The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 233: Shut Up!

Lys could vaguely sense Iger's intentions.

It reminded her of the picture book she had once read, The Orc Slave and the Elf Queen. The orc slave had discovered the elf queen's secret but didn't report her to the emperor. Instead, he used it to blackmail the proud, beautiful, godlike queen, forcing her to submit. She shed her regal robes and became an iron-fisted empress who executed traitorous ministers, overhauled the princes, reformed governance, and freed the slaves. The story proved a simple truth, which was that holding someone's leverage could make them do the most outrageous things.

If Lys had Iger's leverage, she wouldn't expose him either. At this stage of their enterprise, aside from Lys as leader and Ashe as her caretaker, she had no other subordinates. She needed someone indispensable like Iger to fill the gaps in diplomacy, finance, and military affairs.

From Iger's perspective, Lys might not be particularly talented, but she was bound to Ashe. And while Ashe himself wasn't exceptional, together they represented half of the Blasphemous Squad. If Iger could control Lys, Ashe would naturally fall into his grasp as well. Persuade Harvey, and the small squad would be fully united, able either to confront Annan head-on or make a strategic retreat. Iger's plan fit perfectly with Lys's own thinking.

After the last question, Lys realized she couldn't monopolize Ashe's loyalty. Despite not being particularly useful, a naïve follower like him was still worth keeping as a backup. Since she couldn't form a reliable father-daughter alliance with Ashe, she settled for a secondary one.

She even found it convenient that Iger had discovered her secret. It spared her the trouble of persuading him. Had the Little Witch called Iger Mom back then, this day might have come sooner.

Of course, Lys wasn't about to give in easily. "State your terms, Mr. Perskin. But don't overreach. This secret is important to me, but its actual value isn't as high as you might think. Annan won't give up on Ashe, and neither will Ashe give up on me. She won't throw Daddy and me out just because I'm in a bad mood."

"You called him by name just a moment ago, and now you're calling him daddy? Do you, or rather all of you, really think familial ties are the easiest way to bind Ashe?"

Lys paused, then shook her head. "No. Mr. Perskin, you've misunderstood. We rarely interfere with Lys's choices and never force her to act on behalf of her sisters. At least when she chooses to act cute toward Ashe, we don't give her instructions. The Lys you normally see is a six- or seven-year-old girl, unfamiliar with the world. She may be mischievous, but she isn't like us."

Lys said sincerely, "Mr. Perskin, you may dislike her, but don't hate her because of us. This is a request from a sister."

Iger was silent for a moment. "Even if you say that, it won't change anything. You should understand that we come from a strange country where everyone is an orphan. Family ties were severed at birth, so I can't comprehend a request that relies on such bonds."

Lys tested him. "But?"

Iger said darkly, "There's no but. I want control over you and Ashe."

"That's impossible!"

"You have no leverage beyond yourself and Ashe. If you refuse, I'll have no choice but to tell the others about your midnight mirror rituals."

Lys said firmly, "I will never give up my control. I barely escaped Annan's direct control and established a deterrent with Ashe to maintain my autonomy. I won't yield on that. At most, I can grant you partial control over Ashe."

Iger looked troubled. "Even without you, I could win him over myself. Fine, then give me full control over Ashe."

Lys shook her head. "That's also unlikely. I have control over Ashe, but he also has control over me. During these 101 days, I must maintain that balance, or I'll truly become his obedient girl. I can grant you control over Ashe only after these 101 days."

Iger said disdainfully, "After 101 days, the Woven Festival will be over. What use will Ashe be then? Feeding him will feel like a waste. His value exists only within these 101 days. How about this? We share control over him evenly and jointly manage his loyalty. How does that sound?"

Lys was quick to respond. "Then if my orders conflict with yours, who does Ashe listen to?"

"Obviously me!"

"That's not possible!"

After a tense and exhilarating round of negotiations, the terms were finally settled. After 101 days, full control over Ashe would belong to Iger. During those 101 days, Iger would have one instance of Ashe's absolute command authority, meaning that if his orders ever conflicted with Lys's, Ashe would be required to follow Iger's instructions first.

Even if it was just for once, Lys had been reluctant to give up that authority. She would have preferred to share control over Ashe throughout the period, but Iger held firm. It was clearly his bottom line. Refusing might have derailed the negotiation, and with Iger holding the upper hand, Lys ultimately yielded.

"But do you know how to transfer contract rights? I'm not one for ritualistic methods," she asked, deliberately raising the question only after the negotiation concluded. Had she mentioned it earlier, Iger would have realized he couldn't extract any leverage from her, and the deal might have collapsed entirely.

Now, both sides had confirmed each other's capacity to cooperate. With the agreed terms in place, Iger had a sunk cost that made walking away less appealing. He smiled faintly and took out two sheets of paper seemingly from nowhere.

"For a fraudster, manipulating contracts is like playing with clay for a child. It's our basic instincts[1]," he said.

Of course, it wasn't that simple. If signing a contract was basic arithmetic, transferring contract rights was closer to calculus.

The contract itself was straightforward. Iger promised never to reveal Lys's secret and to protect her sisters from Annan and the others. In return, Lys granted him control over Ashe's life after the 101 days, along with one instance of absolute command authority during the next three months.

Once the light faded and the contract took effect, Lys remarked, "The person you wanted all along wasn't me. It was Ashe."

Iger admitted with a nod. "Exactly. I knew you wouldn't relinquish your own authority. My only hope was to take as much of Ashe's as I could. But for only such a small portion in exchange for your secret, I realize I might have made the worst deal of my life."

"Is that the excuse you prepared for yourself, Mr. Perskin?" Lys asked. She studied him thoughtfully. "The younger me was extremely vocal just now. She didn't want me to sell future Ashe to someone like you, fearing misfortune might befall him. But since I led the negotiation, I overruled her."

Iger snorted. "Excuse? Oh? So there's a rift between you sisters? As a Mind Class sorcerer, I'd be happy to help."

Lys replied calmly, "There isn't. I made it clear that selling Ashe to you carried absolutely no risk, in any sense."

Iger didn't quite get what she meant.

Lys went on, "Recently, I acquired a skill called Love Hunting. It allows me to detect subtle traces of affection hidden in the smallest details.

"When I observed Annan and Pankey, I realized that Annan's feelings for Pankey went beyond mere familial care."

"How could you tell?" Iger asked.

"It might seem like Annan is always ordering Pankey around, but whenever Pankey tried to get close, she would hesitate or tense up. That inner conflict gave her away. Her restraints clashed with her genuine emotions, twisting her heart into knots."

Iger recalled Annan's interactions with Pankey and nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed, there's a hint there."

Lys continued, "Then I observed Mr. Harvey and realized he had once loved deeply, and that person has since died."

"Again, how could you tell?"

"He often drifts into thought. While that could be a side effect of Catnip smoke, his gaze carries warmth, his fingers tremble, and he repeatedly opens the Book of Gospel to revisit old memories. Grief weighs on him like a stone, drowning him in a sea of recollection."

Iger nodded. "That's true. He did join us after learning of his lover's death."

"And then I noticed—"

Before Lys could finish, Iger cut her off. He cranked the record player to maximum volume. "Enough. Shut up."

1. Deadpool reference. ☜