would still have to think it through carefully."

At that moment, Lys chimed in, "You can actually look at it the other way around. It might be simpler."

Everyone turned to look at her, still cradled in Ashe's arms. Lys went on, "Why didn't Evelyn choose Harvey or Ashe? Is there a reason she can't choose them?"

Pankey's eyes lit up as realization struck him. "Right. If I were Lady Evelyn, I definitely wouldn't choose Mr. Harvey. Besides the risk of him stealing her ancestor's legacy in the future, his reputation is already completely ruined. Supporting him would be like declaring war on the Gospel itself."

Harvey scratched the back of his ear awkwardly. "Thanks."

Annan said flatly. "That wasn't a compliment. And it's easy to understand why she didn't choose Ashe either. The Empire is still actively hunting him down. Bringing him into the Belldet family would be absolute suicide."

Ashe nodded, then shook his head. "But those are only reasons not to choose us. The midget's offer to Iger is simply too good to pass up. Iger must have something the Belldet family desperately needs."

"I wouldn't know about that," Annan said, throwing her hands up.

The room fell into silence until Harvey broke it. "So, what's the plan? If Iger decides to go straight and become the Belldet family's son-in-law, do we gift him two coffins as a wedding blessing, or do we try to sabotage his once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn his life around?"

Should I start by complaining about the going straight part, or the two coffins?

The sheer amount of nonsense left Annan completely unable to keep up with her own urge to retort, so she chose to remain silent instead.

Ashe started counting down on his fingers, "If Iger successfully falls in love with Anphel, then he won't just escape the Funeral Agency. He'll gain control over the Belldet family's trillion-dollar fortune, receive their full backing to sweep through the Woven Festival, and could even turn around to control us. Most importantly... he'll also get a kind, innocent, and beautiful wife."

Ashe spread his hands. "I think the answer is obvious. As friends, as comrades, and as cellmates, I can't convince myself not to interfere. How could I just stand by and watch Iger become happy?"

Harvey reminded him, "But don't forget, if Iger can turn the tables on Annan, we might also be able to escape the Funeral Agency through him. Supporting him could actually benefit us."

Annan shot a glance at the necromancer. She wasn't angry, mostly because Pankey was quick to extinguish their treasonous thoughts.

Pankey asked, "Mr. Harvey, do you think Mr. Perskin would actually cancel your contract with the Lady, or would he just use that contract to keep a tighter leash on you?"

The truth hit Harvey like a bucket of cold water. "Oh, right. How could I ever doubt Iger's terrible character?"

Ashe added with deadpan seriousness, "Besides, don't you just feel utterly disgusted when you see other people finding happiness?"

Harvey nodded. "Indeed."

"Unforgivable in every sense," Annan said, lightly flicking her earring.

Pankey naturally aligned with the interests of the Funeral Agency and agreed that sabotaging Iger was the right move, but watching those two so completely united in their sheer pettiness still gave the sixty-year-old butler a faint ache of conscience.

1. The original text mentions Ashe subconsciously rubbing away blood from his face that isn't actually there. I changed it because it doesn't quite make sense to me. Even considering what happened between him and Annan earlier, it doesn't explain why he would feel blood that doesn't exist. ☜