Mage Manual-Chapter 568 - 461: The Man in the Dark Red Coat

"Igula, how is this strength?"

"Should I add water? Let me do it! Want some fries? Open wide, ah~"

In the hotel’s ground floor dining area, the Swindler watched Ash as he eagerly offered up fries early in the morning, turned away from the offered fries, and sighed deeply. "Tell me, how do you plan to trample my dignity this time? Want me to help you hypnotize someone to find a girlfriend, or help you reform the Four Pillars God Sect?"

"How could that be!" Ash responded resoundingly. "I just realized I’ve never properly thanked you before, so I wanted to deepen our relationship... It’s purely academic inquiry. How long does your hypnotism last, and how effective is it?"

"Really no ulterior motives?"

"None! But Igula, how old are you this year anyway, and what are your plans after the Weaving Festival ends? Have you thought about setting down roots..."

"Oh~~~" Igula made a meaningful sound. "But why are you only concerned about me? Harvey isn’t any younger than me. Why don’t you ask him?"

"What’s there to ask him? His answer would definitely be to dig up every ancestor’s grave throughout the Gospel."

Harvey swallowed his sandwich and shook his head. "Layman’s prejudice—like flowers, they’re only most vivid and touching when in bloom; afterwards, they’re just withering remains. I have no interest in ancestor’s graves. For a necromancer, the 48 hours after death are known as the ’transient time’—the body starts forming livor mortis, internal organs begin autolysis, and the body can still react to external stimuli which makes it the best viewing period. That’s also why bodies are never preserved for more than 48 hours under the Blood Moon..."

Suddenly, Ash felt something was off. Even though Harvey talked about such disgusting things, it didn’t affect his appetite for breakfast at all, and others, including Liss, also enjoyed their meals.

After the Weaving Festival, he definitely had to distance himself from Harvey—Ash didn’t want to find himself admiring a corpse instead of fearing it!

"Anyway," Ash said as he massaged Igula’s shoulders, "you must be thinking of settling down too, right? You must be tired of this nomadic life, right?"

"Mm..." Igula relaxed his shoulders, enjoying the service of the Cult Leader. "Indeed, I’m not very interested in traveling. It’s time to properly manage my own life."

"Right, right," Ash nodded repeatedly. "And the best choice for you to settle down is undoubtedly—"

Igula covered his mouth with his hand. "That’s right, managing the Four Pillars God Sect."

Ash: "!?"

"Just kidding," Igula let go, laughing. "But the Four Pillars God Sect of the Rusted Crow really fits my professional plan. Even without the help of the Pillar Gods, I still plan to establish a secret organization to gradually gain fame, power, and money, and start a venture in the Gospel—"

"But you could get all that by marrying into the Belladett family, not to mention a super cute... daughter as adorable as Liss!"

At that, Liss reluctantly shifted her gaze, and Igula said irritably, "That’s just nonsense spun by the Gospel. Anfeier and I would never end up together. And why do you keep advising me to marry into the Belladett family? What do you gain from it?"

"I’m just looking out for you." Ash’s gaze shifted. "Of course, it would be great if you could pull me up once you rise to prominence, given our former jail ties."

Igula glanced at Ash and Liss, instantly figuring out his true intent, then turned irritably to Hanna. "Did you find work in the city above ground?"

"Got it," Hanna said. "A city sanitation job, a toy store assistant, and a restaurant service staff. We’ll go right after breakfast."

Ash asked, "Huh? Aren’t you going, miss?"

"Of course I’m going."

"But there are only three jobs—"

"Only I, Igula, and Harvey are going. You and Banjee are to stay in the hotel." Hanna stared at Ash. "Your task is to accompany Banjee all day. Don’t stray too far from each other, got it?"

Ash saw the worry in Hanna’s eyes and suddenly realized something. "Is it because of the Assassination List?"

"Yes," Hanna said. "Banjee is second on the Assassination List and is an ineffective Resonator ’echoed’ by you. The Yisu royal family will likely send someone to imitate you to assassinate Banjee, fulfilling the future woven by the Assassination List, just like with Helaphis and Roger from the Divine Sect List... Leaving Banjee alone is too dangerous; there must always be a mage with him."

"Sorry," the blue-haired Housekeeper bowed his head in shame. "I’ve been a burden..."

