CHAPTER 126………………………………………
We returned at dawn, utterly exhausted, and collapsed into sleep.
It wasn’t until late morning that we could finally examine the forbidden book.
“The title… isn’t here?”
The gold-covered tome, larger than Piace’s body, had no title written on it.
- “Are you sure we brought the right one?”
- “Gnome, what did you say? There was only one book with a gold cover?”
- “Ugh, frustrating! Who says the title has to be on the cover? Flip it over!”
I hurriedly turned the cover—and froze.
The title was written inside, as if drawn in blood.
⟪ɄѮ֍Խ՞ჄȰ⟫
For a moment, no one spoke. The only sound was Salamander swearing in the quiet bedroom.
- “Damn it…”
I felt the same. After all that effort—barely managing to “borrow” it—we finally had it, only to discover…
“It’s in the language of demons!”
- “Ugh, what is this! Quickly close it!”
- “We carried something like this all this way… Undine, give me some water. I want to wash my hands.”
- “Gnome, close your eyes! You’re not supposed to see this!”
- “…”
Even putting aside that it was a book written by demons, not being able to read it felt maddening.
Unable to let go, I flipped through it—but couldn’t understand a single character.
“They didn’t even include a translation…”
If I had known, I wouldn’t have tried to bring it at all. What a waste of time.
“…No.”
I couldn’t give up. There had to be a way to read it.
“Yes… there is a way.”
- “Rian, everything’s fine, but… ugh, could you put that grotesque thing away? I’m a bit sensitive, you know?”
- “Rian, what way are you talking about?”
“Summon a demon!”
- “…Huh? Summon… what?”
“The demon contracted to Adrian! Then we can read the book! Isn’t that brilliant?”
The spirits stared at me blankly.
“Why are you all like that? Surprised at my clever idea?”
They exchanged glances, then awkwardly started laughing.
- “Uh, well… it is clever. But maybe we should consider another method?”
- “It’s not that Rian’s idea is wrong, but… we don’t know what kind of demon might appear. Something safe would be better.”
“You worried it’s dangerous? Even if a demon kills other humans, it can’t touch its contractor. I’ll summon it briefly and send it back immediately.”
- “No! Absolutely not! You cannot!”
- “We’d rather rob the king’s warehouse ourselves!”
- “Do you think summoning a demon is a joke? One misstep and you’re done!”
- (shakes head, shakes head)
Even Gnome grabbed my finger and shook his head.
It seemed simple and safe to me—why were they reacting so violently?
It wasn’t just that they disliked demons. They acted as if summoning a demon would destroy the world. I was dumbfounded.
“Wait… is there some specific reason I can’t summon a demon?”
- “N-no!”
- “Of course not!”
- “Are you being paranoid?”
“Something’s off…”
- “Rian, we’re not opposing this for no reason. Have you ever seen a demon grant wishes for free?”
- “They’ll demand a huge price. Maybe even your life.”
- “So stop thinking foolishly… Huh? Gnome, what’s that? You’re asking when the contractor learned demon summoning?”
The spirits stared at me, dumbfounded.
“Ah… I didn’t think that far.”
Of course, I couldn’t perform demon summoning—I didn’t know the demon language. Adrian, the dark sorcerer, was the one with that skill, not me.
Finally, the spirits collapsed onto the bed, gasping.
- “Phew! We’re alive…”
- “I almost died ten times over.”
Why were they so dramatic today?
I tilted my head, then wrote a short letter.
After finishing, I pulled the cord, and the butler immediately entered.
“Did you call, Master?”
“Deliver this to Professor Ivela Loren. She should be at the Academy.”
“Understood.”
After the butler left with the letter, the spirits cautiously reappeared.
- “Ivela… isn’t she the human Rusphel has a crush on?”
- “Ah! Ivela knows the demon language! She’s a dark sorcerer!”
“Exactly.”
- “Then why didn’t we summon her from the start? Who’s being tricked here?”
“No one can know that I possess a forbidden book. If there had been another way, I wouldn’t have called her.”
I thought merely obtaining the book was enough—but the situation was escalating.
‘Why do I feel so uneasy…’
Of course, Ivela wouldn’t betray me. It wasn’t about trust; I knew her secret.
