The Cursed Black Magic Book

Giantification. That was rather interesting.

Master's Giantification had piqued my curiosity considerably. If this potion could grant the same transformation — or if I could identify the Alchemist who brewed it — its value would more than cover the investment.

A Wish Orb is essential gear for any Ranker.

Moreover, a Wish Orb was something every Ranker needed at least one of. And this one bore the name Dragon God. Worn down as it was, so long as it could be properly recharged, it would prove useful in countless ways.

The Core of the Mad Claw Marks. A nucleus that specially evolves a Hydragon.

It was about time I looked after my mount as well. The Hydragon needed to grow stronger right alongside me if we were going to roam higher-level hunting grounds.

The Eldritch's Cursed Black Magic Book. In the end, Andrew's daughter Andasar needs this.

The reason Andrew had climbed the tower. Without him, the raid on Lord Solbaren would have been impossible — that much was certain. He had read the revelation, and thanks to that, the raid had succeeded. But I believed the true reason he had to ascend the tower lay with this Eldritch's Cursed Black Magic Book.

Andasar, Andrew's daughter, who had been turned into a Dullahan by the Death King, was currently in an extremely unstable state. To stabilize her, this black magic book would ultimately be necessary once more.

This time is different. She won't be seized by the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grimoire again.

So long as the infinitely reproducible Indulgences and the Star's Blessing I possessed remained, she would not be consumed by the black magic book and unleash indiscriminate slaughter the way she once had.

At any rate.

That settles the Golden Rule Shop. What's left is spending SP and the Achievement Shop.

The SP gained from clearing the first floor came to roughly seventy thousand. If I poured it all into talents, I could max out at least one of the newly awakened ones. The three thousand Achievement Points also had plenty of uses — raising the level of the Guardian Wall, among other things.

…Come to think of it, there was something I listed on the Secret Auction House too.

Ah. Things had been so frantic I'd completely forgotten. Before climbing the tower, I had put an Immortal Warp Stone up on the Secret Auction House — listed it to raise emergency funds for the city's stable finances.

"…?"

Wait. Five hundred million gold?

I tilted my head at a figure that far exceeded my expectations. I'd figured a hundred million gold at most.

No matter how rare it is, only one can be installed per city.

The Secret Auction House displayed every description and option of items put up for sale. Anyone who had read those would know it wasn't worth five hundred million gold. So who on earth had bought it?

Then another message appeared.

…The Aslan Merchant Guild.

One of the three great merchant houses of the continent. A colossal trading company that held the continent's economy in its grip, with military power that rivaled most kingdoms — a truly unstoppable force. And Aslan, of course, would be the name of its guildmaster.

He wants three more for two billion gold. In person.

That meant over five hundred million gold apiece. Two billion gold was enough to buy a prosperous city. It was more gold than I had spent at the Imperial Auction.

But his intentions were suspicious. The reason he insisted on meeting face to face.

…Aslan. A named NPC. He was definitely not a Player. He was a human who had lived in Pangenia for at least several centuries. Rumor had it he was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even connected to the founding of the Arhon Empire.

…Aslan is working with a Player.

Aslan himself was not a Player, yet the Secret Auction House could only be used by Players. In other words, Aslan was someone who knew how to use Players. He was secretly dealing with those branded as sinners and treated as taboo. He had likely mastered every privilege Players possessed.

A moment's deliberation. Then I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

Too soon.

The three great merchant houses were still too dangerous to touch. One of the Aslan Merchant Guild's monikers was "City Hunter." And if they knew how to handle Players on top of that, the risk only grew. Once Labyrinth City was more prosperous, perhaps — but making contact now could be dangerous in any number of ways.

Still… Aslan. Depending on how I used this, it could become a useful card down the line.

I slowly carried out the remaining work.

Hell Lord Isera was in the midst of preparing the Second Invasion alongside his demonkin. The warp for invading the other world was already complete. Determined never to commit the same blunders as that fool Ahram, he was checking and rechecking every detail.

"…What a curious human. For one of your caliber to bow his head to me."

At that moment, a human came seeking him out. A powerhouse — skilled enough that even Isera was impressed. But had there ever been such a man among the humans? Someone of this strength should have been a name Isera had at least heard of.

And he was no ordinary human. He was a man who had lived for at least several centuries. Yet this stranger, whom Isera had never heard of and never seen, had suddenly presented himself as a subordinate.

"Allow me to cross into the 'other world' with you. That 'Invasion Warp' should make it possible."

"And once you cross over? What do you intend to do?"

"Revenge."

"Revenge?"

"I will wipe out the sinners."

Isera bared his teeth in a grin.

"And if I make that possible, what will you offer me?"

"Everything!"

"Even your soul?"

"My soul — and more besides."

"Then you'd best start by fixing that tone of yours."

The man dropped to his knees.

"I, Union — first Court Mage of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Arhon Empire, once called the Mage of the Golden Rule — offer everything to Hell Lord Isera. Please, grant me the means to carry out my revenge."

"Dad?"

"…I cannot accept this."

Andrew recoiled in horror, waving his hands. He had recognized the object I held out in an instant. The Eldritch's Black Magic Book — the very thing that had once turned his daughter Andasar into an Eldritch.

I purified her myself, back when I was playing as Wilhelm.

In the days when I still thought of Pangenia as nothing more than a game, Andrew had been an excellent NPC who handed out Honor Work Quests. If you completed his quests endlessly and maxed out his affection, he would give you a hidden quest for Eldritch Purification — and that Eldritch turned out to be his own daughter, Andasar.

