Mage Manual
Chapter 535 - 434 Assassination of the Princess_2

Chapter 535: Chapter 434 Assassination of the Princess_2

"Mmm, I understand," Ash nodded, "After all, she’s also one of your battle instruments, so strength really is the most important."

"I’m not talking about corpses," Harvey glanced at him, "I think the best woman is one who can kill the target I need in the fastest and most efficient way and then bring his body back to me..."

"Sorry, we’re discussing the sexual function of characters here, not functional," Ash looked at Igula, "What about you?"

Igula gave a cold look back, "The factors I value are the same as those on the ’Gospel List.’"

"Because it’s particularly easy to deceive a pure and naive woman?"

"Because such women simply don’t exist," Igula stated, "Kids know how to play with life from a young age, desire surges in adolescence with evil passions, and as young adults, they see the intertwining of good and evil in society... Unless she has lived in seclusion from the world since childhood, how can there possibly be a pure and innocent girl? I’d like to see what sort of demons and monsters the future list will dredge up for me."

"According to the ’Swindler’s Guide,’ the more a swindler verbally disdains something, the more he actually loves it in his heart," Ash chuckled, "I never expected you, Igula, to actually like the pure and innocent type... Ah, I get it now!"

Igula raised an eyebrow, "Idiot, what do you get now?"

"Anfeier really fits this description!" Ash had a sudden realization, "No wonder the Gospel Society thinks that you and Anfeier will get married in the future! That’s it, she totally fits your taste!"

"Daddy, what is the ’Swindler’s Guide’?" Liss inquired, "Can you become a swindler if you study it?"

"No, but after studying it, you’ll know how to deal with swindlers," Ash looked at the housekeeper boy, "What about you, Banjee? What do you value most?"

Banjee was slightly taken aback, then smiled, "Hasn’t the topic gone off track?"

"Indeed," Hanna said, "Regardless of what the All-knowing Weaver ultimately intended by setting up the ’Gospel List,’ we only need to know that it has become our biggest hurdle."

"My original plan was to vie for high rankings on multiple lists, allowing one of you to accumulate sufficient weight to completely overshadow the shine of the ’First Gospel,’ securing the Divine Lord’s wish as first priority."

"Therefore, I’m not too pleased inside, even though I’m currently the highest in the order," Hanna spread her hands, "With just two rankings, I can’t replace the status of the ’First Gospel.’"

"Now, I actually sincerely hope the other lists aren’t nullified, but the probability is slim. The All-knowing Weaver, planning to accelerate the Weaving Festival, is unlikely to speed up only one list."

Ash hesitated, then asked, "Have you ever considered that even if the Weaving Festival wasn’t accelerated..."

"Even if we secured nine first places, the Divine Lord’s wish would still be designated to the ’First Gospel’? Of course, I’ve considered that possibility, and I think it’s very likely," Hanna said calmly, "But what of it?"

But what of it?

If the prospect seemed bleak, Hanna would not have undertaken the blasphemous gospel plan with them. This was a conspiracy plotted against the Divine Lord, and from the beginning, she was prepared for a complete loss.

Ash saw not a trace of regret in Hanna’s eyes. She was like a moth in the darkness, destined to plunge into the flame; what she truly longed to burn for, Ash still didn’t know.

"Since all previous Emperors Yisu have received the Divine Lord’s wish," Igula asked, "what wishes did they make?"

"I don’t know," Hanna shook her head, "That’s the second of the three great Gospel mysteries: why each Empress made it onto the list, and what ultimately, the Empresses wished for."

"What’s the third mystery?" Ash asked.

Hanna glanced at him, "Who the Empress’s man is... But we’re lucky, one of the answers is right in front of us."

Ash felt incredibly wronged—if the other rankings on the ’Happiness List’ were considered a playful jab at Ash, then being number 10 in a wedding and number 1 as the Empress was absolute nonsense!

He had never even met the Empress, how could the Gospel assume he would eventually dominate her?

