Chapter 455: Assassination Rankings

The underground river flowed quietly, yet the city around them was gradually coming to life. With no distinction between day and night in this subterranean world, people from all time zones moved about freely. Some were only just waking up to start their day.

Sitting on a bench along the riverbank, Ashe listened to Lys' confession and summarized thoughtfully, "So... you're a princess who escaped from the palace, you're trying to save your sister locked in the tower, and your wish is to abolish the Unattached Ranking?"

"Mhm!" Lys nodded vigorously. "My sister doesn't want to become the Gospel's First either! As long as you take me to see her, let me touch her, and we leave the tower together, she absolutely won't become the Gospel's First. You won't need to assassinate her at all!"

"Hmm," Ashe stared intently at her. "So you're actually a princess..."

"What's wrong? Don't I look like one?"

"It's nothing. I was just thinking... being called Daddy by a real princess gives me a strange sense of accomplishment. Want to say it again for me?"

The white-haired girl opened her mouth, but quickly turned her head away with a huff. "Stupid Ashe!"

How could she possibly say it out loud? The one fronting the body right now wasn't Lys, but Dia[1].

After a long discussion with her sisters, Dia had decided to reveal most of her secrets while still hiding certain critical details, like her multiple personalities, her shrunken body, and the fact that she herself used to be the Gospel's First. Explaining why her body had reverted to a child's would be far too troublesome. She would have to explain the Bronze Dragon's trial, the true identity of the Gospel's First, and the Armor Sanctification Ritual, none of which had anything to do with the assassination mission anyway. Even if she confessed to being the original Gospel's First, Ashe and the others would still proceed with the plan.

Most importantly, Dia didn't want to meet Ashe in this body.

It was like chatting anonymously online. Ashe had always treated her like a little girl. If she suddenly revealed that she was actually a young woman of nearly twenty, the sheer exposure was enough to make her heart race with anxiety.

What if he started to dislike her? What if he thought she had deceived him on purpose? What if... The affection in her heart ebbed and surged, retreating and rising again in endless waves.

White Queen had also pointed out something crucial. The most frightening possibility wasn't that Ashe would get angry, but that he would simply accept them as they were. If he were to accept that Lys, Dia, White Queen, Black Butler, Red Death Apostle, and his daughter were all the same person, then everything would truly be over.

A formed relationship was like a mirror. It either yellowed with age, shattered into pieces, or remained frozen exactly as it was. Ashe recognized Lys, and only Lys, as his daughter. The problem was, the rest of them didn't want to be treated like his daughters forever.

So, only after the Woven Festival ended, after the Bronze Dragon's trial concluded, and after she returned to her original form, would she have the courage to stand before him properly. Hello, I'm Lysdia.

Just imagining that moment filled Dia with hope, making every cell in her body tremble with excitement.

Furthermore, by keeping these secrets hidden, she could also weaken their connection to Nina. She didn't mention that her desperate desire to save Nina stemmed from an overwhelming sense of guilt, which made the rescue seem less... mandatory. She wanted Ashe to believe that Nina wasn't that important to her, hoping it might lower the chances of him agreeing.

Because in truth, they hadn't persuaded Lys. On the contrary, they had been persuaded by her.

Dia didn't want to give up the chance to save Nina, but she also didn't want Ashe to die because of it. Caught in this tangled conflict, she could only present this flawed answer sheet and wait for Ashe to grade it.

It was, without a doubt, a rather shameless act. Unable to make a decision herself, she was throwing the burden onto someone else. In that sense, Dia realized she wasn't much different from Lys. She was still just a child relying on an adult.

If Ashe thought this new plan increased the difficulty too much and insisted on proceeding with the original assassination, where he'd personally kill Nina to ensure Annan's victory, Dia would surely feel disappointed and heartbroken. But at the same time, she would also feel relieved, knowing his chances of survival would be higher.

"Then..." the white-haired little girl asked nervously, "Ashe, what do you think?"

"No problem. In fact, this is great," Ashe said, a genuine smile breaking across his face. "If you asked me to kill a girl up in a tower whom I've never even met, I'd probably need countless therapy sessions with Iger just to deal with the guilt. Lys, thank you. You've given me a better option."

His agreement came so readily that it felt completely unreal to her. "Don't you think it makes things much more difficult?"

"It just means bringing you along. The difficulty increases a bit, but not by much. Besides, you might actually be able to help during the operation. Still, I have to admit you are too weak right now. You have no way to protect yourself."

Ashe studied Lys for a moment. "It might not make a massive difference... but I can make you a sorcerer. At least then, you'll have a spirit of your own to help you."

