Mage Manual
Chapter 488 - 402: Swindlers are indeed very rare in the Gospel

Chapter 488: Chapter 402: Swindlers are indeed very rare in the Gospel

Ash hadn’t noticed that Yvalin’s expression suddenly turned strange, but it was fleeting, "So, unless Igula himself comes to persuade you, you won’t join us?"

"If you really want to marry me..." Ash pondered, "I might consider it..."

"You fiend!" Yvalin huffed coldly, "Speaking of which, you must have almost saved up enough redemption money by now, right?"

"Indeed, thanks to the high-paying jobs these past few days, all brought to us by Belladett’s blessing," Ash raised his eyebrows, "Are you trying to scam me again? No way, the ten mini holograms I bought from you are enough to last me a year. You might not know, but watching mini holograms is very physically draining, unlike regular ones. You can’t tempt me in this area anymore."

"How about the other way around? If you don’t buy my junk products, I will send the ten mini holograms and the news of your purchase to Hanna."

Ash broke out in sweat, trying to remain calm, "I’ll delete them right now, on my way back I’ll tell Hanna I’ve had a change of heart and turned back from the edge!"

As he spoke, he summoned the Gospel Book, his finger hovering over it for a long time without pressing down. Yvalin blinked, "Go on, delete it."

"I think... I can’t be threatened by a crook like you," Ash spoke with righteousness, "It’s fine even if I get beaten up by Sister Hanna in mixed doubles!"

... "Don’t worry, I think I can’t ruin my reputation just because of a person like you," Yvalin shook her head and turned to leave, "Save up the redemption money and get lost quickly. You’ve offended me. You won’t work for death or be a dog, no store in Mongfera will sell you anything."

"Unless it’s attending Igula’s wedding, don’t expect me to set foot in Mongfera ever again!"

Ash snorted, wringing out the rag fiercely, and when he continued to wipe the statue, he saw that at some point, Yvalin had again stood atop the statue.

"Do you really refuse to join Belladett?"

At this moment, Yvalin’s voice lacked its usual arrogance and was calm, even carrying a hint of pleading.

Ash remained silent for a moment, not answering, just continuing his work.

Lady Belladett jumped down and left, disappearing around the corner of the corridor.

The Cult Leader glanced at her elongating shadow, his mind recalling Hanna’s words:

"When we save enough redemption money, that will also be the time when Belladett makes her move."

.....

...

"They are about to save enough redemption money, it’s time to take action."

In the office filled with portraits, Igula sat opposite Yvalin, calmly stating his suggestion.

After a long silence, the blue-haired one spoke, "Can we really not recruit them?"

"Hanna and Banjee are focused on the Divine Lord’s wish, you can’t offer them the price they demand; as for Harvey, even if you’re willing to risk offending the entire Gospel to protect him, he has a strong self-destructive tendency. He won’t stay for benefits, unless you can offer him a more splendid prospect of death—on this point, Belladett’s allure indeed falls short of the Funeral Ceremony."

"Liss and Ash are tightly bound, and since you won’t recruit Ash, naturally Liss won’t stay either."

"Then you go make Ash stay," Yvalin said, "He’ll surely listen to you—"

"In our original Contract, the only condition I proposed was that only one of us, me or Ash, could stay," the Swindler said, "I don’t care about the others, but if Ash stays, then I’m out. Our Contract is void."

"Why?" Yvalin was puzzled, "I used to think you had a grudge against him... But he trusts you so much, why won’t you keep him?"

"It’s because he trusts me that I can’t continue to be with him," Igula toyed with her hair, "Do you know what my Profession was during the Blood Moon? A social engineer, also known as a Swindler, though this Profession might be rare in the Gospel... A Swindler whose job is to deceive others, yet is trusted by someone, don’t you find it funny?"

"The funnier thing is, I really won’t deceive him."

"Though the teachings of the Blood Moon are mostly dross, they also contain essence," the Swindler said. "All relationships that worry you will contaminate you. All relationships that aggrieve you will hurt you. All relationships that force you to change will dominate you. Personal freedom is the foundation of everything."

"If I continue to stay with Ash, I will no longer be myself, or to put it more directly—"

"Getting too close to the sun, the wax-made Void Wings will melt."

The Swindler gazed at Yvalin. "So, do you understand now, it wasn’t Belladett who chose me; it was I who chose Belladett. Initially blinded by the night, I bought the wrong ticket, boarded the wrong train, and embarked on a wrongful journey."

"But just because you’ve bought a ticket doesn’t mean you need to stay on until the final station. It’s time for me to get off. And I need you all to shatter this train to pieces, leaving no room for lingering thoughts."

Yvalin sighed. "Is there really no other way?"

"Isn’t this exactly your original plan?" Igula said. "The Contract stipulates that you must protect the Funeral Service Office and forbids you from instructing, leading, or indirectly leaking any secrets in any way, but there’s a loophole in this Contract: members of the Funeral Service Office can leak secrets voluntarily. And as long as it’s the Funeral side initiating the leak, this Contract becomes null and void, absolving you of any responsibility to the Funeral."

"You never intended to honor the Contract from the start. You just wanted to stabilize Hanna and the others temporarily, then leverage your finances to buy a traitor, and take advantage of the Contract’s constraints to trap them in Belladett, ensuring that not a single one slips through the net."

"How have you suddenly become so sentimental after all this time?" the Swindler couldn’t help laughing. "The Blood Saint crying crocodile tears?"

"...Hanna and I were once partners after all. If they were willing to join Belladett, I would never have taken it this far," Yvalin said calmly. "By the way, have you talked to Hanna?"

"No."

At that moment, a knock sounded from outside. Igula stood up. "Anfeier is here, excuse me."

"Don’t you dare use your tricks on my sister."

"As long as you’re alive, I won’t," the Swindler said. "Tonight, I’ll contact Senheiser, the office, Red Hat, and other forces, tell them Ash and his companions’ information, and then..."

"The Nightmare that has plagued me for days will finally come to an end."

Watching Igula’s retreating figure, the blue-haired girl fell into deep thought. When she heard the laughing voices of her sister and Igula, she summoned the Gospel Book and spent points to ask:

"Did Igula Bokin lie in what he just said? If so, which statement was a lie?"

Gospel Book: "There was no lie."

Yvalin pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized:

"It’s very rare for the Swindler to secure the Gospel..."

....

...

In the Vatican Mura office of the Senheiser Clan Leader.

"Nona, notify the other Emblem Clan Leaders, dispatch elite Combat Mages, and form a strike team for a raiding mission to Mongfera."

The Elf woman beside nodded indifferently. "Shall I lead the team?"

"No."

Seated on the chair, Qinna overlooked the fog-shrouded city, her fingertip lightly grazing her lips.

"Ash Senheiser is the guarantee of the family’s continuation. I will personally lead the team and capture them back."