Ancient Tomes' Incantation (Seeking Reads~)

Upon hearing this prayer, Ivan's Spirituality felt a faint, ominous premonition, as if he were being gripped by an invisible hand.

Every syllable of that prayer echoed deep within his consciousness, carrying an ancient sensation, much like when he had first broken through his faith energy.

He had no time to ponder it further; taking advantage of the moment before the villa's front door could fully close, he slipped inside without a sound.

The warm air of the house, scented with the wood spices burning in the fireplace, enveloped him, yet it could not dispel the chill seeping out from that prayer.

Ivan drifted along the spiral staircase toward the end of the second-floor corridor, where a wooden door carved with rose patterns stood slightly ajar, revealing a faint glimmer of light.

At this moment, he had long since abandoned any pretense of gentlemanly conduct, passing straight through the door gap and into Diana's boudoir.

The room was furnished elegantly and cozily, with pale blue wallpaper accented by golden vine patterns, and several pots of blooming white roses resting on the windowsill.

A bright gas lamp on the desk illuminated Diana, who was slumped beside it.

She had already shed her elaborate gown, and a simple, clean white nightdress made her appear even more lively; her long golden hair was draped over her shoulders, with a few strands hanging mischievously onto the desk in front of her.

Diana held a fountain pen in her right hand, while her left hand rested gently upon a thick, heavy ancient book; its pages were yellowed, and the script consisted of symbols Ivan had never seen before.

Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows on her cheeks, and several sheets of letter paper were scattered across the table, covered in elegant Rheinish handwriting, as if she were attempting to translate those mysterious symbols.

As she translated, Diana whispered to herself:

"This ritual doesn't seem to do anything; I don't feel any extraordinary power descending..."

"As expected, the legends are all lies, and this Book of Rituals is no different."

"Ritual of the Lord?" Ivan leaned in closer, looking at the text Diana had translated.

"Great Lord of All Spirits."

"Please listen to our prayers."

"With Your eyes, perceive the hypocrisy. With Your tongue, lick the lies. With Your claws, tear the contracts. With Your heart, devour the faith."

"May Your power descend upon us..."

The text was translated by Diana into a series of obscure incantations.

As Ivan took it in, the shock to his heart was like being struck by a heavy hammer, identical to the terror he had felt when Gais was first enlightened by him:

"The Lord of All Spirits—is He a truly existing deity?"

He looked at the ancient, weathered pages again, unwilling to give up, though the script was so eroded by time that it was barely legible.

"Ugh... I can't read it, but this book certainly looks quite old."

"Could I have actually guessed right? Is the Lord of All Spirits truly an ancient god? And, can I really share a name with a Lord of All Spirits?"

Ivan smiled bitterly to himself, trying to mask his inner unease with self-deprecating humor.

Yet his true feelings were incredibly complex; he did not know what borrowing the name of this entity would bring him, nor did he know where the sense of familiarity with that ancient prayer originated.

He hovered above Diana's head, watching her every move with intense focus.

The young girl gently turned the page, only to find that the subsequent content was no longer decipherable; of the entire book, only the prayer she had just translated remained clear.

She shook her head, set down her pen, and suddenly stood up.

"Oh! What was that?"

Diana's movement was obstructed, and she fell backward onto the floor, her hands covering her forehead, her eyes filled with confusion.

She had clearly felt herself collide with a soft, resilient object, yet when she looked up, there was nothing in the air.

Ivan cursed inwardly; he had been so focused on his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Diana's movement and had been struck squarely by her.

The maid downstairs heard Diana's cry of pain and rushed up the stairs to help her up from the floor.

"Miss Diana, are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

Fortunately, the room was covered in a velvet carpet, so little Diana hadn't been injured, or they, as maids, would have been scolded by the mayor again.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, it's just that I felt..."

"Felt what?" the maid asked with concern.

The words Diana had been about to say seemed to catch in her throat; her azure eyes flickered, and she quickly changed her tune:

"Nothing, I just tripped by accident. You don't need to worry about me, go back to your work!"

"Miss Diana, you must be more careful in the future, or you might hurt yourself."

The maid left the room, and Diana closed the door, locking it behind her, before she could no longer suppress her excitement and whispered:

"Could it be that the Lord of All Spirits has been summoned by me!!!"

"I knew it! As long as I am pious enough and pray day after day, You will eventually respond to me!"

Just moments ago, when Diana was about to reveal that she had bumped into something invisible, Ivan had managed to interrupt her at the last second through their connection of faith.

He did this partly out of fear of being noticed by others, but mostly because he wanted to use Diana to get to the bottom of this Book of Rituals.

"That is correct; you have done well, child."

Ivan brought out his usual rhetoric, hoping to first coax some information out of the young girl.

"You have called upon My name; what is it that you seek?"

Upon receiving a further response, the young girl couldn't help but jump, her small feet clad in pale yellow stockings kicking into the air. Seemingly afraid of making too much noise, she hurriedly threw herself back onto the bed.

This surely isn't an evil god who demands souls or lives; otherwise, I would have already met with misfortune the moment I called out to Him.

Only then did Diana realize her good fortune, feeling relieved that her invocation of such a hidden existence had not been answered by something sinister.

I never expected the legends to be true. There really are ancient, hidden gods. If that's the case, then extraordinary abilities must truly exist as well.

She gathered her thoughts and finally spoke directly: "I... I want to obtain extraordinary abilities!"

Ivan was stunned by these words, as the vague, mysterious replies he had prepared were now completely useless.

This child, why is she so blunt? She's exposed her ultimate goal right from the start.

Shouldn't she be saying some polite pleasantries, like praising My greatness or asking for guidance?

"That is certainly possible, but there are no unearned gifts in this world. There must always be a price to pay."

"So, what benefits can you offer?"

Ivan maintained a mysterious and grand tone, hoping to frighten Diana into retreating.

Diana seemed not to have expected this hidden existence to actually agree to her request, let alone ask her to name her price.

She pondered for a moment, tilting her small head to the side, her eyes darting around with a mischievous glint.

"What I can offer is... uh, Gold Pounds, Gold Pounds, and more Gold Pounds."

"I would like to know, oh great Lord of All Spirits, what is it that You require? Surely it cannot be such vulgar currency."

She threw the question back at Ivan, unwilling to proactively mention the things she possessed, such as her life.

This Diana is quite clever, knowing to ask what I need. But she isn't that smart—can't an ancient god be short on Gold Pounds? What a narrow-minded thought.

"Heh, I have always been willing to help those with dreams."

"As long as you become My devout believer and regularly offer some Gold Pounds to the church, I can bestow upon you an extraordinary ability, allowing you to step into the transcendent world."

He watched Diana sitting on the bed in silence, awaiting her reply.

Diana, however, furrowed her brows, her eyes filled with wariness.