Pagie believed she had uncovered a scandalous secret: Slowe Lampes had hidden an illegitimate daughter in his house.
She had always thought that, despite Slowe's notorious reputation, his private life must be relatively clean. She was wrong. The great Slowe Lampes, who had deceived countless hearts by posing as a golden bachelor, secretly had a daughter! A teenage daughter! Pagie's worldview was shattered. Her mother was right—men couldn't be trusted.
But his daughter was an absolute angel.
Standing at the door, Pagie stole a glance at Ernier lying on the bed reading. The young girl wore one of Slowe's oversized shirts, her chestnut hair still damp, and half her body wrapped in white cotton blankets like a wounded little animal. The bedside lamp cast a warm glow on her face, softening her delicate features. She looked so focused on her book that Pagie almost saw a faint halo around her.
An angel indeed.
Pagie sighed inwardly. If she could have a daughter like that in the future, perhaps even marrying someone as unfaithful as Slowe Lampes might be worth considering.
Glancing at the clock, Pagie spoke gently, "Miss Ernier, it's time for you to sleep."
Hearing the name "Ernier" made Amora cringe inwardly. She closed her book and replied, "Thank you. It's late; you should rest as well."
Pagie quickly shook her head. "Oh no, I must stay and keep you company until Lord Lampes returns."
Though Pagie had only recently joined the Nightmare Corps, she knew this was a rare opportunity. Being asked to assist Slowe Lampes, the Corps' Chief Strategist, could pave her way to success. Even if there was no payment and it intruded on her personal time, she had eagerly accepted.
Her parents were ordinary merchants, and she had always relied on extra effort to seize opportunities. Women had an advantage in the Nightmare Corps, where mental strength determined power, and Pagie had fought hard to join.
Her mission was clear: care for Amora and impress Slowe.
"Professor Slowe might not return tonight. Would you like to rest in the guest room?" Amora said, remembering that Slowe had left to handle matters at the duke's estate.
Hearing "Professor Slowe" made Pagie sigh inwardly. Slowe Lampes was clearly a scoundrel. She replied warmly, "Oh no, I don't need that. I can stay by your door and keep watch."
Staying awake wasn't an issue—most magisters she knew were accustomed to long work hours.
"There's a sofa, or…" Amora hesitated but offered politely, "Would you like to sleep with me?"
Pagie flushed, clearly unaccustomed to such closeness. "Oh no, that's not necessary! I can read by the door to pass the time…"
"That's perfect! I wanted to read, too. We can stay in the study," Amora replied brightly.
Pagie was taken aback. "Wait, no! That's not what I meant!"
"Can you help me into my wheelchair?" Amora ignored her protests.
Though both Slowe and Pagie had treated her injuries, Amora's fractures and internal wounds still limited her movement. She needed time to heal naturally, as no magical formula could surpass the effects of natural recovery.
Pagie sighed and used a flawless anti-gravity spell to help Amora into her wheelchair, a spell so textbook-perfect it felt almost mechanical.
"Where's Professor Lampes' study?" Pagie asked reluctantly. She knew she shouldn't indulge Ernier's request, but how could she say no to such an angelic child?
Adjusting her position in the wheelchair, Amora replied, "On this floor. It's on the other side of the living room. I'll guide you."
Pagie couldn't help but admire, "You're so studious, Miss Ernier."
When Pagie first arrived, Miss Ernier was reading. After bathing and changing into fresh clothes, she went back to reading. Now, she even wanted to spend the night in the study reading. Pagie considered herself hardworking, but during her school years, she had never been this devoted to books except during final exams. However, Slowe Lampes was renowned for his diligence. Reaching the pinnacle of one of the six great magical corps at his age required not just talent but also relentless effort and rare opportunities.
Though they didn't resemble each other physically, Pagie couldn't help but think that Ernier must have inherited Slowe's work ethic.
Pagie wheeled Amora to the study door, which wasn't locked. Amora reached out, turned the handle, and wheeled herself inside. The room looked exactly as it had before Slowe left, suggesting he didn't mind her exploring it.
