Myths Reawakened

Isabella’s words were more unnerving than convincing, but she was the professional here; Wayne had no grounds to argue. Besides, she hadn’t assigned him any missions that would endanger his life. Easy work with no risk? He absolutely approved of the arrangement. He grabbed the document and left immediately.

Imperceptible pollen drifted through the air, clouding the minds of the Geocentrism Sect members and plunging their intelligence to rock bottom. It allowed him to stroll out of the factory like it were his garden.

Through Bishop Sean, Isabella commanded the sect members to drag the dozen or more prisoners to the garage of the chicken farm, tossing them onto a truck. When the followers handed Wayne the key, they had even thoughtfully filled up the gas tank.

The power of magic left him both grateful and dejected. It was evident from these sleepwalking followers how utterly helpless ordinary people were when faced with magic. Both Archbishop Ivor and Isabella could easily manipulate their thoughts.

Wayne was grateful that he’d gone down this path, that he was no longer ordinary, but at the same time, he was dejected about his lack of power. If possible, he would love to become a godlike mage capable of deciding the fate of living beings with a wave of his hands...

Wait, wrong script.

He would love to become a hero who could save the world and walk away from it without asking for rewards.

For the umpteenth time—he’d lost count—he found himself craving power more desperately than ever before. The eye-shaped burn on his chest glowed faintly, the flesh writhing as if it might split open at any moment. The Book of Greed was responding to his desire.

Don’t suppress it!

Meanwhile, a wisp of light emanated from the gold statue placed in the center of the underground courtyard. The mage portrayed was a classic case of someone driven mad by desires they had failed to suppress. He shifted his gaze from Isabella to Wayne.

In the truck’s passenger seat, a palm-sized statuette with a twisted form slowly emerged.

***

Back at the chicken farm, the followers were losing their minds with worry when their delivery driver vanished without a trace, leaving a whole truck of eggs undelivered. They wondered if the driver had somehow drowned in the bathroom. If so, he better have died there.

Wayne drove away from the chicken farm, ignoring the egg-laden vehicle. Halfway down the road, he waved his hand, and his white dove flew in through the window with his hat.

He drove to the highway outside Enrod and stuck his hand out of the window to make a gesture. A black sedan slowly approached, inside were Veryl and the four maids, fully armed.

Wayne handed over the file folder, instructing Veryl to drive to Londan. They had to bring the fruit of Isabella’s labor to Silvia. He also called his master, though his assistant picked up again, promising to contact the High Reverend as soon as possible.

Busy, everyone’s busy. Fine, it’s good to be busy!

He rolled his eyes and could only return to the manor. Isabella had undoubtedly called Silvia. Looking on the bright side, Londan couldn’t possibly ignore it when the Geocentrism Sect was making such a bold move. Perhaps a legion of mages had already entered Enrod. It would be fine as long as they weren’t still on a train out of the city.

“Young Master Wayne, are you not leaving?” Veryl said with a frown. He preferred that Wayne leave with the document.

I’d love to, but my master won’t let me.

Wayne shook his head. “I can’t leave Isabella on her own here. That wouldn’t be gentlemanly. Although the chances are slim, I may be able to help her.”

“You’re an exemplary gentleman and a noble man with flawless character. It is a great honor for me, Veryl Elholm, to serve a master such as yourself.”

Veryl handed the file folder to one of the maids, telling her to drive to Londan immediately. Outsourcing tasks was a tradition in the Lando family, it seemed.

He insisted on staying with Wayne. As a professional butler, he would never abandon his master in a moment of crisis. He explained his value and the reason he had to remain in Enrod: he knew Enrod like the back of his hand, including every alley and every sewer, and he had mastered the techniques of navigating the maze-like sewage system. He guaranteed that even with an entire army in pursuit, he could shake them and lead Wayne to safety.

“Sewers...” Wayne was skeptical. “How big can the Enrod’s sewers be? It would make more sense in Londan. How about I ask you to teach me back in the city? I promise to seek you out.”

Veryl smiled. “The Lando family constructed Enrod’s drainage system. During the construction, two sets of blueprints were used. I know several secret tunnels, including one directly beneath the manor.”

...Father-in-law is loaded. He even prepared for tunnel warfare in advance. Did he know that a war would break out? Or do capitalists at his level all crave war?

***

And so, one maid left with the document, while Veryl stayed with Wayne.

The truck drove away from the bustling town and into the manor grounds. The house sat outside the town’s boundaries. The front lawn was spacious. With two heavy machine guns set up at a vantage point, the manor was as impenetrable as a fortress.

The full stock of supplies might not last them fifty-eight days[1], but one night wouldn’t be a problem.

