The Sorcerer's Handbook

After washing his hands, Pankey walked out to find Ashe and Lys already eating.

He poured everyone a cup of tea, sat down, and said calmly, ”I was ambushed by Ashe just now.”

”Huh?!”

Ashe froze with a sandwich halfway to his mouth.

Lys sprayed orange juice all over his face. Pfft!

”Daddy, how could you... I’d rather you just find a stepmother! Wait, don’t tell me you and Aunt Perskin—”

Ashe chopped Lys on the head, instantly cutting off her endless chain of wild assumptions. Wiping his face with a tissue, he turned to Pankey. ”You mean... Gospel Ashe attacked you?”

Pankey nodded, briefly explaining what had happened. ”It was just an illusion. But based on my own state of mind, if Annan truly died, I would absolutely assassinate the Empress to avenge her. There is a real basis to my second-place spot on the Assassination Rankings. It really could have become my future.”

He leaned forward. ”Heliphas and Rogue probably died the exact same way. First, their spirits rebelled against them, causing them to lose the ability to resist. Then they were dragged into illusions constructed from the future rankings. Once they accepted that this truly was their future, that they would eventually commit those acts, Gospel Ashe appeared, killed them, and invalidated their ranking.”

Ashe frowned. ”But when we walked in, we didn’t notice anything. How did Gospel Ashe leave?”

”I suspect Gospel Ashe isn’t a person, but a Miracle, or something similar. It automatically seeks out Echoers like us. When there is no one else nearby, it drags us into an illusion.”

Ashe still looked confused. ”How does it kill people inside an illusion? Rogue literally committed suicide by jumping off a building right in front of us. Heliphas was lying in the plaza fountain... They both walked there themselves!”

”That may be exactly why Gospel Ashe only appears after I acknowledge that this is my future,” Pankey said. ”In the Heretical Arts and the Assassination Rankings, ’Ashe’ and ’the future’ are deeply connected. Once we accept the latter, we are forced to accept the former as well. Therefore, all the damage Gospel Ashe inflicts on us within the illusion is manifested on our actual bodies.”

Pankey paused, his voice dropping. ”The ones who truly kill the Echoers... are ourselves.

”Think carefully. For every Echoer killed by Gospel Ashe in the rankings, weren’t their injuries related to their own abilities?”

Ashe froze. Thinking back, he realized Pankey was right.

After Rogue killed himself, his entire body had melted from plague viruses. Heliphas, who specialized in water sorcery, had dried up and drowned in midair. And Pankey himself had almost been pierced through by an ice sword.

”Right!” Lys chimed in. ”How could Daddy possibly master so many sorcery classes anyway? Honestly, the fact that Daddy is a Two-Winged sorcerer is shocking enough!”

”Can you have a little more faith in me?” Ashe complained, angrily rubbing Lys’s hair. ”As long as I successfully invent a Miracle that allows substitutes to cultivate, mastering every sorcery class is only a matter of time!”

”Daddy, you touched my hair right after eating fries!”

In reality, Ashe might actually be able to master that many classes. After all, his bond with his operators allowed him to receive a portion of their experience. But of course, there was no need to mention that out loud.

Ashe looked back at Pankey. ”The ambush this time failed. There will likely be another. What are you planning to do?”

”It’s simple. The moment you and Lys came back, it immediately disappeared. That means the attack won’t happen as long as someone is beside me. Mr. Ashe, for the next few days, I hope to stay with you as much as possible.”

”No problem.”

”One more thing,” Pankey looked him dead in the eye. ”I hope this remains a secret between the three of us. Please do not tell the Lady.”

Ashe was stunned. ”Why?”

”If she knew, it would only add to her worries. She is already exhausted. I only wish to quietly see her through the Funeral Agency’s final mission. I am Dolan’s butler. When necessary, I can be the gun that takes lives, or the shield that sacrifices itself.”

The blue-haired butler looked at the cult leader with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. ”Mr. Ashe... Would you be willing to fulfill an old man’s final wish?”

Ashe fell silent for a moment before finally nodding. ”I will keep it between us.”

***

That night, in Annan’s room.

Ashe finished explaining everything, took a sip of water, and spread his hands. ”And that’s what happened. As long as someone stays by Pankey’s side, the Imperial Family’s assassination Miracle won’t trigger. Keep in mind that you were the one who ordered me to tell you. I was forced to confess because I’m bound by our contract. There was nothing I could do.”

”You walked into my room acting all hesitant, and you clearly aren’t here to take off your clothes. How could I not tell you had a secret to share?”

In her purple nightgown, Annan sat in a chair with her legs crossed. She smiled. ”Still, I never expected you to be someone who would exploit loopholes like that. Looks like I won’t be able to trust your promises anymore.”

Ashe shrugged. ”I don’t have a moral obsession. If I know that keeping a promise will lead to a disaster, there’s no point in keeping it. Principles exist to give people inner peace, you know? It’s like playing games. Games exist to create happiness. The moment you reverse the purpose and the means, it just becomes suffering.

”Besides, you’re the person closest to Pankey. If I kept this a secret and something happened that left the two of you with unresolved regrets, wouldn’t I just become the idiot Iger always talks about?”

”In any case, thank you for saving Pankey,” Annan touched her earring and lowered her eyes. ”Thank you for not keeping the promise. I’m just glad you were all there. Really... thank you.”

Ashe asked, ”So, what are you going to do?”

Annan stood up and walked over to the windowsill, looking out at the sprawling scenery of the underground city. ”Pretend I know nothing. Let him stay and participate in the operation.”

”I thought you would send someone to escort him away.”

”I really wanted to. But sometimes, you can’t just arrange other people’s destinies by saying, ’I’m doing this for your own good.’ Even the Gospel has no right to do that. Besides, just like he said... If I die, he won’t let me descend into hell alone. And if I survive and succeed, then his participation won’t be an issue anyway. Since that’s the case, why should I make him suffer all over again?”

Annan let out a quiet sigh. ”The Dolans have already wronged him enough.”

Ashe walked over and stood beside her. ”Don’t worry. Look at the Schemer Ranking. You and Pankey are still pulling off the tenth trick together on there, which means nothing is going to happen to either of you.”

Annan couldn’t help but laugh. ”To think that those of us trying to defy the future are actually relying on it for salvation. Let’s not talk about that anymore... By the way, Ashe, weren’t you discussing your plans for after the Woven Festival with Iger this morning?”

Ashe nodded. ”Yeah. No matter what I say, Iger refuses to live off the Belldet family. He insists on starting his own business, so Lys and I are planning to go with him.”

”Why?”

”Because he’s willing to support two freeloaders like us. It’s a deal that’s simply impossible to refuse.”

”I can support the two of you, too.”