“I’m, I’m sorry to suddenly bother you while you’re so busy… I have a confidential matter to discuss.”
Carol, who had been shown into the guest room, looked around nervously, fidgeting with embarrassment.
She was also sweating coldly.
Jill sensed that it wasn’t just because of the heat.
“I don’t mind, but what’s the matter? You look pale as well…”
“I wanted you to take a look at this.”
Carol took a book out of her bag and handed it to Jill.
It was a thin book despite its heavy appearance, with a black leather cover.
There was no title or anything written on it.
Jill flipped through the pages, skimming through the contents.
Each page had illustrations accompanied by text.
“A… comical book? No, wait, it’s something different.”
The contents were reminiscent of a children’s picture book. The story depicted a man who made a deal with a “devil” possessing useful abilities, only to fail miserably due to his own greed—an instructive tale, told through illustrations and humorous writing.
If read without any prior knowledge, one would laugh and move on. However, a chill ran down Jill’s spine as she had a sudden premonition.
“Carol, where did you find this?”
“You know the box where the ‘devil’ kept the tea set, right? I thought the bottom was unusually thick, so I checked and it turned out to have a false bottom. When I opened it, this book was inside.”
“I see…”
“Um, Jill… doesn’t the devil in this story look familiar?”
“Yes, it does.”
The “devil” in the story had a body that was like mist, or sometimes took the form of objects like jewels or a staff. It was certainly not a demon or monster.
Moreover, it had an overly strict and literal nature.
“I’ll read a bit… The man ordered the devil to go shopping. ‘Go buy some milk. If there are eggs, buy three.’ Since there were eggs, the devil bought three milk bottles. The man got angry. ‘Why did you only buy milk?!’ But the devil retorted, ‘Because there were eggs.'”
Carol, not fully understanding, tilted her head in confusion.
“What does it mean…?”
Jill was briefly confused as well, but after re-reading the sentence, she began to understand.
“…It goes like this. The man first gave the command, ‘Buy some milk,’ but he never actually said ‘buy eggs,’ strictly speaking. To make the devil buy eggs, he would need to give an additional command like, ‘If there are eggs, buy three eggs.'”
“Oh… So that’s what it meant…”
“Exactly…”
“It’s almost as if this is teaching us, in a simple way, what the nature of a ‘devil’ is, isn’t it?”
“Or rather…”
Carol and Jill murmured simultaneously.
“‘It’s the devil’s textbook.'”
A heavy silence fell over the reception room.
On Argenes Island, a book filled with secret magic commands could fetch an astronomical price. Far more than a mere walnut counter table. It wouldn’t be surprising if it were valued high enough to build a noble’s mansion.
But that only applies if it is traded through legitimate means.
How can they be sure someone wouldn’t try to seize it quickly and forcefully?
“Um, Carol, do you know much about mythology or the history of wizards?”
“N-not really… But I have a sense that this is something pretty dangerous.”
“Your instincts aren’t far off… But it’s not as dangerous as it seems.”
“R-really? Is it really okay?”
“To explain it roughly, magic as we know it hasn’t developed in over 200 years. It’s essentially the leftovers from the Ancient Kingdom.”
“H-huh…”
First, there was an era of gods in this world.
It’s said that when the universe was born, gods were born too, wielding power so great that they could travel freely between stars and even create stars themselves.
The descendants of these gods descended upon the land of Argenes and formed a kingdom. That kingdom was called the Kingdom of Argenes. While they didn’t possess the power of the original gods, there was still a vast difference between them and the humans of today.
After a long period of peace, the Kingdom of Argenes eventually lost the knowledge and skills to travel between the stars and even forgot their divine lineage. Political and familial conflicts began to intensify, leading to the kingdom’s division into many smaller states, ushering in an era of war.
That was 500 years ago, and the Kingdom of Argenes has long since vanished. It is now referred to as the ‘Ancient Kingdom.’
“The biggest war during the Warring States period… the Ancient War, lasted over a century. To make matters worse, internal strife also broke out on the eastern continent, merging the island wars with the continental wars. Eventually, this culminated in a massive war that engulfed all the nations. It’s said that almost everything was destroyed—peoples, cultures, and much of civilization were lost. The population dwindled to one-hundredth… or perhaps even less. Forests and rivers also diminished, leaving wastelands in their place, and monsters began to roam freely.”
“Oh, I kind of know about that part. I learned it in history.”
“And the surviving people used what little knowledge and magic remained to cultivate the land again and build nations. But they went through cycles of war and peace, which led us to the present era… the Age of Stellar Spirits. The Kingdom of Dailan was established around two hundred years ago. Now, let’s get to the main point.”
