The Sorcerer's Handbook

The maid froze. Even Iger’s expression turned a kaleidoscope of colors.

The maid swallowed hard. ”You mean... You and the leader...?”

Ashe remained stony-faced. ”Shh. It’s not as intimate as you think. To Quinna, I am nothing more than a nighttime accessory. She calls when she wants me and dismisses me when she doesn’t. Do you know why I still wear this black robe? I may have left Senheiser, but my appearance hasn’t changed like my colleague’s here. If any of you saw my face, you would recognize me instantly. After all, I spent a long time... close to Quinna.

”I was supposed to be the only one involved in this infiltration mission, but Quinna never fully trusted me. She even sent her cross-dressing confidante along just to keep an eye on me. Do you know what reward she promised for a mission this vital? The right to walk openly by her side! She actually believed my compliance in bed was sincere, that I truly wanted to be her official partner. Hmph.”

Ashe let out a cold laugh. ”I never did it for her. I did it for the Senheisers. That’s why I endured such vile oppression from her daughter. That mother and daughter duo... they are anything but good.”

With a few sharp sentences, Ashe had painted himself as a man who had sacrificed his dignity for a greater cause, looking much like a hired companion forced to tolerate a superior’s whims. The resentment in his tone sounded entirely genuine, but Iger still felt a prickle of unease. Disrespecting the leader was a gamble. They didn’t yet know if the family truly loved her. If Lucy were a loyalist, Ashe would have blown their cover on the spot.

”The leader isn’t that bad... she’s just a bit forceful...” Lucy replied weakly.

Got her!

Ashe and Iger exchanged a fleeting glance. She had accepted their identities, which meant she was now playing by their rules.

Iger said smoothly, ”We can’t contact the leader directly, so we need information from you. What’s your name?”

The maid answered readily, ”Lucy. But why can’t you—”

Ashe cut in with a cold snort. ”Annan has been monitoring us through the Book of Gospel. Even the smallest slip-up would ruin everything we’ve done. Direct contact with Quinna is out of the question. Do you know that just yesterday, Quinna fired several shots at me to make our ’breakup’ look real? She clipped my ear. I won’t forget that. After the Woven Festival, I’ll make her use her tongue to soothe this wound until I’m satisfied.”

Lucy remained silent.

Iger said, ”Lucy, I want to know where Annan went today. As staff, you can check the movement records for all sectors, right?”

Lucy hesitated, then opened her Book of Gospel. ”Miss Annan arrived at the Restricted Level at 10 a.m. to meet Miss Nona. At noon, she returned to her room to rest. At 3 p.m., she went to the Care Level for a two-hour skincare session.”

Ashe’s eyes widened. ”We’ve been running all day, and she spent it napping and getting a facial? Unbelievable. Quinna doesn’t seem to care much for her daughter anyway. When this is over, I’ll take Annan for a few days and teach her a lesson she won’t forget. Quinna probably won’t mind. She might even join in.”

Again, Lucy was at a loss for words.

Iger pressed on. ”We’ve been away for years. How is Senheiser’s relationship with the other families?”

”Relationships? I think they’re fine. I’ve never really met anyone from the other families, so I’m not sure.”

”And how has Quinna’s relationship with Nona been lately?”

”Pretty good, I think. Miss Nona is Lady Quinna’s younger sister and the vice-captain of the Red Hats. She’s currently under confinement, but she’ll likely be released soon. As far as I can remember, Quinna has always been our leader, and Nona has always been the second-in-command.”

Ashe crossed his arms. ”Of course, they get along. Especially after the incident where Nona accidentally walked in on us. They became closer after that, and I ended up as the fuel for their relationship. If I hadn’t been sent on this mission, they probably would have squeezed me dry by now.”

Lucy looked like she wanted to disappear.

Iger moved to the final check. ”You’ve seen the Woven Festival’s Art Ranking. What do you think of it?”

”Hm? Nothing much. I just think Miss Annan is impressive for taking first place. It would be better if she belonged to Senheiser instead of the Dolans, though.”

Iger watched her closely and noted that she was telling the truth. He nodded. ”That’s all we need. Thank you for your help. Head back now, and remember, keep this to yourself, or Annan will find out.”

”Th-then I’ll go?” Lucy glanced at Ashe, as if fearing he might silence her permanently.

Ashe didn’t blink. ”What, you want to try the premium treatment usually reserved for the leader?”

Lucy’s face flushed crimson. She turned and scrambled out of the room in a fluster.

The cult leader winked at the fraudster and gave him a silent thumbs-up. ”Iger... You really are a master of manipulation.”

I’m nowhere near your level, Iger thought.

However, he knew that such praise would only fuel Ashe’s arrogance, so he held his tongue.

Ashe asked, ”How did I do?”

”Overacted. I’d give you a thirty at most. But as it happens, the people in Vanmura are exactly at that level. The Senheiser has coddled them a bit too much, so your performance hit the mark. It occupied all her attention and left her no room to question my motives. She swallowed everything we said.”

Feeling a bit puzzled, Ashe asked, ”But why wait until now to question a maid? Are you the type who only starts working when Teacher Annan is about to check your homework?”

It was already six o’clock. They had been in the house all day. Ashe couldn’t help but wonder if Iger had also wasted the entire afternoon playing games.

The fraudster wore a helpless expression, like a master chef with no ingredients to cook with. ”Because no one else would talk to me. The people here are far too xenophobic. I spent the day getting nowhere. I needed the right opening to pry their mouths open, and Annan provided that. If that maid hadn’t just seen Annan, she wouldn’t have listened to a word I said.”

”So, what did you find out?”

”Annan is completely confident. She isn’t nervous in the slightest, which means she truly believes her plan will land us in the next future ranking. Furthermore, Quinna is honoring the contract. She hasn’t leaked a word about us. Within Senheiser, they only know that Annan has arrived. They have no idea that Ashe Heath is also in Vanmura. As for Quinna and Nona... well, it seems...”

”What about them?”

”I have a few theories. I still need to investigate.”

As they spoke, they arrived at Suite 24. Lys and Harvey were already there, waiting with the others.

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but Ashe felt that Annan looked much better than she had this morning. There was no sign that her mother had beaten her. The skincare treatments here clearly lived up to the hype. While her complexion was radiant, Ashe found his gaze drifting to her attire, unable to tell if she was wearing anything beneath her robe.

Annan said, ”It looks like everyone has figured out how to use the Book of Gospel. Since we’re all here, I’ll explain the task.”

Only then did Ashe realize that Annan had deliberately withheld the meeting location, forcing them to navigate the Book of Gospel to find her.

Annan clapped her hands lightly. ”Today is May 13. There are seven days left until the second ranking is released.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over them. ”Within these seven days, I need all of you to fall in love at least once.”

The evening sunlight filtered through the white mist outside the window, casting a quiet glow over the stunned, silent room.

Ashe was the first to find his voice. ”At least once?”

”Yes, at least. If possible, you should have several relationships. If any of you can become a couple with the head of the Senheiser family, Quinna Senheiser, even for just one night, it will be enough to secure our victory.”

At that exact moment, the same panicked thought flashed through both Iger and Ashe’s minds. Did the Lady somehow overhear the nonsense we just told Lucy?