The Sorcerer's Handbook

Bang!

The white-haired girl fell flat on the ground with a solid thud, her legs hopelessly tangled in the jump rope. Tears welled in her eyes from the sharp sting of the fall. Ashe stifled a laugh, stepping over to pull Lys aside and tend to her. ”This is my first time seeing someone actually trip themselves while skipping rope. Does it really hurt that much?”

Lys didn’t say a word. She simply buried her face in his chest, trembling slightly.

Ashe glanced over at the sea witches. He thought to himself that while these mermaids[1] weren’t exactly hideous, they were a far cry from the graceful mermaids of legend. If nothing else, true mermaids shouldn’t possess rows of serrated teeth or bloodshot pupils. It was only natural for a child to be terrified.

Since Ashe loathed exercise anyway, he happily used the excuse of babysitting to slack off. The sea witches merely cast a passing glance in their direction. They knew the Demon Lord, Purple Moth, Rusty Crow, and Ghost King were scheduled to arrive, but they had no idea who was who. Everyone from the Funeral Agency wore identical cloaks and masks. To the witches, the pair of a grown man and a little girl looked like nothing more than useless mascots tagging along to make up the numbers.

Annan withdrew her gaze from Ashe and Lys, looking back at Heliphas as she slowly shook her head. ”That’s impossible. The Princess of Isa has always been the ultimate secret of the Isa Imperial Family, valued even above the Empress herself. This secrecy is the very foundation of the Isa Dynasty’s five-hundred-year dominion over the Gospel, and it is the greatest favor bestowed upon them by the Omniscient Weaver.

”Before an Empress is replaced, no outsider can glean even a shred of information regarding the princess. Her appearance, age, physique, preferences, even her residence... everything is locked away. If anyone managed to acquire intelligence on her, there would undoubtedly be factions trying to replicate a counterfeit princess in a desperate bid to seize the position of the Gospel’s First and the Divine Lord’s wish!”

Heliphas nodded. ”Exactly. Throughout history, up until the year 1668 of the Gospel calendar, every single dynastic shift has stemmed from the relocation of the Gospel’s First. The flourishing Elven Dynasty that endured for centuries, the Dragonblood Dynasty that collapsed in a mere five generations, the Sacred Flame Dynasty that left behind nothing but countless ruins... Whenever a ruling class drifted from the favor of the Gospel’s First, their downfall became inevitable. Conversely, securing the Gospel’s First was the only way a dynasty could hope to survive.

”Historical records may be severely fragmented, but mermaid oral traditions tell us that early dynasties had no way to directly produce the Gospel’s First. Back then, she might have been born a merchant’s daughter, a noble’s heir, a sorcerer’s descendant, or even a crippled beggar or a common slave. But regardless of her origins, the moment she was chosen as the Gospel’s First, her will became the absolute destiny of the land.

”When the Gospel’s First descends, all dissidents are fated to perish. Any dynasty that attempts to resist, defy, or stray from her path collapses rapidly, swallowed by the currents of history before they can even survive to the next Woven Festival.

”Elven saints, contemporary dragon scions, bearers of the sacred flame... every powerful dynasty in history reserved their supreme seat for the Gospel’s First, often enthroning her directly and willingly submitting to her service.

”Yet even with such absolute concessions, no dynasty ever achieved eternity. More than one Gospel’s First has played a double role, serving as the supreme ruler of an old regime while simultaneously acting as the founding Empress of the new one. They would conspire with rebel forces from within and without, setting fire to the crumbling foundations of the old order to usher in the spring of a new era.

”But now, an eternal dynasty has emerged. The Isa Dynasty has endured for nearly eight hundred years, with every successive Empress uniquely serving as the Gospel’s First. Its lifespan is already double that of the Elven Dynasty. If not for this sudden, impending apocalypse, I have no doubt the Isa Dynasty would have continued indefinitely.”

Heliphas paused, her gaze narrowing. ”So, Purple Moth, you are correct. The Isa Imperial Family would never willingly leak the slightest detail regarding the princess. Once her traits are exposed to the public, the Gospel’s First will shift, and the dynasty will fall. But that formulation assumes the Isa Imperial Family wants to keep her a secret.”

Purple Moth caught on instantly. ”You mean the palace leaked the information on purpose?”

