Spirit Mountain. I never expected to hear those words in a place like this, especially from the mouth of a black fairy mage.
"Where did you say?" I asked.
"I said Spirit Mountain." Lise noticed my stunned reaction and continued. "At the eastern end of the continent, there's a peninsula-shaped land. Spirit Mountain is one of its great peaks. It's probably the largest forsaken place on the continent today."
Her words jolted me back to my senses. I realized the Spirit Mountain she spoke of was entirely different from the one I knew. It made sense, though.
"That place's name is a bit unusual," I commented.
"I heard that the Colorless followers gave it that name," she said.
That was probably a lie. I didn't know what kind of place the Spirit Mountain of this world was, but it was no simple coincidence that the place where Senior Brother He Lou resided was called as such. He must have named it himself, and his followers likely just followed his lead.
Why?
Senior Brother He Lou had left Spirit Mountain by his own choice.
Initially, I had assumed there was a misunderstanding, but now I knew better. He had abandoned everything: his bond with his master, his fellow disciples, and even the memories we shared. People driven solely by their mission often did this.
Why, then, had he named the mountain Spirit Mountain after abandoning it all?
I thought of the Senior Brother He Lou I remembered, not the demon king I saw in Hell. He had been someone who always smiled—not to hide his feelings, but out of genuine joy. His smile grew wider when he was happy, and he smiled awkwardly when troubled.
Meanwhile, he always said a prayer before eating. After slaying the monsters and demons of Spirit Mountain, he would fall into silent repentance. If something felt wrong, he'd push back, even against our master's words.
Of all the people in my life, it was Senior Brother He Lou who I respected and followed most after our master.
I had once believed his smile was a reflection of his easy approach to life, his way of finding joy in everything. But now, in my world, the Colorless Demon King had destroyed an entire country.
One country. How much blood had been spilled because of him?
"—Now." Lise's voice snapped my attention back to her. This is worth thirty-five points. It would have taken you months of searching through old books to find this information elsewhere."
She was right. Thanks to our conversation, I had saved myself weeks of work. Yet, unease lingered.
"You don't look well," Lise noted.
"Is that so? Maybe I didn't sleep well," I replied, shaking my head, though my mind remained foggy.
Lise gave me a dismissive wave. "If you're done, then leave. It's been ages since I've spoken this much, and my throat hurts. Go back the way you came, and you'll find the exit."
I stood there, unmoving.
"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and leave."
I locked eyes with Lise and asked, "Can I come here again?"
"The underground library doesn't allow for repeated visits. Any guest can only step in here once," she answered.
That made sense. With a name like Tomb of Forbidden Books, it likely housed dangerous knowledge—things most people were better off never learning.
In other words, it's exactly what I need, I thought.
My future would be intricately tied to the Dark Church. On top of that, there was the Martial God, the Seven Sins Sword, the Forgotten Era, and the seat of a god. More and more, I realized that the things I needed to know were increasing. If I could claim the knowledge hidden in the underground library as my own, it would undoubtedly aid my future endeavors.
"Is there any other way?" I pressed. "I want to visit this library more often in the future."
"That wasn't in the contract. Get lost." Her tone sharpened.
Her hair, which had hung limply, seemed ready to rise in anger once more.
"Then how about a trade?" I suggested.
"A trade?"
"If you let me borrow books, I'll return the equivalent value," I replied.
Lise's eyes filled with disbelief. "Do you even know what a trade is?"
"Of cou—"
"Don't answer yet," she interrupted. "I doubt you understand the meaning of the word. I'm curious, what could a child who hasn't even signed a contract possibly offer me?"
This was the pivotal moment.
The mage was clearly eccentric, but I could still communicate with her. Of course, predicting her next shift in attitude was impossible, which was why mages were so tiring.
"Is there anything you want?" I asked cautiously.
"No," she replied flatly.
That was a lie, wasn't it? Despite my harmless intentions, there was no reason she'd continue this conversation if she didn't want something. She could've easily kicked me out by force.
Then again, considering the word contract she'd mentioned, there could be restrictions that prevented her from harming me directly.
In any case, she was testing me right now. It was insidious, but that made it all the more worthwhile.
I quickly considered my options. I could offer money as a trade. After all, I was wealthy now, with 5,000 gold coins. Or I could use that money to procure materials for her arcane studies.
However, an odd certainty washed over me. Everything I'd just considered felt wrong. I was sure they were all the wrong answers.
Lise grew impatient. "Speak up. But if your answer displeases me, you'll pay the price."
"What price?" I asked, cautious.
"I won't take your life since you're still young," she replied coldly. "You will have to give up your right arm, though."
I nearly sighed. At this point, it felt like my right arm was cursed. It reminded me of how Kayan had severed my tendons, and how Juan had cut off my arm before my regression.
"I'll teach you magic," I blurted, half in frustration.
A brief silence followed.
"You are going to teach me magic?"
"Yes."
