The Sorcerer's Handbook

Evelyn hitched up her long skirt to her thighs, revealing a teasing strip of her pale, flawless skin. Across the room, Ashe stood clad in his butler’s uniform, completely unfazed. His hands didn’t even falter as he continued scrubbing the window pane with steady, rhythmic force.

”I know you might not be willing to accept my gift, but what if I wore garter stockings?”

”If you’re going to try and seduce me, at least don’t do it from the other side of the glass. With a literal barrier between us, how is this any different from scrolling through risqué pictures?”

Evelyn pouted. ”And what if there were no glass? What if you actually reached over?”

She took out her notebook and began jotting lines down. ”’When faced with garter stockings, Ashe Heath’s pupils dilate, his heart rate spikes by thirteen percent, and he finds them slightly harder to resist than black silk. Preference? Hmm, that should be T0.

”Excellent, that’s enough data. I’ll have an illusionist commission an adult film starring you and Annan, packed with every single one of your wildest triggers. You’ll definitely buy a copy.”

Ashe felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck him out of a clear sky. ”Are you threatening me?”

”This is clearly a seduction!”

”What if the Lady finds out? Besides, she’s not even my type!”

”Is that so? But according to yesterday’s Beauty Ranking, your heart rate spiked the highest when you looked at Annan. She might not be your usual type, but given your current relationship dynamic, she’s the one most likely to excite you. After all, male desire is rooted in conquest... Hmm, by that logic, does that mean you’re secretly interested in me too?”

Evelyn clapped her hands in delight, her eyes dancing with amusement. ”If you’re willing to accept my patronage, I wouldn’t mind giving you a chance to pursue me.”

”Oh, please. Spare me the disgusting jokes. I still have windows to clean.”

Evelyn’s playful demeanor vanished instantly. The eye-shaped mark on her right eyelid glared coldly at Ashe, sending a chill straight down his spine. ”Demon.”

Opening her Book of Gospel, she turned her palm and materialised a tomato out of thin air. With a vicious smack, she crushed it right against the freshly cleaned window. A ridiculously expensive splash of tomato juice worth hundreds of Gospel Points splattered across Ashe’s entire field of vision.

”No need to thank me. Since you love cleaning glass so much, take your time.”

With that, Evelyn strutted away, looking exactly like a bratty child who had just pulled off a successful prank. Ashe stared blankly at the mess, then silently wrung out his damp cloth and went back to work to clean up the aftermath of her unprovoked malice.

He wiped the glass, mopped the floors, and dusted the lamps. It took nearly three hours of grueling labor, but the cult leader finally managed to restore the corridor to a spotless gleam.

***

At eleven o’clock, the bell chimed for lunch. Ashe packed away his cleaning supplies and made his way down to the dining hall located on the basement floor. Dozens of servants were already eating. They represented only a tiny fraction of the staff assigned to the main estate.

Rumor had it that Belldet Estate employed as many as eighty thousand servants. The estate spanned vast, disparate terrains, from dense forests and snow-capped mountains to barren wastelands and literal hellscapes. Each sector boasted its own dedicated dining hall serving unique cuisines. The main building’s dining hall was considered thoroughly average, whereas the one suspended over a lake of boiling magma received rave reviews. Consequently, servants constantly vied for shifts in the Hell Region just for the culinary perks.

None of that mattered to Ashe. When he reached the serving counter, he was greeted by a dazzling, extravagant spread, consisting of a Giant Mantis Shrimp With Golden Roe Burst, Basil Red Clam Meat, Charcoal-Grilled Razor Clams, Eden Zero Lala Fat, and glistening Teriyaki Grasp-root. The aromas alone were intoxicating, but the prices were even more staggering. Not a single dish cost less than three digits.

Ashe pulled out his Book of Gospel and retrieved his Belldet Estate Card. His entire morning of backbreaking labor had earned him a measly thirty Bel Points. It was the only currency recognized within the estate. Standard Gospel Points, as well as Gold and Silver Coins, were worthless here.

While the other servants piled their plates high without a care in the world, Ashe had to calculate every single digit. In truth, he didn’t have to live like a pauper. The Estate Card came with an active credit line that allowed him to spend beyond his means, automatically deferring any excess to a loan.

Ashe’s maximum credit limit was a staggering one hundred million Bel Points. It carried zero interest, and repayment could be delayed for up to ten years. In essence, he could live like a king free of consequence. By the time the bill came due, whether he would still be in Montphrea, or even alive in the Gospel Kingdom, was anyone’s guess. No matter how powerful Evelyn was, she couldn’t cross time to collect a debt.

Even so, Ashe maintained his discipline, ordering only a ten-point serving of curry paste and a five-point loaf of basic bread. Carrying his meager tray, he scanned the room and instantly spotted his companions. They weren’t hard to find. In a hall overflowing with delicacies, they were the only ones choking down bland mush, firmly established as the lowest-ranking servants in the room.