The concern was the Doomscribbler.
When I planned the heist with the spirits to steal the forbidden book from the temple, the Doomscribbler had only watched silently.
‘At that time, before the Raven Cycle, he could have interfered… so why did he do nothing?’
I glared at the gold-covered book, shining like a demon’s treasure.
No matter what, I would find a way to fix my heart.
That evening.
After dinner, I was reading papers in the study when an unexpected visitor arrived.
“Master, a guest has come to see you.”
“Who?”
Before the butler could answer, someone peeked out from behind him.
“Duke, I’m here!”
“…Ivela? I didn’t expect you to come today.”
“Hehe, if the Duke needs help, of course I’d come quickly!”
“Sit for now.”
Ivela hurried over and plopped down in front of me.
“Have you eaten?”
“At the Academy!”
“Do you like dessert?”
“I love sweet things!”
Our butler prepared tea and dessert. The desserts were sweeter than usual, perhaps to suit Ivela’s taste.
“I’ve never had anything this delicious! Can I eat it all?”
“It’s for you to eat.”
“Wow, I’m so excited! By the way, Duke, did you hear the rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“They say there was a thief in the temple last night! Why would anyone steal from the temple… such a strange thief.”
“…Cough.”
“Duke? Are you okay?”
“Choked on my drink. Hmm… so what was stolen?”
“I didn’t hear that part. Maybe it was offerings from the faithful?”
[Hmm? They only mentioned a thief in the temple. Why?]
[Perhaps it’s a secret that a forbidden book is stored there.]
[Of course. A book written by demons must be secret. Right, Gnome?]
[(nod)]
“Before I tell you why I called you, promise me something.”
“Yes! I promise!”
“…You’ll promise without hearing what it is? How do you know what I’ll ask?”
Ivela smiled and set down her teacup.
“Do you know how happy it is to live without debt collectors? I’m not afraid of them showing up anymore. I can wash up at home and sleep soundly. It’s all thanks to you, Duke.”
Thanks to Ivela, the second prince was eliminated from the crown prince competition, and noble support leaned heavily toward Leonhart.
Although the first prince’s faction still resisted, the trend favored Leonhart.
I repaid Ivela’s debts, though in truth, the reward she received was small compared to what I gained. A few coins for an immeasurable benefit.
“Compared to what I gained from that incident, your reward was small.”
“So you also sent a doctor?”
“….”
I had secretly instructed a new personal doctor to treat Ivela’s mother if possible.
But my involvement remained secret. Later, Rusphel would pretend he had done it quietly.
“I know nothing about it.”
“The doctor said the same. ‘Duke Ibrante did not give these instructions.’”
That man… too upright! I should have known the moment he said he didn’t know!
“I will always be on your side. I’ve vowed to repay you my whole life.”
“One lifetime is enough. Just this once—what you see now, tell no one.”
“Of course. Trust me only!”
I took the gold-covered book from the drawer.
“What’s this?”
I handed it over silently. Ivela tilted her head and flipped through the pages.
Her eyes widened.
Slap!
She quickly closed the book, swallowing nervously, and whispered in the smallest voice possible.
“This… this is in the demon language!”
“There’s only the two of us here. You can speak freely.”
“All books written by demons were burned five years ago… how did you get this…? Huh, no way…”
Realizing something, Ivela covered her mouth.
“The item they said was stolen from the temple… this was it?”
“Now you see why it must be kept secret.”
“Of course! Even possessing a demon-written book is dangerous!”
“I have a problem. To fix it, I need to understand the book. Can you translate it?”
“I haven’t mastered the demon language completely, so it won’t be easy… but I’ll do my best.”
“Please.”
“Yes!”
She answered firmly and turned the cover.
⟪ɄѮ֍Խ՞ჄȰ⟫
“Eh?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Duke, why do you need this? This is a forbidden book.”
“I don’t understand. It’s written by demons, so it’s forbidden, obviously.”
“That’s not the point. The content itself is a forbidden dark technique!”
“How can you tell just by the title?”
“The title…”
Ivela’s voice trembled as she continued.
“It’s… ‘Soul Transfer Technique.’”