"Could you pass me that book?" Amora asked, rolling herself to the desk and pointing at a heavy tome on the top shelf of the left-hand bookcase. "The one with the black cover, gold edges, and a reversed cross on the spine."
Amora had noticed the book the first time she entered the study. Unlike the other books, its spine bore no title, and the reversed cross was striking. She remembered seeing a similar symbol flash briefly in the magical circle beneath Slowe's feet when he used his spell to dispose of a body. That circle had an aura that wasn't just unsettling but verged on outright malevolence—magic Amora hadn't encountered before.
"The black-and-gold one?" Pagie asked, standing on tiptoes to get a better look.
Indeed, there was a book matching that description, but Pagie saw no reversed cross on the spine.
Unaware of the discrepancy between what Pagie and she saw, Amora nodded. "Yes, that's the one."
Pagie used a levitation spell to retrieve the book and handed it to Amora, who was surprised to find it completely free of dust. Clearly, it was frequently used. She studied the intricate reversed cross on the spine, which was composed of densely packed magical symbols that formed a harmonious design. Although it appeared to be a simple reversed cross at first glance, closer inspection revealed a wealth of subtle, ingenious configurations.
Amora opened the book to find blank pages. The yellowing paper suggested it was quite old, yet every page was devoid of text.
"Is this Slowe's notebook?" Pagie speculated. Books without titles were rare, so this could simply be a particularly ornate blank journal.
Amora hesitated. She wanted to use God's Domain to probe the book for hidden content but hesitated, recalling Slowe's "Candlelight Radiance" spell. If the book indeed concealed something, attempting to uncover it might alert him. The cold efficiency with which he killed left her unwilling to take the risk. Smiling politely, she handed the book back to Pagie.
She even refrained from having God's Domain record the reversed cross, aware of the existence of anti-surveillance spells.
"Oh, it does seem like a notebook." Pagie turned the book over to show its back cover. "Look, this is his handwriting, but I'm not familiar with ancient magical languages. I studied modern systems."
That wasn't a problem for Amora, who was well-versed in ancient languages.
The back cover bore a single line of embossed text in gold, blending seamlessly with the decorative border. Strangely, Amora hadn't noticed it earlier. She pieced together the characters, realizing they belonged to an archaic magical script akin to those found in The Sacred Codex.
As she prepared to translate the line, God's Domain unexpectedly whispered to her:
"God loves all beings more than Herself. Tragically, they feel the same."
Amora froze at the revelation. The automatic reaction of God's Domain to the text was deeply unsettling, and her suspicions about Slowe intensified. She had read enough to know that the magisters of the Orlan Sacred Empire largely adhered to the Divine Source system, which linked magic to divine power. Systems like Root and Mind Source, by contrast, rarely involved religious faith.
Slowe and Menger, however, seemed to be exceptions.
Amora now wondered if Slowe and Menger weren't just colleagues in the Nightmare Corps but also members of some religious order.
"Do you know anything about a Decaying Stone Ghoul?" Amora decided to seek answers the old-fashioned way. She began mentally reconstructing the magical symbols from the reversed cross while hoping Pagie could offer some insight.
Pagie blinked. "A Decaying Stone Ghoul? Is that an organism?"
"No, it's a type of Construct Spirit," Amora replied, lowering her hand after remembering she lacked a spellcasting permit. Instead, she described it carefully: "It accelerates oxidation and decomposes matter. When manifested, it stands about two meters tall—or two-point-eight if fully upright. It has a long tongue that drags on the ground, stone-like skin, short, thick arms, and sharp claws."
Pagie furrowed her brow, pondering. Eventually, she offered, "Miss Ernier, there are countless new magical constructs created every year. Remembering all of them is impossible. But your description reminds me of something…"
"Please, tell me," Amora said eagerly.
"Stone-Reaver Wights," Pagie said with a shrug. "Dark creatures, like Cerberus, that only exist in religious myths."