“Yes.”
Carol nodded seriously, her expression intent.
“At present, magic involving the four great elements—earth, water, fire, and wind—and the techniques to imbue them into magical tools are systematized. However, other types of magic are fragmented, and many have been lost. Therefore, wizards who wield unique magic often pass down their knowledge orally or through special means to prevent it from being stolen or exploited. If such knowledge leaks out carelessly, it can be extremely dangerous.”
“So, so that means this book too…!”
Carol turned pale and started trembling.
But Jill gave a wry smile and gently reassured her, “Now, now, calm down.”
“This book doesn’t contain anything that deep. It only explains what a ‘devil’ is through a picture story. There aren’t any specific techniques or spells written in it.”
“Huh? Really?”
“This is just speculation, but… I think your ancestors passed down the important parts orally and wrote this book as supplementary material, maybe to convey the right mindset. You can’t create or command devils just by reading this book.”
“Oh, I see! Whew, that’s a relief! So, there’s no danger of me being targeted just because I have this, right?”
“Well, even though it doesn’t contain the crucial details, the knowledge and lessons it offers are valuable enough to be considered dangerous.”
“…Right, of course.”
Carol clutched her head in distress. Jill, despite herself, deeply sympathized with her. Even setting aside any self-deprecating thoughts, it was clear that this girl had terribly bad luck.
And from what Jill could gather, the Andromalius family—Carol’s relatives—seemed to be offloading all their troublesome matters onto Carol. If they let her know about a dangerous but valuable item, it could easily lead to even more complications.
If Carol had learned the owner’s magic—like the creation and control of devils—she might have had some means to protect herself. But all she had left was a didactic picture book and a building. It seemed incredibly cruel to Jill that someone with no magic background like Carol was told, “Guard this book as your ancestral legacy.”
“Carol, have you told anyone else about this?”
“No, no one. I came straight here after finding it, so you’re the only one I’ve shown.”
“That’s the right choice… Do you have any thoughts about selling it at an auction or anything like that?”
“My life is more important than money.”
Jill almost chuckled at Carol’s frank response.
But for Carol, this was a deadly serious consultation, without a trace of humor.
Jill quickly composed herself, her expression turning serious.
“Understood. In that case, would you like me to hold onto it for you?”
“Are you sure!? Oh, I mean, I was kind of hoping you would, but… I’m so sorry for making you offer!”
“No need to apologize. It’s a field I’m quite interested in, and I’m happy to read such a rare book. Besides, this mansion has top-notch security against thieves.”
“Thank you so much…!”
Carol, shaking like a newborn fawn, trembled as she handed over the book.
Once Jill took the book, Carol’s expression finally relaxed in relief.
◆
With Jill having taken the book, Carol, who had been in a panic earlier, quickly regained her energy. Jill found her sudden change a bit amusing, but considering how misfortune had followed Carol around, it was understandable that she would feel relieved now that things had settled.
“Alright, let’s read a bit before bed.”
Maureen and the others had already left, and the sun had set, leaving the moon to brightly illuminate the forest and mansion.
Jill, before crawling into bed, opened the book Carol had entrusted to her.
Normally, Jill’s nightly routine involved diving into various interesting books from the *Book of Acacia*, but tonight, her curiosity was piqued by this rare family heirloom, which passed down secret knowledge.
Especially since Jill had once failed in the art of devil creation and control. She wondered if the book might contain some interesting new insights and eagerly turned the pages.
“Hmm… it’s interesting as a story, but…”
As she read, it became clear that the book mostly contained conceptual ideas and moral lessons. The protagonist repeatedly made mistakes by misusing a devil he thought was a “convenient servant who could grant wishes.” Sometimes, his failures were due to greed, while other times, unexpected acts of generosity brought him great fortune in return.
The only particularly intriguing detail was the mention of “Gateau Magic.”
The story described how a man thought to use a devil to help him bake sweets, but his greed led him to rely on the devil for everything, resulting in failure.
“I see… the former owner must have drawn the recipe from here.”
Jill carefully searched the book for any hidden information or secret techniques.
However, there seemed to be no hidden discoveries.
Before Jill knew it, her search for mysteries had turned into simply enjoying the humorous picture book. Eventually, drowsiness began to overtake her.
“Yawn… Well, time to get some sleep.”
Jill placed the book on the side table beside her bed.
Unconsciously, she had placed it on top of the *Book of Acacia*.