Lise looked stunned. Before I could respond, a strange sound escaped her lips. " Aha, hak, hahak, hak, hahaha... "
It took me a moment to realize she was laughing. Her laughter was as bizarre as her appearance.
"How amusing, child. It's been ages since I've laughed like this," she said. "You'll teach me magic? I haven't heard that in hundreds of years. Do you even know who I am?"
"You're the serpent divine beast of the Badnikers, an ancient black fairy, the librarian of the underground library, and a mage," I replied flatly.
"That's only part of it." Her voice brimmed with delight. "Child, I'll ask you again: you want to teach me, Lise Ladygoth—the Sentinel of the Night Sky, rightful master of the Dark Tower, and creator of the Nine Runes? Can you take responsibility for such a claim?"
I could sense the anger in her voice. It seemed I had insulted her in some way. But oddly, this was exactly what I wanted. I was rather pleased with the current situation.
"Yes," I said firmly. "I will teach you a magic you've never experienced before."
***
Lise studied the child before her. His features barely reflected the Badniker lineage. That glaringly bright platinum-blond hair was something black fairies never had. His skin, pale as porcelain, only deepened the disconnect. Without his eye color, it would be hard to tell he was a Badniker.
Despite standing face-to-face with him, Lise should have felt nothing.
It is strange.
The child was well-mannered, a trace of wariness showing through the surprise and confusion on his face—reactions Lise had grown accustomed to from those who met her. If there was one difference, it would be that he was fearless.
It was the most unusual aspect. Lise was acutely aware of the effect she had on others. She exuded an aura that could unsettle even the most composed, an effect she'd intentionally cultivated. Anyone lacking discipline would struggle to remain composed in her presence.
Yet this child stood firm, undeterred by every subtle threat she had made. Given his age, he didn't think he had encountered such situations frequently. Perhaps it was simply an innate characteristic.
She broke the silence. "Alright then. Tell me, what magic have I yet to encounter?"
In the end, the child's identity was irrelevant. What mattered was that he had succeeded. He'd managed to bring Lise to the negotiating table.
Curiosity was a mage's most vital impulse. Still, there was one more thing that he needed to learn.
"However, if you're trying to humiliate me with some paltry knowledge, you will pay the price," she warned.
In some cases, awakening a mage's curiosity could cost one their life.
***
"What kind of price would I have to pay?" I asked.
"As I said earlier, I'll take your right arm first. Then, I'll cut out your tongue. That tongue that babbles nonsense won't be necessary anymore," Lise replied nonchalantly.
The thought of losing my arm and tongue made Kayan, in his days as a collector, seem almost like a decent person in comparison.
"Child, you are asking about unnecessary questions. Are you planning to deceive me?"
"Of course not." There was something I'd been trying to confirm, and this conversation made me certain. "Then... Miss Lady Lisegoth."
"It is Lise Ladygoth," she interjected.
"Lira Ladygoth—"
"Just call me Lise."
"Yes."
"Let me say this upfront." Lise's voice turned sullen. "I'm not just skilled in magic. I'm proficient in alchemy, summoning, and elemental spells, as well as divine power, primordial witchcraft, curses, demonic contracts, and necromancy."
I paused for a moment.
"If the magic you are offering to teach me falls under any of those, this is your last chance to back out. I won't cut out your tongue if you give up now," she offered.
It seemed the arm was still on the chopping block. I had no choice. The good news was that the magic I was about to offer was completely different from what Lise had mentioned.
"The magic placed in this cave," I said, watching her expression shift slightly. "It's quite impressive."
It was said that no one was immune to flattery, but that didn't apply here.
"What impressed you?" Lise responded in her usual dry tone.
"Normally, spells of that kind are used to distort the perception of intruders, right? But you didn't do that. You spread magic throughout the entire cave," I observed.
The reasoning behind the traditional approach was simple: it was far more efficient to cast a spell that distorted an intruder's perception than to repeatedly alter the cave with magic.
Despite my specific praise, Lise remained unphased. Her calm reaction made sense. After all, no one would feel flattered by the words "You're so smart" coming from a brat with a runny nose.
"In fact, that alone proves you're a mage of considerable skill, but that's not all." I changed the topic deliberately. "I visited the old training grounds behind the mansion's rear garden."
I hadn't planned to share this with anyone in the family, but I saw no reason to hide it from Lise. "The place was completely neglected. No signs of people coming or going. And I saw an undead there."
It was better not to look away, so I held her gaze. "To me, the flow of mana is like handwriting. It's not something you can hide just because you want to."
Naturally, there were various ways to sense mana or Qi.
"Some people distinguish it by color, others feel it through touch. In rare cases, some even detect it by smell."
Second Senior Sister had particularly sharp senses.
"How do you perceive the flow of Qi, Luan?" Second Senior Sister had asked me this once, her voice distinct.
I had answered, "To me, the flow looks like handwriting."
What I'd sensed when I encountered the undead and the energy I detected while passing through the cave, both felt like the same handwriting. In other words, the mysterious necromancer controlling the undead in the Badniker family was Lise.
Lise fell silent.