The Sorcerer's Handbook

Chapter 167: Gerard and the Four Pillars Cult

Gerard sat on the platform steps. Looking down at the adventurers lining up for their injections, his thoughts drifted back to himself 134 years ago.

Back then, he had taken the Institution Examination three times before finally gaining admission, just shy of the human age limit of twenty-five. Academic study never interested him, so he joined the Heresy Court as an ordinary hunter instead.

The senior assigned to guide him belonged to the Blood Saint Clan. The man loved smoking and idling away his time. Whenever paperwork came up, he would head to the restroom right on time, earning the nickname Toilet Hunter. He gave the young Gerard a thorough lesson in what the job truly meant.

Being a hunter was nothing glamorous. The daily work consisted of the same petty, wearisome matters as any other profession. That era still carried the residue of racial discrimination, gender bias, and class prejudice. Many of the criminals they dealt with were not heinous, yet they were like fish bones hidden in a bowl of rice, provoking a disgust that words could not capture.

After dealing with enough of them, it began to feel as though fish bones were accumulating in the throat. Sooner or later, blood would be needed to wash them away.

Despite being unreliable in nearly every regard, his senior had an uncanny ability to sense Gerard's low spirits. From time to time, he would drag Gerard to teahouses or casinos to ease the pressure. Gerard always declined politely, but that stubbled face and lewd grin somehow managed to clear the gloom in his heart.

Then came the transfer. Both of them were assigned to a special task force to eradicate the Four Pillars Cult.

At first, Gerard did not take the organization seriously. Beneath the supremely benevolent Blood Moon, evil seemed like rainwater after a storm, destined to evaporate under the blazing sun.

He was wrong.

The operation kept encountering unexpected setbacks. Units became separated, and cult members fought without fear of death, dragging hunters down with them. By the time they reached the cult leader's location, only Gerard, his senior, and one veteran hunter remained.

His senior ordered Gerard to guard the door, to prevent escape and give warning if necessary.

The reasoning was sound. Gerard had no grounds to object.

Sensing his eagerness for merit, the senior laughed. "When you lead a team someday, you'll have plenty of chances to charge in. This is my moment to look impressive. Stay outside like a good kid. But if something happens to me, get in there fast and save the day."

Even in those ominous circumstances, the man could still dispel the darkness in Gerard's heart.

Gerard watched as the two hunters pushed open the door. They stepped into the pitch-black room with their hunter lamps raised, searching for the hidden cult leader.

One minute passed. Then two. Then three.

No sound came from within.

Gerard could not wait any longer. He raised his own lamp and stepped inside.

The darkness felt almost solid. The beam of his lamp barely cut through it. Even the latest model handgun in his grasp offered no comfort against the unknown.

His foot splashed into something wet.

He looked down, only to find blood and a strange corpse on the floor. Following the trail, he discovered two bodies tangled together.

His senior was biting into the veteran hunter's throat, while the veteran had driven a sword straight through his senior's heart.

Then the corpse spoke, "How beautiful. Don't you think?"

Gerard stumbled backward and fell hard onto the floor. He raised his gun with trembling hands and aimed at the body.

The corpse smiled as it slowly sat up. It said, "I'm not a sorcerer. I don't even have a weapon. There's no need to be so nervous. The moment you pull the trigger, I'll die."

"You... They... They—"

"The vampire feared the hunter would strike first, so he bit him to death. The hunter retaliated and killed the vampire. I simply happened to be lying here asleep."

Gerard shot back, "You're lying!"

The corpse tilted its head. "That was quick. If it doesn't align with your truth, then it isn't truth at all, is it? I rather like that linear way of thinking.

"You must be wondering why the vampire feared the hunter. It's because they had a grudge, one passed down through time."

Gerard was at a loss. "But my senior was so good to me... how could he—"

The corpse interrupted him. "Just because he was good to you, does that make him a good man all his life? How sure are you that he has never offended anyone or done anything wrong?"