Lys froze, her eyes wide. "Make me... a sorcerer?"

Ashe grinned. "That's right. I recently had a fortunate encounter on the Continent of Time and obtained a Miracle called Gift, which allows me to transfer one of my spirits to anyone. You're not a sorcerer, so you probably don't understand just how valuable this Miracle is..."

Dia understood perfectly.

In fact, any sorcerer, or even anyone who aspired to become one, would immediately grasp the immense power of this Miracle.

At first glance, Gift seemed to do nothing more than transfer a single spirit. How was that any different from simply buying or selling them? Furthermore, it could only transfer a spirit from oneself to another. If anything, a Miracle that allowed someone to take a spirit from an enemy would make far more sense.

Among established sorcerers, Gift was indeed virtually meaningless. But between a sorcerer and an ordinary mortal, its significance became immeasurable. If Ashe were willing to auction off this opportunity, he could become wealthy overnight, with countless desperate nobles lining up to throw fortunes at his feet.

Ordinary people simply couldn't possess spirits. Controlling a spirit required mana, and mana could only be obtained by entering the Virtual World. For mortals, this created an impossible paradox, like a job that required three years of experience for a fresh graduate.

Because of this, whether a poor village girl or a wealthy young master, the first step to becoming a sorcerer was always the same. They had to painstakingly train day and night to summon their first spirit from absolutely nothing. Only then could they knock on the gates of the Virtual World.

This was where the true value of Gift lay. While a secondhand spirit gifted by Ashe couldn't grant direct access to the Virtual World, since only a self-summoned spirit could open the Gate of Truth, it allowed a person to reverse-engineer their skills. Armed with an existing spirit, practicing became like solving a test with the answer sheet in hand. As long as they put in the effort, reaching the Silver Rank was practically guaranteed.

The Miracle was Ashe's reward for enduring the Out of Toilet Paper curse. Back then, the trio had purchased one blessing and one curse from the Chaotic Shopping Guide of Blessings and Curses. For the blessing, they all chose Fatal Sense of Danger at the cost of constantly watching each other. Meanwhile, Ashe had taken on the Out of Toilet Paper curse for himself. He hadn't gained any groundbreaking insights into the Fate Class during that stretch of abysmal luck, but in its place, he had still received this Miracle as a consolation prize.

At first, Ashe had thought Gift was useless, but a quick check of the Book of Gospel revealed its enormous potential.

Still, things meant to be used should be used. Originally, Ashe had planned to save this reward for the future, perhaps as a gift for Iger's daughter, Leia, by picking out a super-powerful spirit for her. But if Lys was going to enter the dangerous palace with him, he needed to arm her first.

So, what did Dia think? Of course, she couldn't accept it.

She was already a sorcerer. The only reason she couldn't manifest spirits in reality right now was because of the Bronze Dragon's trial. Even if Ashe gave her a spirit, it wouldn't change her situation. On the contrary, it would likely expose her secrets.

Lys quickly shook her head in refusal, immediately pivoting the conversation. "By the way, even if you've agreed, Annan will definitely still insist that Pankey leaves, right? And if Pankey leaves, I'll have to go with him since I'm his excuse... Do you have a way to persuade her?"

"It's Uncle Pankey and Sister Annan," Ashe said, lightly flicking Lys on the forehead. "You can call me by my name, but be a bit more polite to the others."

He paused, his expression turning confident. "As for that problem, you don't need to worry. It's already been resolved. Annan won't let Pankey leave now."

"Resolved?" Lys blinked. "How?"

"The Gospel took care of it for us."

Lys blinked again, a sudden realization striking her. She summoned her Book of Gospel and flipped directly to the bookmarked page.

Because the latest update had arrived at such a chaotic, or perhaps perfectly timed moment, Little Lys had used it as an excuse to drag Ashe away. As a result, they hadn't actually looked at the contents of the newest prophecy yet.

[Assassination Rankings]

[Assassination Ranking No. 10: Assassination of the Rusty Crow]

Assassin: Cicero Scott... will be executed by Ashe Heath.

[Assassination Ranking No. 7: Assassination of the Ghost King]

Assassin: Anlock... will be executed by Ashe Heath.

[Assassination Ranking No. 5: Assassination of Leia Perskin]

Assassin: ... will be executed by Ashe Heath.

[Assassination Ranking No. 3: Assassination of Ashe Heath]

Assassin: ... will be executed by Ashe Heath.

[Assassination Ranking No. 2: Assassination of the Empress]

Assassin: Pankey Dolan... will be executed by Ashe Heath.

1. Whenever we mention Dia in reality, we are mainly referring to the Secret Princess persona. ☜