"With the Yisu royal family needing to maintain the credibility of the Gospel, they definitely wouldn’t dare kill me. As long as I’m near Banjee, their people won’t dare to show up and murder!" Ash fully understood. "You guys focus on earning money at work; leave the household matters to me!"

Though that made sense, it somehow sounded rather delicate coming from Ash...

After finishing breakfast, the funeral procession split into two teams. Before they parted, Igula grabbed Ash and asked, "Haven’t you thought about your life plans after the Weaving Festival?"

"Not that I haven’t—"

"Which means you haven’t." The Swindler paused, "If you’re interested, you could come help me out."

"Help you?" Ash blinked, "I’m neither adept nor fond of deceiving people—"

"I’m not interested in letting you ruin my business either." Igula glanced at the little girl with white hair, "Why don’t you just find a place to settle down with Liss? You two can stay at home and study magic, no need for you to do anything."

"Is it really that simple?" Ash became wary, "You don’t have any ulterior motives, do you?"

"...I actually quite like Liss." Igula looked towards the upper right, "I couldn’t just watch her continue to wander with you. Although starting a business won’t make us rich, supporting you two idle people is more than manageable."

"That’s true, Liss is so cute, who wouldn’t like her?" Ash nodded deeply, feeling the same way, "I never thought I’d one day rely on my daughter’s cuteness to support our family... Well, I’ll gratefully accept this kindness then!"

...

After bidding farewell to the work team, Ash and the others returned to their hotel room, only to stare at each other in black, blue, and white until Ash made a gesture of rubbing a game controller.

Banjee, understanding the hint, pulled out an old game console and a whole box of game cartridges from his suitcase, which he projected onto the wall to play.

"Liss, you have to finish your ’Gospel Basic Education’ tasks for today before you can play games!"

"How can I study with you guys playing right beside me!"

"That makes sense," Ash pondered, "Then I’ll study with you in the afternoon, and you’re not allowed to slack off."

"Okay!"

The three spent the morning joyfully playing classic games from bygone days, even the usually melancholic Banjee gradually began to smile.

After Ash lost to Banjee for the ninth time in "Mage Duel 14," he let out a wail, dropped the controller, and declared grandiosely, "Case closed, it’s definitely not because of some bullshit reason like you assassinating the Empress that I killed you, but because you were beating me so badly that I just had to find some excuse for revenge!"

"To be honest, Mr. Ash, I also find it hard to believe that you would kill me," Banjee laughed, "It feels as though imagining Mr. Harvey, who detests corpses, or Mrs. Qinna, who likes to act spoiled."

Ash blinked, "Your words don’t have any hidden meaning, right?"

"Of course not," Banjee lifted his teacup to sip tea, "Just that if you ever stay with the lady in the future, please keep your distance from Mrs. Qinna."

"Gospel is all fabricated, Banjee, you worry too much," Ash laughed and shook his head, "Besides, you’re not unaware of your lady’s secret Heart’s Desire. Emotions are but condiments to her; ideals are her main course... Men would only hinder her speed of progress."

He stood up and announced, "It’s almost lunchtime, I’ll go down to the restaurant and bring up the food."

"Thank you."

Liss patted her bottom and stood up, "I’m going to my room to use the bathroom!"

Hearing the sound of the door closing, Banjee stood up and looked out the window at the underground city. Though it was midday, the city, without a day-night cycle, still carried the aura of eternal night.

Banjee knew that in the near future, not just Nabistin, the entire Gospel would undergo drastic changes due to the Funeral Ceremony’s actions, and countless people’s fates would take a 180-degree turn. However, he was powerless to change it and didn’t wish to interfere.

He was Doran’s housekeeper, faithful to the Funeral Ceremony’s will.

Now, he just wanted to enjoy a few more days of peaceful ordinary life and then, like ice, quietly melt into water.

About to eat, the blue-haired housekeeper headed to the bathroom to wash his hands. Suddenly, the water stopped and the light in the bathroom flickered, while simultaneously, the sound of the room’s door hinge creaking could be heard from outside.

Yet he heard no footsteps.

Banjee raised his head and saw, through the bathroom mirror, a man in a dark red overcoat with a face mask appearing outside the door.

Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m