Gerard froze for a moment, then shot back, "You're the leader of the Four Pillars Cult!"

The corpse revealed a sweet, almost innocent smile. "Because I'm the villain, everything I say must be false? I truly adore your linear thinking."

"But do you know why the Four Pillars Deities exist?"

"Desire!" Gerard growled, teeth clenched. "You're nothing but demons of desire, luring people into corruption—"

The corpse pressed a hand to its chest. It said, "Peace of mind. The desire to grow stronger. To become smarter. To be admired. To find happiness... People seek peace of mind, and the Four Pillars Deities grant their wishes.

"These people, here, sought peace of mind too. That's why they killed each other, and that's why they died. Without it, they would have had no outlet for the darkness in their hearts."

"You're lying!"

The corpse tilted its head once more. "Yet you agree with me, don't you, Hunter Gerard? You're perceptive. During the investigation, you noticed your senior and the veteran hunter didn't get along. You already suspected a story behind them."

Gerard barked, "Shut up!"

"You also know that his smoking, his laziness, and his slovenly appearance all stem from a vast and sinister past. From a few scattered words, you deduced your senior was a pitiful failure. Beneath that smile, a madness capable of destroying reason quietly festered."

Gerard pressed the muzzle of his gun to the corpse's forehead. "I said shut up!"

The corpse only smiled. Its bloodstained fingers streaked two lines beneath Gerard's eyes, carving crimson trails of weeping blood down his face. "Rainwater may evaporate under the sun, but some seeps into the soil, nourishing the earth. What evaporates does not vanish. It returns, through the natural cycle, awaiting the next storm. The rain never stops. It keeps falling, because I exist... and because you exist.

"In a world where the law becomes a butcher's blade, crime is no longer shameful.

"So tell me, Gerard... for whom are you crying?"

Bang.

The trigger was pulled. The corpse fell silent at last. Other hunters arrived soon after, and the operation ended.

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. Gerard grew lazy, arrogant, and unruly, but he also grew stronger. Just as he imagined sleeping peacefully in the paradise of Caimon City, a familiar name stirred the memories long buried beneath the dust.

He volunteered. Crafted a meticulous plan. And in one decisive strike, he destroyed the neo Four Pillars Cult, presenting himself at his strongest. He wanted to use his present achievements to make up for past regrets.

Yet he felt no satisfaction at all. This generation's cult leader was the weakest he had ever seen. Naive, lost, and soft-spoken, he seemed no different from a recent university graduate. Capturing him had been easier than catching a cat.

So when Ashe claimed during interrogation that he had lost his memory, Gerard believed him immediately. He assumed Ashe had been stripped of his memories and used as a scapegoat by the real mastermind.

Later, Professor Syrin sought Gerard out, insisting on Ashe's danger and even using personal favors to have Gerard test Ashe's abilities again. Out of respect for a fellow Blood Saint, Gerard let Ashe go. But his judgment never wavered. Ashe remained, in his eyes, an insignificant lamb.

Then came the storm. It began with the prison break, followed by the prison being compromised, the Blood Moon Tribunal, and Syrin's disappearance.

Moments ago, Gerard had received a report. It stated that Syrin Dorr, chairman of the Elf Rights Association, had gone missing, and no one knew if he was dead or alive. The news had been withheld.

A century later, beneath the radiant Blood Moon, Gerard felt as though he had stepped once more into that dark room.

Now he could confirm without a doubt that Ashe Heath was the leader of the Four Pillars Cult. He was the source of chaos, the head of secrecy, and his very existence invited disaster. He was the embodiment of evil.

With flawless disguise, he had earned the trust of a Three-Winged sorcerer who was also a law enforcement captain, deceiving him completely.

Gerard murmured, his voice low and bitter, "It's just like last time... Am I only able to make amends after the fact?"

Suddenly, a commotion broke out among the group waiting for their blessings.