What’s worse, the Empress didn’t even make an appearance on the Happiness List; he couldn’t even see what kind of new wife the Gospel had set up for him!

"Liss," Ash idly chatted with Liss out of boredom, "Do you think the Empress will be pretty?"

Liss blinked her eyes, "I think... it might be similar to when Liss grows up?"

At this moment, Harvey let out a burp and said in a leisurely manner, "So you mean, Hanna, you no longer have a chance to seize the Divine Lord’s wish?"

"It’s ’we’." Hanna emphasized the reference, then continued, "Theoretically, there’s no chance, but the Gospel invalidated other lists while also delivering a blade that could solve all problems into my hands."

Igula was taken aback, then immediately realized something and stood up abruptly, staring at Hanna, "That kind of unproven conjecture cannot become the main factor in decision-making!"

"But this is all we have left." Hanna met his eyes, "We’ve come this far with great difficulty; even if the flame is weak, I must fan it into a blaze."

Ash watched the two suddenly start arguing, somewhat perplexed.

Optimists, pessimists, me?

Ash: "Before you argue, can you switch to plain language? We don’t understand your meowing."

The Swindler glared at Purple Moth for a good while before slowly sitting down. His face was calm as a lake, but his heart was turbulent—despite acquiring the knowledge of the Dominion Faction, despite having experienced the Spiritual Sea of millions while with Belladett, he still couldn’t use the power of the Spirit Faction to reverse Hanna’s Slave Contract!

The Gospel accelerated the Weaving Festival, not only disrupting Hanna’s rhythm but also messing up Igula’s arrangement!

He had intended, before the final list was unveiled, to use the power of the Spirit Faction to forcibly terminate the contract. The debt contract with Yvalin was the homework and final exam that the Swindler had left for himself—if he could remove Yvalin’s debt, then Igula was confident that they could escape Hanna’s control!

But everything happened too fast.

Their peaceful days were also too short.

Purple Moth looked towards the Cult Leader, "Ash, although the Gospel invalidated the lists using you, it also granted you an unprecedented special privilege."

"You are recognized by the Gospel as the ’Disruptor of Fate’, and any impact caused by you is considered a ’reasonable small deviation within the bounds of fate’. On the lists, this means whoever you affect can still be listed; it’s just that her ranking will be invalidated."

"This was not the original intent of the Gospel, but rather a temporary new rule set up due to the accelerated Weaving. But as a new rule, it will continue to be followed, otherwise it would lead to contradictions between the current and future lists."

Ash also caught on: Since the Gospel used Ash to wipe the ’Happiness List’s’ butt, the Gospel had to acknowledge Ash as a piece of toilet paper that could erase the future.

What Hanna meant by ’Disruptor of Fate’—Ash had inadvertently obtained a Gospel-regional assassination license: he could kill (invalidate) the future of any Evangelist!

Ash glimpsed a thread of Spiritual Light, "Are you suggesting that I should..."

Hanna said, "If you kill a Resonator who hasn’t yet been listed, then the Gospel won’t go out of its way to modify the list, because ’your ability to destroy the future’ is a newly announced rule, and it will simply operate according to this logic, nullifying the ranking of the one killed."

"Ash, you are a blade gifted to us by the Gospel."

"If you can kill the number one on the ’Gospel List’ before anyone else, then the Weaving Festival will invalidate her ranking, and I could rightfully claim the highest succession!"

After a brief silence, Harvey suddenly laughed, "So, we’re finally going to kill someone? Who’s the target?"

Banjee looked worried, Igula’s brows were deeply furrowed, and Liss buried her head deep in Ash’s embrace.

"The future Empress Yisu." Hanna spoke, "The princess living in Nabistin in the Imperial City."

"It must be Ash who kills her to achieve the ultimate blasphemy against the Gospel."

"So now there are two pieces of news, good news is, you only have one last job left, and the bad news is, this task might become your last," Hanna said as he took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth, "Destination, Imperial City of Nabistin, mission details—"

"Assassinate the princess."