The book itself seemed no different from an ordinary book. If not for the fact that Rio knew about it beforehand, he wouldn't have been able to find anything wrong with it.
He decided to go somewhere with fewer people first. After paying the bill,which his careless girlfriend had forgotten,he left silently. Once he reached a hidden corner and confirmed that no one was around, he brought out the book.
While holding it, he pulled out his sword and activated Elemental Sword Art: Blazing Fire. The book was immediately reduced to ashes in just a fraction of a second.
Rio stepped back a few paces and waited. As he had suspected, the weird thing indeed happened. The ashes of the book began to rise and come together automatically. Slowly, they formed the shape of the once-destroyed book again. Eventually, the book was fully restored, looking more like a new book than before.
Before being burned, it had been considered an old book, covered in cuts and marks from years of use. Now, it looked as if it had just been printed. The changes didn't stop there. Over time, the book started to age rapidly, returning to its previous worn appearance. Eventually, it looked normal again.
Rio wasn't much surprised. By now, even if a monster jumped out of the book, he wouldn't be shocked. He had grown fed up with strange things happening all the time.
As expected of an indestructible item, the book couldn't be destroyed by normal means. Rio looked at it seriously, knowing this was not something ordinary. He needed to find a way to get rid of the Grimoire, because if Lia ever got her hands on it, the consequences could be catastrophic.
The Grimoire was a book containing dark magic, contaminated with miasma. Once someone started reading it, they were bound by a curse. They couldn't leave until they finished reading, and upon completion, the miasma would slowly turn them into a demon-like being from the inside.
Such books affected the reader's psychology. They brainwashed the reader unconsciously, starting with a slow contamination of miasma and eventually making the person dependent on it to survive. The miasma twisted thinking and emotional behavior, turning the reader into someone who killed and tortured others for pleasure.
A being like that couldn't be accepted by anyone, from any race. And the miasma slowly drained the life force of the reader, shortening their lifespan with every passing second.
Lia was originally meant to be a villainess, and this Grimoire had been a part of that in the original story. According to the novel, she had been in the late stages of becoming a villainess around this time, driven by her hatred for Kira. One day, she attempted to stab him in the library in hopes of ending it all at once,but Fade discovered her.
As expected, a huge commotion broke out, spreading across the entire school within hours. Lia knew she would be caught sooner or later. Desperate, she reached for the Grimoire, which appeared on its own in the library. A massive magic circle unfolded instantly, and before anyone could react, she was teleported away.
She was sent directly to the demon king's castle in the center of the demon continent, far away from the academy. Thousands of people were hired to find her, but none succeeded. This incident cemented her transformation into a full-fledged villainess, and she became one of the demon king's subordinates. Lia's father suffered depression and retired.
Rio let out a long sigh as he looked at the brilliant sunset. Even though he wasn't capable of feeling emotions fully, he realized that he could feel a small spark when he was with Lia. She was too precious to lose.
He pondered how to send the book far away from her. He had an idea: someone with extraordinary luck could be used. Any bad luck from the book would turn into good luck for that person, making them the perfect candidate to handle it. Rio wouldn't ask for help directly; he would simply force the Grimoire on them, unconcerned with their feelings.
A villainous smile appeared on his face. If anyone had been nearby, they might have been scared to death.
"Achoo!"
Fade sneezed loudly.
"Do you have a cold, Fade?" Kira asked.
"Nah! Perhaps someone is plotting something against me again. I have a feeling that someone is targeting me. Can we go to your home tomorrow? I don't feel safe here."
"Eh, uh, o-okay, if you say so, then…" Kira replied hesitantly.
Fade smirked. Kira was so easy to manipulate, but he had other matters in mind. Her house had many high-quality things, not to mention the many cute-looking maids he could look at.
Suddenly, a very strong wind blew, nearly knocking him off his feet. He thought he saw a shadow pass by, but he ignored it. Kira, busy fixing her skirt, didn't notice anything either.
Then, without warning, an unknown book appeared in Fade's bag.