Sorcerer’s Handbook

After hastily finalizing the “Rescue Igor from Happiness (Top Secret)” plan, everyone left Ashe’s room.

But just as Annan pushed open the door, she happened to see Igor’s blond hair disappearing around the corner of the hallway.

Ashe exclaimed, “Igor isn’t working overtime tonight?”

“He’s about to become Belldate’s son-in-law, why would he still need to work?” Annan whispered, gesturing for them to follow: “Our chance has come.”

They followed him all the way to the second-floor atrium. Because the manor was located on the city on the second level, there was nothing obstructing the view. The night sky was bright with twinkling Stars, the veil of soft yellow lighting several meters thick, makeup overlapping, rouge heavy, turning the pretentious gardening into a romantic backdrop.

The garden maze provided perfect cover. Halfway through, they heard Igor’s voice: “Sorry, have you been waiting long?”

“No.” Anfel’s cheerful voice carried an irrepressible smile.

“Hmm?”

“No, it’s just that my sister kept telling me you’re a mental sorcerer with plenty of romantic experience, and I should be careful with you. But you’re much more nervous than I imagined.”

“No, nothing wrong with your appearance, but I can feel it.” Even though they were only listening, everyone could almost see a girl squinting her eyes and smiling: “Mr. Igor, you’re just someone who is strong when facing the strong and weak when facing the weak. You act super calm and smart around my sister, but you’re at a loss when dealing with someone like me.”

“Who calls themselves an idiot?” Igor laughed as well. “All the idiots I’ve met never admit they’re idiots.”

“He’s talking about you, Harvey,” Ashe said, seizing the initiative.

“I’m an idiot,” Harvey said calmly. “Now it’s your turn to prove yourself.”

If an idiot never admits they’re an idiot, then someone who admits they’re an idiot isn’t an idiot.

Ashe didn’t flinch: “I’m an idiot.”

The moment Ashe spoke, Annan, “Lise,” and Harvey simultaneously activated the recording function on their Gospel Book.

“Alright, recording complete.” Harvey looked at Ashe with ‘sympathetic’ eyes, as if saying, “It must be tough for you to prove yourself like this.”

“This is bullying, right? This is definitely workplace bullying!” Ashe gritted his teeth. “I’m going to complain about you to the Gospel!”

“What are you all doing here?”

Everyone turned to see a blue-haired girl standing behind them, her hands on her hips, glaring furiously at the Funeral Firm like a boss catching employees slacking off.

“We’re not working overtime tonight; we can go wherever we want,” Annan retorted. “But what about you, Yvaren? What are you doing here?”

“My sister is on a date, so of course, I’m here to eavesdrop and check things out!” Yvaren shamelessly declared.

“You actually don’t trust our ‘good friend’ Igor Bukin!” Annan feigned shock. “A date being monitored—I’m appalled! I must talk to Bukin and let him know your true nature!”

“Annan, your acting is still terrible,” Yvaren said with disdain. “You look so punchable.”

“Then come hit me. Do I need to kneel to compete with you? Considering my height, it would be like fighting a fire hydrant from the second floor.”

“An—nan—”

“Wait a minute,” Banjeet said, puzzled. “We’re making so much noise. Why are they still chatting normally inside?”

“Hmph, you think I didn’t anticipate you troublemakers coming to disrupt?” Yvaren raised an eyebrow. “Not only is there a soundproof Miracle barrier here, but as soon as Igor entered, the garden started moving. The inner and outer mazes are completely isolated. Now, not only can we not get in, but they’ll also get lost if they try to come out. They can take their time building their relationship!”

“What if they want to leave?” Ashe asked curiously.

“I’ll be here listening. When I feel their date should end, I’ll press this button.” Yvaren took out a controller. “Then the garden maze and the soundproof barrier will be lifted.”

“Of course, you could always destroy the facilities here to ruin this date. But the damages… I hope you can afford them.”

This turned out to be a multi-layered trap. If the Funeral Firm dared to damage private property, Yvaren could gain a new employee!

“Oh~” Annan nodded. “Such a meticulous setup… Hey!”