The daughter of a regular priest of the Goddess Sect, a Lich. Discovery would have meant immediate excommunication — a catastrophe of the highest order. So Andrew had needed an honorable person who would keep his secret. Someone who understood honor. A mission that only those who had completed every honor-related quest could reach.

But after the purification, Andasar never returned to Andrew's arms.

The purified Andasar had gone to Kramdel. Even cleansed, she remained undead. In the end, she was discovered by the Death King and turned into a Dullahan. Time passed, and in Kramdel I sealed Ahram, the King of the Dead, within the Gingoa — and succeeded in placing the Dullahan Andasar back into Andrew's embrace.

"Andrew. I know Andasar's condition is extremely unstable. The reason you climbed the tower was to obtain this, wasn't it?"

"…"

The problem was Andasar's state. Perhaps something had gone wrong with the Death King. Her energy was rapidly weakening. At this rate, she might lose what little remaining reason she had and devolve into an ordinary undead monster.

There was only one method left.

Andrew asked with a grave expression.

"Is this… truly the right way, Successor?"

"She's been through it once already, so she should have some resistance. She won't be easily consumed by the black magic book."

"Even if it succeeds… won't she just become an Eldritch again?"

"Andrew. …An Eldritch is better than a Dullahan."

It was sincere advice. A headless Dullahan — with body and head operating separately, her intelligence was low. If she became an Eldritch instead, her heightened intellect would give her a strong chance of recovering all her lost memories. Even if not, at least normal conversation would be possible. So long as she wasn't consumed by the black magic book the way she had been before.

"More than anything, you and I are both here. We can prepare for any unforeseen circumstance."

"I-I don't know. Whether this is truly for my daughter's sake."

"…This is not for your daughter's sake. This is solely for yourself, Andrew."

But some things needed to be stated clearly. I looked once more into Andrew's trembling eyes and spoke.

"Your daughter has become undead. She has lost her life. She is dead. The one who cannot accept that and keeps dragging this out is you — your will, your greed, your reckless pride."

The human Andasar was already dead. Wanting to keep her by his side without accepting that fact was purely Andrew's desire. And so I asked.

"Andrew. Why can't you let go of this attachment?"

"…Th-that's…"

Andrew's face showed a flicker of fluster. Of course — this was likely the first time anyone had ever asked him such a question. He had gone to great lengths to hide that his daughter had become undead. Even here in the Knight's Garden, only a bare handful of people, myself included, knew of Andasar's existence. Naturally he would cling to his dead daughter — but I wanted to know the real reason he still could not release the undead girl.

After a stretch of silence, Andrew bit down hard on his lip.

"There is something I absolutely must tell her… something about her mother. I couldn't send her away without delivering that — not while she still couldn't properly remember."

Ah. So there had been another reason after all. But Andasar had currently lost her memories. Telling her now would be meaningless, so he had kept her close until those memories returned.

I listened carefully as Andrew slowly began his story.

"Andasar's birth mother is not human. …She is an Elf."

"And you are the birth father?"

"Yes, that is correct."

"Then… a half-Elf?"

She had looked every bit a human. I was briefly taken aback myself. The Elves who dwelled in the Primeval Forest lived in extreme isolation from the outside world. They treated the mixing of Elf blood with other races as taboo — so where and how had he met her and fathered Andasar?

A rogue priest who broke every taboo there was.

…Andrew. A regular priest of the Goddess Sect, and a high-ranking one at that. For someone who had risen to a position said to be attainable only by the pure and deeply faithful, he had broken far too many taboos. And now he could infinitely reproduce Indulgences on top of it all. If the main temple of the Goddess Sect ever found out, heads would roll.

Andrew let out a small sigh.

"The child believed her birth mother was dead. Even though she was very much alive, I lied to her."

"Do you regret it?"

"Yes. Andasar… kept asking about her birth mother. But I couldn't tell her. She had returned to the Primeval Forest."

He had been unable to reveal the truth. Saying she was dead had been the only option. How could one ever meet again an Elf who had returned to the Primeval Forest? That place would never accept a half-Elf mixed with human blood.

"I wanted to tell ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her that truth once her memories returned. But the situation…"

"…The one who turned Andasar into a Dullahan is in an uncertain state. Without a proper supply of mana, she's become unstable."

"You mean the Death King of Kramdel?"

I had already told him this when I brought Andasar back. I nodded.

"He's either dead, or facing a situation no different from death."

"Someone of the Death King's caliber…"

"Which is why the only thing that can improve Andasar's condition right now is the Eldritch's Black Magic Book. There is no other choice."

"…Even so, how could I possibly accept it?"

"Andrew. Without you, we never would have cleared the tower in the first place. And besides."

I smiled faintly. Binding Andrew with chains was no loss to me at all. And it wasn't just Andrew.

"Andasar will make an excellent guardian for Labyrinth City."

"…Pardon?"

"Do you really think you can hide an Eldritch here without anyone finding out?"

"Well…"

"Besides, this city is already connected by warp, so you can visit whenever you like. Even by my reckoning, there's no better option."

"That is… what?"

Preparations were complete. All that remained was bracing for any unforeseen contingency.

Aaaaaaah!

The moment I placed the black magic book in the hands of the quietly dying Andasar, the same consumption as before took hold. The grimoire opened, and the countless characters inscribed upon its pages began to be sucked into her.

Under normal circumstances, she would have been unable to resist and would have been completely consumed by the black magic book. However—

Indulgences erase bad karma. The Eldritch's Black Magic Book was a tome that forcibly inflated the bad karma of its victim into a Chaos state before stripping away their reason. Even that could not withstand Priest Andrew's infinite reproduction of Indulgences.

But erasing bad karma with Indulgences alone was not enough.

The Star's Blessing!