"Fourth place! But if we remove the top three, that means we're still number one, right?!"
Even without looking, Paimon could already guess—the top three on the overall sales chart had to be Victor's three bestsellers. Still, she couldn't hold back her excitement.
"That's right," Yae Miko replied, smiling. "You've earned this rank through your own skill. And as for The Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits—its spells have now been completely overridden by the The Secret Spells of Lady Kitsune."
"Hmm… even if our book's sold a lot, it still doesn't feel like we actually defeated that one. Is it really working?" Lumine asked, tilting her head.
"Hehe~ Why don't you listen carefully? The conversations among the customers here at Yae Publishing House have already changed."
Paimon perked up her ears and glanced around.
"Hey, have you heard the rumor going around lately? Supposedly, if you chant the spell from The Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits at midnight, your wishes will come true—"
"Tch, don't mess with that creepy book! I heard someone tried it and the money they wished for turned into leaves overnight! Then they fell ill for days—nearly died of fever. Only after using the The Secret Spells of Lady Kitsune did they recover! That old spell's outdated now—the Mystical Art is what everyone's using. I even memorized all its chants!"
"'The Secret Spells of Lady Kitsune'? What's that supposed to be?"
"You don't know? It's from the first-place novel in the Yae Publishing contest—The Miraculous Adventures of the Traveler! In it, the Traveler uses the spell to defeat the Raiden Shogun. The writing's so detailed and vivid that people tried it themselves… and it actually worked! Though it only wards off evil normally, if you recite it on a 'moonless night,' the fox spirits and great youkai will bless you—any wish can come true!"
"Wh–What? Another 'any wish can come true' spell? You sure it's not as shady as the other one?"
"Of course not! The Mystical Art neutralizes the effects of The Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits' curse. It's way more advanced! Everyone around me is getting ready for the next moonless night—can't wait to try it out."
"Then I'd better get ready too…"
"Yay! Operation success!!" Paimon cheered.
"Yay! Operation success!!" Lumine echoed her, her bright eyes curving into two half-moons. The struggles of drafting The Miraculous Adventures of the Traveler, Volume 2 and the tension of the past few days finally melted away into relief.
"Operation success?" Yae Miko chuckled softly. "Let's call it a temporary success. There's still work to be done."
"Eh?! It's not over yet?" Lumine froze, glancing warily between Victor and Yae Miko. "Please don't tell me I have to write another one… I've got no story left!"
"Pfft… you looked so happy just now, I thought you'd caught the writing bug." Yae Miko's tails practically twitched with amusement. "Don't worry. This next part isn't about writing. We've dealt with The Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits—now it's time to deal with the one who wrote it."
That, of course, only made Paimon panic more. She flailed both hands like little windshield wipers. "Even if the author's motives are suspicious, you don't have to deal with him, right?!"
"Oh my, don't look so scared," Yae Miko said, deliberately drawing out her words, her smile wickedly ambiguous. "The real author of The Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits… is already dead~"
"D–D–D–Dead?!"
"Mhm. Dead."
"Y–Y–You mean—!"
Victor sighed, finally stepping in before Paimon fainted. "You said 'real author.' You mean there's a fake one? Wait… are you suggesting the writer was possessed by a spirit too?"
"Oh?" Yae Miko raised a brow, amused. "Very perceptive. You're exactly right. The man was a failed novelist. After his latest rejection, he wandered into the depths of the Araumi region, crying out, 'Anyone—please! Let me write something amazing!' And, well… someone answered. A spirit took hold of him, and that's how The Firsthand Guide to Summoning Spirits was born."
"So that's what happened? Poor guy. He didn't even chant anything, and he still got possessed."
"Not poor—just unlucky," Yae Miko said with a shrug. "You remember what happened in Araumi recently? The Beasts of the Rift—those hounds appeared out of nowhere. Even now, the Tenryou Commission hasn't figured out how or why."
At that, Paimon's stomach dropped again, her relief vanishing as fast as it had come. She glanced sideways at Lumine—and the two exchanged a silent look of mutual guilt. Then she turned back to Yae Miko. "So, what do we do now? Should we exorcise the ghost or something?"
"The spirit's already left his body," Yae Miko replied calmly. "But we can summon him back using a descent ritual—then question him about his motives, and respond accordingly."
"Then let's do it right away!"
"Oh? My, my, how energetic all of a sudden, little Paimon."
"We can't just let bad ghosts keep causing trouble!"
"Lumine too, hmm? Hehe~ very well then. Follow me."
As Victor suspected, Yae Miko led them to the Yuurei Studio, the eerie painter's room of the Yae Publishing compound.
"So creepy! Look at all these weird paintings… and that huge mirror! And why's it so dark in here?! What kind of place is this?!" Paimon squeaked, half-hiding behind Lumine.
"Hehe~ weren't you both so eager just a moment ago? 'We can't let bad ghosts keep causing trouble,' remember? I went through quite the trouble preparing this place. Don't tell me you're backing out now?"
Neither Lumine nor Paimon dared to answer. Yae Miko took Lumine's hand gently but firmly. "Come now, Lumine. Sit here, in front of the mirror."
"Wait— You're not actually going to—?" Lumine stiffened, realizing Yae Miko's intent.
"A descent ritual, of course. We'll let the spirit possess you for a short time—quite the rare experience, isn't it? Otherwise, it won't have enough strength to manifest."
"Lumine!" Paimon grabbed her shoulder, panic all over her face.
"…It's fine," Lumine said, forcing a small smile. "Since we're already here, might as well see it through." She took her seat before the mirror.
"Good." Yae Miko gave Victor a meaningful glance and led him into a side chamber. In a low voice, she added, "When the ritual starts—you must not interrupt them."
Victor didn't immediately answer. Instead, he asked, "Yae Miko… is there any chance the descent ritual could actually grant a wish? Like, say… finding something that's been lost?"
"Honestly, you too? There's no such convenient miracle. Don't tell me you've fallen for the same superstition?"
"..." He knew she was probably right—but if there was even a tiny chance to recover the thunder dragon material, he had to ask.
Yae Miko repeated, slower this time, "Do not warn them once the ritual begins."
Victor nodded blankly.
Yae Miko narrowed her eyes. "…You really do know something, don't you?"
"Me—?"
Before he could respond, Yae Miko had already slipped back into the candlelit ritual chamber.