The changes of the manor being surrounded were slim, and the chances of being overrun were even slimmer. Still, Veryl made full preparations for the scenarios. He had the maids activate the mechanisms in the basement and check that the tunnels were clear, ensuring Wayne could evacuate at any time.

The mansion’s underground tunnels connected to Enrod and were also the center point of Silvia’s grounding magic, allowing Wayne to move in any direction to avoid pursuit. He thought it through. The iron fortress and a maze that could take him anywhere—even if Isabella went down, he could buy time until his master arrived.

There was nothing to fear!

“By the way, Veryl, those eggs the maids brought back... we haven’t eaten any, have we?” Wayne remembered the potential hazard and prepared to nip it in the bud.

“Young Master Wayne, the basket of eggs has already been disposed of.”

“Disposed of? Why?!”

Wayne was amazed. Veryl did such a flawless job that it was as if he had prophetic abilities. Could such a professional exist?

“The Lando family has dedicated procurement sources, with exclusive contracts and strict quality control. For instance, your favorite potatoes are each hand-selected before being transported from Londan.” Veryl spoke like it was perfectly normal. “Commoner food is not permitted at the dining table, let alone free eggs. They’re beneath your noble status.”

(는_는)

Well said, but don’t say it again. We commoners can’t bear to hear such things. We’ll start looking for lamp posts to knock our heads against!

The three maids carried the prisoners off the truck. To prevent these poor souls from going berserk in the middle of the night with the eggs that had been forced down their throats, Wayne followed the Geocentrism Sect’s way and had the maids drive down stakes into the open lawn, tying the prisoners up securely.

This was worse than the prison—there, they at least were sheltered from the elements, not out in the open like meat on a barbecue rack.

Hood and Wesley remained confused, as did the other prisoners. They all tilted their heads and muttered incoherently.

There was nothing Wayne could do about that, so he gave each of them a hand chop, gaining experience for the sleep-inducing brawn magic while eliminating the constant muttering. Killing two birds with one stone and all that.

“Young Master Wayne, is this your pendant? I found it in the passenger seat.” Veryl handed Wayne the statuette. Wayne was so busy practicing his hand chop skill to master it that he took it without a glance.

Boom!

Suddenly, a thunder roared in his mind, and a familiar whisper echoed.

“Lost one, I heard your plea...”

“You despise your weakness. You crave power and hunger for strength!”

“Take it—the power you desire...”

His vision went white, and his consciousness felt dragged into an alien space. The statuette in his hand burned like hot coals as the four fundamental elements poured out endlessly, disrupting the balance within his body at an uncontrolled speed.

Oh, shit, it’s the Lord of the Void!

Face dark, Wayne was about to toss the statuette away when the Book of Greed suddenly opened its greedy maw.

Drip!

Like a single drop of water falling on a dried riverbed, the elements merely left a moist spot, then nothing.

...What’s this? Isn’t the power too weak?

Whoever was speaking to him through the statuette seemed equally confused. After a long pause, an even greater quantity of the four elements swarmed to him. The wet spot on the dried riverbed expanded ten times—it was now the size of a fingernail. No more.

“Young Master Wayne?”

“It’s nothing. Watch these people. If anyone wakes up, tell me immediately. I’m going to rest in the pavilion for a while.” He swallowed and slipped into the pavilion, lying down. The statuette in his hand grew hot repeatedly, delivering free doses of the four elements. Though nowhere near enough to fill his life essence, the progress was still faster than what was possible with his laborious meditation or the Book of Greed’s frenzied plundering.

He knew this wasn’t right. There was no free lunch in this world. If there were, it would come with strings attached. The Lord of the Void was no benevolent being, and any gifts had to be given with ulterior motives.

But he was giving so little!

Who are you looking down on? You think this is enough to corrupt someone? Give more, or I can’t even work for you!

He tightened his grip around the statuette, using it as a medium to make contact with an elemental space, obtaining the power he’d dreamed of.

The will hiding within the statuette assessed Wayne’s potential. Seeing him create miracle after miracle and exceed its expectations constantly, it grew excited, and in its excitement, the gateway leading to the elemental space shrank.

The Book of Greed voiced its displeasure. Similarly dissatisfied, Wayne chose to merge with it.

Today, we go fifty-fifty.

Deal!

Invisible tentacles passed through the statuette and entered the elemental space directly, swarming forward to break down the door and stretch the passage to its limit. Bypassing the statuette as the middleman altogether, they began their frantic plundering of the four elements.

Fire elements led the charge, exclaiming in excitement as they threw themselves at the great eyeball. At that moment, the statuette realized with horror that it had lost control over the gateway.

1. A reference to Pavlov’s House, an apartment building the Red Army of the Soviet Union had defended against Germany for roughly 60 days. 58 days is another commonly cited number. ☜