Sliding into a seat beside them, Ashe asked, ”Where are the Lady and Pankey?”

Iger replied grimly, ”Annan was reassigned to the Grassland Region, while Pankey was sent to the Snow Mountains. Apparently, they were both offered high-paying positions. It looks like Evelyn is planning to defeat us through divide and conquer.”

Lys looked over at the older man at the table. ”Uncle Harvey... is that really enough food for you?”

Harvey’s meal made Ashe’s look like a feast. The man had nothing but a bag of stale bread crusts and a cup of plain water. He chewed the hardened bread slowly and methodically, looking less like a human eating lunch and more like a pigeon pecking at crumbs.

Iger’s eyes narrowed as the pieces clicked together. ”Harvey... what on earth did you buy from Evelyn?”

Harvey chewed silently for a moment before answering. ”A skull.”

Ashe froze for a moment. ”A skull? You could just dig up any grave after we leave this place and borrow one. Why buy it from Evelyn?”

”You don’t understand!” Harvey said, his expression dead serious. ”It’s the most perfect human skull I’ve ever seen. From the palatal torus, the brow ridge, the supraorbital margin, the infraorbital fossa, the anterior nasal spine, the nasal cavity, to the alveolar process... There isn’t a single flaw. No damage, no trauma, no post-mortem degradation. It embodies a flawless, unified beauty in death. I’ve never seen anything so magnificent in my entire life. If I’d found something like this earlier, it would have saved me at least a month of research!”

He leaned in closer. ”In the past, I would’ve gladly paid ten Gold Coins for it. Now, it only costs fifty Bel Points. I simply couldn’t bring myself to pass it up!”

Iger replied grimly, ”And now you’re reduced to eating bread crusts. It’s a good thing you can still work. Otherwise, we’d have to pick up your slack, too.”

Previously, Harvey had been nearly severed at the waist by the red-haired swordswoman[1], leaving him barely able to muster any real strength. Nevertheless, he could still manipulate his body like a reanimated corpse. On the surface, at least, it didn’t seem to affect his daily chores.

Iger turned his attention to the other two. ”Harvey’s compromised. Evelyn has already figured out his weakness. In the best-case scenario, he’ll avoid triggering his credit line, but we can’t count on him to save anything for an emergency. You two haven’t been spending recklessly these past few days, have you? Please tell me you actually saved some Bel Points.”

Ashe and Lys exchanged a fleeting glance. Both went dead silent.

Iger felt his heart sink. ”Don’t tell me... she got to you as well?”

Lys hesitated, then opened her palm. Resting inside her fingerless glove was a mirror. It was strangely malleable, bending and deforming freely under her touch without cracking. ”Sister Evelyn said this is a flexible mirror glove, exclusively manufactured by her company. It’s not available anywhere else. She sold it to me for only fifty Bel Points... I got a massive bargain...”

Iger knew exactly how vital mirrors were to Lys and her sisters. Letting out a heavy sigh, he turned his gaze to Ashe. ”What did you buy?”

At first glance, Ashe’s meal looked like a gray sludge, but it was actually quite hearty. It was packed with mashed potatoes, carrots, and even chunks of beef. Paired with bread, it was more than enough to fill him up.

”I... I haven’t bought anything yet,” Ashe said, swallowing a mouthful.

Iger immediately caught the implication. ”But you’re planning to, aren’t you? Evelyn already knows your preferences. She’s preparing something tailored specifically to your tastes, waiting until you can’t refuse, isn’t she?”

Ashe replied with righteous confidence. ”Don’t worry, Iger. No matter how she tries to tempt me, I won’t fall for it. I’m not a cheap diva like Harvey.”

Iger muttered, ”You’re certainly not a diva. You’re just cheap.”

He rubbed his temples in mounting frustration. ”So all three of you have already emptied your pockets...”

Ashe insisted. ”I said I haven’t bought anything yet!”

The fraudster let out a weary sigh. ”I trusted you, Ashe. When it comes to being a disappointment, you never fail to deliver. And you still had the nerve to tell me earlier to trust you, that I could rely on you... You absolute idiot.”

The three of them stiffened. Hearing Iger curse directly instead of masking his irritation behind his usual sarcasm and indirect jabs made them realize he was truly furious this time.

”Aunt Perskin, I only spent my actual savings. I didn’t touch the credit line!”

”Yeah, and I still have a few Bel Points left. I can survive on bread crusts. If it comes down to it, I can even eat grass.”

”Iger, next time you insult us, can you please use ’you all?’ Otherwise, I’ll think you’re only yelling at me.”

Iger let out a long, exhausted breath. ”Do you even understand the danger of our situation? Do you honestly think that simply refusing Evelyn’s gifts and avoiding her credit line is enough to escape the contamination of her Control Class sorcery?”

1. We use red-haired swordswoman in this context because, from Harvey’s perspective, he doesn’t know who she is. Scarlet Swordswoman is the title used by people from Cailleach to refer to Sonya. ☜