”Ever since the night the Art Rankings was released, countless factions have approached us mermaids, pressing for information on whether something has befallen the princess,” Heliphas said with a faint smile. ”During the seven centuries of the Isa Dynasty’s reign over the Gospel, they have weathered invasions from the Virtual World, abyssal uprisings, meteor strikes, and countless other catastrophes. Every single time, the reigning Empress of Isa resolved the crisis flawlessly through the guidance of the Gospel.

”Therefore, in the eyes of the public, the primary prerequisite for this apocalypse is simple. In the future, there will no longer be an Isa Empress.”

The sea witch drifted lazily through the water. ”Taking that logic a step further, it implies that the next Empress, the current princess, has already been met with some fatal accident. That is why the Gospel has woven such a grim future. Frankly, I find it baffling why you, Purple Moth, have waited until now to question us about something so critical.”

Iger had been listening in silence. At that, he suddenly interrupted, ”Wait a moment. There’s a logical flaw here. Regardless of what happens to the princess, the Gospel’s First will ultimately select a successor. The princess herself shouldn’t be indispensable. As long as the current Empress of Isa abdicates and transfers the throne to whoever is chosen as the new Gospel’s First, wouldn’t that avert the apocalypse entirely?”

Harvey chimed in, ”Perhaps the Empress of Isa is simply unwilling to surrender her power?”

Iger countered, ”That’s impossible. Based on your own descriptions, this so-called Gospel’s First isn’t truly a person, but a deified office. What you call a dynastic change is likely just the Gospel’s First determining that the existing ruling class has become too corrupt and stagnant, actively hindering societal progress. In response, it simply tears the old system down and starts fresh, turning the page of history through a forced regime change.

”The most damning evidence is that if the Empress of Isa possessed any semblance of personal greed, she wouldn’t even be willing to pass the throne down to her own princess, let alone an outsider. Yet according to the historical archives, the imperial succession has been executed flawlessly every fifty years without a single misstep, and there are absolutely no negative rumors surrounding any Empress. If you all weren’t so dead certain of her existence, I would have assumed this Isa Empress was nothing more than a religious myth you invented.”

Heliphas looked at Iger with clear admiration. ”Rusty Crow, is it? As expected of the master schemer. You’re right. The rankings don’t explicitly state it, but it’s widely believed that the reward for becoming the Gospel’s First is gaining the absolute highest tier of authority over the Gospel system, perhaps even the ability to consult the Gospel entirely for free.

”But the price is steep. She must forever remain pure, innocent, and compassionate, embodying every virtuous trait imaginable. That’s why the Gospel’s First never covets secular power. She only ever considers matters from the perspective of society as a whole.

”The fallen Elven and Dragonblood dynasties both harbored rumors that their respective Gospel’s First attempted sweeping reforms, met fierce resistance, and ultimately chose to rebel outright.”

”That makes sense,” Iger said. ”In other dynasties, deeply entrenched interest groups might have stood in the way. But the Isa Dynasty has been under the Gospel’s First’s absolute control from the very beginning. Even if the throne were passed to an outsider, there shouldn’t be any real resistance.

”In other words, even if the princess dies, the Gospel will simply select a new Empress. The apocalypse depicted in the future rankings is already the best possible outcome within the next Empress’s capabilities.”

The sea witch stared blankly at Iger. Annan, too, fixed her gaze heavily on the fraudster. The lively atmosphere in the meeting room died abruptly.

Ashe didn’t know exactly what had just gone wrong, but he keenly sensed the Lady’s brewing displeasure. Acting quickly, he carried Lys over to the space between the two of them and dropped to the floor to start doing push-ups. He did the heavy lifting while Lys sat on his back, acting cute to ease the suffocating tension.

Iger and Annan both glanced down at Ashe, and the rigid atmosphere loosened slightly. The Lady spoke. ”Rusty Crow, do you wish to take over this negotiation?”

”I’m merely reminding you, my Lady, that your original plan is already outdated,” Iger replied smoothly. ”From the moment the mermaids knew we were coming, you could no longer conceal your true objective. Instead of beating around the bush, it’s better to be upfront. Honesty is the most practical skill in a negotiation.”

”I never thought I’d hear a sentiment like that from the mouth of the Rusty Crow,” Heliphas laughed, the sound echoing lightly. ”At this rate, even if the Demon Lord stands up and claims he wants to save the world, I wouldn’t be surprised. So, do you really intend to assassinate the future Gospel’s First so the Purple Moth can claim the Divine Lord’s wish?”