Yvaren deftly dodged Annan’s grab. “Damn! I knew you were as rough as an orc.”

“And you’re as slippery as a Goblin!” Annan gritted her teeth and looked at the others. “What are you standing around for? Help out!”

“Trying to gang up on me?” Yvaren laughed. “Without weapons or offensive spirit Miracles, I’d like to see how you handle a two-wings fist-claw sorcerer like me.”

“Don’t damage the nearby garden; you can only use spirit Miracles to enhance yourselves,” Banjeet reminded. “Miss Yvaren is deliberately provoking us to damage her family’s property.”

“Do you like the stars?” Igor asked.

“Very much,” Anfel replied. “When I look at the starry sky, I feel so small, and all my daily worries become insignificant. Two things always amaze me: the magnificent starry sky and the persistence of people in legendary stories. The brilliance of humanity and the starlight are equally dazzling.”

Harvey lunged at Yvaren, but she nimbly jumped aside, causing the necromancer to fall flat on his face.

Annan and Ashe attacked from both sides, but the blue-haired girl slipped under Ashe’s arm, making them crash into each other.

“Mr. Igor, you must have visited many places. Do you have any thrilling adventure stories?”

“I do, but the content might not be very wholesome.”

“That’s perfect! I love dark and realistic adventure stories.”

“Do you yearn for adventure?”

“Yes, I’ve loved adventure stories since I was a child, but the farthest I’ve ever been is to other cities. The only place I can explore is the manor… My favorite adventure series is about finding traces of ancient civilizations in the wilderness, far from the city. Have you ever had such experiences, Mr. Igor?”

“Once, during a gang war, I discovered that a remote trading spot used to be the dining hall of an Ogre tribe from a few hundred years ago. Does that count?”

“ヾ(≧▽≦)o Gang war!”

Banjeet seized the opportunity and lunged to hug Yvaren’s legs. Yvaren remained unperturbed, pressed her body forward, lifted her legs with a fluid motion, and freed herself while delivering a hard kick to the young butler’s chin.

But just then, Annan rushed over to try and grab Yvaren. Yvaren let out a soft “tsk”, did a split, and Ashe noticed she was wearing safety shorts under her skirt. Her legs spun like a windmill, tripping the Purple Moth directly!

Yvaren let out a disdainful laugh, did two flips, and landed proudly like a champion—

“Mm-hmm!”

As Harvey grunted, Yvaren, stepping on the necromancer, fell flat on her face. The controller in her pocket flew out until it landed by a pair of small feet.

‘Lise’, who had been watching the spectacle, blinked and handed the controller to Ashe.

“By the way, let’s get our story straight! When I go back, I’ll tell my sister that I’m very pleased with you. That way, the ball’s in your court.”

“Why?” Igor asked.

“Hmm?”

“Why are you helping me?”

“It’s not really helping,” Anfel replied. “After all, I’m genuinely pleased with you, Igor, and that’s not a lie. Plus, you were coerced by my sister. Doing this gives you more room to maneuver.”

“Coerced? But this deal was of my own—”

“Choosing between ‘making me like you’ and ‘being a servant to the Belldate family for life’ isn’t exactly a free choice,” Anfel said, seemingly twirling her teacup. “But I understand my sister has her reasons, and you, Igor, have your own goals. Your positions are ultimately opposed. I’m just trying to delay the inevitable conflict between you two.”

“But… you and your sister are both smart. Maybe if we buy some time, you’ll find a mutually beneficial solution? Hehe, worst case, I’ll just get scolded by my sister. A fair gamble.”

“Ashe, now’s your chance!” Annan shouted as she rushed to grab Yvaren’s leg.

“Ashe, don’t you dare!” Yvaren threatened, baring her teeth like a little tiger.

Harvey was busy treating his stomped injuries, and Banjeet, who had been kicked in the chin, was still dazed.

Ashe looked at the controller in his hand, thought for a moment, then turned and tossed it towards the garden center, where Igor and Anfel were.

“Let’s just call it off.”

The Cult Leader clapped his hands and, holding ‘Lise’s’ hand, walked away.