The mermaids had figured it out after all. Or rather, the very moment they learned Annan had come to Nabistin to buy intelligence, they already knew her goal. Annan was far from the first to covet the Divine Lord’s wish. Countless factions before her had tried to seize the ultimate reward of the Woven Festival. Organizations like the mermaids had long since studied its mechanics inside and out. Annan was merely a thief of a new era, following the tunnels dug by her predecessors.

With the bizarre anomalies of the current Woven Festival leaving Annan as the sole candidate to claim the Divine Lord’s wish, how could information brokers like the mermaids fail to suspect that the Purple Moth would attempt something outside the rules?

Thinking back, it was clear that Heliphas had been deliberately probing them when she asked, ”Are you here for information on the princess?” as soon as they arrived.

Annan extended her hand toward Iger, signaling the official transfer of control over the negotiation. Iger accepted the lead without hesitation, turning his gaze back to the sea witch. ”That’s right. And our assassination of the princess is precisely the future you are hoping for.”

”Why would you say that? I hold no grudge against the Isa Imperial Family.”

”But you do hold a grudge against a stable society,” the fraudster stared directly at the leader of the sea witches. ”Isn’t that right, Witch of Chaos, Heliphas?”

”Just because I am destined to practice the Chaos Class in the future, you conclude that I’m antisocial?” Heliphas suddenly sank into the pool, swimming forward with sleek grace before rising near the edge. Her wet, intense gaze seemed to bore straight into Iger’s eyes. ”That seems a bit childish, don’t you think?”

Iger’s expression didn’t waver as he continued pedaling his elliptical machine. ”You’re not against society itself. You’re against terrestrial society. Or rather, sea witches as a whole are a race that deeply resents those who live on land.”

The expressions of the ten sea witches changed drastically, as if Iger’s words had struck them physically across the face. Just as the tension tightened to a breaking point once more, Heliphas raised a hand, staring at him darkly. ”Oh?”

Iger swept his gaze across the room. ”Look around you. Luxurious carpets, bright lighting, exquisite pillars, opulent decorations... If no one told you otherwise, who would ever guess this is a sewer?”

”Look at yourselves. An intelligence network spread across the entire Gospel, the undisputed rulers of the underworld, the mermaids of the so-called Shadow Court... If no one told you otherwise, who would ever guess you’re just a pack of sea witches forced to live in the drains?

”You constantly try to present yourselves as graceful mermaids, but the truth is, you’re nothing more than sewer-dwellers living alongside rats, cockroaches, and vermin.

”You may possess astonishing wealth and unmatched insight into the world’s deepest secrets, but you will never obtain the social status that matches it.”

Iger delivered his conclusion. ”Therefore, you are the greatest champions of the apocalypse. Only in an age of absolute chaos will you have the chance to leave these filthy sewers and establish your ideal domain on the surface.”

”Wait,” Harvey interrupted, looking genuinely puzzled. ”If they hate living in the sewers so much, why not just move to the open ocean or a lake?”

”Because we are information brokers,” Heliphas said calmly. ”To trade intelligence, we must remain at the pulsing heart of human cities. To conduct secret dealings, we must stay embedded in their shadows. Perhaps it began as a necessity, but over time, it became an inescapable trap. The sewers became our only option.”

Ashe couldn’t help but chime in from the floor, ”Then why not stop being information brokers? Why not make a living by developing ocean or lake resources? That’s your biological advantage, isn’t it?”

The sea witch sneered. ”Humanity’s biological advantage is farming. Is farming your ideal profession? Sea witches can leverage their prophetic talents to efficiently exploit the Gospel system and earn astronomical profits through the information trade. We have neither the reason nor the ability to reject this gift, just as you cannot simply abandon the Gospel. No one can defy the environment they are placed in, especially when that environment was arranged by the Divine Lord.”

Heliphas looked back at Iger. ”Rusty Crow, you are absolutely correct. From the very day the Art Rankings was released, we have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the apocalypse.”

Iger had already inferred the sea witches’ intentions from various clues, but their sudden, stark frankness made him suspicious instead. ”Are you truly so eager for chaos? Aren’t you afraid that instead of rising with the tide, you’ll be swallowed whole by the apocalypse?”

Heliphas smiled, an enigmatic light flickering in her bloodshot eyes. ”Have you ever heard of the Unattached Rankings?”

1. In The Sorcerer’s Handbook, sea witches are classified as a type of mermaid. ☜